Financial Panther

Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes

April 2023 Side Hustle Report – $1,117.87

Last Updated on 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. Advertiser Disclosure.This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

Hey everyone. It’s time for another side hustle report. Let’s take a look at what I was able to earn from side hustling in April 2023. 

Side Hustle Income for April 2023

Total Side Hustle Income for April 2023 = $1,117.87 

I was finally able to crack the $1,000 mark for the month thanks to an uptick in food delivery earnings and some good Rover and secret shop earnings.

Here’s a pie chart breaking down my earnings by category for the month: 

Rover and food delivery made up a fairly even split of my earnings, with the rest being made up of secret shopping and smaller random things. One thing I’ve noticed is the number of different side hustle sources is coming down as I’ve been forced to consolidate things more given how busy I am with my kids. Back before I had kids, I had more free time to try out different apps and incorporate new apps into my routine. But with how busy I am now, I’m forced to stick to the main money earners these days, which means smaller apps like IVueIt, Field Agent, or Roadie get set aside.

Let’s take a closer look at my earnings for the month.

 

Rental Income: $2,400

There was no change in my rental income. I did have to pay my yearly insurance, which went up significantly compared to last year. I always pay for my expenses using credit cards, so I do earn some good credit card signup bonuses when I have to make large purchases like this. 

 

Rover Income: $515.70  

Rover did very well for me in April. I ended up doing a mix of dogsitting and cat drop-in visits. All of the cats and dogs I watched were repeat clients except for one new client I had that worked out well. We ended up watching that dog again, so hopefully this dog will be a new regular that we watch. 

Overall, Rover continues to be a big source of my side hustle income – and indeed – it’s probably my most important source of side hustle income now. For someone with two kids and a busy home life, Rover fits in the best of all of them because it doesn’t require me to trade my time for money.

If you’re living a busy lifestyle like me, Rover is something that you should consider, as it can probably fit in well with your schedule. For more information about Rover and how it works, check out this post I wrote: Rover Pet Sitting – How To Make Money Dog Sitting With Rover.  

 

DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub Income: $410.71 

Food delivery did decently well for me last month. Here’s a breakdown of my earnings with each delivery app. 

I have noticed things have been getting slower for food delivery, although I’m not sure why. In the past, the summer hasn’t typically been much slower, even with classes out for the summer. From talking to other people, it seems like things are slower everywhere, so it could simply be a product of the economy and people spending less, or perhaps more people are signing up to deliver for these food delivery apps.

Whatever the case, I’m tempering my expectations with what I can make from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, especially since I don’t have as much time to dedicate to these apps as I did in the past. 

If you want to see my food delivery skills in action, check out my YouTube Channel, where I film myself doing food deliveries. 

 

Trash Finds/Flipping Income: $18 

I sold a pair of AllBirds shoes that my wife picked up at Goodwill. From my research, AllBirds typically sell well, but for some reason, it took me a long time to sell these shoes and I didn’t make much from it. It was still fine to pick up these shoes, but I didn’t make much from them after my capital costs and fees. 

 

ProductTube Income: $30

I made a solid $30 from ProductTube last month. ProductTube is still a solid app that I can easily fit into my schedule, so I’ll continue using it as I can. They pay in Amazon gift cards, which is as good as cash to me.

 

Google Opinion Rewards/Surveys On The Go/1Q Income/Facebook Viewpoints: $8.19 

Here’s what I made from each short survey app in April:

I’m a bit surprised that 1Q made that much since most of the surveys I get from them only pay a quarter. It goes to show how much little bits of money can add up to over time. 

 

Secret Shopping Income: $125 (plus free food) 

Secret shopping picked up for me a lot after a down month in March. Usually, secret shopping for me is about getting free food, but it has turned into a legitimate source of side hustle income for me as well. The nice thing is that when you’ve been doing them as long as I have, it basically becomes second nature and I don’t have to think about what I need to do anymore.

