Save The Student

Student lives on £800 yacht to save on rent

2018-09-03T21:48:00.001-07:00

We love hearing money saving stories from students. But Joe's story has to take the biscuit (so far)!

Do you struggle to find the money for a deposit, or simply hate the idea of throwing money at landlords? Perhaps it's the 8am inspections and viewings that ruffle your feathers.

Well, consider taking a leaf out of Joe Pearce's book. He didn't pay rent. That's because this is the student who bought a yacht to live on while studying at Aberystwyth.

Joe lived on his boat for 14 months while he completed his Masters in Physical Geography. He found ‘The Golden Cloud' – still seaworthy at 42 years old – online for just £800. That's the equivalent of just two months' rent (and as the owner, he can always sell the yacht on).

The only rent he pays now is £1 a day to keep his yacht in the harbour.

The student was sharing a flat with his girlfriend, but after they split up he couldn't afford the rent on his own. So Joe made the decision to save money and live on a boat instead, saving a huge £5,600 on rent so far.

When I was studying for my masters I realised I couldn't afford to keep living in a flat. I was sharing a flat with my girlfriend, and we would split the £100-a-week rent between us.
But when we broke up I would have had to pay around £400 a month by myself. So I then came up with a crazy idea to buy a boat to live on.

He describes living in the boat as ‘luxury camping', like being in a ‘wooden tent'. The parties he has hosted have already gone down in Aber legend!

It was so much fun living on the boat – I saved a lot of money and I've still got it and use it to go fishing around the island.
The boat has got so much character and it's officially my boat.

Joe thinking out of the ordinary to find a way to save money is an inspiration to us all. Granted, the Manchester canals might not be as welcoming to a 23-foot yacht as a Welsh seaside town, but it does go to show that you can always find a money saving alternative to what everyone else does.

For many students, there's really no reason why you couldn't apply the same, bold move and live in a van while studying. Or just go all out Ray Mears and live under canopy in the local forest!

If you're a little more traditional, head over to our student accommodation section for lots more money saving tips.

What do you think of Joe's money saving adventure? Let us know if his story has given you any inspiration!

37 money saving resources

2018-09-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

Want to hack saving money? Get your mitts on our favourite money saving resources and watch the pounds stack up!

10 years of Save the Student has given us plenty of experience with all sorts of useful tools, apps and websites when it comes to saving money. Lots are good, lots are not.

We've distilled all our advice on saving money for this essential checklist.

Unlike our ways to save money, these are resources – once you've got them, they'll do all the hard work for you!

What’s on this page?

Save money on banking

Prepaid card – If you have trouble sticking to a weekly or monthly spending limit, prepaid cards are a great way to ensure you play by your own rules. And some even have apps to help you budget.
Student bank account with 0% overdraft – Ideally you won't have to use the overdraft on your bank account, but if you ever do, it's good to know that you won't be charged interest (or fees) for doing so.
Chip
Credit: Rog01 – FlickrMoney saving bots are a relatively new phenomenon that are making it easier than ever to stash away some cash for a rainy day.
Using some clever maths, money saving bots can assess your spending, decide how much you can afford to save, and stash it away for you. All you have to do is give the app access to your bank account (read-only, mind), and it'll take care of the rest!
There are a few bots out there, but we'd recommend Chip as it's currently the only one to offer interest on your savings.
Budget sheet – Nothing will ever quite match up to a good old-fashioned budget sheet, and we've got a ton of tips and resources to help you manage your money effectively.

Save money on bills

Our household bills comparisons – From TV to gas, electricity and broadband, our student bills guides are the best way to save on your regular outgoings.
Water saving pack – It can be easy to forget that you're even being charged for water… until the huge bill arrives. However, these FREE water saving packs should help soften the blow when it's time to pay up.
Energy saving plug
Nowadays the only way to completely turn something off is to cut the electrical supply. But turning things off in the wall is (depressingly) something we all deem too much effort to do all the time, despite it being massively beneficial for both our safety and our bank balances.
The good news is that energy saving plugs do all the hard work for you. When the device (such as a TV) has been off long enough for it to be safe, it cuts the current feeding it, as well as all the attached devices (like a DVD player or a games console).
For less than a fiver, an energy saving plug really is a great way to save money on your electric bill!
Our mobile phone deals comparison tool – Select as many or as few filters as you like (including brand and model, network, data allowance and all the rest!), and our mobile phone deals comparison tool will show you the very best deals available.
The Meter Readings app – It's currently only available on iOS, but if you've got an Apple device, get your hands on the Meter Readings app. With it, you'll be able to track up to nine separate household meters, allowing you to keep an eye on how much your bill will be, as well as how much cheaper (if at all) it would be with another provider.

Save money on food

Plastic containers or freezer bags – Cooking in bulk and freezing any leftovers is one of the oldest money saving tricks in the book. Freezer bags are cheaper and take up less space, but for when they don't cut the mustard, some plastic containers will do the business.
Approved Food – Best before dates are just a guideline, not a rule. Approved Food takes advantage of that, and sells food that's ‘past its best' (but still safe to eat) for up to 70% off!
mySupermarket – Want to know which supermarket offers the best prices on the products you buy? mySupermarket will tell you! But it's not the only app with this trick up its sleeve. Over on Facebook, Natasha Jayne Wick suggested Comparasaurus – great for checking the prices of individual items!
Olio
There's no better way to save money than to not spend any at all. As much as we preach money saving and try to only buy what's necessary, sometimes even we go a bit OTT and put a little too much in our baskets. It turns out we're not the only ones, and that's where Olio comes in.
Download the app, and you'll be able to see users in the local area who have got an excess of food going. Maybe they bought too much and it's going out of date soon. Maybe they cooked more than they bargained for. Either way, they'll offer it to you for free (or a donation to a charity).
Too Good To Go – A little like Olio, this one. Restaurants, cafes and bakeries are no strangers to having a little extra food leftover, and Too Good To Go puts it all into a marketplace where you can get delicious food for a fraction of the normal price.
Supermarket cashback apps – You don't have to go through anti-food-waste apps to get free food. Supermarket cashback apps will allow you to get some or all of the cost of an item back, and also present a great opportunity to spice up your weekly shop with something new.

Save money on shopping

NUS Extra card – You'd be surprised just how many companies offer a student discount, and more often than not, an NUS Extra card is all you'll need to get it. Oh, and don't worry if you've already graduated – you can still get a card!
Amazon Prime Student – Even after your free six month trial is over, as a student you'll be able to get Amazon Prime at half the price (£39). With exclusive offers for students, unlimited free next day delivery and the whole Prime film and TV selection included, it'll pay for itself in no time.
Student deals – Not to blow our own trumpet or anything, but our student deals area is bursting at the seams with only the best handpicked offers.
Latest freebies – Again, there's no better way to save money than to not spend any at all. Our list of totally free stuff is bound to have something that takes your fancy!
Loyalty cards – If you're going to shop somewhere, why not get rewarded for doing so? It's worth getting a loyalty card for every shop you use (they're free, so why not?), but check out our list of the top schemes to see which retailers reward their customers the most.
Cashback accounts
Think of cashback accounts as being like turbo-powered loyalty cards that aren't just restricted to one shop. Once you've signed up to a site like Quidco(as recommended by Rae Coppola over on Facebook!), you'll have access to a range of cashback offers at thousands of shops.
All you need to do is find the retailer on their website, click the link and complete your purchase from there. The cashback site will track your transaction, and once it's gone through, they'll refund you a certain percentage of the cost!
Some sites offer a paid-for premium service, and this will get you exclusive bonuses and higher cashback rates. Plus, if you use Quidco you'll even be able to claim cashback offline in one of the dozens of participating high street retailers!
Some bags for life – Since the 5p plastic bag charge came in, supermarket car parks across the nation have been filled with people struggling to balance three tonnes of shopping. Get a couple of bags for life (and maybe even fold one up and put it in your rucksack/handbag) and you'll never be caught out again!
Secret sales accounts – Sign up to a secret sales website and you'll get exclusive deals you won't find anywhere else. Just don't get suckered into making loads of impulse buys!
Cleo – If you want a breakdown of where your money is going, how much you're saving and even whether or not your mate has paid you back, Cleo can do it all. It's all integrated into a Facebook Messenger app, too, so you can sort your finances while pretending to have friends.
ASOS Premier – For just £9.95, you'll get a whole year of unlimited next-day delivery. ASOS Premier really will pay for itself within a few orders, and all that money saving is before you even use your ASOS student discount!
Amazon Underground – Reluctant to pay for apps? Well now you don't have to! Amazon Underground has a huge selection of some of the most popular apps (including Goat Simulator, thank god) and offers them for free. All it asks for in exchange is access to your app usage data.
CamelcamelcamelCredit: Becker1999 – Flickr
Nothing to do with camels, everything to do with saving money. Have you ever bought something, and then a few weeks (or even days) later seen it going for a much lower price? We have. And it's super annoying.
Camelcamelcamel puts an end to that pain, as it lets you enter the URL of an Amazon product and see how its price has changed over time. If the current price is higher than normal, or it's on a downwards trend, hold off on buying it until you reckon it's hit its lowest price!
idealo – Camelcamelcamel is great if you want to shop on Amazon, but what if you don't? Enter idealo. As well as price-tracking, idealo will compare the price of a product across a whole load of retailers to help you save the most money.
Groupon – Groupon has been around for long enough now that we don't need to explain what it does. But we will say it's ideal if you're looking to book a holiday, go out for a meal, have a day out, or buy pretty much anything!
Student discounts – Always know which brands offer money off with our student discount directory.

Save money on travel

Skyscanner – There's no better place to find cheap flights. Skyscanner compares the price of tickets across all airlines, and even gives you the company's customer rating out of 10 (just in case there's a good reason that their flights are so cheap).
16–25 railcard
Ella actually suggested two money saving resources over on Facebook (the other being an NUS card), but we decided to use her comment for a 16–25 railcard as it was easier to incorporate Thomas the Tank Engine.
Rail fares are ridiculously expensive, and if you're travelling between two major cities, it can sometimes be cheaper to fly via Europe to get there. To ease the pain of shelling out for a train ticket, get your hands on a 16–25 railcard and save yourself a third on the cost!
But the money saving options don't stop there. Coaches are almost always cheaper than trains, and a National Express Coach Card will take another third off the already low prices!
Trainline – A third off seems to be the industry standard for travel, as booking train tickets through the Trainline should knock approximately that much off a ticket too. And that doesn't even include the third off you can get with your railcard as well. Tasty.
Uber – Paying for a taxi is far from money saving, but sometimes it's the best and safest choice. Download Uber through us and you'll get up to £10 off your first ride – now that's money saving.
Parkopedia – Again, having a car at uni is hardly a good way to save money, especially when you consider the cost of parking. However, if you have got a car, download Parkopedia and it'll help you find the cheapest places to park in your area.

Bonus money saving resources!

Save the Student (duh) – We post a lot of deals and money saving advice content. So much, in fact, that the only ways to keep up with it all are to sign up for our weekly newsletter, like us on Facebook and become a part of our WhatsApp group – that way, you'll never miss a trick!
Uni Lifehacks book – Some of the UK's most successful students and graduates (including our very own Owen Burek) teamed up to put together a whole book's worth of lifehacks to help get the most of out of uni. This includes money saving tips, so get your hands on a copy of Uni Lifehacks!

36 money saving resources should be enough to keep you in the black during uni – it's certainly a start at the very least. But if you think we've missed anything out, please let us know in the comments below!

These are the best resources for saving money, but how can you make money? Well, here are 40 easy ways to do just that.

83 practical ways to save money

2018-09-03T21:44:00.002-07:00

A penny saved is a penny made. Follow our favourite tips and tricks to save yourself £100s (if not £1,000s) every year!

Credit: formatc1 – Flickr

Looking to sniff out top-dollar money saving? You've come to the right place. Discover how to cut the price of everything, from rent reductions to cash back on your commute. We've organised our tips by greatest savings potential.

What's on this page?

Big Money Savings (£££)

Think beyond dorms to save on rent
Don't assume uni accommodation is always your cheapest option. If you’re prepared to get creative, you could save a ton – like the students who lived on a yacht for a quid a day or camped out to cut costs.
If that's a bit too bushcraft for you, you could save around £406 a month by living at home. Or use Rightmove to filter areas and private accommodation that fits your budget.
Remember: wherever you live, students do not have to pay council tax. Discover more ways to save on digs.
Get student funding
There’s heaps of cash tucked away in bursaries, scholarships and grants – the trick is to hit as many angles as you can (location, dependants, gender, subjects studied). Your uni will have some schemes, but there are private scholarships, sponsorships, grants and emergency funds floating out there too.
Disabled Students Allowance is worth checking if you have a disability or learning disadvantage (e.g. dyslexia), with cash available for computers and specialist kit. See if there's anything you're eligible for.
In fact, as our guide to weird bursaries, scholarships and grants testifies, there's funding out there for pretty much everything – it's just a case of finding out what!
Go abroad for grad study
Finland, Norway, Germany and Austria are tops for free or low-cost study, even for international students, which could save you thousands each year. On the downside, living costs can be pricey, and you may need to know the local language to get a place (or a job). Start saving, look for funding, and learn the lingo ahead of time.
Stop smoking (or doing drugs)
If you're a smoker, you could be burning two grand a year or more to fuel your habit. You can get a quitting kit (patches, gum, sprays and medication) for much less on the NHS, and e-cigs could help stop you frying your lungs while you cut back.
Lots of ex-smokers swear by Allen Carr's book – check the library to read it for free. But it's not just smoking that costs – recreational drugs and legal highs can be just as pricey, a whole lot riskier, and often get you spending more cash on munchies, impulse buys or digging yourself out of a hole.
Have at least one ‘no-spend' day each week
Having a no-spend day is both incredibly simple and surprisingly difficult. When you stop to think about it, you probably spend money on at least one thing every day, even if it's as small as a bus fare or a small snack while you're out and about.
Exercise some self-restraint and try to have at least one no-spend day each week (we'll let you pay for travel if it's absolutely necessary – otherwise, walk!). It'll take some forward planning (like buying food in a weekly shop), but the psychological impact of learning not to spend money should mean you become a lot more careful with it in the long term!

