How Freelancing Moms Can Earn Money While Raising Kids

It’s not easy being a freelancer.

There’s always a phone call to make, a lead to follow up on, or a pitch to submit. Managing everything without going insane requires time and effort.

Consider adding family, children, and pregnancy to the mix, as well as extra people’s wants and schedules to your freelance existence. How can you balance the continual barrage of demands from your partner, children, self, career, and friends without becoming overwhelmed?

Read on and you’ll learn several ways that freelancing moms can balance work with raising a family.

How Freelancing Moms Can Earn Money While Raising Kids

You may make the same amount of money as an employee

Raising a family has become increasingly challenging due to increased living costs (not to mention inflation). For many families, any additional source of income is not only desirable but necessary.

You can provide whatever service you want via online job sites. You could, for example, create a website, write a blog, provide dog walking services, tutor music or languages, and so on. Why not consult if you have a professional background, such as law or accounting? Any skill or passion can be turned into a source of income. With just a few taps (and oftentimes seconds), freelance employment will connect you with potential clients, allowing you to start earning right away.

You can set your own working hours

It can feel like you don’t have time for anything else when you’re dealing with the myriad of responsibilities that come with raising children and running a household. However, with a little forethought, you may be able to strike a balance between a healthy career and a happy family.

You can define your availability as a freelancer, so you’ll only work with clients when it’s convenient for you. This will assist you in planning your days as well as keep you motivated and accountable.

So, if you have a few hours to spare when the little one is napping (or while the bigger kids are in school), finish off a few (paying) freelance assignments. You can take a break to make lunch (or just cuddle), then return to work when you have a space in your schedule. As a freelancer, you won’t feel bad about being away from home all the time. You’ll be working and caring for your mother at the same time.

You have the option of working wherever you like

If you work from home, the time you save commuting (which may be as much as 2 hours per day, or 1 full day of your life every 2 weeks) will be invested in your family or work. You could even take the kids to the park or a neighboring coffee shop and work from there.

Freelancing gives preference to matches who are close to you. This means that if you need to meet with a client quickly, they’ll most likely be able to accommodate you down the line. So go out, have your meeting, and be back in time for the kids’ bath.

You can continue to play the game

If you’re transitioning from full-time work to full-time parenting, you may lament losing all of your professional abilities. You may maintain your professional abilities and instincts sharp as a freelancer (whether full-time or part-time).

Freelancing allows you to not only offer any service you desire, but it also allows you to find matches for extremely specialized services. Don’t let your hard-earned experience and knowledge go to waste. Work as an independent consultant for a while. Then sort through the laundry basket’s hundreds of mismatched socks. Return to your spreadsheets after that. After all, you’re equally good inside and out.

You can do something enjoyable

You never imagined your painting pastime might become a profession. Neither your piano playing. However, with clients seeking everything from mural artists to music tutors to voice artists, you can turn a previously unpaid pastime into a viable source of money.

Simply look for online platforms where you may describe the service you want to provide, upload your portfolio (or even just a few samples of your work) to your profile, and you’ll be freelancing soon.

So, now that you’re aware of all the advantages of freelancing, discover a few financial ideas for freelancing moms to help you balance work, family, and finances.

Freelancing Moms and Money

Make sure your bank accounts are separate

Create a separate business account to keep your personal and business funds separate. It not only gives you a clear picture of your company’s cash flow, which is helpful when filing taxes, but it also safeguards your personal assets from liability.

You are responsible for legal concerns and commercial debts as a freelancer. If your firm collapses, creditors may pursue your personal assets. To avoid financial disaster, it’s critical to have a well-defined business structure in place, including a separate business bank account and work checkbook.

Establish an emergency fund

Freelancing can be a perfect option for stay-at-home moms to supplement their income. Be prepared, though, for the difficult times. You need to be on the lookout for new jobs and clients as a freelancer, which means you don’t always have a regular income. Some clients only pay you once a project is completed, which can take months. This implies there will be months when you don’t get paid at all, and months when you are paid a lot all at once.

It’s critical to save money for difficult times and establish emergency savings you may use when clients are late paying you or your child need new glasses. Your emergency fund should, at the very least, be sufficient to cover your expenses for at least six months.

Replicate your company’s benefits as needed

You don’t have access to company-sponsored benefits as a freelancer. As a starting point, make sure you have federally mandated major medical health insurance. Then, as your budget permits, consider adding extra benefits such as disability insurance.

If you become totally handicapped due to illness or injury and are unable to work, disability insurance pays a percentage of your income for a set period of time. If something goes wrong, this coverage might save you a lot of grief.

Consider accumulating retirement savings once your firm is stable, your finances are under control, and you have a respectable emergency fund.

Life is too short to waste time worrying or feeling stressed because you can’t do everything or please everyone. Instead, schedule your time and life so that you can not only finish the tasks that are most important to you but also spend quality time with your family.

Stay-at-home moms are responsible for a variety of household tasks in addition to caring for their children. Many mothers are skilled multi-taskers who wish to work in addition to parenting their children. There are numerous freelancing opportunities for mothers to earn money from home while still caring for their children. However, freelancing with a family necessitates a different set of rules and abilities. Remember that freelancing enables you to do it in a way you have more choice and freedom than most.

Want to learn more about freelancing? Enroll in my free mini-course here.

(This post was originally published in June 2022.)

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Images by Vitolda Klein and krakenimages

Bianka Andrews

Bianka Andrews is a financial professional at Instant Loan Online who enjoys writing and photography. Besides creating educational content on her personal financial blog, Bianka is a mother of two who likes to share her experience and challenges of daily parenting life.

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