Week three of the 2014 make money challenge provided me the opportunity to earn some quick cash. I received an offer to house and pet sit for four days. In the past, I have refused these opportunities because it can be quite disruptive to my writing having to move my things there and back in such a short period of time. I’d much rather do these for a minimum of a week to two weeks, but this really is a good way to make extra money (and also save money) that doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. This is especially true for me since I spend the majority of my day on my computer and can work any place as long as I have an Internet connection.
One of the benefits of this job is that it’s a win-win for all involved. I charge the same amount as what it would cost to board a pet. If they have one pet, they break even. If they have more than one pet, they save money. For most pet owners, they would much rather have their pet at home than at a kennel while they’re gone. In addition, they have someone who is at their house which lessens the risk of theft. They also have someone there in case something unexpected happens. I’ve never advertised, but once I began doing it for friends and family, word quickly spread and now I have more opportunities than I can accept.
The price I charge depends on what the local animal boarding places charge, but I usually earn about $50 a day. This four-day stint put an extra $200 into my pocket which is well above the highest amount on the challenge chart, so that’s the one which gets crossed off.
In addition, I was also given some clothes that the people I was house sitting for no longer needed.
Week 3 Total: $52.00
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 $10
$11 $12 $13 $14 $15 $16 $17 $18 $19 $20
$21 $22 $23 $24 $25 $26 $27 $28 $29 $30
$31 $32 $33 $34 $35 $36 $37 $38 $39 $40
$41 $42 $43 $44 $45 $46 $47 $48 $49 $50
$51 $52
Goals for Week 4
I’m back to the same goal that I’ve had the last couple of weeks which is to get the items I own sorted and sold. I passed on doing that this week because I was pet sitting a couple of hours away from my place, which would have made it difficult to deliver anything that would have sold. While this goal ended up being delayed, I felt the other opportunity was worth it since it took less time and paid more. The decluttering and selling of my house is going to be a year-long project, so these early setbacks don’t have me too worried.
If you are participating in a money making challenge this year, how did this week go for you?
Other posts that are part of this challenge:
2014 Challenge Start
Week One
Week Two
Well done!! 🙂 I agree.. i’d much rather have someone at my home while it’s empty and caring for my pet as well! I’m not doing the 52 week money challenge (but have posted about it.. I love it!) as my goal is to save $5K into my TFSA over the year. So i’ve been really focusing on that. So far, so good though as i’ve added almost $800 into it with 2 weeks to go in the month! It’s looking like i’ll be able to reach my goal this year!
Keep up the great work, I love these posts! 🙂
Great that you have a goal in place and are successfully working toward it. That’s the name of the game!
You save the homeowner even more than $50ish a day. Their cat/dog is not stressed and is less likely to be exposed to and acquire illness. Kennel depression and anxiety is also an issue, owner and pet ;). A few like it but most don’t. They have no gas or time cost for pet drop off. I’ve paid extra because of pick up times and kennel closures. I usually tried to have a responsible neighbor kid come over, better all around.