Impressive Cost Cutters (££)

Look twice for cheap flights
It can be a costly rookie mistake to assume the first get-away deals you find are actually the cheapest, especially as prices can change in minutes. Set up price alerts with momondo if you have a destination in mind, or use Skyscanner's‘Everywhere' tool to find bargain-bucket seats on flights to anywhere!
Complete holiday packages can sometimes (not always) work out cheaper overall, so compare your prices with sites like lastminute.com.
And don't dust off your mankini until you've read our specific tips to getting airborne for less.
Know your discounts
Get yourself a discount card to hoover up any student savings going. You'll need to pay for the NUS Extra card (the three-year card is the best value), but you could recoup your costs in as little as one spend with 50% off Spotify, 10% off ASOS or even £10 off at Amazon.co.uk.
Like to eat out? It's also worth adding a tastecard to your arsenal to knock 50% off at thousands of restaurants.
If you don't want to pay for your discounts, you can still use your student ID instead at a range of places, from clubs to cinemas – check out our full student discount directory.
Oh, and don't worry if you've already finished uni – find out how you can get an NUS card when you've graduated!
Earn money from your student loan
Whenever (if ever) you have a lump-sum of cash that you don't need straight away, stick it in a high-interest cash ISA.
If you've got other funds to live on (income from a job or a student start-up), you'll earn more tax-free interest by leaving your savings alone to accumulate.
If not, work out your living costs and siphon off what you need each month – you'll still earn interest, and making your money last for the whole term is a lesson in discipline.
Speak to the cancellations department
Got a phone, broadband or TV subscription due for renewal? Tell your provider you're taking your business elsewhere unless they beat the cheapest alternative.
This one works especially well with mobile phone companies – try to cancel your contract and you can expect to be directed to their loyalty team who have the power to offer substantial discounts to retain customers. Get your poker face on!
It's also worth noting that this works with more than just cancellations. If you've had a poor experience with any company, get in touch with their customer services team and make it clear that you're unhappy – they'll probably offer you something to make sure you use their services again!
Just don't go too hard on the poor person handling your query – this probably wasn't their fault!
Slash your bills in an evening
Spend just one evening comparing the cost of your gas or leccy and you could save hundreds by moving to a better deal. Switching is simple and free – just make sure you’re not tied into a contract with exit fees (although the savings can still outweigh them).
Quickly find out what you can save right now at EnergyHelpine.com.
Get cash back on almost anything you buy
Every time you buy online, get some of your money back by learning how to use cashback sites.
Topcashback and Quidco are both worth joining, and they cover almost every online retailer between them. You'll be amazed at just how much you get back.
But it's not just online shopping that offers cashback. Free food (and occasionally some cleaning products and pet food, too) can be nabbed through supermarket cashback apps!
Haggle on your rent (or anything else)
You’ve got nothing to lose by asking for a rent reduction – if you can show you’ve been a top tenant, the odds are in your favour, as it’s usually cheaper and less hassle for your landlord if you stay on.
Other tactics to try include paying in advance, or knocking off a month or two from 12-month contracts to account for non-term time.
But don't stop at haggling on your rent – anything and everything can be cut down with a bit of persuasion, as we explain in our guide to haggling.
Use the ‘skimming' trick
When you experience the thrill of money inbound – Student Loan, birthday cash, wages or anything else – skim 10% off the top and whack it in a savings account (set up a standing order to shuffle the cash over automatically when it lands in your current account).
If you can manage just £20 a month you'll be £240 better off at the end of the year (more if you stick it in a top-paying savings account).
Try the 1p savings challenge
If taking 10% off all incoming funds sounds like too big a commitment for you, give the 1p savings challenge a go.
The premise is simple: on day one, you save 1p. On day two, you save 2p. On day three, 3p (and so on). After 365 days have passed, you'll have saved over £650!
Although the challenge is intended as a way to start saving in the new year, you can basically start whenever you want – just keep going up in 1p increments, and you'll save the same amount of money in the same period of time!
Think about phone insurance
Not only are two-thirds of you likely to damage or break your phone at uni, but phone theft is so rampant that there’s even a national crime unit dedicated to stopping it.
Insurance obviously costs money, but can save you the expense of a new phone or pricey repairs. So if you’re a butter fingers, have a pricey handset or are locked into a lengthy contract, getting insured is often worth doing.
Don’t just go with the policy that’s bundled with your gadget – you can get cover for pennies.
Turn your old phone into a sat nav
Obviously you can use your current phone as a sat nav too, but that'll just drain your battery and put out the fire flowing through the aux cord.
Your phone's GPS can work without a SIM card, so the super money-saving option here is to go to whatever app you're using and download the route (over WiFi) for offline use. But if you want live traffic updates, alternate route options and all that jazz, the next best thing is to get a cheap-as-chips SIM and use the data on that.
Don't need a sat nav? Our price comparison tool will tell you which companies will give you the most money for your old phone.
Ride the bus for less
If you catch the bus every day, a student bus pass usually works out cheaper (if you're entitled to disability support, you may be able to get free travel, or funds to help you pay for a pass). Check if there are free metro bus services in your area, too.
Swerve premium rate numbers
If there’s one thing more torturous than most companies’ choice of hold music, it’s the rip-off rates you pay for calling their pricey 084 and 087 numbers in the first place. Even on an inclusive call plan, they can cost up to 60p a minute.
If you can’t avoid nasty numbers, find a cheaper alternative at saynoto0870 or download WeQ4U which will also call you back once you’re connected. No more epic calls, or paying to stay on hold!
Don't pay for top-selling apps & games
Most tablet, phone and PC platforms offer free or freemium games, but Amazon’s gone one further and banked a load of premium apps in its Underground service, which offers them all for free.
That means you can get your hands on Monument Valley (£2.49), OfficeSuite Professional (£9.99) and the inexplicably popular Goat Simulator (£3.99) for no cost whatsoever. The trade-off is that you’ll need to allow Amazon access to your app usage stats to actually run any free downloads.
Get 2for1 cinema tickets for a year for less than £2
How we miss Orange Wednesdays. If you were on the network, your trips to the cinema would never cost full price. And if you weren't, you'd almost certainly have memorised a list of all your friends and family who could give you their code.
The good news is that the 2for1 baton has been passed to Compare the Market's Meerkat Movies scheme, and all you have to do is make an eligible purchase with them. The best part? It includes travel insurance, which you can get for under £2!
Or just go to the cinema for free!
There's only one thing better than a discount, and that's getting something for free. Whether you plop for free preview screenings, or sign up to E4's Slackers Club (or both!), there are a ton of ways to get your Hollywood on without spending a penny.
Check out our cinema hacks for more details on how to secure your free or discounted tickets.
Get a 3-year railcard when you’re 24
Buy or renew a 3-year 16–25 railcard before your 24th birthday to get a third off rail fares until you're 27!
If you miss the window and turn 24, you can still buy a 1-year card right up until the day before you turn 26.
Lose your TV licence
If you've got top-speed unlimited broadband and use streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, you could save a bundle by ditching your TV licence.
But if you ever do watch live TV, legally you need to cough up for a TV licence, and you now also need a licence to watch iPlayer and 4OD (unless you use this loophole)!
However, you can get a refund to cover the summer months you're not at uni.
Run from overpriced gym membership
Opt for any of the big fancy fitness chains and you can expect to pay anything up to £80 a month. Whilst that may incentivise you to actually go, there are lots of ways to lose a few pounds for fewer pounds (sorry).
Your university is likely to offer most facilities for a fraction of the cost, with no lengthy contract. Or you could check out PayAsUGym for hundreds of pay-as-you-go or no-frills gyms popping up all over the country.
Not enough for you? See all the ways you can save a packet on fitness.
Save on postage costs with Amazon Prime
Amazon’s student Prime trial gives you 6 months of free one-day delivery with no minimum spend, and thereafter 50% off the usual yearly membership fee.
Oh, and you also get access to the full Prime Instant Video catalogue along with other exclusive Prime offers
Get your tax back
Most students won’t earn more than the personal allowance each year, so shouldn’t be taxed on any of it. If your employer has you on an emergency or incorrect tax code, or if your bank knocks tax off your savings' interest, you’re entitled to reclaim it.
If you run a student business, you can also claim for allowable expenses – meaning there's less tax to pay on profits.
Buy past ‘Best Before' dates
The bottom line on best before dates (not use by dates!) is that they’re about food quality, not safety. The Approved Food website can help you cash in on that – they sell stuff close to or past its best before date that’s still safe to eat. We slashed £60 off one shop, so there are top savings to be had.
Get free money every month
Instead of varying interest, the Halifax Reward Current Account pays you £3 for every month you stay in credit (and sometimes a bonus for opening the account, too).
You’ll need to pay in at least £750 and pay out two direct debits each month, but you may be able to transfer in (and out) the same cash each time, and set up the smallest direct debit to qualify – even a quid to a charity would do.
If you're one of the many students without a student account (and you don’t need a 0% overdraft), it's worth a look.
Get everything for five pounds
Some company names leave you scratching your head, wondering what on earth they actually do. Not so with Everything5pounds.
Everything5pounds sells clothes, homeware and toys for – you guessed it – £5. Now, before you turn your nose up at the idea of buying clothes for £5, a lot of their stock is high-street quality.
Sometimes it literally is high-street quality, with the site buying unsold stock in bulk from the likes of Topshop and River Island, and selling it to you for a fiver a pop
Check Amazon's secret warehouse deals
You can get almost anything for less at Amazon Warehouse, although what’s actually on offer varies at any given time. These heavily discounted goods are typically returns, but you’ll still get the same guarantees about stuff working properly (or your money back if not).
Food shop in the evenings
If you’re prepared to shop around (around 6pm, that is), lots of supermarkets mark-down items they need to shift or ditch by the end of the day.
Still make a list, but if you’re flexible on brands and flavours you could bag tinned or fresh produce that’s still plenty good to eat, but for pennies. Just don't shop on an empty stomach! Read more tips for food shopping on the cheap.
Buy stolen goods (legally!)
Not in an EastEnders kind of way. No dodgy electronics supplied by Fat Elvis, please.
When the police are unable to track down an item's rightful owner, they'll auction it off and give the proceeds to worthy causes. It's all legit, it's all above-board, and you can bag a bargain if you submit the winning bid.
Find out more about police auctions in our guide to buying stolen goods.
Grab £200 worth of freebies in a day
From cloud storage to condoms, work your way through our list of top-pick freebies to save yourself £200!
Price compare your groceries
Take the leg work out of penny-pinching by comparing the cost of your groceries at mySupermarket.co.uk. The site stacks up the prices of big-name retailers to reveal who’s cheapest on each item, and reckons it can save you around 30% on each trip.
Even if you don’t buy your basket, it’s a good opportunity to compare your usual spend and see multi-store offers in one place.
Tune-in for free gigs and events
Events newsletters can be worth signing up for if they net you early bird discounts on your favourite gigs. Other ones to watch for include giveaways for TV and radio shows – the Beeb regularly hosts big-name songsters, while ITV and other channels offer free tickets, including for jackpot-heavy gameshows…
Use discounted gift cards at big chains
Ever been given a gift card for a shop that you never go to? Turns out you're not the only one. People are so keen to get rid of these vouchers, that they're willing to part with them for less than their worth.
Zeek is probably the main marketplace for buying and selling gift cards, with vouchers for some shops available with discounts as big as 20%. Plus, if you sign up with them through us you'll get £3 free credit!
Retailers like Tesco have also been known to have sales on gift cards (like 15% off). We'll almost certainly let you know if they've got one going, so check out our deals section for the latest offers!
Obviously this won't save you money if you're impulse buying, but if there's a shop you use all the time, or you're planning to make a big purchase (like electronics), this is a great way to cut costs!
Don’t pay for software
We're not talking illegal downloads here, but from writing to image editing, there’s a free alternative out there – some good enough to pass for pro products costing £70 and up.
Libre Office does everything Microsoft Office can, Gimpshop (not what you're thinking) gives Photoshop a run for its money, while Google Drive and Dropbox offer free cloud storage.
Head here for a long list of free software.
Browse eBay outlets
eBay's official outlets stock all the same gear that you’ll find in the high street stores, but up to a third cheaper.
Why? Because these are end-of-line, returned or ex-display items. Retailers – which include Argos, House of Fraser, Skechers and Tesco – guarantee your quality and rights just as with full-price gear. If there’s something you’re shopping for anyway, have a look to see if you can get it cheaper.
And always check for eBay typos!
For eBay sellers, good grammar pays. Literally.
Seriously though, it's pretty easy to make a typo, and eBay is full of them – including in the title of auctions. There are plenty of perfectly good products on the site labelled as, for example, ‘sansung', meaning they won't appear in searches for ‘samsung'.
As a result, these auctions get far fewer views and therefore fewer bidders than they would with the correct spelling. Fewer bidders usually equals fewer bids, which in turn should mean lower prices!
Check out our eBay buying hacks for more details on this tip, plus many more.
Abandon your online shopping basket
Don't worry, we're still letting you buy things (although the biggest discount does come when you don't buy anything at all – but then again, where's the fun in that?).
Now, this is by no means the case for all websites, or even most of them, but it's certainly been known to happen.
If you put some items in your basket, then quit the website and take it no further, companies will sometimes send you an email in the hours and days afterwards. They'll offer you a discount, because for them, it's better that you spend a little less instead of nothing at all.
This is a great way to approach an impulse buy, or anything that you're not quite sure about – if the discount comes in, that's the gods of retail saying it's a worthwhile purchase!
Don’t get stung on event tickets
Missed the tickets you really, really wanted? Avoid the touts and scammers out to get rich from fans by securing re-sales or unwanted bookings at a fair price – Twickets lets you buy and sell your seat at face value or less.
Rack-up loyalty points
Get yourself a reward card and hoard points to claim money off, free treats and other discounts. At the very least, get one for your favourite supermarket.
The most rewarding cards are Tesco Clubcard, Nectar card (Sainsbury's) and Boots Advantage card. Consider sharing an account with mates to reach pay-out thresholds faster.
Furnish for free
It's usually worth sticking to furnished rental properties to avoid shelling out for (and carting around!) bulky furniture and appliances. But if it's unavoidable, or you want to make an addition, freecycling is your go-to.
You'll find almost anything up for grabs on Gumtree Freebies, Freecycle.organd Preloved. Then there's always eBay for paid bargains.
Only take cash on nights out
It's a bit of an old chestnut, but it really is one of the best ways to save money on a night out!
Even the strictest, most money-conscious of us are little more lax with the old debit card once we've had a few drinks. If you only take cash with you on a night out, you're sure to never go over budget.
Just make sure you factor in some funds for a late-night snack on the way home (or not, if you're disciplined enough to save money that well when drunk – in which case, we admire you).
Freeze your groceries
The average UK household bins around £700 worth of uneaten food a year! Planning meals can help cut back on that – but lots can be frozen to extend its life past the use-by date.
Surprisingly freezable foods include bread, milk, pasta and wine (all your essentials, in other words!). Freeze leftovers and you’ve got a cheaper/healthier alternative to take-aways and shop-bought snacks, too.
Save £600 on lunches
Buy lunch on the hoof three days a week and, at a fiver a pop, your munching could set you back almost £600 over the academic year – more if you include snacks and drinks.
It doesn’t take much to get organised and save money. Cook extra at mealtimes and carry leftovers, make sarnies the night before, or get a thermos to have soups, stews and hot drinks on tap for less.
Do your reading for nowt
If you can’t get hold of books through the library or cheap finds, have a look at Google Scholar and Google Books.
You can often find whole articles and chapters without dipping into your loan to buy the whole book, potentially saving you a couple of hundred quid a year. Get pally with your librarian, too – if anyone (except us ) knows how to save money by accessing free and underused resources, they do.
Get extra tuition for free
Not a replacement for the degree you’re already paying for, but with access to course content, book discussions, leading academics and further reading, free courses from the world’s top universities are worth a nosy.
The edX website lists hundreds of courses from the likes of Harvard, Princeton and MIT. There are also tons to choose from at The Open University.
Downshift to own-label
Lots of own-label goods are exactly the same as the fancy packaged stuff, but without the hefty price tag. It can be true for everything from aspirin to coffee at the supermarket, and downshifting also works for substituting overpriced designer clothes for high-street brands.
See what you could save with our intro to the supermarket downshift.

