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Keeping The Spark: Pursuing FIRE And Maintaining A Healthy Relationship

You’ve absolutely got to be on the same page when it comes to finances as a couple – and this is especially true when you have major goals around early retirement.

Remember, it’s often not the act of saving alone that matters.

Asset building is important, of course, but if you’re not aligned to the end goal together (and keeping it in sight all the time), you’ll probably find yourself spiralling into different directions pretty quickly, or losing interest along the way. Here are five ways my husband and I stay committed and motivated to achieve our final financial destination – downing tools at 35 and 44 respectively.

Bring pillow talk to life.

Pillow talk about money is sexy. These are those micro-conversations we have around our dreams and hopes that carve a yellow brick road to Couple Happiness. Where we romanticize our future and what that looks like: where we’re going to travel to, how we’ll live day-to-day, what we’ll do with our time and how we’ll better show up for each other and our children without the constraints of a traditional 9-5.

The truth is that in any normal relationship, there will be periods of famine amongst the feast on the journey to FIRE, and it’s those little snippets of positive dialogue and reconnection that build consistency around habits and create a greater purpose.

It should generally be fun to have these discussions, too. Sometimes we’re not in the mood to talk about cashflow or how much we have to invest that month (if at all, which is becoming increasingly common with a higher cost of living and two little mouths to feed). When it feels hard or unmotivating, we acknowledge that talking about it might create more distance and just put pause on the topic until both of us are in a better place to revisit it.

Don’t lose sight of the basic principles of FIRE.

Keep it simple. When I go trailing off on a wild goose chase of new investment opportunities or my husband starts putting together overly complicated Excel spreadsheets, both of us lose one another’s attention pretty quickly.

When this happens, we try and remind ourselves of the basic logic of FIRE: get rid of our debts (as a big priority), keep the costs of living as low as possible for our situation and then use that extra cash flow to invest in safe, low-risk investments that carry and return our cash. So, the key is to simplify everything. Not just our money, but our life. Basically, figure out what brings us joy and security, and spend on that. Then, understand what interests us and curates the world we want to live in, and invest in that.



When things feel complicated, we take a breath and just go right back to the basics.

Understand each others money personalities.

Some people are spenders, and some are savers, but actually money personalities are a lot more nuanced than that. Some of us spend anxiously, during particular times of the month, and some hoard money when it really actually makes sense to spend (like in the case of a house repair that would be dangerous to leave much longer, or for a pet’s niggling limp that could soon turn into something more serious).

Understanding the minutiae of how money flows in your household and what drives it to come and go can be helpful to ride those waves, and come to a middle ground that feels safe for the both of you.

For example, in cases where someone might spend money frivolously if they see a large lump sum just sitting there, it can be helpful to set up an additional amount on payday to a redraw facility. That way it’s still there if needed, but not as easily retrieved, and there’s no dishonesty or misappropriation involved in “hiding” it. Similarly, for someone who isn’t comfortable spending on everyday things – but it’s important to the other person to enjoy small purchases, having dedicated sub-accounts linked to an offset or a main interest-generating savings account with money that is specifically for those things (and a mutual agreement not to pull from other accounts if it’s all spent) can achieve the same feeling of safety. If someone is a gift giver, and the other person doesn’t care for gifts, having an agreed way to still meet those needs might be helpful, like having a rule to only present a gift when it’s buying something that has actually worn out, or is explicitly needed.

When you get to a place where you better understand one another’s money language, sparks fly.

Don’t play with FIRE if you don’t want to.

Some people don’t want to FIRE. They have no interest in retiring early, or learning how to invest, so pushing a fairly intensive budgeting or savings routine on them isn’t going to bode well. When two people don’t have the same goals financially, they’re tricky waters to navigate.

My husband and I were fortunate in that, while he wasn’t sold on the FIRE path straightaway, he was still very savvy with money and had an interest to learn. We knew we wanted to invest in property, so while we were both earning decent incomes without kids, we saved hard and did that together. I pulled the weight on learning how ETFs, LIC’s and mutual funds worked for the first while but once he saw the returns they generated, he was all in too.

Not everyone has the same story.

An impasse like this is hard. But believe me when I say that forcing someone’s hand will not be worth the work. That’s not to say that you should ever be in a position where you’re investing large sums of money while your partner is spending it all (while reaping the rewards) because that isn’t fair, but perhaps you can find some middle ground.

Some people are simply motivated by working, and that’s perfectly acceptable. Investing may give them more flexible options around work than they had before, allowing them to really take time between jobs to find their next best role, or start a business. Maybe it actually allows for them to continue working and for you to maintain a stronger presence in other important parts of life, like raising children and attending their many activities, volunteering, engaging in hobbies or caring for elderly parents. A reframe of what the lifestyle means can be helpful here – remember, FIRE is not one-size-fits-all.

Get therapy.

This one I’ll keep brief. I believe everybody should go to therapy, even if you feel like you shouldn’t.

Actually, if you feel like you shouldn’t, then you definitely should.



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Beating The Cash Crunch: 5 Ways To Survive and Thrive During Recession

Times are tough right now, there’s no denying that. Skyrocketing interest rates and increased living costs, coupled with high unemployment and job cuts across the board – it’s a scary time for many people. Despite all of the uncertainty though, there are ways to create extra cushioning in your budget, and a sense of safety in your habits that will help weather the storm no matter how long it lasts. Here are the 5 ways to survive a recession.

