I’ve tried a lot of part-time work-from-home jobs. Some were gold, some were absolute garbage. So, I know how overwhelming it feels when you’re juggling bills, family, and a schedule that never ends. And that’s not even counting how much money you burn at the grocery store. Then another bill lands in the mailbox or inbox, and there goes more money.
It’s wild how much we spend. The average American household spent $77,280 in 2023. And that… was 2023! That’s a lot of money flying out the door. Keeping costs low is frustrating unless you have a few money hacks to save a few bucks or a way to earn some extra cash.
Ready to flip the script? You can earn cash on your own terms, starting right here. These aren’t just ideas. They’re the real deal. These are ways I’ve made money, or ways I know other real women who have made money working online from home, part-time or full-time. There’s a lot to unpack here. So, let’s break it all down.
1. Freelance Writing for Clients
I’ve been freelancing since 2014. In fact, this was one of my first side hustles. Back then, I worked on freelance platforms for bottom-feeder rates (because, in the beginning, I didn’t know better). But there are much better platforms out there. I know… I found them. I’ve linked my favorites below. I’ve tested almost every popular platform out there:
- WorkGenius
- ClearVoice
- FlexJobs
- MediaBistro
- ProBlogger
- BloggingPro
- Twine
- Skyword
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Freelancer
I also pitched private clients and landed agency gigs, which are a bit harder to land than finding work on the platforms, but these gigs can also be more rewarding. So, don’t be afraid to fly solo and approach brands and publications yourself. The platforms are one option, but they aren’t the only option.
Freelance writing is one of the most flexible and legitimate part-time work-from-home jobs out there. You set the schedule. You choose the gigs, and you decide if the pay is worth your time. That said, it’s also highly competitive, so start small.
Pick one niche or industry you actually enjoy and know something about. Mine was lifestyle and personal finance. Then create a few samples you can share with prospective clients (an article you published on Medium in the client’s industry will get you started). Offer your writing on platforms while also reaching out to potential (private, non-platform) clients directly.
You’ll also need to learn the basics of SEO, because if you’re writing for a client who publishes online, they’ll expect you to know it. You can learn SEO for free on Hubspot Academy’s website. They have some great tutorials.
Freelance writing is a scrappy side hustle that helped me build the skills and experience that led to my current full-time role as a staff writer at a marketing agency. It also gave me the confidence to run this blog.
If you’ve got a voice, an opinion, and the ability to write a clear sentence, you can do this.
2. Start a Money-Making Blog
I launched Frugal Hen in October 2024. It’s monetized and ready to roll, but I haven’t earned a dime yet. That’s normal. Besides, a money-making blog should never be about you and what you gain; it should be more about your audience. If you benefit more than your audience, you’ll likely have less audience in the end. Why would they want to read a blog that only wants to sell to them? I know I wouldn’t!
Treat your readers right and they’ll reward you for your efforts. You’ll gain subscribers, followers, and readers who will like, share, and authentically engage with your content. And eventually, maybe some will be interested in those affiliate links, but only once you’ve proven your blog’s value and built trust. Trust and value come first.
Give your audience far more value than you (the blogger) might gain, and that’s the spot where you want to be. Remember, your blog should never, ever …. EVER be about you. It should always be about your readers.
That said, it takes an average of 22 months, and sometimes longer, to start earning money from a blog. Some bloggers can do it in 6 months, but this is not the norm. That is more of a ‘unicorn’ scenario because it often takes much longer.
Blogging isn’t a quick win. It’s a long game. You need to understand your audience, learn SEO and content marketing, and show up consistently, week after week.
Here’s how I’m approaching blogging:
- Writing helpful posts that solve real problems
- Focusing on frugal living and smart money habits with every topic
- Drive traffic using SEO, Pinterest, and social media
- Monetizing with relevant affiliate links and digital products that offer real benefits and solutions
It’s a slow build, yes. But I’m in it for the long haul. If you’re patient and persistent, blogging can pay off. But don’t expect overnight success. And don’t expect to earn your first $10K in your first six months. Be realistic and celebrate your unique journey with each step.
Here are a few beginner-friendly affiliate programs I recommend (some require a minimum following):
Each affiliate program has rules to follow, so make sure you follow them or you’ll lose your affiliate account. Also, the Federal Trade Commission regulates ads, which are what promotional posts (on social media or blogs) are. These must be clearly marked… always. Each time you post a special link, drop the hashtag #ad with it, and you’re covered for the FTC. However, check the affiliate program rules, too.
Some programs, like Amazon, require you to also include their specific disclaimer (“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases made through this link”) each time you share a link. And most programs require links to be shared only in public places. Yes, they track them, and sharing them in private chats, emails, on private social pages, etc., can get your account closed or even banned. So read, understand, and follow all the rules.
Don’t get sidelined or give up if you’re not earning in 3, 6, 8, or even 12 months. It takes time! Your top priorities are creating quality content, your audience, and consistent weekly effort. Remember, you must show up… all the time… each week without fail.
