Turn raw talents like playing an instrument, cooking, photography or speaking an
Earning money isn’t limited to between 9 and 5. Here are some ways to generate some cash in your spare time.
Write a blog
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an author, with something half interesting to say, create a blog. Bloggers who start to build a strong following can make money from the page views on their site with programs such Google AdSense. Also, bloggers who display relevant ads provided by Google can earn money per click or view.
Sell your skills
Turn raw talents like playing an instrument, cooking, photography or speaking another language, into a service.
Market yourself to friends and colleagues as someone they can trust. craigslist.com or guru.com are good places to start promoting.
Equipment for hire
If you own rare or expensive machines or equipment not widely used, such as snowblowers or powerwashers, hire them out. If you don’t own one, it could be worth the investment.
Earn to socialise
You can make money by keeping in touch with mates, and making more friends, on social networking site, yuwie.com. Set up a profile, write a blog, upload photos and videos and Yuwie pays you based on the advertising revenue you can yield.
The amount you get depends on the number of times your page is viewed.
Sell your photos
If you are a dab hand with a camera, sell your photos through online agencies over and over again. Send them to several agencies, who will take the ones they like, sell them and earn you a commission. picturenation.co.uk, fotolia.com and iStockphoto.com are good ones to try.
Have a moan
You can benefit from complaining constructively for a poor product or service. Pen a well-crafted, reasonable letter including a request for financial compensation to a company’s CEO explaining the problem. Set out the amount you feel you should receive in compensation. If it is refused, write again and even a third time if necessary. Your persistence should pay off.
Be a textpert
There’s more to gain than a pint in a pub from being a trivia whizz. If you’re quick and accurate enough, you can join a pool of ‘texperts’ who text answers to people’s trivia queries and make £10 an hour on average. Questions vary from, ‘Where’s the nearest pizza place?’ to ‘Who won the 1962 World Cup?’. Refer to Ansanow and Any Question Answered.
Do online surveys
Answer questions about a particular product or company, or about your shopping habits, and earn between 50p and £5. It’s quick money. Watch out for fraudulent surveys. Try panelbase.net, valuedopinions.co.uk and ciao-surveys.co.uk.
Get cashback
Shop around for the best deals on products you need, then see if you can get money back by buying them through cashback sites. Start with sites that give you instant cash just by signing up. See rpoints.com, Cashback Shopper or Quidco.
Sell a product
Buy in bulk and flip your things for profit. Websites such as overstock.com are vehicles where stores that have produced too much of a certain good can sell off the extra for a cheaper amount. Consider buying a large package of plain T-shirts and jazzing them up to flog. Etsy.com allow artists sell their creations online.
