Today I’m sharing a selection of posts from my fellow UK Money Bloggers. These are all sideline-earning opportunities that may appeal to older people. Of course, most are suitable for younger people as well!
This is a guest post by Francesca Mason on the Wiser Wealthier blog by Carl Lincoln. Dog boarding (and walking) is an unusual sideline, but getting started is easier than you think, and you will get plenty of healthy exercise too!
This is a post by Pete Chatfield on his Household Money Saving blog. Mystery shopping is a popular sideline that may appeal especially to retired and semi-retired people with time available during the day. Pete’s post focuses on one of the better paying companies in this field called GFK.
This post by Kerry Marriott on her Money Saving Journeys blog reveals how you can make money offering ‘gigs’ on the popular Fiverr website. There are lots of possibilities for things you can do, and you can download a free Gig Planner worksheet via the blog.
Kaya La Roche wrote about this on her Earning by the Sea blog. The post describes a number of free apps you can download to your smartphone. Tasks are advertised via the apps – anything from photographing phone boxes to checking prices in a supermarket – and you receive a fee for each one you complete.
This post by Olly Cator on his Savvy Dad blog also features a smartphone app. It’s called Shopmium and can help you save money on groceries or even get them free. You get cashback on selected purchases, and can also make money introducing friends and family.
This post by Michelle Bailey on her Time and Pence blog provides a good overview of the various ways you can make money buying and selling on the world’s favourite online auction site. You can start off by selling things around your home that you no longer need.
This is another post by Michelle Bailey on Time and Pence. Flower arranging is an unusual sideline but it’s not a hard skill to learn and there are lots of potential outlets for your work. This could even become a full-time job if that’s what you want.
And here’s a third post from Michelle Bailey on Time and Pence. Blogging can be a great home-based sideline for older people. It’s cheap and easy to get started, and you can easily fit it in around your other activities and commitments.
This is a post by Elle Finlay on her EL Feelgoods Vintage blog. Prolific Academic is a website that recruits people to take part in online academic studies and pays them for doing so. I am a big fan of Prolific Academic myself and have also written a blog post about them.
In this post on her Savvy in Somerset blog, Fiona Elizabeth Hawkes discusses a range of ways you may be able to make money from women’s magazines, from submitting true stories about dramatic things that have happened in your life to household hints!
This is another post by Fiona Elizabeth Hawkes on her Savvy in Somerset blog. In it she reveals some surprising items you may have lying around at home that could fetch a good price on online auction sites or local Facebook pages.
This is another post by Pete Chatfield on his Household Money Saving blog (see 2, above). It’s another one I have done myself (and posted about on Pounds and Sense). Working as a TV or movie extra can be a lot of fun, and while you won’t get rich the pay isn’t bad either. This is another good opportunity for people who are retired or semi-retired, or perhaps who are self-employed and can arrange their schedule around filming.
I will take the opportunity as well to mention my post on Pounds and Sense last year about Viewber. This company is still actively seeking people to assist local estate agents by conducting viewings when their own staff aren’t available. They pay at least £20 per viewing, plus travel expenses. Older people are especially welcome, and you don’t need to have any estate agency experience.
Thank you to my fellow UK Money Bloggers who submitted posts for inclusion in this round-up, and sorry I wasn’t able to use them all.
I do hope you enjoy exploring the links above and they inspire you to try out some new money-making sidelines in 2018!
If you have any comments or questions, as ever, please do leave them below.
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I’ve talked about matched betting a few times on Pounds and Sense. Despite the name it’s not gambling but a genuine way of making a risk-free sideline income.
Matched betting involves (legally) taking advantage of bookmaker special offers. By this means you can generate a guaranteed profit for no risk, regardless of how the event/s you are betting on pan out.
Although it’s not essential to subscribe to a matched betting advisory service, if you are new to betting in particular it is highly advisable. The service I used to recommend (and where I learned the basics of the method) is Profit Accumulator. More recently, however, a range of rival matched betting services have launched, and Profit Accumulator have arguably failed to keep up with the best of them.
