Lifestyle, food and drink, and our family life and travel adventures.
I try and steer clear of the news as much as possible. After all, for every positive or uplifting article you read, there must be at least 20 which paint a picture of doom and gloom – regardless of which wing of the media you may lean towards.
That said, one can’t help but be acutely aware of the challenging financial conditions that are facing families at the moment, and with all that’s going on – both politically and economically – it’s a time for many of us to batten down the hatches and preserve household financial health. After all, it would appear that inflation is set to affect all of us quite negatively in the coming months and years.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for your boss to give you a pay rise – you can do it yourself! Here are some income boosters to help fill your pockets…
If you’ve got a spare room going a begging, fill it up. Whether you’re able to accommodate a full-time lodger, or perhaps are more comfortable simply renting it out sporadically, popping it on Airbnb is a sure-fire and easy way to take the heat off your living costs.
You may associate most household brands as ‘trying to rip you off’. But the truth is that we live in a society which enjoys some of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. So use it to your advantage! Whether it’s banking, credit cards, shopping or pretty much anything else, there are discount and rewards schemes for new customers everywhere you look. Play the field, and reap the rewards.
You can also find out about loads of great freebies at www.gratisfaction.co.uk as well as all the best flash bargains and discount codes to help your money go further.
Technically it’s a cost cutter, rather than an income booster. But switching energy providers is one of the best ways to leave your bank balance looking prettier. Most suppliers bank on us being too lazy to change, and thus lump us with unreasonable costs. Don’t be inert! Switching can save you hundreds of pounds.
If you do have some money squirreled away, it’s becoming all the more galling to see the appalling rates of interest banks are paying on savings, or even cash ISAs. The good news is that there is an alternative. Peer-to-peer lending platforms give you the chance to earn returns of up to 5 per cent, and while there is risk involved, platforms mitigate this very effectively with certain protections.
Be honest… are there items in your house which are just gathering dust? The wedding dress you haven’t looked at in years? The chest of drawers in the conservatory? An old set of golf clubs? Books, boxsets or even jewellery? Not only will you be in line to earn more money than you may have expected, but you’ll declutter your home in the process too!
This one can be a slight invasion of your day-to-day living, but companies such as Amazing Space are always on the lookout for homes to shoot in. If it’s a bullet you’re willing to bite, you can expect anything upwards of £500 a day – handy money indeed, if you can stomach the inconvenience of it.
Do you wear a uniform to work? Believe it or not, you could be in line for a considerable tax rebate if so. If you have to wash, repair or replace uniform yourself – even if it’s just a logo-branded T-shirt – you can reclaim hundreds of pounds in expenses, going back five years.
We haven’t left the EU yet, but you may want to look into this one sooner rather than later. If you’ve been delayed more than three hours in the last six years on an EU flight, or if it has been cancelled, you could earn anything up to £450 in compensation. As you can imagine, there are a few steps required, but this is still a relatively easy win. And when it comes to boosting the household coffers, it’s not an opportunity to be missed!
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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