10 Useful Hobbies For Moms That Will Make You A Better Mom, Save You Money And Even Earn An Extra Income

Being a stay at home mom can become quite mundane and let’s face it lonely. It is not easy looking after children and being at home all day, especially if you are an outgoing person that likes that enjoys fulfillment from activities.

Very often moms lose a their identity, a hobby can help you to achieve more balance and express your creativity. A hobby that gives you a sense of achievement will make you happier and if you are happier you will be a better mom.

In addition to that there are lots of hobbies that can not only save you money but help you to earn an income from home too. Big time win all round right?

There are an unlimited amount of hobbies that will fit this bill, so this article is by no means shares the only things that you can do. You are limited only by your own creativity, so have a brainstorm and come up with something that will bring you satisfaction and enjoyment.

Here are 10 great hobbies for moms:

1 Knitting

Knitting is not only satisfying, but you can create some beautiful, high quality garments for yourself and the other members of your family. Let’s face it, the quality of clothing has gone down significantly in recent years. I remember when I was a little girl my mother would knit us jerseys, skirts and dresses. They would last long past the time we outgrew them. The items my mother knitted for my older sister were passed down to me and then to my younger sister. When she was done with them they were still in good enough condition to pass on to someone else.

I remember a long winter jersey my mother knitted that was blue and white. She made it for herself when I was a very young child and when I was an adult it was passed on to me. Do any store bought things last 30 years anymore? The answer is no, they certainly don’t! You will be lucky if they last more than one season these days.

It may cost more upfront to knit a garment than it will to buy it from the shop, but if you look at the quality and how long it will last you, you will not only enjoy knitting it but you will get the satisfaction of wearing it for many years to come. Long term it will be a big saving.

Both my children have jerseys that their Ouma gave them that was worn by their father as a child. These jerseys were knitted by their great Ouma. I still can’t believe my mother in law held onto these jerseys since then and they will be put into my kids memory boxes when they outgrow them. Maybe their kids can wear them one day too?

Handmade clothing is actually a sought after item for just this reason, many people are moving away from commercialized products. Knitting high quality garments and selling them will be a great way to make some extra income.

Knitting is something you can do while watching tv, while waiting in the car for your kids to finish school or sports and even while waiting for appointments. You also don’t have to limit yourself to clothing. You can knit bags, blankets, toys, cushion covers and much more.

2 Sewing

In my twenties I had a housemate that would sew late into the evening. She kept apologizing to me and was sorry for disturbing me. The funny thing is that I found the humming sound of a sewing machine so comforting. As a child we would hear my mother sewing while we went to sleep.

My mother didn’t just knit us clothing, she sewed most of the things we wore too. She also sewed both my sister’s matric dance dresses.

Just like I mentioned already, the quality of store bought clothing is going down, while the prices are shooting sky high. Sewing clothes for yourself and your family will save you money and you will have quality clothes that will stand the test of time.

In addition to making clothing for your own family you can also sew things for other people and make some nice extra income. There is always someone looking for custom handmade clothing for wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, matric dance dresses and much more.

You will need to do some research into the best sewing machines to buy and sewing essentials for beginners.

If you know how to sew you will also be able to mend clothing that needs repairs, both for your own family and as a side income too.

3 Gardening

There is nothing quite so good for the soul as getting your hands into the soil while gardening. There is something so soothing about it and when your flowers start blooming it is incredibly satisfying.

If you are growing vegetables, fruit, salad or herbs you can make a massive saving on your food budget as well as know exactly what is going into your mouth. You will have full control over whether you want to grow your food organically or use pesticides.

In addition to saving money on your grocery bill, you can also sell your extra produce to your neighbors and friends, as well as even have a stall at a local market.

If you enjoy growing flowers you can also sell them at a market, you could even do flower arrangements and sell those too.

You can garden even if you only have a small garden, or if you have no garden you can grow vegetables and other plants in pots. Gardening is so good for kids. Without a doubt your children will love helping you in the garden and it is never too soon to teach your children to garden.

4 Home Made Preserves

If you are already growing your own food and selling some on the side why not add making jam, pickles and preserves. It will go so well with your fresh produce when you sell at the markets!

Otherwise you can buy your fresh produce to make your home made preserves for your family and to sell.

5 Arts and Crafts

The sky is the limit to what you can do here, just look on Pinterest to see how many ideas there are for arts and crafts! Not only can you create your own unique home decor, but you can also make home made cards and gifts for your friends and family, as well as create things to sell.

A blogging friend of mine sells the most beautiful paintings in her spare time. There is nothing to stop you too from turning your passion for arts and crafts into a side income.

6 Baking

Baking your own cakes for your kids birthday party will save you a fortune. You could even bake for other people and make an income from it. You are not limited to cakes here. Growing up the lady that lived opposite us used to make the most divine fudge, in any flavors you could think of. All the kids in the neighborhood were regularly knocking on her door to part with their pocket money. She had a thriving side business selling fudge from home, she didn’t even have to go anywhere to sell it. Word got around and everyone came to her.

7 Soap Making

Making soap can be lots of fun and you can also get very creative with adding different colors, ingredients and aromas to your soap, as well as creating different shapes.

Soap is not just for using to wash with, you can create art with soap and have it displayed beautifully in your bathrooms.

They will make amazing homemade gifts as well as provide you with an amazing product to sell to people.

8 Photography

Photography is a great hobby and can be loads of fun. As a side income you could offer family photoshoots, newborn photography, product photography, wedding photography and school photos.

You could even register with online stock photo companies and sell your photos online. Or you could get arty and print photos to canvases to sell as home decor. You could even offer photo books!

9 DIY Projects

Just like with arts and crafts the sky is the limit here, once again just check out Pinterest.

Repurposing is all the rage now and seriously with all the pollution worldwide, it is something we should all get into. There are many DIY projects using goods around your house that you might otherwise throw away. A while back I saw  the most amazing DIY shelf and it was made out of just popsicle sticks!

Try your hand at home DIY projects, you may find that you have some incredible talent and you can start selling some of your projects for extra income.

10 Blogging

As a blogger I had to include this one since I get to write about anything I find interesting and make money from it. I love writing so I am doing something I am passionate about every day and I earn a full time income from it which is great.

Even if you are just starting out as a blogger you need to look at the fact that you can save money from blogging even if you are not making a full time income. If you have some readers contact companies that you like and ask them for discounts on products or even freebies in exchange for writing about them.

In time your blog could turn into a thriving business!

I hope you have enjoyed all these ideas for hobbies for moms. What hobbies do you do and do you manage to save money or make money from your hobbies.