Today I thought I would take a look at one of the newer kids on the block, MatchedBets.com. I was kindly given complimentary access to this service so I could see what they have to offer for myself. Here’s what I found…
First Impressions
The first thing you notice when you log in to the MatchedBets.com website is the bright – some would say garish – colour palette (see example below). Pastel blues, greens and pinks are particularly dominant. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this myself. It’s readable enough, but makes it look like a site aimed at children. Personally I’d prefer to see something a bit more restrained and professional looking.
The main navigation menu is at the top right of the screen (see below). If you hover the cursor over Offers or Tools, a sub-menu will appear. It’s all quite logical and intuitive. I’d like the menu to be a bit more prominent, and it goes askew on the Information Centre page, but those are minor criticisms.
As with all matched betting advisory services, the site is organized into a number of sections. The main ones are listed below:
Information Centre
Offers
Offer Calendar
Odds Matcher
Acca Backers
Horse Racing Matcher
Calculator
Support Forum
I’ll look at each of these in a bit more detail below.
Information Centre
This is the training area of MatchedBets.com. It is neatly and attractively set out. There are 43 articles in all, covering everything from basic principles of matched betting to how to take advantage of price boosts and acca insurance offers.
The articles consist mainly of text and screen captures, with videos also used in some cases. I found the articles clear and well written. While I am already familiar with the basics of matched betting, I found some of the articles (e.g. on how to remove the iesnare tracking software used by bookmakers from your computer) genuinely eye-opening.
Offers
This is divided into seven sub-sections, as follows:
New Customer Offers
Existing Customer Offers
Accumulator Offers
Free Bet Clubs
Enhanced Odds Offers
Casino Offers
Bingo Offers
These are all pretty self-explanatory. In New Customer Offers, for example, all such offers are listed in order of expected profit, the highest first (see below).
Clicking on Instructions takes you to detailed instructions on how to apply the offer. These generally include a short video plus written instructions. Again, I thought these were very clear, and I like the way the key points of each offer are set out in checklist form at the top of the page.
Offer Calendar
This is a great feature of MatchedBets.com, and one I definitely prefer to Profit Accumulator (where you have to find the relevant topic on the forum). Just by visiting the Offer Calendar page you can see all the day’s recommended offers, along with the expected profit and a link to full instructions for doing them.
Odds Matcher
Of course, every matched betting service needs an odds matcher tool, which helps you find the best bets for matched betting offers. The one on MatchedBets.com is certainly bright and cheerful!
As you would expect, you can filter results according to sport, odds (minimum or maximum), start time, odds percentage, and so on.
One feature I particularly like is that odds are shown in real time, so you don’t have to keep refreshing the screen. This also avoids the situation that can occur using other odds matching software (e.g. on Profit Accumulator) where the information frequently lags behind, so you think you have found a great match only to discover it has already gone.
Acca Backers
As mentioned in this blog post a few months ago, accumulator offers are a particular favourite of mine. These are where you take advantage of bookmakers’ offers to refund your stake if one leg of your accumulator loses. This gives punters an in-built edge and means they should enjoy steady profits so long as they back and lay appropriately.
MatchedBets.com accumulator software offers four different ways to make money from accumulator offers: Lay Sequential, Lay at Start, Lay With Lock-In, and No Lay. All four methods are explained in the Information Centre, mentioned earlier. This is more advanced than other platforms’ accumulator tools, which typically only offer three options.
As you may have noticed, on MatchedBets.com by default you see all four types of offer listed according to their expected value (average profit generated). However, if you prefer one particular type of acca (e.g. Lay With Lock In, which I prefer personally) you can set the filter to show only this type.
Horse Racing Matcher
This is the latest addition to the suite of tools on offer at MatchedBets.com. It is provided for use with horse racing offers, e.g. your money back if your horse is second to the SP favourite. By careful backing and laying you can generate a good return when a refund is triggered and a small qualifying loss otherwise, hopefully producing steady profits overall.
The Horse Racing Matcher is still in Beta at the time of writing, but appears to be working well. As with the Odds Matcher and Acca Backers, the odds in this software tool automatically update when they fluctuate on betting exchange and bookmaker sites.
Calculator
This is another standard feature on matched betting service websites, but the one offered by MatchedBets.com is undeniably impressive. Although it looks simple at first sight (see below), it is actually a very powerful tool.
