• Make money by de-cluttering
• Make money in front of the TV
• Make money from the computer
• Make money delivering
• Make money with DIY
• Make money throwing a party
• Make money being creative
• Make money cooking

Make money by de-cluttering

If you’re stuck at home – particularly if you’ve got an extra day off from work during the week – you can make the most of it by de-cluttering. Get sorting through cupboards, drawers and shelves, making them tidy, throwing away rubbish and gathering up a good few boxes of things to sell.

Once you’ve collected a good pile of them, use your time to put them on eBay, eBid, Amazon or Greenmetropolis. We’ve got lots of advice on how to sell well on eBay here. It really helps to have some spare time to get good photos done and put the right description in. Knowing all the insider tricks can make all the difference and there certainly are techniques to get more cash for your junk as this article explains. Of course, you might find something suitable to give as a Christmas present – handy if you’re trying to save a bit of cash!

If you don’t want to sell on the internet, store the boxes of stuff and wait until the weather improves to do a car boot sale. See our advice on getting the best results at a car boot sale here. It’s better to wait until February to sell things at car boot sales anyway as many car-booters go to the January sales rather than their local market before then. February is a better time to get a good price for unwanted Christmas presents and your latest throw-outs!

If you don’t want to sell your junk, ring round your friends and suggest a swap shop at your house, combined with a pot-luck party. That way everyone brings a dish for the dinner and they also bring all their unwanted clothes, accessories, make-up, jewellery and even toys and household goods which you all swap. It’s a fun party, you get rid of things you don’t want (take to the charity shop anything left over) and you should come away with a bunch of new (-to-you) items that you got for nothing!

Make money in front of the TV

Yes, it’s really tempting just to put the heating up, grab a blanket and curl up in front of the TV for hours in this weather. So if you’re determined to do that, make some cash while you do it.

Firstly, if you’re a good knitter (and knitting does rather go with this weather) you can make money by knitting to order. We’ve got information here on how to get in touch with designers to do piece-work for them.

If you are really good at making things, either sewn, painted, crocheted or any other form of non-messy craft-work, use this time to make things to sell at car boot sales, online or at your local market. For example, you might be into scrap-booking which is a great thing to do in front of the TV. Or you might be into making perfume and some of that can be done in front of the box.

Make money from your computer

Thank goodness for computers! If you have a computer and access to the internet you can make use of the time wherever you are.

Firstly make some money by doing some online surveys. We’ve got a list of the best online surveys here (there are some dodgy ones you have to avoid). You can make money, and earn points to get gifts, on other new money-making websites as well as we show you here.

Then, have a go at some online competitions. We’ve got the latest online and offline competitions here. Now is also a good time to have a go at those competitions you sometimes get on food packaging. Spend a bit of spare time thinking up slogans to win a car or a washing machine or a nice holiday in the sun. It could be you!

Make money by delivering

You’ll have to get your skates on with this one (apologies for the pun!). If the snow is thick in your neighbourhood and you have a car that’s good for off-road driving then you could offer your services delivering food and supplies in your area.

Get leafleting to your neighbours, ring local shops (the grocery shops and pharmacies would be good for starters) to offer your services doing deliveries. Big supermarkets already have their own service but if you’re in a village or a town with good independent shops they might be pleased of the help. Charge per mile (or kilometre) or per delivery, depending on how you could make the most sales and the most profit.

If you have email addresses for neighbours, including hotels and companies, you could do an email mailshot around everyone you know and get them to send it on. Put it on Twitter if you’re on that and on Facebook.

Make money with DIY

The cold and ice has created a boom-time for plumbers, builders, electricians and anyone handy. Of course there are many things you can only do if you are qualified, such as major electrics and boiler servicing, but just basic DIY skills will cover many other problems around the house. Can you help with clearing guttering, lagging pipes, mending leaks or even basic de-icing on someone’s driveway? You could make money by letting your neighbours and friends know.

Print out some fliers and post them through local letterboxes. Also put email or Tweet everyone you know locally.

Make money throwing a party

Not a normal party, of course, but a product party. This involves getting some friends over to your house (if they can get there!) and trying out a company’s products before deciding whether you want to buy them or not. Brands like The Body Shop and VIE at home offer you the chance to host a product party – and you often get freebies (like a complimentary facial or makeover) thrown in! Find out how to host one here.

Make money through your creative side

Start a blog

If there’s a subject that really gets you going – or something that you can write passionately or amusingly about – there’s every chance someone else will want to read what you have to say.

Why not set up your own blog, as a sort of online diary, and make money by allowing advertising on it?

Use a free service like WordPress or Blogger, both of which help you set up your blog quickly and easily. And once you’re set up, there’s an opportunity to make money by including advertising and affiliate deals on the site.

Sign up to a service like Google Adsense which uses search technology to target your site with relevant advertising.

It’s not likely to be a big earner, but it could be a really fun way to make a little extra cash on the side. What’s more, if your blog gets enough readers, you may get freebies from companies (for example if you blog about something like technology or music, businesses may send you their products or latest recordings in the hope that you review them!)

Sell your snaps

If you’re good at taking photos, you could try selling them on the net. We’ve got all the information on selling your photos here.

If you have a library of digital photos you may be able to sell them through an online agency like Fotolia and Getty Images. You get a royalty fee each time a picture of yours sells. We particularly like the British site Picture Nation. It pays decent money for images and has a good community feel to it.

You don’t have to be the next David Bailey with a portfolio of spectacular shots. Many news agencies buy pictures through agencies like Picture Nation, and they simply want photos of everyday events that are well taken and in focus! It’s worth having a browse through the sites to get an idea of what sells. You could be surprised!

Make money cooking

If you’re stuck inside huddled against the cold, what better way to use your time (and keep warm!) than by doing a little cooking? If you’re a dab hand in the kitchen, you could rustle up some treats like cakes, jams and sweets and sell them on the side for a tidy profit. Our article on selling cakes and jams at markets has plenty of tips on how to go about making and selling your goodies.

Useful links

• Picture Nation
• The Body Shop
• eBay
• eBid
• Amazon

• What TEFL courses are available?
• Can an internet course teach me the skills needed?
• How much can I make?

Teaching English abroad is a popular option for twenty somethings fresh out of university but also for retired people, wanting a bit of sun and a more relaxed pace of life.

What TEFL courses are available?

TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language), or often TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages), EFL or ELT are the industry jargon used for talking about this type of English language teaching.  TEFL should refer to teaching abroad and TESOL to teaching English to people already living in an English-speaking country (for example, the UK).  In practice they are used interchangeably.

Most language schools require a teacher to hold one of two recognised language teaching qualifications:

• CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) run by Cambridge University.
• The Trinity CertTESOL qualification run by Trinity College London.

Both courses are run in numerous locations in the UK and Europe, typically in universities, but also colleges and private language schools. You’re looking at the best part of £1,000 as a minimum to complete the course, but this could be as much as £1500. Universities tend to charge more than local colleges. Generally a full-time course will last from 4-6 weeks. Many insituations also offer the option to do the course part time: mainly during evenings and over weekends.

Will any TEFL course do?

It’s important to recognise that employers aren’t just looking for any old TEFL qualification. When prospective employers ask, ‘have you got a TEFL certificate?’ what they are usually referring to is the Trinity Certificate TESOL, the Cambridge CELTA or a certificate gained from doing a course of equivalent length and value as these two (4-6 weeks on average). It’s important to choose a course with practical teaching practice as future employers will want to know you have been observed in the classroom and have shown you can stand up in front of a class.

How do you get on the course?

As part of the application process for many of these courses, you will probably be required to attend an interview and complete a language/grammar awareness test. Cactus TEFL has a great guide detailing the entire process and what to expect.

Other language franchises (such as i-to-i) do their own training, typically in a foreign country. This can work out cheaper, but you are then tied into working at their schools and you come away with an unrecognised qualification. The training is often limited to just a few days, so this option is better suited to a ‘holiday job’.

It’s worth shopping around as you might find it more enjoyable to learn abroad. It could also end up being much cheaper as well, especially if the pound is performing well against the local currency. Some schools, for example International House, offer a CELTA or TESOL course and then the possibility of a job with them (although this is not guaranteed). You may find it easier to get a job in a specific city if you complete your training with a local school.

Another option is TEFL England, they run both local and online courses at very reasonable prices. A 130 hour course costs only £399 and, best of all, they offer a free job placement service for all students. Until January 31 they are offering 20% off all courses.

Try a free option

You can even try an online TEFL trial course for nothing – a great way of discovering whether their course is for you.

Find the best value course

If you want to compare your options across schools then check out Cactus TEFL, an advice and admissions centre with a range of partner schools to choose from. Another popular website is tefl.com: you can upload a CV for employers to look at and browse a wide selection of jobs both at home and abroad.

A word of warning: any four week course will be very intensive. Cactus TEFL say that anyone applying should expect something like a 9am – 5/6pm day, plus 3-4 hours of self study together with lesson planning in the evenings and work at the weekends. It’s impossible to do while working so you’ll need to clear your diary for a month if you want to enrol.

Although CELTA/CertTESOL courses are generally regarded as the best option, there are still employment options open to you if you decide not to undertake either of these. The British Council recognises qualifications which meet certain criteria: they are externally validated, contain at least six hours of assessed teaching and involve at least 100 hours of input.

However, you could still lose out to CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL trained teachers in areas where competition for jobs is very high, or where there is an overriding preference for the Cambridge/Trinity College qualifications.

Can an online only course teach me the skills required?

An online course could be all right for one-to-one or when working in a supportive environment, but would not prepare you enough for the typical classroom. Knowledge of the language is secondary to knowing ‘how’ to teach: many employers won’t consider your application if you’ve had no face-to-face teaching time.

If you do decide to go down the online route then there are certainly some useful books on teaching techniques you will want to read. It’s also worth brushing up on basic grammar (especially the names of different tenses which even the most basic student will want to ask you about).

It’s useful to look at some course books (which come with supportive teacher’s notes) just to see what areas of the language are typically problems for students. Headway produce a range of great study guides for students, which are worth checking out.

How much can you make?

The starting salary for a newly-qualifiedteacher is usually £10 an hour and rises with experience. Diploma qualified teachers will be paid significantly more. However, you need a minimum of two years teaching experience to be accepted onto a DipTESOL postgraduate course.  The DELTA’s entry requirements are more flexible.

Lots of teachers supplement their income by teaching privately, one-to-one. It’s possible to make it into a career, but there is constant pressure to find new students as it is unusual for a student to hang around for longer than a few months. Teachers have to be careful as they are usually contractually prevented from ‘poaching’ students from their school.

If you do work as a private tutor you can start by charging about £20 an hour, though £30+ would be reasonable for an experienced teacher. You can also charge for proof-reading essays. Try advertising in universities and local colleges to get the work.

A personal view: is TEFL for you?

Rebecca Selley, an English graduate from Devon, shares her experiences here:

“I started teaching straight after university. I decided to do a CELTA course as I was already planning to go travelling and thought it would be a good way to fund my way around.

“The course was surprisingly tough – preparations for a 10 minute teaching slot seemed to take us a good 2 nights. The idea of teaching 5 or 6 hours a day was incomprehensible. Some people transformed into natural teachers as soon as they took the board pen in their hand while, for others, the whole experience put them off teaching forever. I managed to scrape through it in one piece!

