Healthy Family Healthy Budget - Summer Edition
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The Sharing Economy<br />
Helping with Expenses<br />
5 years ago, the thought of letting a stranger pay to<br />
sleep in your spare bedroom was strange, however<br />
115,000 Australians are doing it right now. The<br />
sharing economy has opened up ways for<br />
everyone to earn money from spare time or spare<br />
assets they have at home.<br />
How can families participate?<br />
Those with young children may find it difficult to list<br />
on AirBnB, but there are plenty of other options<br />
available to earn extra cash from unused assets.<br />
One new entrant to the sharing economy is<br />
Kindershare. If parents have travel cots, travel<br />
prams, plane cushions or bassinets at home, they<br />
can rent them out to other families, earning money<br />
from equipment that would otherwise be gathering<br />
dust at home. Renters are usually families who<br />
need things at their destination, or are keen to have<br />
a compact pram to take with them to help manage<br />
tired feet in airports.<br />
Is it risky?<br />
The first question people ask is “will the renters<br />
take care of my items?”. All owners set a bond on<br />
their items, which gives renters an incentive to take<br />
care of the items. Kindershare will also give you<br />
75% of the replacement cost if something goes<br />
wrong. From personal experience, I’ve found<br />
anyone who has rented my items has been very<br />
careful – one person even washed all the cot<br />
sheets before returning it.<br />
What items get rented the most?<br />
High value, travel related items are always in high<br />
demand, and its not surprising when you consider it<br />
from the renter’s perspective. If you are travelling,<br />
your options are to buy a cheap stroller for $50, or<br />
rent a top of the line one for $60. One parent has<br />
made over $500 this year from renting out her<br />
Yoyo travel pram to other families – that’s almost<br />
the price of buying one new.<br />
How else can I make money using the sharing<br />
economy?<br />
The sharing economy has made it easier for people<br />
to earn some spare money by renting out their<br />
garage, pet sitting or running classes for other people.<br />
The Sharing Hub is a collection of Australia’s<br />
leading sharing economy companies and offers<br />
great ways for families to make some extra money,<br />
or save on items they only need for short periods.<br />
Article submitted by Vanouhi Nazarian of<br />
Kindershare
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