At this time of year it can feel as though your finances are being painfully squeezed. Christmas can leave you feeling broke, so why not look at some ideas to make extra money?
It’s not always easy to find the time and energy, especially if you already have a full time job. However, being debt free in the new year, or at least having a plan to pay off your overdraft, is a great feeling.
Here are ten suggestions to make extra money whatever your circumstances.
Sell at a boot sale
Using the various lock downs to have a clear out and declutter? Don’t just dump it. Store it to sell at a boot sale in the spring. There are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to selling at boot sales, though. Check out this post about how to make extra money in this way.
You could also have a yard or garage sale from home, but you need a bit of through traffic to make it worthwhile. If you have a lot to sell, then it’s worth advertising as widely as possible.
Sell online
If you don’t have the time or space to wait until the spring, there are multiple selling platforms online where you can sell your stuff and make extra money. My personal favourite is eBay (and I have posts on that here and here), but you could also consider Vinted, Gumtree, Schpok, Depop and Facebook Marketplace.
Music Magpie can be a good place to get rid of media, music and books too, although you will earn more if you list individually elsewhere.
Be a canine companion
If you are at home a lot you could consider dog boarding. I have a post on how to do this here.
Alternatively, you could offer your services as a dog walker. I reckon with all the people who have bought dogs since the pandemic began, you could do a roaring trade!
Design your own products to sell on Merch
You don’t need to be an artist or graphic designer to create your own products such as T-shirts and hoodies to sell on Amazon Merch. Becca Whitestone explains how it works in this post.
Sell your services on Fiverr
You can buy and sell all kinds of services on Fiverr. From graphic design, writing, logo design, proof reading, voice overs, video creation, social media management and more, it could be that you have exactly the skills that someone would be happy to pay for.
Lauren Turner explains how to get started and make extra money on Fiverr in this post.
Do some freelance writing
If you have good written communications skills, why not offer your services as a freelance writer? There are various ways to find freelance jobs, as explained in this post.
Alternatively you could find jobs as a web content writer specifically, using the advice in this post from Scott Dixon.
Website testing
If you don’t have great writing talent, you could try website testing instead. You don’t have to be massively techie; you just have to know how to navigate a website. Companies want to know how your average customer finds the usability of their websites, as explained in this post.
Do paid surveys
You are never going to make your fortune doing paid surveys online, but they can be a way to make extra money without leaving the comfort of your sofa.
There are a multitude of possibilities, some of which you can find in this post.
Mystery shopping
Get paid to shop? Sound like a winning combination to me. You can even get a free meal mystery shopping restaurants and cafes.
This post from Mrs Penny Money is full of advice on getting started to make extra money as a mystery shopper.
Matched betting
I’m not personally a fan of matched betting. I still have a suspicion that for some people it could lead to a gambling habit. However, I include it here as I know quite a few people who make good money from it.
If you are worried about going into the red come the new year, try these ideas for size. What is your most successful way to make extra money?
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