“Unfortunately all of the decent schools abroad wanted some experience so I applied to a a school in London on a fairly low wage but eventually managed, with the help of some private lessons, to save enough to go away. I was offered work in Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia but the prospect of having to hang up my backpack for less than £5 an hour was not tempting and I have yet to work abroad.

“When I got back I was lucky enough to find an employer who was happy to pay the course fees for me to do a DELTA course at university. This lead to me getting a well-paid job at a friendly and supportive school.

“This year is my 5th in the industry, and although I have decided to move on elsewhere, I think it has had an enormous impact on my life and has given me the opportunity to meet countless memorable characters. Just today in my class was a Thai grandmother, the daughter of a famous Saudi actor and a Japanese footballer.  It’s the closest experience you can get to travelling without a passport.”

Useful links

• TEFL England
• CELTA
• TEFL.com
• i-to-i volunteering
• British Council
• Cactus TEFL
• CertTESOL

People have different ideas of what is and isn’t fun, but we’re just trying to encourage you to combine the things you enjoy with making money, and then it won’t seem like work at all.

The important things you must consider are, firstly – what do you enjoy? There’s no point spending your spare time on something boring. Secondly – what are you good at? You need to make sure your skills are up to scratch if you’re going to try and make money from them.

• Make money with a fun job
• Make money with a fun hobby
• Make money hosting a fun event
• Don’t forget the tax man

Make money with a fun job

There are plenty of fun jobs you can do around your working hours, and if you’re really good you could even make a full-time job out of it! They could mean taking a step up on a hobby you already have, or trying something new.

• Stand-up comedian

If you’re witty and know how to deliver a punch-line, then trying stand-up comedy could be a great, fun option for you. There are comedy courses around to get you started from the likes of Comedy School UK, City Lit, AboutComedy, but the real key to success is practice and good material.

Keep an eye out for open mic nights, where anyone can perform and test out material. Big cities tend to have a few venues – check Time Out and Gumtree for listings.

Once you feel you’re at a stage to get paid work, have a look at Mirth Control and Jongleurs to see if they’ll give you a paid gig.

• Singer

Do you think you have the X-Factor? Or at least a decent voice? People will pay to listen to someone with talent.

If the reality TV music talent show appeals to you, one option is to join Beonscreen.com which is free for a basic membership, and you’ll be sent the latest reality television vacancies.

Sending demos to record companies may be a long shot but you have nothing to lose. Upload videos of yourself to YouTube, and get yourself a MySpace/Soundcloud/Bandcamp account (or all three) so that people can listen to you. Get in touch with student and local radio stations, and send your stuff to music bloggers asking for a review.

Gain some practical experience by singing wherever and whenever you get the chance – even if it does annoy your mates. Karaoke bars are good fun and can help you to get over your nerves. Start busking in the street; you’ll be surprised how much money you could make. Read our full article on busking for all the tips you need, plus a very helpful guide to the rules and regulations surrounding busking.

Also keep a lookout for open mic nights, Vocalist.org.uk has listing for open mic nights around the UK. It’s also great experience to perform at events like weddings and parties.

• TV or film extra

Rub shoulders with the rich and famous as an extra. You don’t have to be a Shakespearean actor; you’re there to blend in with the scenery and make the set look more realistic. There are lots of agencies out there. Go to Ukscreen.com for a list of UK agencies.

Find out whether there are any TV or film projects coming up near you by checking local papers, and keep an eye out for any film festivals coming up. It’s also a good idea to visit your local university’s film department for any student film makers who need extras.

Work may be inconsistent, but the rates are good. For example, the BBC day rates are £83.80 per day for supporting artists (and £12.80 per hour of overtime) and £103.60 per day for walk-on artists (and £15.80 per hour of overtime) – who may speak a few words or take individual direction. Check on the Equity website for a full listing of industry rates, and get some more tips from our article.

If you don’t want to be on screen yourself, you could rent your house to a film or TV crew, and get paid for it. See our article about renting your home as a film set.

• Children’s entertainer

Clearly this is not for you if you don’t like children and aren’t willing to make a fool of yourself, but it can be a great money-maker and a really enjoyable way to make a living, or at least some cash on the side.

Practice your routine on any young relatives or friends’ children and see what makes them laugh. Use any skills you might have; magic tricks, juggling, making balloon animals, singing, using puppets – you know the drill. But it is important to plan your routine properly – children won’t want to be kept waiting, and if you’re hesitant they will quickly lose interest.

You’ll also need to get a CRB check – see our article on how to do this. You will also need public liability insurance - this covers you if you accidentally damage property, or a child falls and injures themselves during your performance.

You may choose to start off by signing with an agency such as ARC Entertainments. Yell.com is also a useful way to advertise – and relatively cheap at around £20 per year. There are some internet directories such as Childrenspartyshows.co.uk and Kids-party.com that could be worth using, but word of mouth is likely to be the best way to advertise yourself as an entertainer.

• Club promoter

Getting paid to party might sound too good to be true, but clubs want to get as many people through the door as possible – and that’s where you come in. You’ll get paid commission on how many people you get on guestlist etc, which can include your friends, and will then be expected to attend the club night yourself.

For more information see our article.

• Dog walker

This is only fun if you like dogs. And walking. At the same time. Busy people with pooches sometimes don’t have time to walk them – if you do, then get them to pay you for it. You can be one of those people with hoards of dogs surrounding them, spending time withman’s best friend, whilst getting some exercise!

Read our article on making money being a dog walker.

• Teacher/tutor/instructor

If there is a subject or activity that you enjoy and have a lot of knowledge about – you can make money by imparting your wisdom to others. Be it literature, kick boxing, or playing the drums, there will be someone who would love to know more about it. You can do it as often as you like, and fit it around your other commitments.

For more information on being a private tutor, see our article.

• Life model

Posing naked for artists is understandably not everyone’s idea of a good time, but if you’re body confident then it’s a really easy way to make some money, and pay rates are usually quite high. There is the issue that you could be in a pose for several hours, which could become both uncomfortable and boring. But you never know, you might find it to be a really fun, liberating experience!

Have a look at our article on making money as a life model.

Make money with a fun hobby

There is obviously something about your hobby that you find interesting, and it is likely that other people will too, so why not share it with them?

• Get crafty

Be it making your own jewellery, knitting, sewing, carpentry, pottery – put your skills to good use and sell your creations! Car boot sales, fetes, and craft fayres are good places to go – local schools and churches often have events throughout the year.

Amazon have a great collection of cheap craft books for inspiration, and we have an article all about how to make money from making, teaching and selling knitting.

• Blogging

If you’re a keen writer and have a particular subject you’d like to document, or perhaps you would like to take on a new challenge and, say, find one interesting or surprising thing every day and then write about it. Very simple ideas can catch on, and once you have a captive audience of readers and are getting high numbers of hits, it’s possible to get advertising affiliates to display on your blog – and that means you can get some money!

It’s a slow process, and one that has to be a labour of love, but you never know who might be reading.

WordPress and Blogger are both very easy to use for anyone blogging for the first time. See our article on how to set up a blog and keep it going.

• Photography

Not everyone has the skills to be a full-time professional photographer, as they’re likely to have been on specialist courses and invested in some expensive technical equipment, but if you’ve got a good eye for a photo there is money to be made.

You could be paid to photograph events like weddings and parties if you keep your prices competitive, and there is a huge market for selling your photos online as stock photos. Websites, magazine and newspapers often go to stock photos to illustrate their posts, and the range they need is huge. Sites like Fotolia, 123RF and iStockphoto are all good places to start.

Check our tips on how to make money from your photographs.

• Baking

Home cooking – especially baking cakes and cupcakes – is very fashionable right now, thanks to the likes of celebrity chefs and cooking competition programmes like the Great British Bake Off . People will pay good money for high quality baking – you can sell your food at parties, fayres, and perhaps even at local food markets. If you invest in some extra decorations, like edible glitter for instance, it’s likely people will be willing to pay more.

We have an article on making cakes, jams and sweets that you might like to read.

• Playing video games

Do you know Lara Croft better than your own family? You don’t have to answer yes to that for this to apply, but if you are pretty serious about gaming, then attending gaming tournaments and festivals, and testing new games are great ways to make money out of something you love. The top gamers can earn a lot of money, but there is still cash available to those lower down the leaderboard too.

Check out Gathering of Gamers and this handy blog post from Bet From Anywhere, which rounds up a collection of sites that host tournaments.

• Gardening

For anyone who is green fingered, and whose flowers, fruit and vegetables are the envy of the neighbours, you could always sell your wares to those who aren’t quite so in touch with nature. If there is anywhere nearby selling local produce, or a local market you could pitch a stall at, you could make a lot of money from your hobby.

We have some further tips on growing your own fruit and veg.

• Shopping

Get paid to go shopping? What? That only happens when you’re Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, right? Nope. There are actually a few ways to get paid whilst going shopping.

1. Become a mystery shopper. While you browse you must assess the shop’s performance, from displays to staff, and get paid for your efforts. See our article for more information.
2. Become a personal shopper/ concierge. There are those who don’t have time to shop for things, but are able to pay someone else to do it – this could be you!
3. Use online cashback sites. If you’re buying something online, all you have to do is go through a cashback site like Cashback Shopper and then go on to buy the product as normal. Afterwards, you will receive a sum of money (amounts vary), giving you a great discount on whatever you bought. Only use these sites if you were going to buy the product anyway, though.

Listening to music

Keeping up with the latest music can be a challenge due to the sheer amount of material out there, so how about being sent free singles and albums – and gig tickets, if you’re lucky – and being paid to share your opinion on them? Pretty sweet deal. And you can register to be a music scout and back any promising new bands you come across, all through website Slicethepie.

Read our article making money listening to music.

Make money by hosting a fun event

If you’re a sociable type and enjoy organising and having friends round, there are ways to use your social circles to make some extra cash, and all have fun at the same time.

• Hosting product parties

You can work as a consultant for a company and get paid commission on any products you sell – The Body Shop and Ann Summers are two of the most common for girly gatherings, or you could always make your own products and sell them instead.

The opportunity to get together, and try things out in the comfort of someone’s living room is much more fun than under the watchful eyes of sales assistants and fellow shoppers. Getting a combination of good products and not being too pushy about making people buy them should make you some good money.

See the Moneymagpie article devoted to making quick cash from product parties.

• Swap party

Got stuff you don’t want but think someone else might? You could hold a swap party, which is essentially a jumble sale but instead of trading in your stuff for money, you trade it in for someone else’s stuff! You can ask family and friends to bring the stuff they don’t want, or perhaps go even bigger and use a community hall for anyone in the area to come along to. This way, your unused things find a new home, and you get something new without paying a penny!

Alternatively, you can swap your unwanted stuff online through sites like SnaffleUp and Freecycle.

• Supper club

If you love to cook and host dinner parties for other people, there is a way of making money out of your talent. Supper clubs are becoming increasingly popular as they are a more personal, and cheaper, alternative to going out to a restaurant.

The food is cooked and served in your house for however many people attend, or can fit around your table! They pay you a ‘donation’ based on how much they feel the food is worth – so if you keep your own costs low, by perhaps going to local markets, you could make a nice profit. If you’re a good cook and people are in your home, it would take a very hard person not to give you a few pounds.

We have a post on supper clubs, where you can find out tips and information on the legal restrictions.

• Party/film screening

If you’re likely to have nightmares about spilled drinks and empty bottles littering your house, then this might not be the best idea for you, but inviting people you know round for a party or film screening could be a good earner for you and give your friends a good time.

