How can I earn from home with no skills

[stuck20]

Hi I made a post in chat yesterday but got no replies. I then posted it in money worries. Still no reply so I thought I would try and on here.

I cannot go out to work. I've tried. What could I do / sell from home with £5,000? I know it's not much but I don't want to waste this money and I'm hoping whatever I do from home can get me out of this mess long term.

I have no skills in IT / Writing / Crafts etc

My original post:

Hi I'm after some advice.

Please no one mock me and say to earn money you need skills / an education / you need to work hard / Nothing comes to you etc. I know all of this already. But I'm desperate.

I'm 35. My children are in school. I've had several jobs. To be honest I've been crap at them all. Doing silly things wrong etc. I haven't worked since I had my eldest 10 years ago. I've applied for lots but I don't hear back. I have autism and anxiety and since having the kids I rarely leave the house.

I've been selling from home for 2 years. I know what people think on here about MLM but as far as my experience goes I've not been conned and I have made a bit of spending money which is better than how I was before.

I do get orders and I've probably aren't £2,000 over the years. I think you have to make more than £4,000 in a year to pay tax so as yet I haven't. The thing is the items I sell are something people buy once every couple of months.

I know when I ask this question you will say "nothing" go and get a proper job.
I've tried that. My psychiatrist agreed that I have a case for PIP but I'm waiting on my tribunal appointment.

So here goes my question is if you struggle for money and was given £5,000 from a family member how would you use it to make money from home? This is the only option for me as I cannot leave home due to my anxiety. I know I can't live off the money I make but event £20/£30 a week would help.

I can't think of a single thing I could sell from home that people would want to buy so frequently.

I've not got another option to be honest and our outgoings are more than what we get so bills are going unpaid and I can't stand receiving the letters.

I will definitely use the money to pay at least all of the outstanding payments but I'm thinking how I could get out of this mess so I don't get into a situation like it.

Thank you.

What about an instagram/eBay page selling pre-made party bags? Your craft skills from card making would come in handy.

You could start doing kids birthday party bags pre made (buy bulk mini toys and sweets etc), order name stickers etc yourself. Make up and sell to order.

There's also hen party bags/baby shower bags/etc.

My kids don't want to go to school as they think it's unfair I'm at home and I can't have that

Tough luck, kids!

Do you have any job clubs or support workshops nearby? It might be helpful to sit down with someone experienced face to face, get the chance to take aptitude tests or It skills etc.

I've just been on Etsy. My gosh I'd be embarrassed to put anything on there.

I'm so frustrated at myself. I sell BathBombs and perfume at the min but literally make £2 per item and they don't sell every day sometimes I sell non all week!!

I thought about party bags or gift boxes filled to give as a present to the birthday child.

Once I get this £5,000 I know I'll live off it and then be back to square one.

Could you invest it into a course?

@stuck20

Can I ask why you feel you need to 'sell something' to work from home? There are so many options out there.

Etsy is oversaturated, with both amazing and crap products. Search 'bath bombs' and see how many pages you would need to go through to find your product. Even if you're very talented, I think you'd struggle to earn much off there. I know that won't be a popular opinion. I think you'll be throwing your money away unless you have a very unique selling point.

Sorry. I know that won't be a popular opinion on here.

blog.themoneyshed.co.uk/matched-betting-guide/

This is also an excellent and really simple guide to matched betting. I know you turned this down earlier, but you could easily earn £5000 a year from a few hours a week.

Everyone is crap when they start doing something; it's a learning curve.

It sounds like your self-esteem and anxiety are big barriers for you; could you look into volunteering (look for a supportive work placement or return to work scheme for people with anxiety or a disability, maybe an organisation like Mind / the Richmond Fellowship?) to learn skills and practice work behaviours?

I'd put the £5k into a one year fixed ISA so it doesn't get frittered away, and spend a year working out what you like doing. You might find you enjoy working with spreadsheets or that you like creating window displays in a shop. Once you have an idea of what you like doing, you could find a course to invest in, or use the money to supplement your income while you do an apprenticeship?

OP, the tax free allowance may be £12,500 but you must declare all your income to HMRC regardless if it's below this.

You will qualify for the Small Traders Allowance if you make less than £1,000 (net) in a year.

I say this out of kindness as I wouldn't want you to get caught out in the future, especially if your income goes up.

Wtf do you mean your kids don't go to school?how old are they? I'm pretty sure that's illegal...

Honestly, you need IT skills to make money from home.

If I was in your position right now I would do Marie Forleo’s B-School. Enrolment is opening in a couple of weeks.

what about buying things at auction not just standard ones but police ones and what's left on aeroplanes etc, charity shops car boots etc and reselling on ebay for more, ( you get more for your stuff on ebay but thwy do have fees unlike facebook) small things like paperweights clothes ( not books I know from experience) you will need to use a bit of the £5000 to buy packing materials ie bubble wrap, envelopes boxes and the first few lots at auction just make sure you can take decent photos

@Horehound her kids are in school, OP said that in her first post.

I used up do matched betting and did very well with it but just a warning - it is NOT for anyone who isn't good with numbers or deep concentration. You can lose a lot of money if you make a mistake.

What about making scented wax melts and candles?
Babysitting?
Avon?
Could you learn to drive as that would open up more avenues such as delivering takeaways etc

op you could spend some time researching on ebay to see what things sell for a good price (check the complete listings). Then keep an eye on the auctions and bid on those items making sure your top bid will leave you with enough profit. Once you receive the item, you then sell it on with a decent buy it now price so you are not hanging on to it too long. I think you could make a decent amount this way and look for misspelling and poorly listed items to buy (ones with badly taken photos etc). I think you could make quite good money this way especially if you focus in on a particular area. If you spend some time researching the completed listings on ebay you'll probably get an idea.

Thanks all. I do already sell BathBombs but I don't make them myself. I'd be worried about the health and safety checks.

My kids do go to school. I must have mis-typed if that's why I said.

What*

@Horehound my kids are 7 and 9

Operador or other chat-text message services will always take you on.

I've worked as a croupier and cashier in a betting shop and I still found matched betting difficult to get my head around.

Buy from car boot sales/shop sales and sell on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy. Look at completed listings to see what sells well and work out what people want. Don't just buy random items.

Ive been looking for work from home ideas too op and matched betting seems like hard work so dont worry. Youre not alone thinking like this.

I know you said you don’t understand matched betting but you could give it a go. There’s a couple of really helpful fb groups you can join. They do tutorials and people ask loads of questions. I did it for a bit and didn’t get it at all to start with