As an avid reader of Mr. Money Mustache and many other FIRE sites, my expenses are quite low. I have tracked my expenses for many months and have a difficult time figuring out how I can possibly save more. I even stumbled upon a blog series called “31 Days to Financial Independence” which is basically a consolidated version of Mr. Money Mustache’s frugal ways. It was very well laid out. I went through the whole thing and still could not find anything else I could save more money on.
The challenge now lies with increasing income. I looked at some gig work on Craiglist and other local classified but came up empty. I decided to sign up for Uber and Lyft.
I joined a Facebook group for drivers in my general area and learned a lot from their posts. I also came across some referral codes I was able to use – making the first bit much more lucrative. In general most rideshare drivers end up making around minimum wage after wear and tear on the vehicle. Knowing this I continued, as the bonuses up front make the first few months much more profitable.
Some tips and tricks for rideshare driving:
Use destination mode:
If you have somewhere to be and you’re not in a hurry, go online in destination mode. This makes it so you’ll only get rides that only take you a few miles and minutes out of your way. Example: It’s Saturday around noon, and I need to run a few errands sometime before dinner. I turn on Lyft and Uber and set my destination to the store I am going to. Eventually a notification comes for a rider going my way. I drop what I’m doing and give the ride, running my errands afterward.
Watch Lyft for Scheduled rides:
I have a 25 minute commute and the local airport is not far from my office. It’s common at night for people to schedule a ride for the next day. I often grab these scheduled rides and wake up in time to run to the airport and circle back to work. The downside is you are not notified when these scheduled rides come available and they go quickly. I had to watch the app like a hawk between 7pm-10pm, sometimes later.
Work Friday and Saturday nights: Again, the first several rides are the most lucrative, so I often go out 10pm-3am Friday night, sleep in, and go out again Saturday night.
Conclusion
I’ve thought about offering various services on Fiverr, trying out sites like UserTesting, but nothing is as convenient as getting in the car and going out for 15 minutes at a time (or more, depending on the ride). I’m trying to figure out a more consistent and lucrative side hustle. I’m open to any suggestions – feel free to comment your ideas!
