Read the six tips below on how to make money doing what you do every day anyway. It’s true that many people are trying to cut back on the little luxuries in life right now, including housekeeping, but use that to your advantage by undercutting your competitors. You could find yourself even busier than usual because you get good value for money.

earn money watching tv

How much time do you spend sitting in front of the checkout, wasting valuable potential money-earning time staring at the checkouts? Deal or no deal? You could use this downtime to earn money if you get paid to iron.

Many people hate ironing (particularly shirts) so much that they are willing to pay someone else to do it, even when money is tight. Professional ironers tend to charge between £8-£10 per hour or a certain amount per item (say 50p-£1 per shirt), so find out what the rate is in your area and work it down. Simply doing this for a few hours a day in front of the checkout means your potential earnings could be as high as £8,000 a year.

According to the Marketingweek website, the average person spends 3 1/2 hours every day watching television. Spend that time ironing for people who don’t really want to and you could make money. Advertise in your local area, pick up and deliver with a smile, and get some word of mouth recommendations.

make money walking in the park

If you love dogs and enjoy them. fresh air, then consider taking up walking dogs for money. If you live in a city or a large town, there are always several owners desperate for someone to take their dog out for the day.

You can expect to earn £6-10 per dog, per hour. There are a few agencies you can sign up with such as Dogwalkersuk, Walkies or Ukdogwalkers, all of which you can find on the internet, but they will take a percentage of what you are earning. If you have enough time, print and distribute flyers to attract your own customers. If you already have your own dog, you can get a job through word of mouth among dog owners you meet at the park. However, if you’re serious about this, make sure you get liability insurance that covers you in case something happens to one of the dogs while they’re out with you.

make money baking cakes

Recession or not, there are always plenty of people with a few cents to buy something sweet. Cakes, cookies, jams, whatever your specialty, come this weekend to your local market or flea market equipped with a box full of goodies and you can pay for this year’s Christmas gifts.

Calculate the selling price of your candy by calculating the production cost per item and then doubling it. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t let yourself down! Also remember to factor in the cost of the seller’s filing fee, if any. If you’re not sure where your nearest car boot sale is, try searching Carbootjunction for a list of UK car boot sales and their rates.

Earn money growing vegetables

If you’re having a hard time keeping a cactus alive for more than a couple of weeks, growing and selling your own vegetables could be a bit of a risky business. However, if you are a nature-loving, green-fingered gardener, a few extra hours in the greenhouse might well be worth it.

You don’t necessarily need a big garden to grow your juicy greens. Tomatoes, chili peppers, peppers, and herbs will flourish happily in your kitchen or living room as long as they get plenty of light and a little TLC. In addition to making money selling to friends and neighbors, you’ll also save a few dollars at the grocery store each week.

Potted plants sell well at car sales and local garage stores, so if you have a decent-sized greenhouse, you can propagate seedlings over the winter and sell them as mature plants in the spring and summer.

earn money playing with children

Stuck at home all day with the kids? Why not earn some extra money from your situation and experience? Register as a babysitter (find out how at the National Childcare Association) and earn money by playing tongue twisters and reading stories.

You can earn between £3 and £6 per hour per child or £11,000 – £21,000 per year, depending on how many children you look after. You have to jump through a few hoops to sign up, but once you’re up and running, you’ll be good to go for a while, with just the occasional first aid training course needed to refresh your knowledge.

Right now, babysitters are more in demand than ever, as people “downgrade” their domestic service from nannies and day care to babysitters. You can get business and customers from schools, kid’s clubs, scouts, etc., in fact pretty much anywhere kids and their parents hang out.

make money with a duster

If you’re handy with a mop and broom, a few hours a week cleaning for someone else could be the income boost you’ve been looking for. Cleaners and housekeepers will always be in demand as long as there are carpets to vacuum and surfaces to clean. There may be less work for cleaners in a recession but, again, you can get additional work by lowering the rates charged by domestic workers in your area.

If you have experience as a housekeeper or cleaner, you can sign up with an agency like Mrs Hunt’s Domestic Staffing. Otherwise, she posts ads online, puts up flyers on doors, and spreads the news by word of mouth. Remember to get a reference from each of your clients when you’re done – good references are the key to getting more work.