It’s worth investing a little in lights and music if you opt for a party. For ideas, check out Cybermarket where party lighting is available at just £11.99. PartyBox also has decorations and accessories for pretty much any party theme you can think of!

If you go for a film screening, go for some cheap popcorn, and maybe even a projector. If you’ve got something a bit special it gives you a reason to charge a couple of pounds for entry – this could just be the latest film to be released on DVD that you’ve rented for a couple of pounds from Blockbuster.

If you have quite a few people attending you can make your money back in no time, with a little extra. It’s a great deal for your guests too, as they will be making massive savings on going to a club or the cinema, and you can all have a laugh in the process.

Don’t forget the tax man

If your new hobby/job/event is regularly adding to your income, you should declare it to HMRC as they need to know about all of your earnings to properly calculate your tax. You definitely don’t want to be caught out for tax evasion!

We have all the facts you need to know about what to do when you earn extra money.

Useful Links

• Cashback Shopper
• PartyBox
• Amazon
•  WordPress
• Slicethepie
• HM Revenue & Customs
•  City Lit
•  Freecycle

If you can’t get to Alabama, no fear, the British version of lost luggage auctions is also the place to bag a good bargain, and even sell it on at a profit.

• What can I get?
• Where are the auctions held?
• How much can I save?

When British Airways has a surplus of unclaimed baggage in storage, it sells the cases at auction. All that you need to do is head down to the auction house and bid on what you think you can sell on via eBay for more than what you paid.

Not a difficult task when you can get items worth more than £500 for £50. Sell them on for at least £200 and make a profit of three times what you originally spent. Or you can be greedy and see if they’ll sell for £450 or more!

The thing is, there are plenty of bargains up for grabs, and it can be fun – many people describe it as being like a treasure hunt. But buying the suitcases is hit and miss – you don’t know what you will end up with.

Step 1: The auction house

London’s lost luggage hotspot is Greasbys in Tooting, south west London. It’s here that British Airways (one of the world’s biggest baggage losers) sells its lost luggage.

Auctions take place every Tuesday at 10.30am. Viewing is held on the Monday between 2.30pm and 6.30pm, giving you a chance to suss out which bags you want to buy (although you only get to see the outside of it so you can only guess at the contents).

There is no national directory of airport auctioneers, but if there were, Wellers Auctions in Guildford would certainly appear, taking the lost and lonely bags from Gatwick. Bristol Commercial Valuers & Auctioneers (BCVA) in Bristol would also feature, as would Hertfordshire Auctions, who contend with Luton’s unwanted baggage.

As most of the above auction houses don’t have allotted airport auctions, it’s probably best to check with their website as to the next scheduled date for baggage bounty. Or you could sign up to their mailing list, which will let you know when they’re going to happen.

Step 2: Evaluate

On the Monday night, after viewing the auction collection, go home and think about the prices of likely individual items to see how much of a profit you can make up to a certain bid. It’s hard to tell when cases are sold closed, but the posher the case, the more likely it is to contain beautiful booty.

A good way to get an idea of how much cases will sell for is to search for similar items that are already listed on eBay. You can also check out the recommended retail price of the cases by looking on the net. Once you know how much the case itself is worth, you can set your bidding limit. The only gamble is on how much over the worth of the case you’re willing to bid. If the case contains lots of goodies then it could be worth exceeding your limit. But it could be full of junk.

Step 3: Valuable items or cases?

Given that in 2006 BA auctioned off 730 lost laptops and 1,460 mobiles, and that number has risen drastically since the Terminal 5 fiasco at Heathrow. There are plenty of luxury goodies to be bought on the cheap. There will also be very desirable clothes (according to your tastes!)

There are two paths you can take at the auction. The auctioneers take very valuable items out of the suitcases first and sell them separately. This includes stuff like electronic items, shoes, jewellery and toiletries. Of course you can bid on these and then sell them, ideally for more, elsewhere.

Alternatively, you can bid for suitcases and hope there are some good clothes, shoes, books etc. in them that you could flog. This is a bit of a lottery. Auctioneers only give the vaguest details about what is in each suitcase so you won’t know exactly what you are buying.

The auctioneers do tell you whether the clothes are clean or not though. It’s up to you, if you’re happy dealing with someone else’s nasty knickers. Of course you can also sell the suitcase and make some cash on that too.

Step 4: Bag a bargain and sell it on

Once you’ve successfully bid and paid for your bargains, take them home and begin your online selling. Take some photos, write a good advertisement and then post it on eBay and wait for the bidding to begin.

How much can I save?

Lots. The valuable items sell very cheaply – a £500 snowboard recently sold for £75 so you could either keep it for yourself or sell it on for more. The suitcases sell from around £5 to £50. Even if the case is just full of clothes you should be able to sell it all for more than the price you paid for it.

Useful links

• Greasbys
• eBay
• Wellers Auctions
• BCVA
• Hertfordshire Auctions

It doesn’t work for everyone but for some it’s quite possible to use a difficult or unusual life experience to make some well-deserved cash. Here are a few ways to profit from problems.

• Sell your real-life story for cash.
• Create a blog to share your experiences.
• Write and market a novel or self-help book.

Sell your real-life story for cash

Almost every newspaper or magazine you pick up will feature at least one real-life story – often a tragic or absurd one. Magazines and newspapers are driven by the ‘human interest’ angle and if you have an experience to share that other people will want to read, there is every chance that you can sell your story.

Whether your life experience is outrageous, inspiring, tragic, or even comic, you may have something to offer. It could be your husband’s affair, bankruptcy, a heart-warming reunion, an illness or even a dodgy bikini wax.

Step 1: Know what to expect.

Before you even think about picking up the phone to sell your story, make sure that you are completely happy about having your story, and possibly your life, in the public domain. Remember that your friends and family are likely to read or hear about your story so you need to be sure that you can cope with the possibility of negative reactions.

Be sure about the exact details that you are willing to have disclose but bear in mind that the more details you decide to conceal the less money you are likely to be offered and it may hamper your ability to sell the story. Be prepared to provide photographs as more often than not this will not only pay more but it could actually be the clincher when a publication is deciding whether to buy your story. Most will want to do their own photos but it will help to have some of your own to offer.

It may be worthwhile getting legal advice or representation depending on the sensitivity of the story. It could also be necessary to keep a record of all conversations with potential buyers. You are very likely to be asked to provide proof to validate your story so keep relevant photographs or documents safe.

Step 2: Research.

Here are some things to consider when deciding who to approach:

• What kind of story do you have to tell?
• What kind of people will want to read your story?
• What kind of stories feature in magazines?
• What kind of stories feature in newspapers?

Look at different magazines and see the type of real-life stories they use to get an idea of where you might be able to sell your story. A good place to start is the adverts in the magazine because the kind of products they feature will give you an idea of its readership. Magazines want their articles to reflect their readership and are usually targeted towards a particular age group, which will usually affect the kind of stories they feature.

Magazines like Sugar or Bliss for example have a teenage readership so if your story is relevant to younger readers, perhaps about a family feud or being bullied, then it could be worthwhile going to a teen magazine first. Whereas a medical horror story, or amazing weight loss story, for example, may be more easily sold to magazines such as Take A Break, Chat, and Woman’s Own, which have an older readership age range. Equally, a more upmarket magazine like Marie Claire may feature completely different kinds of stories, such as how you were kidnapped by Peruvian guerillas and left for dead.

If your story touches upon contemporary issues and has widespread appeal, perhaps a failed operation or how you had to sell the family home to pay off debts, it may be more appropriate for a newspaper feature article. Think about the kind of real-life stories you have read in the press and again have a good look at a variety of newspapers to see which ones are more likely to want a story like yours.

Step 3: Call around.

Some national newspapers like The Sun and The Mirror have phone numbers and email addresses set up specifically for people selling their real-life stories. Equally some magazines like Take A Break have a separate section on their website to help you sell them your story. For those that don’t, simply call the switchboard of your chosen paper or magazine and ask to be put through to the features desk. For an alphabetical list of all the newspapers and magazines in the UK along with contact details go to the Mediauk website.

Step 4: Get help.

Consider using a press agency to sell your story for you. A press agency will often have the best contacts to sell your story and although they will take a percentage of your fee you may actually end up getting more money because they will have the contacts, and knowledge to make sure it is not undersold.

If you think your story will be highly sought-after it may be worthwhile using an agent or public relations company like Max Clifford Associates. These agents have the expertise to sell it for the highest price by creating a bidding war and they will also help you organise any legal contracts. They may even be able to help you get paid work on TV documentaries and chat shows.

Here are three of the main press agencies:

• www.nationalstory.co.uk
• www.cash4yourstory.co.uk
• www.featureworld.co.uk

How much can you earn?

According to one national tabloid feature writer, the amount of money a newspaper will give for a story is unpredictable and prices can vary widely from £200 to £2,000, or even more for an exceptional story. One of our readers got £2,200 for her story. Magazines may pay you less but they also feature more real-life stories than most newspapers so may be more willing to buy your story. Take A Break, for example, says you could earn up to £1,000 by sending them a story.

Newspapers are often bombarded with real-life stories and the decision to buy one will often depend on the nature of other stories in the paper, how many other people have contacted them with similar stories, and whether your story has an interesting angle. Generally the more facts and photographs you can provide, the more money a paper is likely to offer you.
You are likely to get more money from one of the tabloids but be aware that there is probably a greater risk that they will present your story in a way that you’re not necessarily comfortable with.

Once a paper has agreed to buy your story they may ask you to sign an exclusive deal, forbidding you from selling your story to another publication. However, if the story is good enough you may be able to sign a joint contract allowing you to sell your story to both a newspaper and a magazine. This is where it can be useful either to work through an agency or to get legal advice.

Set up your own blog

Anyone can set up a blog (short for ‘web log’ – a kind of online diary). It’s free, takes very little time to set up and is controlled completely by you. There are millions of blogs on the web, many of which make no money at all for their writers, but others make some pocket money for them each month. A few even make a full-time living wage.

What you can do (right now if you feel like it) is to set up a blog and use it as an online journal about your experience. You may find it therapeutic on its own, but keep in mind that it can also be a way to earn some extra cash.

Step 1: Set up your blog.

All you need to start blogging is a blog address and something to say. Don’t worry if you’re a first-time blogger: setting one up is quick, easy and free. There are a few free blog hosting services which provide a template, web address and rich text editors so you’ll be up and running in no time. One of the easiest services is Blogger which requires no technical expertise at all and provides simple steps to help you create your blog.

What you write in your blog is entirely up to you. Perhaps you have just been made bankrupt and you are about to lose your house. Writing about the day-to-day reality of it can be helpful to you and to others who are going through the same thing or think they may be facing it soon. Or perhaps you have a child with severe emotional and behavioural problems. Again it can be fascinating and helpful for others to read about what you are going through. If you have been through problems and have come out the other side your insight and hard-earned wisdom could be a life-saver to others.

If you’re interested in getting other people to read your blog (not everyone is) then make sure you let your friends know about it and get them to tell their friends too. You can also publish it on blog directories such as Technorati so that people who are interested in reading blogs generally can find it. The more people who read your blog, the more are likely to click on the ads and make you some money (see below).

Step 2: Make some money.