As well as standard matched betting calculations for qualifying bets and free bets, you can use it to calculate bonus on win, bonus on loss, enhanced odds as free bets, and several more. Pretty much any bonus situation is therefore covered. You can also use the calculator to work out what to do in the event of incomplete lays, and if you want to overlay or underlay a bet.
Forum
Likewise, every matched betting service needs a forum, where members can ask questions, share offers and opportunities, or just discuss anything matched betting related (or otherwise).
The MatchedBets.com forum is neatly set out and works well. It isn’t as busy as some forums, as MatchedBets.com is still fairly new and building its membership. There is plenty of good content, though, and staff are usually around to assist as required.
Another thing I should mention is that MatchedBets.com has a bet tracker tool that tracks all your betting activity automatically. It keeps keeps track of profits and bet details and displays them in your account. This makes it easy to keep track of your bets and profits, and does away with the need to maintain your own spreadsheets (although personally I still like to do this!).
One final comment is that the site is fully mobile optimized – so if you like to bet on your smartphone, you should find using MatchedBets.com a pleasanter experience than with some rival services.
Pricing
Joining MatchedBets.com currently costs £15 a month or a best value £119 a year (rising to £149 a year on 1st May 2018). That is cheaper than most other services, e.g. Profit Accumulator currently charge £17.99 a month or £150 a year. You can also sign up for a free trial, which includes access to three matched betting offers that should generate around £50 in net profits for you.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I have been very impressed with MatchedBets.com. In my view it is a leading contender among matched betting advisory services, and I now prefer it to Profit Accumulator. Its main rival is probably Odds Monkey, another service of which I have heard good reports, although I haven’t yet had the opportunity to try it myself.
My only slight reservation about MatchedBets.com concerns the design and especially the colour scheme. Personally I would like to see this tweaked a bit so it looks less garish and more professional. That’s just my personal opinion, though.
If you are thinking of giving matched betting a go, or looking for an alternative platform once your existing advisory service subscription runs out, I strongly recommend checking out MatchedBets.com. They are adding new tools and features all the time, and joining now will ensure you have access to these at no extra cost.
As ever, if you have any queries about MatchedBets.com or matched betting generally, please do post them below.
Disclosure: This review includes tracked affiliate links. If you click through and sign up with the service in question, I will receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the service you receive in any way.
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If you’ve spent any time at all looking online for sideline-earning opportunities, chances are you’ll have come across survey sites.
Unfortunately, you may also have discovered that many are a waste of time. So-called short surveys can end up taking over half an hour and pay the princely sum of 20p. No wonder many people get disillusioned and decide they aren’t worth the time and effort.
Well, here’s one website that definitely is. People for Research is constantly recruiting people to take part in consumer research studies. Some of these take place in large cities (London and Bristol especially) but many others are done remotely via the phone and/or the internet.
The studies cover a huge range of topics and are for the most part interesting and enjoyable. But the best thing is that they are fairly (and sometimes generously) recompensed – usually in cash, though sometimes in Amazon vouchers.
An Example
Here’s a study I took part in myself just a few weeks ago. All I knew beforehand was that it was something to do with ‘culture’. I had to complete a few screening questions and obviously passed, as I was emailed an invitation to take part.
The study was done remotely over the internet. I had to download a special meetings app called Zoom to my smartphone.
At the appointed hour I made contact with the researcher. Using the app he took me to a cinema website, and I had to perform various tasks on it, including checking the cinema’s location and finding out what films were currently showing. Then I had to book tickets (not giving my actual credit card details, obviously).
The researcher asked me to talk through what I was doing. He could see via the app how I was navigating the site and any problems I was having. All of this will presumably be fed back to the client in the interest of making their website as user-friendly as possible.
The study was fun to do and took about 30 minutes. Afterwards I sent my bank details as instructed and received my £30 fee literally the day after. That’s a rate of £60 an hour, which is more than I get for most of my freelance work!
Longer Studies
As mentioned, the studies vary widely, and sometimes involve participating over a period of several days or longer, e.g. keeping a written and/or video diary. A recent example was a study on cheese. On the website it said:
‘For this study, you will be required to make a 5-minute video each day for the duration of the study (5 days total). In this video, you will first need to state what meal you are going to make and how you are using the cheese. We’ll also want to know what other cheese brand you are replacing this one with, if applicable! After the meal, you will review it and state how it tasted, whether your family enjoyed it and any other comments you would like to add.’
