5 Ways to Bring in Income While Homeschooling: Earn Income Without Sacrificing Your Homeschool Schedule

Homeschooling is a beautiful opportunity to truly reclaim those invaluable, formative years with our children, shaping their education and character in a way no traditional school system can. But we know that the beautiful opportunity comes with a sacrifice, and often, that sacrifice is financial. Finding ways to build small streams of income can add up to huge savings on your curriculum costs AND extra money for your family!

With a busy homeschool schedule, taking on a traditional 9-to-5 job is out of the question, but there are several work-from-home income streams that you can build in just 30 minutes per day!

Here are 5 flexible income streams that quickly stack up, creating huge savings for curriculum purchases and giving your family a much-needed financial boost!

1. Affiliate & Brand Rep Work

Earn income and free curriculum as an affiliate or brand rep for your favorite companies. If you are anything like me, you are constantly recommending things to your friends. "Oh, you have to try this history spine!" or "That unit study saved my week!"

Affiliate work is simply getting paid to make the recommendations you are already making. It’s all about leveraging the genuine influence you have within your own circle and community.

Becoming a Brand Rep with For the Love of Homeschooling

Many homeschool & education companies now offer affiliate programs, & here at FTLOH, we are proud to offer one of the highest commission rates at 20-40%!

• How it Works: Click HERE to read the welcome letter, get your unique affiliate link & then share your link on social media, your blog, or in private groups. Share as little or often as you would like!

• The Financial Perk: When you share our products, share your link as well to earn 20-40% commission! That is money coming directly into your PayPal account just for sharing what you love!

• The Curriculum Bonus: An even bigger win? Become a Brand Rep for For the Love of Homeschooling to receive free units to review and promote, which cuts your own curriculum costs down. Win-win! Fill out our application here.

• Brand Rep FAQS

Flexibility Factor: We provide lots of marketing materials for you to use or create your own!

2. Virtual Assistant (VA) & Proofreading

Homeschool moms often run a complex household and coordinate several children's schedules. You are organized, detailed, and a natural communicator. Businesses need those skills!

Virtual Assistant (VA) Work

A VA is a lifesaver for small business owners. The work is usually project-based or asynchronous, meaning you don't have to be on a call during specific times. Tasks include:

• Managing email inboxes and scheduling.

• Handling social media scheduling (perfect for 15-minute bursts).

• Data entry or updating client spreadsheets.

Proofreading and Editing

If grammatical errors jump out at you, you have a marketable skill! You can offer your services to bloggers, self-published authors, or even local small businesses that need a clean set of eyes on their website copy. This work is ideal for quiet time—throw on some headphones and dive into the document while your kids are independently learning.

Next Step: Reach out to companies you love and ask if they are hiring!

3. Online Tutoring & Co-op Teaching

You are the one who knows how to explain fractions five different ways until it finally clicks. You are an expert teacher!

Online Tutoring

You control the rates (often $20–$50+ per hour) and the schedule.

• Platforms: Use sites like Wyzant or Outschool to teach specialized mini-courses (e.g., beginner Latin, historical baking, or high school writing).

• Locally: Offer music lessons, art instruction, or subject-specific tutoring to local public school students in the evenings or on weekends.

Co-op Teaching

If you are part of a co-op, see if they offer paid teaching positions. If you are amazing at science or literature, teaching a class to a mixed-age group could earn you a stipend while your children are also gaining community and learning in that environment.

4. Reselling & Digital Product Creation

It’s time to turn that curriculum clutter into usable cash! Homeschool materials hold their value incredibly well, especially non-consumable items (like teacher guides and manipulatives).

Reselling Used Materials

• The Strategy: As soon as you finish a book or curriculum for the year, take clean photos and list it! We love using Used Homeschool Curriculum Facebook groups or eBay.

• The Best Part: The money you make can be used immediately to purchase materials for the next grade level, turning your used books into a revolving source of capital.

Creating Simple Digital Products

Are you a master organizer? Design simple digital downloads like customized daily schedule planners, habit trackers, or unit study supplements and sell them on a low-fee platform like Etsy.

5. Freelance Writing

This one is empowering: You are an authority on a highly niche, in-demand topic—homeschooling and parenting. Businesses pay well for this expertise.

• Pitch Your Perspective: Pitch articles about your specific struggles and solutions to other large parenting websites or curriculum blogs. Companies need your real-life, boots-on-the-ground stories.

• Flexible Income: A single 500-word article can often be written during a single "quiet time" block and result in a great payday ($50–$300+, depending on your experience and the publication).

Your Next Step: The 30 Minute Plan

Pick one idea from this list and then dedicate 30 minutes each day to working on it. In one month, assess how it has gone and decide if it makes sense to increase your 30 minutes to 1 hour, or if you would like to try something else. Multiple tiny streams of income add up fast, and just 30 minutes per day can bring in hundreds of extra dollars in just a few short months.

Have you found other ways to bring in income while homeschooling? Which of these 5 flexible side hustles are you going to launch first? Let us know in the comments!