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Sharing economy- opportunities to make and save money are still there

sharing-economy

  You can loan out a room, camper van, driveway and household equipment, even the family dog. What are the most practical and realistic ways to benefit from this way of operating?

Share and share alike 

A spare bedroom with en-suite can bring you £175/night…if that night is during the August bank holiday and you are in Southsea. An entire flat or house can make the equivalent of a month's rent in the 3 nights. I know of people who Airbnb their place while the kids are with their 'other' parent, sometimes they rent a more modest Airbnb for themselves for the period and some move into a camper van for premium Summer weeks to maximise their income and get their mortgage paid. Some rent rooms Monday-Friday and have their children at weekends. For some of us, our nature is such that we are always looking for the next opening to be creative in our use of assets, I decided to investigate a few.

https://park4night.com/ gives free spots to park up your camper van, I recently used this extensively on my recent jaunt to Scotland. We had 3 lovely weeks with no 'happy camper' campsites whatsoever.

www.campa.org.uk/waste-disposal/ lists free and low cost waste disposal for camper vans

https://campspace.com/ lists back gardens to pitch your tent, driveways to park your camper, a sort of cheaper Airbnb where you bring your own accommodation. I spotted a garden pitch on the Isle of Wight for just £5, including use of the bathroom and kitchen in the house.

https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/ lets you rent out or hire local cars, ideal if your second car sits around.

https://www.borrowmydoggy.com/ is gaining traction as a viable alternative to kennels. As our dogs become ever more pampered we look out for kind homes rather than kennel accommodation for our pooches. Worth a mention here is the Cinnamon Trust, arranging volunteer dog walkers and pet services for the elderly and disabled, ideal if you want some dog-time but not the commitment of a dog (or the vets' bills!) The Cinnamon Trust – The National Charity for the elderly, the terminally ill and their pets

https://www.spinlister.com/ lists bikes, skis, paddleboards and other occasional sporting equipment for hire. Having taken a paddleboard to Scotland, carted it around for 2 weeks and then posted it home this seems like a great option!

Fancy a free holiday? House sitting can work https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/ will help you find free accommodation in return for pet and house-sitting. Home-swapping is also an amazing way to get free accommodation; I used to do this a lot when we had kids, dropping right into a family home, complete with toys. I had amazing breaks in Rhossili (Wales) and a couple of ski resorts as well (who knew that Portsmouth was attractive to house-swappers? It certainly is!), as well as a luxury stay in Corsica. It is usually done on trust, it necessitates a general clearing-up of your own house to receive your guests but it is an effective option and can slice thousands off the cost of your holidays. The likes of Home exchange - HomeExchange and Home Exchange with Love Home Swap | House Swap Holidays offer international house swaps for a small annual fee, about £100. No excuses now for not travelling the world.

So put aside your lockdown agoraphobia and counter your new extortionate energy bills by using the sharing economy to improve your year at no cost, or make a new side-hustle. You never know where it may lead.

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