How to Make Money from Nothing

It seems like it’s almost impossible to conjure money from nowhere, especially when you need it most. However, it is possible to find money in some places where you probably thought not possible. So what are the more obvious options you can utilise to good effect, and what are the ways you’ve never thought of before?

eBaying… But Different

I think we all know what eBay is now, and that it’s a good place to sell your unwanted stuff. So if you haven’t already, scour through your old things and put them up for auction. Knowing what kind of things sell well online is a little bit of trial-and-error, you’ll get better the more you do it. But for a little hint or two, LEGO fetches good money (especially if you have most or all of the pieces and the box), as do big brand-named clothing and branded tech. However, one thing to consider is how you’re going to send and package these items. If they’re big and heavy, you might have to look at setting the item to "collection only" or putting it on a more localised selling site like Gumtree instead.

However, things with easily identifiable value aren’t the only things you can sell to make money on eBay. Take a look at this, you can make money from the things you would usually just throw away.

Don’t Throw Away: Upcycle

If you’ve managed to catch the BBC programme Money for Nothing recently, then you’ll know all about the magic of turning trash into treasure. If you haven’t seen it, then Sarah Moore, or sometimes Jay Blades, scour the tips and recycling centres of the country to find the furniture or other items that people are ready to throw in the skip. Instead of letting them dispose of the objects, the upcyclers say they’ll take them away and with the help of some tradespeople, old haggard items are transformed into fresh, stylish pieces. Once the new piece is sold and the money is deducted for materials and labour costs, the presenter goes round to the house of the old owner that was going to tip it, and hands them the profits. Sometimes, the profits can be measly (like when she took a boot-load of apples from someone, made apple crumble, and made £20 profit), but can also be rewarding, stretching regularly in the hundreds of pounds.

So that’s something to consider when you look at all the furniture and items you have at home. Should you chuck it away, or should you at least attempt to make something new from it. Do you need a new chest-of-drawers, or does your current one just need a little bit of paint, some new knobs, and replacement feet? Not only is it adding value to your furniture by turning it from an off-the-shelf item and turning it into a unique piece, but it’s saving you the cost of buying a completely new one. If you want to be inspired more, you can catch the episodes here or you can find some episodes on YouTube if you’re in a sneaky mood.

Try Matched Betting

If you’re a betting person, you might want to try this legal way of winning money, completely risk-free. Basically, it's a system which relies on you utilising the free bets that companies give out, then betting against that outcome on a betting exchange such as Betfair. First, you will have to place the bets in order to make your free bets available to use, but if you offset them with the betting exchange, then the losses on that bet will be minimal. Then, you can use your free bet to recoup that money and then some. This does take some time to learn and ultimately master this system, as you’ll have to be constantly on the lookout for free bet deals and be able to calculate the correct stakes on the exchange. If you want to find an easy starter’s guide on how to get going and how to make around £13, then this might be of interest to you.

So there you go, just a handful of ways in which you can make money without having to do anything taxing. So why not give one of these options a go?