50 Ways to Make Extra Money
In the current difficult financial climate every bit extra can help. Here we look at 50 different ways you could raise extra money.
1. Sell your unwanted clutter on eBay
If you have some items in your house that you are no longer using, then sell the items on eBay. You will be surprised what other people will pay good money for anything from empty perfume bottles to children's toys. Its free to register and to make the most money keep an eye out for free listing weekends.
2. Recycle your old mobile handsets
There are a number of companies set up who will pay you for your old mobiles and computers. Prices vary, but can reach up to £200 for a high end handset. You simply register with the website, find your handset model and the company will tell you how much it is worth. Once you agree to the sale, they will send you a freepost bag in which to send it.
3. Set up your own ironing business
People are often happy to outsource this chore and if you have the spare time and can iron to a good standard, this could be for you. Average earnings tend to be between £8 and £12 per hour.
4. Sell your story
Do you have a dramatic tale to tell? If so, journalists will often pay for your permission to publish. One story can earn over £150. Even if you don't have anything to publish then many publications pay up to £50 cash for star letters and amusing photographs. Look in magazines and newspapers for contact details.
5. Online surveys
Big companies often carry out their market research online. Registering with a survey site such as IPSOS, New Vista or One Poll gives you access to the surveys which typically pay around £1 each to complete, but they can pay up to £5. The more sites you sign up to, the more you can earn.
6. Mystery Shopping
With mystery shopping, you act as a customer and report back on your experience. The work is varied with assignments ranging from checking out restaurants to call centres. Payment rates range from £5 - £25 per visit and you generally get to keep any goods you have purchased. You don't need any qualifications for this work, just good observational skills. Just sign up with a mystery shopping company such as Checkout and then you can start.
7. Rent out your driveway
If you live in an area where parking is expensive, then you could rent your parking space out on a monthly basis. Spaces in London can go for as much as £200 a month. You will have to register with a website such as ParkatmyHouse and then just wait for the offers to come to you.
8. Look for bar work
Bar work is one of the most flexible jobs out there, and because staff are mainly required in the evenings, will often fit around 9 - 5 jobs as well. Wages tend to be close to the minimum wage, but if you serve food, you will generally be able to boost this through tips.
9. Make your own Easter eggs
These are simple to make and moulds can be bought online for £3 - £4. Once made and decorated, they can be sold for £8 - £12 at fetes or through local shops.
10. University research
University students are often on the lookout for people to interview as part of their studies. Your local university will usually have a list of all current requirements. The pay may not be all that high, but there is also the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to the university's important work.
11. Rent your house out as a film location
You don't need an especially large house to do this as film producers are often looking for ordinary homes to feature in their productions. Rates can reach as much as £500 a day. However, there is a lot of competition in this area, so don't bank on it being a regular source of income.
12. Host a product party
Invite some friends over to try out products before they buy them, as well as having fun into the bargain. There are a number of companies whose products you can sell in this way including; The Body Shop, Virgin Vie and Ann Summers. Another bonus of this sort of work is that you often get to see the latest products before they are released. These parties are entirely flexible and the more you run, the more you earn.
13. Take in a lodger
If you rent out a room, the government lets you earn £4,250 a year before you pay any tax. If you don't fancy having a full time house guest, look at sites such as Airbnb for people who are looking for a room for a night or two.
14. Get paid to go into a shop
Quidco, the cash back site, has an app that will let you earn cash each time you walk into certain shops. It ranges from 5p - 50p a time but it's extra money for what you would be doing anyway.
15. Answering the phone
Setting up a call handling service allows you to make money for just answering the phone. There is a lot of demand for this service from people who have set up their own businesses. To be successful at this, you will need to be at home, be able to take calls all day and have a good telephone manner.
16. Sell your photographs
Anyone can upload their own digital photos onto photo bank sites, such as the website iStockphoto, and then earn royalties for each one sold. To generate demand, focus on a niche area where you will not have much competition.
17. Get paid to review music
The website for unsigned bands, SliceThePie, will pay you for each song you rate. The longer you use the site and the greater reputation you build, the more you will be paid for each review. Earnings come in at about £20 - £30 a month.
