How to Earn Extra Money in the UK – 101 Ways For 2021

Whether you’re just starting your retirement planning, trying to support your growing family or at the end of your career and need an extra income to bolster your savings, side-jobs can be the differences between a happy and sad retirement.

Throughout my life, I’ve always had a full-time job and a side-job that helps to pay the bills. The income that I’ve created from my side-jobs has allowed me to travel, save and support my family. The idea behind having a side-job is that one day, I won’t have to work because my retirement planning to will be a success.

I’m not the only person who has a side-hustle. In this recent article in the independent, a study by the Henley Business School showed that 40% of all employees had a second income, and out of those who have a secondary income, 50% put in the extra work because they need the money.

Below are 101 ways to earn extra money in the UK this year that you should think about during your journey to a successful retirement.

Online Jobs

In principle, an online job is being able to make money by simply using a computer and your own knowledge.

Paid Surveys – Marketing is a big business across the UK and very expensive. Rather than companies making mistakes, they’re happy to pay you for your opinion. Paid surveys allow companies to learn what their target audience looks like and how best to utilise their marketing budget. Pay-outs are typically between £0.50 to £3 and often take around 15-20 minutes to complete. Make sure you stick to the major players in the UK such as Surveyspotter and SwagBuckets.

FreeLancer – Across the internet, they are hundreds of websites that have been set up to cater to the online market. This could be anything from basic IT to data entry or even writing flyers and sales documents. Typically jobs will be paid by the hour; however, there’re lots of fixed priced jobs online. Remember, reputation is everything online. A few bad comments where you’ve not completed the job in hand, and it could be complicated to find your next project.

Freelance Writer – To earn a decent living, you need to focus on your portfolio of work. You can build this by either reducing your rates and concentrating on building your rating and feedback or by creating a collection of work on free websites such as Medium.com and Thriveglobal.com. It will take a while to build up your income, but £30-50.00 per hour and more, is easily possible once you’re established.

Proof-Reader – If you have excellent grammar skills, you could look at becoming a freelance proof-reader. Content is often written by product managers who think of ideas, but struggle with formatting and grammar. This is where you come in. Earnings are slightly less than a freelancer writer above, and like above, it will take a while to build up your income as your reputation increases, but £20-30.00 per hour is very realistic. Websites such as Freelancer.com and Upwork.com are great places to find work.

Transcriber – If you don’t want to write but are fast at typing, a transcriber role could be for you. Websites such as Scribie and Speechpad in the US, or Typeout and Trascribe in the UK will pay you to transcribe reports.

Translator – Are you fluent in a second language other than English? Businesses are global these days and always require a freelance translator to be available. Websites such as TranslatorUK and Translate-UK are great places to find work.

App/Software Development – Do you know how to code? If so, you could work at home developing mobile applications or developing software. All you need is a laptop and a connection to the internet. Websites such as Freelancer.com and Upwork.com are great places to find work.

Social Media Manager – Another great online job and another job that doesn’t take much in the way of skill or knowledge. Effectively your job is to manage the social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and a selection of others) of a company and make sure they’re posting the right things on their accounts.

Virtual Assistant – Most companies these days have VA’s (Virtual Assistants) to manage a list of small jobs that don’t need any skills or experience to get done. VA’s typically handle things like scheduling meetings, essential customer support and basic administrative tasks. Websites such as Freelancer.com and Upwork.com are great places to find work

Graphic Designer – You don’t need a degree in graphic design, but you will need a flair for design and know your way around programs like photoshop. Typically, graphic designers will be involved in projects such as infographics, adverts or website images. It’s a competitive environment, but the rewards are enormous for the right person.

Clickwork – carry out small, digital tasks on the internet for individuals and businesses. It’s a quick and straightforward way to earn money from home, requires no experience and you’ll need nothing more than a computer and the internet. On average, a clickworker can earn anything above £7.50 an hour, depending on their skills and experience.

Video Editor – With the increase of video streaming, video content editors are in demand across the internet. You can find clients through freelance platforms such as Fiverr or Valoso. The average hourly rate for video editing is about £15.

Drop-shipping – In principle, this is a great idea that could quickly generate some high income. Across the internet, there are lots of examples of people who make thousands each month, when done correctly. The idea behind drop-shipping is to set up an online shop that sells a specific product. When the product is ordered, the product is shipped directly from the supplier. This means that you never touch the physical product and earn the margin between the price you bought it, and the price you sold it.

