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A (Mostly) Stay-at-Home-Mom
Welcome to A (Mostly) Stay-at-Home Mom, where I share insights about finance and family. I'm Charmaine-- a wife, mom, writer and obsessive home baker, and I hit record each week to share about adding to household income as a busy mom.
We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll discuss strategies for navigating both the home economy and the world economy hand in hand. Braiding each other's hair not included (yet).
Looking for more? I've got a ton of resources, including blog posts to match each of the podcast episodes, on my website: https://bycharmaine.com/
So glad you're here.
A (Mostly) Stay-at-Home-Mom
5 Amish & Mennonite Mama Side Job Ideas
Hey, mamas!
What if the secret to balancing motherhood and money-making was hidden in plain sight among America's most traditional communities? Drawing from my Mennonite upbringing and connections with Amish relatives, I reveal how these "plain" communities have mastered the art of integrating productive work with family life.
Unlike our modern separation between workplace and home, Amish and Mennonite cultures view homemaking as essential, valued work—not something secondary to "real" employment. This fundamental shift in perspective creates space for mothers to pursue income-generating activities without sacrificing family priorities.
In this episode, I list 5 major side jobs that Amish and Mennonite women tend to pursue. Could they be a good fit for your situation?
Stay tuned for the upcoming episodes continuing this money-making series, where I'll provide balanced perspectives on various side income opportunities for mothers. For more side incomes, listen to my episode from season 1, "Best Job Ideas for Busy SAHMs."
Find more articles and episodes on my personal portfolio/Internet home base: www.bycharmaine.com.
Hi there and welcome to another episode of the Mostly Stay-at-Home Mom podcast where we chat about entrepreneurship, mom life and earning a side income as a busy mom. I'm your host, charmaine, and I am so happy you're here. Well, thanks for tuning in to season two so far. It's the fifth episode now and I am starting to look ahead for the rest of the season. This will mark the halfway point of the season. I think I want to go to 10 episodes. So far I've shared some tips for homemaking, from postpartum to reducing the mental load of a busy home. But I want to circle back to another original intent of the podcast. I view the two main threads of this show as one running a happy and sustainable household we're talking homemaking, productivity, efficiency, etc. And two, earning side income as a mom, because if we just jump into earning side income ideas, I think there's a tendency for our home lives to get stretched thin or even collapse if we're too focused on work, on earning. I know what it's like to work outside the home and then find myself too exhausted and time constrained to really tend to the home. I mean, we all have these really important physical, emotional needs that start at the home. We can't go out and work without eating and having clean clothes and having a roof over our heads usually, and all of these things are important. So is there a way to make both work? I think there are ways to make it work better. Yes, it's hard to balance work and home, so that's why I focus a lot on running the home smoothly. So at that point, if you are running your home smoothly and well, it gives you more margin to take on other things, other projects, other, maybe part-time jobs. So that's where I'm at, no matter the reason you're here, I'm glad you're here. The rest of the season I wanted to focus on the earning income as a mom part. I will be doing a five episode series, starting with today's, giving different side income ideas as well as my personal experiences with these ideas. You'll want to stay tuned for the entire series to get all the information and what I think is a balanced, nuanced viewpoint of these various endeavors. In the meantime, after listening to today's episode, if you're looking for more side income ideas, I highly recommend listening to my fourth episode from season one, called Best Job Ideas for Busy Stay-at-Home Moms. It's my best performing episode and it still gets downloads to this day, even a year later, and I still stand behind all of these, those ideas that I gave. So go have a listen.
Speaker 1:Now on to today's subject Amish and Mennonite mom side jobs. You may be wondering why Amish and Mennonite? Number one I believe it's valuable to learn from other cultures and time periods and with the Amish you get a little bit of both. It's like learning about a slice of history because they have a very historical way of life. And two I can speak relatively authoritatively on this group because this is my people. I am Mennonite and I grew up interacting with the Amish and I have Amish relatives. So I know I can't speak for everyone in this group. I won't even try. There's so much variation, like with any large group of people. But I'll speak from my personal experience and what I've observed and what I've read. But I do have first-hand experience. So the Amish and Mennonites are very interesting.
