Since starting the matched betting mum blog, it’s always been my intention to broaden the scope. Any extra pennies we can find really do add up. So I want to share as many money making tips as I can and offer money saving advice for everyone out there. At the moment my main focus is on sharing all the information I have about matched betting. That’s why I’m so happy to have joined up with Thrifty Mum, a fellow blogger, who offers money saving advice on her site. I’m really pleased to welcome her here with a post about how to make extra money online. 

A big thank you to Matched Betting Mum for having me and letting me share my money making ideas with you all.

With Christmas just around the corner, we’re all looking for ways to tighten our belts or earn a bit of extra cash to help pay the bills. I’ve put together my three top ways to making extra money in your spare time.

1. survey sites

There are some really good survey sites out there which you can earn £30-£40 a month in either cash or vouchers. Most surveys only take a few minutes of your time, so if you only get a chance to sit down for a quick cup of tea, you can easily fit in 3-4 surveys. My two favourite, higher paying sites are:

1. Prolific Academic – this site is good as you won’t get rejected for surveys. It only gives you surveys that you are eligible for so you are not wasting your time to just be kicked out. These surveys normally pay around £2 each and take around 5-10 minutes to complete. You can cashout once you reach £5 but will have to pay the PayPal fees if you withdraw less than £20. I have found that I can easily get to over £20 in a month so I normally save it up and cash out just once a month.

2. Valued Opinions – this site pays you in gift vouchers and there are lots of retailers to choose from. My favourites are Argos or Amazon, I tend to save them up and use them to buy birthday presents. With Christmas just around the corner, this is a great way to save. The surveys on this site are normally between 50p and £1.50 and take around 10 minutes to complete.

2. Selling unwanted items

Now is a good time to start clearing out any clutter you have lying around the house. It’s good to get rid of anything you don’t use anymore, plus it also frees up space for all those toys kids get at Christmas!

There are lots of things around the house that can easily be sold on for a few pounds. Best sellers are kids clothes or toys. I find these always sell well as they aren’t used for long so are normally in excellent condition. The best place to sell is on facebook selling groups, these are also the easiest way of selling as the buyer comes to you, you don’t need to worry about postage and packaging like you do on eBay.

If you have lots of books lying around that you won’t read again, you can now sell these on Music Magpie, along with any old CDs or DVDs you won’t watch again. You normally only get a few pence per item but if you have lots to get rid of then it will soon add up and can be added to the Christmas fund. Music Magpie also collect from your house so it saves you a job.

3 cashback sites

I’m a real fan of cashback sites, any online shopping you do, go through a cashback website first and they pay you a percentage of the cost back. I do a lot of my Christmas shopping online so I always check for cashback first. I also go through these sites when buying car or home insurance, they normally have high percentage cashback rates, I got £25 back from my car insurance this year! It can sometimes take a few weeks to be rewarded the cash but it is also a great way to save. If you do all your shopping online, you van build up your cashback savings pot and by the end of the year you could have a nice amount waiting for you.

The two most common sites are Quidco and TopCashback. Using these sites is pretty much just free money as you’re already shopping online so you may as well get a little cashback each time. Both of these sites also have sections for “free cashback”, where you don’t even need to make a purchase with them. I highly recommend both of these pages for making extra cash.

For more money making tips and how to save money, pop along and take a look at my website and let me know if I can help you out with anything.

Thank you once again to Matched Betting Mum for having me.