Ideal for boosting your income.
Phew. We’d forgotten just how much being ‘allowed out’ costs! After months of lockdowns, restrictions and public spaces being closed, the previous few weeks have certainly taken their toll on our bank balances.
With restaurants and pubs once again open and friends and family permitted to socialise, it feels like the spending hasn’t stopped since the lockdown drawbridge was lowered. If you now find yourself nursing a pretty massive hangover and an empty wallet, fear not; there are some simple ways to get to coffers looking healthy again. With that in mind, here are 5 ways to make some extra money on the side this summer.
SELL STUFF
Almost everyone has a few items that they don’t use that could be enjoyed by someone else. It could be clothes you no longer wear, furniture that no longer suits your style, or it could be a large appliance like a washing machine that you’re getting rid of because you’ve recently upgraded.
As long as your items are in good condition (or in the case of furniture, salvageable), you can most definitely sell them to someone else. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so if you’ve got something that no longer has a place in your home, take photos of it and sell it!
There are a number of websites you can list items on, such as Shopfiy, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or eBay, as well as apps like Vinted and Depop where you can sell your secondhand clothes.
Alternatively, you might choose to post your advert in a local social media group.
When you do sell items and post them out, make sure to get a postage receipt in case something goes awry with the delivery. This provides you with an element of protection, as well as showing your buyer that you’re a reputable seller and have posted their item.
Read: 5 tips for shifting your belongings online
TAKE PART IN SURVEYS
If you have a bit of time to kill in the evenings and want to generate a modest fee, you can do so by taking part in surveys. Market research is vital to brands which means they’re constantly looking for organic and honest feedback, so much so that they’re usually willing to pay for it.
To make money from surveys, simply sign up to a survey site and follow the guidance. Typically, you will be required to do a set amount of surveys. You won’t make enough money to retire, but the more surveys you complete, the more money you’ll make. Alternatively, the companies might gift you discounts and offers for famous brands – every little helps, hey!
SELL PHOTOS
If you’ve taken a good portrait or a location image that you think could do well as a stock photo, then sell it! You can make a neat sum every time your photo is downloaded, and unless you remove your photo, you can continue to make money from it forever more. Some of the best stock photo websites for selling your photography include Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, Alamy and Dreamstime.
RENT OUT YOUR HOUSE
We don’t mean sub-letting here, which might get you into trouble. Nope, we mean renting your house out as a filming location or a photoshoot studio for media projects.
Whether you live in a small basement apartment or a grand stately home, there could well be a demand for your property type in the world of photography and filming. By listing your house as a media project location, you can bring in a tidy amount of money for essentially doing nothing. It will pay more than taking surveys, but you will need to bear in mind that your house needs to be tidy and clean at all times, and that depending on the project type, you might have to deal with some obstruction to your daily life.
If this isn’t a problem for you, list your property online and begin generating a passive income almost instantly!
SWITCH BANK ACCOUNT
Is there a word for that feeling of utter dread prior to checking your bank balance? There should be. Anyway, while we’re on the subject, switching your bank account or opening a second could bring in a little sunshine to an otherwise bleak month. Banks are trying to challenge the notion that customers are way too loyal (see lazy) to ever switch by offering some pretty serious incentives to up sticks. It’s not immediate, with the old switcheroo usually taking 7 days, but the rewards are decent nonetheless.
These are just five ways you can make money from being at home. Will you be trying any?