Negotiate absolutely everything.

When times are tough with cash flow, free up as much as you possibly can, and do it before anything else, so that you can re-budget with the most up-to-date picture of your finances available. (That’s the next step). 

To help with this, you can print out your last two or three credit card or bank statements and go through every line with a fine tooth comb. Ideally, you’re looking at what’s a non-negotiable spend, like food, housing, or a business subscription or travel, and you’re finding a way to reduce it – even if temporarily. 

For example, are you spending on health insurance (a non-negotiable), but potentially on a premium that’s too steep for your needs? In our case, we’ve stayed on a higher tier for a few years as it covers pregnancy, but also includes IVF – which we don’t need – as well as things like joint replacements and cataract surgery, which we don’t need right now. By dropping down a tier, we’ve saved a couple of hundred a month. As we get older, we’ll simply step back up and see out the waiting period again.



Recently I dropped two of my streaming services, and negotiated a couple of business subscriptions I could pare down back to basics on. There’s a lot of family assistance right now, whether it’s rental assistance or financial assistance from your bank, so it’s worth speaking to them and seeing what you’re eligible for if you’re really struggling. Remember that most businesses will offer hardship pauses if the alternative is you cancelling something entirely, and if you can access some cash now, paying upfront on certain membership means a lower price overall (and then you don’t have to worry about it throughout the year).

Re-budget, ASAP.

Hopefully by now you’ve whittled down the non-negotiable expenses a little, so it’s crunch time on the budget side. Here’s where you factor in the new cost of these things, as well as minimise or strip out those you don’t need entirely. But how do you comb through your budget in order to assess what’s important? Well, this might help.

Look at how much you spend on groceries versus takeaway and restaurants. Food is usually the biggest portion of your spending budget, and you’d be surprised at the monthly number. How much would an extra $100 to $200 cash mean to you if someone just dropped it off on your doorstep? With Aussies forking out on some of the highest spending on eating out in recent history, it’s not a stretch to assume that a few changed habits can actually free that amount up.

What subscriptions do you have, and are they all necessary? What can be combined? Where are too many convenience purchases seeping in – one or two daily barista coffees, 7-Eleven snack deals, petrol from the place near your house (but that’s way more expensive than everywhere else), or those really pricey dog treats you get? Can you implement more walking into your routine, therefore minimising gym expenses or travel expenses (even by walking or cycling some of the commute)? 

Finally, go plant-based. It’s honestly really, really cheap – don’t listen to the people who say “it’s as expensive as meat, or more expensive!”. It’s not even close. Implementing more legumes, tofu and veggies into your diet is cheap, nutritious and tasty. Bar intolerance issues, these items soak up the flavours of what you cook them in and are easy to store and prepare. Some of my favourite recipes are sticky orange tofu, colourful and fragrant veggie stir fries with basmati rice, roasted chickpea and grilled veggie tacos with plenty of guacamole, and hearty lentil and vegetable bolognaises, stews, and chillies.

Up-skill your life.

Look, no-one has a crystal ball to predict the future, but why not be as prepared as possible? By investing in your future earning potential, you can jump on the rocket ship of some of the industries or fields set to boom in the next decade. And by doing it now (especially if you were considering changing careers anyway), you’re making the biggest shoot-the-lights-out investment of your life: in you.

I think that no type of future education is a bad investment, but if you’re not sure, it’s always good to look into ways that you can up-skill on the cheap with free or low-cost courses, or improve your financial knowledge so that you can at least better your relationship with money in the meantime. Fellow Brit Emma Edwards from The Broke Generation has a good resource here, but there are plenty of platforms (and even formal universities and colleges) offering free and introductory courses on certain topics that can whet your appetite and expand your knowledge base. Personally, I think it’s always a great look to employers (or clients for the self-employed) when you can show that you’re interested in the world around you.

Maintain your insurance.

You know that old saying, peace of mind is priceless? Well, it rings especially true during times of major world flux. Funnily enough, though, maintaining peace of mind on a budget feels counterintuitive when it comes to forking out on a monthly insurance premium that offers no direct physical benefit.

Yes, premiums are a slight pressure on the budget, but the reality is that with mortgage debt and dependents, if anything happened to even one of us we’d be up shit creek without a paddle (and that’s even with a healthy emergency fund attached to the offset account on our mortgage). 

Insurance covers us in case one of us is severely impacted with the income we can earn, have a pricey car disaster, need specialist care, or if a large unexpected cost hits us on one of our properties. It means that if something happens to one of us, the other isn’t left servicing everything on their own — with the cost of kids as well — on one income. We hold insurance cover for private health, TPD (total permanent disability), life, trauma and income protection, as well as all of the standard ones around building, contents, landlord and car. 

For us, the cost of maintaining these isn’t a burden. In fact, quite the opposite — it takes a tremendous weight off of our shoulders, and gives us comfort that even in the most devastating of circumstances, surviving financially is one less thing we’d have to worry about.

Continue to invest.

I’ll keep this one short and sweet, because it’s fairly self-explanatory. But, if you are in a position where you can invest (and you feel confident to – remember, I’m not a financial planner and am not giving you any advice here!), why wouldn’t you? You have a choice to stay invested in your future, and even a small amount can make a big difference to the end game. I’ve always found uncertain times in the world to be the best time to shop the sales floor.



