Want to make extra money in London? 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. There are so many reasons why you might need to make extra money in London, maybe you want to save more money and grow your emergency fund. Or perhaps you want to take a well needed holiday?
Increasing your income is a great way to get extra financial security, and a side hustle is a great way to achieve that. You can get started with a side hustle by using your existing skills, but existing skills aren’t always required. Lots of side hustles can be done with no prior experience. Sound good? Let’s dive into this list of 20 ways to make extra money in London.
Ideas for making extra money in London
London is full of people trying to make ends meet. The cost of living in London is skyrocketing, while wages stay largely the same. So what can we do about this? There is only so much we can cut from our budget, and so often the best way to save more money is to earn more money.
1. 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.
2. 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
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
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 incredibly easy. 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
Prolific Academic has a huge variety of surveys available. The surveys 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.
3. 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:
- TopCashback – earn a £10 bonus once you earn £10 cashback as a new member
- Head to Monzo via this referral link and receive £5 when you make your first purchase
4. Matched Betting
Matched betting is a completely legal and tax free way of making some extra income. It’s a 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 possible to make hundreds of pounds in your first month of matched betting. If you are looking for a quick cash fix, this might be the side hustle for you. Sign up here.
5. 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 through ads and affiliate marketing, and this could become a regular source of additional income for you.
Check out Siteground, who have an esteemed reputation for website hosting with excellent customer service, and Namecheap to buy your first website domain name.
6. 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! Several Thrifty Londoner readers 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 or Pop Collective and check out their urgent casting calls to make money fast.
7. 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.
Social media now makes it easier than ever before to make extra money online. You could also sell your crafts via TikTok or Instagram storefronts with success. And if social media isn’t for you? Alternatively, check out local markets which could be a great way to make money in your local community.
8. Publish an eBook
Do you fancy yourself as the next big thriller writer? Or the next E.L.James? 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.
Consider both fiction and non-fiction, and research your competitors to find a suitable gap in the market that you could fill with your expert knowledge. Use Canva to create your book cover, and upload to Amazon for a great passive income stream.
9. 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, Vinted and even Etsy for vintage items. Find out some top tips for eBay newbies here.
10. 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. It’s a great way to make extra money in London.
Fiverr is also a great place to start finding your first freelance virtual assistant gigs (virtual assistants are also known as VA’s). And if you really want to make an extra push? Set up dedicated social media profiles and contact small businesses and content creators to get your first clients. Use Canva to create your business graphics for free.
11. Sign up to cashback websites
Getting cashback on your online purchases can often seem too good to be true, but that’s not the case. Cashback works on the basis that a retailer pays the cashback website a referral fee (aka a commission) for your business when you click through from the cashback website. The cashback site passes part of that commission to you, and keeps some for themselves.
The best cashback websites are TopCashback and Quidco, and by making the most of your online purchases through these sites, you could easily withdraw an extra £100 or more by the end of the year which could come in very handy over Christmas.
Also consider cashback app Cheddar, which is a brilliant new app that allows users to generate cashback on their daily shopping in supermarkets and in stores. The app is connected to your card, so you never forget to get cashback, and it’s all completed automatically. It’s a must! Sign up to Cheddar here.
12. Sell old textbooks
We’ve all hung onto old university text books for far too long. They are heavy and take up a ton of space, but they usually also have a high resale value. Head to World of Books, Amazon, or eBay to sell your old textbooks (it doesn’t matter if you’ve written on them!), and you could make a considerable amount of money back.
13. Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping is something that often seems… mysterious. But it needn’t be. You can make a nice little side income from being a mystery shopper. 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.
14. 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.
Tutorful is another great website to share your expertise as a tutor- especially if you are a teacher yourself. However, teaching experience isn’t necessary- usually you’ll need a degree in the subject that you’re teaching, and you’re good to go.
For more niche tuition subjects like video editing, podcast recording, music lessons and language tutoring, head to websites like Fiverr or Gumtree where you can advertise your services.
15. Create 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.
You can make money on YouTube through ads and affiliate marketing, which could become excellent sources of passive income over time. Sign up to AWIN ad network and start making affiliate marketing income right away.
16. 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.
Bloggers and online news outlets always need stock photos, and so buy taking generic photos you might find that you have customers lining up for them. Think about the photos you see regularly published online on news articles, and see if you are able to replicate a similar style. You can specialise in a subject (for example, health), and create your own niche. You can sell these stock photos to sites like Unsplash, Etsy and Alamy.
17. 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.
If you’d like to offer pet sitting or dog walking in your local area, set up social media pages and create flyers and business cards for your new side business. Ask local shops if you can add your flyer to their noticeboard, and build up customer feedback to establish yourself as small business in your local area. Another bonus? This can often fit around a full time job, especially if you often work from home! Use Canva to create your logo and your flyers for free.
18. 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, you can also join their Facebook group to hear about latest stories that journalists are looking for.
Many pay upwards of £200, but you’ll need to meet niche requirements, and often be happy to be photographed or provide photos for the story.
19. Flip items for profit
If you have ever read or watched Girlboss? 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.
If you already enjoy charity shopping and thrifting, this could be a really fun side hustle idea. It’s making money from your hobby, and the bonus is that you don’t have to feel guilty about spending money on your finds!
20. Focus groups
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.
There are also a ton of focus groups that can be undertaken online on Zoom. Other focus group sites include The Hub and People For Research.
Final thoughts on how to make extra money in London
Making extra money in London can sometimes be a must- especially if the margin between your income and your expenses is pretty slim. Set up a separate bank account for your side hustle income (Monzo is a great one as you can use their pots feature), and make sure that you keep an Excel spreadsheet or Google sheet that tracks your income and expenses. Try to start a side hustle that fits in around your working life. It also helps if your side hustle is something you enjoy.
You’ll have to register as self employed and start paying tax on your earnings once you get over the £1,000 income trading allowance, so keep a close eye. It’s not too daunting to start paying your taxes, check out our guide for everything you need to know about side hustles and HMRC.