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You are here: Home / Make Money / Working 5 to 9 is The New Way to Make a Living

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Working 5 to 9 is The New Way to Make a Living

by Ricky Willis · updated 5 June 2020

Working 9 to 5 – what a way to make a living right! Dolly Parton wasn’t keen on it, and I bet you aren’t much either.

Whether it’s selling on eBay, earning with paid surveys, or a thousand other ways to up your income; the modern online world is our oyster.

When I was growing up things were black and white for my parents. My dad would get up at 7am every weekday, wash, grab some breakfast and head out to work 9am to 5pm for the man.

My mum, who always got up slightly earlier to get me ready for school would do the same.

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Once the working day was over and done with and I’d gone to bed, my parents were quite restricted in what they could do.

There were only a handful of TV channels to watch, the internet wasn’t around and although my parents had dreams of one day working for themselves; a weekday evening wasn’t the time or place to put ideas into action.

It’s because of this my parents carried on working the 9 to 5 and didn’t fulfil their dreams.

And although we still had a great life, if they had been around today things would have most definitely been different.

No more 9 to 5

I always remember when I realised that things were different for me than they were for my parents. It was late August 2002 and, like them, I had been working the 9 to 5, providing for my family and trying to progress in my job.

The company I worked for at the time was a small print-finishers, and although my boss at the time was a good guy, the wages weren’t great. I wanted to earn more money but didn’t have a clue how.

That’s when I discovered the World Wide Web.

Now although the internet had been mainstream for a few years at that point, it wasn’t something I had taken too much interest in (I had been busy working for the man remember).

It was actually eBay that started it for me. Instead of working all day and wasting my evenings watching rubbish TV, killing time before bed, I could use that time between 5 pm and 9 am to be online making money selling stuff on eBay. It was a game-changer!

With new technology comes countless possibilities

We are no longer hindered with having to scrape for extra hours at work to make a bit more money.

We can come home and really take advantage of the 5 – 9 and it can be totally unlimited! Now that’s certainly a great way to add some more money to the household income.

Make money with paid surveys

By signing up with a survey site like Opinion Outpost not only can you earn money online by answering surveys but you can also shape the service and products provided by companies.

From the comfort of your own home, whether on a computer or on mobile, you are able to answer surveys and earn.

Joining this site costs absolutely nothing and membership will always continue to be free.

If you are looking to start earning money then you should never pay to join or buy any marketing materials or products. These type of “make money from home” businesses sound too good to be true and quite often are.

The surveys are really easy to complete and can fit around whatever is happening from one day to the next.

You aren’t able to take every survey as they are looking for people who have bought certain items or have a particular lifestyle.

The best thing to do is spend a bit of time getting your profile up to date so surveys selected for you are targeted better.

When paid surveys come out, they’ll simply send you an email letting you know that a new one is ready to be taken – which is great as you don’t need to be sitting there waiting all day!

For a more in-depth on earning money with paid surveys be sure to check out my guide here, then take a look at some of the best paid survey sites (where you can earn £200+/month).

Selling on eBay

As I mentioned at earlier, eBay was the first platform I dabbled in to make money through the internet and although the marketplace has become a lot more crowded, it’s still a great way to make some extra cash.

A great way to start selling on eBay is to have a clear out at home. Go through your house room by room, collecting everything you don’t use any more and think might be worth some money.

Have a quick search on eBay for similar items to get a feel if they will sell or not. Once you’ve done a bit of research, go ahead and start selling.

To progress from selling stuff around your house you can start picking stuff up at second-hand shops, school fairs and car boot sales which can then be sold on eBay for a profit. If you have a good eye for a bargain there is definitely money to be made.

Make money blogging

What started out as something I did for a few hours in the evening; starting a blog and making money from it has evolved into a full-time business for me.

Last month alone, I made nearly £3,000 from blogging, and I didn’t even pass my GCSE in English! Not bad, huh?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sit back and watch the money come in kind of thing. You need to be active at blogging to see a return but it’s well worth doing.

And before you think that I’m only earning money from it because I can dedicate all my time to it think again. There are plenty of people out there who are working a full-time job and making some decent money by dedicating their evenings to growing their blogs.

Check out my guide to starting a blog here

::

As you can now see, earning money doesn’t have to start and finish at the conventional 9 to 5. Whether it’s selling on eBay, earning with paid surveys, or a thousand other ways to up your income, the modern world is our oyster.

With new technology comes countless possibilities! Whether it’s selling on eBay, earning with paid surveys, or a thousand other ways to up your income; the modern online world is our oyster.
Ricky Willis

About Ricky Willis

Ricky Willis is the founder of Skint Dad. Drawing on his own experiences, he shares practical ways to save money, cut household costs and earn extra cash to help families make their money go further.

Ricky and Naomi Willis

Ricky and Naomi Willis, founders and editors of the Skint Dad website.

We know how heavy money pressure can feel, so we share simple, practical help to make everyday money feel more manageable.

Read more about us.

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