None of us are a stranger to the fact that living in London means that there’s often a little too much month left at the end of your money. When you find yourself in this situation, instead of thinking ‘ouch’ and then going further into the dark pit of the overdraft when the cash dries up, it’s a good time to face things head on and think about how to make extra money in London.
There are so many reasons why you might need to make some extra money, whether it’s saving to grow your emergency fund, or perhaps to take a well needed holiday. To start with, the absolute best way to get your finances into tip top shape is to first calculate a budget to see how much extra money you need in your bank to help pay for any upcoming holidays, birthdays or events you may have lined up this summer. Then, you can start hustling to bring in that extra money on the side. I have certainly tried out more than my fair share of side projects, some will work, and others won’t, but you are sure to find something to suit you in this list of 20 ideas to help you make extra money in London.
- Ask for a pay rise
The very best way to make extra money in London is by making more money doing what you already do. In order to do that, you need to gather the confidence to ask your boss for a pay-rise. If you feel like you are excelling at work and going above and beyond expectations- and have the proof to show it- set a meeting and ask that difficult question.
- Online Surveys
Surveys can have a bad rep for being slow money earners, but some sites are worth it, especially if you are a commuter and spend lots of time waiting around for public transport- it’s the perfect opportunity to start making some cash!
Yougov provides genuinely interesting surveys and you can quickly build up your points. Once you earn £50 worth of points, you can cash this out in PayPal. Points build up quickly so it doesn’t take long to get to the £50 mark, and you can download the app to make surveys even easier to complete.
OhMyDosh is not technically a survey site, but you can complete tasks (like signing up to an e-book provider or survey site) and get cash for doing so. It’s incredible easy and the best thing about OhMyDosh is that they have ‘lightning offers’ which pay out within 3 days, you can easily make around £10 in less than an hour and cash out within 3 days. Sign up here and get a £1 welcome bonus.
Prolific Academic has a huge variety of surveys available, they are all academic surveys which means that the surveys are interesting and varied. You will never get screened out of a survey as you are never offered surveys which you are not eligible for.
If you want to earn extra income consistently in the long term, I would strongly suggest signing up to the FREE Thrifty Londoner 7-Day Money Making Course.
It is an email course which will help guide you to a long-term side hustle to maximise your earnings. You will also get access to the exclusive Thrifty Londoner Financial Freedom Facebook Group where you can talk to other like-minded people about your goals.
- Free Money Sign Ups
If you’re looking to make a bit of cash quickly and easily, there are some great sign up offers out there:
Sign up to Monese with my referral code LAURA659 and receive £5 when you complete your first card transaction.
Sign up to Monzo via this referral link and receive £5 when you make your first purchase.
Sign up to Curve using my referral code THRIFTY1 and receive £5 when you make your first purchase.
- Matched Betting
Matched betting is a completely legal, risk free, and tax free way of making some extra income. It’s probably the most lucrative way to make some extra cash quickly, and the best site to use to help you achieve this is Profit Accumulator, who explain everything on their website through their helpful and user-friendly video guides.
It is completely feasible to make hundreds of pounds in your first month of matched betting, so if you are looking for a quick cash fix, this might be the side hustle for you.
- Start your own website
You can have your very own slice of the internet for as little as £40 a year. Starting a blog or website will not become a money earner overnight, but within around a year of hard work you could start to see earnings add up, and this could become a regular source of additional income for you.
My preferred domain host is tsoHOST, who have been available to help me with any query immediately on their webchat whenever I have had a problem.
- Become an extra
Becoming an extra and appearing in the latest films and TV shows can sound too good to be true, but it’s not! I know several people who have had great success with being TV extras and have appeared in BBC television shows and films such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald. Upload a profile on Casting Collective and check out their urgent casting calls to make money fast.
- Sell your crafts
Unique, personalised and handmade items are in demand at the moment, and you can make additional income particularly around wedding season in the summer, and Christmas in the winter. Check out my guide to setting up a shop on Etsy and you could soon start to see some money trickle in from your crafts.
- Publish an e-book
Do you fancy yourself as the next J.K Rowling? Publishing your own e-book is a fantastic way to start a passive income stream. If you are particularly knowledgeable about a niche topic- this could be the perfect little money earner for you.
- Sell your unwanted clothes online
eBay is your best friend when it comes to selling your unwanted clothes. eBay allows you to access a huge online market, so it’s easy to get rid of your unwanted things and get a tidy profit from them. Other places you could also try are Depop, Facebook marketplace and even Etsy for vintage items. Find out some top tips for eBay newbies here
- Become a virtual assistant
You can make a great freelance income by becoming a virtual assistant and helping others with their businesses. You can find virtual assistant jobs online on job boards such as PeoplePerHour, but also on more traditional job sites such as Indeed.com.
- Sign up to cashback websites
Getting cashback on your online purchases can often seem too good to be true, I certainly thought this before I signed up to Topcashback (mainly to make use of a free takeaway sign up offer!). However, making most of your online purchases through this site could leave you with an extra £100 or more by the end of the year which could come in very handy over Christmas.
- Sell your old uni books
I have hung onto my old university text books for far too long, they are heavy and take up a ton of space but have come along with me every time I have moved house since finishing university. If you are less sentimental than I am, you can make a nice sum of money selling your old text books online with Amazon.
- Mystery shopping
Mystery shopping, something that often seems… mysterious. But it needn’t be. You can make a nice little side income from being a mystery shopper, and tasks range from eating out at restaurants to shopping at large clothing retailers and reporting back about your experience. Marketforce is probably your best bet to gain access to a large amount of potential assignments.
- Become a tutor
If you are already a teacher, or have some teaching experience, becoming a tutor on the side can be seriously profitable. Register on a site like UKtutors to connect with people in your area who are looking for tutors.
- Make YouTube tutorials
Are you a baking goddess, tech wizard or crochet queen? Going on camera is not for everyone, but if you have a skill that other people want to learn, YouTube tutorials could be a great side income for you.
- Sell your photos
If you enjoy taking photos, you could earn some money from it by uploading your images to sites such as Shuttershock and get paid every time someone downloads your image.
- Get paid for dog walking and pet sitting
People love their pets, and are willing to splash their money on the right kind of care for them. With busy work schedules and trips away from London, people are often looking for people to walk their dogs and feed their dogs when they are away from the city. And the best thing about all of this is that you get to spend some time with actual pets! Once you build up a relationship with a person or family, looking after their pets could be a regular money earner for you. Check out Dog Buddy to find your new furry pal.
- Sell your story
If you have a tale to tell, and want to make some cash from it, you could sell your story to a national newspaper or magazine. Head to FeatureWorld to find out more.
- Flip items for profit
If you have ever read or watched Girlboss? If not, get on Amazon and Netflix now! It tells the tale of how Sophia Amoruso made her first million dollars through buying and selling (aka ‘flipping’) clothing for profit. You may not make a million, but buying and selling clothing can see you turn a tidy profit each month. Head to your local carboot sale or charity shops to find your wares and get selling on eBay or Depop- here are my top tips for selling on eBay.
- Attend a focus group
You can get paid to give your opinion of new products and services before they hit the market by attending a focus group. Register with Take Part in Research to find out about any opportunities available near you.
That’s the list of 20! I would love to know if you try any of these out in the comments below…
You might also enjoy reading my guides to free things to do in London and 50 money tips to improve your financial outlook.