MONEY

THE UP SIDE OF DOWN

How uncertainty breeds opportunity to make an extra buck. TEXT SKYE LAVIS

It is true, it’s a time of extraordinary uncertainty, but it is also a time of opportunity - if you have the right mindset. Whilst the world moves on around us, check out these unconventional ways of making some extra cash.

WRITE ONLINE If you’ve always wanted to be a writer, what better time to start than now? Tere are a few websites where you can make money by creating high quality, relevant content. Te sites only pay for accepted articles, so make sure that you review their criteria and read through the websites for an idea of their existing content and style before you start. Some websites also prefer to receive pitches before the main article. To fnd out more information, check out Listverse or Back2college.

HAVE A CLEAR - OUT If you’re sitting at home all day, you might notice the clutter a lot more than usual. Luckily, there are an abundance of online auction sites and retailers so you can turn your unwanted belongings into cash. If you haven’t used it in years, it may be time to consider selling it. Some sites even ofer collection from your door. Try Takealot, Bid or Buy or Facebook Marketplace.

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GET CRAFTY WITH DIY PROJECTS Some people have managed to discover new hobbies during lockdown, or have remembered old projects. If you’re into arts and crafts, you could turn that hobby into an additional income. You can make your own jewellery, sew garments, paint portraits or upcycle things around the house such as beautiful terrariums. Not all crafts sell well or will make a proft, so before you get started it’s a good idea to check out what’s already on there, how much it sells for, and compare it to what you’d expect for the time, efort, and costs associated with it.

You can also see how much competition there is, and decide how you will make your own crafts stand out. Sites worth having a look at are Etsy or Hello Pretty.

TAKING SURVEYS If you prefer a lower investment in both time and expense, you can make money by responding to surveys online. You can do so whilst binge-watching your favourite show. Te rewards depend on the website but generally include pre-paid airtime, G-Code online vouchers, or even PayPal. While it is relatively low-efort, you usually need to complete 2-4 surveys until you have accumulated enough points to redeem your rewards. Many surveys pay out around R20 each but there are opportunities to earn up to R150. Create your MobiWorkX account to see what survey you qualify for and how you can get rewarded. START A BLOG OR WEBSITE Creating a blog that makes money defnitely isn’t a short-term fx, but it could provide income over the long-term if you’re dedicated and willing to learn how digital marketing works. Most successful blogs either get the majority of their trafc through organic searches or via social media by building a quality following. If you’re not sure where to start, try some free courses on digital marketing and social media. A few to begin with are Growth Academy, Online Marketing Challenge or Social Media Quickstarter.

ONLINE TUTORING Since schools and colleges have been disrupted during the academic year, there’s been a huge increase in parents looking for tutors for their children. If you have in-depth knowledge around a particular subject, great communication skills, and feel that you have the right temperament to keep your students engaged and nurture their interest, you can apply to a variety of online tutoring websites that link up tutors with students. Sign up at TurtleJar Tutors to learn more.

TRANSCRIBE AUDIO Quite a popular freelancing job, transcribing is converting videos into text. Te subtitles you see on Facebook videos were written by a transcriber. Te pay can be quite substantial per hour and how quickly you can transcribe will defne the pay per hour worked. Te increase in online video content has fuelled a demand for transcription services, but speech to text software is also getting better so it can be a tough industry to get into. You may need to write a test to show you are capable. GoTranscript, Rev and Transcribe Me can help you to get started. ■

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