Boost Your Income

Make the credit card pay you

There are many cards that will give you cashback for your spending. Just use this card for all of your spending. The major warning here is to make sure that you keep track of, be aware of and repay all the spending at the end of the month when the credit card bill comes in. The stakes are high if you cannot do that as the interest rates are very high, but realistically, this move could net you £100’s in a year.

Shop around for the best savings rates

After years of pitiful savings rates, they are starting to rise now. Don’t accept the first rate that you see. Remember, inflation is very high so you need to get an interest rate that is as close as possible to if not more than inflation (although currently, you would do well to find a (safe) way of saving that beats inflation.

Pay off debts with the savings

As mentioned earlier, you’d be very fortunate to find a savings rate that is better than inflation or the cost of borrowing. So if you have a reserve and you feel that you can do without a portion of it, use it to pay off the debt. Its cheaper and you will save money.

(Carefully) use the 0% interest rates on cards

A major public warning goes with this one. Its easy to get carried away with the plastic. But if you have a card that is 0% interest for a period of time and you understand that you can afford what you are buying, it makes sense to spend using that card (until the 0% period ends, when you need to pay everything back – to avoid interest payments).

Sell Your Unused/Unwanted Gear

Ebay seems to be the most lucrative option, but there are many platforms out there that you can use to convert those items that you no longer use. A popular platform is Facebook Marketplace. CDs, games, books and more can realise a great deal of money. Here are a few of the options for them:

· WeBuyBooks

· CEX

· Ziffit

· GameXchange

· Music Magpie

· Gumtree

· Amazon Marketplace

Even packaging and accessories has a good value. This is a graphic I found relating to values on Ebay:

Have the kids grown out of their Lego?

Lego sells by kilo on Music Magpie (£3/kg) as long as you meet the following criteria:

· It has to be genuine Lego. You can't include parts from something similar like Meccano or Nanoblock

· It has to be in good condition. Whole, clean, unworn parts only – any not meeting this criteria may be rejected and recycled, meaning you won't get paid for it

· Round the weight to the nearest 0.5kg. The minimum Music Magpie accepts is 0.5kg.

· Seal it in a plastic bag. You also need to put it in a box so it doesn't get damaged in the post – pack it well as you won't be paid for damaged pieces

Sell the wedding dress for £500

This can be a tough one. It may hold extreme sentimental value. Or you might have the attitude that it is lying in a box in the attic doing nothing. There are a range of platforms to consider for this including:

· Ebay

· Sell My Wedding Dress

· Still White

As well as the likes of Facebook, Gumtree and others.

Recycle Old Clothes

On a similar vein, the typical ‘cash for clothes’ company will pay about 40-60p per kilo.

Rent out clothes

You may have a great outfit – a designer label. Something that cost quite a bit and is just lying around – this might help you recoup some of the expense involved in buying the outfit.

Recycle old printer cartridges for cash

They are not going to make you a millionaire but if you regularly use cartridges, used cartridges fetch approximately 50p on platforms such as:

· Cash for cartridges

· Recycle Ink Cartridges

· Infotone

Recycle your old phone for cash

Depending on the phone, this can be very lucrative and you could sell your old phone on a range of platforms such as:

· Sell My Mobile

· Compare and Recycle

or selling platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Gum Tree, Ebay or Amazon.

Lodger

This is a biggie but with the right lodger, this could be a win-win for everyone concerned. You can earn £7500 a year tax free letting a spare room via the Government’s Rent a Room Scheme.

Reclaim bank charges

If you have been given bank charges and are in financial hardship, it is worth asking for them back. Banks have a duty to be responsible with their charges and for the value of making the contact, this is worth a try.

Claim for pothole damages

If your car or bike has been damaged by a pothole, the local authority has a legal obligation to maintain the local roads and pay for repairs caused by potholes and neglect. Claims are looked at individually but they are worth attempting.

Get paid for online surveys

There is a range of sites out there that will pay you for completing online surveys. Its not a massive income but over time, it amounts up.

Taking it up a notch, if you are a gamer, you can earn £50-£200 road testing new games before they go to market.

Or there is a site called The Viewers where you can give your opinion on TV programmes before they are screened.

Take part in elections

There are a number of roles that people can avail of at election time and get paid for it:

· Poll clerk – Help run polling stations, for example, setting up and handing out ballot papers. You aren't allowed to leave during polling hours, to maintain the secrecy of the vote. This means a long day, as stations are open 7am-10pm, and you'll need to arrive around 6.30am to set up.

· Counting assistant – Count all the votes once polls have closed. The time it takes will depend on how many people vote and whether a recount is needed, so be prepared to stay as long as it takes – potentially overnight.

· Runner – Collect ballot boxes from polling stations and take them to be counted.

Consider Babysitting

You'll need a proven track record working with children, so work for friends, family and neighbours first. Adult baby-sitters can get up to about £8 an hour, but you'll need to build a reputation first to command this.

Become a market research interviewer

The job involves interviewing selected people about all kinds of topics in their own homes, then sending the answers to your set questions back to base. The main companies involves are Ipsos and NatCen and the work generates an average of £12/hour.

Become an examination invigilator

During exam periods in secondary schools, colleges and universities, there's often a shortage of exam invigilators since the teachers and lecturers still have other work to attend to.

Reclaim

There are lots of ways that you could reclaim. Check out our article on Reclaims