With the inflation rate rising fast, sending living costs through the roof, here are five easy ways to use apps and websites to boost your bank balance.
Fuel costs are soaring, inflation is on the rise, and our pennies are under pressure. So if you’re feeling the pinch, try out these ways to make some extra cash online, whether it’s selling clothes you no longer use, doing paid surveys, or helping children improve their academic skills.
LINGO LOLLY
If you speak another language, offering translation services or language lessons can be a great way to earn some extra money.
With language website italki, for example, you can earn up to around £60 an hour by offering lessons as either a professionally-certified teacher or simply as a native or near-native speaker who enjoys teaching.
The application process is relatively simple and, if you’re successful, you could be giving your first lesson within a few weeks.
If you would prefer to work on written documents, you can also become a paid translator by joining gengo, a crowdsourced translation service.
It’s free to set up an account and the site claims that, with British English as your main language, you could soon be earning hundreds of pounds a month.
But you’ll have to pass a two-part test in your chosen language pair, as well as a Pro test to qualify for higher-paid jobs.
DECLUTTER YOUR SCHMUTTER
Selling unwanted clothes and accessories online is probably the easiest way to get an immediate cash injection, while also doing your bit for the environment by reducing fashion waste.
With Vinted, for example, you can put a listing live in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is download the free app, add photos and a description of the item you want to sell, set your price, and wait to hear from interested buyers.
Other apps and websites worth considering include Vestiaire Collective, which specialises in high-end items such as designer handbags; and eBay, which attracts potential buyers from all over the world.
If you’re clever with your hands, you can also sign up to Etsy to market your creations.
TRAIN THEIR BRAINS
Looking to earn some extra cash to pay your way through uni? MyTutor is a great place to start.
The idea is to link up cash-strapped students with school children and teenagers in need of extra support in subjects such as maths, geography, and biology.
You can earn up to £20 an hour right from the word go – potentially more as you gain experience – and all you need is a laptop and a WiFi connection.
But the site does look for:
- students or recent graduates at one of 60 listed UK universities;
- people with A grades in Maths, English or Science GCSE or A-Level.
Future tutors must also fill in an application and do a 15-minute video interview with someone from MyTutor HQ.
CASH FOR QUESTIONS
With online surveys, simply sharing your opinion could increase your annual buying power by up to £200.
The easiest way to get started is to register with a site such as iSay (formerly Ipsos), which then send you alerts for surveys aimed at people like you.
You’ll generally have to spend around 15 minutes answering questions, but in return you’ll get a predetermined number of reward points that can then be redeemed as vouchers for retailers such as Amazon and John Lewis.
You can also earn up to £100 by joining a market research focus group, many of which can now be done through Zoom, Teams or Skype.
Companies worth following on Facebook if you’re keen to take part include Saros and Angelfish Opinions, which runs lots of online groups.
EARN A BOB FROM ODD JOBS
From hairdressing to BBQ assembling, sites such as Airtasker match people who need jobs doing with those who are able to do them.
Customer users simply post the task they need done, then look through the profiles of the relevant ‘Airtaskers’ in their area.
If you as a potential Airtasker are picked, and you’re happy with the fee being offered, you then contact the customer to organise how and when you do the job.
You can also boost your chances of getting work by contacting customers to complete a listed task.
Payments are made through the site’s secure payment system, through which Airtasker claims you can earn up to £2,900 a month if you put the hours in.
Signing up is free, as is pitching for work. There is, however, a service fee on any payments you receive.