Once you have set up your blog, sign up to a service like Google Adsense or Yahoo! Publisher Network, which use search technology to target your site with relevant advertising. The way it works is that any time someone comes to your blog and clicks one or more of the ads you get a share of the ad revenue. The amount you can make very much depends on how much ‘traffic’ you are getting on your blog and how keen people are to click on the ads. Quite often the more informative your site is the more people will click on relevant ads. These ads are unlikely to make you rich – you have to have a lot of clicks before you can make anything like sensible money, but they’re a start and they don’t cost you anything to be there.

There’s nothing to stop you selling things off your blog too. Ramit Sethi who writes a blog called Iwillteachyoutoberich.com sells his own services as a speaker off his blog (and a very good blog it is too we think). Another blog called Chromasia.com sells great photos, and that’s pretty much it, but the owner makes a living from it.

There are various things you could sell or advertise on your blog. For example, you could set up a premium-rate helpline for other people to call if they have problems that you could help with thanks to your experiences.

If you run this as a business you could set up an occasional newsletter that your readers would subscribe to. We like the price and service offered by Aweber which is the company we use to send our weekly newsletter (join here for free!).

Step 3: Think outside the box.

Use your blog to establish yourself as an expert. If you have struggled with something like bankruptcy or the illness of a relative and fought your way through it then you can use your expertise to help people and make money.

Set up a helpline or create a newsletter which people can subscribe to. You could even set yourself up as a speaker for corporate events on a particular subject or use your blog to sell your own products.

Your blog could open up other doors. If it strikes a chord, and has something unique to offer, publications may approach you to sell them your story: even the offer of a book deal isn’t out of the question. After all, your writing is there for all to see. If it’s good and you clearly have something to say it could be snapped up.

Write your own self-help book

Yeah, sure “write a book” we say, like it’s easy. All right, we know that getting a book deal is an incredibly difficult thing – something most just dream of. But it’s not out of the question, particularly if you have been through an exceptional experience or you’re just a very engaging writer. Don’t rule it out. Whether you write a self-help book using your own story as your starting point, or a novel inspired and based on your own experience, you might be able to use your situation to gain financially. Even if it never gets published, at least you have had the experience of getting things down on paper and further out of your system. You could even use it as the substance of a blog.

If you would like to take the plunge, here are the steps you need to take.

Step 1: Be inspired.

You have your real life experiences to draw upon and that first-hand knowledge will give your book authority. The guidance you might be able to provide to others in a similar situation could be invaluable.

Take encouragement from author Alexis Hall who amassed more than £30,000 of debt and used that crisis to get her diary In The Red, The Diary of a Recovering Shopaholic published in January this year. Her book follows a year in her life trying to fix her money problems and transform her life.

“I’d reached rock bottom,” says Alexis, “and I knew that I needed to take serious action to get myself out of a hole. I found that writing a diary helped me to realise how reckless I’d been and forced me to have a long hard look at my spending.” Alexis began writing the diary with no thoughts of getting published but a few months into the diary she showed it to some friends who urged her to send it to several publishers. Eventually Icon Books got in touch and she got her book deal.

“On one occasion I went to a bank and asked for £200 worth of £5 notes, and forced myself to leave my plastic cards at home and take only £5 to spend each day and find cheaper ways to eat and travel,” she says. “Writing about such occasions automatically put me in the frame of mind of saving and helped me to focus on the little things I could do to get out of debt.”

Alexis wrote about a subject very close to her heart and her publishers realised that it would strike a chord with readers and provide witty, upbeat advice for others struggling with debt. We aren’t saying that getting published is easy and obviously there is a great deal of luck involved but you’ll never know unless you try.

Step 2: Get published.

Write a synopsis of your story, ideally with a couple of sample chapters to show your writing style. See Amazon and other sites to check out the competition. If there are already lots of books similar to the one you want to write you may need to alter your idea and try to find a unique angle that will help you get it published.

Think about the direction you would want the book to take and who it will appeal to then find a literary agent who can approach the publishing houses on your behalf. Most agents specialise in a particular area like non-fiction or children’s fiction so make sure that you find one suitable for your book. Send your synopsis, a CV and a covering letter outlining who you think your book will appeal to, how you think the book should be marketed and why they should help you to get published, to all the agents you think would be good for your book.For a list of literary agents in the UK check out the Writers and Artists Yearbook.

Step 3: Be persistent.

Expect rejection but don’t give up, you have nothing to lose by trying again and again to get your work published. Not getting a publishing deal isn’t necessarily the end of the road. You could always write an ebook, an electronic book which is read digitally on a computer. It should cost little to set up and could even be sold on your blog site.

Useful contacts

• www.nationalstory.co.uk
• www.cash4yourstory.co.uk
• www.featureworld.co.uk
• MediaUK
• Aweber
• Pro Blogger
• www.ezau.com
• www.ebooks.com
• In The Red, The Diary of a Recovering Shopaholic
• Amazon
• Writers and Artists Yearbook

• Get paid to housesit
• Become a mystery shopper
• Earn £80 an hour tutoring
• Make money from your hobby
• Become a doula
• Invest in savings bonds and gilts
• Sell your body….the legal way
• Pension benefits- make sure you’re claiming what you’re owed
• Competitions
• Rent, Rent, Rent!
  

1. Get paid to housesit

Housesitting is a fantastic way of earning yourself some extra money while enjoying a break from your usual routine. You won’t make a fortune from it, but sign up to a good agency like Homesitters and you’ll have your food and travel paid for whilst earning yourself around £9.50 per day (slightly more if you agree to care for the homeowners pets).

Sittings can be as short as a weekend or as long as a fortnight – a good agency will take on board your preferences and match you to a homeowner whose needs suit your own.

Older people are extremely sought after as they tend to have more home caring experience, and if you’re happy to look after dogs or cats you’ll be even more in demand. If you don’t like the idea of leaving your partner behind then Homesitters is definitely the agency for you, as they allow you to take your better half along with you (but bear in mind that the person you’re sitting for is only expected to cover the expenses of one of you).

With Homesitters the emphasis is as much on enjoyment as it is on work – they say daily chores should last no more than two hours (at most) and that the rest of the time should be spent exploring your new home and surroundings.

Eileen Higgins, a pensioner from Bristol, signed up to Homesitters twelve years ago and has never looked back.

Eileen says: “I first heard about housesitting through a woman’s weekly magazine and thought to myself, ‘this is something I can do.’ I love animals, especially dogs, and whilst I don’t have any of my own housesitting gives me the opportunity to enjoy pets but give them back at the end of my stay!

You do need to be a practical sort and it definitely helps having a car, but saying that I know sitters who don’t and still get by. I spend around 10-12 weeks a year sitting and have even be sent abroad to care for someone’s home- it doesn’t happen often but it was a nice perk. Homesitters sort out everything for you and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in sitting.”

For the ins and outs of housesitting with Homesitters view their “frequently asked questions” section where you’ll find all you need to know. Also, see our article on house-sitting and house-minding for more ideas.

2. Become a mystery shopper

Mystery shopping is a good money maker for over 65s as it’s flexible, undemanding and fun. Take it seriously and it could earn you a bit on the side as well.

One of our readers claims he makes up to £400 per month working for a small handful of mystery shopping agencies (but as the average  pay-out is between £5-25 per assignment, we’re guessing he dedicates a fair bit of time to it!)

But still, just 5 assignments a month – at say £15 a go – would leave you £75 better off. (Plus you often get freebies, such as meals out, as part and parcel of the deal).

There are lots of different types of mystery shopping which means you get to be fussy and go with the one that most appeals. Become a “report-only” mystery shopper and you’ll find yourself out “in the field” making mental notes on whatever it was you were assigned to look out for.

You might for example be set the task of eating at a well known restaurant and reporting back on its cleanliness of service, or going into a well known department store and noting how the staff react when you complain.

Or if you’re quite reserved and don’t like the idea of going out and about, you could become a postal monitoring, telephone or email mystery shopper- these pay slightly less but you can do them from the comfort of your own home.

The golden rule with mystery shopping is to NEVER pay to join an agency- there’s no reason why you should and plenty of agencies out there won’t charge you a penny for being on their books. Here are some of the more reputable ones: TNS Global (Jasmine herself is signed-up to these and really rates them), Storecheckers, Mystery Shoppers Ltd and Performance in People.

For everything you need to know about mystery shopping, and a longer list of decent agencies, take a look at our article on mystery shopping here.

3. Earn £80 an hour tutoring

Tutoring can be a really lucrative way of making money, and if you enjoy teaching others you could be on to a real winner. In London alone an estimated 43% of 11-16 year olds have used a personal tutor, with worried parents paying up to £80 an hour for their services.

There are lots of subjects that you could teach, from the big ones like maths, English and science to the more creative ones such as music, art and drama. Music in particular is a very popular hobby amongst youngsters, and would be a great subject for you to teach all year round.

You do need to know your stuff, so unless you’re educated to degree level, have a teaching qualification or a very obvious knowledge of the subject you want to teach, you might be hard pushed to find work.

If you think you’ve got what it takes there are lots of ways that you can go about advertising your services. Start by putting a notice in places like your local post office, newsagents, supermarkets and library, or go online and post an ad on a site like Gumtree.

Schoolstrader is a particularly good website for tutors as it allows you to post a free ad on the website and covers over 30,000 independent primary and secondary schools across the UK and Ireland.

To help ensure you get a decent wage you should also think about joining with an agency. Be warned, though, that a good agency will usually expect you to have a first class degree or teaching qualification. Have a read of the ‘Good Schools Guide’ in your local library to find out which agencies are worth signing up to.

Tutors are most heavily in demand during the lead up to exams (which are generally held between May and June), and you’ll either be expected to travel to your students home or teach them online- have a look at Home Tutoring Online to find out how this works. Another thing to bear in mind is that you’ll be working with teenagers, so short fuses or a lack of patience won’t get you very far.

Find out more about tutoring here.

4. Make money from your hobby

Make money through your favourite hobby or hidden talent. If you’ve got time on your hands now is the perfect time to indulge in what you really enjoy doing.

Gardening Why not offer your services to neighbours and people in your local community. We’re not talking about completely landscaping someone’s garden (although if you’re good, why not!), but if you’re a dab-hand at pruning, planting and generally maintaining then your services will be in demand. For tips on how to get going take a look at the Royal Horticultural Society and Garden Advice websites. You could also grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers to then sell on for a profit- take a look at this article to find out more on how to make money from your garden.

Surfing the net It’s scary how much time some of us spend on the internet, but if you enjoy browsing online then make sure you put a little time aside to make yourself some money. Online survey sites are a great way of making money without putting in too much effort. Check out Lightspeed Panel where you’ll make money or earn points for each survey you complete. Once you’ve reached a certain amount of points you’ll be able to convert them into cash or vouchers.

If you’ve got anything lying around the house that you’d like to sell then websites such as eBay and eBid are a must. You can also make cash from your old or broken gadgets by going onto websites such as Mobile Phone Xchange who will take your gadget and exchange it for cash. If you’ve got an old or broken mobile phone then check out the Moneymagpie  comparison tool which will work out who will give you the best price for it.

Baking Rustle up some of your best cakes and sell them at local fairs and car boot sales. If you’re really good you could even sell them to local coffee shops. From prettily decorated cupcakes to a creamy Victoria sponge, as long as they’re tasty you won’t have any problems selling them. If you’re really good you could even think about specialising in wedding cakes for a much bigger profit. The Cake Baker website will give you some good advice on how to go about it, as well as how to make other types of cake. See our article on how to make and sell cakes, jams and sweets – then get baking!

