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Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes

February 2023 Side Hustle Report

February 2023 Side Hustle Report – $802.57

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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.

I’m late getting this one out, but here’s the side hustle report for February 2023. Below is a breakdown of my gig economy earnings for last month. 

Side Hustle Income for February 2023

Total Side Hustle Income for February 2023 = $847.57 

February remained slow for me primarily because of the weather, as well as the fact that I was sick for much of the month and was busy with general life things. As you can probably imagine, juggling two young children, plug this blog, plus a bunch of side hustles isn’t easy work. I’m grateful that I’m in a position where I can work for myself now because I can’t even imagine how I would be able to balance work and taking care of children if I was still working a traditional 9-5 job. 

Rover made up the bulk of my earnings for the month – a testament to how well Rover can work for someone with a busy schedule. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub made up the next big chunk of my earnings, although I didn’t do a lot of food delivery in February since it was cold and I don’t do as many deliveries in the winter.  The remainder of my earnings came from random things like secret shopping, short survey apps, and receipt apps. 

The month was a bit slow with some of the other smaller apps I use. I ended up earning nothing from WeGoLook, ProductTube, or IVueIt/ProxyPics. Those aren’t usually high earners, but they typically make an appearance in every side hustle report. WeGoLook is still busy enough and ProductTube is bouncing back too. IVueIt has been particularly slow lately – or maybe I’m not checking the app enough. 

February 2023 Side Hustle Report Pie Chart
A pie chart showing the percentage of my earnings in each category for the month.

In the remainder of this post, we’ll take a closer look at how I earned my side hustle income in February 2023. 

 

Rental Income: $2,400

The rental property had a few larger expenses for the month. I had to renew my rental license, which cost $110. I also had to pay a plumber to repair a leaking garbage disposal in the house. That ended up being fairly expensive since I had to replace the garbage disposal. Yes, I could have probably done the work myself, but I really don’t enjoy doing repair work on the rental property, so I generally hire everything out unless it’s a really small repair.

Other than those two larger expenses, I did do some small repairs on the entry door, replacing a door knob that wasn’t working (i.e. this is the type of small repair I’m willing to do). 

 

Rover Income: $564.95  

Rover income was strong for the month. I had one long stay from January that carried into February so that income is included for this month. In addition to that stay, I also watched a new dog for a weekend. That stay worked out well, so hopefully, that will end up being a repeat client. Finally, I did a few cat drop-in visits for neighbors. I always limit cat drop-in visits to people within a few blocks of my house, since I want to limit my travel time. 

I mentioned this before, but Rover is remarkable because of how well it can fit into a busy schedule. Food delivery, for example, can be difficult for me since I’m low on free time. But even with two kids and a busy professional life, I’m still able to do Rover with basically no change from before I had kids. If you’re a busy parent looking for a side hustle, Rover can really work out well. 

For an in-depth look at Rover, check out this post: Rover Pet Sitting – How To Make Money Dog Sitting With Rover.  

 

DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub Income: $140.70 

I had a slow month for food delivery. Historically, February has always been one of my slowest months because of the weather. I do DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub with an ebike, and doing deliveries when it’s cold and snowy isn’t much fun. 

Here’s what I made with each delivery app in February: 

Things should pick back up as the weather warms up, although I’m still limited on time due to family obligations. In the past, I used to aim for $1,000 per month from food delivery, but I think now I’m aiming for around $500 a month. That’s $125 per week, which means I need to make $25 each weekday to hit that target. That’s not difficult for me to do.

The best way to see how DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub works is to see it yourself. Check out my YouTube Channel, where I often film myself doing food delivery.

 

Flipping/Trash Income: $24

I don’t do a ton with flipping and trash sales these days, but I can usually sell a few things each month. In February, I sold some old baby bottles that we no longer needed, as well as an extra Merlin Baby Sleeper suit that we had. Both were quick sales and easy to ship. 

 

Google Opinion Rewards/Surveys On The Go/1Q Income/Facebook Viewpoints: $6.93 

I made a couple of bucks from Google Opinion Rewards and put a few cents in my pocket from 1Q. Here’s what the breakdown looked like in February for the short survey apps I keep on my phone:

These apps are worthwhile because they take so little time to complete. They obviously won’t make you rich, but they’re good for a few bucks each month while taking up a few seconds of my time. 

 

Secret Shopping Income: $80 (plus free food) 

Secret shopping was decent. This income all came from Marketforce, which is the main app I use that pays me as well. It’s good enough that I’m often doing these secret shops just for the payout, rather than to get the free food.

Secret shopping is an underrated way to reduce your food expenses. I’m literally able to get thousands of dollars of free food every year thanks to secret shopping (yes, thousands of dollars). It’s a complex topic, but I’ve written a few posts that I think break down how it works pretty well. Check those posts out if you want to learn how to incorporate secret shopping into your life.

 

ProductLab Income: $16

ProductLab is a minor app I use that can earn me some money each month. It pays me $3 every week for submitting a screenshot of my DoorDash earnings for the prior week. I also get 25 cents each week for submitting my Uber Eats earnings for the previous week. Assuming I don’t forget to do this each week, I can typically earn $12 or so each month from this app. Over the course of a year, that’s close to $150 without doing much of anything.

 

ReceiptPal/Receipt Hog/Fetch/CoinOut/Amazon Shopper Panel Income: $14.16

In February, I earned $11.50 from Amazon Shopper Panel and $2.66 from CoinOut. Amazon Shopper Panel is a no-brainer when it comes to these receipt apps. You’ll earn at least $10 per month just by taking pictures of 10 receipts each month. I’m guessing that everyone here probably gets their hands on 10 receipts in a month. The only limiting factor with Amazon Shopper Panel is that not everyone seems to be able to sign up for it, so if you can, do it. 

CoinOut pays a few cents for each receipt. They used to require you to hit $20 before you could cash out, but it looks like they now let you cash out whenever you want, so I should get $1 or so each month from this app now.

 

Medium Income: $0.83

In prior months, I was earning 5 cents or so each month, but for some reason, I earned 83 cents from Medium in February. Big money! I don’t do anything with Medium anymore, so whatever I get here is from random views that I get on posts that I wrote on Medium a while back.

 

And that concludes the February 2023 Side Hustle Report!  

February was slow for me, but I did earn a bit more than I did in January. That said, I didn’t break the $1,000 mark, which is what I’m typically aiming for each month. That’s more of a soft target for me and there’s not any real reason why I need to earn $1,000 other than I like that it’s a round number. We’re starting to finally get out of winter here in Minnesota, so things should start picking up, especially as I start getting a few more deliveries in each week. 

Anyway, that’s the side hustle report for the month. I hope it gives you some insight into how I do things. Be sure to check out my YouTube channel if you’re interested in seeing how I do DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub on my bike. For some side hustle ideas, check out my post: The Ultimate List Of Gig Economy Apps. There are tons of apps there you can try out to earn extra income. 

Thanks for reading!

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.

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