Thousands more people have started selling things on online marketplaces to pay the ever-growing bills.
On sites like Facebook Marketplace and eBay, the number of individual sellers has increased.
They attribute this to the increased cost of living.
Sarah Bryant, Head of Small Business at eBay UK, said: “Some are like you and me, the average Joe who just wants to sell a few of his items to earn a bit of side income.
“It goes down to the side jobs, which grow and grow until they become people’s full-time jobs.”
Sami Cirant is one of the so-called “secondary sellers”.
From his childhood home in Easton, Bristol he buys and sells high end trainers or sneakers as his customers call them.
It all started by accident when a pair of sneakers he bought didn’t fit well.
He found he could easily sell them online, so he bought a few more and sold them in a few hours.
“That’s when I realized it might actually be something that could bring me some extra cash,” explained Mr. Cirant.
For six months, the 23-year-old juggled his new business with a full-time job at a local charity.
He then decided to try online sneaker selling full-time, which he described as a bold decision.
“It was a bit risky quitting my job, but I think if you don’t take risks in life, you might end up on a path you don’t want to go,” he said.
Mr. Cirant’s expenses are low, he still lives at home and his parents support him.
But other ancillary vendors have grown into full-fledged businesses.
I met Jade Oliver in a rabbit hole of rickety old rooms above a shop in Ross-on Wye, picking flowers from a rainbow of colours.
There are thousands of them, and they are all artificial, or “fake flowers” as she prefers. There are also candles, vintage flower pots, incense burners, silk feathers. Thousands of different things to make your house beautiful.
A team of packers wrap them, box them up and post parcels across the UK.
Jade Oliver is 38 and her company Heavenly Homes and Gardens is now ten years old.
She also started as a side hustle, earning money to pay for her college law studies.
In the beginning she ran her online sales alongside her first job.
She said: “I used to do the mail every morning before work, I’d spend my lunch break replying to customer messages and I’d come home from work to pack packages. It really was a double life.
“I even worked on my honeymoon.”
At some point something had to go, and that was the law firm. Balancing the sale of interiors against the life of a lawyer, Ms Oliver took the plunge.
She explained, “Being my own boss and choosing my own products was just so much more interesting.”
She sold her products on all major online marketplaces instead of just picking one.
It takes more work to design with a dedicated page for each site, but it was worth it.
Throughout the pandemic, people have sat at home, often with excess cash, trying to make their homes more comfortable. Ms Oliver’s business grew and she now employs 14 people picking and packing.
There are of course risks in leaving a paying job, and small business advisors encourage people to plan carefully.
But Michelle Ovens, founder of Small Business Britain, said both the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have prompted more people to become self-employed.
Can a side job really help pay the bills when things are looking up?
Ms. Ovens thinks so.
She said: “If you have a passion for something, you can absolutely turn it into a business.
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Use all marketplaces, sell a range of products.
“Ask other people too. Small businesses are helpful and friendly, and they’ve learned in the process.
“And get professional help, there’s plenty of free advice out there. Use them.”
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