Money making tips: Dad shares side hustle that made an extra £360 a month for Christmas | Personal Finance | Finance
Ashley, 31, from London has used Airtasker as a way to earn some extra cash for his family. As the cost of living crisis continues, any extra cash has been very welcome at home as he can put it towards rising bills.
As inflation continues to soar and rising prices leave people with less money in their pockets, millions of Britons are considering starting a side hustle to help make ends meet.
More than a third of people in the UK are already running their own side hustles, earning an average of £5,000 extra a year, according to data from Simply Business.
Ashley has used the festive period as a way to do a few jobs around his area to help kids get into the Christmas spirit.
To save the stresses of taking a trip to Santa’s grotto (which can usually involve a high price tag, hours of queueing, and often tears), Ashley agreed to dress up as Santa to give children their very own personal experience at home.
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Sammy, 31, a mum from London, put out a request for a Santa that was DBS checked and received a response from a local tasker, Ashley.
She said: “I saved around £50 getting my own Santa which is great because I’ll be able to put that towards Christmas day.
“But I think the best part about having the boys meet Santa this way has been the stress it has saved me!
“I have a young daughter as well and I didn’t want to stress her out by taking her on a long journey in the cold, queuing up for ages.
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“There was even the the chance that she might be quite distressed when actually meeting Santa as I have had experiences with the boys in the past where they have reacted badly and I didn’t want a repeat of that this year!”
Ashley explained with the extra cash he has made, he has been able to give his children better Christmas presents than what he was expecting, which has been “a great help”.
He said: “If I completed a few tasks a week I could earn around an extra £360 a month which is so helpful to put this towards my weekly food shops and the rising bill costs.
Ashley explained rising bills have definitely affected his day to day life as he has needed to make small changes.
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The father of two is using his central heating less and being more conscious when using hot water and electricity.
He continued: “I also moved my mobile phone plan to SIM only, I’m being more selective when doing my food shops and walking more so that I am using the car less.
“It feels very rewarding being able to help people right before Christmas and give them an experience they’ll remember and getting paid for it!
“You can’t get better than that! Plus, this extra money will help with my family to have a nice Christmas this year.”
Ashley is still new to Airtasker but by seeing the earning potential already, he explained that he could easily be able to find a spare few hours a week at least to complete a job or two and help more people out!
While parents could definitely benefit from making money in their own time, the site could be useful for anyone with skills they want to share.
Dan Carrier from Camden in North London recently told Express.co.uk how he offers his services as a DJ on a bike and earns up to £300 a day.
He recommends Airtasker for anyone who wants to make extra money from their skillset.
Another mum, Charlotte explained how she earns an extra £200 a day face painting and said the site is “an absolute godsend!’
