5 unusual ideas to make some quick money

Last Modified 16th of February 2021

We’re not talking about starting a business per se, although of course that is certainly one way to make some extra money – but not everyone wants to start a business and then have to cope with the stresses of running one.

This post is for people who need to or want to raise a little extra money to help pay for a holiday, a car repair or just want to get that last little bit of debt paid off. If that sounds like you, read on for some inspiration, and good luck!

Sell Your Old Mobile Phone

Sell your old mobile phone

Most people these days have pretty nice mobile phones that do all sorts of clever things other than actually making phone calls. Chances are good that you are no different; so if you happen to own a fairly new smartphone think of it as tied up capital.

Odds are you don’t use it to its fullest anyway, so unless it is also your calendar, personal assistant, accountant and fitness trainer, you can probably sell it and not miss it too much. Get a cheap handset to make calls and send texts with and free up potentially a couple of hundred pounds.

Sell Your Old ClothesSell your clothes

Believe it or not, second hand clothes really do sell online, particularly branded ones. You might only get a few pounds for an item but most people have a lot of clothes that they never wear, so there is plenty of money to be made. If you find 20 items you can sell and you only get £5 for each of them you will be £100 better off!

Sell your furniture

Now this sounds a bit extreme, but having a big clear out is highly recommended and if you have done the step above you might well find yourself with empty wardrobe space. If you have any reasonable furniture that is no longer needed you might as well sell it on.

You might be surprised what you can get for used furniture and you will also free up wasted space in your home.

Rent out a room

This is more of a long term option but it is certainly a great way to offset the costs of living in your home. Best of all, the government allows you to earn up to a certain amount tax free, so renting out your spare room could be very financially rewarding. If you’re not too keen on the idea but you need the money, just consider a 3-6 month contract, it can supply some much needed money and it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Swap your car

Unless you are already driving an old banger you have good money tied up in your car and that is money that you may be better off using elsewhere. This is an extreme option of course but if money is tight you can often release a few hundred pounds or even a few thousand by selling your luxury car and buying a slightly older model.

You don’t have to drive a beat up old car, just going a couple of years older will often save you over a grand and if you use that money to pay off your debts you will be able to live much more comfortably for it.

Credit CardBalance transfer

The final option isn’t really a way to bring in extra money and it should ideally be the last thing you do (after all of the above). But if you have loans you want to pay off and if your credit is good, you might be able to pay off those debts using a credit card and then apply for a balance transfer so that you can have that balance interest free for a year or so. This is a great way to put off your payments if money is tight and also save on interest – as long as you can get it paid off by the end of the interest free period that is!