She's just trying to 'earn a living'. [=to earn the money needed for food, clothing, etc.]
He will do anything to 'earn his keep'. [=to earn what is needed to support himself]
He 'earned/won his spurs' by doubling the company's profits in the past year.
(..) Sounds fun. You're new. Not much of a rind on you. I'll give you a discount. No offense, but I'd rather earn a woman's affection - Yeah, last trip, this dude showed me around. What's the good word, Teddy? Mighty kind of you. (..)2016 TvShow: Westworld Title: The Original Season: 1 Episode 1
(..) sitting in that bottle. You're new. Not much of a rind on you. I'll give you a discount. Well, no offense, but... I'd rather earn a woman's affection than pay for it. You're always paying for it, darling. The difference is our costs are fixed and posted (..)2016 TvShow: Westworld Title: The Original Season: 1 Episode 1