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What We Absolutely, No Way In Hell, Do Not Spend On

If you’re plodding along on your journey towards financial independence by saving as much as you can from what you make, squirrelling away that money into investments, and adopting minimalist habits to create momentum for your efforts – congratulations to you. Intentional living really is the secret sauce to the FIRE movement, which includes understanding what you won’t spend on as much as what you will. Here are the things we don’t spend on ourselves to help us achieve our own FIRE goal faster.

Fast fashion.

Generally for me, any outfit that I can only wear a few times isn’t a good idea from a financial perspective, let alone an environmental one. It takes significant energy, water and labour resources to create textiles in the first place – so to only wear something once in light of that just seems like a terrible waste.

I also think the quality of fast fashion is lacking. Poorly made items disintegrate faster, are laden with harsh chemicals – like bonds and glues – and are not colour fast by design. Plus, the sizing of many fast fashion houses varies greatly, which makes buying clothing and shoes pretty confusing for me – I’m a 10 in some shops, 12 in most, 14 in the rest, and if something doesn’t fit, I’ve got to go through the hassle of a return.

All in all, I’d much rather buy staple pieces that I can wear for many years, or vintage thrift finds. I maintain a capsule wardrobe made up of 30 items across dresses, pants, shorts, shirts, tees, kaftans, pyjamas, and then seasonal things like swimmers and an Oodie. It works for me and I follow a one-in, one-out system when I buy something new so I don’t have to sit on too many items at once.

Things I could upcycle from what I already have.

I love the idea of a second life for my items, and upcycling is a great way to keep costs down for things you’d have to buy otherwise. For example, if I buy pickles or olives, or a sauce comes from a jar – I keep the jar. 



This is then used as a drinking glass, a vase for vines and ivy (our home is crawling with it) or condiment containers, like at Christmas when I make fudge, cookies, jam and lemon curd for gifting.

I’ve used old boots as flower pots, seashells as homemade soap containers and earring holders, hangers as jewellery holders hung on the back of my wardrobe door, an old toilet roll painted as a phone stand, old clothes cut up as kitchen rags… I’m sure you get my point.

It’s easy to go nuts with this so I think the key is being mindful about what you bring into your space in the first place, but my general rule of thumb is not to buy something if it’s feasible enough for me to make it myself from what I already have. This list is actually super cute if you’re looking for some inspiration.

Anything available through a loan service.

Libraries are one of our most underrated services in developed countries, and historically responsible for enormous levels of literacy and comprehension. Most of my books come through my local library, and I’ve thoroughly relished being able to bring my son in on this joy.

I’ll only read books through my local library (I did have Audible for a while during babyhood because reading paperbacks sent me to sleep – good old chronic sleep deprivation). Given I read between 10-20 books a year, this is a sound investment.

I also created a baby toy swap system with friends. We regularly swap toys to keep things fresh for our kids and reduce the need to fill our home with clutter, and I also researched a local toy library in my area which we pay a small yearly membership fee for to bring out toys on loan for a month at a time. It’s awesome.

Things designed for single-use.

In our home and car, you won’t find single-use items like paper towels, napkins, paper plates, Chux, disposable razors, dryer sheets or plastic straws or bags. That’s not to say we’ve never used these things, though. In the early months of parenting, we were exhausted and dumbstruck, and a lot of conveniences slipped in out of necessity.

I think this is actually a really important point to focus on for a moment. I’m not in any way demonising the use of single-use products if your life necessitates it. At various points in raising a child (newborn stage, while toilet training, when he has been sick) we have had to. I expect the same would go for looking after someone ill, or caring for a person with special needs. Sometimes convenience to preserve your mental health and wellbeing is important.

If you don’t need to, though, I think single-use items do come with a hefty price tag – and it’s one I’d rather not pay if other options are available. A lot of the cost of single-use plastics are built into the cost of the product or commodity itself, so it’s hard to separate out. But if you weigh up the cost of the one-time purchase of something that’s built to reuse, versus the multiple purchases of something only designed to be used once, it will quickly add up in the latter. 

We look for the reusable version of many products, and you best believe we use ‘em to death, honey.

Hype products or gimmicks.

The amount of strength it takes to abstain from purchasing the latest wangle dangle for hair, beauty, skin, lifestyle, fitness, transport… It’s a lot. I like a shiny new thing. But, in my 31 rotations of the sun (and having worked in marketing for many years now), I can smell spin a mile off. 

So, I don’t buy hype products, and I especially don’t buy them as soon as they’re released – mostly, because companies are using urgency marketing and trying to feed a fear of FOMO, and that’s gross.

I’m a diehard beauty fiend and could spend all day browsing the aisles of MECCA. Still, I have one of each beauty product I use and I will never purchase another until the one I’m using is finished. When I do purchase a big ticket item, I make sure I’m really, really, really sure first. My TM6 (Thermomix) took months of deliberation. My Dyson Airwrap was similar (which I actually returned due to it not working for me). Our Mazda we bought secondhand after shopping around for weeks, and negotiating. 