3. Write and Sell eBooks
I’ve ghostwritten and sold eBooks for private and commercial clients. I also had a few fiction gigs. Those were fun projects. I’ve even considered writing under my own byline, but I haven’t decided on this yet.
The thing to remember is that writing ebooks is also not a get-rich-quick gig. But you can create a steady income stream if you write quality content people actually want to read. That’s the key. You also need to know how to market and sell your ebook once it’s published.
According to ZonGuru, self-published authors on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) can earn anywhere from $150 to over $20,000 per month, depending on book quality, marketing, and audience reach. But as a frugal blogger, I’ll be honest with ya. If you’re doing your own marketing, your effort looks a little something like this: Time spent writing = 10-20%, Time spent marketing = 80-90%. You will do a wild amount of marketing, and there’s no way around that unless you have the funds to pay a professional to do it for you. Automation helps… a lot! Write and schedule your posts in advance. Social scheduling tools are your BFF.
Here’s how to get started:
- Choose a topic you’re passionate about and knowledgeable in
- Write a high-quality eBook that provides value to your readers
- Design an eye-catching cover and format your eBook professionally
- Publish your eBook on platforms like Amazon KDP, Gumroad, or your own website
- Promote your eBook through social media, email newsletters, and collaborations
I suggest building your author platform (social profiles and, if you plan to have one, an author website) while writing your ebook. Engage with and build your audience. Post daily. If you get them excited enough about your book, you’ll have a few readers once you publish.
Success won’t happen overnight. It takes time to build an audience and see consistent earnings. However, with focus and follow-through, selling eBooks can become a rewarding income stream.
4. Get Paid for Guest Posts
I’ve written paid guest posts for many different types of clients and industries. This is often called content marketing, and I’ve done it a lot. If you can write a solid post that aligns with a brand’s voice and audience, you can earn real money.
Pay varies. I’ve been paid rates from $100 per post (on the very low end) to over $900 per post. The specific rate depends on many factors:
- The client
- Their budget
- Your expertise and skill level
- Post length and complexity
- Industry
- Whether or not you’re interviewing experts or crunching numbers
This is one of those part-time work-from-home jobs that rewards skill and persistence. If you’re good at writing and even better at pitching, it’s worth pursuing. Oh, and the harder something is to write, usually (emphasis on usually), the more it pays.
Start by building samples in your intended niche. I don’t recommend becoming a generalist – writing about anything and everything. Most brands are looking for writers who know their industry. So, pick an industry. Don’t go too narrow. You want enough wiggle room to write about other things in the same industry. But don’t go too broad, either (“I write about everything” generally doesn’t work well). Then, research brands that publish guest content in the niche you write in.
Don’t wait for ‘calls for pitches.’ Calls for pitches are great! But reach out to brands and publications, too. Show them what you can do. Look for websites in industries you’re interested in, write in, and have some experience in, and reach out.
Do your homework first. You need to understand the brand or publication, what they’re about, what they publish, what they’ve already covered, who they’re audience is, and what you can offer that fits into this mix. Many have guidelines (also called writer’s guidelines, submission guidelines, or content guidelines) published somewhere on the website. Here’s an example from WalletHub. I chose WalletHub just because I happen to love their website.
You could also look for websites that lay out opportunities. Perhaps you’ll find one that aligns with your skills, experience, and interests. WebCing put out a fantastic one, a Mack Daddy list of over 175 paid guest posting sites. So, you could start there, too. BuzzStream also has a great list with over a hundred places to pitch an article. Read each site’s submission guidelines.
Like I said, do your homework. Then write your best pitch. I usually write a pitch in about three short paragraphs. Editors are very busy people with extremely full inboxes. So, be mindful of their time. Here’s how my pitch generally flows:
- Paragraph 1: A solid hook or article introduction
- Paragraph 2: The proposal: what you’re article is about and how it fits the brand or publication
- Paragraph 3: Why I’m the best writer for this piece, and the ask (Can I write this for you?)
Need ideas for creating a pitch? Don’t let AI write it for you. If you’re pitching to a magazine, that AI pitch will land in the slush pile. Here’s how to write a solid article pitch for yourself. I promise, it’s not hard, but it does require a little research.
5. Offer Copywriting Services
I’ve done plenty of copywriting. Website copy, landing pages, social captions, newsletters — you name it. And copywriting isn’t just writing. It’s persuasion. It’s sales. And it’s clarity and speed.
You’re not writing to inform. You’re writing to convert. Sometimes, you’ve got a few sentences. Other times, you’ve got just four words. Each one must pull its weight to maximize the impact and get the point across.
Copywriting is a skill. Yes, you can learn it. But you won’t master it in a week or even a few months. You’re not going to land a six-figure retainer from your first cold pitch. It takes time to build the chops, master the voice, and get the results.
That said, if you’ve got some killer writing and SEO skills, you can learn commercial writing.
