I've been pondering ways to earn a little extra money. At the age of 72 no-one wants to employ me but with the rising cost of simply everything , and the fact that we are both on a fixed income, a little extra wouldn't go amiss. Fuel has just hit 164.9p per litre in our area for diesel, our rent is being increased by almost 5% from April 1st which is around £20 per month, and the energy bills are set to increase by at least 54% on the same date. As pensions are only increasing by 3.1% the gap between income and bills is shrinking exponentially. G works part time, just 12 hours per week, but I can see that his health problems are making it much harder now and I simply don't know how much longer he can carry on for. Once he has to stop we might be struggling to have anything left over each month to enjoy our lives with.
It has been 2 and a half years since I last had a sight test and they keep trying to jog my memory with reminders in the post. I should have gone back after 12 months but covid put paid to that so I really need to make an appointment. I'm just reluctant to because if my sight has changed again I will need glasses for daily use, sunglasses for driving and mid range for computer use 👀 My current ones darken in the sun but not through glass in the car 😎 Heaven help me 👀
Edit: Appointment booked for later this month. At least my eye health can be checked free of charge.
My thoughts are:
- Online surveys eg YouGov, PopulusLive (now .Y Live) both of which pay cash into a bank account once the £50 threshold is reached and neither of which seem to sent you spam afterwards. There must be loads of others too but I find these two are the best for me.
- Royal Mail postal surveys run by KantarTNS. In the past I have been a member, posting and receiving test items so that they can report on efficiency to Royal Mail. For doing that you get a free allocation of 12 first class stamps and 4 first class large letter stamps each month. If you want to give it a go try https://postalsurveys.tnsglobal.com It's usually a 6 month stint at a time.
- eBay selling. I've been an active member for almost 20 years and have found it useful to sell unwanted items although some sellers have gone off the idea because of dodgy buyers. At the moment I've run out of things to sell though 😓
- Facebook selling pages. I've never tried this so can't say whether it's useful or not and I don't really fancy people coming to the house.
- Car boot sales. The season will soon be on us for local boot sales everywhere. It's tricky doing it by myself but I have done it in the past. I have wondered whether plants sell. We will have lots of surplus plants and cuttings in pots as the year progresses. What do you think?
March Food Shop Challenge:
£25.98/ £275.00
We often use Facebook market place, if anyone makes me feel uncomfortable I lie and say the item is now going to a family member and not for sale, which is OK if you have more than one person interested.
ReplyDeleteA good idea Marlene, thank you.
DeleteOn our local Facebook page I've seen people offer their services as a cleaner for a couple of hours a week. The rate here in Sth Yorkshire is about £12.50 ph
ReplyDeleteWow, that seems a very good rate, Anne, not sure how much you would be expected to do for that.
DeleteI think selling plants is a great idea.How about some evening babysitting when the parents want to go for meal or to the cinema etc.Not during the day!
ReplyDeleteCould you offer yourself as a companion for couple of hours a week.
Good luck.I feel for you at 72 having to watch the pennies.
Barbarax
Thank you so much for the suggestions. Unfortunately, we have only lived in the area for 6 months so don't really know the neighbours enough to babysit. I would have to have a CRB check too. Great ideas though 👌
DeleteTable top sales run by churches/schools may work out cheaper than a car boot sale. I've sold a fair few things on Facebook and never had a problem. Have you and your husband considered house sitting. It may give you a break while earning some money.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Tania, thank you. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for table top sales. Some friends of ours did quite well at house sitting but I think you have to like pets. I'm scared of strange dogs 🐕
DeleteNot sure of your situation but would it be possible to set up a stall at the front of your house and sell your surplus plants????
ReplyDeleteA good idea but we are at the end of a cul de sac so no passing trade here.
DeleteMost FB sellers in my area meet the buyers in a public spot, some even use the public parking of the local police detachment (the police are supportive of this)
ReplyDeleteDoes Asda employ greeters? Walmart employs a lot of seniors who are at the enterance saying hello and pointing the way to things.
Thanks so much for your suggestions. It's a jolly good idea to meet on neutral ground! No local Asda here....
DeleteHave you any books you could sell through Ziffit? I made quite a bit of cash through them before we moved.
ReplyDeleteAlso - new glasses. Do check around for good deals. We did really well at Asda opticians. Way cheaper than specsavers.
DeleteGood suggestions here, Angela, but I sold most of my books before we moved 6 months ago and we don't have an Asda which is close to us unfortunately.
DeleteWe have has some success selling on Facebook, and I do surveys for points and gift cards.
ReplyDeleteI think plants would sell nicely at a bootsale.
God bless.
Thanks Jackie. We'll try the plant sales in the Summer and I'm definitely carrying on with the surveys.
Deleteour local Facebook selling has been a mixture of total time wasters and good sales . The basic rule is offer nothing to the first offer they rarely show up and keep offering excuses for days
ReplyDeleteFrustrating 🤨
DeleteFacebook Marketplace is a quick way of selling but no good if you don't want people coming to the house.
ReplyDeleteI have always found the first and second car boot sales of the season are the best for sellers as everyone is desperate to buy again, and yes plants do sell well but only if you are asking low prices. I always used to set extra vegetable seeds and sell the plants as soon as they were big and healthy enough. Courgette plants are good to sell as they grow quickly and look nice and chunky. Also pots of herbs sell well.
I would never have a stall with just plants though as lots of folk tend to walk straight past them.
Brilliant, Sue, thank you. We'll give it a go, we can but try!
DeleteI'm retired, too, and the idea of costs of living increasing while on a fixed income is scary to say the least! I like the idea of selling vegetable seedlings, along with other potted plants. Could you also sell the cards that you make?
ReplyDeleteIt's very scary, isn't it Bless. I used to sell my cards at craft fairs but, of course, they all closed due to covid and 2 years on I don't think I could cope with the setting up, lifting and carrying I used to do by myself. I might try a few on eBay later on this month and see what happens. Thank you for your suggestion :)
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