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Small but MIGHTY savings (£)

Get money back from your mates
Loaned money to mates and need it back? It doesn’t have to be a saga. Circle lets you transfer money between friends in an instant, and if you sign up through us you'll get £5 free, plus £5 for every friend you refer (up to 20 times, which means £100 free!).
Round-up your spend
If your bank runs a ‘Save the Change' scheme, it's a zero-effort way to load-up your nest egg. Each time you pay with a debit card, your spend is rounded up to the nearest pound and the leftover is nudged into your savings account.
Lloyds, TSB and Bank of Scotland all do it. If you bank elsewhere there's always the old school piggy bank
Check the baby/world food aisle to get the same product for less
If you're buying anything that could also be found in the baby or world food aisles (such as moisturising lotion, or some spices), it's worth checking there before you buy. You'll often be able to find the exact same product (yes, often even the same brand) for less.
This isn't a 100% foolproof system – sometimes the quantities will be different, so you'll have to check the price tag for the price per unit of measurement. In the case of world foods, you may not always be able to get the same brand, but for simpler products (spices, milks etc.) this shouldn't make a difference.
For the ‘free-from' eaters among you, it's worth noting that this affects you too. The free-from section is unfortunately far from free from overcharging, with many equivalent (sometimes identical) products available for less in another aisle.
Don't shop when you're hungry
It probably makes sense to go shopping when you fancy picking up dinner, but that's a sure fire way to spend more than you need (or even want) to.
If you're feeling peckish, you're more likely to want to buy any food that takes your fancy. You might end up buying a load of stuff that will go off before you have the chance to use it, and then you've got no choice but to basically throw that money away. Do a big shop once a week and avoid impulse buys!
Check out our guide to saving money at the supermarket.
Click & Collect for free delivery
Lots of online retailers now offer a Click & Collect service, where you can avoid the normal P&P and get purchases of any size delivered to a local store for nowt.
For example, Debenhams, River Island and very.co.uk all offer free pick-up. Of course some sites like Amazon (Prime) and ASOS offer free delivery anyway, so always compare.
Get paid for your commute
If it’s a journey you’d be making anyway, recoup the cost of your fare by playing postie while you’re at it. Search for deliveries that need to be made on the Nimber website and, if there’s one you can drop-off, you’ll get the fee (Nimber even cover the cost of parcel insurance). If you can walk or cycle the route you could even turn a profit!
Put a brick in your toilet
No, we don't mean it like that. We mean an actual brick.
Toilets use a crazy amount of water per flush – arguably more than is needed (presumably as a precaution, just in case there's a real tricky customer that needs dealing with). If you open up the cistern (the box at the back of the loo) and pop a brick in, it'll stop using so much water and start saving you money on your water bill!
Trade-up to new gadgets
Always have a one-in, one-out policy: either ask for money off for a trade-in, or sell your unwanted item first. You can turn old phones into cash, flog your boy band collectibles on eBay, and find a new home for just about everything else.
Get free water at the airport
Since the liquid ban came into effect into 2006, you and your family have probably started buying a lot more water in duty-free than you used to. But the truth is, you don't need to!
The ban only applies to liquids, not bottles. So, if you take an empty bottle through airport security (they've confirmed this is fine), you can fill it up for free using the water fountains that you'll find in most airports. Definitely one of the best money saving holiday tips.
And on the topic of water, drinking more of it is not only good for you, but it makes you feel more full. Feeling more full means you won't want to eat as much, which in turn saves you money!
Use the library to read for free
Always got your head in a book? Or just need to do some reading for your course? Rather than splash the cash on your own copies, hit up your university library (or even your local library) and just rent books for free!
Complain for cheaper rail fares
There's now a national scheme called ‘Delay Repay' which applies to most train operators. Any time you’re delayed on a prebooked train ticket by at least 30 minutes (15 minutes on the Tube), always check if you can get a refund.
On National Rail journeys you’ve got 28 days to request one, with each operator setting how much they’ll cough up and on which bit of your journey.
As a guide, if your train runs an hour late, you’ll get back the full cost of that bit of the journey (i.e. not the full price of a return fare, unless you’re delayed both ways). See the train company's website for how to put in a claim, or learn how to complain properly to get a fairer price.
Go to the cinema during off-peak hours
Weekends and evenings might feel like the best times to watch a film, but you'll be paying a pretty penny to do so. Cinemas hike their prices during these hours, and you'll save somewhere between 15–20% if you catch a movie before 5pm Monday–Thursday.
Get your drinks ‘on the house'
There are tons of gigs out there for mystery shopping, some better paid than others. Serve Legal pays you for your time, your travel and any booze or bets it asks you to buy.
You'll need to be aged 18 or 19, and there's no guarantee how much work you'll get, but some students have reported earning around a tenner a trip, with bars, clubs and betting shops all on the list.
Collect vouchers and rewards
Complete online surveys in exchange for vouchers for major retailers, or even get free products to test. We've reviewed the best survey sites here.
If you’re on top of your money (and have some means to repay), you can use credit cards to not only manage your cash flow and build your credit score, but also get rewards or cash back.
Opt for a card that offers rewards and do all your spending on it to max out the savings. Spend £200 a month on a card that pays 1% cash back, for instance, and you’d get £24 back over a year – that’s better than some savings accounts right now. Just make sure to set cash aside to repay on your purchases within the 0% interest period!
Always buy own brand medicines
Nurofen packets might look nicer than Tesco's own alternatives, but the truth is that they both do exactly the same job, just as well as each other (and this applies to all medicines, not just painkillers).
As long as the active ingredient (and the amount of it) is the same, the effect of the drug will be the same (despite a price difference that often exceeds 1,000%). However, if you have any allergies, make sure you check the inactive ingredients too, just in case!
Check out our guide to cheap hay fever medicines to find out how to get yours for as little as 2p per tablet!
Barter for freebies
Bartering is a bit like haggling, but with less cash involved. If there’s something you have, can do or are qualified in, you could swap your time, stuff or services for things you need.
It works best with small traders or personal swaps, and could include things like free gym entry in exchange for promoting them on social media, or creating artwork for a local restaurant in return for a meal out.
It can take a bit of nerve to ask in the first place, but after that there’s no limit on how creative you get.
Get a Big Mac and fries for £1.99 forever
Bit of a dangerous one, as when the food is this cheap, it's even harder to resist. But if you can exercise some self-control, this trick should save you some money whenever you decide to treat yo' self.
All you have to do is get a Maccy D's receipt, fill out a quick survey on their site, and the Big Mac and fries discount is yours. When you go in and use your £1.99 deal, you can then use the receipt from that to keep the process going. It's a ~~vicious~~ delicious cycle.
Don't taxi, Uber
Mobile taxi app Uber has blown up in the last few years, and you can now save around 50% on taxi rides in most UK cities and abroad (compared with traditional black cabs).
Right now you can get £10 off your first ride too with our Uber voucher code.
Trim the cost of haircuts
If you really can’t live without a big-name salon, find one that has a local training school or ask if your usual mop shop needs hair models. You may not get to choose exactly what you want, but you can shave off pounds of the typical £30+ cut (or get one for free).
There are lots more tricks and tips, so check out our 15 ways to save on haircuts.
Don’t pay to withdraw your cash!
It’s tempting to just suck up the cost of using those convenience ATMs that charge, but that can mean you’re paying as much as £2.50 a pop just to get at your own cash. That's 12.5% for a twenty!
Unless it’s a real emergency, walking to the nearest free machine instead (try Google Maps), paying by card or borrowing from a mate will leave you better off.
Get a (nearly) free coffee every day
Back in the day, anyone who had a Waitrose card could walk into the store and pick up a free coffee. Unfortunately they realised that a lot of people weren't ever actually buying anything from the shop, so they pooped the party and changed the scheme.
However, Waitrose's new policy still allows you to pick up a total bargain. The only rule is that you must buy something* if you want the free drink, but there is no minimum spend. In other words, find the cheapest thing you can (preferably something you need anyway – a piece of fruit is a perfect example) and use that.
*The 5p plastic bags don't count, sorry.
…or a discounted drink from a coffee shop
Buying a drink from a coffee shop is pretty much the opposite of a money saving life hack, but if you're absolutely dead set on getting your fix, you may as well save a few pennies in the process.
Starbucks, Costa, Pret and Nero all have their own spins on this one, but essentially they all reward you for using your own reusable cup when you buy a drink from them. To say “thanks for saving the planet” they could give you some bonus loyalty points, or even a discount off the drink.
Or, ya know, just brew your own gourmet coffee with an Aeropress.
Grown your own food
If you’ve got the patience to grow your own veg, you'll find money really can grow on… plants. You don’t need lots of space or equipment to grow herbs and small veg – a bag of compost and some seeds will do. You don’t even need to shell out for pots, as lots of plants can thrive in old wellies, buckets, hanging baskets and window boxes.
Become a vegetarian for 2 days each week
Meat is one of those things that you don't realise is so expensive until you go to uni. Going vegetarian for a couple of days a week will save you having to splash out, and also give you a chance to eat more veg!
If you absolutely can't cope without something meaty in your meals, there are plenty of delicious meat substitutes out there. We're big fans of Quorn – it's much cheaper than normal meat, has nearly as much protein and almost none of the fat.
Go foraging to eat on the cheap
If the closest you’ve come to foraging is trying to remember where you put the Jammie Dodgers, there’s a whole world of free food out there. We’re talking wild garlic, fish, cockles, berries and mushrooms for starters (get a wild food book or course under your belt to stay safe).
If it all sounds a bit ‘survivalist’ for you, try the urban alternatives: supermarket launch events, Olio and closing time in your local chippy can come up trumps for free eats.
Don't drive with a tank that's empty or full
It sounds odd to say that you shouldn't fill your tank to the top, but there is some science behind it! A full tank of petrol will add weight to your car, which means your engine will have to work harder (and guzzle more gas) to keep you moving.
So you should try to empty your tank, right? Wrong – your engine could get seriously damaged if you regularly drive with a small amount of petrol in the tank. Try to keep the fuel gauge at 50–75% to ensure a happy medium
Open your windows at low speed, use the AC at high speed
We've all been told off for opening the windows while the air-conditioning is on. But the truth is, sometimes it makes more sense to open your windows and turn the AC off.
AC can use up to 5% of your fuel, so turning it off could preserve some petrol. That is until you start travelling at high speeds, at which point having the windows open will increase drag and make the engine work harder to keep the wheels turning. So in short: windows at low speed, AC at high.
Keep your tyres inflated
Aside from being much safer, making sure that your tyres are inflated to the recommended level could save you a bit of cash too – about 3% of your petrol costs, in fact. It takes more force to turn a wheel with an under-inflated tyre (ever tried riding a bike with a flat?), so try to keep those babies airy.
Read our guide to cutting the cost of driving for a whole load more tips!
Squeeze the most from your toiletries
Just because you can’t squeeze out any more toothpaste doesn’t mean there’s not another week’s worth of pearly white gunk in there. Cut the end off the tube to get at the rest of the toothpaste, shampoo, moisturiser or whatever and you won't have to replace them as often.
Join Secret Sales websites
There are a growing number of sites which run limited time flash sales, on everything from designer threads to holidays. The savings are significant but you need to be signed up to hear about the sales.
Most sites rely on word-of-mouth and are not heavily promoted (these are the ones we follow) but big retailers like Amazon (‘Today's Deals‘) have also started to branch out into this world to clear surplus stock.
Use price matching
Price matching is only really worth it if the retailer offering it can also give you something extra. Maybe it's cheaper delivery, loyalty points, or even an extended warranty that you won't get elsewhere.
It's also worth remembering that a fair number of price matching retailers let you use the service even after buying the product. In other words, if you buy something from them and then see it available for less somewhere else (or in some cases, even on their own site), you can ask them to pay you the difference.
Bear in mind that there are often a few caveats with price matching. Not all retailers offer it, and among those who do, the rules differ. Some are very strict about the shops whose prices they'll match, while others will only give you a short window of time after your purchase to find a lower price. Always check the Ts&Cs!
Use less electricity
There’s no sense torching your leccy bills when simple fixes can save you cash. Use energy saving bulbs and turn off lights when you leave the room, put on extra clothes before turning on the heating, and don’t leave your gadgets plugged in when you’re not using them – turn the socket off. Or try these cheeky fixes.
Make your own cheap alternatives to cleaning products
If you're old enough to remember How Clean Is Your House?, you'll know that Kim (more recently of Celebrity Big Brother fame) and Aggie were always showing you how to make your own cleaning products with things you've got lying around the house.
Apparently they weren't spinning us a yarn of lies, and by making your own cleaning products you could get the chores done using vinegar, lemons and even Coca-Cola!

Scored yourself serious savings? Claim your bragging rights by leaving a comment below – or give us your insider tips and we'll add them to the list.

How to make money on YouTube

2018-08-31T02:14:00.002-07:00

Remember that viral YouTube video you chuckled at over breakfast this morning? That video could have earned the creator more than £100,000. Here's how!We're not kidding when we say you can earn serious money from YouTube videos. And it might just be the most enjoyable money-making trick out there.

Sadly, it isn't as easy as clapping your fingers and the money appearing in your bank account like magic, but making money out of YouTube videos is still a relatively simple concept.

In an effort to help you earn some dollar, we've put together this step-by-step guide. You can thank us later by sending us some of your earnings, maybe? Worth a try!

How to earn money from YouTube videos

How much money can you make?

Straight in there with the killer question, eh – you shrewd lot. Well, the answer is a bit of a mixed bag, if we're honest.

While you might get lucky in waking up to find your video has gone viral, this is veryunlikely. That said, if you have managed to catch something funny on film, by all means give it a shot.

You're much more likely to build up revenue by getting an audience through regular content publishing, whether you're making vlogs, cat videos or just talking about custard creams.You might remember the tale of 17 year old Fred Pye – he hit the news a few years ago when he revealed he'd earned £24,000 a year by making walk-throughs for Grand Theft Auto.

But as we said, it isn't all a fruitful walk in the park. Livie Rose, a beauty blogger from Brighton says her pay fluctuates from thousands one month to £50 the next, and some people only report earning a few pounds here and there.

How much can you realistically expect to make?

As a benchmark, you can expect to make around $1.50/1000 views. This means that one million views = $1500… or around £880 to us British folk.

However, keep in mind that a lot of the channels/vloggers sign advertising contracts with certain companies or even promote their own merchandise, which can earn them even more on top of their views alone.

It's hard to put a total on this but the possibilities are endless depending on what your videos are about – much like making cash as a blogger, it really counts on you having an interesting niche!

How does the YouTube Partner Programme work?

Your first port of call when it comes to cashing out on this stuff is Google AdSense – a nifty little programme that allows you to monetise (we love that word) your website or videos with adverts.

After you've signed up with the beast that is YouTube and built a decent amount of followers/views, you'll receive an email asking if you want to monetise your videos(yes please!). You'll then be able to select your best videos to make money from.

The basic gist of this is that companies pay Google to advertise on your videos, and you'll get a cut of the profit.

Just to be clear, you can't monetise any videos with copyrighted material in them. So no nicking other people's stuff y'hear?

What do you need to get started?

Depending on what you're planning to capture on film, you'll need to get the right set-up sorted from the beginning.

There's no point recording the most hilarious videos ever seen on your iPhone – a decent set-up goes a long way towards showing that you're serious and having people respect your videos.

You'll need:

A decent camera – Quality is important and you'll need to record your videos in full 1080p HD.
Video editing software – Both PCs and Macs have pretty decent video editing software (Movie maker & iMovie) but Adobe Premier is a decent option for advanced users (or grab a free alternative).
Sound recording equipment – Most cameras come with a microphone, but if you're looking for top sound quality you might need to purchase a decent microphone.
Lighting – Splashing out on lighting isn't essential, but some top YouTubers swear by it. Time to get creative with every lamp in the house!
A decent backdrop – If you're filming a vlog, you might want to set up a decent backdrop. You can stick with a plain colour or jazz it up a bit with a collection of posters for example (although plain normally works a bit better).

How to make the best YouTube videos

To put it simply – the way this works is you get popular then you get paid. You can't sign up to monetise videos that no one has watched yet.

