Money-Making Monday: Babysitting

I realized a few years ago that doing the work I want to do career wise would not fully fund my life goals. I’m not talking about designer shoes or tons of clothes- in a perfect world I could wear sweats/athletic wear 90% of the time. The overarching goals include purchasing a home, being able to travel, and not having to worry about paying my bills each month.

Currently I earn the most money through babysitting. For me it’s a bit of a no brainer. I LOVE kids, so getting paid to hang out with them works well. Before the move west I had three families that I sat for regularly. I’m still in touch with one of the families and the fun things happening in their lives. In the new city I had a hard time finding new families to work with. After some though I decided to join a babysitting service. Each week I give them my availability and they match me with any families that need a sitter for that time.

Cons:
Giving the agency their percentage at the end of the month

Pros:
I don’t have to put a lot of time into finding jobs
Set rate that’s higher than what market rate
Earning a little bit of interest on the agency percentage each month

Last month an extra job from a family friend also landed in my lap. They’re very recent transplants and haven’t been able to find a regular nanny. The week of overnights with a very easy 5 year old has given me a nice jump on my down payment goal and was fun to boot. We had a very fun week including trips to the park, first time bowling, going out to dinner, and just hanging out. In addition to making money we were also able to save some money on groceries since I didn't eat at home all week.

The main downside was a week without wireless. After 3 years of almost always connecting wirelessly plugging in felt so restricted.



What are your favorite ways to supplement your income?