Help! I’m Going Insane!
Otherwise known as: The SAHM’s (Stay-At-Home-Mom’s) Guide to Retaining
her Sanity and Earning Money through Internet Jobs
Written By: Tracy Leigh Ritts
Often, I’ll meet someone for the first time and I get the “Are you freaking crazy?” look when I mention I have four children. Yes, I said four. Realize, please, that it’s only in THIS day and age that having four kids seems like a lot. In the past, most families had more than the standard quo of two kids, one dog, and a parakeet (or hamster) of today. Immediately after this look, I tend to feel the need to explain I have one set of twins – therefore I didn’t actually PLAN to have four – which somehow seems to set my conversing partner at ease. Maybe it helps them to know I’m not purposely trying to over-populate the Earth. The next question; however, is the one that leads into what I like to call the “danger area.”
“Wow, you must be so busy! How do you do it all?” To which I answer, “I don’t.” It’s impossible to “do it all.” Unfortunately, most SAHM’s feel if they can’t keep the house immaculate, make delicious AND nutritious meals, while raising perfectly groomed and polite children, then they are somehow failing. So, it’s this next question that tends to set my teeth to grinding:
“Oh, so you don’t work?”
Um. Hello? Did you NOT hear me say I have four kids? Sometimes I wish I had the ability to simply mute people whenever I wanted. I think if we had this ability it would solve most of the anger management problems in our world.
Seriously.
So, let me say straight out, whether you have one child or six (bless you, you are a saint), raising kids is dang HARD WORK and raising responsible kids is the most impressive position any person can put on their resume. That being said, if you find yourself going a bit stir-crazy because you miss working, or because you need something else to occupy the adult portion in your brain (I swear, it is still there!), or if it’s a simple matter of economics – SAHM’s have many possibilities for working from home utilizing the internet.
If this concept has interested you in the past, but you’ve shied away from it because of all the horror stories associated with “at home work,” you’re not alone. There truly are unscrupulous companies whose only true vision is to make money – regardless if they are selling a pack of lies or not. So, if you want to develop some sort of business you can do from your house – one that does not entail having house parties of ANY kind – where do you start?
Make a List
I know, I know, you probably make lists all day, every day. But this is a different kind of a list. It has nothing to do with picking up milk or stopping by the dry cleaners. Write down what you’re good at first – the obvious things. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
What? You’re done already? No, no, no. Look at it again and think of less obvious things. You run your house, right? Right there you have management skills, organizational skills, budgeting skills, childcare skills, purchasing skills – basically you’re running a business already, you’re just not getting paid financially for it. So, think again, what are you good at?
Next – what are your interests? Any interest, doesn’t matter what it is – write it down. Whatever you enjoy, wish you knew more about, or love to do whenever you can is worth adding on. By the way, there are no wrong answers. Most likely, you’ll add to both of these lists over a period of several days – maybe even weeks. Things will come to you when you least expect it, so don’t plan on having this completed within five minutes.
When you do believe you have a fairly comprehensive list, it’s time to move on.
Compile and Organize
I’m going to share with you my lists when I decided I needed a break from being Mommy all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being Mommy – but I found I am a better parent when I’m taking care of myself – in all ways.
So here we go, for better or worse…
What I’m Good At
That’s the list I had – and well, I knew I could cross several off right away. As much as I enjoy teasing my lovely children, I can’t make money doing that (which is really too bad). You might think, on first glance, that most of what I have written down is useless for working out of your home. You’d be wrong! (Gee, I love it when I’m right.) We’ll get to that in a minute. Next, my list of what my interests are…
My Interests
Okay, I’m actually going to stop there – my interest list is extremely long. However, I think if you compare the two, you’ll see that I have several things on both lists. This is the place to start.
For me, writing was an obvious choice. From articles to blog writing to web copy, creative writers are in high demand. I have been able to take my writing skill, which I also love, and utilize it to earn money.
But there are OTHER options if you don’t write.
Let’s consider those other options – maybe some that would work for YOU.
There are SEVERAL very good internet sites dedicated to work at home SAHM’s. Here’s a few to check out:
Here are a few ideas to think about as you look over your lists:
These are just a few of the options available to SAHM’s. If you’re wondering how, exactly, to start finding the people who will give you jobs, check out a few of these sites:
www.elance.com – online workplace and market place. You can create a profile, and for a small fee, apply for jobs that are posted. They have three levels of membership – each one allowing you a greater amount of bidding rights per month, however, start with the most inexpensive to see if it’s a good fit for you or not. Consider it practical practice and research.
www.guru.com – another online workplace and market place. This site, unfortunately, only has two real options for bidding on projects. Free – which allows you up to 10 bids per month, but only on OPEN projects within a certain mileage from where you live, and GURU – which allows you up to 100 bids per month, but is somewhat costly for just starting out.
www.craigslist.com – a free blog site where there are jobs posted by locale. It’s more time consuming to search than Elance or Guru, however, if you have the time you might find something worthwhile.
There are many more sites like these available, do a simple search for “freelance work” or “home based business” and you’ll find plenty to check out. My advice is to educate yourself as much as possible about any place you might be posting a profile. Also, in your public profiles, use caution. Don’t publicize your phone number, address, etc. If you begin working with someone you can always give THEM that information – but you don’t need the whole world to have access to it.
I hope this has given you a few ideas to branch out from. Remember, it is possible to earn money while being a stay at home mom. The best of the situation is you control your hours, the worst is you can’t count on a consistent income until you get a steady list of clients or customers.
Good luck, stay sane, and the next time someone asks you: “Oh, so you don’t work?” Just hit that mute button and walk away.
From my computer to yours – I wish you a most successful career as a SAHM!
© Copyright: Tracy Leigh Ritts, www.TracyLeighWrites.com