WHAT if you could rake in some serious cash whilst sitting on your sofa and doing practically nothing? One Aussie mum, Monique Stevens, has discovered an easy way - by renting out her vehicle.
Mum-of-three Monique, from Australia, makes over £3k every month by this side hustle - and the income is enough to cover all expenses for her family.
Monique first came up with the idea after visiting the USA in 2022, when she was introduced with the car-sharing platform Turo - a scheme that also operates within the UK.
The name of platform - which would best be described as ''Airbnb for cars'' - was suggested to Monique by a pal - and indeed, the costs were lower compared to a traditional car hire company.
Not only was it cheaper, Monique shared in a chat with Escape, the family could also secure a vehicle with just three hours notice.
After their holiday ended and the bumper brood returned to Australia, the 32-year-old parent was trying to figure out the best way to make money while juggling three tots under five.
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Monique, who had previously been working as a property manager, said she felt burnt out from the job and a regular 9-5 was not something she was keen to do again, especially after COVID-19 hit.
So instead, the Aussie decided to list one of their vehicles on Turo - and within less than year, she was earning enough to cover all her family's expenses.
If you have a second car that is just sitting in the driveway and is hardly being used, that is a great starting point to test it out and put it on Turo".
Monique Stevens
Sharing her success story, the mum explained: ''There are some minimum requirements (for example your car has to be no more than 10 years old and have fewer than 200,000km on the clock, unless it's classed as a speciality vehicle), but setting it all up as a listing is very simple".
She said that if you have a smaller car, you can make close to £160 if you loan it out for three days - or up to a whopping or around £435 if you get a booking for a week.
In fact, the side hustle had become so lucrative, Monique and her partner now have a fleet of six cars that they loan out on the platform, and a good month typically sees them take home over a whopping £5k.
"My partner is a professional athlete and he goes overseas a lot - sometimes I am a solo parent for weeks on end," the mum-of-three said.
"So the fact that I can do all the work required at home, like washing and vacuuming the cars out the front of her house while the children are sleeping is great."
According to the Aussie, from Melbourne, the hours required are very manageable, and those taking the car for the weekend are usually very respectful and will do their best to keep it in a pristine condition.
"If you have a well maintained car I have found that it comes back just as good. If people take it down the Great Ocean Road some of them will even vacuum the sand out before they return it".
The savvy side hustle has since completely changed the way the mum parents and earns an income, as she can give her tots all the attention they need.
The 32-year-old will get all the work and car cleaning done before the kids wake up and then spend the rest of the day with them, whether that's visiting a waterpark in the afternoon or a different activity.
The mum also has some tips and tricks for those potentially considering listing their vehicle on Turo.
Drop-offs
Although this is not something Monique does these days, she claimed that dropping off the vehicle to the client's desired location for some extra cash is ''a great way to get a lot of bookings quickly''.
Advise guests
To make sure the guests have the best time possible, the mum will also warn them about speed cameras to look out for, especially when they're international tourists.
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Just do it
The recent festive period was extremely busy for the mum, who insisted the platform ''is constantly growing''.
"If you have a second car that is just sitting in the driveway and is hardly being used, that is a great starting point to test it out and put it on Turo".