January 3, 2019

Twelve Great Ways to Generate a Sideline Income

Nick Making Money events 1 Comment

I thought today I’d share some of my favourite ways of making a bit of extra cash.

These are methods I have discussed previously on Pounds and Sense, so I have linked to some other relevant posts from the blog where appropriate.

1. Prolific Academic

Prolific Academic is a platform used by academic researchers world-wide to recruit participants for online studies and surveys. These are varied and interesting, and I’ve earned almost £300 to date by doing them. For more information, see my blog post Make Money and Help Academic Researchers With Prolific Academic.

2. Matched Betting

Don’t be put off by the name. Matched betting isn’t gambling. Rather, it’s a way of taking advantage of bookmaker special offers (mostly online) to generate a risk-free profit. I’ve made about £2,000 (tax-free) from matched betting, and know of other people who have made five-figure sums.

I’ve written about matched betting on various occasions on Pounds and Sense. You can read my introductory article Can You Make Money From Matched Betting? here. Note that for beginners I highly recommend subscribing to the Profit Accumulator advisory service, which has in-depth video tutorials and valuable (arguably essential) online tools for matched bettors, such as calculators and odds-matchers.

3. Online Auction Selling

There are lots of ways to make money from online auctions, generally using the world’s favourite online auction site eBay. The simplest method is to sell items from around the house you no longer need, from children’s toys and games to clothing and collectables. If you want to go beyond this, though, you can buy items cheaply from wholesalers or other sources and sell them on for profit (note that income generated this way is potentially taxable). Check out this guest post Twelve Top Tips for Selling on eBay by my fellow money blogger Luci Oliver.

4. Renting Out a Room

This is undoubtedly an old-school method, but if you have a room in your home you’re not currently using, you could make steady money from it by taking in a lodger. The government encourages this through its Rent a Room Scheme, which lets you make up to £7,500 a year tax-free by renting out a room in your home. If you don’t want a full-time lodger, another option is to take people on short stays using the well-known Airbnb platform or one of its rivals. See my blog post Boost Your Income by Renting Out a Room for more information.

5. Blogging

Could 2019 be the year you start your own money-making blog? I do, and there’s no reason you couldn’t as well!

If you’re not quite sure what to blog about, ask yourself the following  two questions:

1) Are you at least curious about the topic?

You don’t have to be an expert or 100% passionate about your blog topic to generate income. But you do need to be at least curious to learn, because if you don’t enjoy learning about your blogging topic, it’ll show in your writing, and you’ll run out of ideas. Nobody reads blogs that have no character or point of view.

2) Are other bloggers already making money in your niche?

It’s important to pick a niche that is proven to make money. The easiest way to see which blog niches are profitable is to see how many other bloggers are active in the niche in question. If nobody is competing in your space, there’s a very good chance the market is too small or unprofitable. Don’t be afraid of competition. Your experiences and distinct voice will make your blog unique. You can stand out even in a saturated market.

Starting a blog is easier than you think. Slasher Career has a great How to Start a Blog in 15 Minutes tutorial. Check it out!

Once you have a blog up and running you can monetize it in various ways, including advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and so on.

I plan to say more on Pounds and Sense in the coming months about blogging, but for now you may like to start by reading my review of Blogging Secrets, an in-depth course on blogging for profit by my colleague Jenny Lord. See also this recent guest post, Five Things You Really Need to Know About Monetizing Your Blog, also by Jenny Lord.

6. Freelance Writing

This is another thing I do myself – indeed, for many years I was a full-time freelance writer (I’m semi-retired now). It’s a competitive field, but there is still plenty of money to be made. You don’t need to be Shakespeare either, just have a reasonable grasp of written English and be willing and able to write what the market wants. Check out My Top Ten Tips for Making Money as a Freelance Writer here. You can also read my posts Should You Write a Book? and How to Publish Your Own E-book on Kindle.

7. MobileXpression App

If you have a smartphone, this is a really easy way to make money from it. Just install this app (which tracks your browsing anonymously) and every few weeks you will receive a £20 Amazon voucher for your trouble (Amazon vouchers are pretty much as good as money, as you can buy almost anything there!). You can read my full review of the MobileXpression app in this post.

8. Become a Viewing Agent with Viewber

If you have a bit of time available in the day and/or at weekends, you could earn a sideline income as a viewing agent for Viewber. This company recruits freelance viewing agents to conduct property viewings on behalf of local estate agents who don’t have the staff available to do it themselves. As a Viewber (the name is also used by the company to describe its viewing agents) you will be asked to attend a property at a specified date and time to show a potential buyer or tenant round. You will receive a set fee and travel expenses for doing this. This opportunity is open to anyone and you don’t need any experience in estate agency. For full details, see my post Earn a Sideline Income as a Viewing Agent With Viewber.

9. Be a TV or Movie Extra

This is another opportunity that won’t make you rich but can certainly generate a useful sideline income and provide a lot of fun into the bargain. As an extra, you’ll make some money, get a chance to see how movies and TV shows are made, and even become immortalized on screen. For more information (including my own experiences!) see my post Earn a Sideline Income as a TV or Movie Extra.

10. Offer Your Home as a TV or Movie Location

If you don’t fancy appearing in films or TV shows yourself, maybe your home could do the job for you? Obviously this opportunity won’t be suitable for everyone. You need to live somewhere with characteristics or features that might be in demand by a production company. You definitely don’t need to live in a stately home, though. A huge range of properties is required, so wherever you live there’s a chance it could be the perfect location for an upcoming project. Read my blog post Lights! Camera! Action! How to Make Money Offering Your Home as a TV or Film Location for the full scoop!

11. Rent Your Driveway

This is another great way your home can make money for you, especially if you live in an area where parking space is at a premium. See my blog post Make a Sideline Income Renting Out Your Driveway or Garage.

12. Be a TV Show Contestant

There are stacks of cash and prizes to be won on TV quiz shows and game shows. For more information – including my ‘insider tips’ – see my blog post Who Wants to Make a Shedload of Money? How to Win Big as a TV Show Contestant.

So there you are – twelve great ways you can generate a sideline income in 2019. For many other sideline (or in some cases full-time) earning opportunities, just click through this link to the Making Money category on Pounds and Sense.

• If you’re a car owner, you might also enjoy this comprehensive article on ways to make money from your car.

Good luck, and as always if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: This post (and others on Pounds and Sense) includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase at the website in question, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This has no effect whatsoever on the terms or benefits you will receive.