When you start to feel the pinch and realise your money isn’t going quite as far as you need it to, most people tighten their belts and try to cut their expenses down as much as they can. Unfortunately, this will only ever go so far, and unless you wildly overspend each month, you’re unlikely to cut your budget enough to give you peace of mind. Instead, you need to come up with ways to boost your income, rather than make what you’ve got go further. However, wanting extra money doesn’t necessarily mean that you want more work. If you’re looking to boost your income without working a second job, then here are some ways that you can do this.
- Negotiate Your Pay
Asking for a raise is one of the easiest ways to boost your income, as it doesn’t require you to work any harder or do any more work than you normally would. Of course, asking your boss for a raise can be quite an awkward and tricky conversation, so it’s essential that you do it in a professional manner and are properly prepared. You have to have a good reason for why you deserve it, otherwise, your boss won’t take you very seriously.
- List On Airbnb
If you own your house and happen to have a spare room, why not put up a listing on Airbnb? Your home will need to be clean and tidy, and you might want to put any valuables away, just in case, but other than that, there’s not really much that you need to do. You just need to set your rules and decide when you’re available. This could be anywhere from a single night to several months. If you’re going away on holiday, you could list the entire house for a higher price.
- Flip Second-Hand Stuff
Have you ever been to a garage sale or thrift store and thought to yourself, “You could definitely get more money for that, what are you thinking?” If your answer was yes, then you’re not the only one. In fact, there are people out there that travel the world and make a living by flipping clothes, books, furniture and anything else at a profit. You’ll need a fair amount of knowledge for some items, but for others, it’s obvious that they’re being undervalued and that you could get more cash.
- Start A Blog
Starting a blog and building it up to be a success certainly takes a lot of time and hard work, but if it’s about something you love and are passionate about, then it won’t feel like work at all. As your audience grows, you’ll come across blogger opportunities to make money, such as through affiliate advertising. You might not necessarily make big bucks, but it is possible, and some people even make enough each day to quit work and blog full-time.
- Drive For Uber
If you have a driving license and a few hours spare each week, you could make a decent amount of cash driving for Uber. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, see new places, and earn some extra income without really feeling like you’re working. If you live in a town or smaller city, there may not be very many Uber drivers around, in which case you would get a lot more business than those in big cities might do.
- Change Your Bank
If you’ve had the same bank account your entire life, then it’s highly likely that you’re not getting the best interest you could. Rather than stick with what you’ve got for convenience, research a few different banks and see if any of them offer better interest or other interesting offers and deals. This is an incredibly easy way to earn extra cash and takes very little time in the grand scheme of things.
- Sell Your Art
If you have an artistic hobby, like knitting, painting, sculpting, or even jewellery making, then you should consider sharing this with other people and put some of your work on websites like Etsy and Amazon. This could easily build into a nice little business, with a steady stream of income, and because you’d be making these things anyway just for fun, the only extra work you’d really be doing is taking a few parcels to the post office each week.
- Use Cashback Websites
If you’re an avid online shopper, why not get rewarded for it? There are plenty of apps and websites out there that give you a percentage of what you’ve spent back, which means that you’d be saving on a lot of shopping. This is usually only a small amount of money, but if you do it every time you shop, it will slowly add up, and you could easily earn a couple of hundred pounds every year. All you normally need to do for this is sign up with an email address.
- Flog Your Stuff
If your home is starting to feel a little cramped, it may very well be time for a clear out. If there’s anything you no longer need or use, but is still in pretty good condition, then you should consider selling it on Facebook or eBay. When you do this, you should also go through your purse and see if you’ve got any old gift cards you haven’t used yet; if you weren’t planning to use them, you could sell these too, and get most of the money back for them.
- Consider House-Sitting
If you’re hoping to go on holiday at some point this year, but are worried about not having the cash, then you should look into house-sitting. You could easily earn a fair amount of money each day, just for taking care of someone’s home and pets for them while they’re away on holiday themselves. All you’d need to do is follow the rules the homeowner left for you and be available if and when they need to contact you throughout their time away.
If money’s tight right now, but you don’t fancy picking up any extra shifts or a whole new job, then I hope the tips above can help you out.