Start A Blog – If you love writing and have in-depth knowledge in a specific subject, blogging could be for you. It all starts with writing content for your blog, however, these days setting up a blog is not complicated, and step-by-step instructions are provided. You’ll need plenty of content to attract an audience, however, once you do, there are four ways to make money;

  • Advertising – This is where you get paid for putting ads on your blog. Examples include Google Ads or Exotic Ads.
  • Affiliate Marketing – This is where you refer customers to a specific product via your blog. If they buy it, you get a commission.
  • Digital Products – If you have a product such as an e-book or a course, you could sell it directly on your website.
  • Services – If you provide a service such a cleaner or a gardener, you could sell your services from your website.

Online Teachers – The days when teachers are only in demand in schools is long gone. Today there is a huge demand for teachers online either at online schools or as private tutors. Websites such as VIPKID, OnlineLessons.co.uk and Pearson.co.uk are great places to start.

Online Course Creators – If you have learn’t how to use video editing software, could you create a course for others to follow? Creating online courses is an excellent way to build a solid income as a side hustle by teaching what you already know. You can sell these courses on a website, or sites like Udemy and Skillshare are great places to start.

Shopify – If you want to set up an online shop, you could build yourself a shop using Shopify. The platform is one of the easiest to set and use, and with millions of example platforms online, there is a lot of help across the internet. One of my friends runs this this shopify platform selling shoes. Remember, he built this site himself with very limited IT skills or knowledge.

Amazon FBA – Setting up on an online shop is one way to sell products, but it’s not the only way. Amazon run an FBA program, effectively you send your products to an Amazon Wearhouse and sell your products across their website. If someone buys your products, Amazon handle the delivery and simply get paid. In princple, its a very easy business model.

Affiliate Selling – One of the best ways to make money is to become an affiliate seller. The idea here is to build a WordPress review site where you review product and get a commission for selling every product that you promote. The great thing about affiliate selling is that you don’t have to own the product and can simply write a review and redirect sales. As example, Amazon.co.uk has an affiliate program.

Buy/Selling domains – The idea here is that you register a new name or buy a second-hand name off a domain reseller such as sedo.co.uk, and sell onwards for a profit to a new business. Remember, you can both register a new name, but also buy secondhand domain names and re-sell them onwards.

Small Jobs – Websites such as fiverr allow you to sell micro-jobs and random projects. As an example, here’s the page for personal stylist’s, while here’s the page for Health and Fitness. Both are packed full of small offerings with a range of prices.

Merch By Amazon.co.uk – Amazon UK is not only a massive online store, but they also own a selection of business that allows you to make money from your own home. One of these businesses is Merch. The business model works by allowing users to create designs online, which can be printed onto T-shirts. Amazon handles the product page, the T-Shirts the T-Shirt printing, the shipping, and even the customer service, allowing to concentrate solely on your chosen artwork.

Part-Time Jobs

Food Delivery – Food delivery is a big business across the UK. Companies such as Deliveroo, JustEat and UberEats operate in many locations across the UK and continuously require drivers to deliver food. With each delivery you can make between £4 and £5.00, with the possibility to receive tips and fee-boosts during busy periods.

Dog Walking/Sitting – is one of the fastest-growing business in the UK. Depending on where you live, as a dog walker, you can expect to earn between £6-10 per dog for walks that last between 30 minutes and an hour. Websites such as Rover.com and BarkingMad.co.uk are great places to start.

Birthday cakes especially children are both not difficult to make, bit also something that you don’t need specialist equipment. If you have flare for cooking and are able to bake cakes, and can follow same basic food and safety laws, building a website and asking family/friends to spread the word, is not difficult.

Focus Groups – involve a small number of demographically similar people who give their opinion to specific questions. Focus groups are widely used across the market for a range of different products. You could earn £100 for half a days work simply by giving your opinion. Websites such as Code 3 Research and Focus4People.

Work as an Extra – TV and film sets are always in need of extras. If you’re comfortable in front of the camera, you could earn £200 for a day’s work – Websites such as Casting Collective and Extra People.

Product Reviewers – are in demand to test products before the hit the major markets. If you have a spare hour, you could test products and write a short review of that product. Market research sites such as PaidProductTesting will send you products to test, while website such as UserTesting, Webusability and TestingTime require you to test digital products.

Residential/Commercial Cleaners – there is always demand for good reliable cleaners to work in a shift environment, either in private residences or even in commercial offices. Remember if you can only work evenings, commercial cleaning is your way forward, as typically companies are looking for cleaners to work after the employees have left to go home.

Pool Cleaners – this is a seasonal job, limited to the summer months, but finding someone to show up twice a week and clean your pool is always difficult. If you can prove yourself and work hard to build a client base, this could be a great side hustle.

Knife Sharpening – Very few people have good knife sharpening equipment, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a lot of blunt knives waiting to be sharpened. Sales can be as simple as going door to door in your

Baby-Sitting – much like cleaners, there is always demand for babysitters. If you’re reliable and can do a good job, simple word-of mouth will bring new clients to you. If you’re starting out from scratch, websites such as Sitters.co.uk and Childcare.co.uk are great places to start.

