If there’s one thing that comes with being married to first responders or someone in the military, it’s unreliable schedules. Whether it’s a deployment, training, court, overtime, mando days, we can’t trust that our spouse will be home when we think they will. There’s many spouses who choose to work at home so they can be home whenever their spouse is off work or care for the children in lieu of paying childcare costs.
Are you looking for side gigs you can do that work around your schedule? Read below for some of my favorite options.
Grocery or food delivery - What if you could work hours that work for you while still making around $20-30 per hour? Grub hub, Spark Delivery for Walmart, DoorDash and more allows you to be an independent contractor. You simply apply on their website, turn on the app when you are ready to work and make deliveries. Doing Spark Delivery, I would make on average $25-30 per hour with something as simple as driving to Walmart, having someone load the groceries into your car and driving them to someone’s house and unloading them. It is so simple and you can work whenever you have the time. I have a friend who delivers for DoorDash and earns about the same per hour.
Tutoring online - Do you have any teaching experience? Try tutoring online! I’ve worked with Varsity Tutors and VIPKIDS and both allow you to teach students from the comfort of your own home and the schedule that works for you! Varsity Tutors pays around $15 an hour and has hours that work for me when my kids are in bed. VIPKIDS has you work with students from other countries and often pays a little more, but the hours can be more difficult, often being very early hours of the morning. If early mornings are your jam, you should check them out!
Sell something you’ve made - Are you amazing at making adorable headbands? Do you have a makeup brand you love? Are you an amazing baker and know you could find plenty of people willing to pay for your homemade cinnamon rolls? Find a way to sell these products! Etsy and Spousely are great options for selling your handmade products of services online. Spousely is a platform that sells items or services made by first responder and military spouses. Utilize your talents to bring in an extra income.
It is 100% possible to bring in an extra income from home. If these ideas aren’t the right fit for you, continue to search for side gigs that would be the perfect fit for your budget and schedule.