18. Become a TV extra
You can earn around £80 - £100 a day working with the rich and famous by taking work as a TV extra. If you get a line of dialogue, you will be paid even more. There's lots of hanging about, but you may get to meet some very interesting people. UKScreen.com lists all the extras agencies in the UK.
19. Pose as a life model
An option only for the body confident, and those with plenty of patience as you will need to stay still for up to 3 hours with only a couple of breaks. Pay varies between £8 - £12 an hour and you should contact your local FE college for more details.
20. Recycle printer cartridges
Printer cartridges are expensive, so it's great to be able to earn a few pounds back by recycling your empty ones. Companies will pay as much as £5 a cartridge, but compare offers first to make sure you are getting the best price.
21. Exam Invigilating
Teachers no longer invigilate GCSE or A Level exams, so local schools employ people to act as invigilators. Vacancies are usually found on school websites and no qualifications are required for the position. GCSEs are no longer simply sat in June, so opportunities can be available in November and January too.
22. Take part in competitions
From recipe books to 5 star holidays and cheques for £10,000, companies are offering all sorts of prizes for a host of competitions every day across the UK. To boost your chances of success, you will have to spend time entering as many competitions as possible. As a bonus, any completion winnings in the UK are free from tax. There are plenty of online gadgets to help you complete competitions in addition to forums where 'compers' can give each other advice and support.
23. Buying baggage
Surprisingly, hundreds of thousands of items of luggage that are lost each year are never reclaimed. The unreclaimed bags are auctioned off by companies such as BA. Cases are sold closed, so it is a bit of risk, but most tend to contain goods that will be worth more than you paid for them once sold on eBay. Suitcases go for between £5 to £50 each, with the posher bags reaching the higher prices.
24. Get paid to deliver
Delivering leaflets is a popular temporary job, although there are some longer term delivery jobs such as paper rounds. Getting in touch with local takeaway or taxi firms is a good way to find this type of job. Alternatively, you can look on Gumtree or Craigslist to see what is available.
25. Internet research
Online companies such as 63336, previously known as Any Questions Answered, employ researchers to work at home answering questions customers text in. The going rate is around 25p a question and the more experience you have, the more quickly you will be able to respond to questions.
26. Do some freelancing
If you have skills such as IT or accounting, then you can register yourself on a freelancing site such as PeoplePerHour and then bid for jobs. The more specialised your skills, the higher rate you can charge, although you may have to begin on a slightly lower rate until you can prove you are reliable.
27. Take in foreign students
If you get in touch with local universities and language schools, you can offer to put up any foreign students they have. Rates will vary depending on the length of the stay and whether you provide meals, but it's normally around £80 a week upwards.
28. Tax rebates if you wear a uniform
If you wash or carry out repairs on your work uniform, you may be able to claim a tax refund and this can be claimed back for up to 6 years. The only condition is that you never wear your uniform for anything else.
29. Sell your hair
Hair extensions and wigs have never been more popular and as a result there is a high demand for people's hair. Most companies prefer hair that has not been chemically treated and it needs to be a minimum of six inches long. If you have an unusual hair colour, you can charge a premium for your hair. Local wig sellers are best placed to advise you on selling off your tresses.
30. Get paid while you shop online
Cash back sites such as Quidco and TopCashBack give shoppers cash back for each purchase they make by clicking through their site. Amounts vary, but for mobile phone contracts or insurance policies they can reach up to £100. The cash back can take a few months to be paid, but it is a bonus if you were planning to get the item anyway.
31. Make the most of your talents
If you are creative, think about selling items you knit or sew on sites such as Etsy or Folksy. Here you can reach a global market of buyers without having to set up your own website. Etsy produces information about its best selling items to help you decide what to sell.
32. Pet sitting
If you love animals, pets sitting can be an easy and fun way to make money. Pet sitters look after animals in the owners' homes while they are away, typically visiting the house a couple of times a day to feed, clean and possibly walk the animal as required. You can either join a national agency or put up adverts in local shops to get started.
33. Counting votes
If you register with your local council's election office, you can get paid on polling days to count the votes that come in. It will involve work late into the night/early morning, but it pays well with rates often being around the £160 - £200 mark for the day.
34. Reclaim PPI
If you have had a store card, credit card or loan in the past six years and took out payment protection insurance, then you may be able to claim for a refund as banks have been misselling PPI for many years. Don't pay a claims handling company to do this for you as pro forma letters are available online to claim the money straight back from the banks.
