How to earn money from home.


Earn MoneyI  am a firm believer in balancing both sides of a budget sheet.  It is not much good me telling you how I love to travel at home and abroad without sharing some tips about how I supplement my income with some online earning opportunities. I intend to share my experiences earning from home and also share how I spend what I earn.  A recent survey I saw suggested that three of the things older people fear most after retirement are loneliness, outliving their savings and losing their purpose in life.  I think if you can keep on earning and spending money that it definitely helps to keep your mind occupied and sharp.  You can also learn new skills or gain opportunities to apply old ones.  I may also share a few tips on saving money.

It can be difficult to prepare for not going back to work. Many people find retirement does not cost as much as they thought it would but it is a good idea to track your expenses for six months before retirement. Note there are three types of expenses, day to day, regular yearly expenses and unexpected expenses. You definitely need an emergency fund.

Loneliness particularly if you retire before everyone else can be a problem. You will lose touch with many of the people who you saw and talked to every day at work. Many people enjoy the social side of volunteering or having a part-time job and it will definitely give you a purpose in life.

Nowadays you have a £1,000 trading allowance in the U.K. This means you can earn £1000 from online trading or earning from surveys or apps each year, before you need to declare it to the taxman.

If you have a modern phone, tablet or laptop and a good internet connection you can even earn money by playing games that pay real money such as Solitaire Cube or Blackout Bingo. Sometimes you will have to use real money as a small stake.

The financial year starts in April.    If you earn more than a thousand pounds a year you should fill in a self-assessment tax form. If you are living in the U.K. shedoesmoney.co.uk has a very clear explanation of how to work out your tax liability along with a free downloadable spreadsheet to help you keep track of your earning and expenses.

I think all bloggers hope to earn extra money from their writing. I earn money by guest posting on other sites or writing magazine articles. Some bloggers are more ambitious and even manage to write a book.  If you wish to self publish as many people do nowadays here is some advice on how to choose amongst the many self-publishing companies.

I have also signed up to Awin, an affiliate network that lets bloggers earn money by partnering with major companies. I am an affiliate for companies such as Waterstones and Legoland Holidays.

Posts about online earnings

I have written some posts with links to how I earn extra money.   When I retired I decided I would look for ways of earning money from home to finance my interests. I also have two young grandchildren to buy treats for.

Like many people, I began by filling in surveys. It is low paid but you can earn a few pounds quite easily.

Make an extra £20.00 a month by filling in surveys

I now make most of my extra money from mystery shopping.  I  enjoy the variety that this provides and I find it good practice for writing my travel blog posts.

How to earn money as a mystery shopper

I have also been helping with academic research which I enjoy.   A good site for this is Prolific which links researchers with participants.  Studies are usually interesting and offer a fair rate of pay.  They accept participants from most countries.  Earnings can be paid via PayPal or donated to charity.  I have also been a guinea pig for studies run by my local university.  In my previous job as a nurse I used to enjoy helping nursing students and I find I now enjoy helping student doctors and other students.    Making money by helping with academic research.

How to sell books online    I used to sell books on Amazon.  Although I no longer do this I have written a post with a few tips.

Monitoring the Royal Mail

I earn free stamps by being part of a panel that monitors the Royal mail.

2023 update

The coronavirus lockdown meant that lots of people have suddenly found that they have lost their jobs, or they were having to live on a reduced income, so I plan to accept helpful sponsored posts about ways of extra income that I do not have personal experience of. These do not contain affiliate links.

Many retirees enjoy a part time job that keeps them active:

If like me, you love history and languages have you thought about becoming a tour guide:

You can find some opportunities here.

Making money with rideshare

Advice on starting a small business

How to start a small business from home after retirement

How to run a successful small business from home

How to make your business data compliant

 crucial tips for successful business growth and compliance

How to keep your business ticking over in 2023

Thinking of selling your business here are some tips

Red postbox saving bank

Saving money

Inflation has been predicted to rise by about 6% this year and this means that everyone whether they are working or on a fixed income is likely to need to tighten their belt. I have a few suggestions on how to save money.

How to save money in five simple steps

Investing

How to cope with high inflation

Disclaimer

Some of these posts contain affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you click and sign up to the site.   However, I only recommend sites I have used myself and I believe are reputable. If you have any problems or successes with a site I recommend please let me know in the comments below.