BOOST your bank balance if you’re feeling the pinch with our great guide to earning extra money.
Even if you have little free time, you could rake in more cash to help with burgeoning bills, just like thrifty Ruby Blaken.
The 32-year-old makes hundreds of pounds a month by selling second-hand toys and clothes online.
Ruby lives in Malmesbury, Wilts, with husband Michael, 35, an accountant, and their kids Isaac, seven, Florence, four, and Archer, one.
She said: “I’ll go through the toys the kids had for Christmas and see if there are older or similar toys I can sell.”
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Last month she made £85 flogging Nintendo Switch games, £20 on other unwanted toys and £110 from selling clothes.
Ruby runs website Second Snuggle, selling secondhand childrenswear and maternity clothes.
On day three of our series to help you claw back cash from every area of life, we share 20 money spinners . . .
Get paid to watch ads: You could make £15 a month in vouchers to spend at shops like Amazon by watching 10 short beauty adverts a day, with Earneco.com.
You could watch them on your phone while waiting for the bus or during TV ad breaks.
Each time you watch a clip and answer a question you get 10 points — 1,000 points is worth a £5 voucher or a beauty box.
Earn: £180 a year.
Write reviews of films or TV show: Whatculture.com pays around £40 for each review, quiz or article it publishes.
You don’t need any qualifications, but you’ll only be paid if your writing gets published.
Earn: £240 a year.
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Eat out: Research firms pay mystery shoppers to go into stores and restaurants and provide feedback on customer service or food.
Sign up to Marketforce.com or Amberarch.com. You’ll typically be given up to £20 to spend and report back.
Earn: £260 a year.
Get crafty: If you’re handy with a sewing machine or have other crafty hobbies, you could sell your handmade wares on Etsy.
Easy-to-make items include hairbands, baby bibs, candles and beaded jewellery. Get more ideas at bit.ly/3H8DW22.
Earn: £600 a year.
Answer surveys: Completing surveys on sites such as PocketBounty.com, PanelBase.net and Prolific.co, can earn you about £5 an hour.
Surveys take around 15 minutes to complete — just two surveys each day could rack up earnings.
Earn: £900 a year.
Refer a friend: TopCashback, Sky, Virgin and Vodafone offer some of the most generous payments.
Refer a friend to Virgin Media, for example, and you’ll both pocket up to £50 cash.
Earn: £200 a year.
Upcycle old furniture: Pick up furniture and leftover paint that neighbours are giving away on sites such as Nextdoor.com, Freecycle and Freegle.
Repaint drawers and cupboards and sell them on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.
Earn: £600 a year.
Feed a cat: Earn around £12 to £15 an hour looking after cats, feeding rabbits or walking dogs while neighbours are on holiday or at work.
See Pawshake.co.uk, Rover.com and Catinaflat.co.uk.
Earn: £2,350 a year.
Trade in old tech: Sell old phones or tablets on sites like musicmagpie.co.uk, Mazumamobile.com and Envirofone.com.
For example, you can earn around £400 selling an Apple iPhone 12 if it’s in good condition.
Earn: £400 a year
Store boxes: If you have empty space at home advertise it for storage on Storemates.co.uk and Stashbee.com with the location, size of space and price you want.
Some people are renting out just large cupboards and even the space under their beds.
Make £25 to £200 a month depending on your space.
Earn: £1,200 a year
Do jobs for neighbours: You can sign up to do DIY projects for other people on websites such as Taskrabbit.co.uk.
This could be anything from washing their car to building flatpack furniture.
You could make £13 an hour from DIY skills or £18 an hour from gardening.
Earn: £2,350 a year.
Rent out your motor: Hiyacar.co.uk, Turo.com and Karshare.com match you with drivers.
You can earn up to £650 a month, says Hiyacar. But tell your insurer before you sign up.
Earn: £7,800 a year.
Test new products: Fancy trying out the latest airfryer or getting a box of free food?
Some shops and marketing firms pay people to test and review their products.
You might be paid for your time, get to keep the gadget, or earn vouchers or discounts.
Philips and Tesco have panels you can apply to join. Or sign up to Clicksresearch.com or Tryit.co.uk.
Earn: £240 a year.
Max out your loyalty points: Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Boots offer some of the best loyalty schemes.
You’ll get one Tesco Clubcard point worth a penny for every pound spent. Collect 250 points for a £2.50 voucher to spend in store or exchange for three times as much in offers on the Clubcard website.
Other schemes include those for petrol stations like BP and Shell.
Earn: £150 a year
Turn your home into a film set: Advertise it on websites such as Scouty.com, Locationworks.com and Amazingspace.co.uk.
You could make around £500 for one booking, according to Scouty.
Earn: £1,500 a year
Clear out your wardrobe: Flog clothes you don’t wear on an app like Vinted or Depop.
Vinted has more than eight million users and there are no fees for sellers.
Depop found 18 to 35-year-olds who sell their unworn clothes are making an average of £350 per year.
Earn: £350 a year
Enter competitions: Win cash and prizes on sites such as Latestfreestuff.co.uk and Magicfreebiesuk.co.uk.
Check out the Superlucky.me blog and MoneySavingExpert.com’s forums to find more giveaways.
Earn: £100s a year
Rent out your tools: Advertise them on sites such as Fatllama.com. You set the price and the site takes a 15 per cent cut.
The service comes with insurance against theft, loss or damage. Rent out a cordless drill for around £10 a day.
Earn: £360 a year
Run easy errands: Carry out simple tasks while out and about.
Sign up to apps like Shepper, EasyShift and Field Agent to see jobs on offer near you. On Shepper, recent tasks have included checking a petrol station’s promotions were correct for £8.
Earn: £240 a year
Be a TV/film extra: Try casting agencies like Maddog2020casting.com or Phoenixcasting.tv.
They take people of all ages. You can earn around £80 a day.
Earn: £960 a year
TAX WARNING
YOU can make up to £1,000 a year from selling items online or odd jobs like dog-sitting, without having to tell HM Revenue & Customs or pay tax on your earnings.
This also applies to making money from your home, for example by renting out storage space.
Anything above this must be declared and you’ll need to fill out a self-assessment tax return.
The tax you pay depends on your other income.
MoneySavingExpert.com’s income tax calculator can help you do the maths.
