The Make Money weekend challenge

Payday’s still days away, and the festive season’s about to hit our finances where it hurts, so let’s have a new challenge. One day this weekend, set aside some time and concentrate on making a few extra quid.

For some quick ideas, visit the Make Money section of Freebies World, where there’s an edited list of nice little earners you could work your way through. While you’re earning, have a go at cutting your outgoings too – maybe have a ‘no spend’ day, and create meals out of store cupboard staples, frozen foods or leftovers.

On with the challenge! Try as many of the following as you like:

Sell your old mobile phone

How many of us have an old mobile sat around, just gathering dust? The sooner you sell it, the less it’ll depreciate in value, so find out how much your model is likely to go for. You can then pack it off to a recycling operation like Mazuma Mobile, Mobile Phone Xchange, Envirophone or Fonebank, or sell it on eBay. First step today: get quotes from at least three recycling websites.

Sell unwanted CDs, games, DVDs and Blu-Rays

If you have collectors’ items, it’s best to sell them yourself and put some effort into your ads. Items that haven’t held their value won’t give you a huge return for your time on an auction site, so you might find it more convenient to sell to buying services such as MusicMagpie, WeBuyDVDs and Zumu. MusicMagpie has a smartphone app that scans product barcodes, saving you time when getting quotes or selling.

Get cash for your old clothes

In a hurry? Good quality designer clothes can fetch a reasonable price if you sell them to a local dress agency. Or you might prefer an online auction site, if you can wait a little longer to be paid. Greater input is needed here, including time to upload good photographs and write descriptions, and the outlay of postage and packaging – but it can pay off. Even if clothes are worn out, there are still companies that will buy them by the kilo as clean rags.

Set out your stall

If you have a lot of items to sell, how about doing a car boot sale? You could also beat the weather by taking a temporary stall at a nearby indoor market, or renting a table at a tabletop sale. Take a packed lunch along and resist the urge to buy from other stallholders, and you could make a tidy profit. First step today: find out where the best sales are near you, and how much a pitch will cost.

Earn from your creations

Do you have a knack for arts and crafts? Sell your creations at local craft or Christmas fairs, or set up a small online shop at Etsy, Artfire or Folksy. If you have tailoring skills, consider dressmaking commissions or doing clothing alterations and repairs for friends and neighbours.

Get paid to test, shop or eat

Join a product testing website such as Toluna, and you’ll be paid for testing new products as well as being able to keep the items. Or become a mystery shopper with companies like GrassRoots, Helion Research and GAPbuster and test out shops, bars and restaurants. You’ll get a fee for the work and writing your report, and also get your essential purchases refunded – so that’s free food and drink, and so on. Make sure you sign up with an established company as there are some scammers out there.

Be paid for your opinion

Sign up with a few market research companies, and you’ll soon be filling in online surveys about anything from cars to new flavours of crisps. It’s an easy way to make a pound or two on a rainy afternoon, and the best companies pay out via bank transfer and PayPal, or in high street shopping vouchers. Some researchers may ask you to attend events in person too, which can pay well.

Full disclosure: This post is being supported by FreebiesWorld.co.uk. All text written by Penny Golightly, and there has been no editorial interference.