Well it's here - the day I have dreaded ever since giving birth.
The day that my maternity pay ends.
As many of my regular readers will be aware, I was quite ill for most of my pregnancy which resulted in me having to leave the job I had at the time as it involved me doing lots of extreme activities with kids such as zip wiring and adventure trailing etc which I just was not able to keep up with, and so Jon & I moved back to Liverpool and stayed with my parents for the duration of my pregnancy to save money.
Jon worked while we there but as nobody tends to want to employ a woman at 6 months pregnant, I didn't return to work.
Luckily I have worked full time and paid taxes since I was 16, so I was able to claim maternity allowance once Tyne was born to help us out....
But now, the maternity allowance has ended.
And I have no job!
Eeeek!
We have been doing our sums over the last few weeks to prepare for this and fortunately we think that we'll be able to keep our heads comfortably above water for a while if I stay home with Tyne for the time being - but of course we will still most likely feel the pinch from only having one wage coming in to the household AND an extra hungry little mouth to feed!
So I have been thinking of ways that people such as myself can try to make a bit of extra pocket money from home, useful to people in circumstances like mine and indeed to most people at this particular time of year!
1. Make the most of your talents!
Most of us will have a little talent or hobby that we enjoy and it can be possible to make a bit of extra money for it. Even if you don't think your knitted creations are worth much or your ability to iron 50 shirts in half an hour is much to boast about - there will no doubt be somebody out there who can't do what you can and is willing to pay you to do it for them!
2. Selling on unwanted items such as clothes, or CDs/DVDs/Games that you no longer want/need/use
Sites such as eBay or Music Magpie are great for doing this.Selling old DVDs on ebay (though be careful of the postage costs involved here!) or getting cash for clothes that you no longer wear can be an ideal way to bring in a little extra pocket money here and there.
3. Car Boot Sales
In a similar vein to the above suggestion, I personally love doing car boot sales with my sister - you get some fresh air, the opportunity to mingle with some interesting people and make a bit of cash! I find them so much fun!
Do you have any tips for making a bit of extra money for Christmas? As always, I'd love to hear from you!
