Australian earns ‘free money’ with side hustles anyone can do: ‘Earned $300’

An Australian woman told us about the simple part-time job that earned her hundreds of dollars in “free money” while walking her dog. Many Australians are looking for ways to make a little extra cash as the cost of living crisis puts a strain on their budgets.

Heidi Lou has been sharing daily videos showing exactly how much she makes collecting cans and redeeming them for a 10 cent refund through Queensland’s Containers for Change program. The model and graphic designer from Brisbane said Yahoo Finance She started collecting cans to save for a new sofa.

“My partner and I wanted to get a new sofa because we have a used sofa but can’t really justify spending the money on it, so we thought we could just put the money aside for the sofa because basically Money is free anyway,” said the 32-year-old.

“We opened a savings account specifically to see how much we could get out of it. I opened the account around Christmas last year and we have made almost $300 since then.”

RELATED

Heidi said she has felt the rising cost of living, with food, fuel and general bills being the biggest costs she has struggled with.

“We’re being very careful with our grocery stores, not eating out as much, and looking for ways to save extra money or cut corners,” she said Yahoo Finance.

“It definitely helped us because we don’t want to spend money on new furniture, but if it’s just free money, it’s okay to spend it.”

Heidi said the most she could collect while walking her German Shepherd was $4, or 40 cans of whiskey.

She said she was able to find cans at nearby construction sites in her neighborhood and in local parks.

Research from Finder found that collecting recyclable cans and bottles was one of the most popular ways for Australians to make extra money, alongside selling their used items.

The survey found Australians earn an average of $46 a month by collecting and recycling cans for 10 cents each.

While it’s not the most lucrative side hustle – in fact, according to Finder, it was the least profitable of all – it can be an easy way to earn a little extra spending money for something you’re already doing.

Heidi’s videos have been flooded with comments from other Australians who have also started collecting cans.

The story continues