WIN $5,000 – here are 16 weird and wacky ways you’re making money during COVID

Australia, take a bow.  When we created our competition to find out your pandemic savings tips and side hustles, little did we know what an inventive lot you would turn out to be.

But we’ve been inundated with hundreds of fantastic ideas that demonstrate the enterprise spirit is alive and well in Australia.

So thanks to all who entered – AND KEEP THEM COMING.

Rosie Jacobs, our commentator, tell you how to enter here:

But on to those who have already entered.  Of course, everyone has done a Mari Kondo, cleared out their cupboards and sold off spare clothes onto Ebay. But what about the reader who picks up FREE gear from Ebay…then sells it for cash on Facebook.

And we know we’re all cooking from home.  But how about swapping or selling that prized cake on buy-swap pages?

Or how about the side hustle dating agency started by a reader and now reaping big bucks. or the Dachshund called Gucci who is now an online sensation and winning his owner competitions and cash.

We loved reading them – and we think you will too!

Here are 16 of the best…more next week!

I started to grow about 20 chilli plants and started making chilli jam to sell online! I always grew chillies successfully and thought I’d try my luck with making some money out of it. Success!!

For cash – house cleaning, pet sitting, dog walking, training friends horses, driving friends to work for petrol money, having home clean out and selling unwanted things, making large meals and freezing them to save $.

Making and selling home-cooked meals through local buy-swap pages. You don’t have to have a big mark-up to make a profit, as everyone is eager for a taste of home – people who live alone, the elderly, FIFO workers – they’re happy to get some human interaction and a smile!

As my Opa used to say, “Money is on the ground, you only have to pick it up.” Since taking the time for more walks and collecting discarded bottles and cans as I go I’ve been netting an extra $600 a year recycling, picking up “money” from the ground.

Home loan shop around and compare, even with a split fixed and variable loan. I saved $13 000 as the new bank was also offering a rebate to refinance which covered all my costs to move. Sites like https://www.yourmortgage.com.au/calculators/split-loan-calculator/ can help to work out the real advantage of switching.

You can do nine surveys to get rewards, gifts, home testing items, which you get to keep in the end. Some sites give you Paypal or directly pay into your bank accounts. Others give you a choice of vouchers for many different businesses. There are supermarket vouchers too.

I used my time in lockdown to write short stories for magazines on a freelance basis, which I am paid for. I also took part in market research sessions online, which also pay for your time.

Been making my own soap with fragrance that you don’t really find the supermarkets

I have made dishes in bulk to trade. Swapped my cousin 25 homemade sausage rolls for half a carton of beer recently. 😊

As a teacher I am making extra money by doing practice exam marking and presenting at PD sessions. It is also good because it pads out my resume if I need another job in the future.

Realising that in this ‘special time’ health is on everyones mind I converted a website to sell water filters that not only clean the water but add the minerals back in so it creates an alkaline environment that viruses hate! https://justyogamats.com/

I started selling second hand clothes online. I have a vast collection of lovely retro clothing but the pandemic combined with the birth of my first child meant that many of these gorgeous outfits were just taking up extra closet space.

I wrote three romance novels during the pandemic…I have sent them off to publishers and am hoping that at least one will get selected to be published and make me some money! In the meantime I have printed some copies and they have make excellent gifts for family and friends!

I have had some old gaming consoles in storage for quite some time, and I never thought anyone would want to buy them. When I put them up for sale, I was inundated with offers and sold them for a total of $1000! Having the time to negotiate was key!

My dachshund, Gucci, is 3.5 years old and I’ve only bought dog food once in that time. Nope, he’s not starving. But he does look very cute in photos. Through competition wins, Gucci has earnt his keep. And the two-legged kids wonder why I like my four-legged kids better!