For this interesting and enjoyable task, which was open UK-wide, a fee of £110 was on offer. The study in question is now closed, but new ones are being launched all the time, so it’s worth checking back regularly.
Even if there is nothing you currently want to apply for, it’s still worth taking a few moments to register on the People for Research website. You will then be notified by email when new opportunities are posted.
Top Tips
Finally, here are a few more tips on making the most of People for Research, based on my experiences with them.
Don’t expect to be accepted for every study you apply for. There are generally screening questions to answer and only people who match the profile required are invited to take part. There are plenty of new studies coming along all the time, so don’t be disappointed if you aren’t accepted for some of them.
Not all studies are advertised by email, so it’s important to return regularly to the website to see if anything new has been posted.
Some shorter studies offer prize draw entries instead of guaranteed payments. It’s your choice whether to enter these. Personally I do them if they sound interesting and I have the time, but not otherwise.
I have made several hundred pounds from People for Research since joining their panel earlier this year, and have found the people who work there a pleasure to deal with as well.
In my view, People for Research deserves a place in everyone’s sideline money-making portfolio!
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Today, in the seasonal spirit of sharing, I thought I’d list some other great blogs you might like to follow.
All these blogs are written by over-fifties and/or aimed at them. They aren’t all dedicated personal finance blogs, but they all include tips and advice on saving money, and in some cases making money and investing too. All ten are UK-based.
This is a personal finance blog by Susan Wilson. It is focused on preparing for retirement, and covers topics from solo travel to taking up a new hobby. Sample Post: Unleashing Your Inner Drama Queen.
Debt Camel is a blog by Sara Williams. Sara says: “Debt, including mortgages, is an important issue for the over 50s. The low level of pay rises and cuts to benefits have left many people in a much worse position than they would have expected ten years ago… and they have less time to improve it before retirement.” Sample Post: IVAs – Pros, Cons and Problems.
Your Money Sorted is a blog by financial coach Eileen Adamson. Eileen says: “As we get older retirement is something that begins to prey on the minds of many. Don’t ignore those nagging fears though – take action. Find out exactly how much you are likely to need in retirement, as well as how much you are predicted to get on retirement. Then take actions to help you to ensure that you are prepared effectively. The sooner you deal with it, the easier it will be.” Sample Post: Big Savings – Brilliant Tricks with Zeek Discounted Gift Cards.
Stupid is the Norm is a blog by 56-year-old Perry Wilson. Perry reveals on his website, YouTube and Facebook how he is building a fund of £300,000 in 10 years as well as repaying £10k of debt. He says it’s never too late to become wealthy! Sample Post: What Are the Odds of Becoming a Millionaire?
Much More With Less is a blog by Faith Archer aimed at anyone hoping to escape from the rat race. She says, “I blog about moving to the country, living on less and making the most of it. I cover both cutting costs and earning more from investments and pensions, so I can afford to retire.” Sample Post: Investing Isn’t Just for Men in Braces.
Joleisa.com is a blog run by 50-year-old twins Jo and Leisa, who are both teachers who have given up the rat race to live a more fulfilled, happy and stress-reducing lifestyle. Their blog features frugal lifestyle and money-saving tips. Sample Post: Don’t Order Takeaway, Make it!
Shoestring Cottage (great name!) is a blog by Jane Berry. She says, “Shoestring Cottage helps you to save money for the things you love to do, covering everything connected to living a fun but frugal life.” Sample Post: How to Make Money Selling on eBay.
So there you are – ten great blogs to check out and add to your favourites list! If you have any comments or questions, of course, please do leave them below.
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Today I am pleased to share with you an infographic from Ireland-based insurance company Easy Life Cover (shared with their permission). This covers various aspects of finance in retirement, which is of course a core theme of this blog.
One of the most interesting facts shared in the infographic is that 7 out of 10 pre-retirees say they plan to carry on working in retirement. This represents a sea change from the old days when most people worked till retirement, took their pensions, and lived off that for the rest of their lives.
