Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
How to make £50 on the side before even going to work
Nadia Krige
31st Jan 2020
Ever wished you could make extra money outside of work, but just don’t have the time? Well, we’ve got a little secret to share with you: it’s not actually that hard!
Here are a few quick and simple ways to make £50 on the side before even setting out for work in the morning:
- Do online surveys
- Sell your used toilet rolls
- Sign up for mystery shopping
- Sell second-hand clothes on Instagram
- Enter competitions
- Take part in matched betting
- Rent out your garage
Do online surveys
If you’re looking for something that takes minimal effort, completing online surveys will be perfect for you.
All you will need to do is get up an hour or so earlier in the morning, open your laptop and start clicking away.
Whilst doing online surveys for money won’t provide you with a steady, substantial income, paid surveys are a great way to make cash for very little effort. It’s an especially rewarding route to take if you’re looking to save money for a specific purpose, such as your next summer holiday.
So, how do you get started? It’s as easy as:
- Register with several online survey sites
- Check your inbox regularly for new surveys
- Trade your points for cash or vouchers
- Start saving!
Here’s a list of great survey sites to try:
Read our article about online surveys to find out more.
(*bold links are affiliates. It doesn’t cost you a penny but helps keep MoneyMagpie going!).
Sell your used toilet rolls
While most of us toss the little brown tube at the end of the toilet roll into the recycling bin without a second thought, a lot of people actually treasure them for the infinite DIY possibilities they hold. Popular uses for toilet roll tubes include the making the insides for home-made Christmas crackers, kids’ crafts, the basis for seed-covered bird feeders and the likes.
So, why not start saving up these little tubes instead of tossing them away? Once you’ve collected a nice stash (say 200 or so), divide them into packages of between 50 and 100 and put them up for sale on eBay, Gumtree or craft-related Facebook groups.
Now, look, you won’t make £50 on the side in one go, unfortunately. However, you will be generating a small and steady income from something you have at your disposal already! It’s a pretty sweet deal!
Read more about making money with your used toilet rolls.
Go mystery shopping
If you’ve always dreamed of being a secret agent and love to get freebies, there could simply not be a better way to make money outside of work than mystery shopping!
As the name suggests, you basically sign up to test the quality of services and products at shops, restaurants and online outlets without revealing that you’re there with ulterior motives. Your meal will normally be paid for by the mystery shopping agency you signed up with once you send them feedback about your experience. You can also expect to earn £5 – £25 per task.
So, basically, you can fill your weekends and evenings with fun FREE outings and then send your reports in the morning before work to earn a pretty neat little income.
Read our article about mystery shopping to find out more!
Sell second-hand clothes on Instagram
Do you often overindulge in retail therapy and then regret it a few days later when none of the clothes you bought seem that great after all? Well, if you have a closet full of buyer’s regret, get it off your shoulders by selling your unwanted items on Instagram!
It’s going to take some effort to get a profile set up and then photograph your items your items photographed properly, so they look their best. However, once you have all that in place and your items loaded on your profile, it’s a pretty good latent residual income.
When someone wants to buy something, they will contact you via DM or email and all you have to do is package their product and send it off via post or courier.
If you have some really unique pieces in your wardrobe or even designer goods, you’ll be able to make £50 on the side really easily in a single sale!
Read more about selling your stuff on Instagram.
Enter competitions
There are loads of competitions offering incredible cash prizes. All you need to do is keep your ears and eyes open and take the time to enter them thoroughly!
One of the easiest ones to enter is undoubtedly Pick My Postcode (formerly Free Postcode Lottery). All you have to do is visit the website, enter your email address and postcode and check back later to see whether you’ve won.
You can win anything from £5 on their flash draw, all the way up to £500 on their main draw – more if you manage to snatch a rollover.
There are a whole lot more worth checking out, however, so read our article on making money with online competitions to get clued up. It’s really a super easy way to make extra money outside of work!
Take part in matched betting
Matched betting is growing in popularity, thanks in no small part to the potential to earn a regular income ranging from £500 to £1,000 per month for only a few hours’ work each week.
It’s a great option to make extra money without impacting on your family or social life. Despite the link with gambling, matched betting is risk-free and guarantees to make profits from the huge range of betting promotions available from online bookmakers.
If this sounds like an exciting side hustle to you, read our article on matched betting to find out more.
Rent out your driveway/garage
If you live close to a station or in a busy, urban area with little parking but lots of businesses and don’t use your drive or garage yourself, you could make money by renting it out.
Depending on where you live, you can earn from £40 to £350 a month by doing this. Plus, there are quite a few websites offering to work as the middle man for this kind of rental, so you wouldn’t even need to deal with the admin or finances yourself!
All you will have to do is set up your profile on one of the sites and approve who will be able to use your garage or driveway. It’s really super simple!
Read more about renting out your parking spots.
Good tips for making some money.