Working from home lets parents earn while being there for families

by Anna Sudar CentralOhio.com

Rachelle Lowe always thought she'd continue working when she had children.
But after her son, Jaxton, was born, she realized she wanted to be at home with him.
Although she became a stay-at-home parent, Lowe didn't want to give up her ability to contribute to her household.
"That's when I realized there were jobs out there you can do from home," she said.
Lowe, of Walhonding, decided to turn her interest in writing into a way to make money.
She began writing for the site goodblogs.com, then started her own blog about parenting, justa mommy.com.
Now she freelances as a writer and blogger for several sites.
"It's extra money," she said. "I save it up and use it for the things we need."
For many parents, staying at home gives them an opportunity to have more time with their children. But that doesn't mean they can't help their families financially.
There are many ways stay-at-home parents can save -- and earn -- money, Lowe said.
"Whatever you are good at and you like to do, it's possible," she said.

'Be resourceful'

In 1994, Lesley Pyle decided to leave her full-time career in public relations to freelance while staying home with her daughter.
A year later, the Texas resident started the national association of Home-Based Working Moms and later the website, hbwm.com.
The site gives parents the opportunity to network and support each other. Although some of the site's members are stay-at-home fathers, the majority of members are stay-at-home mothers.
"The U.S. Census Bureau reports that over 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to stay home with children," Pyle wrote in an email. "That adds up to a lot of talented women with experience, education, skills and motivation to find flexible work that can be done from their home office."
For some stay-at-home parents, their main focus is finding ways to stretch their family's budget.
Barb Procker, of Mansfield, uses coupons to save on household items and visits garage sales and rummage sales to find clothes.
She grows vegetables in her garden and picks fruit that she can freeze and use year round.
Instead of going to movies, she buys DVDs at yard sales and plays games and cards with her family.
"We cut back on things we don't need," she said. "I would say, be resourceful."

'Best of both worlds'

For many stay-at-home parents, this same ingenuity can be used to find at-home employment.
"If there is something you are good at, think of a way you can do it, enjoy it and make money off it," Lowe said.
One of the first steps to working from home is to identify what skills you have and the resources you have available, said Kathleen Powell, director of career exploration and development at Denison University.
"You have to do a little bit of assessment," she said. "Ask yourself, 'How many days a week do I want to work? What will my schedule look like?'"
Someone with computer skills might be able to provide technical support for a company over the phone. A former teacher might be able to be a tutor.
A person interested in sales could sell Avon, Mary Kay or other products through direct sales, Powell said.
When Arianna Everitt's son, Brennan, was born, she decided to use her skills with marketing and graphic design to start Ace Design, a freelance graphic design group she runs out of her home in Lancaster.
She also makes and sells drink coasters on the craft website Etsy.
"I needed something that was mine," she said. "I wanted to contribute to our family and keep current with my skills."
Balancing her work with raising her son can be a challenge, but Everitt works around his schedule, using her smart phone to keep track of calls and e-mails.
"I've got the best of both worlds," she said. "I can schedule around my family and my son and I can stay current with no lapse in my resume."

Many options

For stay-at-home parents, working from home can have many benefits, Pyle wrote.
Many enjoy the flexible schedule as well as the extra money, she said.
Lowe said she enjoys being able to help buy the things her son needs.
"It's nice to be like, 'Jaxton needs new clothes' and I can buy them," she said. "I wrote a few extra articles and we were stocked up."
But being there for her baby is her first priority.
"He comes first; being a mom is my first job," she said. "Anything I'm bringing in is extra."
Pyle cautioned parents it's important to balance their work and families.
"One of the challenges of working from home is that it can be hard to leave work behind if it's right there. You also have to be careful of letting household responsibilities pull you away from work," she wrote. "When it's work time, make it work-only time and when it's home time, make it only home time. It's important to draw healthy boundaries between work and family."
Many options are available for parents who want to work at home, if they have the confidence and creativity to pursue them, Everitt said.
"The big thing is believe in yourself. It can work and it will work. You don't have to be in a typical corporate setting to succeed," she said.