The same goes for gimmicky toys. No shade on those who used those self-rocking bassinets… but like, over $1,000 for a baby bed?! Almost all of the toys we ever bought were secondhand, or loaned from a toy library. Our son doesn’t know the difference – and when he does, he’s been involved in the buying process, which can be a great financial lesson to teach a child early.

I saw on a fridge at someone’s house once that they were asking for $5 instead of birthday presents for their childs’ 5th birthday. It was going to go to his spending fund, so he could buy a big-ticket item he really wanted. It’s unconventional but I absolutely love this idea. It’s affordable for attendees, it reduces gift clutter and it allows the child to actively save and spend their money. I think that understanding this process for kids (and starting them early on it) is invaluable. 



When you’re budgeting for your own baby, here are some things you might consider too.

Things I spend on (but in a considered way):

There are some things I do think it’s worth spending well on, like:

  • Homewares. Everything in my home is alive and mostly from thrift shops – including throws, pillow covers, artwork and glassware. I would describe our home as jungle-chic. It’s eclectic, with lots of natural timber and lively greens, then pastels and pops of colour like bright yellow, orange and blue throughout.
  • Scents. I use high-quality, organic essential oils through diffusers instead of scented candles. These are expensive but worth it as we’re big proponents of aromatherapy. (No, I don’t push MLM products). 
  • Good quality nail polish. I always have my nails freshly manicured, but they’re usually the same colour – pastel pink or white.
  • Mattresses and bedding. We use flaxseed linen bed sheets and our mattresses and pillows are from Koala and Ecosa. Sleep is important to all of us and hygiene is good both in the way we sleep and what we sleep on.
  • Whole house water filtration. What we put on our skin and hair and into our bodies matters to me, and I also get hydra-facials every few months.
  • Fresh flowers, because I love them. They are such a treat.
  • The Thermomix as I said earlier. Partly because it made sense for us with a young babe who was starting solids, and secondly because we use it in the place of other separate appliances (rice cooker, steamer, peeler, chopper etc).
  • Travel. It’s a necessity, however there are ways you can keep costs down, like in the case for a honeymoon.
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Budgeting For A Baby (And FI, Too)

I cannot tell you the amount of times I have heard that financial independence is simply not possible when budgeting for a baby. That as soon as you procreate, all notions of economic autonomy go out the window, along with your sleep, sanity and sex life.

“Must be nice, but wait until they have kids.”
“Whatever. Saving is easy when you have no dependents.”
“You can’t be good with money with mouths to feed.”

Is it true that having children burden us so much that we lose all sense of fiscal responsibility? Are kids so expensive that our only destiny is to forever bounce from one pay check to another, always sacrificing in order to make ends meet? 

Maybe for some in certain circumstances, but in reality, it’s likely those circumstances existed before the baby. The baby just stretches an already lean budget, making what is a difficult situation even tighter.

But for those who aren’t in financial straits, why is our view of the financial burden of children so bleak and one-dimensional?

Since finding out we were having a baby earlier this year, we’ve been determined (if not a bit excited) to see how our FIRE numbers will change. 

Currently, we routinely save and invest up to 80% of our incomes.

The process looks like this: money comes in, we save first, pay expenses and bills second and then live on the rest.

Whether or not we’re going to be able to do this with the same ferocity alongside budgeting for a baby remains to be seen. One thing we can control now, however, is how much we spend in anticipation of our new addition.

From the beginning of my pregnancy, I’ve come to see first-hand how the marketing of stuff ramps up in the targeting of soon-to-be parents for what they need (not want – need) in order to have healthy, happy spawn. 

Here’s how we’ve combatted that in order to make sure we’re still achieving that, without blowing our budget through the roof, and compromising on our FIRE goals.

Living on one income early, saving the rest.

I’ve written about this in the media a fair bit because I think it’s very prudent if you can give it a go.

We learnt to live on one income early on, saving the rest in a separate baby fund that was dedicated to buying both baby stuff we needed, and also giving me an extra buffer for disposable funds should I decide to take a little bit longer off than first anticipated. 

We had a goal of having $15,000 in there by November – some of it we’ve spent on the bigger-ticket items we needed, like a car seat, modern cloth nappy stash and a doula, but the rest is for us to play with as we want. 

It will also serve to ease the burden of the one-income sticker-shock during my maternity leave, and give us an extra buffer if I decide I want to take a bit longer away from the business (when my government maternity payments end).

Creating a baby budget.

We created a baby budget for living on one income, which included me going through our expenses to minimise or pause what we wouldn’t need.

Some of my business subscriptions could stop, some things that were entertainment-related went in the bin (bye bye Hayu, I have a feeling I’m not going to have time for your mind-numbing goodness anymore), and I shopped around on some of our insurances and dues to lower the cost. 

I largely kept the ‘social’ category in tact to account for a new type of socialising. Think less boozy Sunday afternoons, more mummy midweek brunches. 

On the subject of being organised, we also made a baby list on Wunderlist (one of my favourite free list resources) and were ruthless on what we wanted and needed – no twenty million blankets or endless amounts of clothes, five types of barrier cream and all those electric baby accessories that line the shelves of baby shops with enormous price tags. 

We were strict on selecting only things we had been told multiple times (by different parents) that we’d need, or those aligned with our parenting preferences. Everything else, we decided we would get once he arrived and the need was proven, including a pram.

Yep, no pram. We’re baby-wearers, yo.