Carpet Cleaners – Very few people have carpet cleaning equipment and with most people rarely having their carpets cleaned, this is a good business to be in. Set up costs are low, and you can pick and choose when you want to work.

Computer Repair – do you know how to fix a computer? Most people barely know how to switch it on, let alone fix it when it runs into problems. Much like babysitters above, a simple advert in your local newsagent and word or mouth will get your side business up and running.

Uber Driver – If you own a car you could become an Uber Driver. If you work hard, you could earn upwards of £1,500 per month after you have paid Uber and the expenses of running your car. For more information on becoming an Uber driver, see the requirements here.

Mystery Shopper – For those than like shopping, how about combining shopping and earning money. Major companies use mystery shoppers to measure quality of sales and service, or to gather specific information about a market or competitors. Websites such as MarketFroce.com and Assosia.com are great places to start.

Write a Book – If you’ve got a good idea for a book and enjoy writing, how about using those creative skills to write a book. It’s not an easy and process and not something you’re going to do this weekend, but with a lot of work, you could write your own book. There are three types of books you could write;

  • Kindle Book – Amazon makes this process very easy
  • PDF Book – create a pdf and upload it to pdf book website
  • Paperback Book – KDP Print service. The service is print-on-demand, meaning you don’t need to stock a garage full of books. After you upload your files and set your prices, Amazon prints and ships out each copy as customers place their orders.

Audio Books – Why stop with writing a book, create an audiobook. If you don’t want to use your own voice, you could hire a professional narrator.

Voice Over – As mentioned above, you can write a book and pay a professional narrator or possibly you could be the narrator.

Picture/Photo Licensing – If you have a passion for photography, you can make money selling your photo’s online. Websites such as Dreamstime.com, Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and Fotolia are great places to start. Generally website will pay you by the picture sold, and with the commission at around 30%, you’re going to need thousands of photos to make money. That said, there are people earning thousands each month.

Calligraphy – Fancy invitations for wedding and birthday is big business. Check out Etsy Calligraphy section.

Investing Ideas

Yes I understand that you need to have money to invest, but if you do have some money saved, it’s a great idea to make sure it working for you in the right way.

Peer to Peer Lending – Have you heard of peer-to-peer lending? It’s a financial system that matches the borrower with investors that are willing to fund their loans. As an investor, you are acting as the bank, which is pretty neat. Using a service like Lendingworks.co.uk is a great way to act as a lender and earn interest on your money.

Saving Accounts – Its estimated that 40% of money held in current accounts and saving accounts, pays no interest. Virgin Money is currently paying 2% interest, meaning that your missing out on 20 interest per year, per thousand that you sat in your account.

Premium Bonds – How’s your luck? Each pound you invest in premium bonds gives you one ticket to the grand draw with a chance of winning a million pounds. While there are two one million pound prizes drawn every month, there are also lots of smaller amounts drawn each month.

Stoozing – with a lot of credit cards offering zero percent interest, its easy to take advantage to make money. The idea behind stoozing is to do all your spending on a interest free credit and save that money that you would normally spend paying off those credit card, and put it in a high interest savings account. While in this low interest rate environment that we’re having now it probably will not make much, if interest rates rise, it could be very profitable.

Check Your Benefits – Websites such as Entitledto.co.uk are a great way to find out what money you’re entitled to.

Rental Properties – Do you have a second property? Could you rent your property to tourists visiting the area. Short-term rentals are a great way to make extended profits, however its very seasonal, with most being in the summer months.

Stock-Market – making money from the stockmarket is easy in principle, you buy stock and shares at a low prices, and sell once the price has increased. In reality its a little more complicated, however with practice, you can make money through the markets.

Sell At Home

I would classify this to be where you own the physical product which you sell. As example, I met a person recently who was combing through a car boot sale, buying products which he said he would sell.

Car Boot Sales – this is one of the best ways to sell your old or unwanted household junk. One man’s junk, is always another man’s treasure. It’s possible to take this a step further and buy things that you could sell at a car boot sale.

eBay and Facebook Groups – the idea here is that you buy products that you can sell on eBay or Facebook groups. It’s possible you could combine this with car boot sales above, by either buying from a car-boot sale and selling on eBay, or visa-versa.

Sell Your Recipes – My wife is a brilliant cook, but I recently learnt that she buys most of her good recipes online. If you’re good at cooking and enjoy testing out new recipes, you could sell your recipes online through website such as Etsy and RecipeYum, or you could start your own food blog as the opportunities to make money through blogging are endless.