Start with a few projects and build from there. That’s how I did it. I started with content marketing, though. And the two skills, while not the same, often cross over. So, I learned how to write blogs first, then social copy, emails, web copy, etc.
Start small.
Master one thing at a time and build from there because there’s a lot of competition out there. If you’re going to land gigs, you need to be better than the competition and far better than the AI. You won’t learn all the basics in one go. This is one role you truly must master, one skill at a time, and build as you go. But copywriting can be a lucrative journey down the road, assuming you’ve done it correctly.
You need to:
- Write clean, concise copy that aligns with the brand
- Solve real problems for the target audience
- Understand buyer psychology, not just grammar rules
- Adapt tone and messaging for different platforms and industries
Copywriting pays well when done right. But it demands strategy, practice, and constant learning. If you’re serious, it can become one of the most lucrative part-time work-from-home jobs out there.
6. Monetize with Affiliate Marketing
I dabble in affiliate marketing. It’s a flexible way to earn, but like other jobs, it also requires strategy and tremendous patience.
Affiliate marketers can earn anywhere from $0 to over $100,000 per month, depending on experience, niche, and how consistently they are. Yes… really. But before jumping on the affiliate marketing bandwagon, there are a few things you should know.
This is also not a get-rich-quick plan; it’s a business you build from the ground up. This takes time. Patience. Planning. You need to understand your topic, your audience, the search engines, SEO, and so much more. You also need to build an engaged following.
To succeed, you need to:
- Choose a niche that aligns with your interests and has strong market demand
- Create high-value content with blogs, social media, or email newsletters
- Build and engage your audience consistently, daily, if possible
- Promote products or services that actually help your audience, not just every shiny object
This isn’t a get-rich-quick by any means. This is a major time commitment, and you need to learn how to do it right. It’s a business model, and that’s how you need to treat it. It’s not fast money. It will take time… lots of time. If you’re looking for fast cash, this is not the job for you.
You need to learn what to do and how to do affiliate marketing right. You can start with the same beginner-friendly affiliate programs I mentioned earlier.
You’ll need to learn copywriting, SEO, and audience-building skills. But you’ll also need patience, lots of patience! It’s realistic to expect your first affiliate sale within 1 to 6 months, and it’ll likely be a very small commission. However, that’s only if you’re doing the work (building the blog, and/or engaged social following, or website landing page … whatever you’re using). But that’s a start, and we all must start somewhere.
An engaged social following isn’t the same as having a specific number of followers. Engaged followers are followers who actually interact with your posts regularly. They like your posts, comment on your posts, share your posts, etc.
That’s engagement.
Out of all the part-time work-from-home jobs, affiliate marketing has serious long-term earning potential. But it’s also one of the hardest to build. It’s only successful if you stay consistent, keep posting content, and keep learning. You’re essentially frontloading a TON of work, a TON of effort, a TON of ‘blood, sweat, and tears’ as my mom would’ve called it before you see any payoff. But when you do see the payoff, it’ll be worth it.
So, if you choose this path, choose a niche you know well. Do your research to ensure you choose a niche that has a strong market (SEO tools are great for this). You’re looking for a niche that has keywords with high volume search, but low search difficulty. Choose something you could talk about for days on end and never get bored of… because that’s exactly what you’ll need to do. Make sure whatever niche or topic you choose is something that deeply interests you, not too broad, but not too narrow.
7. Work Remote Customer Service Jobs
You know what’s underrated? Getting paid to sit at home in your stretchy pants and answer calls. That’s the magic of remote customer service. It’s not always glamorous, but it is money in the bank. Sometimes, a decent amount of it. Customer service was my first remote work experience.
I’ve worked full-time and part-time gigs like this… for years. One had me answering phones for a large, national insurance company. Another was all about a popular cellphone. Still another was talking with people about their medications. Honestly, the key is finding the right company so you’re not stuck apologizing for someone else’s shipping delays all day. …Or dealing with rude customers who really don’t care what the rules are or that you should’ve logged off the phone at midnight when your shift ended.
I found my former remote customer service jobs through Indeed and Rat Race Rebellion. Yep, that old-school job board and the one that sounds like a pirate-themed side hustle. Actually, I love that latter one. The name. It’s all about the name. Both delivered, though. You’ll need good internet, a noise-canceling headset, a quiet-ish background, and a voice that doesn’t sound like you’re about to snap.
Turn Your Writing or Time Into Income
You don’t need a journalism degree or a fancy resume to make money working from home. You just need a plan, a little grit, and commitment to show up, even when it’s slow.
Each of these part-time work-from-home jobs can help you earn extra income, sharpen your skills, and build a career you actually enjoy. Don’t get distracted by the noise or get stuck on the scroll. Pick one path. Follow it. Master it. Then level up once you’re ready.
No, it won’t be easy. But you’ve got this. I believe in you. And yes, I promise that it will be worth it in the end.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s turn that hustle into real income.
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