Getting everything secondhand and freecycled.

This has been such a huge part of our money-saving baby journey. We have literally saved thousands by getting things for free or secondhand on Facebook marketplace and pay-it-forward groups. 

I cannot stress this enough – people are so generous once they know you’re expecting. As in, I’d go and pick something up and I’d be presented with an array of other things offered up as well.

So far, I’ve picked up a baby bath, a baby bouncer, a tummy time mat, a change table, nursery rhyme books – all free, from people in my neighbourhood. Someone even gave me the whole Peter Rabbit book series – those things go for a bomb.

For everything else, I’ve saved up to 90% on the retail price by buying secondhand. Think an Ergobaby carrier, a double electric breast pump, a MotherCare bassinet, virtually all unused. And when we had our baby shower, we asked for only some key, practical things if folk felt generous enough to bring something along. They weren’t the fluffy, idealised baby things but they were just honestly what we needed.

Buying in bulk, upfront.

If it’s something you need and know you’ll use, buying in bulk can be a major cost-saver. 

We invested a few hundred on a stash of modern cloth nappies and wipes at a baby fair, which we hope will last our little bambino until he’s ready to brave the porcelain throne solo. FYI – this is a really good read if you’re interested in the cost breakdown and environmental impact of cloth vs disposable. 

I am making my own baby products from products I already own – like coconut oil, essential oils, cocoa butter and castile soap, in containers I already have, to save on the cost (and chemicals) of mainstream baby cults… I mean, brands.

Putting your money where your heart is.

As with everything on this FIRE journey, allocating your cash flow to things that you prioritise is key. 

What matters to you on your parenting journey? What kind of pregnancy or birthing experience do you want? What kind of parent do you want to be? 

We are, and always have been, an experience over things kind of unit. After a miserable and very sick pregnancy, we decided that we wanted to pursue an intervention-free water birth with full gusto. We wanted to be present – and even enjoy – every moment of bringing our son into the world, together, sans medication or surgery, and completely united.

In order to best architect the best birth experience possible, we brought on an amazing birth doula and have spent many hours researching the birthing process together, even taking a CalmBirth weekend course.

We’ve practiced breathing, acupressure, tried to understand the mechanics of pain and how it can be overcome and will go into our birth, whatever may happen, with that knowledge.

On the other hand, one of the things that didn’t rate highly on our list was showy, expensive activities. I don’t like the idea of enrolling in flashy classes or groups just to feel a sense of social achievement that I’m in a club, and I resent predatory marketing that makes parents feel like they are doing their children a disservice by not involving them.

This is obviously all a personal preference but instead, I created a series of free, low-cost or just really fun sounding activities for me and bambino ahead of time. Ones that take advantage of our community services, or align with our lifestyle.

This is the kind of exercise that helps you funnel your money into things that matter to you, and when budgeting for a baby, is going to make all the difference.

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The Definitive List of Doable Side-Hustles You Can Start Today

I sing to the high heavens about side hustles.

They are powerful ways to up-skill, fill your time productively and of course, bring in a few extra dollars outside of your regular income. If your day-job is wrangling kids around town, a side hustle can still be one of the most flexible ways to earn supplemental income and help contribute to the family’s finances.

I’ve always had side-hustles, although for a long time; I considered them my day-to-day job. Before the mighty side-hustle became a coined, worldwide phenomenon, I was a baby-faced university student running from one gig to the other in order to save aggressively, fund holidays and make rent.

A patchwork of both virtual and physical gigs across the spectrum was, in a way, my full-time job – outside of studying and drinking, of course.

So when the Internet exploded with side-hustle popularity (including thousands of blogs about how to *$TART EARNING MILLION$ WITH DA ULTIMATTE $$$IDE HU$$TLE TODAY!!*), I felt like the Oprah of the movement. By that stage, I actually was in full-time employment, but I had still been keeping the mighty side-hustle going on for the most part.

There really is very little that beats the feeling of receiving money separate from the expected monthly deposit of your regular job. It’s an addictive feeling – and to say it can supercharge your savings goals is the understatement of the century.

So without further adieu, here’s my definitive list of doable side-hustles that you can start today. It doesn’t include things like blogging, and starting a business – because the reality is – those don’t generate money straight away. And if you’re reading this, I presume you want those dollar bills to start rolling right now.

Instead, these are things that require low overheads, not a huge amount of skill and you can start immediately. Happy side-hustling!

Pet-sitting and dog-walking:

My personal favourite. If you love a puppers or two, this one’s for you, as well.

There are an estimated 24 million pets in Australia (which is almost on par with the amount of people in the country, according to the last census) – and with a large majority of these people working, going on holiday or having to run to interstate for emergencies, there’s a lot of furry friends needing companionship.

Some will ask you to have their pet in your home, some will prefer you to go to theirs (residing there, in some cases), and some just ask for you to take them for a little jaunt around the neighbourhood. You set your own rates and availability, and people contact you asking if you’re around. Normally, you arrange a meet and greet beforehand, so they can see how the animal responds to you (and check you’re not a psychopath) which is on your own time, but once everyone is happy – they book you in.