Speaker 1:When it comes to motherhood and work, they highly value both. The Amish and Mennonites prioritize a traditional family structure and they value mothers staying home to raise children and keep the household running. But they love to work as well and they don't view work as something that only occurs off-site, somewhere else. For them. I believe it goes way back to, you know, the biblical Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were called to work and tend the garden. They view work very highly.
Speaker 1:For centuries these people have been farmers the Amish and Mennonites. So with the farm model, work and home are melded together in one setting. But in the last, I'd say, 50 years or so, after spreading through North America, they've sort of run out of farmland actually, and so they've had to expand their income options. This group of people didn't necessarily want to send the father out to work in a factory, leaving mom home alone all day. They wanted to maintain the tight-knit family units, the closeness of work and home, and they didn't want to rely on employers to care for their needs like health and quote-unquote retirement they don't really believe in retirement but instead wanted to rely on the church and family for these needs. So these alternative income options usually take the form of family business of some kind. These micro-enterprises would enable them to control the terms and conditions of their work in the context of family and ethnic community. That's a quote from a book called Amish Enterprise. To continue the quote, it says many tried to cling to their plows for at least a generation by developing seasonal and part-time enterprises, but an irrevocable bargain had nevertheless been struck. By the turn of the 21st century, fewer than 30% were farming in many church districts. So that was a quote from the illuminating text called Amish Enterprise by Donald Craybill and Stephen Nolt.
Speaker 1:I recommend that book highly. It's very informative if you're interested in sort of the cross-section of work and family life and economics among the Amish, and so, whether they continue farming or start a family business, much of the work still centers around the home in this people group, where all kinds of family members can pitch in. The lines between home and work are not so distinct in this culture, and so while that can have its pitfalls, it can be beneficial too In a culture that views the home as essential work. The homemaker's work is valued as high quality and essential to running the home and the family. I think we lose some of that in our modern society. We lack a value of work in the home, even if we're not meaning to, even if it's subconscious, just the way that we're typically raised. We spend years away from the home working in the school system as children, and then, after we graduate or do college, we spend years away from the home, working in a workplace. So it becomes ingrained in us that work is somewhere else and that the rewards of work take the form of good grades or stickers or paychecks or recognition from the boss, some sort of external reward. But because most of the Amish and Mennonites view running a home as part of the essential work of life and business, these tasks become valued and it's more of an intrinsic reward. I know for me I'm not always immediately rewarded with the day-to-day duties of motherhood, of doing laundry and changing diapers, but I know that these are rewarding in the long term. So the Amish and Mennonites have hustle, they have energy. They can process a harvest of freshly grown green beans one day and raise a barn the next. They can take care of large families and operate large businesses. It is truly a wonder.
Speaker 1:But before we feel too down on ourselves for what we do or don't accomplish compared to this busy group, let me add this perspective the Amish and Mennonites live in a tightly knit culture. They are tightly wound with extended family and church members. Though there are drawbacks to being so insular, the benefits when this is working well are that families have a lot of support and safety nets. So let's talk about the Amish and Mennonites. In times of trouble, they can lift each other up, financially or otherwise. So if you're surviving on less support, don't be too hard on yourself for not accomplishing all that the Amish do. It's apples to oranges. That being said, there are some things I believe we can learn from the culture, especially when it comes to the mixture of family, finances and work.
Speaker 1:In this people group. The women tend to stay home once they have children, from what I've observed, but this is a go-getter bunch. The women are very active and industrious. They may be running a household and raising children, but they're also often taking on side income opportunities as well. Here are the main Amish and Mennonite side jobs I've noticed the women taking. If you happen to have any ideas from this Number one, I see a lot of Amish and Mennonite women helping with the family business.
Speaker 1:This role shouldn't really be underestimated. Just because a husband is the name or face of a business doesn't mean there aren't powerful forces at work behind the scenes making it all happen. These business owner wives take on administrative work, billing, paying bills, marketing and all sorts of other tasks that fall outside the actual billable hours of the job. I know a lot of Mennonite women take this role because I am one of them, my mom was one, and it's clear that family businesses thrive both from the hard work of the husband and the foundational expertise of the wife. So what kind of family businesses are Amish and Mennonites running In Amish Enterprise?