Don’t worry if none of these examples appeal- instead check out our ‘use your hobbies’ section where you should find what you’re looking for.

5. Become a doula

Sorry gents, but this one’s strictly for the ladies. In Ancient Greece the word doula meant “handmaiden” or “servant,” and today refers to a woman who cares for other women either whilst they’re giving birth or in the weeks and months following the birth. A doula’s role is to offer comfort and support to the new mum. They are not nannies or housekeepers, but will help out with gentle housework and ease any concerns or anxieties the mum may be feeling.

The only prerequisite of becoming a doula is that you must have had a child yourself (and be fit, kind and sympathetic). You do not need to have any academic qualifications or medical experience, but if you do intend on supporting women giving birth, bear in mind that its not for the faint hearted! A UK based doula will generally charge around £10-12 per hour for a minimum of 4 hours, whilst a birth doula can charge as much as £400 per birth depending on their experience.

To become a doula yon need to be trained by a good agency, and the best of the best are British Doulas who also run Top Notch Nannies. Their training courses last for 3 consecutive days and will equip you with everything you need to start your career as a doula. Find out more about the training courses here.

Here’s what Jean Birtles, founder of British Doulas and Top Notch Nannies has to say about becoming a doula: “Being a doula is such a wonderful opportunity to share one’s life skills and experience with new mothers who have had little newborn experience and no extended family to help them.  Doulas find their work so enriching and satisfying, it really is a wonderful profession.”

Contact Jean today on 0207 824 8209.

6. Invest in savings bonds and gilts

If you’ve got a little nest egg tucked away somewhere make sure that you’re using it to its full potential. Investing in savings bonds (otherwise known as fixed-rate savings accounts) and/or gilts is a good way of boosting your savings, and the more you put in the bigger the rewards will be.

£5,000 is really the minimum amount you should consider investing – anything lower than that won’t give you much of a return. If you don’t have that kind of money then take a look at our article how to save when you don’t have any money.

Savings Bonds

Savings bonds are not much different from other savings accounts, except with savings bonds you’re tying your money up for a set period of time in exchange for a decent fixed interest rate. This set period of time can be as short as six months or as long as five years, so you need to consider how long you’re prepared to wave goodbye to your money.

Remember that if you really needed to dip into your investment the bank would probably let you but you’d be charged a penalty for the luxury, or you’d lose your interest. You can generally choose to receive your interest either monthly or annually – whichever best suits your needs.

For advice on some on some of the best savings bonds around as well as tips on what to look out for when choosing one, check out our article on fixed-rate accounts.

Gilts

Gilts are government bonds- think of the money you invest in them as being like a loan to the government, who then use your cash to buy really important stuff (you’d hope). The interest rates on gilts don’t tend to be fantastic, but if it’s a steady, reliable and long-term investment that you’re after, they might be the way to go.

Short-dated gilts run for up to five years, whilst long-dated ones can run for more than fifteen. You can even buy ‘undated gilts’ which are designed to carry on paying interest forever.

Read our article on how to invest in gilts here.

7. Sell your body… (the legal way!)

You don’t have to be a spring chicken to make it as a successful model. Granted your catwalk days are probably over, but then who wants to live on a lettuce leaf diet anyway? There are agencies out there crying out for more mature guys and gals.

Here are three types of modelling older people can definitely break into:

Lookalike modelling is big business, so if you resemble a famous celeb you could be on to a really lucrative money-spinner. You’ll need to be signed-up to an agency, and the good ones will only take you on if you really look like a certain famous person.

Your best bet would be to call the agency directly to find out if they want a lookalike of the person you resemble, and if they do you can take it from there. For a list of good agencies and more tips on how to get started, read our article- “Be a lookalike for £100 a day.”

Character modelling has changed the face of conventional modelling- the emphasis isn’t on physical beauty but on unique features that make you stand out from the crowd. So if you’re extremely tall, short, fat, skinny, hairy, tattooed, pierced etc, character modelling could earn you a mint. One of the best agencies to sign-up with is Ugly Models (don’t be offended by their name, they’ve actually got some really attractive people on their books!), who are always on the hunt for new and unusual faces.

Life modelling is definitely one for the unselfconscious, but if you’ve got heaps of confidence and fancy feeling liberated, then give it a go and earn yourself up to £12 an hour. It’s certainly not sleazy sitting in front of an art class, but it can be surprisingly hard work holding the same pose for minutes or hours on end (though you do get breaks!)

And don’t think that you need to be the epitome of physical perfection to get work, as artists actually prefer a body with flaws and character. To find out more on life modelling read our article on ‘How to make money as a life model’.

8. Pension benefits – make sure you’re claiming what you’re owed

You don’t get a lot in life for free, but when you reach a certain age you really should be claiming what’s rightfully yours – others do, so why aren’t you?

Following an enquiry from one of our readers regarding benefits for the over 60′s, we decided to dedicate a whole article to this important topic. The frustrating thing is,  there are thousands of people out there who aren’t claiming what they are entitled to, either because they don’t want the hassle, or are unaware of what they’re actually owed.

Here are a handful of perks the over 60′s should be enjoying, but for the full list please take a look at our main article here.

• Free prescriptions and free eye tests
• Half price discount on most National Express coach services if you live in England or Wales. If you live in Scotland contact Scottish Citylink who offer Senior Specials on 08705 505 050
• Save one-third on all standard and first-class rail tickets by buying a Senior Railcard for just £26 here
• Grants and discounts if you’re wanting to take an adult education class. Contact your local council direct or have a word with the people running your course
• Londoners can purchase a Freedom Pass which entitles them to travel for free on buses, trams, tubes and trains in London
• If you’re over 60 you should be getting help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. Depending on your exact age this could be anywhere between £100-£300
• Free TV license for the over 75s. Find out how to claim your free TV license here

9. Competitions

Competitions

Most of us never bother with competitions because we think our chances of winning are so minute. In some cases this is true, but if you know which ones to go for you could start winning a consistent stream of goodies.

Remember, the more people who don’t bother with competitions, the greater your chances are of swooping in and bagging some great prizes. They rarely take much effort to enter, and the rewards can be fantastic. Find a type which tickles your fancy and go for it.

Online competitions are easy to enter and generally only require you to enter a few simple details, mainly your email address. The golden rule with online competitions is to make sure that you set up a separate email account, or your regular inbox will become swamped down with competition related spam.

Newspaper and magazine competitions are not much different from online competitions, as you’ll usually be asked to go onto the newspaper or magazine’s website and answer a simple question online.

If you ever come across a competition that asks you to write your answer on a postcard and send it in, make sure you do it. People rarely bother with this way of entering because it takes a bit of effort, meaning your chances of winning are given a considerable boost.

Slogan competitions are a great idea if you’ve got a way with words. Companies often set competitions for members of the public to come up with catchy slogans to help promote their products. If this appeals to you then check out the website Winning-Slogans which will not only provide you with examples of past winning slogans, but also a beginners guide on how to get started.

Writing competitions are not about the luck of the draw, but about the quality of the writing you produce. If you think you’ve got the talent you should definitely take the time and effort to enter, as the prizes are often impressive (think large cash sums and exotic holidays abroad). For a list of writing competitions and their closing dates visit the Writer’s Forum Competition, First Writer Website and Prize Magic.

If you’d like to find out more about the various competitions you could enter, as well as the scams you should always avoid, check out our article ‘Making money from competitions’.

10. Make over £200 a month with ads on your car

If you’re not bothered about having a few adverts on your car, your vehicle can be a nice little earner – over £2,000 a year, in fact.

Don’t worry though – you won’t be stuck with logos on your car permanently. They’re made from a special vinyl coating that are fully removable and won’t have any effect on the paintwork. Read our article on car advertising here for the full lowdown and how to get started.

11. Make £60 an hour dog walking

Dog walking is an excellent way to make money in your spare time. You can make good money doing it (expect around £10-£15 per dog, per hour) so if you walk multiple dogs it soon adds up. Some people even set up their own dog walking businesses. What’s more, it’s a great way to get yourself out and about doing a bit of exercise as well! Read our guide on how to make money walking dogs – we tell you how to get started, what to expect and the laws you need to be aware of.

12. Rent, Rent, Rent!

Renting out your property is a brilliant way of making some serious money. Here’s how to go about it:

Rent your parking space The demand for parking spaces is huge, so if you’ve got a driveway or garage that’s not being used, rent it. Check out  Parklet or  Parkatmyhouse who will both let you advertise your parking space on their websites for free, and then charge a 10% commission from the rent you make. Is it worth doing? Well if you live near a popular attraction such as a football stadium or an airport, you could make yourself a staggering £500 a month. Not bad eh?

For more information on this see our article Renting out your driveway or garage.

Rent out your storage space Garages also make great storage spaces, as do cellars and attics. Advertise your space on the website Spareground for free.

Rent a room Did you know that if you rent a room in your house you’re allowed to make £4,250 a year completely tax free? Well you can, so take a look at  Easyroommate where you’ll be able to post an ad for a roommate completely free of charge. Or if you don’t fancy having a lodger around at the weekends, go onto MondaytoFriday where you’ll people who only want to stay at your home during the week.

Find out more about renting a room here.

To find out what else you can rent and how to go about it, check out our article Rent it if you’ve got it!

P.S Warning! Don’t let inflated energy bills drag your income down!

Energy prices are rising faster than inflation, and pensioners spend a higher proportion of their income  on heating than those of working age.

If you haven’t already done so, we strongly recommend you do the following:

1. Check whether you are on the lowest tariff.

This is the very first thing you should do. According to Energyhelpline, 46% of households are on standard tariffs, despite online ones being potentially hundreds of pounds a year cheaper – so switching to an online deal could save you much more.  

Why should you switch your energy provider now?

• Because it will save you money! You could save over £450 a year by switching.
• Because it’s simple. Your new supplier organises all the switching. All you need to do is take the final meter reading on the day arranged by the new supplier. Once they have this reading, the new supplier organises the final bill and the closure of your old account.
• Because it’s free. You don’t pay a penny to switch and there’s absolutely no obligation to do it immediately – you can simply compare and make a decision at a later date.

2. Make sure you’re paying by the cheapest method

Some methods of paying your energy bills are more expensive than others. Many companies charge you more if you pay by cheque for example, while most offer you a significant discount if you pay by Direct Debit.

3. See whether you’d be eligible for an energy saving grant

There are all sorts of grants available to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Have a look at our guide to the energy grants you can apply for.

Useful links

• Perks for the over 60s
• Help for the over-50s: how to save if you’re broke

• How can kids make money?
• Money making for children – how to help them do it
• 3 key ways for kids to make money
• Under 18s employment rights 
• National insurance and tax for under 18s

There are all sorts of things children can do to make some extra pocket money, but the younger they are, the more help and supervision they will need from you. Here are some ideas to get you started:

How can kids make money?

Here are just a few of the great jobs for kids to get you and your kids started:

Sales jobs

Your child could run a juice/ice lolly stand, or perhaps organise a yard sale, or make cash selling all those old toys they no longer play with.

All you need to set up this type of job is a table and a pot of loose change. If you are encouraging children to sell their old toys, then you could set this up in your front garden for passers-by to view, or organise a stall at a school or village fete or local car boot sale. But if they are thinking of making their own lollies, juice, sweets or cakes to sell then they may need to borrow items from your kitchen, or even buy napkins and plastic cups as well as ingredients.

