Smarter ways to earn at home

What you need to know:

INNOVATION. Times have changed and formal jobs are seemingly becoming extinct. If you become a little creative, you will earn money in the comfort of your home and you will not have to chase for jobs anymore, writes Zuurah Karungi

Did you know that you can actually make money from the comfort of your home? Have you been searching for jobs for a very long time to no avail? Are you a stay home momma wondering what you can do to earn? Do you know that it is possible to earn more than people working in offices? If your search for lucrative jobs has not yielded any fruits, decide to venture into one of the following and make money the smarter way;

Make snacks
Snacks are a great deal in Uganda today. They are consumed by children and adults and since they do not cost an arm, you will be surprised by increased sales you are likely to make. Start making plantain snacks, Irish crisps, daddies, roasted ground nuts, samosas and many more. You can hire someone to sell them for you or alternatively you can take them to grocery stores or supermarkets or shops near you. Irene Ajok a ground nut paste dealer says she makes a minimum of Shs 500,000 a month from her home business. She supplies to supermarkets, friends and shops.

Blogging
Beyond Whatsapp and Facebook jazz, you can earn some bucks through blogging. All you need to do is choose a topic you are passionate about and start writing for people. Your topics need to be accurate, well researched and interesting. People are willing to read anything worth reading and before you know it, advertisers will start looking for you.
You only need two hours a day and constant follow up on your readers’ feedback. Some of the things Ugandans would love to read about are; beauty and fashion, health, parenting, love, gossip, etc.

Make jewellery and ornaments Women love to look good. They would certainly look out for nice jewellery; bracelet, bangles, ear rings or those pretty house ornaments to make their homes stunning. You could use your free time to make these and supply in supermarkets or different jewellery shops. Annet Namusisi, a jewellery maker at Gazaland makes most of her jewels from home. She says a stay home mother has all the time to make as many jewelleries as possible.

Make an online shop
No one should go broke in this digital era because your smart phone could bring you money. All you need to do is take good photos of the items you want to sell and upload them on face book or twitter. Shamilah Mwanje who sells baby clothes online, says that one can take advantage of the many groups on facebook and post goods there. Alternatively, one can pay as little as Shs10,000 to reach out to bigger numbers.“When selling online, you need to be trustworthy and sell genuine goods because it’s the people you sell to that will recommend you to their friends,” she notes.

Venture into day care
A number of working mothers are looking for trustworthy motherly people to keep with their children and are willing to pay any amount for that. Well, this could be a juicy job for a stay home mother afterall, that’s what you do all day. You can spare a room in your house and do the baby caring.

Poultry
Chicken and eggs are on a very high demand lately and if you have some space in your backyard, think of adding a poultry house. Though birds need a lot of attention, the yields are worth it. Annet Nakazibwe who has Shs 1000 birds, says she gets 10 to 15 trays of eggs a day and each bird is sold at Shs 8000. This is good money

Venture in juicing
Ugandans are becoming more health conscious and are beginning to embrace natural, organic food and natural fruit or vegetable juice. If you live in a busy place you can have someone supply it for you or you can alternatively identify offices, schools or other places and supply.
“I have two boys and girls who sell my juice and fruits in town, at the end of the day I make between shs 15000 and 20,000 after deducting all costs,” says Joyce Magezi.

Farming
Urban farming is trendy today. You do not need to necessarily have big chunk of land, you can have plants in your backyard. Aisha Kunihira, a backyard gardener and stay home mother, says she earns up to Shs 600,000 from her mushrooms and greens. She says food is a necessity and there is always ready market for it. Irish potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, greens, among others plants will give you food and at the same time fetch you money.
“You can have commercial gardening where your garden is made of edible plants though incorporated in a creative way. Apart from food stuff, one can plant fruits like oranges, apples, guavas, mangoes, avocadoes and prepare to earn in the near future, says Boniface Wanja, a consultant.