Check out these posts if you want to learn how to get started with secret shopping.

 

ReceiptPal/Receipt Hog/Fetch/CoinOut/Amazon Shopper Panel Income: $10.25

I made $10.25 from Amazon Shopper Panel in April. That’s some of the easiest money I make each month. I also have enough to cash out on ReceiptHog and Fetch at this point, but I keep forgetting to cash out. I’ll try to remember to do so next month. 

CoinOut has gotten worse since they no longer let you cash out every month and devalued each receipt by switching to awarding points, which you then redeem for cash. I still use CoinOut since I’m already snapping photos of the receipts with my other receipt apps, but it does stink that they made the app worse. 

 

Medium Income: $0.02

I earned some pennies from Medium for articles I wrote in 2021 and 2022. I’m not contributing to Medium anymore since it’s not worth my time, but until this income source disappears, I’ll keep reporting it here.

 

And that concludes the April 2023 Side Hustle Report!   

I’m happy I cracked the $1,000 barrier, as I was struggling to do that earlier this year thanks to a combination of weather and parental responsibilities. Hopefully, I can continue to keep earning around $1,000 per month from these various side hustles. My second son will be starting daycare in June, so that’ll free up more of my day, which I can hopefully use to work on this blog more and do more DoorDash and Uber Eats. We’ll see how things go.  

So, that’s the April side hustle report. To see some of my gig economy work in action, check out my YouTube channel. I film myself doing deliveries on that channel and will start doing ebike and scooter reviews too. For more side hustle ideas, you can check out my post, The Ultimate List Of Gig Economy Apps. It’s a huge list I’ve put together that should give you ideas on how you can earn extra money using gig economy apps

This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:

  • Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
  • Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
  • Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
  • Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
  • Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
  • KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
  • Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
  • Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
  • Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
  • Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
  • Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
  • Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
  • Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
  • Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

  • M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
  • SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
  • Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
  • Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
  • Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
  • Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

  • SoFi Money ($325) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
  • Upgrade ($300) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $300 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $300 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
  • Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
  • Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
  • US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
  • Fifth Third Bank ($200) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
  • GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
  • Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
  • Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
  • Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
financial panther

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

  • SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
  • 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
  • US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
  • M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
  • Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Financial Fives says

    Do you ever get orders canceled last minute? I’ve been seeing videos of food delivery drivers confronting customers who reported they didn’t get their order or something.

    Also, since you are a bike guy too, have you tried Spinlister and think it’s worth it? I’m on it but no hits so may need to reduce the price, but at that point it doesn’t seem worth it.

    Reply

    • Financial Panther says

      I’ve had less than a handful of times where someone lied and said they didn’t receive their order (maybe 2 or 3 total). Since I’ve been delivering for so long and have good reviews, I’ve never had anything happen to me.

      I’ve never listed on Spinlister, but maybe I should try just for the journalism purposes of it. I have a ton of ebikes and scooters I’m not always using.

      Reply

  2. Ian says

    Hey Kevin,
    Longtime fan of your blog and we’ve been doing Rover for a few years now. I’m curious how you handle it with two small children? Are you/any clients concerned about how their dogs get along with kids, or is that something you just make clear upfront?
    Thanks!
    Ian

    Reply

    • Financial Panther says

      Hey Ian,

      I always do a meet and greet before accepting a new pup and I make it very clear that their dog has to be good with young children. Most people understand if their dog can be around young children and if they think they aren’t there are a million other sitters out there that don’t have kids that they can pick instead (I’d think you’d have to be a sociopath to purposefully put your dog in a situation where they might hurt kids).

      I also have always limited myself to watching small dogs (40 pounds or less) which makes things easier for me. My dog does much better around small dogs, so that’s just been my limitation I’ve had since I started doing Rover. The nice thing is that a little Toy Poodle really can’t do any damage to my kids, even if they were aggressive.

      Reply

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