Working at home can be exhausting for a mom, and breaks might be rare. But you might like work from home jobs because you need the extra money and can’t afford to take breaks. But you can create breaks within the context of work.

Let’s look at this further. What we mean is that you can still work your full-time WAHM job, but add something in to break the monotony, or perhaps bring in extra money for holidays or to fill in a gap when your industry slows down temporarily.

These jobs likely won’t net you full-time income, but they are fun and interesting alternatives from the everyday work that you might be burnt from.

Letter writers

At Christmas, many WAHMs get work from home jobs by writing letters from Santa. These can be postmarked from the “North Pole” or they can be on special paper or they might include special treats from Santa. You can build a quick website and market it to other moms who might be interested in their child or children getting a letter from Santa.

There are also websites that specialize in writing letters for people who can’t do it themselves or who want to present a more polished image than their own writing might provide.

Sell products

While many moms make a full-time living as consultants selling everything from skincare products to food, you can do it on a part-time basis and work when you need some variety or extra cash.

If you decide to sell some items as a part-time gig, make sure you read the fine print carefully of the company you sign up with. Some have certain requirements you must meet on a monthly or quarterly basis. Make sure that even on a part-time basis you can meet that minimum requirement.

Mystery shopping

If you miss being out and about while working your WAHM job, you might want to pick up a mystery shopping job now and then. These can be quick (taking less than an hour) but can net you a few dollars and sometimes free products. Look online for mystery shopping companies that provide services to the kinds of business you would like to shop – you might do mystery shops at restaurants, apartment complexes or cell phone kiosks.

Cake bakers

Many stay at home moms turn into amateur bakers for weekend gatherings, from birthday parties to weddings. If you can bake very well and know or can learn, the art of cake decorating, you can make extra money at home selling decorated cakes.

This can be a nice break from your regular WAHM job, especially if your regular job is a solitary or sedentary affair. Making and decorating cakes can be creative, offering a nice rest from the demands of a less creative job.

Go outside the house

Working at home might be what you have always dreamed to do and you are happy with all that it brings to your life. But you might have a desire to get out more. There are always options for very part-time jobs that serve you well in some way. For example, if you are a fitness freak, you might work just a few hours a week at the gym, netting you not only some extra money but likely a break on your gym fees. You might work just during the holidays at a department store.

The key to creating a WAHM arrangement that works for you is to work through any challenges you might face with working from home jobs. Picking up a now and then extra job might be the key to keeping yourself happy working at home.

As you think about the myriad of work from home jobs, you could be overlooking one important thing – you have skills that you can turn into a career. Although it’s easy and sometimes tempting to sign up with a company or to begin selling a product, there are many skills that each of us bring to the table that can help us to create our own successful at-home enterprises.

Before you settle on a business from home work, carefully examine your skill set and determine if you can make a solid at-home work opportunity out of your skills. Though there is no harm in joining an already successful company, many moms are more interested in starting their own businesses. If you are that kind of mom, consider your skills first so you choose the right at-home business for you.

Money

Have you ever worked as a cashier? What skills did that require? If you had to reconcile your cash drawer, you have some experience with accounting. You also likely have some customer service skills. Many women work at home as bookkeepers or as assistants to accountants.

Office skills

If you have ever worked in an office, you might have a long list of beneficial qualities that would help in an at-home job. These include phone skills, customer service skills, software experience and perhaps even some marketing or public relations skills.

Office skills and experience (as well as any training you might also have) can be used in a variety of ways with at-home jobs. A lot of moms work at home as virtual assistants, for instance, which require customer service skills, software experience and basic office training.

Other moms with office skills will be able to work at home for a local business. To save money, local businesses are more likely these days to hire people to work from home to handle calls, mail and basic clerical duties.

Technical skills

Those who have worked in graphic design and website design are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the work-at-home job market. That is, you can easily turn your graphic design and website design skills into an at-home business. Your services will likely cost another business less than using an in-house designer and if you provide the same – or better – quality, you can create a niche for yourself that others might not be able to easily fill.

Other technical skills that might be useful for at-home businesses include computer repair, specific software application training and other skills that you might have learned in a previous job, in college, or that you took specific classes for.

Entertainment

Many moms have had success turning their entertainment skills into an at-home business. Your ability to put on a beautiful party can be turned into a business that puts on tea party birthdays for young girls. Or you might start a catering business from home. Or you could become a personal chef. Some moms start successful home businesses that are borne out of their theater or singing experience.

The key to turning your skills and experience into a legitimate home business is to be honest about your skills. Know what you can do and what you are weak at. Perhaps you know that you can run a lucrative web design business, but you can’t handle money. Maybe you can hire another WAHM to do your bookkeeping for you. In that way you help yourself and another mom at the same time.

Make a list of the skills you have and those you might like to acquire and from that list, create some ideas for your at-home business. You might be surprised how much you bring to the at-home business table.