  • Finding work: PawShake, MadPaws, list your dog-walking services and a bio of you on a site like Gumtree, or chuck up a flyer in your local area.
  • Rates: It varies. I charge around $20 for a dog-walk, $50 for an overnight stay and around $30 per visit either going to them, or them staying with me.
  • Tips: Don’t do this if you genuinely don’t like animals. They’re intuitive little things and they’ll know you don’t dig ‘em, which is a waste of time for all involved. If you’re renting, check your by-laws around having pets (or do it… but know you might lose your bond) and be careful with any of your existing pets – you can’t assume they will like every animal that comes barging into their territory.

Babysitting:

Oh, baby. This one’s a goodie. Do your civil duty of giving exasperated parents a break of an evening, or help with the afternoon school run when they’re still hanging out trying to meet deadlines at work. Kids, for the most part, are great fun. I love their creativity and unique way of thinking, but again, you have to love this demographic to enjoy this kind of work. Fun fact: I once babysat for a couple in the UK who, when I asked them where they were off to that night, actually replied: “Nowhere. We’re having sex but we needed help with the kids because they always run in on us when we try any other time.”  I decided we’d all go get ice-cream very far away that day.

Meet the children beforehand, because some kids require much more time than others, and side-hustling isn’t meant to be stressful. I don’t babysit too much anymore as my copywriting business, Wordy and Smith keeps me pretty busy, but if I do, I’ll ask to meet up with the kids and the parents in a relaxed park setting, so we can sit down and chat properly. It gives me a great opportunity to see how the kids interact with their parents and each other in an environment that’s very exciting for them and that’s usually a great indicator of how they’ll behave with me.

  • Finding work: FindABabysitter, JuggleStreet, BabySits, BabySittersNow. If you are into the nanny thing (and looking for a more full-time gig), I met Michelle from MiniNannyAgency at one of the workshops we did at Wordfetti and highly recommend having a chat with her – she is such a gorgeous human.
  • Rates: Around $25 to $30 an hour is an average rate, but this will vary on things like age, experience, what’s required of you (i.e. are you going to be hanging out with babies and toddlers, or self-sufficient early teens).
  • Tips: If you don’t have the patience of a saint, this one isn’t for you. Kids are unpredictable, emotional and sometimes unreasonable little human beings, and they needs lots of love and attention. This isn’t a “do it whilst doing something else” kind of gig. Also note that you will probably need need police clearance.

Paid surveys and market research:

Opinions are like… you know what. Everyone has one, and sometimes businesses will pay for yours. There are a variety of ways to go about this, whether it be short, paid online surveys, or in-person, roundtable market research discussions. The latter are much better paid, but often only run in major capital cities or work hubs, and you need to attend in-person for an hour or more. All have stringent pre-qualification protocols, so this isn’t something you’d want to depend on for regular side-hustle income… although I’m pretty sure I made about $5,000 over a six-month period a few years back. Just got lucky, I guess!

Online surveys are just a series of questionnaires, taking between five and fifteen minutes to complete. Market research can be interviews, taste-tests, or a business launching a new product and wanting to run the way they market it past a focus group first. They might show you variations of different ad campaigns, or different photos of the product prototypes to see how they make you feel. Writing down: “This tub of chocolate mousse makes me feel sad” feels strangely right – and even more so when they hand you your cash-filled envelope at the end of the session.

  • Finding work: PureProfile, PaidFocusGroups and MyOpinions.
  • Rates: Online surveys can be anywhere from 50c to a couple of dollars, depending on the time you are allocated to spend on it. Market research is much better paid, and they often reimburse you for your travel. Expect anywhere from $60 to $120 for an hour and a half’s session. More frequently they are paying with gift cards nowadays, but these can still be redeemed at major supermarkets and chains.  
  • Tips: My friend Lucinda who originally got me into market research (who has an ah-maz-ing candle business FYI) told me, anecdotally, that they prefer female participants between the 24-35 age range as they have the most purchasing power in Aussie households. That’s not to say they aren’t looking for a wide range of profiles but, you know, inside scoop and all that.

Selling stuff around the home:

If you’re not on the KonMari, joy-sparking bandwagon, where have you been? Aside from being super popular, the concept of minimalism is very powerful when it comes to tidying up your personal finances. I first read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up a number of years ago, and as the title would suggest, it literally changed my life. I now keep things very simple and uncluttered in my home, in my work and in my accounts. Making no space for mess and complexity has made so much space for everything else.

One of the key ways to do that is to declutter – and then stop filling your home up with more stuff you don’t need. Go through drawers, under beds, through cupboards, bookcases, boxes, garages, cars and everything else with a nook or cranny, and pull out everything you haven’t been using for more than a year. Ask yourself genuinely: Do I need this? Will I use this? Do I already have one of these? Does it make me happy? If not – list it up for sale. People will often come round to pick them up, handing over their cash, and that saves you a trip to the charity shop bin and helps the environment.

  • Finding work: Gumtree, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and specialist sell sites (I’m currently trying to sell my wedding dress on one).
  • Rates: The general rule of thumb is to ask yourself what you’d be prepared to pay for an item if you needed it. You can also look at how much similar items have gone for, because the age old adage says that something is only worth what the market is willing to pay.
  • Tips: Be prepared to negotiate on price, and to have a degree of your time wasted. Don’t plan your day around someone promising to come around and pick something up, because you have a 50/50 chance they’ll show. Never ever meet up with buyers in unknown and unpopulated places, and if they’re coming round to collect something, use language that suggests you are not home alone (i.e. “yes, we will be home / we should be free then.”) I also ask buyers ahead of time not to bring big notes because I can’t break them and don’t store cash at home. Cashless societies for the win!