35. Sell your gold
If you have any unwanted or broken jewellery hanging about, then now is a good time to sell as in recent years gold prices have spiralled. Make sure you get a quote from the gold company first as there can be a huge variation in the prices paid by companies.
36. Be a medical guinea pig
If you are willing to accept the possible risks, then you can earn up to £150 a day for being involved in medical trials. Most big companies advertise online for volunteers.
37. Solve businesses problems
Several businesses put their problems online and offer cash rewards to people who come up with a solution. These can be especially suited to people with expertise in science or business. If you are lucky enough to come up with the perfect idea, some of the rewards reach over a hundred thousand pounds. Problems can be found on sites such as InnoCentive and Idea Connection.
38. Start a babysitting business
This is as simple as it sounds, although you may want to get yourself CRB checked to give potential clients peace of mind. Alternatively, you can join a national babysitting agency who will take a percentage of your fee in return for finding you clients.
39. Check your council tax
Many people's properties are in the wrong council tax band and correcting this can save you over £200 a year. Overcharges will be backdated, meaning you could get back several thousand pounds. Don't pay companies to carry out this check for you as a simple online check is usually all it takes.
40. Work as a private tutor
You can make up to £80 an hour in some areas of the country as a private tutor. The most in demand are graduates who have degrees in science or maths, although there is still plenty of demand in other subjects too. Contracts are usually short term until the child passes their exams and if you register with a tutoring agency then you will need to have a CRB check. It will also help if you have knowledge of the current GCSE syllabus. This can be found online for people who are not currently teachers.
41. Grab a Grant
There are lots of government and local council grants available for all sorts of areas. Some of the most popular are home energy grants, such as Warm Front, which allow you to improve the energy efficiency of your home. This will have the additional advantage of reducing your future bills.
42. Make money from YouTube
If you have funny or interesting videos available, then joining YouTube's partnership programme will allow you to earn money from your videos. The more people who view them, the more you earn. For most this isn't a huge amount, but if a clip goes viral it can earn over £100,000.
43. Sell your books online
As well as listing books on eBay, you can opt to sell them on other more specialist sites such as Amazon Marketplace or Green Metropolis. Or if you would rather sell things quickly but at a lower price, then Amazon and WeBuyBooks offer trade in services.
44. Ads on your car
This is known as vehicle wrapping and if you are happy to drive around with a logo all over your car, then it can help you earn over £200 a month for the minimum of effort. These wraps will not spoil the paintwork and can be removed without leaving a mark. You will have to show you have a current MOT for your vehicle and a clean driving licence.
45. Set up a blog
If you have a talent for writing and an area you are interested in, why not start a blog as a money earner? It takes time and dedication to earn money from your blog, but as it gets more popular and generates more traffic, you can earn money from people clicking through from adverts on your site.
46. Baking
If you are complimented on your cooking skills, why not set up a baking business? There is always a demand for cakes for all manner of celebrations and this is a flexible business you can fit around any other commitments you already have. To raise your profile, try to get stalls at farmers markets or school fairs.
47. Set up a mobile sandwich business
You can either run a service that offers a made to order business or you can simply make a large batch of sandwiches and sell them door to door at local businesses. You do need to ensure you can comply with the food safety regulations and that you have a fridge to store everything you make.
48. Make money from solar panels
If you install solar panels on your house, the government will pay you a tariff for each unit of energy you produce. This will require an upfront cost of a few thousand pounds, but over the 25 year life of the panels you should make a profit of several thousand pounds.
49. House Sitting
House sitters are used by people who are away on holiday or companies with empty buildings. There's a particular call for people who are good with dogs too. You will usually be required to be in the house overnight and a couple of hours through the day. It's easiest to find work if you register with a specialist house sitting agency.
50. Make money from your garden
If you are green fingered, you could tap into the demand for edible flowers, or for selling seedlings you have propagated. Even if you have no gardening talent, you can still earn money by renting out your garden to people who do not have one and wish to grow their own vegetables. These schemes are known as land swaps and the most well known is run by Hugh Fernly Whittingstall.
By combining a few of these tips you should be able to create a real boost to your income in the coming months, making for a more comfortable 2013.
Please share your own money making tips in the comment section below!