Free money ideas

Money is always tight so we have collected a range of good ideas to help generate free money. I have used quite a number of these at some stage in the past and have generated a reasonable amount of extra cash.

• Cash in the attic. Start to see if there are any old items that you could sell on eBay or at a car boot sale.
• Check if there are any benefits you should be entitled to.
• Check to see if you were entitled to some back-dated pay. If you were on a salary scale and you left the company and they then had a back-dated pay settlement – you would be entitled to some back-dated pay.
• Watch Freecycle. People offering their old stuff for free. Some of this you could then resell on eBay.
• Put any spare money into a savings account like an ISA and start earning interest (free money).
• Go through your old files to see if there are any old accounts that you have forgotten about (e.g. premium bonds, life insurance policies, national savings, etc.). If you have moved address at some point in the past it could be that the letters referring to these have ended up somewhere else.
• Check that there are not any stocks and shares that you have forgotten about (sometimes old stock options which had no value become worth something).
• Borrow a metal detector and go around the beach.
• Plant seeds and sell the plants.
• Write thank you letters whenever someone gives you something (this will encourage them to give you some more).
• Marry someone rich (and maybe famous).  This always has been the best way to a free meal ticket.
• Enter free draws.
• Enter free competitions.
• Send in a reader’s letter to your local newspaper or magazine.  These will often give £25 for the best letter submitted.
• Visit all of your elderly relatives/neighbours in the hope you may get left something in their will.
• Wash other people’s cars for them – this will usually generate a bit of free money.
• Start collecting receipts and go through your employer’s expenses policy.  You may be able to claim back some of them, for example, coffee or lunch purchased when you were away on a business trip.
• Remember to reclaim any donations made to charity on your tax return.  These will normally need to be made under the gift aid scheme, but do include admission to some country houses etc.

Do you have any other good ideas? Please leave them in the box below.