Many of us are in the habit of squeezing every cent out of the things around us. We use every last drop of toothpaste, scrape the bottom of the peanut butter jar, and avoid using the AC in our cars to save gas. If this sounds like you, you may be looking for some additional ways to get some extra money. Well, you’re in luck. Turning off the AC isn’t the only way you can squeeze some extra money out of your car – here are a few more methods.
Use it for a Part-time Job
One of the best things you can do is use your car for a part-time job. There are now many jobs available that require you to drive your car around, and most of them are easy to get. For instance, there are probably many restaurants in your local area who could use some help in delivering meals to customers. You can do this for a few hours each week and not only get paid by the restaurant but make pretty good money in tips.
Another option is to join a rideshare company. Companies like Uber and Lyft are always looking for new drivers, and the requirements are not that strict. You just need a clean driving record and a decent car, and you can start earning money. The best part about working through one of these apps is that you get to choose your own hours, so you can work as little or as much as you want, whenever you want.
Finally, if you don’t like the idea of driving around people or you don’t want your car smelling like food, consider delivering packages. Amazon is looking for people to deliver packages across the country and you can do so from the comfort of your own vehicle. You can click here to learn more about this program and see if it’s right for you.
Rent Out Your Car
If you want to squeeze out some extra money from your car, but you don’t want to do the driving yourself, you could let someone else drive it. Renting out your car is an easy way to bring in some extra money without having to do much work. There are some downsides of course – the extra miles on your car, the risk of an accident, to name a few. But if you have a well-running car that you’re not using very often, renting it out to others is often a lucrative option.
Use Your Car for Advertising
Have you ever been driving down the road, and you see a car covered in an advertisement for some business? You assume this car is somehow related to the business – making deliveries or house calls. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Some companies will pay you to put advertisements on your car. With car wrap advertising you simply go about your day as you normally would, only with an advertisement in your car. You get to bring in some extra cash, and the business gets some increased visibility. If you don’t mind driving around a mobile billboard, you should consider this option. Just make sure you are doing it through a reputable company, as there are many scams out there related to this.
Get Rid of Your Car
The last thing you can do is simply get rid of your car. Maybe you don’t use it all that often or maybe it’s just too broken down to keep driving. Whatever the reason, you can still squeeze some money from it while it’s on its way out the door.
For starters, you could obviously just sell it. Depending on what sort of condition it is in, you might be able to sell it for a decent amount of money. If it’s pretty broken down, you likely won’t get all that much. Another option is to sell it for parts, getting money for the parts that still work and junking the rest of it. Even selling a totaled car isn’t out of the question, so see what you can get for it.
If you can’t or don’t want to sell it, consider donating it. Many charities will accept old car donations, regardless of what kind of condition they are in. In exchange for your donation, you will get a tax write-off at the end of the year, and many charities throw in a thank you gift. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.
Get Every Cent You Can
Cars are expensive to own and use, so get every cent you can out of them. Hopefully, with the above list, you’ll be able to use your car to get some more money in your wallet each month and be able to put that money towards some better purpose.