Moms at home with their children can earn money, too. M.P. Dunleavey, freelance journalist and stay-at-home-mom, reporting in 2009 for MSN Money Central, calculates that leaving your home for a $25,000 annual salary amounts to a net $2.91 per hour. She offers advice on how to work from home more profitably with good time management, some assistance and effective space allocation. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, FTC, explains how to distinguish work-from-home scams from legitimate jobs.
Evaluate the Job
Compare a detailed work-from-home job description to your skills, the FTC advises, and evaluate all terms and conditions in writing. Include pay, salary or commission potential and obtain proof that others in the business make money. Ask your local Better Business Bureau, Consumer Protection Agency and state Attorney General about the company in its home state and yours. Enter the promoter or company name online and search for satisfied customers.
Avoid Scams
Do not buy information, lists or certifications you can obtain for free, or do not need, and starter kits with high refill costs. The FTC warns that people lose thousands of dollars buying money-making promises. Decline jobs that require making photocopies, placing newspaper ads or buying paper, envelopes, stamps and supplies. Protect your credit card from scam artists who establish recurring or unauthorized charges. Avoid jobs on the FTC scam list, including envelope stuffing, rebate processing, online searches and medical billing. Search online for bad press and testimonials of dissatisfied customers.
Time Considerations
Set routine business hours, employment consultants advise in a Directory Journal report. Give clients and colleagues reliable times to reach you. Carve out uninterrupted blocks of time during your children's school hours, evenings, early mornings or weekends when your spouse or partner can help with child care. Establish a strict routine around those hours.
Space Considerations
Create an organized home office or workspace. Make it off-limits to little hands, say Directory Journal experts. Keep files and documents backed up and stored safely, if you share the only household computer. Use a bedroom corner or a room with a door for quiet. Teach your children that a shut door means you are on the phone or working. Complete administrative or routine tasks, which require little privacy, in a common area to keep an eye on your children if they cannot be left alone. This sacrifices seclusion and quiet but might be necessary during some of your workday.
Get Help
Get help with children too young for independence or school, Directory Journal advises. You can work when your spouse is home. Hire a daytime helper to play games, change diapers or fix snacks during a few hours each day. Use out-of-home care as a last choice. Invest in a landscaping or house-cleaning service to free up some extra time for either children and family or for work. Calculate your net gain to see how many hours of profits this help will cost, and the value of your second income, with the MSN Money Central calculators.
