As a single mom, you probably have a list a mile long of things you worry about. And I’m guessing that how to earn money is in your top 3.
When I became a single mom, I felt sick because I had no idea how I was going to take care of my family on the very small amount I was making. At the time I was working a mere 10 hours a week just to bring in some grocery money because I was a stay at home mom. So my finances were really thrown through a loop when I became a single mom and I knew I had to make some quick decisions.
I know there are lots of single moms who would love to work from home so they can still earn money, without having to sacrifice time with their kids.
So how can you negotiate working from home?
Well first things first. You have to decide do you want to get a job outside of your house or do you want to work from home? I researched both options and personally decided I wanted to continue working at home. I felt my kids already had a huge upheaval in their lives and I didn’t want to add to that by leaving them all day.
I knew I needed to make more money right away and I also knew the job I chose needed to be flexible because I had very young children at home. I considered some online jobs but many of them needed me to be available during specific hours every day or there was heavy emphasis on phone calls. Neither of those fit with my home life.
So I decided to take a different route and talked with my boss at the job I was currently working 10 hours at, and asked if I could increase the amount of hours I worked from home. He agreed!! The lesson here is, take advantage of your opportunities and don’t be afraid to ask!
I figured it was a long shot that my supervisor would say yes to me increasing my hours because there wasn’t anyone at that job that worked solely from home. But if I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have been able to continue bringing in a steady stream of income from home.
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If you are in my shoes and you are working very minimal hours from home but find you need to make more money, or you just want to start working from home, ask! Their answer may surprise you.
Now if you want to start earning money from home there are a few things you’ll need to do especially if your job, (or the job you’re looking into) doesn’t usually allow people to work from home.
Come up with an accountability plan
Many supervisors are wary of letting their employees work from home because they don’t know what you are actually doing at home. How can they ensure you will be productive? How do they know you are working the hours you say you are? How can they ensure quality of work?
You will have to come up with a plan for your specific situation to prove to them that they can still hold you accountable while you build your trust with them.
For example, when I was in the building trust phase, I was available by email or phone during specific hours. I also wrote down the specific hours I worked and showed my supervisor every day what I had accomplished. After a few weeks of me doing that, he trusted that I would get the work done and it was high quality. You must be willing to put in the time to prove you will do the work.
What will you say?
Come up with a concise game plan of what you will say to your supervisor. If you’re not sure what you want to say or what your vision is, (like how many hours from home you want to work, what type of work you will do, how you will be held accountable, etc) how are they supposed to know?
Try writing down what you want to say to get all your ideas out and cull them down to be as precise as possible. You don’t want to bore them to death! Be sure to include, (along with the suggestions from the previous paragraph) why you want this job, why you believe working at home will be the best option, and what benefits the company will have by letting you work from home.
By showing them you care about the company’s well being, they may be more willing to let you work from home because your request isn’t just self-serving.
Another thing to keep in mind if you are already working for a company, is they may not want to lose you as an employee because they don’t want to lose someone who has already been trained and have to spend more time hiring another person and training them. This may be a valid point to bring up if you feel it will help your case to work from home.
Negotiate benefits or salary
When I went to my supervisor and let them know my game plan, I knew I had to be prepared to counter offer if they offered me less than the amount I had in my head. You need to make sure your offer is reasonable but also that you aren’t selling yourself short. Know your worth. And only you will know what the proper amount is for your situation.
Sometimes if you work from home you won’t get benefits so you should also factor that into the amount you ask for.
Conclusion
So to answer the question how can you earn money as a single stay at home mom, well there are several options. If you want to stay home with your kids and become a work at home mom like I did, there are ways to make that happen!
Not every job will let you work solely from home but you can do your research to find jobs that may allow you to do that. Or if you are already working part time you can try approaching your supervisor to negotiate working from home.
Make sure you come up with an accountability plan, a concise way to discuss your proposition, and an ideal salary. You may be able to get what you ask for! Then you are on your way to making money from home so you can get the flexibility from work you need for your life!
One Last Thing!
This is the second month in a 7 month series that will feature other single mom bloggers to provide a single mom resource!! Each month we will discuss an aspect of single mom life.
Check out this page to read about other ways to make money as a single mom! Single Mom Resource 101
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Other Posts From The Series
Totally Fun and Free Activities You Can Do With Your Kids
5 Tips To Beat The Holiday Blues As A Single Mom
Related Reading
How to Transition From a SAHM to a WAHM
How to Identify If You Can Successfully Work at Home
How to Keep Kids Busy When You Work at Home
How to Work from Home While Pregnant and Increase Your Productivity
