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Design (and sell) T-shirts, mugs, phone cases & even socks
US-based website Teespring lets you design T-shirts, socks, mugs, iPhone cases and more for people to buy online. It's open to designers all over the world and only takes a cut when your designs sell.
How does it work? You submit designs for items, but Teespring does all the legwork – eg, sourcing blank mugs, printing designs, processing payments and dispatching items to buyers.
You set the price (in dollars initially, but you can change the currency), though there's a standard base price for every item to ensure Teespring covers costs and makes a profit. You can increase your cut of the sale by raising prices, though be aware setting them too high could put off buyers.
How much can I make? Using Teespring's recommended prices, you can make about £6-£9 for selling a T-shirt, £8-£18 for a zip-up hoodie, £3-£5 for a tote bag and £2.50-£5 for a mug.
How do I do it? You'll need to create your design outside of Teespring (eg, in Paint, Photoshop, Adobe InDesign), then select the product you'd like to sell and upload your design. See Teespring's design tips and best practices for more help and info.
Important: You should never copy or use someone else's designs, whether they're from the Teespring site or elsewhere. See its page on understanding trademark and copyright law.
How do I get paid? You'll be paid through PayPal – to set this up, go to your Teespring account settings and enter the email address of your PayPal account. You'll need to verify it, and then you'll be able to request payment for any sales you make.
What if I don't sell anything? Teespring doesn't charge any fees for listing your designs for sale. So while you'll only make money if your items sell, you won't lose anything if they don't.
Do some freelance work
If you've skills in a specific area, you may be able to do a little freelancing on the side.
International project recruitment site PeoplePerHour allows companies to list projects they want completed. Freelancers 'bid' on projects, saying why they'll be the most suitable candidate and entering their price for the work. The site's free to join and bid on work, but a fee is taken out of your pay for each job.
How much? It depends on the job, the duration and skills involved, and how many freelancers are competing for it. The only drawback is you might find yourself competing against workers from countries with a much lower cost of living, who can undercut you.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the PeoplePerHour discussion thread.
Take in foreign exchange students
Renting out a room provides a stream of ready money, and a handy tax break means you can keep a decent chunk of it out of the taxman's hands.
Get in touch with local secondary and language schools to enquire about how often they take students, and the vetting process. This can be a tidy little earner.
How much? Rates of pay vary depending on the level of accommodation you provide, but as a very rough guide you can expect to earn upwards of £80 per week per student.
Find out more: Join the discussion and read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the Take in foreign exchange students discussion.
Solve companies' problems
Several companies put problems online and offer cash to people who can come up with effective solutions.
While not a guaranteed way to grab cash, these can be an interesting, fun, and lucrative way to spend your spare time if you're a business or science boff.
At InnoCentive companies post dozens of challenges offering big money for the best solutions, though they're often quite technical. A typical example's £5,000 for low-cost labelling solutions for reusable glass containers.
Also worth a look is Idea Connection. Register and it sends you email invites to help solve firms' problems for cash.
How much? It depends on the challenge, but top paying solutions can be worth about £600,000 if you come up with a brilliant idea.
Find out more: Join the Solve companies' problems for pay discussion.
Iron out your finances
Set up a professional ironing service, advertising in local shops and newspapers. A good tip is to advertise in the poshest part of town; that way you can charge more.
How much? Ironing businesses generally charge by the item, with 20 items costing around £10. This varies depending on location, so check what other local services are charging.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the Start an ironing servicethread.
Start a 'cottage industry'
If you're a dab hand at arts and crafts, try selling your jewellery and artwork, whether on eBay* or at craft fairs.
Websites Etsy* and Redbubble are designed for buying and selling homemade goods. Some talented MoneySavers make big profits.
How much? Potentially £100s, depending on your time, talent and selling ability. You will have to declare your earnings however. See A tip on tax below.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the Starting a cottage industry thread.
Work, work, work
If you're willing to travel, as well as the obvious McJobs there are many ways for second-jobbers to earn extra cash. You also can maximise what you get from your current job.
Ask for a pay rise at your current job
People are often scared, yet why not simply ask? After all, the worst that can happen is they say 'no'.
Simply ask for an appointment, prepare your points – which should be more about your job role than 'I need the money' – and see what happens. It's just as difficult for an employer to say no when you ask, as it is for you to ask in the first place.
How much? Always remember that if your pay rise isn't as high as inflation (the rate at which prices rise) then your pay is actually decreasing. So why not ask for an 'inflation plus x%' rise, explaining a pay rise at inflation will just keep you level and the x% is because you're now more experienced or better at your job.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the How to ask for a pay rise thread.
Make money being Santa – or one of his helpers
You can make extra money for the festive season by playing Father Christmas or an elf in one of the grottos you see in shopping centres and at winter festivals – and as a bonus, you get the warm fuzzies that come from putting smiles on kids' faces.
What positions are available? The main roles you're likely to see advertised are Father Christmas, elf/helper and grotto manager – and while peak demand is in the couple of weeks before Christmas, some grottos open as early as 1 November.
What are the requirements? A big white beard is not strictly necessary, and your red Santa suit should be supplied to you (though you may have to pay a refundable deposit).
Most grotto operators don't require applicants to have any previous Father Christmassing experience – you simply have to show you're confident, energetic, enthusiastic and good with people in an interview. However, some do ask for experience in acting or children's entertainment.
You'll almost certainly need to have a criminal record check if you don't already have a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. If so, the grotto operator should supply you with an application form and pay for your check – you'll need to give your full name, address, place of birth and passport or driving licence number.
Where are these jobs advertised? Great Grottos is one of the biggest operators in the UK, offering over 700 positions in 60 locations – mainly shopping centres and garden centres – across England, Scotland and Wales.
It enables you to work the hours you want to work between 1 November and 24 December, provides paid training, pays grotto managers a bonus and offers them the opportunity to be a regional manager the following season.
Similar jobs are also advertised by shops such as Hamleys, resorts such as Chessington World of Adventures and event organisers such as LaplandUK on job websites such as Indeed and Monster. But it's also worth trying supermarkets, shopping centres and garden centres near you as they may be advertising.
How much? Great Grottos pays elves between minimum wage and £8/hour, grotto managers £8-£11/hour plus a bonus that's accrued hourly and paid on completion of contract, and Santas £9-£11/hour. Payday is every two weeks.
Rates differ by employer though – Wyevale Garden Centres pays Santas £7.50-£9/hour, the National Trust £8.15/hour, and the Royal Albert Hall £15/hour.
Baby-sit
Watching somebody else's TV and eating their food while the kids lie fast asleep upstairs doesn't sound so hard – and it often isn't. But you must be prepared to deal with the odd stroppy or ill child.
You'll need a proven track record with little'uns, so work for friends, family and neighbours first.
How much? Adult baby-sitters can get up to about £8 per hour, but you'll need to build a reputation first to command this.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions and add your own in the Baby-sitting thread.
Pet or plant-sitting
Also known as house-sitting, this job sounds (and is) fairly simple: maintain a house and look after any animals and plants for anything up to three months.
You need to have no other commitments to worry about. It'll be easiest to sign up with an agency, so be prepared to provide references and expect a thorough check of your background, including any criminal records. After all, would you be happy to leave your home in the hands of a stranger?
The terms and conditions vary from company to company. Some will expect you to be available all the time while some offer work on a more casual basis. Some suggested in the forum include Animal Angels, Platinum Petcare and Nina's Nannies for Pets.
How much? As a guide, Nina's Nannies for Pets pays roughly £30/day, plus travel expenses. You can earn more depending on how many pets you look after.
Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the Pet or plant-sitting thread.
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