Start a 'cottage industry'.

If you're a dab hand at arts and crafts, try selling your jewellery and artwork, whether on eBay or at craft fairs. US websites Etsy and Redbubble are designed exclusively for buying and selling homemade goods. All prices are currently in dollars, but they offer live currency conversion. Some talented MoneySavers make big profits.

How much? Potentially £100s, depending on your spare time, artistic ability, and ability to sell yourself.

If you're fit and healthy – and prepared to accept the risk of tests - you could earn up to £150 a day by taking part in medical trials. Website gpgp.net offers a whole load of information on what to expect (go to the UK section), and where to apply. Note though that it's sponsored by BioTrax; one of the biggest medical trial recruiters in the world.

How much? Depending on what it is you’re being tested for, you can earn between £70 and £150 per day.

Work over the phone and net.

TeleTech is an American telephone support company, who sometimes recruit in the UK. Its major advantage over other phone work is it expects you to work from your own PC at home, using its special software to field calls. Generally, you'll be offering customer service and technical support; full training will be given. Find out more and apply at the TeleTech website.

How much? It depends on which of the company's contracts you're involved with, but you should get no less than £6/hour.

f you don't mind having your car turned into a billboard, some agencies will pay you to advertise on it, or you can get given a car to drive for free. It costs nothing to enrol and there are hidden advantages; cars with large adverts on them are unlikely to be stolen, and the ads protect paintwork. How much? How much you'll earn will depend on what type of car you drive, where, and even (possibly and quite horribly) what you look like. Newcomer Money4Space promises up to £125/month for your trouble

There's a website which pays you to review unsigned music. SliceThePie pays you 5p for each song you rate, but as you build up a reputation you can command up to 25p a time. You'll need a pretty open mind, as you can't choose specific genres, but once you've found a band you like you can vote for them and even buy stock in them to trade.

The system could also be profitable if you're a musician, as if your songs get voted for you could be financed for an album. The system's too complex to describe fully here, so read the site's tutorials before you start.

How much? A dedicated fan putting in a couple of hours a night could expect around £30/month. Not much, but not bad for a hobby. For a band, the sky's the limit if you're good enough.

The website Music Magpie* allows you to type in details of your CDs & DVDs, and it’ll give you an instant cash price, though you need to trade in a minimum of 5 at a time (and up to 500!). To do it you just type in the barcode numbers and follow the on-screen instructions. The site also buys computer games, but for the most part you'll do better by trading them in at high st. game shops.

If you accept its offer, it’ll send freepost stickers for posting and you’ll get cash upon receipt. Someone with loads to get rid of could speedily make money this way.

How much? It depends on the CD of course, most CDs will get you 60p-70p though some go for over £1. DVDs go up to £3.

Can’t I do better elsewhere? Yes, for more modern CDs/DVDs you’re far better off selling them individually on eBay* and other auction sites to get much more. Where MusicMagpie wins out is on convenience, not price.

It's time to rumble through your cupboards to de-junk and make some dosh. The obvious place to sell is online auction house eBay* but there are other options too.

How much? Dedicated sellers make £100s on the side.

Pro Tips: Wait for eBay '10p listings' days. This way, even if a few things don't sell, you won't be out of pocket - and you'll maximise the profit margin. Best of all, you get to enjoy a relaxed, clutter-free home.

Try grouping things together, so if you're selling baby clothes, rather than listing each item one at a time, sell them in bundles of similar sizes and quality. People tend to prefer buying in bulk.

Books & CDs: Amazon is probably the best option for selling old books, (unless they are especially rare or collectable) since you need only type in their ISBN numbers and a short description; Amazon will provide full synopses and reviews of most from its database.

If you're listing a few in one go, this can save you a lot of time. Plus, Amazon marketplace listings last 60 days, and relisting books which don't sell's free, so you needn’t keep spending after the initial fee.

Listing CDs one-by-one on eBay is likely to get you the most cash, but it'll take you some time.

Recycle old mobiles, laptops, cameras, sat navs & more

This is the easiest form of decluttering, as there's a whole industry set up to help. If you have unwanted gadgets, eg, mobiles, cameras, MPs players or even fridges lying around the house, several companies will happily take the relegated beast off your hands.

Not only could this bag you as much as £200 but, by not throwing it out with the rubbish, you'll also be doing your bit for the environment.

How recycling companies work

The idea is simple: you go to the website, find your gadget and it'll tell you what you can get for it. If you agree, it'll send you a free post bag, you send the gadget to it (make sure you send it registered) and the cash will be transferred or you'll receive a cheque. Some sites even arrange free pick up for heavy items.

Many credit card companies are willing to lend you money at 0% interest, so why not take this cash and save it yourself earning 6% interest on it. This is known as stoozing, it's legal and very profitable; yet it's only for the really financially savvy.

How much? If you get a 0% card with a £5,000 credit limit you should comfortably be able to earn £250 a year on it. The biggest reported stoozer was making £6,000 profit a year from stoozing.