Simple Ways I Make Money from Home in My 50s

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I’ve worked for myself before—so when I got laid off at 53, I didn’t exactly panic. But I also didn’t throw a party. It was a weird mix of “okay, I’ve done this before” and “uh-oh, I was kinda enjoying that steady paycheck.” But one thing I did know for sure…

I didn’t want to punch a clock ever again.

Thankfully, I’ve always loved a good side hustle so I know how to make money from home. Years ago, I made decent money selling on eBay (and dipped a toe into Amazon too). In 2014, I jumped into freelance writing full-time and spent the next few years working with clients from all over. It wasn’t always easy, but I loved the freedom of it—and not having to ask anyone for time off was a dream.

Fast forward to now, and here I am again—making money from home in my 50s. This time, not just with freelance work, but with a blog that’s earning a somewhat passive income, some behind-the-scenes contract work, a growing Etsy shop, and (thanks to my daughter) I’ve even restarted my eBay reselling hustle after we found a vintage shirt at Goodwill that sells for over $250. That little thrifted win was all it took to get me hooked again.

I’ll be honest: it helps that I own my home, my car is paid off, and I live in a low cost of living area. I’m not trying to keep up with anyone—I’m just trying to create a life that’s flexible, fulfilling, and doesn’t involve clocking in somewhere at 8 a.m.

And if I’m being even more honest… I think I thrive on doing all the things. My ADHD brain kind of loves the variety. Resell a thrift store find one day, write a blog post the next, create a printable, do a little data work. It’s chaotic—but it works for me.

So if you’re wondering how to make money from home in your 50s—realistically—I’m sharing exactly what’s working for me. No fluff, no scammy nonsense. Just stuff that pays the bills and helps me live a life I still enjoy.

How I Got Started Again (After Being Laid Off)

The truth is, I wasn’t completely new to this whole “working from home” thing. Before my last company job, I had already spent several years writing freelance for clients, ghostwriting blog posts, and juggling side projects. I’d done the hustle. But I’ll admit—when I took that full-time job, part of me was relieved to not be constantly chasing deadlines.

Still, once that job ended (with a generous severance package, thank God), I knew I didn’t want to go backward—I wanted to build something new. Something that worked for me, not just a client or a paycheck.

I pulled up my old blog, dusted it off, and started posting again. I had no idea where it would lead—but I treated it like a job. Not a hobby. That mindset shift made a difference.

Blogging Income: The Ups and Downs of Traffic

When I jumped back into blogging, I focused on home decor—a topic I’ve always been in love with. This, coupled with a solid Pinterest strategy, led to a surge in traffic. The visual appeal of decor content does well on Pinterest, and I even got monetized very quickly through Mediavine’s Journey program, earning around $700 a month (close to $500 the very first month).​

BUT, recent changes on Pinterest seem to have impacted these numbers (in other words, kicked me in the rear end). Notably, the “Visit Site” button on pins has become less prominent or even completely disappeared in some cases. Pinterest has updated its interface, making the image on a pin no longer directly clickable. Instead, users must locate and click a specific “Visit Site” button below the image. This additional step can significantly reduce click-through rates. ​And the reason that I feel this is the cause of my dip in traffic is that my Pin views have not gone down a whole lot, only my outbound clicks (as you can see from this screenshot):

Also, from what I understand, if Pinterest decides that a pin’s linked landing page is lower quality or doesn’t match the pin’s content, the “Visit Site” button may be less prominent or moved to a dropdown menu. Which, honestly, is as it should be! I get sick of spammy sites and low-quality junk content just like you do!

Now, I’m not blaming Pinterest entirely. I have also not been as active blogging as I was in the beginning, yet I’m still continuing to rake in passive ad income. It’s just worth noting that you, as a prospective blogger, might want to keep this in mind when you’re writing your content.

Thankfully, my blog is still performing well, thanks to the strong foundation I built on quality content and strategic SEO practices. I’ve also diversified my income streams to include freelance writing, Data Annotation, and reselling on eBay, which gives me a little bit of a buffer against fluctuations in any single platform’s algorithm.​

For those interested in starting a blog, I’ve detailed my approach and tips in a separate post: How to Start a Blog That Makes Money in 2025. It covers everything from choosing the right niche to monetization strategies that have worked for me.​

The Boring Little Job That Paid the Bills: Data Annotation

Another way I’ve made money from home recently is something most people have never heard of: Data Annotation.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not exciting. And yes, it can be mind-numbingly boring at times—but when I first got into it, it was a solid income stream.

For a few months, I was able to pick up almost as much work as I wanted, with tasks that paid $20 an hour or more. I worked at my own pace, on my own schedule, and never had to leave the house. It was mostly click-this, categorize-that type of work—tedious but straightforward. And honestly? It served its purpose. I was paying the bills and staying afloat while I figured out what I wanted to do next.

That said, things changed.

In the last few weeks, there haven’t been any new jobs showing up on my dashboard. From what I’ve seen in online communities, some workers get “quietly booted” after earning a certain amount, even if they technically still have access to the platform. I can still log in, but the work seems to have dried up.

My best guess? They’ve onboarded too many new people. I remember seeing ads in recent months where they were clearly hiring again. So maybe now there just isn’t enough work to go around.

Would I recommend it? Sure—as long as you go in knowing it might not last forever. For me, it was the right thing at the right time. Easy-ish, decent pay, flexible, and just enough to help me stay on track without going back to a 9-to-5.