Freelancing with your skills:

This one I love on so many levels, because it’s essentially where my business sprouted from. We humans are pretty talented, multi-faceted beings, and at some stage of other, we’ve probably picked up a few key skills that we can use to help someone who either doesn’t have the time or know-how to do themselves. Whether it be writing, graphic design, SEO, digital marketing, web development, public relations, consulting, coaching, event planning, sales, virtual assisting, calligraphy, illustration or managing social media accounts, there’s likely someone out there willing to pay for your skills.

This is the kind of side-hustle that you can start today, as long as your niche doesn’t have huge overheads (like buying product or equipment, as in the case of catering or recording and animating videos). Things that also require huge software subscriptions (Adobe) aren’t ideal if you don’t already have them. Freelancing is great because it offers total flexibility and freedom, and in this game, word-of-mouth travels fast. It’s where almost all of my new leads come from – businesses telling other businesses that I’m a pretty top chick, or my existing clients reaching back out with a new project.

  • Finding work: Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr – or specialist sites for your niche. You can also ask in your network, through somewhere like LinkedIn, whether anyone needs help in a specific field for an upcoming project.
  • Rates: Most charge per hour, but it depends on the field and specialty and your level of experience – so there’s no one-size-fits-all rate. You can always work out your salaried hourly rate by taking your salary, dividing it by the amount of work-weeks in your working year, and then dividing that by how many hours in your work-week (or, you know, using a calculator like this). Someone who is salaried at $60,000 would earn $28.85 per hour (assuming 52 weeks in their working year and 40 hours per week).
  • Tips: You’re likely dealing with people who have, to some extent, deliverables and KPIs – and they’re engaging your expertise with the expectation that you can deliver as you have said you can. Managing clients can be a big learning curve if you don’t have experience in client-facing roles. Goal-posts can change, people can sometimes be unreasonable under pressure and invoices can be paid late. But these things can be navigated around and with experience and the right upfront processes in place, they get much easier.

Driving:

Broom, broom said the little cash-loving car. Ride-sharing has surged in popularity over the last five years (literally pulling certain people around the world out of poverty), but it remains pretty controversial for reasons of safety and corporate responsibility. Still, if you have a car, and spare time, it can be a nice little income generator for you. I recently found out about Shebah through the Lady Startup Summer Series of podcast interviews, and fell in love. They’re a business doing amazing things and it’s female-only, so if that’s a worry for you, this is a great way to be involved in the process.

Many of these apps even have options nowadays where you can only pick up and drop off people travelling on your normal route. So if you’re heading into work or to a social event, and fancy making a cheeky bit of cash, you don’t have to go out of your way to do so. If you’re into the driving economy, you can also sign up to deliver food, which also has the added benefit of earning you tips and gratuities. Full disclosure: I have never done either of these (but friends have), mainly because a.) Sydney is Satan’s playground for drivers and b.) my husband routinely reminds me that if we ever did food delivery, he’d have to take a personal “bite-tax” out of every one. I don’t imagine we’d last long when all of our reviews came back with: “You ate some of my dinner you drongos!”.

  • Finding work: Uber, Shebah, GoCatch.
  • Rates: Finder have a decent calculator for Uber, and on their website, Shebah say: “you keep 85% of your fares, and enjoy higher rates than other rideshares. You earn more during peak times, and fares are inclusive of GST and tolls!”
  • Tips: Obviously there are safety concerns for women driving strangers around, especially at night – but platforms like Shebah combat this (and honestly, if you haven’t listened to George McEncroe being interviewed on the Lady Startup Summer Series, you’re missing out). Shebah also offer a free financial planning session to all drivers. You’ll get more fares in the capital cities but you have to be comfortable with city driving – and I’m not so convinced on their GPS efficiency, either.

Renting out a car, garage or room:

Never before has the concept of short-term leasing on someone else’s space or assets been so attractive. We live in an age where the cost of ownership is damn high, and you’re ‘in’, the cost of maintenance is just as astronomical. It makes sense for both owners and renters to utilise and benefit from unused or idle assets, and this can take the form of a spare room, a garage or a car.

Car sharing, garage sharing and room-sharing can come at a fraction of the cost of buying or owning outright (and saves them all the ongoing maintenance and management fees), so it’s a very attractive proposition. You call the shots with how you want to offer your assets, including short-term leasing, or, if you have a separate granny flat or home office, as a long-term commercial lease. Garages are great if you have a two-car space, but one car, and live in an area where street parking is difficult or expensive. Before we bought our own car, we regularly utilised the services of Car Next Door and found it to be a great way of getting around when we needed more convenient transport, like for food shopping.

  • Finding work: AirBnB, Car Next Door, Spacer, Just Park.
  • Rates: AirBnB depends on the area, type of property, whether you’ll be vacating completely or sharing the space and any other perks (like breakfast or a gift pack). You can look at other places in the same area for a better comparison. Car Next Door sticks to about 33 cents per kilometre and will charge a membership fee depending on usage amount. Garage sharing services take a cut of any bookings, and prices vary by location, ease of access and level of privacy.
  • Tips: AirBnB has experienced a significant decrease in bookings, at least in Sydney where we live. Many other AirBnB hosts have commented on how few bookings they receive than they used to; but Christmas is always a pretty safe bet. As always, good reviews are golden so try and help your guests or borrowers to have a great experience.