Speaker 1:There's a chart listing out the most common business types in the Lancaster Pennsylvania settlement, which is the largest Amish settlement, and the five that top the charts are contractors, builders, retail shops, furniture manufacturing and sales, harness shops like for horses, and furniture manufacturing and sales, harness shops like for horses, and lawn furniture manufacturing and sales. It didn't give a year for this or a time period and that's just one settlement area, but you get the point. I see this trend reflected in my area, but with different industries here in Southwest Florida. So most of the family businesses of my Mennonite friends and community members tend to focus on construction, various trade supporting construction, like plumbing, electric masonry etc. Sometimes they build sheds and lawn furniture, sometimes they run homemade food stands or they're involved with lawn care, pool care etc. I've even noticed they're getting involved with tourism, property management, sometimes Airbnb, but that's sort of my unique area, which is in Florida.
Speaker 1:Number two, another popular site. Income opportunity I see Amish and Mennonite moms pursuing is involvement in the cottage industry, selling some sort of handmade good from home, whether that be ghost milk, soap or sourdough bread or quilted wall hangings. Amish and Mennonite women have the homemaking skills and the work ethic to produce high quality crafts, and a cottage industry supports the group's goal of keeping the family together in the home. The Amish source, on one blog article by Amish fiction writer Cindy Woodsmall, notes that almost every Amish woman has something on the side quote. That's something being small business, side jobs, side hustles. And I'm allowing for a moment of introspection. Is this why I'm obsessed with side hustles and little projects? Some women are little treat skirlies and some are little project skirlies I am both for the record. So you could consider also selling handmaids from your home. This is one of the greatest tools in the arsenal of Amish and Mennonite women that allows them to integrate work into family life in a meaningful, self-directed way. I'll get into this more in another episode. I actually had a home bakery at one point, so I will go more into detail all about the crafts and handmade business. You'll want to tune in for that later.
Speaker 1:Number three another popular side job of the Amish and Mennonite women is house cleaning. So if they do venture out of the home, they're tending to go into other people's homes and making them sparkle. But really and I mentioned this in my most popular episode Best Job Ideas for Busy Stay-at-Home Moms house cleaning is underrated. If you create your own house cleaning business, yes, there's the work of obtaining clients, but you get to set the price and take home the revenue, adjusting for costs. And the way I see it is this Houses will always need to be cleaned, but people can't always do it themselves or don't want to. So to me, the demand is strong and yet the barrier to entry is low, at least knowledge-wise and, honestly, supply-wise. You don't need a lot of heavy, expensive equipment for this job. All you need is a willingness, a little know-how and a strong work ethic. It is a very viable side job option. In my area, house cleaners seem to charge anywhere from $25 to $45 an hour, depending on the job. I even gifted myself a house clean at 38 weeks pregnant, right before my baby came, because I knew it would be a while before I ever touched something like the baseboards or the fan blades or other nooks and crannies, and it was wonderful. It was money well spent. I think it's a very lucrative opportunity. Many Mennonite and Amish wives try house cleaning to bring in extra income.
Speaker 1:Number four on my list is restaurant serving. Many Amish and Mennonite women will work at restaurants a few days a week, especially the Amish restaurants. I think serving is a great option for side income. I'm even tempted to do it myself. Honestly, I just have to work out some sort of schedule. It isn't the most flexible job but you know it can be flexible enough depending on if your boss and co-workers are willing to work with you. There is a great potential to earn again with a low barrier to entry. You need willingness, sharpness and probably a bit of a sense of humor to be a wonderful server and I think that's within the reach of most of us. You could even look into the restaurants you're interested in working at, see if they need to, if they need any more staff members, and even ask around about how much they make, how much tips they make. You never know. It might be something for you and I think it's something that you could easily start up. I'm all for starting businesses, but realizing that a job like restaurant serving you could start earning quickly without all of the work involved in starting a business, so it's something to consider.
