30 Best Ways To Make Extra Money

Most people at some stage want to make extra money alongside their jobs to increase their income. What people don't realise is that it's actually easier than you think. Whether you want to start a side hustle or start your own business to earn extra money from home, there are lots of ways to make extra money.

Making extra money can give you so much more freedom and the ability to do things such as: 

• go on vacation
• change your life financially
• pay off debt
• save for retirement
• stop living paycheck to paycheck
• save for college/ your children's college

You may even have the ability to turn your side hustle into a full time job if you start making more money than your main job.

You can work as many or as little hours as you want at these jobs and your income is unlimited depending on how much you want to work.

So if you're wondering how to make extra money, then this list is for you.

BEST WAYS TO MAKE MONEY

1. Get paid to take surveys

Survey companies are an excellent way to make extra money and they're free to join and use! You get paid to answer surveys and can make an extra few hundred per month. It's best to sign up for a few different survey sites so you can make money from all of them at once. The best survey sites are:

Survey Junkie
Inbox Pounds

American Consumer Opinion

Swagbucks

2. Pay for things with cashback and get money back

TopCashback has thousands of sites that everyone uses and all you do is pay for your food/shopping/clothes etc. through them and you get money back after your purchase! (I can't say no to a free pizza!)

3. Start a blog

Startring a blog has been an amazing way to increase my income I'm making almost more than my own job from it. Anyone can start a blog and you can write about anything you want! You can set up your blog with Bluehost for very cheap and start earning an unlimited income straight away.

4. Become an Uber driver

If you fancy making some extra money in your spare time and make your own hours then you can become an Uber driver and make more money by driving people locally.

5. Become a proofreader

Caitlin Pyle made $43,000 proofreading in one year. She's had huge success through freelance proofreading and she's set up an online school called Proofread Anywhere with courses on how to get started.

6. Earn through affiliate marketing 

Affiliate marketing is a huge part of my income and you don't need to be social media savvy to do it. You can make money from recommending products and get paid each time someone purchases through your link. I took this course by Michelle Gardner who makes $50,000 per month from affiliate marketing and my income soared after I used her techniques. 

7. Become a virtual assistant

Lots of online business owners, bloggers and social media workers are looking for virtual assistants, which means you can help them with tasks online such as replying to emails, design work and writing content for websites. Kayla Sloan makes $10,000 per month as a virtual assistant and her course 10K VA can teach you everything you need to know to get started.

8. Sell your services

With Fiverr you can offer any service you're good at and get paid for it, such as resume help, writing, web design, digital marketing, composing, songwriting and basically anything you can think of!

9. Create an online course and sell it

If you're knowledgable in a certain area, you can make an online course on Teachable and start selling it to anyone! Whether you've studied a subject at University or you've taught yourself a skill, you can make a course on teachable and make money from you skill.

10. Take an online course to enhance your skills

A great way to make extra money is to start a side job or even change careers to a job with a better income. With Udemy, you can take accredited courses on just about anything and get qualified in a new area.

11. Get paid to watch online videos

With Swagbucks you can get paid for watching videos for a certain number of minutes and they even pay you $5 for signing up.

12. Review websites and apps for cash

You can test websites and get paid $10 for each website you review and $15 per website that you mobile test on sites like UserTesting.

13. Become a dog walker

`What better way to make money than hanging out with animals! There are always people who don't have time to walk their dogs so you can check local ads and gumtree to offer dog walking services.

Read: How to make $120,000 per month blogging

14. Become a photographer

If you have a knack for photography or have always been interested in it, you could start making money as a freelance photographer. You could offer your services as a wedding photographer, bar/club and events photographer and much more. Udemy have a great course on enhancing your photography skills.

15. Become a counsellor

If you want to make money by doing something rewarding then becoming a counsellor is a great idea. Not everyone can do this as you need to be qualified through a local training centre or online but once you're qualified you can become an online counsellor with BetterHelp and earn form home while helping others.

16. Sell your things

If you have spare clothes that you don't wear anymore or old games or furniture, why not sell them on eBay or depop? Some people make huge money from selling on eBay alone.

17. Offer web design services 

If you enjoy working with computers and fancy building websites for others then you could make a good extra income from web design. Udemy have some great courses on how to learn web design and graphic design.

18. Tutor

If you've studied a subject at University or you're qualified in a particular area, why not make some extra money by tutoring local students? Many tutors charge anywhere from £25-60 per hour or more.

19. Teach a musical instrument 

Maybe you play piano or guitar or any musical instrument you've learnt. You can make a lot of money by teaching music on the side and can charge rates from £15 per half hour. Advertise on gumtree or local newspapers/social media.

