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Today there are more ways than ever before to make a bit of extra cash to top up your weekly budget. Most of them won’t make you a millionaire overnight but every penny helps when you’re a student!
The only difficulty is tracking down the money earners that are actually worth doing, and specifically those you may not have come across before.
Allow the experts from Save the Student to share a few hidden gems with you…
Get Paid For “Googling”
Believe it or not there is a company that will pay you for clicking on relevant adverts every time you search on Google, Yahoo, eBay or even Amazon. It’s a tried-and-tested free service called Qmee.
If you’re ok with a little sidebar popping up every now and again when you search it’s a great little earner.
You won’t make big bucks but it’s an easy way to earn a few extra quid for doing something you already do!
Review Music
This is a great one for those who fancy themselves as the next Simon Cowell (or not).
All you have to do is listen to music that matches your interests online, give it a score and a quick review to be rewarded with some lovely money.
It’s worth noting that it can take a while to build up a decent balance on music reviewing sites but we love listening to music (especially if it’s new) and giving our frank opinion.
The leading site in this sector is Slicethepie, who’ll also pay you for recruiting your friends too!
You never know, you might find your new favourite artist at the same time as boosting your income.
Sell Your Skills
Everybody has a skill or party trick that’ll turn heads. But did you know that you could be making money out of yours?
Whether it’s impressions, eye-catching graphic design, simple illustrations or being a little bit odd on camera, you can make £5-10 a pop for carrying out small jobs for other people.
Online marketplaces such as Fiverr.com allow you to set up a profile with whatever you are willing to offer and then buyers on the site pay you to perform your skill.
It could be something as simple as recording personalised birthday messages while dressed up as a banana (yes, really)… the possibilities are endless. There are lots more ideas in this guide.
Place Ads On Your Car
Do you own a car? You could have a money making vehicle (literally) sitting out there on the road.
If you’re not too bothered about driving around with adverts on your car doors then you could earn as much as £60 a month. The best news is that the adverts are easily peeled off and leave no lasting marks.
There are a growing number of agencies offering this opportunity, but for students we recommend checking out UniCarAds.
Set Up A YouTube Channel
We’ve left possibly the most fun way to make money until last.
Starting a YouTube channel and becoming an “online celeb” might appear easy on the surface but, truth be told, not many make it to the big time.
You may have to purchase some recording equipment as well as have a new and exciting idea but it’s not impossible to make good money. You’d be surprised at some of the channels operating from bedrooms that are earning £1,000s every week!
The way to profit from creating videos is becoming a YouTube partner. This means you get paid for impressions and clicks on ads that show up during your video (whatever it may be).
Become A Freelancer
So-called freelancing takes selling your skills to the next level whereby you offer a more professional service to a small number of clients. As a result this path commands higher income for your time.
Freelancing will appeal most to entrepreneurially minded types, with the most common freelance professions being copy writing, graphic design, web design and even social media.
Starting off is now relatively easy thanks to websites such as Elance.com which allow you to advertise your services to a global audience. Once you have a few jobs under your belt you should have some good references and possible referrals.
The real beauty here is that you can work in your own time and on your own terms. You’ll basically be your own boss… awesome!
That was just a quick rundown of a few alternative ways to make money both online and offline in your spare time. We encourage you to have a go at one (or all) of the above and we wish you luck in your money making endeavours!