Annoying as this is, it makes sense really – who wants to pay to advertise on a billboard down a back alley that no one walks past? Yet while building up a decent audience might seem daunting, there are some easy tips that might help you get there sooner:

Choose your niche: Take some time to think about what you can do well and whether you think people would be interested in it. One of the most popular genres on Youtube is gaming walk-throughs, but it's pretty competitive. Other genres that work well are: product reviews, comedy, beauty vlogs, and general ‘how to' guides.
Choose a good username: Sounds trivial, but trust us, it isn't. You need to make your username memorable and steer clear from numbers and random characters. Yes, that means Xxx_ponysrock92_xxX is a no go. Sorry.
Catchy, relevant titles: Make your title both catchy and relevant. That way people will remember it, and more people will stumble across it if they're searching for something similar.
Upload content regularly: You won't build an audience if you not posting stuff for people to watch! Remember, the longer you keep that audience locked in, the more monies you get.
Be original: There's nothing wrong with tried-and-tested formats such as reviews or cat videos, but you have to make sure you stand out from the crowd. This is where finding your niche comes in handy – go forth and be different, kids!
Show you love your content: You need to be creating videos about something you love. Having a passion for your videos will make an affect on how they're received – if you seem interested, chances are your viewers will be too. If you don't love what you're doing you'll soon get bored and the videos will start to reflect that. Passion comes first, and the money comes second!

Always make sure to follow the rules too; no inappropriate content, copyright or spamming. Play nice and you'll be (earning) gold.

How to make more money on YouTube

If you've built up a pretty sizeable vid collection and have a dedicated audience, there's one other avenue to explore aside from Google Adsense and YouTube itself.

Patreon is a great little web tool that allows your fans to sign up and donate money directly each time you post something new.

The key to this is building up an audience that really appreciates what you post – if they like what you do, the chances are they can be persuaded to spare a few bob each time you upload.

Also, as mentioned above, you can approach companies to talk about advertising or at the very least free samples and products for you to review/talk about.

You might even want to branch out into creating your own merchandise if/once you make a name for yourself.

Some of the big shots on here are earning about three thousand dollars every time they post a new video. Yes, you read that right.

Have you decided to give YouTube video-ing a crack? We'd love to see your efforts and hear how it went! Make sure to hit us up in the comments below

Make money from Matched Betting (full guide)

2018-08-31T02:13:00.001-07:00

Now, I'm not a gambler by any means. But I have made enough money from bookmakers in just six months to pay for an £860 flight (return) to Australia. And I've got some company too after walking a good friend through this risk-free technique.

The result is this guide, where I'll share the exact steps with you too, including screenshots and a free tool.

Why should I trust this guide?

What I'm teaching you here is a completely legal, tried-and-tested method called ‘matched betting'. Matched betting basically allows you to turn the tables on the bookmakers to extract their free bet offers.

Matched betting is legal and a spokesperson for William Hill has indicated that the betting industry does not have a problem with this use of free bets – Wikipedia

I've used it myself for several years and have never lost any money doing it, but I have taken my time and been very careful to avoid making mistakes.

Do not rush this guide – make sure you understand it 100% before depositing any money, and please ask any questions in the comments if unsure of anything.

I'll be taking you through the ‘need-to-knows' then showing you how I made £13 in 20 minutes in a full-blown example.

Piece by The Guardian on making money from free bets

One of many comments on this page by other readers

What is Matched Betting?

Matched betting is a technique that allows you to mathematically guarantee a profit from the many free bet promotions offered by bookmakers. All the bookies advertise these offers (especially during big sporting events) to entice new customers to place bets with them.

For example, “bet £25 with us and we'll give you a £25 free bet!”.

How does matched betting work?

Firstly, you don't need to know all the betting terminology if you follow the steps below, but it's important that you know two types of bet which allow matched betting to work:

A ‘back' bet

Betting for a certain outcome to come true. Eg. “I bet England will win” is a backing bet. If it comes true, you win the bet and the winnings. If England lose or draw, you lose your stake. You can place a back bet at any bookmaker, such as Paddy Power, William Hill, Ladbrokes etc.

A ‘lay' bet

Betting against a certain outcome to come true. Eg. “I bet England will not win” is a lay bet. If they lose or draw, you win the bet. You can only place a lay bet at a betting exchange such as Betfair.

Matched betting works by cancelling out the risk on the ‘back' bet at the online bookies by betting against yourself at the same odds (know as ‘laying' a bet) which you can do at a betting exchange. In other words, you are ‘matching' your bet.

Following your first or ‘qualifying' bet, you will then be awarded the free bet by the bookmaker. This is where the profit is made. Quite simply, you repeat the process: bet using the free bet and then lay the bet. Whatever the result you are guaranteed to make a profit (which I'll be demonstrating below).

How much profit can I make?

For each matched bet, you will be left with up to 95% of the free bet amount as profit. This is because betting exchanges usually charge a commission of 5% on winnings. You may also make a very small loss on the qualifying bet due to the minor difference in odds on each website. This is normal, and you will recoup this when you use the free bet.

In the steps below I'll show you how to profit from a £20 free bet using a real life example. Replicate the same steps across the hundreds of free bet offers each year and you can quickly be looking at £1,000s.

And it's worth pointing out, earnings from the gambling industry are currently tax-free.

What's the risk?

Anyone can learn how to do matched betting and, in theory, there is no risk involved because you are covering yourself by betting for and against the same event.

However the risk comes when mistakes are made so, once again, you need to double-check everything and follow the steps exactly. On rare occasions free bets do not always come through right away, so just be patient.

Once you've understood the process and been successful by following the steps below, you can then continue matched betting at many other online bookies with free bet offers (see my table at end) which can quite quickly land you a lot of money without risk.

It's also worth knowing that depositing at gambling websites does not affect your credit rating.

Your first profit in 7 steps

Note: This is literally a step-by-step, hold-your-hand kind of guide. There's lots of fragmented information out there on forums etc, which can often result in costly mistakes for novices. Below I outline exactly the steps I follow, using the practical example of one free bet with Coral. So long as you follow word for word, you can't go wrong. I strongly suggest reading through all the steps first before making any bets.

Sign up for Betfair.com
Betfair is a betting exchange where you can ‘lay' bets to cancel out your risk at the bookmakers.
Unlike traditional bookmakers, Betfair is a place where you bet against other people.
They sometimes even offer free bets for new customers too (if you're lucky).
Register on Betfair.com
Seeing blank pages? Turn off Ad Blocking plugins when matched betting!
Sign up for Coral.co.uk
The best offer by far right now is with Coral who are offering £20 free bets on new sign ups when you bet just £5 (don't worry we'll be matching this too). So we'll be using this ‘bookie' in this practical example.
Always check the full T&Cs of receiving free bet offers. There may be some restrictions on what you can bet on or an expiry date.
18+, UK & IRE only. Minimum first bet £5. Must be placed within 14 days of account registration. £20 credited as 4 x £5 free bets. Not valid with CashOut. Free bet valid for 4 days. T&Cs Apply.
During registration, you will be prompted to make a deposit. Choose one of the many payment types and deposit just £5 (needed to unlock the free bet).
Register on Coral.co.uk
Use decimal odds
Once you've logged into Coral.co.uk, change your odds display from fractions to decimal for easy comparison with Betfair. You can do this from the link in the top menu across the site. This is essential!
Find & place your qualifying bet
Ideally you want to find a sporting bet (I recommend football) which has the closest odds on both Coral.co.uk (the bet to back) and Betfair.com (the lay bet).
Lay odds on Betfair are the red boxes, not the blue. If you cannot see any red boxes, you need to go to the exchange by clicking the top left link “Go to Exchange” or “Exchange“.
For this free bet offer, Coral's terms state you must pick odds of 1.5 or greater. It's better to choose a bet with low odds for this step, between 1.5 and 4.0 if possible.
See my example below then use the Oddsmatcher tool which does everything for you!
My example
I used the Oddsmatcher below which suggested a football match between Liverpool and Sevilla. So I put “Liverpool v Sevilla” in the search boxes on Coral and Betfair, then found the “Match Result” market on Coral and “Match Odds” on Betfair.
I will back Liverpool to win at Coral.co.uk with odds of 2.25 and lay that same bet on Betfair.com with odds of 2.36.
In my example bet, the difference is 0.11 which the Oddsmatcher calculated as giving me a small acceptable loss of 37p on this qualifying bet.
Here are my betting slips on both websites for my qualifying bet:
Oddsmatcher tool (Qualifying bet)
Use the Oddsmatcher tool below. This will save you a LOT of time and maximise your overall profit.
It fetches live odds from Coral and finds the equivalent lay odds on Betfair for thousands of upcoming football matches.
The hardest part is also done for you, which is to calculate the best matches for your qualifying bet based on the closest possible odds and smallest loss. Feel free to switch between them and the steps and calculations will be updated (below the table).
Just click the blue refresh icon to start and then follow the 4 steps.

Claim your free bet
In my Liverpool v Sevilla game, Sevilla won 3-1. So my profit of £4.87 (the “Backer's Stake”) ended up in Betfair, which after commission is £4.63. Meanwhile I lost the £5 bet with Coral.
The total amount between the accounts is therefore 37p, as calculated by the Oddsmatcher.
As I have placed and seen through the £5 qualifying bet, I now have a £20 free bet!
My Betfair account is up to £14.63 (my initial deposit of £10 + £4.63).
So whatever the outcome, because you matched the bets, you have close to your initial deposits back between the 2 websites (minus the small loss we expected).
The free bet of £20 will be credited to your Coral account.
Find & place a new bet
We're basically going to repeat the process in step 4, but using the £20 free bet instead of the £5.
The £20 free bet will usually be received as 4 x £5 free bets, so simply place them on the same event as separate bets.
This time it's worth picking odds greater than 3.0 to maximise your profit, but just bear in mind that the higher they are the more you'll need to have in your Betfair account to lay it (see the “Liability” amount in the tool below).
My example
I used the next step of the Oddsmatcher (embedded below) which suggested a football match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United. The odds are above 3.0 and have only a 0.2 difference between the websites.
You'll see below that I am backing a draw on Coral (3.5 odds) and then I'm laying that bet (for a draw not to happen) at Betfair (3.7 odds).
On Betfair I already had £14.63 remaining from the first bet, so I deposited £23 to more than cover my calculated Liability (total £37.63).
Here are my bet slips on both websites for my free bet (I placed 4 of the same bet on Coral since they split my £20 free bet into 4 x £5 bets):
The Oddsmatcher below calculated that I'll make a clear profit of £13.01, whatever happens. Nice
Oddsmatcher tool (Free bet)
Just click the blue refresh icon to start and then follow the 3 steps.
Once again, feel free to switch between the matches in the table and the calculations will be updated.
Withdraw the profit
Whatever the outcome, you will now be in profit to the amount calculated in the Oddsmatcher. Now it's time to cash out!
In my example of the Crystal Place v Man Utd game, the score ended in a draw at 1-1. This means my Coral £20 free bet won (because I backed a draw to happen) with a return of £50. Meanwhile I lost the £36.99 Liability on Betfair.
So £50 (winnings) – £36.99 (liability) = £13.01. This is exactly the amount of profit calculated for me by the Oddsmatcher.
My total profit from both matched bets, accounting for the 37p loss on my £5 qualifying bet, totals £12.64. I spent just under 20 minutes on the whole process, giving me an hourly rate of £37.92 as I move onto the countless other free bets out there (best listed below). Beats stacking shelves…

Share with your friends!

If you enjoyed and profited from this guide, sharing it is the best thanks you could give. And I'm sure they'll appreciate it too

More free bets

If you are confident enough with the process of matched betting and eager to make much more profit, work through the free bet offers in the table below (ordered by ease).

The same key steps above still apply, and I've written a mini guide for each one. All offers are 18+. Always check the full T&Cs.

Current free bet total: £2,410

Bookmaker	Deposit	Free bet	Min. odds	Website
Free bet offers
	£5	£20	1.50	Claim »
	£10	£30	1.50	Claim »
	£50	£50	1.50	Claim »
	£20	£10	1.01	Claim »
	£10	£10	1.50	Claim »
	£10	£30	1.50	Claim »
	£30	£30	1.75	Claim »
	£10	£30	1.50	Claim »
	£20	£25	1.80	Claim »
	£15	£15	2.00	Claim »
	£20	£20	2.00	Claim »
	£10	£10	2.00	Claim »
	£10	£10	2.00	Claim »
	£5	£20	2.00	Claim »
	£50	£10	2.00	Claim »
	£100	£100	1.20	Claim »
	£10	£20	2.00	Claim »
	£10	£50	2.00	Claim »
	£20	£20	1.60	Claim »
	£100	£50	2.00	Claim »
	£5	£10	1.50	Claim »
	£200	£100	1.60	Claim »
	£25	£25	2.00	Claim »
	£10	£10	2.00	Claim »
	£10	£10	1.80	Claim »
	£10	£10	2.00	Claim »
	£130	£25	1.50	Claim »
	£10	£30	2.00	Claim »
	£30	£30	1.50	Claim »
	£10	NA	2.00	Claim »
	£300	£50	2.00	Claim »
	£20	£10	1.80	Claim »

Click for even more free bets »

Note: Although the greatest care is taken and these free bets are reviewed regularlyit's important that you check the full terms and conditions of each free bet offer after clicking through to the bookmaker's site.

How to become a millionaire by 30

2018-08-31T02:09:00.001-07:00

There's not a student alive who hasn't thought what it would be like to have a bottomless bank balance. Here's how you can increase your chances!

Credit: ITV

While we've all dreamt of countless jaunts to far-away destinations and splashing cash on luxuries we've always wanted, chances are you've ruled this out as a daydream (despite continuing to buy a scratch card every time you go out to buy milk).

But becoming a millionaire isn't really as difficult and unachievable as you might think. Lots of people prove each and every year that you don't have to be a banker, lottery winner or be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to build up your wealth to seven figures.

So, here's our ultimate guide to getting your hands on that million by 30. Let's get rich!

What's on this page?

What makes a millionaire?

Ok, so lets start with a bit of a disclaimer: a million quid just ain't what it used to be.

It's getting easier to become a millionaire with every day that passes thanks to things like inflation. And for many budding rich-listers, being wealthy is more a question of lifestyle and not having to worry about your finances, than how much you've got in the bank.

To live like a millionaire, you don't actually need to have a million pounds in the bank – 99% of ‘millionaires' don't. To actually be a millionaire, you will most definitely have to be right on top of your finances and investments!

Being a millionaire can mean all sorts of things, but in this guide we're essentially going to look at a realistic path in which you can build up your wealth to a target beyond £1,000,000.

We've suggested a few ‘quick‘ ways to becoming a millionaire at the end for those who just can't wait… but stick with us for the fool-proof guide first!

Let's quickly walk through the rest of your life, taking a look at the steps you can take to become a millionaire (or even a billionaire!).

As a student

Most students have to scrimp just to get by, and can expect to leave university with a hefty amount of student debt (if you're feeling brave today, here's just how much).

So, becoming a millionaire at this stage in your life is a little out of reach. However, if you have serious aspirations to become rich later down the line, now's the time to get your act together.