20. Buy and sell domain names

You can buy popular domain names for cheap and sell them for a much larger price. This is especially good when there's a popular event coming up such as elections. Check out GoDaddy and start searching domain names to sell.

21. Enter online contests and giveaways 

You can enter giveaways and contests from influencers or retailers to win money or prizes. This is pretty much down to luck but it can't hurt to enter a few and try.

22. Start a youtube channel

If you become successful on youtube can you make a lot of extra money from making videos on things you're passionate about. You can also use youtube for affiliate marketing and make money through promoting products. Check out Michelle's Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course.

23. Advertise on social media

If you have a large amount of followers on social media you can start advertising through programs like Amazon affiliates or Affiliate Marketing.

24. Sell on Etsy

If you make crafts, graphics or anything you've made yourself, you can set up an Etsy shop and start selling your creations.

25. Bet on sports games

This one is pretty much down to luck and there's no guarantee you'll win anything but you can bet on sports games if you know how betting works and earn a bit of extra money.

26. Become a mystery shopper

You can get paid to shop undercover in large stores and review your shopping experience. Gumtree usually have mystery shopper ads so check them out in your area.

27. Publish an ebook

If you know a lot about a particular subject or want to write a fiction novel, how-to guide, planner or manual, why not write an ebook and sell it on Amazon? Udemy have lots of courses on how to publish ebooks on Amazon.

28. Sell old books

You can sell old textbooks or novels on Amazon and make some extra money from books you don't need anymore.

29. Babysitting

Babysitting is an easy way to make some extra cash and you can babysit for friends or family or check local gumtree ads for listings.

30. Part time job

Look up local job boards for part time jobs such as bartending, waitressing or sales advisors. Even a 4 hour contract can help you save up some extra money (plus tips!)

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Living With Depression: 12 Things I've Learned

Depression has been a big part of my life for the past seven years and although I wish it wasn't so familiar to me, I've come to terms with it a lot and it's completely changed me as a person. I've had some stages where it was very bad and some where it's been more manageable and even though I still live with it today, I'm continuing to search for a life where I don't have to be so consumed by it.

I've become very familiar with different aspects of depression and these are the main things I've learnt from it.

1. You learn to live with it

Depression has become normal to me. It's an everyday thing that's a part of me now. I didn't wake up one day and think 'Oh, I've contracted depression,' like some sort of flu, but it crept into my life and now I'm living with it! I don't let it define me and I do my best to control it but at the end of the day I've learnt to live with this not-so-pleasent thing and adjust my life to it.

2. Some days are better than others

Don't get me wrong, depression sucks and I wouldn't wish it on anybody, but not all days are as bad as the others. Sometimes you feel like you're never going to escape it and you might have to live with it forever, but other days you see hope and find the motivation to keep going and fight for your happiness and yourself. I'd rather not have it in my life at all, but I've found that depression doesn't have to ruin every day for me, I can choose to rise above it.

3. You forget that not everyone realises you're depressed

When you're depressed, you almost feel like everyone else is depressed and they understand what you're going through or they have the same outlook on life as you. But then you notice people laughing and having loads of energy and you think 'Wow, how can they be so happy?' Then you realise that the majority of the population don't understand what depression is like and that's ok.

4. It's incredibly easy to shut yourself out

When you're depressed and you have a choice of either going out into the world and working, socialising and putting yourself out there, or the choice of staying indoors, lying in bed in your comfortable space, you pretty much try to choose the latter every single time. It's so unhealthy to shut yourself out from the world but it's so incredibly easy to do it as well. I've found the more I push myself to try new things and get out there, the more my depression gets better.

Read: 10 books about mental health that will change your mindset

5. Medication for depression is incredibly normal

The amount of people who have told me they've been on antidepressants or medication for their moods is incredible. I've even had people in my workplace openly tell me that they were on tablets for depression and I was shocked. Shocked that it's such an incredibly common thing and happily shocked that people are openly talking about it and it doesn't feel like it's just me dealing with depression.

6. Medication doesn't always work

Taking a magic pill won't cure your depression. As much as you'd like to think that starting antidepressants will make you feel 100x better and happier, they just don't. Anti-depressants can work really well for some people to increase your mood but on their own, they're not going to do much. It takes diet, exercise, social life, work and many other factors to properly combat depression, not just tablets alone. 

Counselling is a brilliant way to fight depression and I've found it hugely successful. Try online counselling today from the comfort of your own home.