The other advantage of running a ‘business’ like this is that it’s a good way to teach basic maths to your children. Sit down after their hard day’s work and count out how much money they made, and then deduct the money you spent on cups and ingredients to show them how much they really made. In one go you have a practical explanation of addition, subtraction and basic business principles.

Service jobs

There are lots of little jobs that your children can quite easily get involved with. If they’re a little older they can try tutoring or coaching other kids (teaching computers, maths, reading, how to play football) or running errands for the elderly (reading the newspaper to them or running to the local store to purchase a few supplies) if any elderly neighbours have the spare cash to pay for jobs.

Coaching younger children is a great way of earning some extra money, and also teaching your child patience. If your child is learning an instrument, he or she could coach children who are at a lower grade then they are or help a younger child learn to ride a bike. If your child is lucky enough to be bi-lingual then encourage them to use their second language to set up conversation lessons for other school pupils who need extra help.

With these kinds of jobs it’s important to have references to show that the children are trustworthy. Letters from school teachers, vicars, your doctor or similar should be enough until they have references from people they have done work for.

Other jobs

Gift wrapping, walking, sitting and grooming pets, washing cars, mowing lawns, babysitting, delivering papers, window cleaning and even entertaining other kids by putting on plays and charging admission.

Kids can make loads of money as a dog walker. Adult dog walkers can charge as much as £15 a dog for a 45 minute walk (see our article on dog-walking for information on that), but children may want to pitch themselves lower at around the £5-£8 mark, but if people are willing to pay more then go for it. Obviously, this isn’t a job for children who are scared of dogs, as they will need to be in control of the animals they are looking after. It is probably also a good idea to that your child will only walk small or medium sized dogs, if they are not very tall or strong.

The best way to get business is by making flyers on a computer, and then pinning them to notice boards in local dog friendly parks or online on a website like Jobsgrapevine. It’s also wise to buy your child an extra lead to carry with them, just in case the one the owner has provided them with breaks, and maybe a few dog toys to play with in the park and a supply of plastic bags for dog mess.

Money-making for children – how to help them do it

Step 1: Start networking

It may be a good idea to make up flyers or business cards (they can get 250 FREE business cards and a card holder just by contacting Vistaprint.
. Go door to door and hand them out to neighbors and friends.

Have fun and let your child be creative when making up their flyers. The flyers should include:

• Type of service on offer
• The cost
• Any promotions (it may be a good way to getting started, offering two for one deals)
• How your child can be reached (this should be your home number as opposed to their mobile if they have one. You want to speak to all the people they are working for)

You don’t need to spend much on making up flyers. Visit Staples for some bargain marker pens and pens.

Advertising your child’s new venture on the internet is not a good option. It is very difficult to monitor who is contacting your child. Stick to the old-fashioned way of advertising locally and letting word spread.

A summer job is all about teaching kids the value of money and letting them feel a bit independent, however you do need to keep their safety in mind at all times.

Step 2: Getting them any necessary equipment

If your child will be selling lemonade, juice, or frozen lollies you’ll need to buy the supplies for them.

You can buy a large carton of the stuff for less than £1. For an even better time, have your child make the juice.  Some great recipes are available at Health Recipes such as: sparkling tropic fruit juice, orange juice and lemon and lime.

They can probably charge about £1 per drink but you will have to cater to what customers are willing to pay. You may want to make sure your child is out there on hot days and maybe selling some warmer drinks on wet days.

If you have a cool box at home use that to store cold drinks or frozen lollies. If you need to buy one, they are available at Tesco Direct at discount prices. Whilst you’re there grab some plastic cups and try to buy reusable ones – it will save you money and be more environmentally friendly.

As for their ‘stand’, just use any old table that you have lying around. If you need to buy one then buy a cheap one. Try Homebase where you can picnic tables from only £9.99.

If your child is going to be doing any cleaning or pet grooming you will need to supply them with the pet shampoo, cleaning products and cleaning rags.

Things like dog leashes, brushes, and toys for a dog walking job should be provided by the pet owner as you may not want to share these items with several different pets. Treats for good behavior is a nice thing to have on hand, but make sure that owners approve before your child starts feeding their pets treats.

For a cleaning job there are some great home recipes for natural, eco-friendly cleaning supplies that you can make at home together very cheaply. Some really great recipes can be found at Organized Home. Also check out the Moneymagpie guide to clean, safe and effective household cleaners.

Step 3: Setting up shop

Your child’s work hours should be scheduled when you are home so that you are available if they need your help.

It’s best to have them selling from your home. Their lemonade stand should just be out in the garden. People will be attracted by their flyers, particularly if they are out there on those really warm summer afternoons.

Have your children organise all the old toys they no longer play with, and any other things you may want to get rid of and run a yard sale. Don’t buy anything new. Have your child make up posters that they hang around the neighbourhood informing people of the sale date.

You can have your child out there running the yard sale, but stay close. Adults may want to negotiate prices with you. To avoid loads of haggling it may be a good idea to have your child individually price all the items. Alternatively, you could set up a stall at a car boot sale or village fete and have your children run it if you don’t like the idea of a yard sale.

Step 4: Serving the community

Again make sure your child’s work hours are scheduled when you are home so that you are available if they need your help. Especially the first few times your child is working it is a good idea to check their services are satisfactory.

You will want to send your child to provide a service (i.e. washing windows, cars, pet walking or grooming) with all the supplies they will need.

It’s up to you to decide whether you’re more comfortable with your child washing cars or grooming pets at your place or at their client’s home. Obviously for services like window washing, or offering services like reading to the elderly, it will have to be done at the client’s house.

If they are going to be tutoring other children it is best that you supervise and ensure that your child is being patient and helpful.

Tutoring can be frustrating so stay close, but try not to interfere. It is important your child builds their self-confidence and initiative.

If your child loves riding their bike around, why not have them deliver some papers while they’re at it? To get your child a paper route contact your local news agent and newspapers. Visit WRX for a list of your local community papers.

Step 5: Getting paid

All prices for services and sales will need to be established before any work is done. You will need to negotiate your prices with customers but here is a guideline to what are fair prices.

Lemonade stand: £1 per drink
Washing cars: £5 per car
Mowing lawns: Anywhere from £5 to £20 (depending on size of lawn)
Groom pets: Between £5 and £7
Babysitting: £5 an hour, with overtime pay after midnight
Delivering papers: £5 per day to £20 a week.
Window cleaning: Between £3 and £5
Tutoring or coaching: £5 – £20 per hour.
Running errands for the elderly: Between £3 and £10 (depending on errands)
Walking pets: £3-£5 an hour
Pet sitting: Between £5 and £10 per visit
Gift wrapping: £3 a gift

3 key ways for kids to make money

Babysitting

Babysitting is probably the most popular way young girls make money. It is a great way for them to earn and learn as long as they are mature enough for the responsibility.

The NSPCC recommends children be 16 and over, however lots of 14-year-olds babysit. Use your judgement on whether your child is able to cope with it.

A great way to practice babysitting is with younger siblings. Then moving on to friends’ and neighbours children. It’s not a good idea to have them start out with children or families that they don’t know.

Top ten babysitting tips for older children:

1. Always get the contact number for the parents while they are out. Have all emergency numbers handy.
2. Establish hourly rates before starting the job and remember double-time pay is expected after midnight.
3. Never, ever drink alcohol, smoke or invite friends over while working and be on time and polite at all times. People need to trust you with their children.
4. Find out the children’s bedtime routines (bath times, stories etc).
5. Make sure you’re aware of any house rules like snacks they’re not allowed to eat, or programmes they can’t watch.
6. Try not to be on the phone or asleep when the parents come home.
7. You don’t have to clean up the house, but do tidy up the toys the children may have been playing with and any dishes you may have used.
8. Help yourself to drinks, however don’t snack unless you have been told that it is okay.
9. Always have all doors locked while you are inside and never answer the door when you are home alone in the evenings with the children.
10. Be clear about what time you expect parents to be home. If they are running very late remember to charge extra for overtime.

Paper round

The best way to find a paper round is to ask local newsagents if they have any vacancies as it is newsagents who organise delivery of papers, rather than the newspaper companies themselves. You could also call up or look on websites of local free magazines to see if they the require delivery boys/girls. You can also try local councils and take-away shops to see if they need any leaflets distributing.

The wage you receive from being doing a paper round depends on how old you are (under 16s don’t have a minimum wage) and how many papers you deliver. You get paid weekly and the pay can be anything between £5-£20. Being a paper boy/girl isn’t a very difficult job, but it’s a job that has to be done rain or shine, and early starts are nearly always required.

If your child has, or is thinking about doing, a paper round, make sure they have a good quality, water proof coat for bad weather and a reflective jacket for early starts on winter mornings. A bike would also be a bonus, and will make the paper round a lot quicker and easier for your child.

Car-washing

Children make lots of money doing jobs that nobody else really wants to do, and that includes washing the car. Encourage your child to gather a group of friends, although this means less money as the profits will be split between everyone, extra pairs of hands means they can wash more cars and have more fun doing it. You may have to supply buckets, sponges, water and car shampoo/washing up liquid, and a box to put the money in, but these do not have to be brought  new especially for the occasion. Use old beach buckets for soapy water and ice cream tubs to keep money in.

It could be easiest if the kids make flyers first (easy to make on the computer) advertising a car wash, rather than go door to door offering a car washing service, as that way people can come to you. If you want to do it this way, try and organise the event for an evening or weekend, otherwise if you plan it for daytime during the week, people will be at work and will probably have taken their cars with them.

Remember to find a suitable location for your car wash, preferably not on grass as the soil will not soak up all the water if you have a lot of cars to clean, and cause a flood. Concrete is probably the safest option, so use a driveway or empty street.

Under 18s employment rights

Employment rights for under 18s are very different from adult workers; working hours, wage, tax and the type of work a child can do all vary depending on what age the working child is.

13 and under

Under13s cannot legally be employed, although they can take part in paid sport or entertainment with permission from your local authority.

13 year olds

13 years old is the youngest age that any child in the United Kingdom is allowed to undertake paid work. Before the age of 13 a child cannot legally be employed.

Once a child reaches the age of 13, they may be employed to do ’light work’. This is work which is not likely to affect health, safety or education. This includes such jobs as: shop work or taking on a paper round. This ‘light work’ restriction lasts until a child is 16.

It is advisably that you check with the local authority where your place of work would be to see what restrictions they have about the employment of 13 year olds.

14 year olds

At 14 the rules become slightly more relaxed about where and when a child can and cannot work. Again, as with 13 year olds, health is a big factor in working regulations and at 14 years-old a child is still restricted to ‘light work’ and cannot work in factories or on a building site.

Working hours also change when a child hits 14, and there are some very tight restrictions. The main ones are:

• during term time, a child can only work for two hours on weekdays and Sundays
• during term time, a child can only work for five hours on Saturdays
• during a school holiday, a 14 year old can work for up to five hours on a week day or a Saturday
• during a school holiday, a 14 year old can’t work for more than two hours on a Sunday
• A 14 year old is not allowed to work before 7.00 am or after 7.00 pm on any day

Until a child is 16 education takes priority over employment in a child’s life. Any job that interferes with a child school hours is not allowed by law.

