Making money: an alternative guide

Every year thousands of students in the UK find they need to make money when their student loans don’t stretch far enough. The most obvious solution is a part-time job, but they often require too much flexibility or time spent away from the books. So what are the alternatives?

eBay

We are not suggesting you pawn all of your possessions, although moving from home to university, you will soon find you no longer need some of your school-era trinkets. Old textbooks, clothes, and magazines are all fit for auction on eBay. Photograph your items well, and make sure the descriptions are detailed. It is also worth doing research on the item you are selling – that seemingly useless issue of Q magazine may be priceless to an avid fan of the cover artist. If you are worried about being ripped off, open a Paypal account, as this is run by eBay and provides seller protection. Beware of eBay's listing fees, which may reduce your earnings somewhat - watch out for free listings days!

Cashback websites

Are you the sort that buys your books from Amazon, gets all your music from play.com, or loves to seek out a bargain using kelkoo? Websites such as Google earn money through a process called affiliation – for example, if you use Google to find the Amazon website, and then spend £10 there, Google earns a percentage from that purchase. Several cashback websites such as Rpoints (www.rpoints.com) and Cashbag (www.cashbag.co.uk) have sprung up in recent years, whereby the consumer can collect any affiliate payments generated by their purchases. A 1% return on a CD purchase may not sound like a lot, but over the course of a year, you may end up earning yourself ten free CDs, for no extra effort. Brenna from Suffolk, who uses Rpoints, says: “It does take a few weeks between clicking on a link and getting money I can withdraw but it is free money with no boss on your back.” Payment is usually through Paypal, cheque, or direct to your bank account.