I have Britain’s most fun side hustle – I earn thousands a year for doing nothing… and even get PAID to eat out
MONEY-conscious mum-of-two Natalie Ahmed has revealed how she makes more than £2,000 a year to pay for her son’s child care – and it’s so easy, anyone can do it.
38-year-old Natalie, who lives in Nottingham with her husband, Nick, and two boys, Lucas and Scott (aged six and 21 months), raves about her epic side hustle and claims it doesn’t feel like work at all.
Since the cost of living crisis, we’re all trying to find new ways to scrape together cash to stay in work and secure nursery places for our little ones.
But it’s no big issue for Natalie. Each week she works three days in her communications job and spends two days earning thousands, all while looking after her two sons.
It sounds like an impossible task, but she claims her side hustle is like earning free money – all you need is time.
“Money would be so tight without my extra income,” she says. “I’ve done about 180 jobs since March last year and it doesn’t feel like work at all. I love it.
“It’s paid for my son’s nursery fees and soon I’ll have enough cash to build an annexe in the garden.”
Natalie spotted a mystery shopping ad on Facebook back in March 2022 after giving birth to her youngest son.
The app showed all of the opportunities in her area. They might ask you to buy and review a product in a supermarket, ask about a particular car in a showroom and review the service, or share your thoughts on a newly-opened restaurant.
One year on, she’s made over £2,000 by eating restaurant meals, enjoying family days out and trying brand new food products – all for free.
“You’re paid anything from a few quid up to £100 depending on the job, and there’s something on the app almost every day,” she reveals. “All you have to do is click the jobs you want and wait to see if you’re chosen.”
According to Natalie, you don’t need any experience to be a mystery shopper. As long as you’re good at English to write the reviews and have confidence to chat with strangers, you’ll get along fine.
“I pick and choose exactly what I want to do,” she says. “I never go for any jobs that sound laborious, like asking a car salesman about a particular model and engine size. I leave that to the petrol heads.
“Restaurant jobs are so easy – I can take my whole family out for a free Sunday lunch and all I do is take a picture of the food, observe the service and share how good (or bad) it all is. We don’t pay a penny, and I’ll be given cash towards my travel.
Another top job for Natalie is nursery visits, which pay up to £15 a time.
Restaurant jobs are so easy – I can take my whole family out for a free Sunday lunch
Natalie Ahmed
“I take my toddler along and let him play while I listen to the manager’s sales pitch,” she says. “We’re in and out in 20 minutes, it’s such easy money.
“My latest job was to take my little boy and his friends to a trampoline park, eat some free food and rate the experience. He had a blast while I earned money just to watch and eat.
“When I get home from each job, I sit down and spend time filling in the app’s questionnaire about the venue and carefully writing my opinion to submit.”
Mystery shopping isn’t the only side hustle up Natalie’s sleeve. In five years she’s received £850 worth of free food thanks to supermarket cashback apps like Shopmium and Checkoutsmrt.
“Before I do my weekly shop I’ll get the apps for any free or discounted items from sauces to soup, cleaning products and brand new snacks,” she says. “When I’m home I add the receipt to the app and they’ll give me my money back. That’s it – there’s no catch. Companies just want people to try their food.
“The best freebie I ever got was Aptamil baby formula. That usually costs £20. My husband and boys get so many free snacks. I save loads and I never have to do a top up shop. Everyone should do it.”
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