Thursday 31 July 2008

invent a gameshow for money

TV Gameshows are great. I could spend all day watching them. Actually sometimes at weekends I do, thanks to the wonders of Challenge TV on Sky. Some are good, some are rubbish. You can tell that at some point a brainstorming session went really wrong when they thought up tat like Pets Win Prizes


So invent your own game show, and sell it to TV companies and become rich. If you create something as good as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or Big Brother you will be richer than Roman Abramovich (maybe).


1. This afternoon, sit down and think of mad idea
2. Find production companies (get their names from the closing credits of existing TV Shows)

3. Bug the Production companies with your idea. Form a brief synopsis of how the show will work, clever gimmicks etc etc.

Get some ideas from Bob Boden’s video on creating game shows.


Wednesday 30 July 2008

spend all your savings to save money

I know the whole point of this blog is to help you save money, but sometimes you have to be brave and spend that money you've saved.

If you have credit cards with outstanding balances, and you have money saved in the bank, then use it NOW to pay off your credit cards. Banks make their money by lending the money you have already given them. So if you have savings and outstanding credit card debts, you are in effect paying the bank to borrow your own money.

Here is an example: (thanks to MSE for this)


Johnny Comelately currently has £5,000 saved up, earning 4% interest after tax, in case of emergency, yet he also has £5,000 on credit cards at 18%. Thus while his savings are annually earning him £200 a year, his debts cost £900; overall he is paying out £700 a year.

Now compare what happens if he pays off his debts with his savings, with not doing so:

Situation A: No emergency happens

· No change. Keeping both debts and savings costs Johnny £700 a year.

· Pay off debts with savings. Johnny now neither earns nor pays any interest, thus is relatively £700 a year better off, and all the new cash he puts aside can actually go towards genuinely saving.

Situation B: After a year he has to pay £5,000 in an emergency roof fix

· No change. Johnny uses the savings for the emergency. This leaves him with no savings and £5,000 of credit card debt at 18%.

· Pay off debts with savings. As Johnny has no savings, he has to borrow the £5,000 on his credit cards. This leaves him with no savings and £5,000 debt on his credit card at 18%.


In other words, Johnny is in exactly the same position in situation B, regardless of what he does. Yet before the emergency he was £700 a year better off by paying off his debts with his savings.


I know it's hard to do, especially if you have been saving for years and now I am telling you to use it. But if you sit down and think, it makes total sense.







Tuesday 29 July 2008

get rid of green water for money


Well it looks like at last Summer is here, 4 days of sunshine which has been great. However, if you have a pond like me, you may well now start having trouble with your water going green with the bloom of algae that is no doubt going to appear. If you haven't got a pond, then take advantage of people like me by selling us water treatments.

Posh people have UV lamps which fit in the filter and kill the algae as it goes through. However they are expensive, and no fun. Common people like me go to their local garden centre and buy mini barley straw bales, drop them in the pond and wait for the water to turn clear again. Don't ask me how it works, it just does. However for 2 small bales (about the size of a large toblerone) you will pay around £5.

So undercut these money grabbers by going to your local farmer, smiling nicely and asking for a bale of barley straw. When I went last week I was told I could have the remnants from the shed for nothing, which I readily did, scooped them up, put them in a bin liner and wandered home.

Once home, pull out equal lengths of straw (about 30cm long) and bundle them together in an old pair of your wifes/girlfriends/sisters/neighbours tights. Tie them securely at the top, and flog them at car boots for a healthy profit. Cash-a-plenty.

You know, sometimes I even amaze myself at my ingenuity.

Monday 28 July 2008

send texts for free

Im useless at texting. Im not saying I can't do it, I just find it a waste of time. Things would move much quicker if you just called the person and spoke to them, you know like in the old days. A 30 second conversation would take about 10 texts. Time wasting and expensive.

But if you disagree and you still want to be unsociable and are incapable of having a proper conversation, you might as well send the texts the cheapest way.

If you go to TEXTMEFREE they have loads of sites where you can send texts for free. The site explains exactly what you need to do to get free texts on each different website. If you send texts to foreign mobiles, check the overseas sites too.

