WHEN it comes to making a little extra cash, plenty of people are trying their hand at side hustles.
But finding one that suits you, doesn’t take up too much time, and still brings in decent money can be a bit tricky.
However, one savvy DIY enthusiast has uncovered a simple upcycling hack that she says was surprisingly easy.
Known as ‘vintagelivinghome’ on TikTok, she shared how she managed to turn £10 into £240 by upcycling a chest of drawers.
She explained that chest of drawers “always sell better in pairs,” so she sourced two similar sets – one bought from Facebook Marketplace for £10 and the other picked up for free.
The process was straightforward: she removed the handles, gave the drawers a good clean and sanded them, then painted them in a stunning shade of steaming green using French Cheek Paint.
“Lastly, I’m going to add new handles, and the project is done,” she said. “Although it was a quick upcycle, I sold these for £250 in a day.”
Her video gained a lot of attention, with many people rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One expressed: “I wish I could do this. Looks amazing!”
A second asked her: “Where do you sell them?”
To which she replied: “These are sold on Facebook.”
Someone else said: “I have a set of drawers like this in my garage, I’m going to do them up like this.”
Looking to tackle that hefty Christmas credit card bill or just fancy a bit of extra cash in 2025? It might be easier than you think.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”I hated my crushed velvet council house vibe but didn’t want to spend £600 on a new bed…so upcycled it with B&M bargains” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6348393669112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Here, Laura Miller breaks down how “passive income” works and shares five simple ways to get started.
What is passive income?
Passive income is money you earn with minimal effort once you’ve set things up.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D102959%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]Think of it as income that keeps rolling in without requiring constant work.
In the UK, you can make up to £1,000 a year tax-free from a side hustle under the “trading allowance.”
Just remember, any income needs to be declared on a self-assessment tax return.
Social media savvy?
If you’re active on social media, you could turn your skills into cash. Take Tom Gill, 39, from Surrey.
He earns nearly £11,000 a year in passive income through Facebook groups he manages for his campervan business, Bearwood Campers.
Tom runs three campervan-related Facebook groups and makes around £5,000 annually by partnering with campervan companies looking to advertise.