***Collaborative post***
We’re living through a financial crisis at the moment, so saving money and making the most of your hard-earned cash is more important than ever. If you’re struggling and thinking of ways to boost your income, here are a few ideas for going about it. Best of all, they can all be done from home.
Blogging
Blogging can become a source of income over time. While it takes time to reach this stage, the process of building it up is fun and allows you to build skills. You’ll improve your writing, your photography, learn about SEO and can even dabble with template design and HTML. If you stick with it and create useful, shareable content then you will start being contacted by advertisers and sponsors who will pay you to advertise on your site. Blogging is cheap to start and you don’t need a lot of equipment or know-how, read some online guides, give it a go and learn along the way.
Rent out a room
If you own your home and don’t have any restrictions surrounding sub-letting then becoming a live-in landlord and renting out to a lodger could be a fantastic way to earn some extra cash. Many working professionals are in need of simple accommodation and only need a room rather than a full house or apartment, so it’s a win-win both ways. You could also rent out to a student if you’re in close proximity to a university.
Start a home-based business venture
Chances are you already have skills that you could utilise, maybe you have a hobby that makes tangible products to sell or perhaps you have years of experience that you can utilise by selling your skills and advice via teaching resources, on Youtube or as a tutor. A home business is something you can run around other commitments such as having children or even around a full time job. If you’re successful, you could eventually go full time with it or simply keep it as an additional source of income. Other projects such as a blog are great to run alongside a home business and can be a way for you to promote what you do, you could also look to build a closed forum for your customers which is a great way to keep your audience interacting with your business.
Sell what you no longer need
Selling things you no longer need can raise some extra cash, free up space and allow you to declutter your home. Things like old antiques and jewellery you dont wear are easy options, but there are companies out there these days that will buy just about anything. From old CDs and DVDs to furniture, clothes and so much more. It can help you to raise a chunk of cash to pay off a debt, put towards saving, to finance starting a business or whatever else you need.
Freelancing
Skills such as writing, art and design skills are in high demand and you can make money from them as a freelancer. Sign up to a freelancing site like Upwork and take a look at the projects, you can ‘bid’ on anything you feel you’re suited to and over time as your rating builds you’ll be more likely to be accepted for further work. If you’re having a quiet month and need to boost your income you can fall back on these kinds of projects.