Often you can send free texts from the website of your mobile provider also.

Or why not just pop round and see your friend and have a nice chat over a cup of tea. Its free, and if you walk the exercise will do you good.

Saturday 26 July 2008

buy old magazines for money

As I've mentioned before, I used to have a mini. A nice old classic Austin one, not one of those BMW monstrosities. I loved that car, and used to buy everything at the time associated with it: badges, books, videos etc etc.

Well many people are much like me, and treasure their classic car. So take advantage of them by flogging them old magazines cuttings.

This is what you need to do. Go around car boots and junk shops and buy any old magazines with car adverts in them. Cut out the advert for say a Vauxhall Viva, frame it or laminate it, and then sell it on ebay. Some Vauxhall Viva enthusiast will snap your hand off. Well, pay you about a fiver anyway. Repeat ad nauseum. Theoretically I suppose you could scan it, and make lots of copies, but Im sure that breaks some kind of copyright laws so I cannot condone it.

Friday 25 July 2008

find the cheapest petrol to save money

The best way to save money on fuel is to use your bike. But if you're just too lazy, you might as well put the cheapest possible petrol in.

The easiest way is to go to Petrolprices. You have to register, enter your postcode and how far you want to travel and bingo, there are the cheapest petrol stations.

The information comes from the data the fuel card companies collect when their drivers pay for petrol.

Other filling up tips (thanks to Martin Lewis for these)

  • Always fill up at least fifty miles before your tank's dry.

    This way there’s no panic and you’ve enough time to get to a cheaper petrol station. Leave it longer and you’ll fill up at ‘the next one I see’, and that means you're not focused on the fuel price. Of course this is slightly offset by the fact that a lighter car uses less fuel, but with 50 miles of fuel left, the difference is miniscule.

  • Only use ‘better fuel’ if your car can cope.

    Many stations sell ‘high performance fuels’, yet there’s little or no performance difference for most non-performance cars; so only fill up with the super-fuels if you've a sports car that you've been specifically advised will actually utilise the petrol correctly.

  • Fill up at night, but don’t overfill.

    This is a slight urban myth, as the differences are miniscule, pennies at best. Petrol pumps are calibrated by volume, so fill up at night when it’s cold and you get a tiny tiny extra bit.

  • Don't try and put more in after the clunk.

Thursday 24 July 2008

drive nicely and save money

Since everyone is talking about the ridiculous price of petrol and diesel, I thought I would provide some tips on saving money whilst driving. Tomorrow I shall let you know how to find the cheapest fuel in your area, but for today just some good and worthwile suggestions.

I acknowledge the RAC for the information below.


It's possible to make big improvements by making minor tweaks to your vehicle. It's estimated that someone who averages 35 miles per gallon (in old money) could get 40 mpg by driving better, a near 15% saving.

  • Keep your tyres correctly inflated. Efficiency Improvement: Up to 3%

    Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car meaning you need more fuel, so regularly check the pressures are correct and your car needs less oomph to keep it moving.

  • Declutter your car. Efficiency Improvement: Up to 2%

    The lighter your car is, the less effort it needs to make to accelerate. Therefore, by decluttering, clearing out junk from the boot, and not carrying unnecessary weight, you can make extra savings.

  • Take your roof rack off. Efficiency Improvement: Up to 2%

    A roof rack, even unused, adds massive wind resistance to a car, increasing drag and making the engine work harder. So if you don't need it, take it and anything else that's inefficient off. Even closing the windows'll make the car run slightly more efficiently.

  • Turn off the air con. Efficiency Improvement: Up to 8%

    Air conditioning also uses an incredible amount of fuel, so make sure it's turned off unless you really need it. However, if it's really hot, it can become a more effective proposition, as driving with the windows closed is more economical than having them all open, due to the extra drag it causes. Also, don’t keep the engine running; drive off as soon as you start up and switch off the engine as soon as you reach your destination.

  • Don't fill it up. Efficiency Improvement: Up to 1%

    Fuel is heavy, so by filling the car up you're adding quite a weight. The less fuel your car has in it, the more efficiently it drives. Thus filling up slightly more often and putting less in (to 1/2 or 3/4 full) will make the car run more efficiently.