Set goals!
The money game is a long slog – cash doesn't grow on trees. Before you embark on your millionaire challenge, it's vital that you have a clear life plan.
You need to work out a feasible and realistic route to making your millions that draws on your past skills, experience and ambitions.
We'll touch on setting income goals later on, but if you're serious about this then you need to know how to achieve it, not just dream it!
Sort out your spending habits
Most millionaires don't run around buying Lamborghini's all the time while cracking open the champagne at breakfast.
In fact, that's part of the reason why they're millionaires in the first place – instead of splashing the cash at every given opportunity, they've allowed their money to grow.
They say that ‘a fool and his cash are soon parted', and that's a fairly decent motto to live by if you want to join the super-rich.
Hone in on your money skills
Practicing some basic budgeting and money-saving skills while you're a student will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life, so don't just write it off as ‘something you'll do another day'!
If you haven't already got it, download our free book: The Essential Student Guide to Money – there are loads of great tips in there to get you started.
Start earning!
Sorry for stating the obvious here, but to be wealthy you need to have income. Use any spare time you have (aside from studying and partying) to earn some cash. It's a good idea to land a part-time job, but it can also pay off to be more creative.
Check out our quick ways to make money guide, or why not start-up a small business of your own if you have something to offer? Not only will this pull in some additional cash, but you'll be testing out your entrepreneurial skills before you've even graduated.
Start saving
There's no getting away from the fact that you will have student debt, but because you don't have to pay it all back right away (if ever), it's not like other debt and won't affect your future goals of raking in the big bucks.
You might find that sometimes you do have a few quid to spare, especially when the loans come in. Get into the habit of putting this into a savings account (easy access is best at this stage) – you'll be surprised how much interest you can earn on it during your time at uni.
At the same time, remember to cut down on spending. Avoid having a car and think carefully before splashing out on big-ticket items if you don't really need them.

Make sure you're not wasting your cash on any of these common student money-drainers.

As a graduate

Going from a life of education into the world of work can be a daunting prospect. There's a lot to adjust to, and you might still be worrying about what you actually want to do with your life, never mind the challenge of becoming a millionaire in the next few years!

Our advice is don't worry about the unknown, things always work out and there are lots of things you can do to boost your chances of reaching the high-life…

Get a job
Your first priority to maximise your income at this stage is to secure a well-paid graduate job. Having said that, think carefully about the career you want to embark on: one you will enjoy and can progress quickly in.
It's worth knowing that graduate schemes are normally the best way to kick off your career on a high earner early on, as many companies offer graduate salaries of around £40,000 a year!
If you're finding it hard to get on to the career ladder, pick up a part-time jobfor the time being whilst you job hunt. And if you're really struggling to find any paid work then don't be afraid to sign on at the Job Centre for a short period.
Start a business
The fast-track method of becoming super wealthy in your twenties is to start a high growth, high return business with a plan to exit within 5 years or so.
But, of course there is absolutely no guarantee you'll even make a penny, and the risk can often outweigh your other options of building a longer term income.
It's important to have a well researched idea and a solid business plan before you start, and a clear picture of how you'll support yourself when there's no money coming in.
Having said all this, there may never be a better time to start in business than as a graduate. You're responsibilities are minimal and even if it all goes Pete Tong, you've got a wealth of experience to build on and take forward.
Start with our own list of business ideas.
Take advantage of tax-free ISAs
One of the reasons why people will never become millionaires is simply because they don't know how.
There are lots of competing options out there fighting for you to invest in, but you need to think smart and do your homework on what's available to you and what will give you the best return.
Tax free cash ISAs are one of the best ways to consistently build up your savings. If you don't yet have an ISA, get one now!
Here's why…
Every year, each person in the UK over the age of 16 has an allowance of money (£20,000 maximum from April 2017) they can put in a tax-free savings account, called an ISA. Once your money's in the account, it stays tax-free, FOREVER.
If you don't use up your ISA allowance in a particular year you lose that opportunity.
So if you've got a little bit of spare money lying around, you should absolutely, definitely, 100%, put it in an ISA. After all, why pay tax (currently 20% on normal (non-ISA) savings interest above £1,000 a year) when you don't have to?
You can move to a different ISA provider every year if you want to, so shop around for the best rate. The top interest rate you can expect right now is around 2%. If you deposit £20,000 (the max. allowance for 2017/18) in one of the best ISAs, you'll earn £400 over the year in tax-free interest.
If you chose to invest the £20,000 in a normal savings account (of 2% as well) instead of an ISA, you'd still receive £400. However, this is where you need to be clever, as you'd miss out on that year's ISA allowance.
For more on ISAs, read our guide on the best ISA accounts.

Before you're 30

A few years on from graduating, you'll hopefully have a decent amount of cash coming in on a regular basis.

Now's the time to start getting serious – being smart with your spare cash is what makes the difference between your Average Joe and your millionaire.

Get on the property ladder
When renting a property, it's easy to feel like you're throwing cash down the drain every month.
Of course there are lots of benefits to renting, but by this point you should be a little more settled both in terms of where you want to live long term and also financially – so why continue filling a landlord's pockets with your hard earned cash when you could be paying monthly towards your own place?
You may be quite happy living with your parents for a few years after you graduate (even if they're not over the moon about it!) and building up your cash reserves (check out the LISA too), but once you've gathered enough to foot a deposit (the minimum is 5% of a property value), it's time to start house hunting!
Once you've bought your own house or flat, you'll probably be paying much less every month in mortgage repayments than you had been forking out on rent, and you actually have a place of your very own at the end of it. Historically, property prices follow a strong upward trend so you really are investing in your future.
If you're in a good financial position, then considering a buy-to let investmentis the next step to financial freedom. So long as you can get the initial deposit down, and get a good mortgage deal which is less than the rental income, you're on the fast track to being rather rich.
Again, you're also likely to benefit from a rise in overall property prices meaning you can bring in big bucks by selling up at the peak of the market and buying at the bottom.
Of course, there is the whole issue of getting a deposit together, and that's a lot easier said than done.
But going back to those budgeting skills you honed as a student, you can put a plan in place to save up the necessary amount. You'd typically be looking at needing 10% of the property value.
Invest in stock markets using index-trackers
If you're not familiar with the stock market, it can all seem a little bit daunting. Index-tracking stocks are fairly straightforward though, and more to the point consistently beat the vast majority of managed and hedge funds.
In simple terms, these funds are a collective investment scheme that replicates the movements of one particular financial market (eg. the FTSE 100).
There are 6 big advantages over other stock market investments:
• Very low-cost, with long-term returns of up to 10% pa
• Don't require much knowledge or professional help
• Avoid the classic issues of following greed and making stock choices
• Easy to manage
• Can be wrapped in a Shares ISA for tax-free returns
• Maximizes the magic of compound interest (where interest income is reinvested)
This sort of investment works best when it's given several years to appreciate and mature, so think of it as a long-term venture rather than a get rich quick scheme. But be assured, over time your wealth portfolio will swell nicely.
Read our guide on index-tracking investments, and if you really want to learn how to make your millions using this strategy then definitely read Andrew Hallam's Millionaire Teacher. Highly recommended.
Get to grips with your pension
Retirement might seem like a long way off yet, but sorting out a pension fund before you hit 30 is a very wise move.
The benefits of pensions in growing your wealth are on a par with index-tracking investments. Even a modest amount put into a pension fund now can make a big difference in the future.
As with many of the other tips on this page, the key thing is to grow your knowledge of these major types of investment products available to you.
You might be able to get a good pension through your employer, who often match every pound you put in, but don't forget to look at other providers too.
Try to pick a flexible one, that allows you to pay in as much or as little as you can afford, with a low annual fee.

Before retirement

When you retire, you'll still require an income to cover not only basic living essentials (like rent and food) but to sustain the lifestyle you have worked so hard to achieve.

To be a millionaire OAP requires some planning years before you reach retirement age.

Set an income goal
Most retirees are ‘pensioners' because, well, they are living off of their pension which at least covers living costs. But you want to live like a millionaire, right?
To get to this level of income without working requires a fairly sizeable pension plus a good number of other streams of income being earned every month on your capital assets.
If you want to really live it up post-work, it's important to set an income goal before you retire that doesn't require you to work anymore. This number will vary for everyone, but whatever it is, pick one and work to it. Instead of retiring at 70 you might find you're able to retire at 58 if you wanted to, because you've reached your goal.
By the time you give up work, your investment portfolio becomes your income portfolio. To protect your nest egg you need to diversify…
Diversify your interests
Don't keep all your eggs in one basket. Over the years, you should aim to build up a portfolio of wise investments that will get you set for when you retire.
A good income portfolio would ideally include a mix of:
• Cash and stock ISAs
• Government bonds
• A pension (private or state)
• Index-tracking funds
• Buy-to-let property (UK or overseas)
• Cash
All of these are sources of sustained income. This kind of balanced portfolio will leave you in a position to enjoy your retirement, rather than wondering how you'll afford it.
And with the UK's state pension getting worse each and every year, that's a very good position to be in.
Write a Will
Remember, whatever happens, you can't take it all with you when you're in the ground. After a life of saving and building up your wealth, you want it to fall into the right hands when you're gone.
It can be worth seeking professional legal and tax advice to make sure you have a strategy that maximizes the beneficiaries of your Will. And don't wait until you've gone grey, the earlier the better!

Quick ways to becoming a millionaire (legally)

If the long but fool-proof road to becoming a millionaire (that is, scrimping and saving as a graduate and building a well-balanced and sustained investment portfolio in your 30s onwards) doesn't appeal to you, then there are other more creative ways to becoming filthy rich in a shorter time-frame.

Try these for size:

Cryptocurrencies – there are no guarantees, but lots of kids have become millionaires due to the massive rise in the price of Bitcoin
Move abroad – with a healthy bank balance you can live like a king in exotic countries such as India, Mexico and Thailand
Lotteries, game shows & competitions – this method of course all comes down to luck, but for a (very) small group of people a punt has paid off big time
Career choice – this guide has mostly focused on investing, but get into a high-paying industry or job and you might be driving the flash car quicker than you think
Sell a business – we touched on this, but there's still lots more to be said for starting up a company, adding value, generating sales and flogging it on
Gambling – not one to recommend since the majority of gamblers get into bad debt, but nonetheless it can be a quick way to big bucks for some. Check our guide to Matched Betting to profit without risk
Property developing – you've seen the daytime TV shows, and adding value to houses is without doubt a great way to build wealth relatively quickly
Inheritance – you probably haven't got much choice in this one, but you can always send a Christmas card to distant wealthy relatives, just in case.

A million isn't what it used to be, but it's still more than enough to give you a very comfortable lifestyle. Making wise investment choices will help your cash to stand the test of time – AKA inflation, your biggest wealth enemy.

Whether you've got a couple of tenners spare or perhaps a couple of thousand, give some really serious thought to what you should do with it.

But remember, if you want to be a millionaire, you'd much rather stash it away to earn more money than spend it now.

For more about becoming a millionaire in the 21st century, check out this great book on low-cost passive investing by Andrew Hallam.

50 business ideas to start at university

2018-08-31T02:07:00.001-07:00

Running low on cash and inspiration? Have a gander at our weird, wonderful and lucrative startup suggestions for business you can run from your dorm!

We’re not saying that running a business from the comfort of your home is a walk in the park but it is possible, and that's enough to start talking about the options pronto!

If starting a small business sounds like it'll take up too much of your precious time, head over to our quick-fix cash injection guide for ideas on how to make money pronto.

However, if you have a bit of entrepreneurial spirit in you, these ideas should get your juices flowing and set you off on your merry way to small-business success.

Enough monkeying around: let's get to it!

Nail that big business idea

Do some research: what do people need or want? Think of an everyday obstacle you're met with – how can it be overcome?
If you could provide or invent something that would make life easier, better, safer, fairer or cheaper – what would it be?
What are you really good at or love doing? Perhaps start with that!
Think about what ventures might support your degree course or future ideal career.

50 startup ideas

Credit: Joe Goldberg – Flickr

Upcycle and sell on free stuff you've found in charity shops, on Gumtree and on Freecycle
Start a website. Make your uni ramblings as engaging and insightful as you can (it helps to provide a few laughs and be opinionated). Once you have a good following, you can start hosting ads on your site for payment, or even write advertorials for brands (this basically involves you writing about a company for payment) – read our guide to making money as a blogger for more deets.
Similarly, you can earn money from YouTube videos by sharing a slice of the ad revenue. It could be reviews or guides related to your course subject, or pick any topic that really fascinates you (games, comedy and music do particularly well). You can run some ads and often blag freebies, and further down the line you could even stream pay-per-view vids if you get enough subscribers
Buy second-hand in-demand textbooks at the end of term and sell them on to new students at the start of the new term (worth double checking that the same textbooks will be used again the following term, otherwise you could be left with a lot of useless material!)
Cash in on your creativity by selling a design, a piece of music, a recipe, or whatever your speciality is on a site like Gumroad
Become an 'emergency key holder': offer a base package that lets people keep a spare key with you that they can collect if they lose their own. We all know how easy it is to get into a pickle with this! You can add sliding fees if they want you to deliver or for unsociable hours
Start a magazine about your uni subject and get other students, tutors and guest experts to write for it too. You could charge local businesses to advertise – the money might not start rolling in instantly but it's a good project to invest in and will look great on your CV
Set yourself an unusual goal – like living on a yacht for a year or surviving on a tenner a week – and blog or write a book about it. You've got a good chance of featuring in the papers too (and could charge so cash for images!)
Rent out your student room or house over the summer months on Airbnb
Run a ‘you want it, I'll get it’ delivery service. Evenings and weekends could see you delivering McDonald's/beer combos, while early mornings could be coffees, newspapers or train tickets. Or just see what everyday things people run out of and buy in bulk (midnight loo roll’s got to be a winner, right?)
Credit: GorillaSushi – Flickr
Create an alternative yearbook using a print-on-demand publisher and sell copies and advertising space
Start a film screening club (or stick with the ever-popular student club night)
‘I queue for you’: stand in-line or hang on the phone so someone else doesn’t have to
Convert someone’s entire CD catalogue into MP3 files they can play on their phone. It’s easy enough to do using software like iTunes but can take hours… which is where you come in!
Start an accommodation reviews website for your campus or town
Set up a Skype language course or conversational practice for learners around the world
Buy packets of seeds cheaply and sell pot plants or fresh fruit/veg. You can grow lots of things without tons of equipment – some veg will even thrive in old wellies or grown indoors. Just keep it legal!
Lend a hand to the local elderly by offering to do their grocery shopping online for them on the premise that you can claim cashback
Make and sell audio or e-book versions of out-of-copyright set texts, particularly if they’re hard to find (think medieval literature or 18th-century science tomes)
Be the go-to finder for folk who’ve lost something irreplaceable or want to buy something hard to find. Use the web as well as local contacts and retail knowledge to track down the impossible… for a commission
Freelance: Whether it's related to your current course or your dream career, offer your skills to peeps who need web design, illustration, writing or admin support. You'll also get CV-pimping experience to boot
Create food hampers that parents can order and have delivered to their kids – think student essentials in long-life eats or healthy stuff they’re probably not getting enough of
Run a couple of matchmaker events for your campus and charge a small joining fee
Make bespoke photo albums: use a site like Lulu.com to produce professionally printed books or magazines and add hand-crafted touches or notes to make each one unique
Offer a transcription service that types up lecture recordings, or use your graphic design skills to produce handouts for tutors
Create a swaps site that matches owners with lenders: think clothes, services, bikes or books – or maybe one that matches students who want to see the UK with those who live in other towns
Organise student event trips to other cities or to visit festivals – get a good deal on a coach and double your money on the tickets
Help friends and family with matched betting and take a cut of their profits
Offer to sit for stock photographers or source models for them. Or just grab a camera and have a go at shooting and selling your own snaps. Try newcomer Picfair, which allows you set your own prices
Produce a campus e-newsletter and take paid advertising from local businesses, or do deals to offer readers discounts and competitions
Start an annual gift or card service where you select and post cards and presents so subscribers so they never forget important birthdays or anniversaries
Be a market research consultant and sell your services to local or national businesses who want to know what students think about their stuff
Pay a flat rate to a freelance graphic designer to create popular web graphics or icons, and sell them on a marketplace like GraphicRiver for recurring income
If there’s one thing we all seem to have lurking in a spare bedroom, it’s unused home gym equipment and a pile of good intentions. Buy or beg the kit at bargain rates to re-sell or re-home with local schools, gyms, offices or personal trainers
Offer to collect or wait for deliveries for a fee (saving someone else the time or cost of rearranging a missed package)
Create a portfolio website that bands and musicians can use to connect with local events or businesses
Start a home-made smoothie or sandwich business for local firms: they phone you their orders in the morning and you deliver on the dot at lunchtimeCredit: Hdx Cafe – Flickr
Turn your best photos or artwork into posters (good sellers at the start of term as students move into new homes) – check out Truprint
Start an essay or thesis proofreading business
Create a local guide – think magazine, website or app – that helps freshers make the most of their new town: the best cafés, cheapest deals, or hidden gems. You can sell these on and even ask businesses to pay a small fee to be included
Start your own travel exchange: put together packages of budget flights, accommodation and events and co-ordinate it between a uni abroad and your own
Sell a uni essentials welcome package – stationery, kitchen kit, discount vouchers – that can be delivered to freshers’ rooms ahead of their first day. See what to take to university checklist
Start a tutoring service for school students struggling with the subjects you’re acing at. Offer online courses or webinars to reach more folk
Be a sports coach for local or uni teams
Collect other students dirty laundry and take it to the launderette for a markup
Design a motivational app that logs lecture/seminar/gym attendance and awards points, vouchers or gifts for achievements or penalties for slacking
Start an outdoor fitness trail on MeetUp.com, leading groups of people to different/unusual locations to work out without equipment while seeing the sights
Offer a CV design or review service. Check out our guide to CV writing for a bit of inspo
Design cases that disguise gadgets and make them less attractive to thieves. Think phone covers that look like pencil cases, or a laptop case that looks like a ring-binder. Recycled materials get you bonus points!
Run your own subscription service where customers get a study survival kit delivered to them at their homes or libraries during high stress periods – think Berocca, teabags, de-stress scented candles, cans of redbull, etc.

