In South Africa's economy, poverty remains high whilst employment opportunities stay low. Many people can relate to the fact that their incomes feel like they are shrinking while their bills are increasing.
Although there are no quick fixes for these problems that have become ingrained in our economy, here are some alternative ways you can earn money and keep yourselves afloat whilst searching for permanent work:
Freelance work
Freelance work is an excellent way to make extra money. It even has the opportunity of turning into full-time employment. Not only do you have the option of writing, editing and blogging, but fortunately nowadays almost any job can be done on a freelance or consultancy basis.
You can find freelance opportunities via a number of freelance websites.
Selling old textbooks
Selling your textbooks which you no longer need is an excellent way to make some extra cash. Instead of keeping your textbooks on a bookshelf somewhere, rather turn them into some much-needed extra cash. Your best bet may be to sell them to newer students studying the same things that you once studied.
Become a secret shopper
Becoming a secret shopper is another way which may help you generate some extra money. For this role, you would be hired by a store to pretend to be one of their shoppers, but you would actually be on the lookout for thieves and shoplifters. There are many companies out there who are willing to pay you to be a secret shopper. Although this may not add up to huge amounts of money, every little bit helps.
Become a film extra
Becoming a film extra is fantastic way to generate extra income. There are many film companies out there who will pay you for your time as an extra. The best way to go about this is to contact as many extras agencies as you can find.
Auctioning old items
Auctioning your old items online may just be a much-needed solution to generate money. Instead of having old junk lying around, rather turn it into cash. One person's junk may be another person's treasure. Go through your stuff and sell any old items which you have lying around or any items which you no longer use.
Make your savings work for you
Another way to make money is to ensure that your savings are working for you. If you have any amount of money saved, it is imperative that you shop around in order to get the best competitive rates that you can find for your investment.
If you have had savings for longer than a year, then the chances are very high that there are better rates out there.
Give your opinion
Providing your opinion in focus groups is another way of generating some extra cash. Simply spending an hour or two of your time can result in some extra money. There are also many online surveys available which will pay you for your opinion.
