The question of how ARE we making money is a hot topic when discussing life with people since returning from our six month road trip.
It’s no secret we haven’t jumped back into full-time jobs and most people rightfully assume we spent a good chunk of money on the trip already. Travis and I have are always seeking a healthy balance of enjoying family life with the necessity of making money.
Before our six month road trip this past winter, we both spent the fall working part time. Travis worked for a local cell phone company and I worked at a bagel shop. We loved our jobs. We coordinated our schedules to basically work at opposite times, with occassional help from my mom. But we craved more family time above anything else. Our kids are growing up right before our eyes and we know how easy it could be to miss it. God-willing, we decided to stop at two kids to avoid another dark post-partum season. Therefore, we feel the weight of this one shot – this one family – to enjoy in this lifetime.
So, how are we making money?
The short answer is we’re making money in a million little ways. But I figured it would be kinda fun to break it down job by job. To many, our life sounds overwhelming. Instead of commuting to one job and managing one paycheck, we have multiple. But this is our choice because we value flexibility. After having our second child, I was not thriving as a full-time stay at home mom. I felt horribly guilty for not loving my season at home, but I think it was a matter of shifting my perspective to what this “season at home” could look like. We knew we didn’t want the kids in daycare, so Travis and I began brainstorming how we could both be home and both work. (Or almost equally.)
The road trip was a somewhat spontaneous now-or-never endeavor. Our daughter was about to start kindergarten and we were beginning to look for new jobs. I had a small social media page where I’d share frugal tips and tricks with anyone who would listen. Our hope was to grow on social media, start a website, and maybe discover creative ways to make money independently.
In order to solidify some sort of income while we traveled, we applied as hosts on Airbnb. After hosting during the football season in Green Bay, we felt confident enough to host remotely on our trip. It’s not like we made an overwhelming amount of money with an Airbnb in Green Bay during off season, but with a couple stays each month, plus a high-earning NFL Draft stay in April, it was definitely worth it. You can learn more about our process of becoming Airbnb hosts on my blog post.
Around the same time, we applied to the Amazon Influencer program. This is basically a way to make money for video reviews on products from Amazon. It takes some determination to apply, wait for acceptance, and submit qualified videos, but after just a couple tries, we got in! If people watch your video reviews, then buy that specific product, you get a cut. Anyone with a social media account can apply! Learn how HERE. This side hustle does not sustain us full-time, but we’re currently earning $50-$100 a month with just over 100 video reviews.
I’ve always been passionate about making money through apps that give rebates, cash back, and rewards. These apps included Fetch, Brandclub, Upside, and so many more. (Find the full list here.) Using about twenty different apps, we make around $100 a month.
In December 2024, we hit the road with these few money-making strategies and a chunk of change in our savings. A few months in, I started meeting helpful friends online who taught me what websites would pay me as a content creator. I applied to Cactus Media, Collabstr, and Aspire media. I also started to understand more about brand deals and content creation. This was an exciting learning curve that most people underestimate. Since returning home, I’ve also utilized the apps Kale and Stack Influence for other small streams of income.
Coming home was somewhat of a financial relief as we were spending less and starting up more side hustles. Travis went back to Biolife each week. He also began working for Doordash.
Together, we’re flipping furniture, reselling items, and doing all the other side hustles listed above as means of full-time income. My next goal for making money is gaining enough traffic to my website to monetize it. What a dream that would be! Naturally, this is the part of the post where I shamelessly beg for you share my website with all your friends who love saving money. You have no idea how much it helps!
Feel free to comment with more questions below. I’ll always share openly about how we live frugally in this crazy, expensive world.
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