I’m a busy mum but still earn £12k a year thanks to my dead easy hobby & it’s enabled me to furnish my house for free

A SAVVY mum has shared how she earns £1,000 a month through her epic side hustle, and you could do it too. 

Haylea McDonald turned her DIY passion into pots of cash by posting projects on Instagram, and it paid for her entire home renovation.

Not known, clear with picture deskA mum has shared how she earns £1,000 a month through her savvy side hustle[/caption]

Haylea McDonald Haylea McDonald turned her DIY passion into pots of cash by posting projects on Instagram[/caption]

Haylea McDonald Haylea says her side hustle doesn’t feel like work at all and she will spend a few hours in the morning creating new content and working with big brands[/caption]

Haylea McDonald The 37-year-old mum lives in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk with her husband James, a CDC manager, and their son Mason, seven[/caption]

Haylea McDonald Haylea earns around £500 a month doing hair, make-up and tanning treatments[/caption]

The 37-year-old mum lives in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk with her husband James, a CDC manager, and their son Mason, seven. 

A part-time beautician, Haylea earns around £500 a month doing hair, make-up and tanning treatments but thanks to her social media side-hustle, she’s got an extra £1,000 to spend on whatever she likes. 

Over 120,000 people follow Haylea’s page to take a peek inside her home, which is decorated head to toe with pink paint, decor and furnishings. 

“People always ask how my husband copes with so much pink in the house, but he doesn’t care. In fact, I think he likes it,” she laughs. “My followers love the colour. It’s what’s made us so popular.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing companies which has allowed me to renovate my whole house for free.”

Here, she tells Fabulous how she found success and decorates her home without spending a penny…

“Nearly everything in my house is gifted. Right now we’re upgrading our whole garden for free. Big brands like Whitestores, Tile Mountain and Beliani have given me outdoor furniture, artificial grass and even patio flooring. 

“I’ve even upgraded my entire living room with a brand called Olivia’s. They gave me a rug, fab flooring and even mirrors for free. Soon I’ll be sleeping in a brand new bed from The Luxury Bed Company which I designed myself.

“I’m getting a brand new front door from Doorco, all of my prints and posters are from Poster Store and my beautiful wall panelling was from The Wood Veneer Hub. I haven’t paid a penny for any of it.

“Our family of three has always been savvy with money but when lockdown hit in 2020, we found ourselves worrying about how we’d make ends meet.” 

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“We’d moved from a modest two bed townhouse to a new build home with four bedrooms and a playroom for our son. 

“The cost of living suddenly became a struggle and I felt useless with my job on hold due to social distancing. I had to find a purpose, and that’s where my Instagram page began. 

“I dedicated the page to our home DIY, keeping followers updated with new projects on a budget. 

You don’t usually renovate new-build homes – I think that’s why people are so interested. That and the fact that literally everything is pink.

“Our first project was to gut the new kitchen and install a new one to our taste, saving thousands on building work by doing it all ourselves. 

“From there, we’ve moved from room to room making little adjustments to make the space our own. I was amazed by the thousands of likes and comments I was getting and wondered ‘maybe this could make some money…’

“I was sharing all of my hard work on the page – everything I didn’t want to bore my friends with – and people loved watching our house transform. 

“After about six months, I’d reached 25,000 followers. 

“At Christmas 2020, I became a brand ambassador for The Luxury Bed Company and went to one of their networking events and my followers doubled overnight. 

“I started sharing company discount codes and pocketing the commission, then bigger brands asked me to do paid posts – that’s when the money started stacking up. 

“I might get anything from £80 to £800 to share a post on my grid about a certain product. 

“I get smaller pockets of cash throughout the month for ‘pay per click’ Instagram stories – about 10p every time someone clicks it. It adds up when you’ve got 100,000 followers. I call that my bread and butter money. 

“I spend my £1,000 a month on amazing experiences like holidays and big days out to theme parks that we’d never be able to afford.”

“Last year we booked a trip to Disneyland one night and the next day we were there greeting Mickey. 

“My side hustle doesn’t feel like work at all. I’ll spend a few hours in the morning creating new content and working on fun posts and reels with big brands. They’re not all home names either – I’m working with make-up giant Barry M too. I can’t believe this is my job. 

“I’ll check in and out of the app all day, just like everyone else, reply to followers and share amazing home deals I find along the way.

“If you’re starting a side hustle, don’t be afraid. Small things grow into huge achievements.”

Haylea McDonald Over 120,000 people follow Haylea’s page to take a peek inside her home, which is decorated head to toe with pink paint, decor and furnishings[/caption]

Haylea McDonald Haylea said nearly everything in her house is gifted from brands[/caption]

Haylea McDonald The beautician has now amassed over 128,000 followers online[/caption]

Haylea McDonald Haylea spends her £1,000 a month on amazing experiences like holidays that she would never be able to afford[/caption]