Fancy a little extra on the side? Turn your talents into money! Love to write? Create a specialist blog page that gets people talking: anything from a green travel guide to a recipe forum. It could become a source of income if you set up links to other websites: a system known in the business as affiliate marketing. Some websites will help you link to advertisers willing to pay you a percentage if you readers then buy their products.

Use your magpie instincts and become a personal seller: a personal shopper in reverse. You arrange to pick up other people's rejects and convert them into cash on eBay. People love to declutter: your role is to sell the excess and offer a percentage back to the original owner.

Sell your handmade creations online, or, if you've tracked down a little-known source for specialist materials, think about trading them on the internet. An online shop with BT costs about £30 per month to set up and run.

If you love to cook, assemble hampers of hand-baked goodies to sell online, or baskets of muffins to deliver to your local hospital. Put up posters advertising your service, and make ordering easy online with a website.

Are you always matchmaking your friends? Set up a social networking site for people in your area and run local singles events a few times a year.

You can try collectible spotting. Investigate current trends in home and fashion, then scour second-hand sales and car boots for anything collectible: from linnen vintage sheets and blue and white china to rare vinyl albums, then resell on eBay.