I am in the newspaper!
I am in the newspaper! Since making my blog I’ve been approached a few times about collaborating with writers and bloggers to tell my story which is quite exciting and very new to me! Money is always hard to talk about, but if I can inspire a few other people & give some ideas to newbies then it’s worth it. That’s why I started my Instagram and website. My first article was in The Mirror and all about my side hustles on the income I make from them all.
With the help of other money-saving bloggers, Gemma went on to build up an established network of various ‘side hustles’ which she says help top up what she makes from selling handmade crafts.
Gemma said: “My crafts don’t make me much money – I have been doing this as a hobby and job for years and have come to realise it’s not going to make me lots of money. “[I spend] most of my time on them – applying for things such as market research, doing surveys, out and about mystery shopping, and listing things on eBay.”
“I started looking at different ways to make a side income and I taught myself whatever I could. My normal income is way, way less than my side hustles.”[I spend] most of my time on them – applying for things such as market research, doing surveys, out and about mystery shopping, and listing things on eBay.””[I spend] most of my time on them – applying for things such as market research, doing surveys, out and about mystery shopping, and listing things on eBay.””[I spend] most of my time on them – applying for things such as market research, doing surveys, out and about mystery shopping, and listing things on eBay.”
The other was in the guardian, this was a general overview on ways to save money on travelling, so the cat sitting I do regularly was mentioned!
House-sit
This is a great way to have a low-cost holiday. The simplest option is to house-sit for friends or relatives while they go away. You get cheap accommodation and they know their home is secure. Or, if you can find a mutually convenient weekend, arrange a swap.
Staying at a property you already know, or hosting people you know at yours, is likely to be more relaxing than swapping with a stranger, but there are websites dedicated to matching homeowners with house-sitters they might never meet. These often include homes abroad, too. They charge a fee – typically about £100 a year. The Guardian has a partnership with a site that lists lots of UK homes (guardianhomeexchange.co.uk).
Gemma Clough, who blogs at Help Save Money, recommends pet-sitting. She suggests using a site such as TrustedHousesitters.
“Owner members include their personal details when registering, while sitter members go through a mandatory ID check, and all listings go through an approval process before they go live on the site.”
She has travelled the world looking after cats and small animals, and frequently stays in London. Saving herself hundreds of pounds each time. Gemma recently stayed in affluent Pimlico for two weeks at no cost.
