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Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes

June 2017 Side Hustle Report

June 2017 Side Hustle Report – $1,071.14

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Welcome to this month’s side hustle report!  It’s been a busy summer for me, and unfortunately, it’s led to me not posting as often as I’d like.  My bad.  But, there are some big changes going on with my professional life that I’m hoping will help me get back on track.  Can’t wait to share it with you when I get the chance!  For now, though, let’s get right to it with this month’s side hustle report.

For those of you that are new to this, each month, I document exactly what I made side hustling using the sharing economy.  The nice thing about sharing economy side hustles is that they’re low risk and easy to do.  You can start making money immediately and most of the time, you don’t even have to spend any money upfront in order to get started.  You can’t say that with pretty much any other business.

Last year, I made over $14,000 side hustling using the sharing economy.  And this was while I was also holding a full-time, demanding job as a big city lawyer.  If I can do it, I promise you that you can do it too.

When it comes to side hustling, I have four main sources of side hustle income:

  • Renting out a spare guest room on Airbnb
  • Dogsitting using Rover.com
  • Making deliveries using Postmates, Doordash, Uber Eats, and Tapingo
  • Selling trash finds using Craigslist and OfferUp

Side Hustle Income for June 2017

Here’s what my side hustle income looked like for June.

  • Airbnb:  $839
  • Rover: $106.25
  • Postmates/DoorDash/Uber Eats/Tapingo: $54.47
  • Selling Trash Finds: $37
  • Jobspotter: $14.42
  • WeGoLook: $20

Total Side Hustle Income for June 2017 = $1,071.14

My side hustle income took a bit of a dip in June just because of a lack of effort on my part.  In theory, I should be able to make more from doing deliveries.  In the past, I’ve aimed to make $50 per week, which typically only requires doing a few hours of deliveries throughout the week.  I should also be able to sell more trash if I actually put the effort to list up the backlog of trash that we’ve been finding.

I’m hoping that some upcoming changes I have going on in my life will help free up a little bit more time for me, which can then translate into higher side hustle earnings.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of my June side hustle income:

Airbnb Income: $839

June was a fairly slow month for us, but a part of the reason was that we had a completely empty week for the first week of the month.  It’s sometimes nice to get a break from hosting, and since we don’t necessarily “need” the money (we’re living fine on the income we make from our day jobs), we aren’t desperate to reach maximum occupancy.

June 2017 Side Hustle Report

In terms of occupancy, we had 15 nights booked for the month, which comes out to an average rate of $55 per night.  The key to my pricing strategy is to use Beyond Pricing, which basically tracks occupancy rates in my area and then automates the pricing each day.  This is basically the same thing that a hotel does.

It helps not having to think about my pricing strategy too much.  Plus, if you use my Beyond Pricing link, you’ll get your first month of Beyond Pricing for free.  I definitely think it’s worth trying out if you’re an Airbnb host that wants to optimize your listing.

In terms of guests, they were pretty standard for what we usually see.  We had some parents staying with us for a night who were helping their kid move into a new house, a few folks coming into town for conferences and a post-doc that stayed with us for two weeks while she was doing research on campus.  These were all good, low-stress guests that we really didn’t even notice were in our house.

Recommendations:

Rover Income: $106.25

The transition to Rover is now complete.  A few weeks ago, DogVacay completely shut down, so now Rover is pretty much the only dog sitting platform out there.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been worried about this transition due to the fact that Rover’s search algorithm appears to have no rhyme or reason to how it lists sitters.  I’m still remaining decently booked and did get at least one new request through Rover, so we’ll see if business holds up through the transition.

Our favorite pup for the month was a repeat pup we’ve watched a couple of times now.  Here he is resting his weary head on our couch.

June 2017 Side Hustle Report

The nice thing about dogsitting for as long as we have (two years now!) is that we get a steady stream of repeat pups.  When you’re starting up a dogsitting side hustle, you want to aim to get as many repeat pups as possible. When it’s a pup you’ve watched before, you know exactly what you’re getting into.  But when you watch a new pup, you always run the risk of watching a dog that doesn’t mesh well with your lifestyle.

I found myself in the latter situation this month.  We watched a border collie mix that was perfectly friendly and well-behaved at the meet and greet, but ended up being really hyper once we started watching him.  The worst part was that he was a barker.  And it wasn’t a quiet bark either.  This bark was deafening.

Thankfully, we only had to watch this dog for 2 days, but it’s just a good reminder about the inherent risk with watching any new pup.  Your meet and greet won’t always reveal what the dog will be like in your home.  In future meet and greets, I’m going to be sure to ask about barking tendencies.  I just can’t have that in my house.

Recommendations:

  • If you already have a well-behaved and friendly pup, then I think you should consider trying your hand at dogsitting.  The great thing is that it doesn’t add any additional work to your plate if you already have to take care of your own pup. Make sure to sign up to be a Rover sitter using my link.  It helps to support this site.

Postmates/DoorDash/Uber Eats/Tapingo Income: $54.47

I’ve been busy with my day job for the past few months, and unfortunately, it means doing bike deliveries has taken a bit of a hit.  I love doing deliveries on my bike, so it’s definitely something I’m working on fixing in the coming months.  I just need to carve out more time to do it, which I hope should happen with some changes I’ve got coming up in the next few months.

