We have all received emails about how to make thousands of dollars on the Internet. Let’s face it, we’d all be rich if these scams were true. As a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM), I have researched legitimate at-home income potentials and here is my list of 5 ways to bring in extra income via the Internet:

1. eBay: If you have unwanted clutter lying around your home, why not post it on eBay to make some extra cash? This avenue can bring in some serious money depending on the items you list. In addition to used merchandise, you can also shop for bargains then re-list on eBay to make a profit. Click here for tips on how to make money on eBay.
2. Craigslist: If you have items you’d like to get rid of such as furniture, electronics, items left over from a yard sale, etc. then give Craigslist a try. It’s free to post items and the interface is extremely easy to use.  The first step is to set-up a free account then start making some money. For Craigslist advice, click here.
3. Etsy: If you are creative, you need to check out Etsy, “a place to buy and sell all things handmade”. People sell everything from handmade jewelry, food, clothing, quilts, stationary, etc. If you have a gift for making unique items, start cashing in on your talents!
4. Elance: Companies and entrepreneurs are always looking for experts to complete various job (typing letters, creating presentations, graphic design, programming, customer service, etc.). Elance is a site that helps bring job seekers and available jobs together. Basically, a job will be posted outlining certain criteria. A job seeker can review the description and then bid on any job of interest. The person who posted the job will then choose a bidder and once milestones are completed, the bidder will be paid. This is a great way for a SAHM to keep her professional skills fresh!
5. Start a Blog: Have a passion for writing? Want to share your interests with the world? Starting a blog can be profitable and easy. At Blogger.com, you can set up a free blog in just a few minutes, even if you do not have web design experience! Ever wonder why blogs have advertising on them? Well, when people click on those advertisements, the blogger is paid! Blogger.com will help you set up these Google Adsense advertisements so you can make money from clicks too. Don’t expect to make money overnight though, you will need to develop a reader base and use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to promote your blog.

Good luck! I hope my suggestions can help you start making money today!

I have come to know Elance very well since being laid off from my full-time job.  One of my parenting magazines recommended Elance as a way for stay at home moms’ (aka SAHM) to make a little extra money. Elance is an online resource that allows users to either provide specific services or hire a provider for a specific task (e.g. administrative work, database management, programming, graphic design, etc.).  

I first signed up with Elance thinking I could make a little extra money performing administrative tasks.  I completed the timely tutorials and set-up my personal account only to realize that I do not have time while chasing around a crawling baby. However, as mentioned in my First Official Post, I can attest to the success of using Elance to hire a service provider.

Having six years of experience with a world renowned hotel company, I understand the importance of brand identity.  I felt it was essential to have a logo that represented who “The Unemployed Mom” is.  I posted my logo requirements and shared a summary of my blog concept.  I identified the price point, my expectations and the duration for accepting bids.  Various graphic designers then placed bids on my job. From that point, I reviewed their bids as well as their qualifications.  

Elance’s site is very easy to navigate so I had no trouble familiarizing myself with the bid features.  Elance also provides a Private Message Board (aka PMB) so the client and bidders can communicate privately. The PMB is a terrific resource, again very easy to use and follow.

Since I am an avid eBay and Etsy user, I already know the importance of feedback.  Elance has a feedback feature which helped me to identify the designers’ credentials.  Elance also allows the designers to showcase their portfolio, which in my particular case proved to be the item that “sealed the deal”.  I awarded the job, created project milestones, escrowed funds via my American Express, and worked with my designer on the logo creation.  My logo and favicon were created and the job was closed prior to the original timeline communicated from my graphic designer.

Note: I did receive bids from providers that did not meet my expectations. It was obvious when a bidder did not read my requirements because there was no personalization in their bid.   Also, some of the bids were very low (in the $50 range), but I am a firm believer in “you get what you pay for”.   These low bidding designers would have been fine if I wanted a generic clipart logo.  All in all, I was pleased as a first time Elance user and without hesitation, I recommend the site!  My experience was extremely positive and I plan on using Elance in the future for both providing services and hiring service providers.

Hooray!  The Unemployed Mom is up and running!  If you are reading this post, thank you for visiting and please be sure to bookmark this site.  

I have a ton of blog topics running through my head, but wanted to use my first official post to say thank you to “Inspired Design” for my awesome new logo and favicon!  Valerie was a true professional to work with, she took my ideas to an entirely different level.  I plan on writing an Elance blog to discuss my logo creation experience, so I won’t go into all the details at this time. But, if you are looking for a graphic designer with a trendy, whimsical style then I highly recommend you contact Inspired Design.