Nowadays retirement is increasingly done in stages, with many people choosing to work part-time in the run-up to retirement, perhaps switching to a different job or role within their organisation. The concept of semi-retirement would have been barely understood fifty years ago, but is increasingly becoming the norm now. I am 61 and regard myself as semi-retired, incidentally.
And even in retirement, many people choose to continue doing some work, part-time or short-term. As the graphic says, 80% do this because they want to rather than have to. Important reasons might include using (and passing on) skills they have built up over many years, keeping physically and mentally active, and providing a source of engagement outside the home. Many older people do voluntary work, while others do paid work to help supplement their pension.
As mentioned above, the nature of retirement has changed dramatically in recent times. The old certainties are long gone. Retirement is undoubtedly more challenging than it used to be, but with people on average living longer, healthier lives, there are many more opportunities to enjoy this period of life as well. But this does mean it is more important than ever to plan carefully for retirement in order to enjoy it rather than merely survive it.
If you are retired or semi-retired, I do of course regularly list opportunities on this blog to generate extra income. They include home-based opportunities such as matched betting and part-time work in the gig economy, such as supervising property viewings for Viewber.
As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post and the points raised in the infographic, please do leave them below.
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A quickie today to let you know about a special promotion that is currently being run by the online payment platform Circle.
Anyone is welcome to enter their Education or Every Nation promo, whether or not they have an account with Circle already (if you don’t, you will need to sign up for free).
Everyone entering goes into a draw for a prize of a round-the-world trip or getting their university fees paid off – your choice. Luckily for me, I went to uni in the days students got grants rather than loans, so I asked for the world trip 🙂
But in addition, you get a guaranteed mystery cash prize of anywhere from 50p to £50 credited to your account. I got £0.61, but a colleague received £2.67. You can also introduce friends and relatives to this promotion (once you have entered yourself). For each one who signs up via your referral link – which is provided once you enter – you will get an extra prize draw entry and another mystery cash prize.
If you are a member of Prolific Academic – one of my favourite sideline earning opportunities – you may well have a Circle account already. It is a bit like PayPal, except the fees are lower!
Finally, please note that this is a limited-term promotion. I will aim to update this post as soon I know that it has closed, but to avoid disappointment I recommend entering as soon as possible.
Today I want to share a sideline-earning opportunity that may be of interest if you have a bit of time available during the week or at weekends.
A company called Viewber is recruiting people to conduct property viewings on behalf of local estate agents who don’t have any staff free to do it themselves.
As a Viewber (the name is also used by the company to describe its viewing agents) you will be asked to attend a property at a specified date and time to show a potential buyer or tenant round.
You will therefore need to obtain the key beforehand (or get it from a key safe), welcome viewers when they arrive, and let them in. You then follow at a discreet distance while they look round, answer any questions they may have (or refer them to the estate agent), show them out, and secure the property again.
You are also asked to report in writing to the estate agent afterwards with any information you have gleaned about the viewers that might be useful to them, e.g. if they are cash buyers or have looked at a lot of other properties already.
Who Can Do It?
In principle anyone can be a Viewber. You need to be reasonably smart and professional looking (as with estate agents generally). And, of course, you will need a polite and friendly manner and good communication skills.
The job is popular with retired and semi-retired individuals (like many readers of this blog) who are looking to supplement their income. It also attracts quite a few people who are ex-military or police, as well as former teachers, estate agents and other professionals. But any experience working with the public will be relevant and should assist your application.
Having your own transport is clearly desirable (though you can specify how far from home you are willing to travel). You will also need a mobile phone to contact the estate agents when required.
Although this asks about experience and qualifications in the property field, this is definitely not a requirement (I had neither but was accepted without quibble).
You are also required to upload a photograph of yourself so that the company can see you don’t look like an escaped convict.
You can expect to receive a reply to your application within a few days. Mine came by email. I was accepted on the basis of my application and photo, without any need for an interview.
You will then have to go through the company’s vetting procedure. This involves providing a copy of your driving licence or passport and a recent utility bill or bank statement showing your name and address. You will also need to provide bank details, so they can pay you.
Once you’re fully approved, you will be able to log in to your personal dashboard on the Viewber website. Here you will be able to view a range of information, including details of any jobs you have completed so far. You can also enter on a calendar any periods you are unavailable (e.g. on holiday).