7. Social media is your worst enemy

Social media has had a huge impact on my depression. The internet can be a very lonely place and make you very isolated. It's ok in moderation but trying to distract yourself from your own life through things online can only lead to worsening your mental health.

8. You get used to having very little energy

Along with your motivation and positivity, your energy levels can drop pretty low. Especially if depression is making it hard to exercise and get out and about, your metabolism will get very slow and can cause weight gain, along with late nights distracting yourself by watching netflix or being glued to your laptop, depression can mess your sleep schedule up pretty bad. The best way I've found to combat this is force myself to go for walks and get outside and limit distractions.

9. It's hard to be motivated to do anything

Simple tasks can seem like the hardest things to do. Even easy things like taking a shower or brushing your hair or changing your bed sheets can seem almost impossible.

Read: How I live with a life changing anxiety disorder

10. You can't remember life before depression

Depression can become a normality, which is a pretty scary realisation when you can't actually remember how you used to be happy everyday and full of energy. You can't remember a starting point of being depressed and you definitely can't remember what it feels like to not live with depression.

11. It's frustrating when you can't explain that you have depression

There are a lot of times when you want to cancel plans or just say no to invitations or make up some stupid excuse as to why you can't meet up with people and you wish you could just say, 'Hey, sorry I'm feeling pretty depressed today so I can't make it.' Unfortunately it can be too hard to tell people you have depression, especially people you're not very close with and you wish they could just understand your situation.

12. The decisions you make are the best cure for depression

I've found that out of medication, therapy, counselling and online help, the only way I can cure my depression is to make the decision to do it myself. Anti-depressants can only get you so far and although counselling and CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) is extremely helpful, it's YOU who has to put it into practice and take the steps needed to make your depression better. I have to make myself get out and exercise, join a group, change my job, start a course, take a class etc. to put myself out there and stop hiding myself away to let the depression worsen.

These are very important lessons I've learned from living with depression and understanding this horrible mental issue is the best way to combat it and beat it for good. Whether you've dealt with depression, anxiety or ocd, you can take the steps necessary to give yourself a better and happy life.

Try BetterHelp online counselling here

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17 Best Young Adult Books You Need To Read

Whether you're a young adult, millennial or just love a good interesting read, these YA books have amazing plot lines, twists and will leave you inspired, emotional and thrilled from the first page to the last. You don't have to be a young adult to enjoy these, just a lover of interesting and hard to put down stories.

1. We Were Liars

Warning: You will cry at the end of this book. This novel is full of suspense and mystery about families who spend their Summer on an island but a tragic accident leads to lies and a secret. You'll fall in love with the main characters as they fall in love with each other.

2. Letters To The Lost

An intriguing story of Juliet Young who writes letters to her Mother, even after her death, and a guy who find a haunting letter beside her grave and decides to write back.

3. Flawed

The amazing novel in a series by Cecelia Ahern, Celestine North has a perfect life however when she breaks a rule she could face life-changing repercussions. She decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

4. When We Collided

A beautiful story about two teens who collide with each other at the right moment and how it will change them forever. A brilliant tale about love and forces beyond control.

5. The Start of Me and You

A book that proves it's never too late for second chances. Paige's boyfriend died last year in a swimming accident but now she's made a plan to date a boy, attend parties, join a club, travel and swim. Then she meets Max, who starts to change her world.

6. Everything, Everything

This is a beautiful, warming love story about Maddy, who is allergic to the outside world and can't leave her house, and a boy who moves in next door who she begins to fall for and wants to venture outside for.

7. Turtles All the Way Down

Aza and her friend Daisy decide to pursue an investigation on fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, while living with the serial of her own thoughts.

8. Finding Audrey

Audrey can't leave the house and can't even take off her dark glasses inside the house. Linus stumbles into her life and he starts to entice Audrey out again, well, Starbucks is a start. With Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she'd thought were too scary.

9. Every Last Word

Samantha looks like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath is a secret that her friends would never understand, shehas Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 

10. All the Bright Places

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. Violet Markey is counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her town in the wake of her sister’s death. Violet fins Finch on the ledge of their school bell tower and their journey goes from there. A gripping novel that follows the story of two young people who try to save each other.

11. Beautiful Broken Things

Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be.

12. Eleanor & Park

Eleanor has red hair and wears wrong clothes. Park knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

13. I'll Give You The Sun

Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways, but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. 

14. Fangirl

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. But for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

15. The One Memory of Flora Banks

Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. 

16. The Sun is also a Star

Natasha is a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. Not a girl who will fall in love with a boy in New York city. Daniel is a good student and a good son. When he sees Natasha, something makes him think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store for both of them.

17. Holding Up The Universe

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service.

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