SIX WAYS TO MAKE MONEY IN YOUR FREE TIME (with video illustration)

Due to the recession I know many of us have been seeing red. Possibly you might have asked your parents for an increase in pocket money and may have been told to manage what you are being given. Ah well. You still want the new Nikes or that snazzy dress everyone is talking about. You know the one you plan to wear for the Easter party? Here are five tips that might help you make some extra change:

1. Babysitting: If you like kids you might consider moonlighting as a baby sitter over the weekends. This might also be especially handy during the long holidays. I’m sure you know an Aunty who may be looking for someone to help her for a few hours with her kids while she gets some groceries or goes to the salon.
2. Tutoring: Are you a math or physics whiz? Why don’t you put your genius to good use by tutoring a junior for a few hours each week?
3. Sell your skills: Are you a great baker? Well Easter is coming up. Can you make nice looking cakes or cookies and sell them at a reasonable price? Do you know how to braid hair properly? Perhaps you can spend three hours on the weekend plaiting hair. Are you an organizational wiz? You could help your aunties arrange their wardrobes and make some small change? Other interesting skills include typesetting, coding, website designing and doing people’s makeup. I know a family friend who made up to 50,000 naira doing her mother’s friends makeup.
4. 4)   Make YOUTUBE videos: You know those YouTube videos you spend your data watching? Yea those people are cashing in some money. If you have a passion, for hair, cosmetics, video games, music, anything, you can use your phone to make videos and upload them on YouTube. Definitely the process of getting money is slightly more complex. However seniors should be able to do this. Watch THIS VIDEO for more information on how to use your phone to make videos. FYI the richest Youtuber is a FIVE YEAR OLD KID. Watch him in action HERE.

How to film + edit on your smart phone

5 Blogging: I’m sure everyone and their parents have heard about Linda Ikeji, Bella Naija and Oloriswank girl. While the logistics of YouTube and blogging need to be understood, it doesn’t hurt to start. You can do this especially during the weekends. An extension of this is writing articles for magazines or other blogs. Some blogs and magazines may be willing to pay for interesting articles.

Ryan Exploring our secret spooky attic!!!

   6) Flipping items: What can you buy for 100 naira and sell for 150 naira? Think about it. It may even be something you get for 50 naira and sell for 80 naira. Definitely it has to be something people are willing to buy. There are several stories of successful businesses which started this way. Similarly, do you have an unused or fairly used item in your wardrobe which can be sold? That halter neck dress which you are not sure you like and don’t know how to style, sitting in your wardrobe for 3 years. You can open an instagram store or a jiji account. Do your research and find out what will work for you.

P.S: instead of lying down during your vacations complaining you are bored and watching Africa Magic you could put some of the suggestions to use. Perhaps you’d be seeing green lights by the end of the year.

Note: These are just a few tips meant to make you think outside the box. They also help you develop your negotiation skills. Remember you are not too young to start making your own money.