15 & 16 year olds

The working rights of 15 and 16 year olds are almost identical to those of 14 year olds. However, there are a few changes:

• A 15 or 16 year old can work for up to eight hours on Saturdays or during the school holidays.
• A 15 or 16 year old can work during the week but not for more than 2 hours on any school day, or for more than 12 hours in any school week
• During a non school week a 15 or 16 year old can work for up to 35 hours.

If a child is working at 16 then they are entitled to the national minimum wage, which for 16-17 year olds is £3.64 per hour, rising to £3.68 in October 2011.The minimum wage does not apply to workers under the age of 16.

16 & 17 year olds

If a child is no longer at school and is aged 16 or 17, the law refers to them as a ‘young worker’. Because they will no longer be at school, there are fewer restrictions on when you can work and for how long, but there are still some rules.

Because you’ve reached school leaving age, you may find that employers may be more willing to offer you part-time or full-time employment. You’re also not limited to just ‘light work’, so you’ll be allowed to work in places like a busy shop, restaurant kitchen or as a waiter or waitress.

For more information on younger workers visit the direct gov website.

National Insurance and tax for under 18s

At 16 everybody starts paying National Insurance, which, if you earn between £1.39 and £8.17 per week is deducted from your earnings at a rate of 12%. More about National Insurance can be found here.

If you’re a student, you still pay tax on your income unless all of the following apply:

• you’re a full time student in the UK, only working in the holidays
• you’re returning to full time education after the holiday
• your total income for the year is below the Personal Allowance which is £7,457 for the 2011/2012 tax year.

You can ask an employer for form P38S Student Employees which means tax won’t be deducted from your earnings. National Insurance will still be deducted if you earn more than £1.39 a week.

Useful links

• Try these books: 101 Marvellous Money Making Ideas for Kids; Show Me the Money!: 101 Money Making Projects for Kids; Kid Cash: Creative Money Making Ideas
• Family Education – an American site full of great advice.
• Jobsgrapevine

• Why should you send a letter to a magazines?
• How to make money by writing a letter to a magazine.
• How much money could you make?
• Our list of magazines.

Why should you consider sending a letter to a magazine?

Magazines really need letters from readers and you would be surprised at how few people actually write in. Some magazines get so few letters that they have to ask their journalists to make some up. Why not have a go yourself?

Once you have read some of the letters you will see that you really don’t have to come up with anything amazing. Many of the letters are surprisingly bland. In fact, if you write in with something really extraordinary or salacious you might get a call from one of the journalists who will write your story for you and give you even more money for it.

It is not time consuming and it could mean regular money if you write often and for different magazines.

How to make money by writing a letter to a magazine

Step 1: Choose the reward you want

Flick through some magazines in your local newsagent and take a look at the different sections that pay for contributions.

Pick out those that offer money or prizes that you would like. Check if the magazine only rewards one letter per month; you have a better chance if you write to a magazine which rewards all letters printed.

Step 2: Think about what you want to write

Once you have decided which magazines you are going to write to, get a copy of them. Read through the letters sections and try to work out what sort of letters get printed

Funny stories are popular. Has your child done anything that made you laugh? Did your pet get into a bit of a scrape recently?

Serious stories are also in demand. Think of a distressing experience that you have had. Some magazines like to print tips, too. Maybe you have some clever cooking advice or an easy way to save time with household chores.

If you read the magazine regularly, why not comment on an article? You could talk about an experience you have had which was similar to the author’s, or about how the article inspired you. Letters that compliment articles appear regularly.

Step 3: Write your letters and email or post them in

For extra measure, and even for extra money in most cases, your letter will be even better if it’s accompanied by a photo of the event/tip/story. It not only shows the magazines you’re telling the truth, but readers are drawn to stories by the pictures as well.

Make sure you only send copies of photos in the post, not the originals, because they won’t be sent back.

You only get paid if your letter gets printed so there is no guarantee that the letters you send in will earn you money. On the other hand, it’s great to show off to your friends when you get something printed.

Get your pen and paper at the ready and contact the following magazines with your stories.

How much money could you make?

Sums generally range from £10-50 per letter. Most magazines have a star letter each month which receives a greater reward than the other letters. Some examples of the money on offer: Bella pays £50 for star letters. All these rewards are for letters about 50 -100 words in length.

The rewards can be, and more often are, prizes. These include things such as jewellery, flowers, cosmetics and spirits. Recent prizes include: a crate of Tuborg lager, £176 worth of Perricone MD products, a £50 bouquet and a £400 car warranty.

If you fancy writing something a bit shorter, magazines such as Take a Break offer up to £60 for tips to other readers. These are usually only about 20 – 50 words long.

If you’ve got an exceptional story, magazines like Pick Me Up and That’s Life will pay up to £1000 per story. There are usually forms within the magazines to fill in the basic details and then the magazine will contact you if they’re interested.

Magazines:

Following is a selection of magazines carrying some of the better awards but there are many more out there. Please reply with your suggestions.

• Letters for cash

Bella – £50 for star letter, £10 for others. About 40-100 words.

That’s Life! – £100 for very short stories and photos.

• Letters for gifts

Good Housekeeping - £50 bouquet for the star letter. About 50-80 words.

Marie Claire – letter of the month writer recieves gifts worth over £200 for 100-150 words.

Grazia – Perricone MD products worth £176 to the writer of the star letter. (July 2011)

Front - letter of the month wins a crate of beer.

Car Magazine – letter of the month wins a £400 warranty from Warranty Direct.

Bizarre – bottle of Opal Rosso Cherry Sambuca for the most bizarre very short story.

• Tips for cash

Take a Break – £60 for a 20-40 word tip with a photo, £30 for just a tip.

Real People Magazine – £25 for a tip with a photo. £15 for just a tip.

• Photos for cash

Take a Break – A hilarious photo with a caption could earn you £100.

That’s Life! – Up to £100 for photos and very short stories.

Chat – £25 paid for cute or funny pictures.

• Jokes for cash

Loaded – £50 for the joke of the month. Add superfluous profanity to increase your chances.

• Stories for cash

Pick Me Up – Up to £500 if they pick your story.

That’s Life – Up to £500 if they select your story.

Real People – Up to £1000 if they choose your story.

• Letters for Mums

If you’re a new mum or have queries during your pregnancy, writing letters to baby magazine is a great way to get a few extra pounds towards all that expensive baby gear.

Pregnancy and Birth, Prima Baby and Pregnancy and Practical Parenting all shower star letter prize winners with loads of baby goodies.

• What’s involved in knitting for money?
• How do you start knitting from home?
• What to knit
• Knit to sell
• Putting a price on your pieces
• Where you can sell your work
• Offer knitting help
• Sell knitting books
• Knitting social network

What’s involved in knitting as a business?

Knitting is generally either treated as a new fad or the lost art – but in fact, lots of people know how to knit. What they don’t know is how to make a profit from it.

There are a range of easy items you can produce through knitting. The easiest, and the one that most people begin with when they first start to knit, is the scarf. They can range from the big thick woollen garments worn during winter to the stylish thin acrylic scarves that are worn as fashion accessories.

Once you’ve mastered the scarf, you can move onto bags, cushion covers and blankets, with just a few rectangles stitched together and a button here and there, they’re very satisfying to make.

One of the best parts is choosing which wool to use, which more often than not is dictated by the size of your needles. Thick wool and thick needles will produce a chunky knit, whereas if you use thin wool and thick needles you can get a really loose ‘holey’ effect. Combining thin needles and thin wool will create a much tighter effect, perfect for dish clothes and tea cosies.

If you’re not sure which size needles to go for usually your pattern will tell you, and if it doesn’t pop into any haberdashery and ask.

How do you do it?

We’re not going to teach you how to knit, because there are lots of fab sites out there that can make a much better job of it than us, it really is a great hobby – you can do it on your own or with a friend, learn from someone or take a class. Check out YouTube which has loads of easy-to-follow How To Knit videos.

Here, we’re going to show you some of the different ways that you can make money from your knitting skills!

What can you make?

If you want to get your hands on different knitting patterns, you can find them for free all over the internet (just drop the owner a line to ensure that they don’t mind you profiting from their pattern).

Alternatively,  you can visit your local library to find loads of books on knitting patterns, how to get started and advice on stitches.

Putting a price on your pieces

It’s a good idea to try and cut the cost of your materials as much as possible, so any profit can go straight into your pocket.

Even if you’re just a beginner, you don’t have to spend a fortune on the tools and materials you’ll need. There are loads of ways you can cut your costs:

• Many knitting magazines offer freebies and you can often increase your stash of needles, markers and other bits – as well as getting a magazine full of helpful hints and tips.
• Rather than buying wool full price, get it for less from charity shops like Age Concern and Oxfam. Don’t get the cheap acrylic stuff, but if they’re selling wholesale bundles of nice wool, go for that.
• The other thing these shops are good for is knitted garments. Buy a few second-hand jumpers, take them home and unwind them. As you do this, wind up the wool into a shank, which is a figure eight around your child’s/spouse’s hands or two chair legs. Voila! You’ll have a huge ball of wool that cost you what retailers charge for one small ball.
• When you’re starting out, John Lewis has a good retail selection of wool and other bits. And never hesitate to look around when you’re travelling – there are some lovely small craft shops hidden in pokey towns where you can root out the most amazing finds.

First of all, decide what hourly rate you believe your time is worth to produce your items. Then think about how many items you can make in a week and how long this will take you.

For example, four hours in front of the TV, seven days a week is 28 hours. At an hourly rate of £10, your weekly cost of production is £280.

Then look at your material costs – how much it would cost to make one item, and how many you could make in a week. Remember that investing in good needles should be a one off payment so take good care of them, and if you’ve followed the suggestions above, the cost of your wool should not be very high at all.

For example, if you can knit five scarfs in a week – out of three £5 jumpers worth of wool – that would be a material cost of £3 each. Once you increase production to ten jumpers a week, your total material cost would be £30 a week.

Add this number to your production costs (a total of £310) and then divide this number by how many items you can make in a week. For example, if you can make ten jumpers, then your total production cost per jumper would be £31.

Compare this price to that charged in craft markets for similar goods. If you’re charging much less than others, you could consider increasing your price.

However, if you’re charging over the odds, think again – perhaps you could increase the amount of time you spend making your crafts, or find other ways to cut the cost of materials?

Selling your creations

In person

Try out a stall at a car boot sale first – it will only cost you between £5 and £15 to set up there. Find your nearest car boot sale on Carbootjunction or Your Booty.

Once you’re more established, you could consider going a little more upmarket, with Country Markets that are run by the Women’s Institute. They’ll let you sell your goods (for just 5p to join) and they’ll take around 10% commission on sales to cover the costs of the market.

You’ll probably know the good markets in your area, but if you don’t, the National Market Traders Federation website has a very comprehensive list.

If you can produce enough pieces you could even set up at a few craft shows. Living Heritage Events has an annual list of craft shows on its website, and Craft4Crafters also lists upcoming events.

Craft in Focus aims to elevate the status of craft shows and Woodland Crafts is the top market organiser in the field.

Online

Don’t overlook the joy of internet selling. If you get some good items together and put clear pictures online, people will be keen to buy from you.

Choose places like eBay to market and sell your items, and once you get into the swing of things you could even start up your own eBay marketplace. We’ve got the how-to guide on eBay selling here.

You could also set yourself up with your own Etsy store. Setting it up is free and you are able to personalise and customise your store, too! The best part is that their commission fee is only 3.5% – a lot lower than eBay’s 9%.