And honestly, having the option to do something a little mindless was kind of nice in between more creative work. The application process is a little weird. You’ll see what I mean if you decide to do it, but all they’re really trying to do (I think) is make sure you can logically put sentences together. Here’s the link if you want to check it out.

Selling Printables on Etsy (and Why It’s Working for Me)

Another way I make money from home in my 50s is through my Etsy printable shop. I’m not getting rich there, but I will say this: it’s starting to work.

The disclaimer here is that I’ve been designing printables for years—for my own blogs, for other people, and even for a PLR (private label rights) website I built, grew quickly, and eventually sold. You absolutely don’t need experience with all the tools available these days, but I don’t want to make any claims that you can jump in and make a full-time living right away. I’ve heard of people doing it, but to be clear, I am not one of them.

I think this is pretty rare, but within the first few weeks of launching my new shop, I’d made my first 50 sales. The key? I found a product idea with very little competition—something people were searching for but hardly anyone was offering.

I also took the E-Printables course by Gold City Ventures, and I do think it’s a great course—especially if you’re new to Etsy or digital products in general. But I’ll be honest: you don’t have to take a course. There’s plenty of free info out there if you’re willing to put in the time. Between YouTube videos, blog tutorials, and plain old trial and error, you can absolutely figure it out without spending a dime (which is especially helpful if you’re starting out on a tight budget). HOWEVER, what a course does help with is avoiding some common pitfalls that can get you banned and giving you a community you can go to for answers.

What I love most is that it’s a creative outlet that actually earns money. I get to design once and sell the same file over and over again, all without worrying about shipping, inventory, or customer returns. And while Etsy can be a bit of a beast when it comes to algorithms and competition, the passive-ish nature of printable products makes it worth the effort—especially when you’re trying to build income streams that don’t require being “on” all the time.

I highly encourage you to give Etsy a shot if you’re on the fence about it. At the very least, it’s a lot of fun if you like doing research and designing things!

Getting Back Into eBay Reselling (With a Little Help from My Daughter)

Lately, I’ve been dipping my toes back into the eBay waters—something I used to do pretty consistently back in the day. At one point, I kept a steady inventory going and made a solid side income from it every month. I knew what brands sold well, had systems in place, and was always scanning thrift store racks and garage sale tables for that next big find.

But eventually, I hit a wall.

As someone who’s not naturally organized, the piles of inventory started to take over my space—and my sanity. Storing all the “junk” (even the profitable kind) became overwhelming. I’d find myself shoving bags into corners or forgetting what I had, and the clutter just stressed me out.

So I stepped away for a while… until recently.

My daughter and I were at the Goodwill bins, just browsing, when we found a shirt that resells on eBay for over $250. That one find? It sparked something. We both got excited—and this time, I realized I don’t have to do it alone. Fun story—we went on to find a few hundred dollars worth of treasures that day—all for around $12!

She’s much more organized than I am, and having her do this with me makes the whole process so much more manageable. Now we can go thrifting together, hunt for hidden gems, and divide up the work. It’s fun again. And better yet, I know I can keep things under control this time around—no more storage bins threatening to collapse in the hallway.

It’s a small but growing stream of income, and one that I’m glad to have in my rotation again. Plus, nothing beats that rush of finding something for $5 and flipping it for $100.

Why a Low-Overhead Lifestyle Makes All the Difference

One of the biggest reasons I’m able to make this patchwork of income streams work is simple: my bills are low. And honestly, that’s no accident.

A while back, I made the decision to buy a little fixer-upper house—nothing fancy, but it’s mine. And now? It’s paid off. Same goes for my car. I don’t have a mortgage. I don’t have a car payment. I don’t have a stack of credit card bills weighing me down every month.

I’m not saying that to brag. I’m saying it because this one piece of the puzzle gives me so much freedom. It means I don’t have to make a full-time income every single month just to survive. It means I can blog, resell, design, freelance, or do data work—and have it add up without the crushing pressure of traditional bills.

And because I live in a low cost of living area, my money stretches further. Groceries aren’t outrageous. Gas is cheaper. Even utilities are manageable. That gives me breathing room to try new things, experiment with what’s working, and pivot when something stops working—without going into panic mode.

It also lets me say no. No to burnout. No to long commutes. No to working a job I hate just for a paycheck.

This lifestyle didn’t happen overnight. It came from years of learning to live below my means, choosing “enough” over “more,” and getting honest about what actually makes me happy. Spoiler: it’s not stuff. It’s freedom.

Planning for the Future (and Hoping I Don’t Have to Dust Off That Degree)

For a long time, I thought I’d retire at my last company. I loved the work, the people, the stability—it felt like home. I genuinely thought I’d ride it out there until retirement.

But…well, you know the story.

Now, I’m leaning hard into building my own online businesses—not just as a stopgap, but as a real way forward. I’m doing everything I can to grow one (or more) of these income streams into something scalable. Something that I can not only live off of now, but eventually save from and actually plan for the future.

The idea of traditional retirement still feels a little out of reach some days. But I also know that with the flexibility and potential of online income, it’s not impossible. And honestly? I’d rather bet on myself than go back to punching a clock. After all, you see what relying on a J.O.B. got me! My illusion of security wasn’t even real.

But if none of it works out? Well… I guess I can always dust off my accounting degree and re-enter the workforce like a responsible adult.

(Insert dramatic sigh here.)

But for now? I’m staying scrappy, creative, and as far away from cubicles as possible. And that, to me, feels like a pretty solid plan—at least for this season.