It’s a strange thing to suggest that the coronavirus pandemic could help us to save money.

I don’t mean to detract from the severity of the current situation in any way, but it’s here and we have just got to get on with it.

It seems to me that one of the worst aspects of the virus is self-isolation. The thought of being cooped up with just the television for company is a depressing one indeed.

So in this climate of gloom and doom it’s time to stiffen that upper lip and turn our down time into something positive.

With all of this time on our hands it’s good to keep busy, so why not de-clutter the shed and garage, sort wardrobes and drawers out, sift the kids’ toy cupboard and ditch the books that are no longer needed.

And now that there is time, something that is usually in very short supply, we can open online accounts to sell some of our no longer needed clutter and make some money along the way.

For anyone who doesn’t need to de-clutter, why not try starting up a blog?

It’s free and, the best blogs can earn money through advertising. People are always looking for the inside info on everything from crochet to cooking, car maintenance to calligraphy. If you have a skill, and we all have something, don’t keep it to yourself!

Here are some websites to get you started:

General and toy sales

preloved.co.uk

ebay.co.uk

gumtree.com

cashconverters.co.uk

Books

sedgeberrowbooks.co.uk

webuybooks.co.uk

abebooks.com

musicmagpie.co.uk

Clothes

vinted.co.uk

myexwardrobe.co.uk

hardlyeverwornit.com

vestiairecollective.com

Blogging

wordpress.com

blogger.com