Baby Clothes – websites such as Netmums will help you to sell your old baby clothes.

Gold – If you have spare jewellery and gold, you can use website such as HattonsJewels and TheLuxuryHut to sell items you don’t use, or you could use your creative skills and melt down the gold to produce new items that you could sell on Etsy.com.

Sell Your Old Mobile Phones – Sites including Envirophone and Mazuma Mobile offer an instant quote for smartphones – even if they’re damaged.

Old Gadgets – Mazuma Mobile and MusicMagpie will pay you for other old gadgets including tablets, Kindles and smartwatches.

Recycle old CDs, DVDs and Computer Games for cash. Websites include Ziffit, CeX and MusicMagpie.

Sell Books – Websites such as Ziffit, and MusicMagpie

Unique Products – If you’re creative and can build unique products, Etsy is the place for you to sell your goods. My wife is often buying creative and unique jewelry and presents from the site. Check out Etsy here.

Use Your Home

The idea here is to use your home to make money. If you’re anything like me, you probably only use half your home, and potentially you could make money out of the bits that you don’t use everyday.

Spare Room – The government allows you to rent out a room tax-free as long as your earn less than £7,500 a year. Websites such as Easyroommate and Spareroom make find a tennent to rent your room, very easy.

Short-Term Rentals – You could take it a step further as use websites such as AirBnb to rent out the room for a higher price, on a short-term basis. Rooms area always in high demand, especially in busy town centers or next to sporting/social venues.

Home Rentals – You could use AirBnb to take it a step further and rent out your whole home when you’re on holiday. This would offset the cost of a holiday at the very least, or depending on where you live, pay for the entire holiday.

Rent Out Your Car – If you’re anything like me and get the train to work, your car spends most of its life sat on the driveway, not being used. As a result, you could easily rent it out to people who want to use it for a few hours. Check out this blog post by Sana Shaikh who made £25,000 simply by renting out her car. Website such as Zipcar.com and Getaround.com are great places to start.

Advertise Your Car – If you don’t want to rent out your car, you could always use it as an advertising platform. Companies such as CarQuids.com will pay you a monthly fee to have advertising down the side of your car.

Rent Your DriveWay – If you drive to work each day, you could try to rent out your driveway to those who work locally and need parking. Websites such as JustPark and YourParkingSpace are great place to start.

Your Work Parking Space – If you don’t use your parking spot during your working hours you could easily rent to out to someone else who needs to park.

Home Rentals – This really does depend on your home and where you live, however its possible you could your home out to film or TV production companies.

Storage Space – Do you have a spare garage that you don’t use? You could rent it out to people who need storage space near you. Website such as Storemates could help to rent it for you.

Garden – this would not really make you money, but it would save you from having to buy the products in the first place. You could use your Garden to grow vegetables, or possibly keep chickens therefore

Renewable Energy – Have you installed solar panels or a possibly a wind vane to make electricity? You could take advantage of the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme which you to earn money for every unit of energy that you don’t use and return to the grid.

Rent Your Clothes – Rather than owning clothes littering your cupboard, can you rent them out?

DIY Equipment – Do you have a large selection of drills and DIY equipment, if so you can easily rent it out. I once bought a drill to put up some curtains, I used it once and then sold it five years later for pennies on the pound. It would have been much easier to simply rent the equipment. Website such as Hss.com and Hirestation.co.uk are great places to start.

Music Equipment – is expensive. If you just want to try an instrument, rather than buy it, you can rent it. As a consequence, if you have a selection of musical instruments, you can easily rent them out through websites such as DuetShop.co.uk or James-Music.co.uk are great places to start.

Bikes, Skies and Other Holiday Equipment – I have a bike at home, however I never use it, other than that one week a year when we’re in the countryside. Rather than it being sat in my garage, its rented out

Final Thoughts

Having second income is firmly one of the best things you can do to support your family and save for retirement. If you look at my budget, we could not afford to have two decent holiday each year, without my online business.

Remember, for me my side income is not a full time job, but its vital that it succeeds over the long-term, for my financial security. That said, for of people, their side job becomes their full-time job

TheRetirementBlog.co.uk

TheRetirementBlog.co.uk is written by David Jacobs who is on a quest to retire early and get out of the rat race. David is a financial expert who lives for early retirement. Follow his journey making money, saving and investing to retire early and get the best out of his retirement.

5 thoughts on “How to Earn Extra Money in the UK – 101 Ways For 2021”

  1. Very informative stuff. I really learned a lot of things after reading this thoroughly. Keep on posting. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Yes I recommend Swagbucks. I have been using this website for around 2 years now. You can earn money not only by taking surveys but by other various activities too including playing games and receiving cashback from your favourite shops.

    Reply

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