The golden rules

Credit: Tim Simpson – Flickr
Keep your stellar start-up ideas on track with some common sense:

Don’t do anything illegal
Don’t compromise anyone's safety to make a buck
Don't skimp on your studies in favour or making some cash
Check any rules your uni/insurance provider might have about running a business
Get the tax facts and know where you stand
Make sure you sound-out any rules about plagiarism if you intend to sell your notes or essays
Check whether you need a licence, insurance or qualification to put any of your ideas into action before you move forward
Don’t just think in terms of the money – going for ideas that help your community or local charities can do just as much for your CV or personal satisfaction.

Everyone has great ideas, but very few actually turn their dreams into concrete reality. Whether you've got a world-changing concept or just want to make some extra cash, you've got to make a start before you can have a startup.

We interview Save the Student founder Owen in about how he started the website in his first year of university. Tune in to hear his tips for creating a successful business!

Good luck, and let us know how you get on with your big venture! If you think we've missed any tricks with this list, fill us in using the comments section below.

40 easy ways to make money quickly

2018-08-31T02:05:00.000-07:00

On this page you'll find all the best ways to make money in your spare time whilst at university based on our own experience. We'll keep adding new ways to this page so go ahead and bookmark it. And please do share your own ideas in the comments!

Top ways to make money online and offline

No-risk matched betting
Hands down the quickest way to make a lot of money (well, without breaking the law). Lots of students have genuinely made £100s from this technique. It's completely legal, risk free, tax free, and anyone can do it.
It works by taking advantage of free bets regularly offered by betting sites through ‘matching' them at a betting exchange. Matched betting eliminates the risk (you are betting both for and against a certain outcome).
This leaves you being able to squeeze out the free bet, which can be as much as £200! Multiply this by how many betting sites there are and you can quite easily come away with a profit of a few hundred pounds.
Owen walks you through how to make your first £18 profit (using a real life example) in this gem of a guide to matched betting. If you know of any better way to make £50/hr sitting at home, please let us know!
Online surveys
Credit: Julio Marquez – Flickr
An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members to answer surveys and test new products.
For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!
A few good ones to try are: Toluna, OnePoll, MySurvey, i-Say, Global Test Market, The Opinion Panel, YouGov, Panel Opinion, Pinecone, Valued Opinions, SurveyBods, PanelBase, Branded Surveys, Hiving, Opinion Outpost, Prolific Academic, Harris Poll, Mind Mover, New Vista, PopulusLive, iPoll.
Also sign up for Swagbucks which rewards you for surveys as well as simply surfing the web, watching videos and playing games.
Update: See our new full guide to the best paid online surveys!
Paid for searching the web
Interested in earning cash for doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online without really any effort or change in your behavior.
This innovative idea by Qmee.com rewards you for searching in Google, Bing or Yahoo. You just install a simple add-on to your browser and when you conduct a search there may be a few sponsored results alongside your normal search.
Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached – if you are interested in it simply click on it and collect your reward.
The best thing is there is no minimum to cashout – our first one was just 72p wired to our Paypal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.
Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches! Click here to start.
Online market trading
The historically hard-to-break world of investing in stock markets and currencies has been cracked wide open. Today there is no need to be a fat cat or fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.
Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been experimenting with the biggest platform – eToro.com – which has over 8 million users worldwide and offers free practice accounts.
eToro has been featured in a BBC 2 documentary “Traders: Millions by the Minute” and recently began sponsoring several Premier League football clubs.
One of the best things on eToro is the CopyTrader feature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.
Follow George's complete guide to trading on eToro to learn more. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.
Please be aware that all trading involves risk. Only risk capital you're prepared to lose. Past performance is not an indication of future results. This content is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice.
Start your own website
Interested in generating passive income? You need a website. It's THE way to make money while you sleep.
Starting a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done by an 82 year-old. It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetise your site.
Save the Student is just one example of a successful website, started at university by Owen Burek in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and sizable enterprise.
Read Owen's step-by-step guide on how to start a website in 20 minutes. It's really one of the best assets you can have.
Review websites & apps for cash
Well it seems like you're pretty nifty with a web browser, so perhaps it's time to turn pro and browse websites as a paid and fun job!
Introducing UserTesting.com – a new platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes around 20 minutes and bags you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.
Simply sign up here, complete a test review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.
The ‘Disney Vault' secret
Credit: Walt Disney Pictures Inc.
To keep demand high across generations, Disney Studios carefully restrict the supply of some home release classics. They are locked away in the ‘vault' for 8-10 years before being released for a short unspecified time.
Buy them in this window at normal retail price and you can turn a nice profit when they go off sale for another decade or so.
For example, in 2011 you could buy Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray 3D for just £24.99. In just a couple of years it was on Amazon for a staggering £74.99!Importantly, not all Disney releases are subject to the vault and only the true classics will maintain such demand.
Right now there are just 2 titles out of the vault which I would recommend snapping up. They are Bambi Diamond Edition Blu-ray and The Lion King Diamond Edition Blu-ray.
‘Get Paid To' sites
Similar to making money from online surveys, GPT sites reward you in cash and vouchers for completing various offers or activities online.
The most popular sites today are Toluna, Swagbucks and InboxPounds.
Become a delivery rider or driver
Got a bicycle, motorbike or car? What about a Smartphone? That's all you need to make some extra money by delivering food or people whenever you've got some spare time.
Sign up to delivery specialist companies like Deliveroo who are always on the hunt for new riders. They allow you total flexibility to work when you want, delivering food from restaurants the the customers' door. You can make up to £16 an hour.
Double-up your opportunities by directly contacting local takeaways and bigger chains like Dominos to see if they have any delivery jobs going.
Write and publish a Kindle eBook
If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money.
And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!
List your book for £1.49 – £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.
The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and complied on a common problem (eg. ‘secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.
Another big tip is to have a great cover designed (browse these) so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store it's really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.
The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn a passive income for years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see “How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days“.
Affiliate marketing
If you've got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.
Sign up as a publisher on the Awin network, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you'll make a nice commission.
To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.
Mobile phone recycling
See how much you can get for your old mobile phone using our in-house mobile phone price comparison tool! Maybe ask your parents if they have any lying around too.
You can get some good money and help the environment by recycling mobile phones with certain companies listed on the comparison tool. But be aware: you won't always get the quoted cash since it depends on ‘condition'. We recommend Mobile Cash Mate for the fairest and highest payouts in most cases (they sent us a £203 cheque for an iPhone 5).
Become a ‘Clickworker'
The Clickworker.com concept is based on ‘internet crowd-sourcing' where businesses advertise specific, scalable tasks they need completing quickly. And for us, it's an easy way to make fast cash from our couch.
There are a variety of tasks, but most commonly they involve mindless data entry, web research or form filling. You are rewarded and paid in cash (via Paypal) for the work you do, and you can choose for what and when you work. Give it a go. [If you're US based, also try Amazon's ‘Mechanical Turk‘].
Claim tax back
Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. More often than not, if you are a student working during the year, you will be overpaying income tax.
Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each year but are put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn't be.
To learn more and calculate how much tax back you might be due, see our guide on student tax refunds.
Get cashback when shopping
I earned this much in 2 years
This is not only a way to make money but also to save money as a student. If you look at it in a different way then you are making money with every purchase you would have made anyway, whether it be 10% or 0.5% cashback.
There are a number of cashback sites out there which pay you the commission they otherwise would have earned.
We recommend signing up with Top Cashback, Quidco.com and Swagbuckswhich are free and offer the best selection of retailers and exclusives.
Part-time job
A part-time job is the obvious first choice, opted for by most students looking to supplement their student loan. It provides a pretty steady flow of income and can enable you to gain valuable work experience.
But good jobs are not always easy to find!
Start with our student job search, then check local classifieds and your university careers service for vacancies.
It's also worth signing up with CV Library, a free service which will match your CV with suitable part-time jobs and career opportunities.
Read our guide to finding a part-time job whilst studying for more tips.
Gigs on Fiverr
Fiverr is now the world's largest marketplace for people to make money selling small services (known as ‘gigs').
What you offer could be absolutely anything, from writing and translating, social media posting, playing pranks and teaching to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all around the world!
The default price is $5 (hence Fiverr..), but you can attach extra services to gigs for more money. Whilst it might not seem like much, it can quickly add up and there are plenty of examples of people making a really good living from the site. The key is to get a system in place which minimises the time spent on each gig.
But there is another way to profit even more from Fiverr for potentially far less work. How? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer then reply to jobs on Upwork or even local classifieds. A $5 spend can easily become $50+, and it's repeatable!
If you're not interested in selling at all there's SO much good stuff you can get done for yourself. Have a browse and get inspired!
Review music for money
If you love music, make it your business by reviewing unsigned bands and artists online for cash with Slicethepie.
It can take a while to build up your reputation but some users of the site have said that they earn £40 a month. This may not sound like much, but if it's something you enjoy then it shouldn't be hard work and is another thing for your CV. Money you earn will be in $US but anyone can sign up and review.
To get started, head over to Slicethepie now or read our quick guide for more info.
Sell your notes
If you don’t mind sharing your notes with other students it’s a great way to generate a little extra cash. There are sites out there that you can upload your notes to, along with your price, and then when another student downloads them you get paid.
Most of these sites like Stuvia & Notesale are free for you to list your notes but tend to take a cut of your profit in order to handle the marketing etc so that you don’t have to go out there and promote your notes yourself.
You will most likely have to upload PDFs but it’s worth it for the return and you can submit handwritten notes but you’re likely to make more money if they’re typed up.
Sell second-hand course books
One great way to make money is to buy other students' text books at the end of the year, and then sell them just after freshers' week – when the new intake of students know that they need them!
You can either advertise on campus or list them online very easily on Amazon Marketplace (just bear in mind they take a commission on books sold).
Here's 28 other things you can sell right now!
Competitions
Entering competitions of course comes with no guarantees, but there is a growing community of so-called ‘compers' in the UK consistently making up to £50,000 a year through all sorts of competitions.
Types of competitions available to enter range from simple registration forms and Facebook page liking to answering questions correctly over the phone to being a TV game show contestant. Imagine you made it onto Deal or No Dealinstead of just watching it!
Start by entering our very own monthly student competition (Like our Facebook page to see when our next one is)!
Then head to our active competitions page to enter other free competitions that we have found. Just note that some of these sites may send you spam so use an alias email address and opt-out of as many of the offers as possible.
For loads more tips on achieving success and making money from competitions, read our guide to entering competitions.
Buy and sell domain names
A domain name is just a website address (eg. ‘savethestudent.org' or ‘mysite.co.uk') and there are lots of extensions (.com, .net, .co.uk etc).
They cost as little as £1.99 to register with 123-reg.co.uk or GoDaddy.com yet premium domain names can fetch £1,000s if not millions when sold on. In 2007 VacationRentals.com went for a cool $35m!
Now you're probably not going to come across anything like that, but you can still turn a quick profit with a bit of searching. The trick is to find available domain names which have some commercial value, snap them up and then list them for sale on a site like Sedo.com.
Mystery shopping
Today becoming a mystery shopper is easier than you think and you can get rewarded handsomely.
There are dozens of agencies that pay you to visit all sorts of shops and restaurants to feedback on how they are performing. We've reviewed the best agencies in our guide how to become a mystery shopper.
Tasking apps are another form of mystery shopping, where you earn rewards for completing small local tasks. It can be a lot of fun too!
Be an Extra
Do you fancy yourself as a budding young actor or just that person that walks past in the background shot of an episode of Eastenders? It could be you if you apply to be an extra in TV or film.
The pay isn't bad either: £60-80 a day on average, and you hardly have to do anything!
There are lots of casting agencies that place willing extras. They make their money by taking a cut from your earnings, so always ask what that is before you take on work.
Head over to our how to become an extra guide for 5 of the better agencies, plus lots more advice on getting your first gig.
Sell all your old CDs, games and movies
If you are looking to make a very quick buck, then selling your old bits and bobs that are cluttering up your room is a good idea.
The best thing about it is that you can rip all the songs and films onto your laptop or external hard drive before selling them. This means that you are only really selling the plastic and artwork!
You can earn anything from 10p to £20 per item, and the earnings can really add up if you have a large collection. Whilst you're at it, see if your parents have any ‘clutter' they'd be happy to see the back of.
You can also sell almost anything for free on Amazon Marketplace or Prelovedand sites like MusicMagpie will pay you instantly for sending in unwanted items.
For more tips and places to sell check out our guide on selling DVDs, CDs and games.
Sell on your education!
Becoming a tutor to other students is easier than ever. Until recently your market was limited to local face-to-face sessions, but thanks to online tutoring sites you can go global!
Udemy allows anyone to create an online course (on literally anything!) and get paid forever after as users take it up.
For one-to-one tutoring, list yourself on Superprof, SchoolsTrader and UK Tutors.
You can expect to earn upwards of £10 an hour, and you don't have to be highly qualified to tutor younger GCSE or even A Level students. Get started with our guide to making money as a private tutor.
Sell your photos
If you think you've got a good shot and a little creativity, try uploading your photographs for free to stock websites. A good starting point is Fotolia or istockphoto.
Make more money selling photo subjects that have fewer search results but you feel would have some demand. It might be a good idea to test them out in print first yourself (get free photo prints here).
Rent out your car parking space
Some student accommodation comes with a drive or garage. If you aren't using your parking space and you live in a busy area then you might be in luck. There are plenty of people that may work in the city centre and are fed up of paying through the roof for daily parking.
Advertise your space on Gumtree, Parklet or Just Park.
Or, check out our full guide to renting out your parking space.
Babysitting
It's a classic money-maker, and for good reason. You get paid (well) to watch TV and not very much else – hopefully!
If you are wondering what to charge have a look at local ads, but you can expect to be paid over £8ph even if you aren't trained in child care.
Aside from advertising yourself, it's free to create a profile on Care Babysitting. It really can be easy money (unless you get stuck with the child from hell!).
In the UK you will need a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check to look after small children, even though some parents may not ask for one.
Dog walking & sitting
If babies ain't your thing, then maybe canines are… looking after other people's dogs is big business. Just think that as a student you're likely to have free time during the day when others are out at work and worried about their pets at home.
You could bag around £7 an hour per dog, and it's also a great way to keep fit.
Join Care Pet Care who are best for dog sitting and also Tailster who specialise in dog walkers.
Become your own bank
‘Peer-to-peer' lending is the future of banking. It cuts out the middle-man, passing on higher interest rates to you and cheaper loans to borrowers. And it's all managed online from the comfort of your sofa.
Founded in 2009, RateSetter was the first to reimburse lenders on late payments or defaults through its ‘Provision Fund'. Effectively it is designed to be like a normal savings account. To date RateSetter say no investors have ever lost money, and they are fully FCA regulated.
Right now you can expect to achieve up to 5% fixed return, depending on how long you choose to lend for. If you can, go for the ISA account to earn interest tax-free.
There's no fee to withdraw your money from RateSetter, unless you lock in to a 1 or 5 year higher fixed interest rate where the early withdrawal fee is 0.3% and 1.5% respectively.
Update: for a limited time also get this £100 bonus when you invest £1,000 for a year.
Work as a charity collector
Ok so this job takes a certain kind of person, as you'll have to take a lot of rejection and be persistent.
But if you are bubbly, personable and reckon you could sell ice to an Eskimo then this could actually be a great student money making idea. You get paid commission on new sign ups (typically around £20).
Have a look at Wesser as well as charity websites like Oxfam.
Rent out your house for filming
Directors for TV and film are always on the hunt for houses to film in. For instance, a scene for Coronation Street was recently filmed in the student house one of the Save the Student editors used to live in!
Not only can you make good money but it's crazy seeing your own place on TV. Start out by looking at this site.
Rent out your body
If you are comfortable taking off your kit then why not try life modelling. Sit there in the buff while budding artists capture your every curve (or pokey bits) in frightening detail! Try RAM, a website especially designed for these kind of jobs.
You could also get involved in clinical drug trials, but be sure you fully appreciate any risks attached.
Warning: Do not do anything you are not comfortable with, no matter how desperate you are for money!
Freelance work
Perhaps you enjoy writing, managing Facebook pages or doing a little bit of graphic design in your spare time. There are so many freelance jobs out there that require simple skills or just time that someone else might not have.
And the best thing about freelancing is that you can work for clients in the UK and around the world with just an internet connection from home, to your own hours whilst developing valuable skills.
A great place to start is with the leading freelance site Upwork.com. Or try using our student job search to find freelance jobs closer to home.
Sell clothes on eBay
Everyone's best friend when it comes to getting rid of junk is eBay. Online auctions are a sure-fire way to turn that sleeveless jacket (which came in and out of fashion in a week) into hard cash.
Some eBay sellers look at trends and try to predict what will be big ahead of the market. If you are good and don't mind taking a risk then you can buy early in bulk and sell on when the craze hits.
For lots more tips on selling on eBay read this guide.
Sell your stories and videos
If you have an interesting story then you could try selling it to the papers. It could be anything from sleeping with a professional footballer to getting caught in a clothes horse!
One of the Save the Student team was unfortunate enough to have a pigeon fly through and smash their window at university and sold the story to The Sun for a tidy £50.
You could also film your mates at all times and send it into You've Been Framedto net yourself £250 and a few seconds of fame.
YouTube videos
According to recent stats we now watch more videos on YouTube than searches on Google. And with the recently introduced YouTube Partner Program you can now profit from making and uploading videos. You will receive a percentage of the advertising revenue collected per 1,000 views.
Depending on how successful you are (virality, subscriber base and topic) you can make a lot of money, and there are plenty of stories every week of more and more YouTubers making it their career.
For more tips read our guide to making money from YouTube.
Network marketing
Also known as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), this is a business model that allows you to generate ongoing income in two ways: by making a commission selling products and by recruiting other members who go on to sell. The latter allows you to make money from the sales made by those you have recruited.
Importantly, this is not a pyramid scheme (they are illegal) because there is an end goal which involves a customer buying a product or service of value.
It's also not a ‘get rich quick' scheme. You will have to work I'm afraid! However with the growth of social media, network marketing is becoming easier and lots of people are now making a decent living from it.
This is a serious way of making good money on your own terms and it's well worth reading up on it. I recommend getting “The Business of the 21st Century” by Robert Kiyosaki.
Source property for wealthy investors
We all know how much money there is in property, but on the surface (with house prices as high as they are) you might be thinking this market is off-limits.
Truth is, lots of people make a great deal of cash simply sourcing suitable properties for wealthy investors who simply have no time.
The trick is to find properties below market value (BMV) by avoiding estate agents and instead flyering your area with your contact details offering to buy houses. Then approach investors with a no-brainer offer to pass on the details of cut-price property in exchange for a % of the sale value.
Most cities will have monthly networking events for landlords and property investors. Track these down, sign up, put on your best suit and go along with lots of business cards. Or you could start on LinkedIn or even Twitter to build some initial contacts.
As you might imagine, this isn't necessarily a quick way to make money but once you've got a few investors in your phone book it can prove to be very lucrative in the long run. If you're interested, I recommend reading this book.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies

