As a stay-at-home-parent, you play a vital role in your family’s growth. From doing chores to nurturing the newest members of the family, it seems like your job is never done. At the same time, every stay-at-home parent has at some point, thought to themselves: “I am really bored right now”. Most would then sit down on the couch and fire up Netflix or catch up on some sleep. However, I am here to tell you that during those brief times of peace, you can further support your family financially, through these side hustles.

1. Trading on the stock market

With the pandemic and drops in most stock prices, now is the perfect time to invest. Finance and stocks may seem intimidating at first but with some research on the internet, as well as self-intuition, anyone can make returns. If anything, you can throw your money into a safe stock option such as ETFs or banking and see slow but sustainable growth. With accounts available such as TFSA, investing is not only effective but supported by the government.

2. Reselling

Everyone has unused items around the house. Whether that be an old wedding dress or that grand piano you bought one day on impulse and now serves as decoration. Selling these on websites such as eBay or Kijiji will not only make you some money, but clear up some clutter. You can also start your own reselling business. Online and home entrepreneurship is on the rise and has sky rocketed due to COVID-19. Websites such as Amazon and Shopify have made it astronomically easier to launch your own online store, with manufacturers swarming on Alibaba. With a basic understanding of profit margins, expenses, revenue, etc. anyone can begin reselling.

3. Skill sharing

Do you have a useful skill that employers would kill for if you were not a stay-at-home parent? You can employ your skills through the umbrella of tasks known as skill-sharing. Skill-sharing can be as simple as making monetizable YouTube videos on how to knit or a professional software developer teaching courses on Codecademy/Skill Share. Additionally, you can work as a freelancer on projects outsourced to you (I personally know of a friend that has made thousands doing graphic design for people on Reddit).

With the pandemic, many parents are experiencing first-hand what it’s like being a stay-at-home parent. To those parents, these side hustles are great but remember that your child always comes first. Remember that when the economy starts again and everyone returns to work.