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Planning how to save money and considering how much to save are important topics to consider but sometimes on our financial journey we need to make money in a short space of time. Below I have listed 10 ways that you can do this in a fairly short time span. The quickest are at the top. I have not included surveys that will take you hours to complete or anything that feels like a scam or is misleading. I hope that if you find yourself needing extra cash (we’ve all been there), one of these suggestions helps you out.
Make Money Now
1. Sell Unwanted Items
Sell unwanted items on Gumtree or Ebay. My preference is for Gumtree because of its local focus. You are less likely to get ‘tyre kickers’ who are not really interested in buying. I have used Gumtree many times and it’s a great way to declutter your house and earn extra cash at the same time.
2. Sell Unwanted CDs and Books
There is a company called Music Magpie who will buy your CDs, books, games and DVDs. First of all, you scan all of your items using your mobile phone and then receive confirmation of the amount you will receive for each item. Next you pack all of your items and send off to them for free. They pay when they have received your items and processed.
3. User Testing
Some websites will pay you money to review comapny websites and give your feedback in the form of a short video. UserTesting is probably the most well known of these but there are others. Enroll is an example of one of the others.
4. Get Paid to Switch Bank Account
The introduction of the Current Account Switching Service in 2013 has made switching between banks very simple. Over 4 million accounts have been switched since then . Banks are offering incentives for account holders to switch to them. Fed up with how your bank has been treating you? Make a switch; even if you’re not fed up make a switch to pocket up to £150 just by moving your current account.
5. Ad Hoc Gardening Help
This is a great suggestion for Spring and Summertime. Create a flyer offering your services as a garden labourer and post through local letterboxes of homes with gardens that need a little TLC. You will not need to be an expert gardener. Often these will be gardens of those who are either too busy or unable to complete garden maintenance work for some other reason. Most will be appreciative of your flyer and you are likely to earn money for a couple of hours work for every person that agrees.
6. Hire Out Your Car
If you have a car that is not too old and you are not using it all the time, you may be able to hire it out on an hourly or daily rate. Easycar offer this service nationally in the UK ; it enables car owner to earn money from their car by renting it out.
7. Rent out Your Parking Space
If you are a homeowner and you have a parking space that you don’t use you could rent it to motorists looking for a guaranteed place to park. There are lots of companies catering to this niche. You could advertise your space on YourParkingSpace, JustPark or Parklet to name but three and go on to make between £50 and £300 per month.
8. Hire Out Your Spare Room
The Rent a Room scheme was introduced in 1993 and because of it homeowners can earn up to £7,500 a year tax free by getting a lodger. You can register your room for free on Spareroom or Easyroommate. Your room will need to be furnished and you will need a tenancy agreement.
9. Medical Trials
Perhaps the most controversial inclusion on this list. When people think of medical testing they remember horrific cases when things have gone wrong. Most medical tests are nothing like that. Before participating you would need to consult with medical professionals to assess whether you are right for any specific trial. Medical trials that require you to stay on the premises, like the ones organised by FluCamp can earn participants up to £3,500 for a two week trial. There are lots of other companies running similar trials all over the country.
10. Apply for a Job With a High Turnover of Staff
The best example of a job with a high turnover of staff is a nightshift shelf stacker at your local large supermarket. The unsociable hours mean that it is the sort of job that people are often leaving. As a consequence, there is likely to be a vacancy for you. If you can handle the unsociable hours it may help you earn additional cash during your time of need. This link will get you started. I will cover employment opportunities comprehensively in future posts but wanted to mention this opportunity now.
Of course, you will need to assess the tax implications of any additional income that you are able to generate. This article will give you some guidance.
If you have liked this post you will also like the following posts:
How to get Value for Money When Buying Foreign Currency
Save up to £500 Per Year With a Sim Only Mobile Phone Deal
What’s the Best Strategy for Clearing Debts?
What are the Different Types of Savings Accounts?
My aim with each blog post is to help you move to a better financial future. I believe that financial education is largely absent from the national curriculum and I intend to share anything helpful that I have learned along the way. I am by no means a financial expert. None of the information on this website constitutes financial advice and is provided as general information only. This is my personal finance blog; my marketing blog is over here and I have been blogging there since 2010.
I hope you have found this information useful. Thank you for reading.
Best regards,
Mike