Related: Click Here To Read More About My Experience Biking With Postmates

The only big news to report on the delivery front has to do with how Uber Eats works.  The app finally added tipping last month, which might mean that I think Uber Eats is worth incorporating into your delivery game.

I still primarily lean on Postmates and DoorDash, but it’s nice to know that Uber Eats is a potentially legitimate delivery option now beyond just snagging the signup bonus.

Recommendations:

  • If you like biking and essentially getting paid to bike, be sure to sign up to do deliveries with Postmates, DoorDash, and Caviar if they’re available in your city.
  • Sign up to deliver with Uber Eats also and snag yourself a referral bonus.  They usually offer at least a $100 signup bonus and depending on your city, it’ll require you to do between 10 to 30 deliveries to earn the bonus (in my market, it was 10 deliveries, which was really easy to do).  A few months back, I referred my wife to Uber Eats and had her do 10 deliveries, which earned us a combined $300 in bonuses. Definitely worthwhile if you have a spouse or partner that’s willing to work with you.

Trash Income: $37

I don’t have much to report on the trash income front.  I’ve just been super lazy with listing stuff up and my trash earnings have suffered for it.  The only interesting things I sold this month were some random magazines I found in the trash a while back.  Here’s what one of them looked like:

They’re hardcover magazines I found in a dumpster and just based on how they looked, I thought they might have some value.  Plus, items like this are easy to sell on eBay.  I sold two of these magazines on eBay for $12 and $10 each.

I’m on a mission to clear out my garage and next month is already shaping up to be a great trash month.

For the year, that’s $532 worth of trash sold, which keeps me on pace for my goal of $1,000 worth of trash sold in 2017.  If I told you that you could literally find $1,000 sitting on the street, would you be interested?  I’m guessing yes.

Related: Making Over $1000 Selling Trash Finds Found In One Dumpster

Jobspotter Income: $14.42

Jobspotter continues to be a pretty consistent income generator.  I bike and walk around a lot, so finding hiring signs isn’t hard to do. This is just extra money that I can earn without much work.  And honestly, it’s fun whenever I find a new hiring sign out there.

If you say that you’re not seeing hiring signs out there, then I think you’re either (1) not looking closely, or (2) you drive everywhere and rarely walk or bike.  Trust me – they’re everywhere!  Especially if you’re using the right modes of transportation!

Related: Jobspotter App Review: Earn Extra Money By Taking Pictures of Hiring Signs.

WeGoLook Income: $20

I’ve mentioned WeGoLook in the past, but if you don’t know, it’s basically an app where you go around taking pictures for insurance companies.  I don’t do a lot of the gigs that pop up since they’re often way out of my way, but when I see an opportunity that is nearby, I’ll usually try and grab it.

This past month, there was a gig to take pictures of an intersection out in the suburbs.  Since I was already heading in that direction for a camping trip, I figured it was an easy way to make a quick 20 bucks on my way out of town.

We ended up pulling off the highway for a few minutes while I ran around taking pictures of the intersection.  The whole thing probably took around 10-15 minutes.  That’s not bad at all for a $20 payout.  I just wish that more of these gigs were closer to me!

And that concludes this month’s side hustle report.

The side hustle income continues to stay steady.  Making an extra $1,000 a month can go a long way.  Even if you’re making $100,000 a year, an extra $1,000 per month equates to giving yourself a 12% salary raise.  If you’re making less, it’ll obviously be more impactful.

What’s really crazy is that ANYONE can do this.  Seriously.  Anyone can figure out a way to make an extra $500 or $1,000 per month if they’re just willing to try.  I think these income reports are a testament to that.

Be sure to check out my side hustle report page if you’re interested in seeing what I’ve made in other months.  You can also check out my most recent side hustle reports below.  Thanks for stopping by!

May 2017 Side Hustle Report – $1,625.11

April 2017 Side Hustle Report- $399.04

March 2017 Side Hustle Report – $1,251.91

February 2017 Side Hustle Report – $800.33

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.
  • 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.
  • Moomoo (15 free stocks and 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
  • Webull (12 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 12 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.

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.

  • Chime ($150) - 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.
  • SoFi Money ($275) – 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 $250 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 ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 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 $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
  • 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.
  • GO2Bank ($100) - 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 $100 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.
  • Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
  • Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
  • 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 ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 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 $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
  • 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% 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.
  • Personal Capital. 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

    • Financial Panther says

      You’d be surprised at how much you can fit. A lot of these side hustles don’t really take up much time at all since they sort of incorporate things I’m already doing. Remember, I’m an attorney with a pretty busy schedule myself. If there’s one thing lawyers don’t have a lot of, it’s time!

      Reply

  2. Christine Schwalm Design says

    Love the Job Spotter app. It won’t make anyone rich, but in the 30 seconds it takes to snap 2 photos, you can make up to a $1. I find that restaurants (no chains) generate some of the best point returns. Oh, and it works in Canada, too. I used it in Vancouver (I have T-mobile so my phone works in Canada–don’t incur roaming fees) at a few places and earned points.

    Reply

  5. Millennial Boss says

    Congrats on another great month! You convinced me to try Rover a few months back (not to watch a dog but to find someone to watch my dog). We love the girl we found! It’s a great app. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

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