Be a Money Making Stay at Home Mom

I am privileged to be able to be a stay at home mom (SAHM). Life with a three year old can be hair-raising at times, but I wouldn't give up this job for anything. Still, we are not the Rockefellers and we need more income. I don't want to put our daughter in daycare and increase our expenses, so I look for ways to add to our income without leaving home. A quick search on Google on this topic can make your head spin. There are hundreds if not thousands of companies claiming to offer opportunities to make money from home. A few clicks here and there, suddenly you're noticing a few things you may not like including:

• Websites that require an investment from you
• Websites that don't explain how their company works
• Websites that want to award you points rather than pennies

In my research, I've been able to find companies that are the "real deal" and are truly willing and able to pay you for your opinions. We all have opinions, so why not get paid for sharing it? The trick is to find the legitimate ones. One of the best ways to find this out is to network online, through sites like HubPages and blogging clubs for mommies. I didn't feel the need to reinvent the wheel. I looked to forums and message boards to track down sites that would help me in my quest to make money at home online. Once I saw a site mentioned, I searched those forums and message boards to see what others had to say. Certainly there's going to be positive and negative feedback about anything. I picked sites whose practices gained them more positive than negative feedback in the forums. I encourage anyone who is embarking on this online income journey to do the same.

If you are a writer and do have your own blog, you absolutely must network.  You might be the most insightful and knowledgeable person on the planet, but does it matter if no one is reading your blog?  There are a tremendous amount of websites available to mommies who blog.  Through these sites you can network with other bloggers, learn tools of the trade and gain access to advertisers who set up product trials and reviews.  I've listed examples of these sites below for you to visit.  If you join one of these sites, here's a few tips to remember:

• If you want more followers, then become a follower.  Participate in Blog Hops.   
• Follow the rules.  Many of these sites have a Code of Conduct and Forum Rules.  Read them and follow them.
• Use the tools available to you.  Read others' experiences and tips.  View the tutorials on having your own blog.  Learn more and you'll be more successful. 

Although I am an avid Hubber and blogger, not everyone likes to write. Still, we all have opinions and the following sites will allow you to earn income just for tweeting, posting on Facebook, reading emails and/or sharing your opinions.

• Inbox Dollars: I look at this site as a clearinghouse for advertisers to reach consumers. It is free to register and you can earn $5 just for completing the initial registration and profile set-up. Each day you receive emails with offers and if you complete the offer you get paid. The offers range from participating in online gaming to making purchases to completing a survey online. There is no obligation to complete the offers. You pick and choose the ones you wish to do. Please note, you do have to provide all of your detailed information to participate.
• My Likes: On this site, you select the messages that fit you and then post those messages on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc. You get paid a small amount just for viewing the advertiser's offer and then you get paid every time someone clicks on the link you posted. The amount you are paid is dependent on your "Engagement Score" which is assigned to you by the site. The score seems to be determined by how many social networking sites you are linked to and how many friends/followers you have on each. The more popular you are, the more you can earn.
• Synovate: The site is pure survey. You compete your profile and complete surveys as they become available. You are rewarded points for each task or survey completed. You can then turn in the points for cash.

 I started using the Internet to find out things.  Things about businesses, people, history and the like.  Fast forward a few years later and the Internet became my connection to friends who live all over world.  Fast forward a little bit more and now I am using the Internet to add to my income.  The beauty is that you can pick and choose how you do this just like you pick and choose dinner off a restaurant menu.  Do the research.  Find the websites and methods that interest you.  Sign up and do the work.  Make sure you like your options.  If you love the choices you've made, you'll be more successful.  And, if change your mind after, you can always rearrange your options until it suits you better.  The Internet is your oyster - open it!