10 easy and simple ways to make extra cash in January… and you don’t even have to leave the house
Here are a few ways you can top up your pay packet from the comfort of your sofa - and help you recover from your Christmas spending
CHRISTMAS is an expensive time of year, what with the gifts, the parties, the food and the shopping.
The festive season paired with rising energy prices and low saving rates, January can be a really hard time of year when it comes to making ends meet.
You may be feeling the squeeze as you head towards your next pay check, so here are some ways you can make some extra cash from home.
From getting paid to fill in online surveys to transcribing meetings for a fee, to selling your unwanted Christmas giftcards, there are plenty of ways make money.
1. Get paid to watch telly
Forget Gogglebox, telly addicts can now get paid to watch TV. Yep, you heard us correctly - paid to slob on the sofa.
puts together research panels to give feedback to broadcasters and programmers. You can do this one from home or attend face-to-face research groups.
If you decide to get out the house, you can earn between £40 to £70 for a 90 minute group feedback session.
Sofa sloths can either earn around £5 per half hour to watch TV clips and fill out a questionnaire, or earn typically around 50p and prize draw entries for a straight forward survey.
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It's free to register and you can pick and chose the surveys you'd like to take part in.
2. Fill in surveys online and earn cash
You've probably heard of this one before but you can get paid up to £6 per survey. Even though it doesn't sound like much, if you do a few then the cash really begins to add up.
The best websites to sign up to are ; , and you can do them from a PC or on the go via your tablet or smartphone.
Louise Harper-King from told the Sun Online: "As long as you qualify for a particular survey, there’s rarely a limit to how many you can take or how much you make."
The money is usually paid via PayPal or into your bank account once you’ve earned a certain amount.
3. Transcribe meetings and conferences for a fee
If you're speedy at typing and can pick up on difference accents and pronunciations then this could be a great way for you to earn some extra cash.
Many companies will pay for someone to transcribe audio recordings of conferences or meetings by a set deadline.
You can sign up to global sites like who will pay $0.40 per audio minute.
It says it's best transcribers earn up to $1.38 per hour, working out at $82 dollars for an hour's work - or £61.
4. Sell your hair
If you've got long luscious locks and you're thinking of getting the chop, why not make a bit of money out of it by flogging your hair online.
London based buys hair by the ponytail to make bespoke wigs made from real hair that's ethically sourced.
Bloomsbury Wigs - the side of the business that makes the wigs - mainly sell to cancer patients who've lost their hair through chemotherapy, alopecia sufferers and members from the trans community.
The amount they pay depends on the length, the colour and the condition, but you could earn up to £250 for the right type.
Simply put your hair in a ponytail and cut above the band, pop it in the post and the experts will assess it. If they don't want it they'll send it back.
5. Earn money to surf the internet
If mindlessly browsing the depths of the internet is your favourite hobby then why not get paid to do it?
One way you can earn and surf is by downloading and registering with the app or browser add on.
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It's works by helping advertises reach targeted users - so the adverts will be more tailored for you. If you click on one of the ads you like, you'll be paid.
Usually it's around 7-15p a search but you can earn up to £1. The cash is then paid to you via Paypal.
6. Rent out your driveway
Those of you who are lucky enough to have a driveway can charge people to use it.
Do you need to pay tax on extra earnings?
EXTRA income is always welcome but don't forget about the taxman.
Any sources of extra money need to be delclared to HM Revenue & Customs. There's more information on the HMRC website.
From April 2017, you can now earn up to £1,000 tax–free on both property-related income and trading (so potentially £2,000 in total).
So as long as you're not earning more than £1,000 on your extra earnings, then you don't need to declare it.
If you are earning more than that you'll need to let HM Revenue & Customs know.
Apps and sites like connect drivers with a nearby free driveways, and you can decided what times you don't mind yours being used.
So if you know your car won't be on the driveway between 9am and 5pm then you can advertise your space.
You can also choose how much you charge and get paid straight into your bank or Paypal account.
You can register your driveway for free but bear in mind they'll take a commission so you'll need to factor that in.
7. Get paid to queue
We're British, we love to queue and you can get paid to do it through.
Okay, so you'll need to leave the sofa for this one but you can offer your services to anybody wanting you to stand in a queue for them.
You can set a price with the person who'll be paying you, taking into account where they want you to queue and how long for. Most jobs cost around £15 to £20 an hour.
If you go prepared and download some TV to catch up on then it won't be that much different to slobbing on the sofa at home.
8. Sell your Christmas giftcards
Did you get another WHSmith gift card from Grandma this Christmas? And while you appreciate the thought, there's only so many pens you can buy in this digital age.
You can sell your unwanted giftcards on Zeek. You might not always get the full value - someone might pay you £18 for one worth £20 - but it's cash you can spend where you actually need to.
9. Rent out the things you don't use that often
Bikes are great in the summer but how often do you use it in winter? Well, if you don't there will be someone out there who will.
You can make easy money by renting out anything like toys to camera equipment on sites like where you can set your own prices.
The company will take a 15 per cent cut if someone accepts your offer but it also has an insurance policy to protect your items against loss, theft or damage.
is another one. You can register for free but you'll be charged £1 for one month-long listing.
10. Get paid to pet-sit
Love animals? Then this could be a nice little side-earner for you.
Families who need to leave their pets behind when they go away - like on holiday - will often pay someone to check in on them and keep them company.
More ways to make money
Pet sitters aren’t expected to work all day, usually their duties will require a couple of hours only.
Some owners may arrange for you to stay overnight which means you'll be paid extra.
Rates tend to range from around £6 to £15 per visit or £35 for staying overnight.
You can advertise your pet-sitting services for free on Websites like also bring pet owners and sitters together but they take a 19 per cent cut of your earnings.
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