I Quit My Job After 17 Years. Now I Have 6 Side Hustles.

After having my second child, I quit my job of 17 years because I couldn’t justify sacrificing half my wages for childcare.

Instead, I’m running multiple side hustles that rarely require me to be away from my kids. And, no, I’m not getting rich playing games or taking surveys on my phone. I’m trying to replace the income I previously earned without giving up the flexibility I want as a mom.

Right now, I bring in $1,400 to $2,000 a month. Some hustles have clear pros and cons. Some are more convenient, lucrative, or glamorous, whereas others I may need to consider dropping altogether.

Turo is the closest thing to passive income

I was hesitant to rent my beloved Toyota Tacoma to strangers. But it’s paid off, I’m not commuting anymore, and we have access to my husband’s vehicle.

In the nine months it’s been listed on Turo this year, the truck averages $400 a month in earned and projected income. The app handles most of the process, and renters treat it respectfully.

The biggest inconvenience is coordinating pickup and drop-off, especially airport runs. Occasionally, I need help from others. Still, compared with the almost nonexistent time I spend managing it, Turo is my easiest yes.

The photo booth has the best earning potential

For a decade, I’ve been a photo booth attendant for a local event company. I typically make $200 for a three-hour event, although drive time, setup, and teardown make for longer evenings.

Recently, my husband and I bought our own mirror photo booth and started our Phoenix-based company, True Reflections Photo Booth Co. Since most of the gear was secondhand or discounted, the upfront costs were under $ 5,000.

Our typical event charges $600. If my husband or I run it, we keep the profit and skip the middleman. In theory, we can recoup our investment in fewer than 10 events.

Of course, now we’re responsible for insurance, software, equipment, marketing, storage (our garage), and taxes. We’ve had one gig so far and have two more lined up, but need to get booking ASAP.

I didn’t have to worry about networking as a hired hand, but, to me, that’s half the fun. Either way, this is a lucrative hustle I never refuse.

Freelance writing is the hardest hustle for me to quit

Despite having an English degree and maintaining my own lifestyle blog, landing paid assignments can feel impossible.

Freelance writing requires ridiculous persistence. Rejection is common, even for veterans.

I’ve written for $10 and even for free to get noticed. When a pitch finally convinces an editor, though, I earn $125 to $250 for an 800- to 1,000-word article.

If it weren’t my longest-running passion, this tumultuous gig isn’t always worth it as a momtrepreneur. Alas, I continue to pitch and sometimes get lucky.

Cleaning pays well, but only thanks to free childcare

Through Care.com, I found a weekly housekeeping and meal-prep job that pays $25 an hour, or about $300 a month. I also occasionally clean a friend’s Airbnb for $150, usually in three hours.

The money-to-time ratio is solid. I enjoy the physicality and catching up on audiobooks.

But family watches my kids for free. If I had to pay for childcare so I could clean someone else’s house, the math really wouldn’t add up.

My simple syrup business is small, inexpensive, and fun enough to keep

I started making homemade coffee syrups to avoid overspending on artificial drive-thru coffee. This summer, I joined Arizona’s Cottage Food program and began selling them.

An 8.5-ounce bottle sells for $12, and my margin is about 70%. The ingredients are inexpensive, and I’ve streamlined my process enough that production only takes a few hours each week, including managing my Hotplate storefront.

My toddler and I occasionally run a driveway coffee stand to highlight flavors. He gets the cash tips.

Since I make these for my own home café anyway, this microbusiness is worth growing for now.

Print-on-demand has potential, but not worth the effort right now

My husband is a designer, and we run a Shopify store using Printify for shirts, mugs, hats, and other merchandise.

Unfortunately, it isn’t profitable yet.

Original, non-AI designs take time. Uploading them to various products is tedious. Then comes SEO, advertising, and social media — all the work required to persuade strangers that the products exist.

A $60 hoodie sounds promising until nobody buys it.

We haven’t shut the store down, but it’s on the back burner until we can devote creativity and time toward it without compromising quality.

I’ve learned flexibility has value, too

In the past, I read tons of articles that claimed extra income is a cinch. Clearly, it’s not; I don’t always reap as much as I sow. But it can be done, and there are endless options.

My side hustles aren’t as consistent as my prior job. Every month looks different; managing multiple small businesses means wearing many hats and constantly balancing my calendar.

But I’m earning close to my old paycheck while spending more time at home with my boys. I used to work about 70 hours a month; now I only work half that amount.

Time is truly my favorite currency.