Speaker 1:Number five another job I see frequently is caretaking, whether of little children or the elderly. Some Mennonite moms look to earn more money while staying home with their children. They may think what's a few more kids around here and they offer to do paid babysitting for neighbors, friends or just people who need child care. These moms may babysit full days, certain days a week or even offer to take kids before and after school to fill in the gaps for working parents that need those extra hours covered. Personally, it sounds too much for me at this juncture in life with a toddler and a baby. But maybe other moms are at a place in their home lives where they're bored or they're not busy enough or they feel like they do have the margin to take this on. I think it is an actually pretty smart side hustle. You're already staying home with your kids what's a few more? And earning money from it. Also, you know taking care of the elderly with either companionship or home health.
Speaker 1:In my area there's a lot of opportunities to take care of the elderly and I suspect it's in demand pretty much everywhere. You don't typically need a professional medical license to do some of this light caretaking. Obviously, it just depends on the situation what level of expertise is needed. But you know, all of that can be worked out with whoever is hiring you. Let's say, mildred has eyesight problems and she just needs someone to take her on errands or, you know, help her do some light tidying around the house. That's something you could do with minimal training. You know. I think the barrier to entry there is low as well. You might need some again light training for that, but you could start earning money that way, especially if you are self-employed and have your own business with that. Get your own clients. You could take home a large share of that revenue and have very little costs on your end. So I think it's worth a shot, either babysitting in your home or doing home health for the elderly a few days a week. So those are my five major income earning ideas that I think we can learn from from the Mennonite and Amish communities.
Speaker 1:And but I do have a sixth honorable mention, or dishonorable mention, because I want to be honest. I see a lot of Mennonite and Amish women doing this, but I don't think it actually earns income and I don't want to step on any toes, but I'm just going to read you the statistics. This would be but I'm just going to read you the statistics. This would be network marketing, multi-level marketing, etc. I see a lot of Mennonite women becoming involved in these quote-unquote businesses. I'll share my thoughts in detail in a future episode, but, in short, I don't think these opportunities are worth it when you think of the time, the training, the inventory and the social capital that they're costing.
Speaker 1:Mothers within religious minorities tend to be a demographic targeted for these network marketing. I watched a documentary about Lu La Roe and a lot of those participants were in the LDS community and while I don't want to confuse Mennonite and Amish with Mormon, these ethno-religious cultures share a lot of similarities, right, their family and economic structures revolve around a woman staying home to raise children, so it makes sense that opportunities that support that goal, or claim to support that goal, are attractive to these women. Again, I'm not mentioning network marketing as a moneymaker, just as an observation. Many Mennonite women are out there making Instagram reels and stories promoting shakes, essential oils, vitamins and other products for these companies. Is it worth it?
Speaker 1:One paper written by the Consumer Awareness Institute concludes this quote Less than 1% of MLM participants profits. Mlm makes even gambling look like a safe bet in comparison. End quote. Ooh, wow. There are other statistics out there equally as bleak. We'll take a deeper look into this in a future episode, but I just wanted to honestly represent where I'm seeing most Amish and Mennonite working between those five ideas, and this is where I'm seeing a lot of people working and earning income or not, I don't know.
Speaker 1:So, to conclude, many Amish and Mennonite mothers work to bring in some sort of income. They favor home-based businesses that allow them to stay home with their children, like home babysitting or cottage industries, and they also occasionally pursue very part-time options outside the home, like restaurant serving, house cleaning or home health. They also work to support and grow their family businesses, like conducting the administrative work for a business. So what do you think of those ideas? Did any stick out to you as doable? I hope it helped you peer inside a culture more closely to see why they do certain things and what we can learn from them. I hope this was helpful and your mind has been opened to possibilities that might work for your family. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 1:I'll be housing the podcast episodes and the accompanying blog post on my site by Charmainecom. That's B-Y, my name by Charmainecom, and this website will be the home base to my other passion projects as soon as I put them up. So pay a visit if you like. I'm going to start putting more things about baking and cooking on there, and my other articles that I'm starting to write for other publications as well. If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend. It takes just a couple seconds to rate the show by tapping those stars or the gold standard. Take a minute or two to type out a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I'd be so grateful to hear what you think. The next few episodes will continue my money-making series, so if you're a mom thinking about different side income opportunities, this is a great time to tune in. I try to give a balanced view, considering the pros and cons of each opportunity, and help you make meaningful decisions for your family. You won't want to miss it. Thanks for being here and until next time.
