20 Income Streams I Had In 2023 – Full Earnings Breakdown

2023 was my first full year out of education since I was 3 and it’s definitely been an unconventional year. I brought the new year in in a car park in Seattle watching the space needle fireworks and ended the year in the pub I worked at whilst at uni. An ending I never saw coming but soon became one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

I spent the majority of the year travelling full-time and living off a pot of savings. I was still dabbling in a variety of side hustles and ended the year with money coming in from 20 different avenues. Crazy. Plus the total took me by complete shock.

So from least grossing to most grossing, with an effort rating on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most effort) here are my 20 income streams of 2023…

Watching Ads = £2.12

Effort – ⭐️

I downloaded an app called Weare8 a few years ago but never really got much use out of it until the back end of 2023 when I saw it on instagram again. You literally get paid to watch ads – what an easy way to make a few extra pennies each month.

Online Tasks = £15

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️

I got really into getting paid to complete online tasks in 2021 through sites like 20Cogs and OhMyDosh. But it kinda fell to the wayside as an income stream once I’d completed the majority of tasks available. I did a couple in 2023 and got paid £15 to complete them.

Compensation = £37.16

Effort – ⭐️

I had some seriously bad luck when it came to trains last year. But I made sure to file a compensation claim anytime I was eligible. Classing this as an income stream because I’d registered the original tickets as money spent.

Interest = £56.88

Effort – ⭐️

Getting paid to simply keep my cash in a certain place is one of my favourite ways to make income passively. It’s always a nice little boost each and every month. I’m hoping to seriously grow this income stream this year.

Sign Up Bonus = £60

Effort – ⭐️

This income stream is exactly as it sounds, I got paid to sign up for a new account. I got £50 to open a business account with a new fintech. An offer which popped up on my instagram as an ad. Now I always keep my eyes peeled for these type of offers.

Playing Games = £77.02

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️

One of my favourite little on the sides way to make a little bit extra is by completing game offers. Sites like Swagbucks and Tester Buddy will literally pay you to play games on your phone. These offers require you to download a specific game app and reach a certain level to unlock a reward. The best one I did recently paid £100 to hit level 1000 on a word game app, which had a cheat sheet online making hitting level 1000 super quick and easy.

Clinical Trials = £80

Effort – ⭐️

One evening, I got sucked in by an instagram ad offering over £3k to participate in a clinical trial. And I fell down an online rabbit hole of clinical trials and even started the process with one company. They paid me £40 for a vile of blood that they tested to see if I qualified for a longer study. I did end up qualifying for the study which was offering £3.6k to get a vaccine. However the dates didn’t line up quiet right and overlapped with the first week of camp so I had to turn it down. Absolutely gutted! So when I got back to the UK in September I restarted the process, got paid another £40 for another vile of blood and am still waiting to hear back. I don’t think it’s meant to be – but how cool would an extra £3k be!!

Selling Things = £87.55

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I sold a couple of things online in 2023 – mostly through apps like Ziffit, Music Magpie and eBay. This is one of my income streams that I want to focus on in 2024.

P2P Lending = £87.57

Effort – ⭐️

I lent some money to a close family member mid-2022 and they agreed to pay me back with interest. The total interest I made from this deal was £87.57.

Affiliates = £118.67

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Affiliate income is one of the ways I have attempted to monetise The Frugal Explorer. I joined a couple affiliate programs mid-way through 2023 for products that I was already raving about. Essentially I earn a small commission when someone clicks through an affiliate link and makes a purchase at no extra cost to the buyer.

Mystery Shopping = £129

Effort – ⭐️

I’d always seen people having tonnes of success with mystery shopping but I’m the type of person who prefers at home side hustles. Enter iShopforipsos – what a game changer! If you are aged 18-24 you NEED to take advantage of this site! They essentially pay you to order alcohol off Amazon and review the ID process. Super simple way to make a little extra money and get some free booze!

You can complete 2-3 tasks per month so if you get organised and intentional you could do up to 36 “shops” in a calendar year. Which at the current pay rate would be over a thousand pounds. Now there is no guarantee that these tasks will be available much longer and the payrate is constantly changing so get started now before you miss out. This is one of the income streams I would like to continue into 2024 as the effort is very low for the benefits.

Odd Jobs = £136.83

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️

I did two random odd jobs in 2023 that I was paid for. One was a random job I found on a facebook job group – I got paid £105 to pull slushies for a day at a fair. The second one was some one-off graphic design work I did for a potentially freelance client. This never came to anything so I’m including that one payment in “odd jobs” rather than my “freelancing” total.

Gifts = £140

This is a mix of Christmas 2022 (I wasn’t home till March), my birthday and Christmas 2023 gifted money. One of my income streams that I would never count on but is always a nice boost.

Surveys = £366.52

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️

My favourite marmite side hustle. 2023 was the year I got back into answering surveys in my spare time, mostly down to my £5k side hustle challenge, but also because they are genuinely such an easy way to boost your income that little bit.

Cashback = £444.20

Effort – ⭐️

I LOVE cashback!! Such a ridiculously easy way to get an extra discount on stuff with very minimal effort. However, my favourite cashback deals are the ones where you get the full purchase amount back and more. I always keep an eye out for these and make sure I jump on them. The best one I did in 2023 was a Tails deal. I got paid around £30 to order a bag of dog food which my dog already eats and loves. That’s the sort of money making deal I love!

Bank Switch = £750

Effort – ⭐️

2023 was my year of bank switching! I’d previously brushed it off and something that wasn’t for me – honestly I thought it looked like too much admin. Well, jokes on me! I completed three back-to-back bank switches in 2023 and made £750 for my troubles. Was it tonnes of effort? Nope! It was super easy! And so long as you followed all the steps correctly, I had no issues getting my reward. One of my easiest income streams!

Referrals = £1420.49

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️

Other than affiliate schemes, sharing referral programs is the only other way I made money in 2023 from my page The Frugal Explorer. I’m super grateful to every single person who uses one of my links to sign up and I only share schemes that are a win-win for both of us!

Summer Job = £1686.30

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’ve wanted to spend a summer working as a camp counsellor since I found out that was a possibility. And 2023 was my year. I signed up for this role in October 2022 and the 9 month admin process it took to get there was soooo worth it!!

Freelancing = £3152.75

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I landed a couple of freelance clients towards the end of 2022 kinda by chance but I held onto them throughout 2023, doing odd bits of work here and there. The total shocked me as most months it didn’t feel like much but obviously the hours add up. Made for a decent income streams.

Winter Job = £8053.50

Effort – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

One of the biggest reasons I didn’t go searching for a “real” job when I got back from camp was this winter job that came up. An old employer offered me an opportunity that I couldn’t resist and it turned out to be a fabulous decision. Both for the experience and my finances! I put in more hours each week at that role than I did at camp, a feat I didn’t think possible. Except this time was I on an hourly salary not a lump sum. Hence this was by far my largest income stream.

TOTAL = £16,901.56

In all honestly, that total is kinda dangerous for me to see as it proves that I can make a decent income without having to work 9-5 in a stuffy office waiting for the only two days I get to fully control my time. It’s proof of my crazy concept that I could be a digital nomad and live a good life whilst travelling the world. But maybe I’ll try to cut down on the income streams in 2024.