Then it’s simply a matter of waiting for invitations to arrive by email. You aren’t under any obligation to accept these if you’re otherwise engaged – but if you do want to accept, you will need to do so quickly, before the job gets taken by someone else.
What It Pays
The basic pay is £20 for a single viewing of up to 30 minutes. Additionally if you have to travel by car there is a mileage allowance of 25p a mile, or £4 travel allowance in London.
If you are conducting multiple viewings at the same time or an ‘open house’ you will be paid more, up to £135 for a full day.
Additional fees are payable for taking (non-professional) photos of the property if requested and other services such as performing a property inspection.
Top Tips
Here are a few more tips on making the most of this opportunity.
Both viewers and agents can rate Viewbers, and this can affect the type and number of opportunities you are offered. It’s important to provide the best service you possibly can, therefore.
You will be sent information about the property concerned beforehand, so read this carefully and make a note of any particular things a viewer might want to know about.
There is also an online manual for Viewbers, so again read this carefully. It’s only a few pages long but covers most of the things you need to be aware of.
Greet viewers by name and be prepared to answer any general questions they may have, e.g. about the area if you’re familiar with it. For more detailed questions about the property, though, refer them to the estate agent. If possible, phone the agent there and then on the number provided.
Viewber is still new, which means there are currently more opportunities in some areas than in others. However, that does mean now is a great time to apply and start gaining experience, with the prospect of more work in the coming months as the service gains traction among estate agents.
In my view, if you want an interesting and varied sideline income stream – and enjoy meeting people and looking round houses – applying to be a Viewber has a lot to recommend it!
If you own an Android smartphone, here’s a great risk-free opportunity to win cash and prizes from it.
Lucky Leftovers is an Android app that takes advantage of your monthly text allowance. Nowadays most people get ‘unlimited’ texts on their mobile contracts, but unless perhaps they are teenagers they may only send a few texts a month. Lucky Leftovers allows you to put this mostly wasted allowance to good use.
Once you are signed up with Lucky Leftovers – which is free – you can enter any of the giveaways listed. You can enter just once or (better) daily. Once you have chosen the contests you want to enter, the app (in conjunction with your phone) will submit entries for you every day, with no other input required from you.
Just to make clear, these are not the type of contest where you are charged a fee per text (which I don’t recommend at all). So long as you have an inclusive monthly or prepaid contract and stay within your allowance, you will not be charged anything for entering these contests.
If you are lucky you will win a prize, but even if not you will get a point for every entry. The points can be converted to Amazon vouchers or cash in your PayPal account once you have earned £5 or more (see What Are Points Worth? below).
The prizes aren’t spectacular, but they aren’t bad either. Here is a screen capture showing some of them…
Other prizes on offer at the time of writing include Bluetooth speakers, headphones, a trip up the London Shard, two Lion King tickets, a remote-controlled drone, a PlayStation 4, and plain old cash. If you win a prize but don’t want it, you can usually request a cash equivalent.
As you may have noticed, many of the giveaways are also raising money for charities.
What are points worth?
I’ll resist the temptation to say “What do Points Make? Prizes!” (rest in peace, Sir Bruce).
Each point on Lucky Leftovers is worth £0.001p. In other words, 10 points are worth a penny, 100 are 10p, 1000 are £1, and 5000 are £5.00.
£5 is the minimum threshold to request a payment. You might think it will take a long time to accumulate 5000 points, but actually if you submit 5000 prize-draw entries a month, that would give you £5 every month (plus any prizes you win, of course).
That’s not the whole of it, though…
Extra ways to earn points
As mentioned, you get one point for every entry, including automated entries.
There are other ways to earn points as well, though. You can do so by watching short videos (typically promoting games) via the app. You seem to get anywhere between 10 and 30 points per video you watch, so this can boost your total quite quickly.
In addition, you can earn points by purchasing via selected retailers listed on the app (see screen capture below). You get ‘cashback’ on these purchases, which is paid to you in the form of points.
Finally, you can get extra points by referring other people or joining via someone else’s referral link. More about this below!