Don’t forget the other online auction sites as well, like CQout, eBid, Preloved and Auctionair.

Offer knitting help

Teach it

Knitting is a great skill to have, and many people are envious of those who can sit click-clacking away and produce a beautiful creation.

So, rather than knitting your friend/relative/boss a jumper that will take you forever, why not offer to teach them how to knit so they can do it themselves?

You’ll need to have a certain level of understanding when you’re teaching others to knit. For example, if they make a mistake you need to know how to pick up where they went wrong, sort the problem out and guide them in the right direction.

You can offer to teach people on a one-to-one basis or in a class, at your house or somewhere nice like a cafe or bookshop. Read here about London knitter and teacher Aneeta Patel, who enjoys the enthusiasm that both new and experienced knitters bring to her classes.

Top tip: start your students on larger needles and brightly coloured wool, so they can easily see where each stitch goes.

Sell knitting books

If you have a website for your knitting business, for the items you sell or for the classes you give, you could also sell books of knitting patterns and ideas.

Find out where you can buy wholesale books on knitting, and then re-sell them at a marked-up price.

You could also put announcements in the newsletters or web pages of your local guild or knitting circle. Advertise in any online knitting groups you belong to, and make sure you have the web address of your new shop in your email signature.

You can take books along wherever you set up your stalls as well, at car boot sales or markets. And if you don’t fancy selling books, you could always write down any designs you create yourself and sell them on your website or blog.

Find these helpful books at your library, or get them cheap on Amazon:

Knitty Gritty: Knitting for the Absolute Beginner: Aneeta Patel’s book – a tried and tested guide for people at the very beginning of their knitting careers who are looking for guidance and patterns for projects that they can use to make that first all-important step to ‘Beyond the Scarf’.

The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork: Basic formulas for pricing craftwork, retail or wholesale.

Big Book of Knitting: A good illustrated knitting reference guide with basic techniques like increasing and decreasing and more advanced techniques like knitting cables without a cable needle, working with charts, and placing sleeve increases in openwork patterns.

Crafting for Dollars: How to start and manage your own craft-based business.

The Knitter’s Companion: Best selling knitting reference guide that covers everything from the basic stitches to gauge, joins, seams, borders, buttonholes and more.

Get together with other knitters for help and advice

There’s a really good social network for knitters called Ravelry. It’s full of helpful advice, tools, patterns and, of course, other knitters who will give you help and ideas. If you’re serious about knitting and getting better at it, do join.

Useful links:

• Knitting SOS
• I Knit London
• Loop
• Wool-n-Things
• Carbootjunction
• Etsy
• Women’s Institute
• National Market Traders Federation
• Ravelry

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Money saving

• Kit out your home for free!
• Trade your skill for someone else’s
• Help the environment and help yourself!
• Discover how to start growing your own

Money making

• Start selling what you sow
• Rent out your garden
• Could your home be a film set?
• Check out loads of other saving ideas

Making savings

Kit yourself out for free

There’s that old saying: “you can’t get something for nothing”.

Well, we beg to differ.  There are always loads of interesting items up for grabs on sites like Craigslist, Gumtree and Snaffleup, all you need to do is head to the freebies section on each website and you could find a real treasure in there. These sites are update regularly so keep looking throughout the day to see what you can find.

For specific local freebies it’s a great idea to sign up to Freecycle.com, where local people will put out adverts for things they don’t want anymore including duvets, computers and even pets! If you can collect, you can have it!

Although you’re not allowed to pick up anything that has already been dumped, you can try approaching people who about to chuck things out. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that… Some dumps even resell the best of the dumped items, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for these bargains too.

Some dumps also resell the best of the dumped items, so keep an eye out for these bargain sales too.

Trade your skills with somebody

You’ll be amazed at what skills you have to offer if you put your mind to it. Knitting, cooking, gardening or DIY, it’s probably one of those things that you think anyone can do, but you’d be surprised!

Local Exchange-Trading Schemes (LETS) have been set up all over the country to help people swap their skills. They work by creating a unit of ‘currency’ which can be collected when you use your skills, and then used to ‘buy’ the skills of others.

So if you’re a naturally-gifted cook for instance, you can bake someone a birthday cake, and then use your credits to get another member to mow your lawn. Check out LETSLinkUK for loads of information and to find your nearest scheme.

Free energy

If you live out in the country you may well be lucky enough to live somewhere where logs are readily available for free, and don’t come in pre-packed plastic bags at the petrol station. Make the most of it! You can save loads of money by using a wood-burning stove to help heat your home if you’re clever about it.

If you live near a woodland, or if there’s a copse of trees nearby just go on a walk with a big bag and pick up as much as you can carry. A good tip is to look out for any overhead cables, as you’ll find that the council comes round every so often to chop the tress down around them and they’ll usually let you have off-cuts for nothing. Larger land owners in the area are very likely to have logs available, either for free or a small amount of cash, so it’s always worth asking around.

Whilst it’s not a foolproof solution, if you use a wood stove one or two days a week over the winter period you could save about 10% of your energy costs. Even if it only cuts down the time you have your heating on for, it should still be a fairly significant saving.

Cost cutting

There are hundreds of easy ways to save cash on a daily basis without very much effort. For loads of great ideas have a look at our Smart Spending section. It’s also a lot easier than you think to reduce your outgoings, we’ve worked out how you can save £1,000 a year  find out how here. Also it’s a good idea to check our Best Buys pages so you can make quick comparisons on any financial products and make sure you’ve got the cheapest and best deals around.

Save money and the environment

By making your home more energy efficient you can help the environment and save yourself a packet on energy bills. You can even find out if you’re eligible for a grant to insulate your home which could save you as much as £670 a year.

It might also be a good idea to think about getting a water meter, especially if you live on your own as it only charges you for what you use, so you could save a fortune. In most cases, local councils will be able to install one for you free of charge.

You might be concerned about doing something too radical. But remember, that even a little change can make a huge difference. Anything from using energy saving light bulbs to turning off the tap while you’re cleaning your teeth can help you save money on your utility bills.

For loads of inspiration have a look at 50 Ways to Save Money and the Planet and our Green Living section.

Oil-fuelled central heating

1.5 million houses in the UK use oil for central heating which means that that a winter of snow and sub-zero temperatures probably didn’t help your finances. And, while it may seem to be the least of your worries now, it’s a good idea to start thinking about your heating bills before winter hits again.

Don’t do it all on your own though, help is at hand with these two great websites: Boilerjuice and Fueloildirect

Both sites offer a free service which allows you to enter your postcode and then search all the suppliers in your area to come up with the cheapest quote. You can order online and because they buy directly through the supplier, you stand to save even more.

Boilerjuice groups orders in the same postcode area together so you can get a bulk discount, so get together with your local friends and neighbours, order at around the same time and you can all save loads!

Share the load

Living in the country can mean that you have to travel a fairly long distance to work each day and with unreliable public transport it probably means you have to drive quite a lot. We’re all feeling the pinch as petrol prices rocket, but it is particularly hard for those who live in the country.

Car pooling is a fantastic way to save money and the environment, plus it means you have a companion on your journey and you don’t have to drive as much.

If none of your friends or family go the same way as you then Liftshare.com is a great website where you can find yourself a car sharing buddy for free. For more information on car sharing and alternatives to owning a car, click here.

Grow your own

If you’ve got a bit of space in your garden then growing your own fruit and vegetables can really save you quite a bit of money. As well as that it’s also a really rewarding way to spend your time and can produced delicious results. Plus, we all know how much better home grown produce tastes compared to anything you can buy in the supermarket and it’s really easy to do!

Take a look at BBC Green which has some really helpful advice on how to get great results without too much hard work. There are some step by step guides on gardening, and growing your own food so you can learn how to create a successful, organic garden.

Check out Marshalls and Thompson & Morgan, two great websites to help you get started. Pick up seeds, get delicious recipes and get guides to growing the best fruit and veg.

Natural ingredients

Even if you’ve not got your vegetable garden going yet, you can still make all sorts of things from jams to cordials, with various fruit found in hedgerows and along footpaths. Blackberry season will soon be on its way, marking the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Go blackberry picking for tasty jams and pies, and why not try picking some sloe berries to make some delicious sloe gin, traditionally picked in late October or early November.

From the first signs of spring, through to late autumn, there are plenty of wild fruit and vegetables for you to pick, from elderberries to mushrooms. Take a look at the FSA website, for lots of information and ideas and check out the BBC Good Food homepage is full of fantastic recipes and tips.

Do a good deed

Free range eggs can be pretty pricey, and while it’s tempting to go for caged hens eggs, it’s also pretty unethical. So we’ve found a way where you can have delicious free range eggs and save a battery hen for just £3.

Get in touch with the British Hen Welfare Trust who can give you all the information about how to adopt a hen. Once you’ve bought your hen, the only expense will be to feed your birds and provide a run and hen house for them. This should just be a one-off purchase but it’s important to get it right, because foxes can be surprisingly cunning.

The British Hen Welfare Trust has a special page on caring for hens and will be able to give you loads of advice on how to care for them. After the initial few months, while they’re adjusting to their new home, you could be getting four or five eggs a day from ten hens.

For more information check out our article on keeping chickens, and take a look at the British Hen Welfare Trust website.

Make money

Grow and sell your own

If you’re growing enough fruit and vegetables for yourself, and you’ve got some left over, then selling them on is a great way to make a little extra cash, and stop all your delicious produce going to waste. Sell your extra fruit and veg from your driveway, or nip down to the local market and set up a stall there.

If you’ve got really green fingers then you could get ambitious and try and grow some specialist ‘deli-veg’ like asparagus, artichokes and spinach. With vegetables like these you can make even more money at a farmers market.

Rent out your garden

Growing your own veg might just not be your cup of tea, but if you’ve got the space and the soil’s good then it seems a shame to let it go to waste. So you could consider renting some of your land out as allotments, so others can grow their fruit and veg.

It’s absolutely fine to let out privately owned land for allotment, and since there are always such huge waiting lists for plots, you could stand to make yourself some easy money pretty quickly.

To find out exactly how to start off, it’s a good idea to check out the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners who have loads of useful information and advice, and take a look at our article on hiring our your garden for allotments.

Keep bees

Our article on beekeeping has loads of great tips and advice on how to make money from the wax and honey that bees produce. Obviously you’ll need to have the space for hives but beekeeping doesn’t take up much time and as well as being able to sell the honey and wax, you’ll also have enough honey to last you all year.

This isn’t a job for those with allergies to bee stings, and it’s a good idea to check with any nearby neighbours, as you don’t want any accidents to happen.

Your home as a film set

You could make around £1,000 if your home’s used by a film crew for a day. You don’t have to be lord of a country mansion to make money either, although that does help! Series like Heartbeat often use quite ordinary farmhouses and cottages when filming, even Hollywood films will sometimes need a remote house in the countryside for a particular part of a script. Register for free with locations agencies and then sit back and wait for them to call!

Check out our full article on renting your home for a film set here, for all the ins and outs, pros and cons, and a full list of location agencies!

Useful links

• Craigslist
• Gumtree
• SnaffleUp
• LETSLinkUK
• Boilerjuice
• Fueloildirect
• Liftshare
• BBC Green
• Battery Hen Welfare Trust

For more great ideas on making and saving money in the country, or if you want to post any of your own, then share them on our facebook page: