A lot of our lives revolve around securing enough money to lead a good lifestyle. We head to work, we find side projects, we follow different ventures to secure what we need to put a roof over our heads, pay energy bills, eat good quality food and to enjoy the spare time that we have. Whether you’re looking for quick fixes to secure a little extra cash, or more long term projects that can secure a longer term income, there are options out there for you. Here are just a few that you might like to take into consideration.
Start an eBay or Etsy Store
Selling items online can make you a whole lot of money. A lot of people start out their eBay or Etsy stores by selling secondhand items of their own that they no longer use. This is a great way to secure some quick cash and can also help to declutter your home. However, eventually, everyone will run out of things that they want to sell. This isn’t where your eBay or Etsy journey has to end though. Instead, both options can be a great way to generate cash by selling handmade or other items that are popular. Come up with a product idea and then determine how you would create it. Is it something that you can create yourself? Or is it something that you will need manufactured with processes like SLS. Please note that Etsy tends to specialise in vintage and homemade items, so you can’t sell just anything on there. These sales platforms make selling everything easy and can help you to reach a large audience easily, but they do charge a fee, so make sure to consider this when pricing your products.
Request Extra Hours at Work
Perhaps one of the easiest and most straightforward ways to earn a little extra money is to request extra hours at your job. If your work has extra hours available, this is a simple way to secure more cash in your paycheck. Of course, this shouldn’t be a permanent means of earning more. First and foremost, you don’t want to burn yourself out. Working eight hours a day is plenty enough on your mind and your body and you also need to maintain a healthy personal and social life around your job. This can be difficult if you’re working all hours of the day or unsociable hours. Secondly, it’s difficult to depend on extra hours to meet your required budget, as you can’t guarantee that your workplace will have the extra work available and sometimes overtime might not be an option. For a short term fix, however, this can be a good option to secure some extra income.
Take On a Second Job
As we’ve briefly noted above, you need to make sure that you’re not overworking yourself. But if you really need extra money to get by right now, you may want to consider taking on a second job. This is a simple and straightforward way to boost your total income, as you’ll be benefiting from two incomes. If possible, try to seek a second job that is flexible and that will work alongside your main role with ease. Something with part time hours is necessary, as working two full time jobs will be too hard on you and your body. Common second jobs that people tend to consider include waiting staff, barista work, admin roles, assistant roles and more. Just make sure to manage your hours well and to avoid burn out. Don’t go too hard on yourself.
Seek a More Lucrative Career
If your job simply isn’t paying you enough, it’s time to start considering another role. If you want to stay within the industry, field or area of specialism you’re currently working in, you may want to consider requesting a promotion or pay rise or seeking a similar role in another company with a better pay package. This can feel daunting, but if you’ve been with the company a while and if you are consistently proving your worth, you should be able to get some sort of increase in income. It is a good short term resolution. If you’re willing to change your career path, you can always consider other, more lucrative careers. There are plenty of roles out there that pay well. You just need to choose something you’re interested and make sure that you are sufficiently qualified to be considered for a position. This may mean taking time to train or gain qualifications in this other position to add to your CV. You may also find that you have to start in lower paid roles within the industry and work your way up gradually to the better paying role. This is a longer term resolution, but could see you land a great position later down the line.
Freelance Work
Freelancing is another great way to make cash. When you are a freelancer, you will work for yourself, taking on projects from other companies. You will have to seek out and build relationships with different clients and then complete projects on their behalf. This is offers a lot of freedom and flexibility with the extra work you take on. You can choose when you work – perhaps freelancing regularly or maybe only taking on occasional projects. You get to choose who you work with, what projects you work on, how much you charge for your time and effort, where you work from and what your working hours are. Just make sure that you are taking care of your taxes and other essential contributions. When you are employed, your employer generally deducts these from your salary on your behalf before it even reaches you. When you are self-employed, you need to deduct them yourself and keep them in some sort of separate account or pot to make the payment with your self assessment at the end of the tax year.
These are a lot of options to consider, but hopefully, at least one will cater to your needs and preferences!
