Supplementary income ideas

If your household budget needs some topping up, you might be thinking of ways to boost your income. If a pay rise at your current job or switching to a better paid role is not on the cards, consider supplementary income ideas.

In the era of online shopping, a great way to make extra cash is to declutter you home ala Mari Kondo style. Some people tackle one room at a time or hulk it out over one weekend and blitz the entire house. If you’re being ruthless, have three boxes ready to go: things to sell, things to dispose or recycle and a final, ‘maybe’ box. Box one and two are self-explanatory, but hold onto box three and if you don’t use anything from it in a period of time, also sell the contents of it. It can be a little traumatic getting rid of so many items, but think of how much tidier your home will be and the extra cash doesn’t hurt either!

If you find that you enjoy scrolling on your phone or tablet when watching TV, put this additional screen to use. You can find a lot of the best survey sites that pay you in cash to give your opinions on products and services. Some people prefer to be paid in gift cards and use them for birthday gifts which are often forgotten in a household budget. Other survey related options can include market research groups which typically involve you attending a panel discussion or test panel in person. These normally run for 1 or 2 hours and can offer quite a lucrative cash payment. Sometimes you also get free products to test at home and report back. Many of these companies also offer referral incentives if you recruit other people, such as friends and family.

Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr are just a few of the many freelancing sites that you can gain extra work from. Many jobs require specific skill sets, but there are many others where more entry level or manual labour type jobs advertised, such as on Airtasker. So whether you’re a graphic designer or a pro at assembling Ikea furniture, there will be someone out there willing to pay you to do it on their behalf. Some people build up a profile and even switch to freelancing full time once they have an established client base.

For parents who begrudge the rising cost of childcare, you may have considered purchasing a childcare centre that’s for sale to save on the cost of early childhood education. If this investment is slightly out of your reach, consider having a live-in au pair if you have room in your home. This could provide the person an opportunity to not only learn your language and culture, but having an in-house au pair also lends you an extra hand while you attempt to manage your career and handling your child.

If you are a stay at home parent, opening up a family day care in your house will not only save you money but earn you extra as you care for a few extra littlies during the day. You’ll need to complete a childcare course and certain police checks before you get started. This is easy to do nowadays with the national crime check being done online, so it’s easy to prove that you’re allowed to work with children. You can even do it from your mobile while on the go!