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Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes

March 2023 Side Hustle Report – $928.44

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

Side Hustle Income for March 2023

Total Side Hustle Income for March 2023 = $928.44 

I’ve had a slow start to the year compared to prior years. A lot of this is simply due to a lack of time. I’m busy with this blog and juggling two young children at home, so time is at a premium for me these days. I was also one of the featured speakers at the EconoMe conference this year, which meant a lot of the free time I might have had was spent preparing my speech and traveling to the conference (my speech will be up on the EconoMe YouTube channel soon, so check that out if you want to see my talk). 

Still, even with a busy schedule, I did manage to make nearly $1,000 in side hustle income for the month. I think that’s pretty good for most people. And let me say – if I can do this with the limited free time I have – I’m certain that most of you reading this can probably do the same. You don’t have to make thousands of dollars every month for it to mean something either. Even an extra $500 per month can make a big difference to your financial life.  

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

March 2023 Side Hustle Reports

As has been the case for a while, Rover made up the bulk of my side hustle earnings for the month. The reason for this is that Rover is a fairly passive side hustle – in contrast to most gig economy work I do, dog sitting is something I can do without actively having to trade my time for it (i.e. when I’m dog sitting, I can still do other things, so I’m not actively working the entire time I’m doing Rover). 

Food delivery made up the next big chunk of my side hustle earnings for the month. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub were relatively slow for me, but most of this was due to weather conditions. We’ve had a rough winter here in Minneapolis, so I did fewer deliveries. I also lost a bunch of potential food delivery days when I was out of town at EconoMe. 

The remainder of my earnings for the month came from the various small gig economy apps I use. These included ProductTube, secret shopping, receipt apps, and short surveys.

In the remainder of this post, we’ll take a closer look at my earnings for each category. 

 

Rental Income: $2,400

I don’t have much to report on the rental income front. I didn’t have to do any maintenance tasks in March and there were no unexpected maintenance expenses to deal with either. The only work I did have to do was shovel snow a few times. I have some spring maintenance tasks I’ll need to handle in the next few months, but for now, it’s nice to have a low-key month like this.

 

Rover Income: $547.85  

Rover income was strong again for the month. Most of my Rover clients were repeat clients, although I watched one new pup for a neighbor that will likely turn into a repeat client.

Demand for Rover has been strong since I moved to my new house two years ago. I think it demonstrates how important location is when it comes to how much business you’ll get on Rover. Basically, the highest-demand places are going to be higher-income neighborhoods. This makes sense when you think about it as people with more disposable income are probably going to be going on trips more often and have the money to pay for dog sitters.

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: $262.48 

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

Food delivery earnings have still been down compared to what they are during the spring and summer months. A lot of this has to do with a lack of time and poor weather conditions (remember, I do all of my deliveries using an ebike). 

Things are starting to pick up a bit, although I don’t think I’ll ever get back to the $1,000 or more per month I used to earn. I just don’t have the time to do deliveries like I used to. Still, I think I should be able to make at least $500 a month, so that should get my total side hustle earnings back over the $1,000 mark most months. 

In terms of how I approach food delivery, during the week, I aim to work for an hour during the lunch hour, with the goal of making $30 or more in that hour. I’m generally able to do this pretty easily by being strategic and multi-apping.

If you want to see how I deliver for DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub on my ebikes, check out my YouTube Channel, where I regularly film myself doing food deliveries.

 

ProductTube Income: $60

After a down month for ProductTube last month, ProductTube came back strong for me in March. ProductTube is great because it pays well for very little work – the videos I film for ProductTube are typically 3 minutes or less. A typical ProductTube gig pays $10, so spending 3 minutes making a video for the app is very well worth it. 

One other nice thing is that I can usually do these ProductTube gigs in the morning right after I drop my son off at daycare. This lets me earn a few bucks to start my day at a time when I otherwise wouldn’t be earning any money. ProductTube is never going to be a significant source of income, but it is a nice extra source of income for very little work. I need to put together an in-depth article on ProductTube at some point, especially since this is a regular app I use.

 

Google Opinion Rewards/Surveys On The Go/1Q Income/Facebook Viewpoints: $10.87 

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

Like with many of my other small side hustle apps, these apps aren’t going to make you significant amounts of income, but they pay well for the time they take. In this case, I earned over $10 from these apps for literally seconds of work. Over the course of a year, I’ll end up making $120 or more from these apps while spending minutes using them. It’s a no-brainer for me.

 

Secret Shopping Income: $35 (plus free food) 

Secret shopping seems to be down, although I can’t really tell why. All of these secret shops pay for the month prior, so the earnings I made from secret shopping in March came from secret shops I completed in February. That’s a short month, so it could explain why my earnings were down compared to what I’ve been making before. Still, making $35 and getting free food is a win in my book.  

At some point, I think I’ll put together an email course or some sort of guide to secret shopping that distills all this stuff in easy-to-follow steps. But until then, 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: $11.70

In March, I earned $10.85 from Amazon Shopper Panel, plus 85 cents from CoinOut. Amazon Shopper Panel continues to pay huge dividends, paying me at least $10 per month for my receipts. That’s over $120 in a year for taking a few pictures of receipts. 

CoinOut made some changes that I think are negative, as before they were paying cash for receipts and letting you cash out at any amount. They’ve now switched things up to where you get coins for your receipts, which you can then redeem for Amazon gift cards. In practical terms, it means I won’t be able to cash out as often with CoinOut and it’ll end up being more like ReceiptPal, Receipt Hog, and Fetch, where I’m able to cash out once a year or every few months (depending on which app I’m using).

 

Medium Income: $0.54

Medium keeps paying me a few cents each month for some articles I wrote for the site a few years ago. I don’t plan to do anything with Medium anymore, as it’s not worth my time, but I’ll keep this section of the side hustle report active so long as I’m earning something from Medium.

 

And that concludes the March 2023 Side Hustle Report!   

I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t crack the $1,000 mark in March, but it’s also understandable given how little time I had last month. The fact that I almost hit $1,000 speaks volumes about what you can earn from these apps if you’re strategic. And even if you have very little time, you can still earn some extra income (and this is coming from a guy with two kids and his own business).  

I hope you enjoyed this month’s side hustle report. If you want to see more 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, check out my post, The Ultimate List Of Gig Economy Apps. No matter what your situation, you can probably find an app there that can work for you. 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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