Ideas to top up your existing income

If you find yourself frequently short of money after payday, there are many simple ways you could top up your wages. From taking on extra work to reselling unwanted goods, below are some top tips to help you generate that little bit extra to cover bills or save up for something special.

Step one – figure out your goal and how you’re going to achieve it

Working an extra job or selling your belongings takes motivation, so it’s important you first work out why you want to save extra money to give yourself an achievable goal. This will help you stick to the task – and also give you a target to attain. So, you should first start by working out:

• How much do you want to earn?
• How urgent is the money?
• How long are you willing to spend earning the cash?

Step two – think about how you’re going to earn the money

Next, start thinking about ways you could earn this money. This is equally important as you’ll be far more likely to last the course if you’re doing something you enjoy. For example, if you already have specialist knowledge or a skill, you might find ways to put either to good use to start earning extra cash with very little effort. 

Some ways you could generate extra money

Once you’ve set your goal and identified the skills or knowledge you could use to get there, you’ll be in a much better position to achieve your target. Below are just a few ideas to help get you on your way:

1. Sell your unwanted goods:

From eBay to Vinted and Facebook Marketplace, there is now a huge range of online platforms and apps where you could resell the goods you no longer use or want. From clothes to household items or old electrical goods, you can sell almost anything online these days. As a general rule, if you haven’t used an item in the last six months, you probably don’t need it, so try to take an impartial view to help you work out the items you no longer require.

2. Make and sell your own products:

If you have artistic skills, you might use them to produce your own paintings, jewelry, or art. Speaking of artistic skills and developing one’s own art, you can also check an interesting article on diamond painting and diamond painting kits.Again, several sites and platforms like Etsy or Depop where you could sell your unique craft items. 

3. Work freelance:

Most people pick up skills or knowledge through their lives that could be used in some form of freelance capacity. Whether it be specialist expertise of a commercial subject or just an everyday skill that you could reuse in a freelance role, there are plenty of opportunities these days – particularly if you search online. For example, if you drive and own a car or van, you could take on freelance hot shot trucking jobs by signing up to a courier site that will let you find hot shot loads which you can take on at a time that suits you. 

4. Take a part-time job:

Working in a bar, shop, or supermarket at night or on the weekends can be a great way to top up wages without putting yourself under too much stress. Zero-hour contracts are becoming more common these days that will let you pick and choose your hours, or you could enter a fixed-hour, part-time contract. 

Originally posted 2021-07-10 00:09:20.