Monetize Your Life And Get Paid To Live - Financial Panther (2024)

Over the past two years or so, I’ve earned a little over $30,000 doing a bunch of interesting side hustles. The question I often get is how I find the time to do all of these things. For most people, the ability to earn extra money comes down to time – most people work all day, and when combined with other obligations, there are pretty much no hours left in the day to keep working.

However, that hasn’t been the case for me. Even though I work a full-time job, I’ve still found a way to consistently earn extra income every month by incorporating my side hustles into my everyday life. It’s a strategy I call monetizing your life.

The idea behind monetizing your life is pretty simple – take the things you’re already doing and figure out how you can make money doing them. By doing this, you earn extra money without having to use up a lot of your time. In theory, the money you earn from monetizing your life can be used to subsidize your living expenses. It also provides a nice cushion – if I needed to live lean, I could probably survive just from the stuff I’m already doing.

Monetizing your life might seem pretty abstract, so let’s take a look at some of the things I do to get a clearer picture of how it works.

Monetizing My Home – House Hacking

One of the more obvious ways to monetize your life is to monetize your largest and most expensive asset – your house. Rent and mortgage payments form the bulk of most people’s living expenses, but with a little bit of house hacking, it’s possible to subsidize those expenses (and even make some profit too).

The important thing to know is that house hacking doesn’t require you to have any sort of special property. These days, all you really need is some extra space in your house and a willingness to let people into your home.

The absolute easiest way to get started house hacking is to do what my wife and I do – rent out a spare room in your house on Airbnb. I’d wager a guess that a lot of you have a fully furnished guest room that sits empty most of the year. You can use that room to subsidize some or all of your housing expenses.

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Indeed, over the past two years, our guest room has generated us over $15,000 (with another $5,000 worth of bookings already made for this year). Since the principle and interest on our mortgage is a little over $800 per month, this means we’re essentially able to live for free just from monetizing a single room in our house.

House hacking in this way benefits from the fact that it’s the least expensive and lowest risk way to start earning some real estate income. We already had a furnished guest room in our house, so it cost us absolutely nothing to get started hosting. Even if we had to buy furniture, it’s something that we would have done anyway. And if we found out that hosting on Airbnb wasn’t for us, we could have just deactivated our listing and been in the same position as we were before.

Where monetizing your home really shines is that it can help you get paid for a household task that we all hate – cleaning your house. Even before I was hosting on Airbnb, I still had to take the time to keep my house clean. These days, I still keep my house clean, which benefits my guests, but also benefits me as well. In a way, it’s like I’m paying myself to keep my own house clean.

Monetizing Dog Ownership – Dog Sitting

It might sound weird to say that you can make money from owning a dog, but it’s true. When you think about it, the real impact of having a dog isn’t the cost – it’s how much they change up your daily routine. Those of you that are dogless can do anything you want, whenever you want. Not so for us dog owners. Every day, without fail, I have to feed my dog, take her out for walks, and do all of the other dog care tasks that come with owning a dog.

If you already have to take care of your dog, starting up a dogsitting business is an easy way to make money off the dog care tasks that you’re already doing. That’s because if you already have one dog, taking care of a second dog doesn’t really add much additional work to your plate.

Exercise Hacking And Monetizing My Commute – Delivering Food

Another monetizing hack that I’ve been doing for the past several years is something you could call “exercise hacking.”No matter who you are, being active and exercising is something you have to do. If you already have to exercise and stay active, why not figure out a way to get paid to do it too?

That’s where bike deliveries come into play. Anyone who’s into financial independence knows that biking is one of the best things you can do to get around and stay active. For the past several years, I’ve been delivering food on my bike using apps like Postmates, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

What’s so great about doing food deliveries is that you basically monetize your exercise. Instead of biking randomly, you can instead go off on a little mission, explore your city, and get paid while you do it. And, if you’re delivering food on your bike, you’re taking one more car off the road, which means you’re creating a net gain for society. Someone was going to order their food anyway. If you’re the one delivering their food on your bike, you’re saving the earth and getting some exercise in too.

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I also use food deliveries as a way to “monetize my commute.” Like any good personal finance blogger, I bike to work. At the end of most days, I’ll typically turn on my delivery apps and try to find a delivery heading towards my house. This allows me to basically get paid to bike home.

The money you can earn delivering food on your bike adds up over time. I generally pull in between $100 and $300 every month from food deliveries. When you consider that I’m getting exercise and improving my health, the return I’m getting is much more than that.

Monetizing My Lunch Break – Walking Dogs

One last monetizing hack of mine is walking dogsduring my lunch break through Wag. When I first signed up for Wag, I didn’t see it as a thing I’d do very often – walking dogs is typically done during the weekday when I’m at work, so it’s not something that I thought would fit into my life very well.

However, I’ve discovered that if you work in a dense area with residential buildings nearby, walking dogs using Wag is a perfect way to essentially monetize your lunch break. Most people need their dogs walked during the noon hour and my office happens to be near a bunch of large apartment buildings.If you’re like most people, you probably tend to go for a walk or stretch your legs during lunch. If you’re going to do that, you might as well get paid while you do it!

For the past six months or so, I’ve been able to regularly walk dogs during my lunch break by using Wag. I typically make between $15 and $20 for a half-hour walk – enough to pay for lunch that day if I wanted to. My dog walking earnings usually add up to an extra $100 or $200 every month – not a ridiculous amount of money, but more than pocket change too. You won’t be able to walk dogs during every lunch break, but it’s not crazy to do it once or twice a week.

That’s extra money going into your pocket, for something that you’re probably already doing anyway.

Monetizing Your Neighborhood – Charging Electric Scooters

If you live in an area with scooters, it might be possible for you to make extra money just by stepping out your front door. In large cities, you’ll often find shared electric scooters from companies like Bird and Lime. These are scooters that anyone can rent by the minute. To keep these scooters charged, many companies rely on independent contractors to collect scooters that are low on battery, charge them up, then put them back out on the street.

I used to be able to do this back when I lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of Bird and Lime scooters. All I did was walk out the front door, grab a few scooters, and bring them back into my house. The next morning, I dropped off these scooters.

On a recent trip to Austin, I did this from the Airbnb I was staying at. There were scooters everywhere, so all I had to do was step outside, collect a few scooters, and charge them up in the apartment I was staying in. I ended up making $200 that week, just by collecting scooters that were sitting outside of the building.

If you’re curious about how scooter charging works, check out this post I wrote about what it’s like being a Bird Charger.

Is Monetizing Your Life For Everyone?

To be fair, monetizing your life really does depend on your life circ*mstances and where you live. For someone like me – living in a big city, relatively young, and with no kids – doing this works out perfectly. I bring in an extra $1,000 or $2,000 every month just doing the things I’m already doing.

It might not seem like all that much, but remember just how valuable this extra money can be. Earning an extra $1,000 a month is significant. If you wanted to generate that much from your investments, you’d need to have $300,000 saved up. It’s really eye-opening just how valuable monetizing your life can be when you think of it in this way.

It’s up to you to decide if this is a strategy that you want to do. For me, financial independence is something I’m striving for, and the strategy of monetizing my life gets me closer to reaching that goal. Plus, I find it fun, and it adds some adventure into my daily life.

For sure, these aren’t the only ways to monetize your life – I’m just working from my own personal examples. My challenge to you is to take a look at your own life and see if there are things you’re already doing that you can monetize. You might just surprise yourself at what you can do.

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.
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.
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.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more 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.
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.
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.
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 ($325) – 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 onlinebut 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 ($75) - 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 $75 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 ($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.

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 5.32% 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 $250 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.