I don’t know why everyone calls it “9 to 5″. Here it is usually “9 to at least 6″ with one hour lunch break if you are lucky to get it. Anyway, I am not going to argue about the exact duration of the typical working day - I prefer to talk about its alternatives.

Photo by Jele! at Flickr

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What’s the best way to earn alternative income? The simple answer is that it is different for different people - but I know this answer doesn’t help you much. A better answer is that the best way to earn alternative income is through doing something that you enjoy.

Photo by ralphbijker at Flickr

A lot of people seem to enjoy playing with their digital cameras and some are pretty good in doing that - and I want to share few ways to earn income while doing it. Making illustrations usually requires more effort and some talent but making money from them is similar to the other two, so I will talk about illustrations as well.

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Wealth does not equal money but we often mess both. We say “make money” instead of “make wealth” and we use the work for money, not for wealth. This is probably the reason why very few people think about do-it-yourself projects as a source of alternative income.

Photo by M J M at Flickr

Why Doing Things Yourself IS Alternative Income

Because when you create or fix things you are adding to your wealth. If you grow vegetables in your garden or fix your car, you are adding to your wealth. Since you are not earning money directly it may be harder to measure your income, but it’s still there.

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The most straightforward method to earn supplemental income is through doing some extra work. I don’t advocate it as being the best, but it’s one of the least risky and most predictable things you can do.

I know most people in personal finance say “don’t work for money, make your money work for you” and I fully support this position. But that’s easier said than done. If your income barely covers your expense, you have a little chance to succeed by passive investing.

Photo by arimoore at Flickr

So let’s get down to Earth and explore how you can really make some money.

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Exactly one month ago I conducted a quick poll with you. Do you remember it - What is the main hurdle on your way to financial success?. If you have missed to vote, the poll is still open, please do it.

As I wrote at the time on posting it, I did not create the poll just for my pleasure. I wanted to understand what really is troubling you the most on your way to achieving your financial goals. On the second place are 33% of the readers who lose money because of bad investment decisions. We are already working hard on this together, don’t we? It’s a long process and I believe we’re all learning and doing better with the time. And don’t forget that making mistakes and losing money is not that bad.

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