A weekend job:

There’s no shame in doing a little bit of extra weekend work for cash. I’d still happily do anything I did pre-university today, although I unfortunately know a lot of people in my professional circle who wouldn’t. That’s a shame, in my opinion, because it’s not only a great way to boost your income on a guaranteed basis, but you’ll meet some awesome people and learn new skills at the same time. Whether it be barista work, waiting tables, helping at a shelter or sanctuary drive, pool cleaning, handing out flyers at brand events, car-washing, working for a catering company on weekends or doing some admin and reception work – it’s all excellent income opportunity.

  • Finding work: Go and call up local cafes, offices and shelters and chat to the managers (stay clear of their busy times!). Hand in your resume or pop up flyers for pool cleaning and car washing in your local area.
  • Rates: You shouldn’t be getting paid any less than minimum wage in your country. In Australia, it’s $18.29 an hour, or $694.90 a week. From July 1 it will rise to $18.93 an hour, or $719.20 a week.
  • Tips: Be persistent, and try and avail yourself of a weekend if you can. This is really when most places, or 9-5 workers will need your services.

Mystery shopping:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: acting as a mystery shopper to visit a particular shop and provide feedback on everything from customer service, floorplan, product layout, dressing room aesthetic and cleanliness. You take all of this personal intel and write it up in a detailed report that needs to be sent back to the agency within a day – so there is a timeliness component to the task.

There’s two components to mystery shopping remuneration – one is the fee, and the second is the goods you buy that you get to keep (although sometimes you need to buy it with your own cash upfront, keep the receipt and they reimburse you). This can be great if you need something from that store anyway. I’ve heard about Kikki K’s $200 mystery shopping initiative, which is pretty generous – but I’ve personally never done it.

  • Finding work: Seek, MysteryShopping, The Realise Group.
  • Rates: On average, around $20 in a flat-fee payment, and then the cost of product. This can be capped, though, so keep that in mind.
  • Tips: Try and take jobs for shops you actually need to visit – otherwise you’ll end up with a bunch of extra stuff you don’t need (unless you plan on selling it for less than RRP – triple whammy).

Tutoring or translating:

Bit of a whizz in school? Got a knack for maths, science or English? Busy, working parents in your area who could use a hand with their kids homework and study need YOU. Now, this is unlikely to be the hardcore tutoring stuff (like, parents who want their kids to come top 1% of the country in their exams) because this requires either being a teacher or understanding the curriculum requirements deeply, but a little help with basic homework will suffice.

The same goes for parents who want their kids to be able to learn a different language that you natively speak. For this, you’ll want to have your own BYO language learning book so you have some kind of structure to your sessions, and leave plenty of time for back-and-forth practice.

  • Finding work: Speaking to local parents at a community meetup or pop flyers up, TutorFinder, Upwork for translation jobs.
  • Rates: Around $25 per hour is reasonable, with each session lasting 1-2 hours.
  • Tips: You want to be good with kids and be able to engage them in order to help them learn. Some parents will expect you to provide a police or Working With Children check at your own time and expense.

Rent-a-hand:

TaskRabbit’s mission statement of “find jobs you love, at rates you choose, make a schedule that fits your life” sums up the whole rent-a-hand gig economy movement. There’s virtually nothing humans aren’t willing to outsource when it comes to things they don’t want to do, so it’s worth scrolling through the jobs just for the laughs alone. You can filter by things that are nearby, and things you genuinely love to do (like organising people’s bathroom cabinets. I think I’d do that for free).

  • Finding work: TaskRabbit, AirTasker.
  • Rates: Variable (but negotiable), and the better your reviews, the better your chances of being able to do so.
  • Tips: Don’t do anything you don’t know how to do (or aren’t licensed to – like plumbing or electrics). Exercise general, everyday caution when going into people’s homes.

With all of these, approach with an opportunist mindset. I’m an opportunist, and this has always served me well. Ultimately, the more you get out there – the more you will find. With some of the lower-priced jobs, take that thinking of: “I don’t want to to head out today for $15”, and consider instead the opportunity cost of not doing it. What else could you find when getting out that will lead to more long-term earning potential?

You might not want to start with all of them, because there is a portion of time you’ll need to dedicate in setting up your profile, and applying for a few initial jobs (you’ll find you get less work in the beginning – but once you build up those testimonials, my experience now is that the offers often come to me). Instead of applying, I vet through around 15 offers for different things per week, and pick whatever I have the time and capacity for.

Remember, if you’re in Australia (as most of these links are for), our taxation system basically lumps all earnings into the same bucket: income. You will need to declare this income at tax-time and your tax payable will be calculated by your marginal tax rate.

If you don’t feel confident in lodging and declaring this income, it is highly recommended that you speak with a personal taxation specialist. There is also a consideration of whether you’ll be running this as a hobby, or a business – in which case, you may need an Australian Business Number (ABN). The Australian Business Register has a good ABN entitlement tool (so you can check your eligibility) but if in doubt, run it past aforementioned accountant.

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