Watch your limits
I said earlier that most people nowadays have an ‘unlimited’ texts allowance, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. If you are on a cheap deal there may be an upper limit every month, and you don’t want to exceed this or you will start being charged extra. You should also to allow for the fact that you may want to send some text messages to friends and relatives yourself, so you need to leave a few in reserve!
Even if you do have an ‘unlimited’ allowance, so-called fair usage restrictions typically apply. A common one is an upper limit of 5000 texts a month. Again, you don’t want to exceed this. Check with your provider if you are unsure what your monthly limits are.
The good news is that Lucky Leftovers allows you to set maximum daily and monthly texting limits on your Settings page. You can start low to test the water if you like, and increase the numbers as you gain confidence. That’s what I did, incidentally.
Will you be spammed?
This is obviously a concern with any app of this nature, but my experience so far has been entirely positive. I have not received a single spam text or phone call as a result of using the app. This has also been the experience of others using the app longer than I have.
Get 500 points through me!
As mentioned earlier, Lucky Leftovers has a referral scheme that lets you earn points by referring others. So here is my referral link. If you click through this and install the app, you will be credited with 500 points (worth 50p), and so will I. That’s a nice little bonus to start you on the way to your first £5!
Good luck if you do decide to join up with Lucky Leftovers. I hope you win lots of points and prizes.
If you have any comments or questions, as always, please do leave them below.
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Some older folk have a modest income but are lucky enough to have a decent-sized garden (and yes, that includes me).
If that applies to you too, there are a few ways you could profit from your garden, either directly or indirectly. One possibility would be to rent all or part of it as an allotment.
There is a big demand for allotments in many areas, a situation which has been exacerbated by councils selling off land to developers. Of course, that then creates demand from people who would otherwise have to wait years for a plot to come up.
You won’t make a fortune this way. On average, council allotments in Britain cost around £30 a year, so you won’t be able to charge much more than that. Nevertheless, if you can divide your garden into three or four plots, that would be £90 a year or more for no effort. What’s more, your garden will be tended on your behalf, and you’re quite likely to be offered produce your tenants can’t consume themselves.
If you’re not bothered about making money directly but would be willing to let someone grow crops on your land in exchange for a share of the produce (and maybe doing a few chores), the non-profit Lend and Tend organization may be able to help you. They put people with land in touch with others who might like to grow fruit and vegetables on it. They don’t allow landowners to charge fees, but plenty of other arrangements are possible. Here’s what they say on their site:
Got space to spare? Can’t garden? Find out who can!
Is your garden going to waste? 1000s of people are on waiting lists for an allotment and many people live in flats without a garden who are keen to garden. So, if your garden is looking unloved and you’ve no time or can’t garden, let someone else love it instead.
Share your garden so a Tender can grow some produce, you may end up with an abundance of edibles where weeds are currently thriving. Share your skills with a keen garden Tender and teach them how to get your garden blooming again. Share the burden of garden work with a Tender so they can benefit from enjoying a garden too. Lend and Tend, make gardening friends.
It sounds a great idea and you can register as a would-be garden lender (or tender) via the website. There is no charge for using the service, but as they have some operating costs, the organization does say that donations are appreciated. If money is tight, however, they are happy to accept help publicizing the service as well!
Another possibility if you live in an area attractive to tourists – or near festival sites, racecourses, and so on – is offering your garden as a campsite.
Campinmygarden.com claims to be the world’s first website advertising private gardens as “micro-campsites”. They operate world-wide. You can advertise your garden for free on the site, including pictures and a description. You can also set a fee of your choice. Around £10 a night is typical, though if you can offer additional services (e.g. bed and breakfast) you could charge more.
The website has various interactive features, including a link allowing would-be campers to ask landowners any questions they may have. There is also an eBay-style reviews and ratings system.
Here’s an example listing for ‘Vic’s Place’ in Camborne, Cornwall:
We live between Camborne and Helston in a peaceful rural location. Our camping area is rustic and basic, in a lovely secluded setting which has a magnetic, soothing quality! A standard camper van can access our place but the gates are not wide so best check the width if you plan to come in a van.
Well behaved dogs and children are welcome. There are several water sources on the property so families with younger children must take extreme care. We only accept parties of four or fewer, in the interests of peace.
