Earning extra cash

Lucie_2

It sems to me the best thing for you to do is advertise yourself as a bit of a "home help".
Pet minding/Dog walking
Gardening - grass cutting etc - not full landscaping!
Ironing
General DIY & maintenance - painting fences ,cleaning windows etc
Babysitting

Could you start by putting a few flyers in local shops or through a few doors? If you live in a small town then word will soon spread.
One other advantage of this is you get to know people - people with old furniture in their garages that might be just the thing you need............

SnowyOwl_2

What about becoming a cleaning lady in private homes? You could use all the money saving cleaning ideas on here! I understand from a friend that it's difficult to find a good cleaner, so once you get one client your reputation will spread. You could mark yourself out as being a bit special by offering extra services eg doing their shopping, making the family's evening meal on the day that you are there and then giving them a meal plan for the rest of the week! This is what I intend to do at weekends and one or two evenings a week, and during summer breaks, if and when I get myself into university...

Good luck, you're doing brilliantly to keep your head above water.

aliasojo

Hi pavlovs_dog

I hope you don't mind me saying, but I read your original post before it was censored and the remarks about the taxman could perhaps have caused a problem.

As you so rightly said, (can't recall exact wording) many people earn extra without declaring it and I'm not condeming or justifying......it's just that the rules of this site will naturally not allow anything illegal and your post read as though you were basically asking about the best way to earn cash on the side, with the explicit intention of tax avoidance. Asking about ways to earn extra pin money may have been a better way of wording your query rather than money that was 'hush hush'.

I think the board guide's actions in altering your post protected both you and the site tbh. Please don't be annoyed about it, you may feel it was a little harsh, but it's better to err on the side of caution sometimes?

I completely understand your need to make extra cash, I really hope you do well. If you were anywhere near me, I would happily swap the contents of my purse for an empty ironing basket!

Good luck!

sce37

I came across a few students on holiday down in Cornwall doing a roaring trade in hairbraiding young girls hair on the beaches. Could also set yourself a stall at bootfairs, fetes, birthday parties for youngsters.

pavlovs_dog

aliasojo - fair dos, understand completely. ta for ya help.

some really good ideas, things i hadnt thought of.

think the hair braiding is a fab idea, something i could definately look into. my home town has a beach, which is always packed during the summer, and the whole town turns out for the town carnival, so that could be a very good idea

Becles

Can you do face painting?

That is really popular with young children and would only cost you the paints. I would expect to pay 50p-£1 per face, which would certainly cover the costs of paint and equipment.

SnowyOwl_2

• Face painting is a brilliant idea! Believe it only takes a day or two to learn - I have seen it listed in college of FE prospectus. Just make sure you've got public liability insurance before so much as touching a child with a drop of paint! You could make animals out of balloons on the side, basically be an all round kids entertainer then do kids parties.

• If you are good at any musical instrument you could teach that - believe grade 8 to be officially a teacher, but at grade 4 or 5 you'd be OK with complete beginners.

• Maybe you could coach GCSE level students in the subjects you are studying at Uni? Or you could offer 1:1 lessons on internet, word, excel, email etc to people who have a computer but aren't very computer literate.

• What about decorating cakes - perhaps novelty cakes, or if you are brave wedding cakes if the actual cake is supplied to you.

• If you're in a touristy area, what about setting up some escorted walking tours, and use your local knowledge (available from the library!) and charge a fiver to everyone who turns up...if it's only two people that's £10...if it's 10 people that's £50 for the same amount of work! You could leave some nice colourful flyers in the local tourist information shop, they probably wouldn't mind.

pavlovs_dog

awwww... i KNEW i could rely on you guys! the ideas just keep getting better and better!

i quite like the idea of gcse tuition. i did a levels in a broad range of subjects, so i could offer that. also, the subject im doing in uni is compulsary in welsh schools up until gcse standard. the only thing is - it will be over the summer period, and there wont really be any exams up and coming. would you guys (in your role as parents) employ a tutor for your child over the summer even though there were no exams in the immediate future?

also think the hair brading/ face painting/ ballooning could be fun, but its a case of when and where? not sure if i'd need a license to perform/ sell my wares at the town's holiday carnival for instance?

with the 1:1 computer thing - yes i am fairly confident and computer literate, and i have good people skills. but would you be put off by the fact that i am not a professional/ pc qualified person?

SnowyOwl_2

Hi there

I think for some people who find technology and computers a bit foreign they might be intimidated by a highly qualified person. As an ordinary competent and confident user who is willing to train this might be your selling point. It's all the jargon and computing terms that people who aren't used to computers get lost on so you could train people at their level and in their non-technical language, and aim to impart the basics, nothing too fancy, unless they learn fast.

HTH

SnowyOwl

SnowyOwl_2

Hi again

Regards the 1:1 GCSE tuition you could use the fact that end of term/year exams will have just taken place to get business, ie target those who didn't do especially well and need/want to do a bit of catching up in time for their GCSE year. Just a different way of looking at it...don't know what the kids would say about it though!!

SnowyOwl