Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash
If you're like me and always looking for new ways to make a bit of extra cash, then you're going to want to read this.
This is how I've made an extra £500 a month, every month for the last 6 months. It's income that I would never have had otherwise had if I hadn't started using these techniques.
There’s nothing in this article telling you to start a blog, become an affiliate marketing wizz, quit your job and become an influencer or anything like that.
Instead, these are realistic ways to earn extra money on the side, they're not a huge time investment and as a consequence, I would never expect to make thousands from these methods. But if you want to learn how to make extra money with a full-time job or an extra 500 a month sounds good to you, then read on!
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How to make an extra £500 a month
Top Cashback
Did you know you can literally earn money back on almost everything you buy? Simply make an account with Top Cashback if you're in the UK or US and start earning on your purchases (alternatives are available in most countries, I used Cashrewards in Australia).
You earn a small percent cashback on purchases made through links to valid merchants on their website.
If I need to buy something, I just login to Top Cashback and check if they have the merchant listed, click through their link and then shop as normal.
For small purchases the amount you’ll earn is small but it all adds up, especially if you’re buying larger items. For example I bought my new phone via one of their links and got £26 cashback. I did almost all my Christmas shopping through their links and made around £30 back in total!
They’re not huge amounts but when you go and check your balance after 6 months and there’s an extra £150 in there, it feels good!
Ebay
I’ve made almost £900 on Ebay in the last 3 months alone!
Ebay is a great way to declutter and make a bit of extra cash on the side.
After coming back from Australia I had a huge clearout and sold a lot of my old clothes on there, but unless you have designer clothes or highly sought after items, the amount you make can be a bit limiting.
So I also look for unused household items, home decor, jewellery or watches, even things like unused fridge water filters, old game consoles, old sports equipment, old tech (£100 for my old phone) and my biggest seller was an old BROKEN oven!
Part of my strategy is to help out family by offering to get rid of things or clear out spaces that they need help with. This unused oven was taking up space and wasn’t useable for my family, so I listed it on Ebay for local collection and made £215!
Facebook Marketplace
Another great alternative from Ebay is listing items for local collection on Facebook Marketplace.
One of my most successful sales on this is firewood. If you or anyone you know has cut down a tree, selling the wood as firewood and kindling is an amazing moneymaker! Just sell a bit cheaper than your local stores that sell bags of wood because yours probably aren’t dried like theirs, list on Facebook for local collection and make £5-10 a bag.
Transcription
I started making around £80-100 per week by signing up to Rev.com which is a transcription service where people, businesses and even large well-known companies sent their audio and video recordings to be transcribed by you.
If you can type fast, listen carefully and be concise, this is an amazing way to earn extra money. Pass the short test when you apply and you’ll have your work checked the first few weeks until you’re completing work regularly.
It really is a great and super easy service to use, perfect if you’re a wizz at typing!
Teach English online
Teaching English online is an amazing option if you’re someone who is naturally outgoing and energetic and enjoy spending time with children. You don’t even need to have teaching experience but you will need a TEFL certification which you can get in less than a day, here’s the TEFL I did.
I teach online with Palfish where you can make $18-25 (£13-18) an hour teaching young Chinese children. If you don’t want to commit to doing 3 hours a week, sign up to just do Free Talk instead, you make less money but people can just call you and chat to practice their English. These are usually older children, teenagers, practicing their English before going to University in Europe or America and I’ve had some really interesting conversations this way.
Teaching English is a great option if you’re looking for how to make extra money in the UK or any other English speaking country.
Sign up to Palfish with my invite code: 72473451.
Sell your skills
Are you a photographer? Do you love to knit? Maybe you have a skill in making homemade cards or cross stitch patterns - anything like this, you can sell!
In February I made £1,500 from selling ONE PHOTO. While this isn’t a monthly occurrence for me by any means, it’s a HUGE bonus of course and if you’re looking for how to make an extra 1000 a month or more, you probably already have a valuable skill you could monetise.
Considering that I take all my photos for fun, for my own Instagram and blog, being able to turn that passion into extra income from a side hustle is great!
Use platforms like Etsy, Creativemarket or Podia to sell your physical or digital products. This might be the perfect opportunity to create your own passive income stream alongside a full time job.