Just up the road there is a natural spring from which you can get water (or we will supply tap water) and there is a shared composting toilet available. A delightful stream runs by the camping ground. There is a fire pit and you are welcome to collect kindling and small amounts of wood from around and about.
The nearest pub is a mile and a half away by road or a twenty-five minute walk across fields. There is a small shop selling basic supplies in the same location.
In this recent post I looked at the pros and cons of writing a book, perhaps in fulfilment of a long-cherished ambition.
I said then that while writing a book has many attractions, it can be a major project, and there is no guarantee you will find a traditional print publisher. Even if you do, unless you are very lucky and/or talented, you are highly unlikely to make a fortune.
An intriguing alternative, though, is to publish an e-book. Perhaps surprisingly, this can be a lot more straightforward. The huge popularity of Amazon’s Kindle device (and rival ebook readers such as the Kobo and the Nook) means that more e-books are sold nowadays than traditional ones. And Amazon has made it easy for anyone to publish and sell their own e-book by means of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP for short).
Publishing a Kindle e-book is a simple process. Essentially, all you have to do is create your book in Microsoft Word or a similar application, save it in HTML (web) format, and upload it to Amazon via the KDP website.
Unlike traditional books, Kindle e-books can as short as a few thousand words, so there’s no need to create an epic. You can write fiction or nonfiction as you choose. A little time spent browsing the Kindle Store should give you plenty of ideas!
Once your Kindle e-book is published, anyone will be able to order it from Amazon. You can set your own price, and you will then receive a royalty of up to 70 percent on sales. That compares well with the 10 percent typically paid to traditionally published authors.
Some Top Tips
A few quick tips for new Kindle authors include:
Keep the formatting as simple as possible. Complex layouts are unlikely to survive conversion to ebook format.
Create an eye-catching description of your book for the Kindle Store. You’re allowed to use up to 4,000 characters, so make the most of it. Check out the sales pages of some Kindle bestsellers for inspiration.
Price your title between £1.99 and £9.99 – this will ensure you qualify to receive Amazon’s highest (70 percent) royalty rate. Books priced outside this range receive only the standard 35 percent royalty.
Make sure the first few pages of your e-book hook the reader. People can see the first 10 percent of your book free in the store. If the opening pages don’t grab them, they will soon move on to something else.
Create an attractive cover image for your ebook. This can make a big difference in converting visitors to your sales page to buyers. You can use the KDP free cover-maker tool, or try Fiverr.com, where there are people offering to create ebook covers for just $5 (about £3.80).
Spread the word about your e-book on any social networks you belong to, including Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and so on. It can also help to create a blog, website or dedicated Facebook page for your e-book, and mention it on any forums you belong to (though do this sensitively, to avoid accusations of spamming).
Aim to get a few reviews of your e-book up as soon as possible. Consider giving away free or discounted copies via social networks, forums, your blog (if you have one), and so forth. Not everyone will end up leaving a review even if you ask them to, but hopefully some will.
Amazon has plenty more advice for would-be Kindle e-book authors on the KDP website. And for anyone wanting an in-depth introduction to Kindle publishing, I highly recommend Geoff Shaw‘s comprehensive Kindling course (that’s a link to my review of Kindling on my Entrepreneur Writer blog).
Or, if you would like a lower-cost alternative, I also recommend Self Publishing on Amazon 2017, a Kindle e-book by Dr Andy Williams that I have been reading recently. This covers both Kindle e-book publishing and DIY print publishing using Amazon’s Createspace platform. It costs only a few pounds and provides in-depth advice from someone who is a highly successful Kindle author himself (mainly of non-fiction e-books).
And yes – thank you for asking – I do have a few Kindle e-books of my own published. In particular, you may like to check out my guide to plotting for fiction writers and my humorous, illustrated science-fiction novella The Festival on Lyris Five. If you buy and enjoy either of these, a review is always much appreciated 🙂
Final Thoughts
If you are very lucky (and/or talented) your Kindle e-book could become an Amazon bestseller and maybe even propel you into the growing ranks of Kindle millionaires.
But even if not, you will have the satisfaction of being a published author in the world’s favourite online bookstore. And you will have royalties from sales coming into your bank account every month, potentially for many years to come.
If you have any comments or questions about Kindle publishing, as ever, please do post them below.
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