Tips and things to do online whilst the kids are at school

In 2008 a study by global market research group TNS found UK housewives spent more time online than students and the unemployed. This equated to 47% of the average housewife’s time. This amount has likely increased since then as overall time spent online by the whole UK population has risen from 536 million hours in April 2007 to 884 million hours in April 2010.

So what are they all doing? Close to 50% of all housewives make some money online, with one in 20 making more than £200. Others prefer to spend their time on social media, catching up on the news or learning and/or studying.

How can you turn your love of online into a money making scheme? Here are some tips and things to do online while the kids are at school.

Bingo
Online bingo is rapidly becoming one of the most popular online games. It contains a social element popular among women. It should thus come as no surprise that 85% of online bingo players are women. Online bingo sites have chat rooms frequented by housewives, therefore they act as virtual ‘mother’s meetings’ where housewives can catch up with friends over coffee and a game of bingo on a virtual level.

This all sounds fun and lovely, but what about the moneymaking element? Most online bingo games cost you money, so how can you turn it into a profitable daytime activity?

Bingo jackpots can be pretty sizeable. Many run into the tens of thousands and some, even including free bingo games, can amount to hundreds of thousands. The very lucky can actually walk away with millions; in 2008 a woman from Lanarkshire took home £1.2 million.

Although not every bingo player can be that lucky – there are currently around four million bingo players in the UK – someone has to win and you’ve got to be in it to win it,

Study
OK, so this may take a little longer to bear fruit, but you can use your online time to learn a new skill or subject. The Open University offers hundreds of degree, diploma and certificate programmes in a wide range of subjects, most of which are available part time so you can fit them in around cooking, cleaning, shopping, organising and caring for your family.

If the OU doesn’t have what you’re looking for there are all kinds of courses out there to choose from. Skills Train and Learn Direct offer advice on available courses and can point you in the right direction. You can choose from courses as diverse as photography to jewellery design and you can even turn these subjects into home-based businesses.

Blogging
Some of the most successful blogs have been borne out of the brains of housewives and mums; Mumsnet is one of the most high profile, but there are many more. Using your personal experiences to offer advice and generally vent frustrations other women may share is a great way of using your online time wisely. Not only can you make money from a successful, high trafficked blog, it’s also a great stress reliever and offers a unique way of networking and making friends with other mums and housewives.