Update. We're increasingly being asked about how to make money from Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies). This isn't surprising given the ever-growing hype and stories of kids making millions.

Please don't rush into buying Bitcoin to make money. It's really important to know what you're getting involved with. Read our new how to buy Bitcoin tutorial which explains everything you need to know.

There are many other creative ways to make money as a student, such as our 50 business ideas.

Please feel free to share your own ideas by leaving a comment below

The best paid online survey websites

2018-08-31T02:02:00.001-07:00

We all have a bit of time to kill every now and then, particularly over holiday breaks and in the evenings. Make sure you're turning it into cash!
Close the YouTube cat videos down. Instead spend your spare time earning £100s a year filling out online surveys or testing products.

There are a growing number of research companies out there offering rewards for your opinions, however they're not always as legit as they make out.

With this in mind, we've created a run-down of the trusted survey sites, personally tested by ourselves. We reveal how much you can realistically make from each site and share some helpful tips to maximise your profit.

Legit online survey websites

Each site has a limited number of online surveys each month for each person. If you want to earn serious rewards it's worth signing up to as many surveys for cash as possible.

Swagbucks
Very popular with students, thanks to a wide variety of ways to earn rewards. Exclusive signup bonus!
Who are they? Swagbucks are a reliable survey site who also offer rewards for playing games and watching videos.
Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.
Amount per survey: 70 points called SB (40p).
Min. reward threshold: 1 SB.
Our review: We love Swagbucks, and we hear positive reviews from our readers about them too. We've found that completing surveys and polls every day provides the best return for your time, however you can also complete a much wider range of offers to bump up your earnings.
Surveys take around 10 minutes to complete, meaning you can earn around £2.40 an hour. Swagbucks also offers users the ability to complete surveys from multiple providers and give consolation points when you don't qualify for a survey. Read our full Swagbucks review.
Sign up to Swagbucks »
Toluna
Test, keep products and earn vouchers.
Who are they? A trusted opinion website working on behalf of leading companies. They want to know what you think about certain products, services and issues. In return, you get rewarded!
Rewards: Free products, Amazon vouchers and prize draws.
Amount per survey: 3,000 – 6,000 points (80,000 points gets you a £15 voucher).
Min. reward threshold: 500 for prizes, 80,000 for vouchers.
Our review: You won't be sent products to test all the time, but we have received a couple over the space of a few months. So it's worth signing up just to get freebies
You can also answer surveys on the site to earn yourself points which equal vouchers. Each survey takes around 15 minutes to complete, so it'll take around 4 hours overall to earn a voucher.
Sign up to Toluna »
OnePoll
Exclusive £5 signup bonus.
Who are they? Best known for short, quick surveys about every topic. OnePoll provide surveys to the press and major brands.
Rewards: Cash or PayPal payments.
Amount per survey: 10p – £1.
Min. reward threshold: £40.
Our review: OnePoll were one of the first survey sites around and they've always got quick and fun surveys to answer. Look out for the surveys about celebs.
Surveys take around 3 minutes so at 20p a survey (average) it'll take around 10 hours to earn £40.
You need to check your account daily for surveys and some users report you get stuck just under the £40 threshold. If this happens you can refer a friend for £4 and then withdraw your earnings.
Use our signup link below for an exclusive £5 signup bonus.
Sign up to OnePoll »
MySurvey
Make £3-5 per hour.
Who are they? A popular consumer panel who are always looking for new members to participate in market research studies for rewards.
Rewards: PayPal payments, Amazon and high-street vouchers.
>Amount per survey:>Around 100 points.
Min. reward threshold: 345 points (£3).
Our review: Another one worth signing up for. We got lots of surveys sent from these guys, and they tend to match your profile and interests as a consumer.
The average survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, and gives you 100 points. So you could earn around £3-£5/hour.
Register below and wait for them to send you some surveys!
Sign up to MySurvey »
YouGov
Earn 50p per survey.
Who are they? This is a little different to others, focusing more on social issues and general interest topics. YouGov polls include topics such as politics, public affairs and commercial products. Great if you have big opinions!
Rewards: Cash and prize draws.
Amount per survey: 50p – £3.
Min. reward threshold: £50.
Our review: YouGov is one of the more interesting sites to sign up to because of the kinds of surveys they conduct. Most are on current issues that are in the news and they encourage you to express your views.
Surveys can take up to 30 minutes but are not always that frequent. We received one or two a fortnight, so it can take a few months to hit the threshold. However, you get £1 just for joining and if you get your friends to sign up too you can quickly get lots more points and cash!
Sign up to YouGov »
Panel Opinion
Low payout threshold.
Who are they? Panel Opinion are one of the most popular survey sites.
Rewards: Cash.
Amount per survey: 50p – £4.
Min. reward threshold: £10.
Our review: The surveys usually take around 10-15 minutes to complete and you can even make up to £4 for a single survey sometimes.
They pay out in cash and have a low payout threshold of just £10.
Sign up to Panel Opinion »
i-Say (IPSOS)
Make £10+ a month.
Who are they? One of the largest (and best paying) survey-based market research companies around, working with trusted brands and research companies worldwide.
Rewards: High-street and Amazon Vouchers, plus prize draws for all members.
Amount per survey: ~£1.
Min. reward threshold: £10.
Our review: A well-trusted panel. They send you surveys every week to answer by email. The reward threshold is relatively low, and most people will be able to cash out in under 10 surveys.
Sign up to i-Say »
Survey Bods
£3 upon sign up and profile completion.
Who are they? SurveyBods work with top companies that want your opinion.
Rewards: Cash, Amazon vouchers and prize draws.
Amount per survey: 50p – £3
Min. reward threshold: £15
Our review: The surveys usually take around 10 minutes and are pretty easy to complete. You have to be as honest as possible as they have a “strike system”. 3 bad surveys and you're out (we like to see it as a challenge).
They're a well trusted site that work with top brands and well worth joining through our link for a £3 cash bonus when signing up. Make sure you complete your profile too. Plus their site is a lot more snazzy than a lot of the others…
Sign up to Survey Bods »
Hiving
Good referral scheme.
Who are they? They run surveys on behalf of leading brands.
Rewards: Cash.
Amount per survey: ~50p
Min. reward threshold: £4
Our review: Hiving reward you around 50 points per minute when completing surveys and you can withdraw as soon as you reach 4000 points (£4).
They also reward users for referring friends and give you points even if you are declined for a survey.
Sign up to Hiving »
Prolific Academic
Good money if you give quality answers.
Who are they? They provide data for academics and researchers at many top universities and companies.
Rewards: Cash.
Amount per survey: £1-£10.
Min. reward threshold: £20 with no fee.
Our review: Prolific Academic is a high end survey site which means that you have to really focus on giving good answers in order to keep a high score. If you drop below a certain level you'll be screened out of a lot of surveys.
However, with big effort comes big rewards. Surveys tend to take around 45 minutes and can payout as much as £10. If you can hit the sweet spot with this survey site you could make some good money.
In terms of pay per hour it's potentially one of the highest so we'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
Sign up to Prolific Academic »
Global Test Market
Earn £100 per year.
Who are they? This is a well know US survey site but they pay out cheques in £s.
Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.
Amount per survey: ~£1.20.
Min. reward threshold: 1000 points ($50/£32).
Our review: Surveys take around 15 minutes each so you could be earning £4.80 an hour. Be aware that cheques do take a while to arrive in the post, and we'd recommend not wasting your time with the ‘prize draw' surveys (unless you're feeling very lucky).
Sign up to Global Test Market »
The OpinionPanel Community
Members get £10 just for signing up.
Who are they? They are the UK’s largest research panel for students & grads or anyone aged 16-25. They offer interesting surveys and online focus groups for big brands and universities, with their research often reaching the media spotlight!
Rewards: Amazon and high-street (eg Topshop, Topman, River Island) vouchers.
Amount per survey: 50p-£4 per survey, £30 – £50 for online focus groups.
Min. reward threshold: £25
Our review: The OpinionPanel Community are a trusted site and their surveys take around 10 minutes to complete. The majority of surveys tend to pay out around £1-2.
There is also mobile compatibility so you can complete surveys on the go.
Sign up to OpinionPanel »
PanelBase
Earn £3 just for signing up!
Who are they? PanelBase aren't your average survey site. They don't inundate you with surveys, but the ones they do send are very well paid and relevant to you!
Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.
Amount per survey: 50p – £10 (avg. ~£1.50).
Min. reward threshold: £10.
Our review: £3 just for signing up to a site is a bit of a no-brainer… The surveys pay out higher than the industry average too which gives you the opportunity to earn some good dough!
However they do select their survey respondents very carefully so you may be sent slightly less opportunities than other sites. Just make sure you fully complete your profile to give yourself the best chance.
Sign up to PanelBase »
Opinion Outpost
One of the lowest payout thresholds.
Who are they? Opinion Outpost have shot up in popularity due to fast payouts and fun surveys.
Rewards: Cash and Amazon Vouchers.
Amount per survey: 50p
Min. reward threshold: £2.50
Our review: You only need to complete 5 surveys to be due a payout and they take around 10-15 minutes each.
Sign up to Opinion Outpost »
Valued Opinions
£10 voucher per hour.
Who are they? Valued Opinions are part of a larger market research group. They send out online surveys to members whose profiles match broad demographics and requirements.
Rewards: Vouchers (inc. Amazon, M&S, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis).
Amount per survey: £1 – £5.
Min. reward threshold: £10.
Our review: First off, signing up with Valued Opinions automatically enters you into a prize draw for an iPad. From there, they use your profile to send you relevant surveys to complete.
The surveys are usually quite interesting, and can take anything from 10-30 minutes each, so within just one hour you could bag yourself a £10 voucher.
Sign up to Valued Opinions »
Branded Surveys
Online community with frequent global market research surveys
Who are they? Previously known as Mintvine, Branded Surveys are popular due to providing a high volume of surveys.
Rewards: Cash or gift cards.
Amount per survey: Varies.
Min. reward threshold: $10.
Our review: One of our personal favourites. Great new website, easy to use and fast paying.
You can also earn ongoing points for referring friends, where you get a percentage of everything they earn.
Sign up to Branded Surveys »
Pinecone Research
£3 per survey, invite only.
Who are they? Pinecone are an exclusive survey and product testing company who are invite only.
Rewards: £3 per completed survey, free products to test and keep.
Amount per survey: £3.
Min. reward threshold: £3.
Our review: Pinecone is the Holy Grail of survey sites and invites are rare so it's well worth signing up while we have some invites on offer. The payout is huge and surveys don't take too long to complete. You sometimes get sent products to test and keep too!
Note: There's no guarantee that they will be open to new registrations at any one time, but we try to arrange a limited number for our readers each month. Check the link below. If we don't, join our newsletter for updates.
Sign up to Pinecone »
MindMover
Interesting surveys on consumer products
Who are they? Mindmover allow you to share your opinions on everything from food to public transport.
Rewards: Cash.
Amount per survey: 50p – £1.50.
Min. reward threshold: £20.
Our review: MindMover is a decent option but it can take a while to build up the points as surveys are sometime few and far between.
It takes around 15 minutes to complete each survey.
Sign up to MindMover »
iPoll
Mobile compatibility & multiple payout opportunities.
Who are they? iPoll used to be called Survey Heads and are a US based company.
Rewards: Cash, vouchers & magazine subscriptions.
Amount per survey: 40p – £1.70
Min. reward threshold: £20
Our review: It will take you around 15 minutes to complete a survey but the range of rewards are decent.
The only downside is that the amount of surveys tends to be quite low.
Sign up to iPoll »
PopulusLive
Earn £1 for every 5 mins.
Who are they? They are a big UK survey site who provide stats to the press and current affairs programmes.
Rewards: Cash.
Amount per survey: ~£2.
Min. reward threshold: 50 points (£50).
Our review: PopulusLive are a favourite among the survey taking community because of their decent payout. It can take some time to reach the threshold and surveys run out quickly once they have enough respondents.
It's essential that you fill in your profile fully to get the maximum number of surveys. You also have to be very careful with your answers as they have quality checks in place to make sure you aren't cheating or rushing through.
Sign up to PopulusLive »
New Vista Live
Earn £100 per year.
Who are they? A leading marketing research company who have chosen to conduct surveys online rather than traditional cold-calling and so on.
Rewards: Cash and prize draws.
Amount per survey: Around £1 a survey.
Min. reward threshold: £50.
Our review: NewVista offers users cash for completing surveys where 1 point = £1. For some, it can take a while to reach the £50 threshold but the surveys usually take just 15 minutes (so ~£4/hour) and they pay well.
Make sure you answer questions honestly as NewVista are known for chucking in a few red herrings to make sure you're actually thinking rather than speeding through.
Sign up to New Vista »

