3 easy ways to make money

Once upon a time the easiest way make a few pennies (and to get rid of some unwanted rubbish) was taking empty coca cola and beer cans to the recycling centre or selling your unwanted furniture via the local newspaper.  I remember my family doing both of these things when I was growing up and whilst we enjoyed a little bit of extra pocket money, so to speak, we also enjoyed, as a family, a little bit of excitement as to whether the bookcase or the dolls house would sell and how much the dust bin sack of old squashed cans would bring.  Today, even though these methods still exist, there are much more sophisticated ways to earn money.

Buy via Quidco

There are a number of similar websites but Quidco is by far the most popular.  The idea is that you earn a certain percentage of cash back whilst making your normal online purchases with big named companies.  Monies are paid into your paypal account (or you can choose to take an Amazon Gift certificate instead), of which Quidco take approx £5 a year as a fee for running the site.  Sky are currently offering £165 cash back plus £50 Sainsbury's voucher for one of it's deals, along with, EE who are offering an iPhone 5c 8GB £9.99 upfront + £110 cash back.  The site is easy to use which makes it even better.  You can even register your credit/debit card and earn cash back in store and find special deals at participating shops nearby via a nifty little app.

Sell an old mobile phone

Due to our increasing need for the latest gadget we often have old phones cluttering draws.  With thanks to certain websites its easy to get rid of old unwanted junk and be paid.  My favourite site is Mazuma.  There are many sites which you can send your mobile phone to but I find Mazuma to be the least problematic.  I always take a photo of my phone too before I send it, just in case, if you know what I mean.  An unlocked iPhone 4S 16GB will give you £120 currently, slightly less,  £110, for Vodafone and O2 £95 for all other networks.  Still, definitely not to be sneezed at.  You can also opt for Argos vouchers at a max of £132.  Perfect if you're wanting a few necessities for your home.

Sell your photos

Are you trigger happy on your holidays, or just about town, for that matter? If so, you are more than likely sitting on a stack of potential money.  The catch is that you really need to be pretty good and produce some good quality photos.  It's not really a catch, it's just something that requires a little bit more of a specialist skill, and for that you can be paid handsomely.  iStock Photo and Fotolia are just two of such sites.  Most sites require you simply, to sign up and upload your photos.  Different sites have specific and sometimes complicated ways of working out exactly how much you get paid, so it's well worth fully investigating each and deciding which works best for you.

Why not let everyone know if you have some of your own ways that you've made money successfully, or can you offer some of your own tips?  

Knowledge is power(ful)

In my very first blog I mentioned I was interested in taking a course where I could make my money work for me, instead of the other way around.  The obstacle of it being a 3 day course was overcome with a simple switch to a similar course, just not aimed solely at women over my half term.  That I didn't mind as I'm a confident women and not easily intimidated, which is one of the main reasons for a women only course.  An amazing course with a plethora of information.  It really is true that people who are in the know are much better equipped at making the decisions which will affect their lives for the better, with that, I mean knowing ways to find/use money (and not always their own) to make their money work for them.  I was introduced to a term known as 'angels' which since I have seen everywhere.  Well maybe not everywhere but it seems to be popping up on other things that I am associated with like meet up which I've never noticed before.  Angels are basically someone who invest money with you doing the work.  A 'fee' is agreed, usually a percentage interest (just like the banks do) and this is added to the repayment.  Why does this work?  Well for you, you get the cash injection that you need and for them the interest is better than that from putting the moment in a bank.  Let's face it, who's happy with the interest rate their bank gives them? And who wouldn't like more of a return on their savings? Well as an "angel' you get just that.  It works for you too as once you've renovated the property, the selling price is obviously going to be higher than that of the price you paid plus the renovation costs.  The extra money you make pays back the 'angel' and the rest you keep for yourself.  Now clearly it's not that simple but the overall effect is clear.   You don't need to have money to make money.  What you need is the right mindset, a little bit of knowledge and a clear plan.