It's possible to drive the same distance in the same time, yet use considerably less fuel. You can chop up to 60% OFF your fuel costs without cutting your top speed. It’s simply about driving more smoothly to boost your fuel efficiency.

  • Accelerate gradually without over-revving.

    Speed up smoothly; when you press harder on the pedal more fuel flows, but you could get to the same speed using much less power – a good rule is to stay under 3,000 revs.

  • Drive in the correct gear.

    Always drive in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine.

  • Slow naturally.

    Rather than brake all the time, let your car slow naturally and use its stored momentum.

  • Think about road position.

    To do all this takes road awareness, so the more alert you are, the better you can plan ahead and move gradually.

In many ways this all comes down to one little rule of thumb...

Every time you put your foot on the accelerator, remember the harder you press the more fuel you spend.


Wednesday 23 July 2008

look like someone else for money

People used to say I looked like Mr Bean. In fact they still do. I also used to drive a mini which helped I guess, or maybe I just look weird.

If you are lucky or unlucky enough to look like someone famous, then use your God given talents and become a lookalike. Get yourself with an agency (you will find loads if you search with Google), and send them a picture. Preferably with one as you dressed as the star. Being able to do an impression also helps with bookings.

Depending on the occasion, you could receive between £300-£1000 for an appearance maybe even some film work.

If you fancy a laugh, or want to apply, look at Fake Faces. Some are fantastic, others are just hilariously bad. Having said that, at least it proves you don't even have to look like your lookalike!

Tuesday 22 July 2008

drink water to save money


Water is great isn't it? You can wash in it, swim in it, make ice out of it, keep your fish in it, cook food in it etc. etc etc. The possibilities are endless. That's why I love water.

I guess the best thing about water is that you can drink it, which is good otherwise you would be dead. The second thing best thing about water is it is free. For something that is so useful, for it just to fall out of the sky is a miracle. Apparently some people don't appreciate the true free nature of water and proceed to their local shop to pay £1 for the privilege. Not only that but they have a nice plastic bottle too, which will look lovely in a landfill site for the next 1000 years.

So why not be sensible and turn the tap in the kitchen and drink that stuff. Its cleaner, better for you and it costs nothing. Think of all the money you would save in a year.

Or you could just get an old bottle, fill it up with tap water, put your own exclusive label on it and sell it for a profit to a friend, telling them its the water that all the celebs are drinking.

Just a thought, if the mineral water you buy in bottles has taken 1000's of years to be filtered through rocks, why is the use before date on the bottle just 3 months?

Monday 21 July 2008

sort out your utilities for money

You cannot have failed to notice that Gas prices could rise by up to 2/3 over the next year, which is quite worrying, so it is a good time to have a look at where you are with your utility bills.

Firstly, check how much you are paying with your current supplier, and see what else is available. Apparently there are over 5,500 different tariffs available as we speak, so there is a good chance there is a better deal.

Go to USWITCH, enter a few details and see what is available for you and at what price. Make sure you have your latest bill to hand. If the deals are what you want, click on the appropriate links and switch your supplier today.

Some market analysts are strongly recommending that fixed-capped plans are the best option. You will pay a little more initially, but theoretically you will save in the long-run if the forecasts are correct.

Saturday 19 July 2008

write cards for money


The whole greeting card industry to me is a bit of scam. They've invented stupid occasions just to make you buy cards and make the card companies lots of money. So either get a petition, walk to Downing Street and complain to the Government about this scam, or join in and have a bit of money for yourself by writing the bits inside.

The types of card messages required varies greatly, as do the tone of the cards. Some require funny punchlines, others pleasant verses that rhyme that your Granny will love. Apparently for a decent pun or joke you can get about £100-£120 and about £30 for a nice little poem.

So sit down, have some ideas and be creative. The next step is to send them to the relevant publishers. With the advent of the internet, the market has expanded greatly with e-cards although the revenue received from them is a lot less. Go to your local card shop and make note of the publishers (details are on the back of the cards), and what type of card they publish. Make sure your submission is relevant to the type of cards they make.

