Earn some extra cash whilst waiting for your student loan

With the last student loan instalment due next month, you’re confronted with a new problem. You’ll have to budget to survive on it for the rest of your university term and the whole of the summer, which can seem like a total nightmare. Hopefully, you’ll be able to work out how much you need each month and keep a close eye on your bank account, but if you need some extra help on turning those pennies into pounds, we have a few ideas.

First, get selling any of your unwanted goods. This means all the clothes and shoes you’ve bought or those books from your last year that you no longer need. eBay is always popular but you can get stung with extra fees so try looking for some other online selling sites, such as ASOS marketplace.

If you’ve got old university books, put notices up in your department and library. Students who are desperate for a copy will be sure to snap them up and if they’re in great condition, you might be able to get the majority of your money back.

Car boot sales are also a great way of getting rid of all your unwanted items. There’s a great site in Aigburth and others dotted round the city so get gathering your old bits and bobs together and make some money!

Try recycling your old mobile phone, laptop or any other items you think you could trade in. Sites like musicmagpie and envirofone can add up after a while.

Try looking for any businesses that are interested in freelancers and volunteers over the summer months. We’re not suggesting you take on a forty hour week but if you’re interested in getting into that field and could get paid for gaining some experience, this is definitely worth looking into. If it turns out to just be volunteer work, at least you’ve spent your summer doing something productive!