Do you ever glance enviously at those people who seem to have life figured out? They have a work life balance and making money seems to come easily to them. What is their secret?

They probably have more than one income stream. Today, it’s easier than ever for anyone to develop ways of making money from various pursuits thanks to new technologies. You’re here reading this, so I’d imagine you want a slice of the money pie. Even just a few hundred pounds extra a year might be the difference between taking your family on holiday, or buying that car you’ve always wanted. Let’s have a look at 10 easy ways for you to to make some extra money.

1. Get paid for completing online surveys

Who said making money was difficult? You can earn simply by completing online surveys. You will literally be paid for your opinions. This is something I’ve done myself – YouGov is a favourite. Once you’ve signed up, which you can do here, fill in some profile information and YouGov will begin emailing you with new surveys. Surveys = points (often 50 points per survey though this can vary) and points can be turned into either entries in prize draws or, if you’re happy to bank them, £50 on reaching 5,000 points. Not bad eh?

It’s worth noting that YouGov is legit. Data from surveys is used by political parties for campaigning, news media, public affairs groups, marketing agencies and so on. Your public profile on there is also anonymous, so your opinions aren’t out there for all to see.

Another great site is PrizeRebel.com. Here, you earn points by completing surveys, watching videos, completing your profile information and so on. Again, the points can be converted to cash, paid into your PayPal account. If you’ve got a little time to fill in surveys (I do it on the commute to work), join PrizeRebel.com here and get started!

I combine both Prize Rebel and YouGov to bring in a little extra cash each month – this is very easy and something everyone can do.

2. Invest in a fund or through a stocks and shares ISA

Financial investment is certainly worth it – but note that you will need some money to invest to start with and there are some risks involved (bad investment may mean you lose your money) – but the benefits usually outweigh the risks and with the right investment, you’ll be making money in no time.

How you go about investing is a choice you’ll have to make. A fund is an investment that pools together money from many people – a little like crowdfunding. A professional fund manager at your chosen business – an expert who will choose and monitor investments and collect dividends, will invest your money in various assets. These could be bonds, property, cash, shares or a combination of these. There are all sorts of funds and they often specialise in different sectors, for example UK growth, Asia and emerging markets, North America and Bonds. You can read a little more about pooled investment funds at the Money Advice Service.

A stocks and shares ISA is a type of investment ISA. For those of you who don’t know much about this, an ISA is a tax efficient savings and / or investment account. There are various types of ISAs, but a favourite of mine is the stocks and shares ISA. I’ve used one personally and made a few thousand, though it’s worth noting that my investment was a fixed 6 year term – so my money was locked away over that period. Another thing to consider is that it is possible to lose money if the value of your investment goes down – so reading the terms and conditions and gaining an understanding of the processes involved is important to begin with.

In this 2019-20 tax year, you can pay a total of £20,000 into an ISA. Various banks, building societies and investment companies will hold a portfolio of stocks and shares ISA opportunities for you to invest in. If you’re unsure of your options, it is important to speak to a financial adviser. Again, there is more information on this available at the Money Advice Service.

3. Making money by self publishing a book

This one isn’t for everyone.. but I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, ‘Everyone has a book in them’. That probably isn’t true. You need to have something worth writing about. It may be poetry, maybe you’ve got a great idea for a novel and English skills to match. You may even have recently completed university and be considering turning your dissertation into a book. The point is, if you’re able to write well and engage the reader, this is an option and one you can make money from.

Wait, what? But you’re good enough to get a publishing deal? Good luck with that. It is possible, but your writing will have to be excellent – whatever the subject, fiction or non-fiction. And you’ll need a lot of luck along the way – book publishing houses receive many thousands of submissions per year and only a few of them will be looked at seriously. If you’ve got an agent, you’ll have a better chance – but there’s still no guarantee.

So, other options. You can self publish a physical book, or go down the route of an ebook. For self publishing, Amazon’s CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a good choice. It’s free, easy to use and you get paid royalties of up to 70%. It works, as various testimonies will attest to. Another option for making money from self publishing is through IngramSpark. Like KDP, you earn royalties if your book sells, but there are a couple of differences. Wiith IngramSpark you also have the option of publishing a hardcover book and they also offer several different colour options as opposed to KDP’s one. Both are a good option IF you’ve got a book in you..

4. Get paid for searching the web

When we said making money needn’t be difficult, the proof is in the pudding with this one.

Sign up to Qmee.com and, through a browser add-on, Qmee will suggest search items in a side bar. Click on the link and you’ll earn whatever the monetary figure below that link is. It’s often small amounts, 5p here, 8p there. But it adds up and there’s no minimum cashout amount. You can keep track of your earnings through the little green ‘Q’ that appears on your browser top bar. Following my most recent cashout, I’ve got £3.13 in my Qmee piggybank from clicking the offered links to build my funds back up.

Click here to sign up and help me out too – because another bonus of Qmee is the option to ‘Invite your friends to join..’.- if you share your own invite link, you make a little money on your friend’s first cashout too.

One thing to bear in mind – the links don’t constantly appear, so it may take a little time to generate a large amount of money, but it all adds up.

Qmee is thoroughly recommended as it’s so easy to make a little extra without doing much at all.

5. Hobby photographer – sell your photographs

Today, everyone is a photographer. It’s just so easy with smartphones and apps. But not everyone takes good photographs. If you do and you know your pictures are good, you can join stock photography websites and upload your photos. It is possible, with enough photos, to make a tidy little income from your photographs using sites such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and iStock by Getty Images.

Just a quick note on this one – your run of the mill smartphone images may not be enough for you to start making money through stock photography websites. Often, the site will have specific requirements, image size and quality for example – it’s best to do a little research first.

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Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving on one or more of these suggestions and you will start making money outside of your day job.

I’ll be producing a further blog post on easy ways of making money in the future, so hit subscribe!

Please note that some, but not all of the above links are referral links – they’ll help me keep doing what I’m doing with this blog. I appreciate you visiting and your support. Thanks!