Make money in your lunch hour

Making money in your lunch hour

Don't spend your lunch hour going mad in a painfully slow bank queue. There's a heap of better ways to turn those sixty minutes into money-spinners.

Take a look at some of our ideas to see how much you could achieve in your spare time.

Complain to gain: Travel Compensation

Still seething about the late trains on this morning's commute? Register your details on TrainDelays. This website provides a free service to help you get compensation for any delays to your journey.

They do all the leg work and complete the claims process for you, so all you have to do is register your journey details. They'll then automatically apply for compensation whenever there's a delay on your line.

There's good news for Londoners too, as they also cover tube delays!

Get creative: Start a blog

If there's a subject that really gets you going - or something that you can write passionately or amusingly about - there's every chance someone else will want to read what you have to say.

Why not set up your own blog, as a sort of online diary, and make money by allowing advertising on it?

Use a free service like Wordpress or Blogger, both of which help you set up your blog quickly and easily. And once you're set up, there's an opportunity to make money by including advertising and affiliate deals on the site.

Sign up to a service like Google Adsense or Yahoo! Publisher Network, which use search technology to target your site with relevant advertising.

It's not likely to be a big earner, but it could be a really fun way to make a little extra cash on the side.

Take some snaps

If you're good at taking snaps, you could also try selling your photos on the net.

If you have a library of digital photos you may be able to sell them through an online agency like Fotolia, 123RF and Getty Images. You get a royalty fee each time a picture of yours sells.

Have a good look at as many sites as you can to get an idea of what sells well. All the agencies are different and look for different kinds of image.

You don't have to be the next Mario Testino to sell your photos - you'd be amazed at the kind of pictures that are sold on some sites. Sometimes it's the simple shots that are the most popular.

Just remember to read all the terms, conditions and requirements.

Cashback sites

Make money from your everyday tasks by shopping online and purchasing items through cashback sites.

There are plenty of sites around and you're free to use as many as you like. Start with ones that pay you just for signing up, like Rpoints (which gives you £5), Cashback Shopper (which gives you £5) and eCashBack (which gives you £2.50 immediately).

Many of the sites cover well-known stores that most people use for their normal shopping. Don't forget you can use as any sites as you like, so hunt down the ones that feature the shops you like.

Mystery shopping

Get paid to shop, eat out or go for a drink as a mystery shopper. There are quite a few companies that pay for people to test out shops, pubs, ticket offices, banks and so on - and to then report back on anything from tidiness to customer service.

To get started, sign up with an agency like ESA, Grass Roots or JKS Mystery Shopping.

Make cash from trash

Spend your lunch hour making money from things you don't need anymore.

Recycle your mobile

You can cash back for just about any old mobile you might have that's lying about. See how to go about it here http://recycle.tiscali.co.uk

Simply search for your model of phone or iPod using the tools provided on each site to see how much it's worth. You can then decide which company to choose and fill in your details so they can send you a freepost envelope to post the item in.

Rent out things you don't use

There are sites - like Rentrino and RentNotBuy - that let you advertise pretty much anything you can think of, from video cameras to baby accessories.

You can also rent out your storage space - advertise your cellar or attic space for free on Spareground.

If you have a driveway or garage you don't use, you can also contact Park Let or Parkatmyhouse.com to advertise your space for people needing parking in your area.

This could actually become quite a big earner if you live near a stadium, airport, or in a big city like London.

Surf the net

Grab your laptop, head to your favourite coffee shop and spend some time making money from the internet. There are all sorts of ways you can make cash on the net and often with very little effort at all.

Get paid to search

You can get paid to search on the internet with search engines like Winzy and MyHomePagesFriends. Each time you use Winzy you collect points or have the chance to win instant prizes.

MyHomePagesFriends has been mentioned by some of our readers on the messageboards. One of our readers earned £28 in a month, and another earned £40 over several months.

Social Networking

Another option is to get paid for social networking. Yuwie is the first social networking site we've heard of that aims to share profits with users.

Online Surveys

Make between £20 and £30 a month (plus get the chance to win some cash prizes and gifts) with online surveys.

We've been told that Panelbase is the best site in the UK - but there are lots to choose from. One of the Moneymagpies has tried out several online survey sites and has reported back that Toluna is a great choice because it's really simple to use and tells you how long each survey will take.

Once you've signed up to a few sites you can spend ten minutes on your lunch break completing a quick survey and still have time left to eat your sandwich.

Jasmine Birtles is from Moneymagpie.com - the website that gives you a richer life.