Offer your skills in person
A great option to consider when things open up again if you have a skill like photography, word of mouth is a powerful tool and by spreading the word that you’re offering your photography services, I guarantee someone in your circle will be interested.
You don’t have to be a pro (yet) but this is how you get experience, perhaps offer your services at a friends and family rate until you gain more of a portfolio. If you have a good camera and a passion for photography, you might find this is perfect for you.
Consider some of these for photography ideas:
Engagement shoots
Pregnancy Shoots
Baby Showers
New born photography
Weddings
Family portraiture
Events photography
Product photography
Property photography
And if your skill isn’t photography, could you look to host classes or lessons in person or even on zoom to reach a wider audience on your social media pages with your skill like painting, drawing, knitting or cross stitch. It doesn’t have to be super serious either, I know me and some of my friends would pay for a fun wine and painting class on Zoom!
Host a space on Airbnb
Although I’ve not done this (I’ve looked into it!) A great option for when things open up is letting out a space you own on Airbnb.
And this doesn’t mean your actual home if you’re living in it!
You can sign up to let your home while you’re away for extra cash, if you have an external apartment or loft space or a second home you don’t always live in, you can let that.
I’ve even seen people do up their summer houses in their gardens and let them out as a tiny house experience! Or if they have a big garden and the location is great, let the space out for camping, especially if big events come into town that bring an influx of visitors looking for a place to stay!
Get paid to test websites
Usertesting.com is a website that pays you to test websites for companies and report back on your user experience, this is so companies can optimise the user experience for their future customers or find any faults.
You’re paid $10 for every 20 minute test you complete and more if you agree to participate in interviews to give feedback on your experience.
This is a super easy way to earn extra money on weekends or evenings when you’re chilling at home.
Babysitting
For obvious reasons I’ve not done any babysitting in 2020 or 2021 but prior to that, babysitting was a huge money maker for me.
If you’re someone who has a lot of friends or family with children, consider offering your services to them.
I’d often make £50 a night or even £80 if I was babysitting much over midnight.
If you do this just two nights a month, you’ve easily made an extra £100-150.
Still not inspired? Here’s more ideas for how to make side hustle money
Dog walking
Pet sitting
House sitting
Survey taking
Carboot sales
Uber driver
Ubereats / Deliveroo / Door Dash delivery
Rewards for switching banks (I made £250 in a month my doing this)
Look at rewards for switching energy providers (you might even find you save yourself money)
Look at credit cards that offer rewards like travel points, cashback or bonuses
Freelance on Fivver, Upwork or Freelancer
Make stock photos and list them on Shutterstock, Alamy or Getty Images
Tutoring
Ride share
Sell used gadgets to Music Magpie or We Buy Any Phone
Mow lawns
Cleaning services
Investing and cryptocurrency (if you know what you’re doing!)
Save these ideas for later by pinning them!
Flights: I use Expedia to find great flights and the best deals all over the world, they have regular sales and offers so I always check their website. I also check CheapOair to find cheap deals on round trip flights.
Car Rental: I love the customer service I've always gotten and the variety of options with Rental Cars. But for short notice rentals, I've been using Expedia for the last year, they always seem to have great one-day rates or last-minute rates from the main rental companies.
Accommodation: I prefer the flexibility of booking accommodation with Booking.com so I can cancel or change my reservation without a fee or only pay on arrival for most properties. For longer or more unique stays I prefer AirBnB because you can get the long stay discount, you can also find more unique properties and book experiences with talented locals and businesses. For my budget trips, I always stay in hostels and book through Hostelworld because they have great guarantees if anything does go wrong. If you arrive and your booking is not at the property, they refund the full deposit AND give you $50 extra credit.
Tours and organised trips Although I don’t use tours that often, I do like to book local experiences or day trips once I reach my destination. For that I use GetYourGuide because it has the biggest selection and variety of tour and experience options.
Travel Insurance: I currently use SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. Which allows me to pay a rolling monthly fee to cover my long term travels.
My camera gear and equipment: I use a Canon 77D with an 18-135mm lens or a 50mm lens. And a DJI Mavic Mini Drone. For all my gear including laptops, tripods and more camera accessories read my travel photography gear guide.