Also try the Greeting Cards Association for money information.


Friday 18 July 2008

get your friends a job for money

So you already have a job, and you are also making some nice money on the side by following the tips on this blog. But your mate is a bit of a lazy monkey, and sits at home all day watching Homes Under the Hammer and eating Baked Beans out of a tin.

Well send them off to work, and make yourself some hefty cash in the process. Zubka rewards people like you for referring people to them to fill vacancies. It works like this:

1. Sign up to be a Zubka Connector
2. Search the Zubka Job Board to match a job with a friend.
3. Send your friend (the Candidate) the job details. If they're interested, create a profile about them. This is a summary of their experience, skills, etc and you can also attach their CV if you want.
4. Send your Candidate's profile off to the Hirer.
5. If the Hirer likes the sound of the Candidate, they swap details.
6. If the Candidate is successful, Zubka sends a big proportion of the placement fee to you.

Apparently just one successful referral could earn you over £5,000 (although this is probably for the position of Primeminister or something).

Then spend the money on anything you want, and buy your friend a can of beans for old times sake.

Thursday 17 July 2008

go clubbing for money


I've never been a great fan of nightclubs. Never really saw the point. The drinks are expensive, you have to PAY to get in, people are sweaty, never anywhere to sit and the music is too loud to have a conversation. Daft if you ask me.

But if you aren't asking me, and for some reason you actually enjoy these places, then you might as well try and make some money whilst you are there.

Many, many clubs will pay you to get more punters through their doors, whether they are your friends or someone you have just met on the street.

Get in touch with all the local clubs in your area and offer your services as a Promoter. For every person you bring in you will receive commission. Some smaller clubs may only offer you and your guests free admission or a drink but I guess it is something.

Some larger clubs will pay you a percentage of your guests expenditure if they take a table for the night.

Income will vary, it is all down to how good a negotiator you are with your commission, and how many people you can pull through the doors.

Start small and get in touch with friends, family, work colleagues and then build up from there.

Wednesday 16 July 2008

touch people on the beach for money

On a recent visit to a local beach, I was interested watching the numerous traders peddling their wares up and down the beachfront: food , inflatables, kites etc. etc. But one idea which caught my eye was a rather scary looking lady offering a massage whilst you sunbathed, and surprisingly despite her butch and unfortunate looks she was being very successful.

Obviously some degree of skill is invloved, and I would fully recommend attending a course of some kind. There are numerous available from your local college offering all types of alternative therapy and massage: swedish, thai, shiatsu. indian-head etc etc. I would suggest that performing massage on strangers with no training is at best dubious and at worst dangerous. So get yourself taught first then get yourself on the beach.

By doing it there you have a captive audience, no need for premises and have readily available massage tables. Well the sand anyway. In the interest of this blog I questioned the 'lady' on the beach and she was charging £15 for a 10 minute session. Whilst I thought this was reasonable, her moustache put me off so I made my excuses and left.

find me a penny is back - and better!!

It has been a very exciting week at find me a penny HQ, with many new ideas and projects getting off the ground which has unfortunately left me too short on time to post every day. But as promised daily tips resume from today, with a nice tip to get your teeth, or fingers actually, into.

The reason behind the delay will become apparent over the next weeks, and I shall inform you of more details as soon as I am both able, and allowed! One small hint that I shall give you is that someone has been approached by a national TV station with regards providing a money saving tip slot on a weekly basis. I shall give you more information just as soon as I can.

Many of you have also contacted me wondering whether find-me-a-penny T shirts and bumper stickers are available. Well the answer is soon to be YES with a plethora of other goodies. I am in the process of vetting good quality items, and as soon as these are available you shall be the first to know.

Finally a number of fmap readers have requested whether it would be possible to organise a money making convention in the near future, where ideas could be explored and maybe some seminars provided from entrepreneurs. If you are interested, think it would be a good idea, or for that matter have any opnions on site, please email me.

Monday 7 July 2008

ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE!!!!