Tips for maximising your online survey profit

Rather than just leaving you with a list of online survey sites we wanted to make sure that you get the most out of all of them.

Here's a few ways to make sure you get the maximum rewards or profit from each site.

Sign up to them all

It's a good idea to sign up to as many as possible. This means that you will always have surveys to answer instead of waiting for one or two to come along every month.

There is no harm in signing up to loads and you can always unsubscribe if you don't like the service that one of them is providing.

Set up an alias email

You don't have to do this but we would recommend setting up a separate email for all of your survey site accounts. That way you can log in each day and easily see the surveys on offer (without it clogging up your personal inbox).

You should also check your emails regularly as some surveys are only open for a day (sometimes less).

Be honest

Try and be honest when filling in these online paid surveys as sometimes you can be penalised for contradicting yourself or giving inadequate responses. Also, don't try to second guess the system by saying that you are a wealthy businessman or woman to get more surveys. It won't work!

Watch out for scams and fake sites

A number of sites (we won't call anyone out) advertise dodgy survey sites to students so make sure you avoid them. The ones to watch out for are generally the ones that sound too good to be true!

It's also worth noting that you aren't guaranteed to receive products from the product testing site as users are chosen at random so if anyone promises this you should be very wary.

Put it this way, there are 1000s of users on each survey site, do you really think that they can afford to send out 1000s of free PlayStations for people to test?

Cash in when you reach the limit

Unless you are looking to build up a big amount and aiming for one of the top rewards for which you have time for, then it's best to cash in early with these paid survey sites.

Also be aware that some sites will have restrictions on when you can spend the points and how long they are valid for.

Don't ever pay to join

All of the paid survey sites listed above are free to apply for and use. You shouldn't get sucked into paying for a subscription to any online survey websites, whatever they promise you.

The sites listed on this page have been tried and tested and are genuine. If you are already a member of any of these survey sites or any that aren't listed then please do let us know what you think of them!

Click here to browse our offers section for even more opportunities!

২0 মিনিটের মধ্যে একটি ওয়েবসাইট কিভাবে শুরু করবেন

2018-08-31T01:59:00.000-07:00

Starting a website is one of the best kept secrets for making money and passive income. Let's get you set up with your own WordPress blog today!Disclosure: Some links are affiliated so we may earn commission on referring you to a service. There's no extra cost to you, but does support our site and could entitle you to exclusive offers.

I've been a website developer for more than 14 years, so I've learnt the easiest methods to get started as well as sourcing the best prices available.

Click here to open the setup page in a new window, then follow my quick and easy steps for total beginners.

You will have a live website and your own (free) domain name within 20 minutes, for less than the cost of a coffee a month.

5 reasons to start a website

Worth it just for your CV and a professional email
Generate passive income (make money in your sleep – keep reading)
Gives you freedom to work from anywhere
It's ridiculously easy and affordable (and fun)
So my grandma doesn't show you up… here's what you're up against:

4 steps to start a WordPress website

WordPress is a free Content Management System (CMS) that allows anyone to make, design, write and manage their own website. The platform powers 25% of all websites (including CNN, NASA and this site!) and is totally beginner friendly.

WordPress needs to be installed on a web host. We'll be using Bluehost who have a 1-click install and also handle many other parts of starting and running a website for you. Their process is easy and costs next-to-nothing.

I contacted Bluehost and as an affiliate partner negotiated a special 60% off discount, plus a free domain name for you. Woohoo! Like most hosts, their prices are in USD but available worldwide. We receive compensation by working with them, but we'd still recommend them anyway!

Choose and register a domain name
A domain name is what people type into their browser to view your website. savethestudent.org is a domain name. It's also used for email, such as you@yourwebsite.com.
There's a wide range of domain name extensions available, including .com, .org, .net, .info. .com is considered the best, but also the most popular so your preferred .com name may be registered already.
Registration typically costs £10 ($13) a year, but you can get yours free only with this link:
a. Click here to lock in the free domain name offer
b. Click “Get Started Now” and select the “Basic” plan for now
c. Type in your preferred domain name to check availability.
If your domain name is available, you'll see the “Create your account” page. Congrats! Continue to Step 2.
If it's not available, you'll be told to try another variation. Consider changing a word (wordhippo.com is handy), using hyphens (-), adding a number or pick a different extension (such as .info).

Don't stress about getting the perfect domain name. They often pop into my head as I build my sites, and it's easy to move an existing website to a new domain. Today is about getting the site live!

Setup website hosting
Every website needs to be hosted. A web host is just a home for your site and its content (like a remote computer). The host then ‘serves' the website to visitors when they type in your domain name. It sounds much more technical than it is! In a few clicks you'll be set up and ready to start posting for the world to see.
There are hundreds of web hosts out there, but Bluehost is by far the best choice for beginners.
Why Bluehost? 6 main reasons:
1. Affordable (from $2.95pm)
2. Reliable (99.9% uptime)
3. Free domain name, email addresses & 1-click WordPress install
4. Brilliant support and training guides
5. 30 day full refund policy
6. Officially recommended by WordPress
Once you've found a domain name, simply continue to create your Bluehost account.
The “Basic” package is more than enough for most websites, and you can uncheck the other paid options for now if you don't want them. You don't need to enter a VAT number if you don't have one.
Cost of the Basic 12 month plan.
To secure the super-low monthly price, you need to pay for at least one year ($71.28) but it's cheapest ($2.95pm) for three years ($127.44). It's ridiculously cheap for what you get.
There's no contract and Bluehost have a no-hassle 30 day full refund policy. Even if you want to cancel after that, you can get a refund for what you won't use!
Make the upfront payment using your normal card details or PayPal (click “more payment options”). Again, it'll be in USD but you don't need an American bank.
20 Ways to Make Money from a Website
Receive my free guide + tips on getting your site going!

Privacy policy
Installing WordPress on Bluehost
Technically your online presence is secured at this stage, but if anyone goes over to your site, there won't be much to see! That won't be for long though… you're about to install WordPress which allows you to easily manage your whole site, including content and design, without any technical background or coding experience.
WordPress is used by 80 million websites, including this website It was first designed for blogs but even online stores and major news sites like CNN and MTV use it today.
UPDATE: Bluehost now install WordPress for you automatically when signing up, so you can skip this step and choose your theme design right away!
Login to your Bluehost account, and from the Control Panel click “Install WordPress”.
Congratulations – your site is live to the world! Exciting, isn't it?
Choose your WordPress theme
If you go to view your site now, it'll look very basic and empty. So go ahead and change the theme of your new site.
Just go to your WordPress Admin panel, click on “Appearance” > “Themes” and browse hundreds of free themes.
When you find one you like, click “Preview” or “Install” to apply the theme with just a click!
As you'd expect, WordPress also makes it incredibly easy to start writing content that looks great. Clicking on “Posts” > “Add New” will open up the editor window, which looks similar to your typical word processor.
WordPress Admin Panel – Free with Bluehost
Once you have a couple of articles published on your website's topic, there are endless opportunities to start growing your audience and even make some money!

A well designed logo will do wonders for your website (and social media). Have a browse of these Fiverr gigs to get one for just a couple of quid.

5 ways to get free traffic today!

Aside from publishing high quality content, the most important thing is to get visitors (traffic) to your website. How do you get visitors to your website? Here are some practical ideas to get you off the mark right away!

Post on Twitter using hashtags
Twitter is an awesome marketing tool for website owners. One of the best ways to get your content noticed is to use hashtags relevant to your audience.
A handy free tool like Hashtagify allows you to search for hashtags you’re considering using and view popular related hashtags.
From these results, you can find well-known hashtags to add to your tweets – just be careful not to use too many tags. Two to three are best to avoid looking spammy!
If you don’t have time to spend on Twitter, consider using a scheduling app like Hootsuite to plan your social media content for the week ahead.
Share links on Facebook groups
There is likely to be at least one active Facebook group related to your topic (use the search field on Facebook). And because they are already focused on a niche, they are a powerful way to build a loyal audience and traffic quickly!
Many groups offer ways to share your content with others, for example, posting links on particular days. If you’re sharing your content, it’s important to be authentic by creating conversation with other members and never just spamming.
Feel free to share your website on my Starting a Website Facebook group.
I also recommend starting your own Facebook group to complement your website. It means you have full control over it, and you'll soon attract new members searching for the topics you cover!
Join Pinterest groups
Pinterest is one of the most underrated methods of growing your blog traffic. Engaging with other users is guaranteed to boost your website hits, providing you use the right strategy.
A Pinterest group board is one with several contributors and it normally has a small two-person icon in bottom right hand corner. Group boards tend to have more followers than regular boards, meaning more people will re-pin your content and visit your site.
To find groups boards in your niche, take a look at PinGroupie. This free tool reveals how many subscribers and re-pins a board has. If you want to join a group board, you’ll usually need to email the Pinterest account holder to get an invite to pin on that board.
Share posts on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is more of a social bookmarking site than social media.
It’s a site where users can share their web pages and readers can decide whether to interact with the content shown.
StumbleUpon has over 25 million users but if you want readers to stay on your site and visit other pages, you need to ensure your site is well optimised with engaging article headlines, clear photographs and easy to read quality content.
Comment on well-known blogs in your niche
While commenting on popular blogs in your niche may seem like an exhausting exercise, it’s still one of the most effective methods for getting traffic to your site.
Instead of spamming other blogs with your website URL, craft thoughtful comments related to the blog content and leave your site link as a by-line – this is a genuine way of attracting new readers to your website.
Set up Google Alerts for related phrases to be emailed to you when blogs post on a topic you can comment on!

BONUS: Facebook Ads

Ok I said 5, but this one isn't free so let's just call it a bonus

Despite it being a form of paid traffic, Facebook Ads is insanely effective at building you an audience in literally no time. When you create an advert on Facebook, you're able to hone in to reach a very, very specific demographic.

For example, at Save the Student we could target ads towards Facebook users who are at university, live in Manchester, are interested in doughnuts and are single.

Facebook Ad targeting

You can start with as little as $10, but I appreciate most new bloggers aren't in a position to spend right away (unless you're already monetising your site), so this is just something to keep in mind!

Click here to join my Private Facebook Group for new webmasters. Share your website and connect with others!

Generally building social media pages and links to your new site should be your main focus. Not only do they directly send new visitors your way, but they're also the main indicators search engines like Google use to rank websites (SEO). And free Google traffic is the best kind of traffic

How to make money from your website

Once you have some kind of traffic, your website can then be monetised in dozens of ways!

The most lucrative opportunities for new bloggers to make money tend to be:

Sponsored articles
Google AdSense
Product reviews
Consultancy (or freelance work)
Email marketing
Affiliate marketing (the big one!)

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is earning commission from a company for promoting an online product or service to your website visitors. The retailer or merchant provides you with a unique link that will track any sales which originate from you. The link could be placed within a relevant article, an email or on social media.

This is now a huge industry in itself, which is unsurprising when you consider how many e-commerce websites there are today!

But don't get overwhelmed by the scale of the opportunities yet!

Sign up to Affiliate Window from day one. They are an established and large affiliate network giving you instant access to thousands of online retailers and services who pay you a commission for any leads. It's just a case of copying the link across and including it within your content!

Save The Student

Student lives on £800 yacht to save on rent

37 money saving resources

What’s on this page?

Save money on banking

Save money on bills

Save money on food

Save money on shopping

Save money on travel

Bonus money saving resources!

83 practical ways to save money

What's on this page?

Big Money Savings (£££)

Think beyond dorms to save on rent

Get student funding

Go abroad for grad study

Stop smoking (or doing drugs)

Have at least one ‘no-spend' day each week

Impressive Cost Cutters (££)

Look twice for cheap flights

Know your discounts

Earn money from your student loan

Speak to the cancellations department

Slash your bills in an evening

Get cash back on almost anything you buy

Haggle on your rent (or anything else)

Use the ‘skimming' trick

Try the 1p savings challenge

Think about phone insurance

Turn your old phone into a sat nav

Ride the bus for less

Swerve premium rate numbers

Don't pay for top-selling apps & games

Get 2for1 cinema tickets for a year for less than £2

Or just go to the cinema for free!

Get a 3-year railcard when you’re 24

Lose your TV licence

Run from overpriced gym membership

Save on postage costs with Amazon Prime

Get your tax back

Buy past ‘Best Before' dates

Get free money every month

Get everything for five pounds

Check Amazon's secret warehouse deals

Food shop in the evenings

Buy stolen goods (legally!)

Grab £200 worth of freebies in a day

Price compare your groceries

Tune-in for free gigs and events

Use discounted gift cards at big chains

Don’t pay for software

Browse eBay outlets

And always check for eBay typos!

Abandon your online shopping basket

Don’t get stung on event tickets

Rack-up loyalty points

Furnish for free

Only take cash on nights out

Freeze your groceries

Save £600 on lunches

Do your reading for nowt

Get extra tuition for free

Downshift to own-label

Sign up to our newsletter, WhatsApp group and Facebook page

Small but MIGHTY savings (£)

Get money back from your mates

Round-up your spend

Check the baby/world food aisle to get the same product for less

Don't shop when you're hungry

Click & Collect for free delivery

Get paid for your commute

Put a brick in your toilet

Trade-up to new gadgets

Get free water at the airport

Use the library to read for free

Complain for cheaper rail fares

Go to the cinema during off-peak hours

Get your drinks ‘on the house'

Collect vouchers and rewards

Always buy own brand medicines