Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Web administrator
1 August 2024
Reading time: 7 protocol
Unemployment sucks. It takes forever to find a job these days! Unemployment affects our mental health, our self-esteem – and our financial situation. Bills come every month, even if you have no income!
The good news is that there are ways to make money while unemployed! This will give you a little more time to look for and get a job that fits your background. There's no need to panic and grab the first opportunity that comes your way!
If this situation sounds familiar and you are in desperate need of some quick cash alongside your job search, check out the following ways to make money while unemployed.
Sell items online
Selling unwanted items on eBay And Amazon is a great way to make some money while you're unemployed. You don't have to be a tech genius or a digital maestro either, as selling on major eCommerce sites is pretty straightforward.
Set up an account, take some photos of the items you want to sell, and then list them on sites like eBay and let the money flow!
If you don’t have any items to sell, try visiting local charity shops or flea markets and buying some cheap items. You can sell these for more on auction sites like eBay! This can be a fun, rewarding and easy way to earn income while looking for work.
Before you take the plunge, do some research into what sells well online and how much profit you can make on different items. For example, if used designer clothes and accessories are selling for high prices, you'll know what to look for when browsing the flea market on a Sunday morning.
Learn more about how to make money selling online.
Make a flea market
If selling online isn't your thing, you can also join the sellers who gather for car trunk sales across the country in the early hours of a Saturday or Sunday.
Go into the attic, dust off the odds and ends that haven't seen the light of day in years, and proudly display them at an upcoming car boot sale. You never know what you might find! The money you make from items that have been gathering dust in your home could be enough to pay for your groceries for the entire month.
You can read our entire article on trunk sales here.
Rent things
You may not have a property portfolio to enjoy the lifestyle of a multi-property landlord, but you may have something that brings you some income through rent. A spare room in your house, for example, could potentially become a monthly income stream.
However, you can't just rent out properties – the more creative you are in choosing what to rent out, the better. You might have read about the lady who turned her addiction to designer handbags into a lucrative business. She rented out her Prada, Burberry and the rest of her £40,000 designer handbag collection to clients who were keen to show off for a night with a designer handbag by their side!
There really are all kinds of things you can rent out, including your driveway, your home as a movie set, and more.
Take part in surveys
It is possible to earn money or at least get vouchers by completing online surveys. The trick to getting decent rewards is knowing where to go.
One of the best survey sites that offer cash incentives is Crowdology, which pays out cash via PayPal as soon as you reach the withdrawal amount of £4. Also good are Life Pointswhich offers a wealth of surveys and allows participants to withdraw money when their balance reaches £3, and Inbox Poundwhere you get £1 just for signing up.
Have you always wanted to give your opinion on products BEFORE they come to market? By completing Pinecone Research Online studies: Your opinion today directly influences the products of tomorrow – and you will be rewarded for it.
Read our full article on online surveys here.
Be a mystery shopper
Being unemployed and a self-confessed shopaholic doesn't bode well, unless you're a mystery shopper! We've all heard the term “mystery shopper,” but can you really make money by disguising yourself as a shopper and sneaking around supermarkets and department stores?
Many of the UK's major retailers, including John Lewis and the Post Office, use mystery shoppers in their stores to, for example, identify training needs or determine employee bonuses.
According to Market Force, regular mystery shoppers can earn up to £2,000 a year – not bad if you’re looking for a ‘real’ job!
For more information on how to become a mystery shopper, click here.
Be a human guinea pig
If you don't feel like spending hours in crowded shops and supermarkets, you can also donate your body to medical research. Clinical trials are well paid. Your current health status, age, where you live and other factors affect your eligibility. However, you don't always have to be in perfect health! Some studies and trials are looking for people with certain conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
Learn how you can earn money by participating in paid clinical trials.
Donate blood
Depending on your age, location and health, you may be able to earn some money by donating blood. Some plasma banks offer a fixed price per half liter of blood.
Discover more ways to make money with your body.
Start your own blog
The internet is teeming with blogs on all sorts of topics. Most don't make any money, some make a pittance, others make a lucrative regular income. Take the hugely popular genre of fashion blogging as an example. Research suggests that a typical fashion blogger earns £1,116 per year. While that's not a living wage, earning over £1,000 per year from blogging could be quite useful, especially if you're unemployed.
Earn some extra pennies doing something you're passionate about or have a lot of knowledge about. Set up a blog to generate income through sponsored blog posts or through affiliate marketing, sales and commissions.
You can find more information about making money blogging here.
Walking dogs
Why not turn your love of dogs into cash? Since many dog owners simply don't have time to walk their furry friends during the day, dog walking is a great way to make money. Get some exercise, earn money, spend time with dogs – what's not to like?!
Learn more about how you can make money walking dogs here.
Effects of earning money on unemployment benefits
Earning any kind of income can affect your potential unemployment benefit eligibility and should be taken into account.
Permitted work
For example, while you are receiving Employment and Support Allowance, you may be permitted to do limited work, known as 'permitted work'. Permitted work is designed to allow claimants to potentially learn new skills and test their own suitability for certain types of work.
For further information on permissible employment, please contact your job centre.
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit is available to people who are able to work but currently work an average of fewer than 16 hours a week. You get it through the Universal Credit system. The amount you get depends on whether you are working at all or have other income from pensions or investments.
To be eligible for income-related unemployment benefit, you must work on average fewer than 16 hours a week. If you have a partner, they must work on average fewer than 24 hours a week. You must not have savings over £16,000. Savings over £6,000 will affect the amount of unemployment benefit you receive. If you own a property that you do not live in, you will not be eligible for benefits.
Visit the government website to learn how your income while unemployed affects the benefits you may receive.
Registration as self-employed
If you earn money independently, you must register as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). You must then complete a self-assessment form each year. This will determine how much tax and national insurance contributions you may owe. The current threshold at which you can earn tax-free is £12,500 a year.
When you trade in property or earn income from property, you are allowed a tax-free allowance of £1,000 per year.
For more information about self-employment and registering as self-employed, visit the Gov.uk website.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
