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Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes

August 2022 Side Hustle Report – $1,777.69

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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.

Okay, this post is getting out there late, but better late than never! In this post, we’ll take a look at what I was able to earn from my side hustles/gig economy apps in August 2022.

Side Hustle Income for August 2022

Total Side Hustle Income for August 2022 = $1,777.69 

August ended up being better than I expected for side hustling. As usual food delivery and dog sitting made up the bulk of my monthly earnings, with various other smaller gigs making up the rest. 

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

august 2022 side hustle reportI find it interesting that while Rover and food delivery made up most of my earnings, the various other small side hustles I did last month brought in around 16% of my monthly income. Individually, each of those other side hustles doesn’t seem like much, but they do add up. It’s why even small side hustles can be worthwhile so long as they fit into the things you enjoy doing.

The remainder of this post takes a more detailed look at my earnings for the month. 

 

Airbnb/Rental Income Income: $2,400  

My tenants renewed their lease for another year, which made things a lot easier for me since I didn’t have to spend time finding new tenants. I opted to keep the rent the same, so the convenience factor does come with a trade-off, as it’s likely I probably could have rented the house for a bit more. That being said, I’m trying to keep things simple with this rental property. Plus, the cash flow is already good and I’m just keeping all the money in the house to do maintenance and improve things later if needed. 

August required a bit more work than usual due to a bunch of maintenance I had to take care of. The main issue last month was a malfunctioning dryer. I ended up spending some money trying to get it fixed, before ultimately determining that I needed to replace it. It’s a costly expense, but that’s what you get when you start getting into rental real estate. I’ll get into more details about the new dryer I had to buy in next month’s side hustle report since the dryer was installed in September.

Other than the maintenance issues I had to take care of, everything else with the house has been running smoothly. Rental income isn’t passive. But it’s not too difficult either when things are going well. 

 

Rover Income: $679.58  

Rover became a much bigger source of my income this year and has become increasingly more important since I moved to my new house last year. The main reason this happened is that I live in a wealthier neighborhood compared to my last one, which means there are more people with disposable income to hire pet sitters.  

My Rover earnings for this month came from a combination of dog boarding and cat drop-in visits. Most of the dogs were repeat clients, but I did have one stay from a new dog that worked out well.

My cat drop-in clients included one regular client that lives down the block from me and then a new client that also lives a few minutes away. The new client worked out well, so I’ll likely keep that cat in my regular cat visit roster. 

So far this year, I’ve made over $4,000 from Rover, which is really good considering how well it fits into my life. Depending on how things work out for the rest of the year, I suspect that I’ll be able to hit $5,000 by the end of the year, which would be a record for me with Rover. 

 

DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub Income: $811.81 

The delivery game was normal for me last month, resulting in a solid $800 of extra income for the month. That comes out to about $200 per week, which I find pretty easy to do. Below is a breakdown of my earnings for each app in August.

I do most of my deliveries during the lunch hour around a large university campus. In general, I can easily make $30 to $40 in about an hour. 

In addition to working during the lunch hour, I also usually try to do a delivery on my way home after I pick my son up at daycare. Most of the time, I’m able to get 1 or 2 deliveries heading back towards my house. 

As usual, I did all of my deliveries on an ebike or electric scooter. I’ve been talking a lot recently about how valuable ebikes can be. In my case, I not only save a ton of money by getting around with an ebike, rather than a car, but I also earn a lot of money from my bike as well, turning my ebike into not only a money-saving machine but also a money-making machine. 

 

Flipping/Trash Income: $60 

Selling trash finds isn’t a big portion of my side hustle income these days, but I still seem to sell a few things most months. Last month, I finally got around to selling a Memphis Pellet Grill that a neighbor had put on the curb. The sign they put on it said “free,” which led me to believe that it worked, but when I plugged it in, I couldn’t get it to stay on. 

These grills are expensive. Memphis Grills go for $2,000 or more, so it would have been a huge score if I could get it working. If I had the time or inclination, I probably could have spent some money to have it repaired, but I ultimately decided to buy a new grill and put this one up for sale. I ended up making $50 for it – and hopefully, the guy that picked it up can get it working again.  

Other than the grill, I also sold a few random things on eBay. There wasn’t anything of major note, but it’s nice to clear some stuff out of the house and put a little bit of money in my pocket at the same time. 

 

ProductTube Income: $75 

ProductTube was solid in August. As usual, I do most of my videos at a Target next to my son’s daycare. They take me a few minutes to complete, so they’re good money for the time I spend on these videos and it’s a good way to put some money in my pocket to start the day. The payouts are in Amazon gift cards, but I consider that as good as cash given my spending patterns.

 

IVueIt/ProxyPics Income: $93.65  

IVueIt and ProxyPics both did well last month. I ended up making $34 from IVue and $59.65 from ProxyPics. I usually end up doing these gigs with my son, typically on our way home from daycare. Since I bike to these gigs, they make for a nice little adventure when we do them.

 

Google Opinion Rewards/Surveys On The Go/1Q Income/Facebook Viewpoints: $6.63

Here’s what I made with each of these short survey apps last month:

This coming month, I’ll have enough to cash out my earnings with Surveys On The Go, so that’ll see a nice boost next month. Otherwise, there’s not much to talk about here. These apps are quick, easy-to-use apps that take seconds to complete and are usually good for a few bucks each month.

 

Secret Shopping Income: $40 (plus free food) 

I made $40 from secret shopping with Marketforce, as well as doing some secret shops with A Closer Look and some other secret shop companies. Marketforce is the only one where I get paid along with the reimbursements. The payments are good enough that it’s often worth doing the secret shop, even if I didn’t even want the food. 

Secret shopping is an excellent way to reduce some of your food costs. Most months, I’m able to get a few hundred dollars worth of free food.

Check out the below posts for more information about how secret shopping works.

 

ReceiptPal/Receipt Hog/Fetch/CoinOut/Amazon Shopper Panel Income: $11

The only one of these apps that paid me this month was Amazon Shopper Panel, where I made $11 by submitting photos of 10 receipts and doing two short surveys for 50 cents each. Amazon Shopper Panel is the best receipt app currently available and I’m shocked they can continue to pay so much for photos of random receipts. By the end of this year, I’ll earn over $120 from taking photos of my receipts each month.

 

Medium Income: $0.02

I don’t write on Medium anymore, but I still had 2 cents of residual income come in. Passive income!

In all seriousness, Medium would be interesting if you’re someone starting out blogging who is interested in churning out content. The problem with Medium is that you have to ask yourself if you really own the writing you put on there. I’d argue not. I could sell this blog for a decent amount of money. If this content was on Medium, I doubt I could sell it. (See this post for some thoughts about jobs and whether you own them or rent them: Do You Rent Or Own Your Job?)

 

And that concludes the August 2022 Side Hustle Report!  

August was a solid month of side hustle/gig economy income for me. Bringing in over $1,700 from these gigs that I enjoy doing is a no-brainer for me. I wouldn’t do these gigs for free, but getting paid and enjoying it at the same time makes it worthwhile for me. 

I hope you enjoyed this look into my gig economy earnings for August 2022. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

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.

  • Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 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 $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
  • Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
  • 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.

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