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One of the main benefactors of self-cert mortgages are those who earn a lot of their money through bonuses and commission – but is everyone who doesn't earn a regular wage using their money wisely?

Many people in the UK do not earn what is considered to be a normal wage – some people, like taxi drivers, earn their money on a commission basis. They don't know how much money they will definitely earn on any one evening, but if they work hard and deal with a lot of customers, their wage can be much higher than the average.

The same goes for those who work in a bonus-led job. Many sales people will earn a basic wage but then earn money for extra sales – the more sales they make and the more targets they meet, the bigger the bonus they receive. Again, they cannot quantify how much they are going to earn before they have worked through the month.

So there are plenty of people out there earning more than they admit. So what are they doing with that money? Some may be spending it wisely or unwisely and some may be investing that extra money. But there is so much more you can do with extra income.

Talk to a mortgage adviser about using your extra money to take out a larger mortgage, or a mortgage with a better rate. By self-certifying yourself using past bank statements and accountant's notes rather than the regular pay slip, you can put yourself in an entirely higher pay bracket and make yourself a much better borrower in the eyes of the mortgage lender.

In this economic downturn, every penny counts. So use every one of yours to make sure you are getting the very best home finance possible.

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