Due to exciting new projects and money saving ideas, this site is undergoing major maintenance for the next week. Therefore it is with regret I must inform you there will be no updates until 16th July. However, please mark this date in your diary as tips will return that day - plus some VERY exciting new additions to the site. Thanks for the patience and remember, FIND ME A PENNY remains the ONLY daily updated, not-for-profit money saving site on the net.

Sunday 6 July 2008

play with sand for money


Making sandcastles are fun, whatever your age. So if you have a modicum of talent, go down to your local beach, create some masterpiece out of the sand and put your hat in front and look pleadingly for donations. Being talented helps, like the people here. Just using your basic bucket will not make much cash. Also ensure that you are making your sculpture near the promenade where people will pass in the evenings and throw their small change. Putting it 1 metre from the sea is going to be shortlived.

You do not even have to live near the beach. The last time I was on the South Bank of the Thames, two people had the same idea as me, and were creating their masterpieces at the shore edge about 300m past County Hall.

Saturday 5 July 2008

save peoples lives for money

Summer is great. You go on holiday, drink cheap beer, get drunk, decide to go for a swim, and then nearly drown. But you don't drown because you are saved by a big burly lifeguard wearing a funny hat.

So repay your debt to these great people by being a lifeguard in your spare time. Obviously being able to swim is required, but you will also need a qualification such as the The National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) if you want to hang around swimming pools, or the RLSS National Beach Lifeguard Qualification if you want to sit on the beach.

Some pools will offer the qualifications whilst learning on the job, otherwise contact Learn Direct.

Pay is around £7 per hour.

Friday 4 July 2008

get into debt for money

At the time of writing, 2 credit cards (MBNA and VIRGIN) offer 0% on credit card cheques (CCC's) paid into personal accounts for an introductory period. This provides an easy way to make money over a period of 9/12/15 months depending on the offer.

Apply for a 0% on CCC card, and once accepted pay a credit card cheque to yourself for the maximum you can (most will only allow upto 80% of the credit limit). Put this money into a high interest account for the length of the 0% introductory period. Only use this money to pay off your mininmum amount every month. Once the introductory period is about to end, pay off the balance in full. The credit card will then have a zero balance, and you will have all the lovely interest earned over the past months sat in your account!

Please make sure you check the agreement for the cheque handling fee, normally 2-3% of the value of the cheque, to ensure that this cost does not outweigh your interest rate on savings. Also introductory offers change, so please check all agreements before you sign anything.

Thursday 3 July 2008

promote for money

After reading all the ideas on this site, chances are you have already decided on a couple of ideas to further your income. It is important to ensure that you promote your venture as economically as possible, since marketing and advertising eat heavily into your pocket. Taking out a full page newspaper advert may look great, but in the short-term you are not going to get your money back and are going to be much worse off.

Choose free ideas, such as cards in shop windows andsupermarket boards. Make your own leaflets on your PC and drop them through peoples letterboxes, but target areas in your town where you believe your customers will come from. Don't for example offer a gardening service to someone who lives in a block of flats. You can print business cards for next to nothing in automatic machines which you usually find in supermarkets, or go to Vistaprint online who will make FREE cards for you (as long as you dont mind them saying Vistaprint on the back!)

Wednesday 2 July 2008

get abused for money

I love football. The Euro 2008 championships have been on for the last month and I couldn't have been happier. I didn't even care that England didn't make it, I was still in heaven. Half the fun is watching the referees getting the decisions wrong and then being verbally abused by the players. If you fancy a bit of that yourself, you can do it at weekends and make extra cash (be a referee I mean, not verbally abuse people).

Sunday league amateur teams always need referees whether they are kids or from the local pub. Pay is around £30 per match. Although qualifications are not necessary, at least some grounding in refereeing is very desirable (and obviously knowing the rules)

Contact your local County Football Association through the FA.

Tuesday 1 July 2008

open a bank account for money

When banks don't decide to invest in the US sub-prime market, they are usually a pretty safe place to leave your money. So open a bank account with First Direct and they will give you £100. Just like that.

Well not quite just like that. You have to ensure your salary of at least £1500 is paid into there every month, but as long as you do that they will credit you with £100 within 3 months.

What's more if you are not happy with the way they run your account they will give you a further £100.

Go to First Direct and make yourself some money!