Retiree's $10k bonanza from growing share economy

In Sydney's south-west, Luke Hamblyn is working on some home improvements.

He rented thousands of dollars worth of expensive tools through the website toolmateshire.com.

"I want my garage to be my man cave, I need somewhere to store all my guitars," he told A Current Affair.

"So instead of clogging up the space with tools that I will only use once, I can free up the space for what else I need it for."

Retiree Joanne Walker has also made the share economy work for her.

The 72-year-old uses a number of services and says she not only saves money, but makes it.

"I retired two years ago and since then, it's nice to have the pocket money," she said.

"That's really what it's all about."

She's a member of Mad Paws, an online pet-sitting community.

She charges about $35 a day per dog, and enjoys both the company of a part-time companion, and the extra cash.

She said she had made about $10,000 using the platform.

She spends her extra pocket money renting a car through Car Next Door - rather than owning one.

"It fills my need because I don't have my own car, and it fills their requirements for a little bit of extra cash," she said.

Mum of three Anne Treasure is one of the car owners cashing in.

Her family's second car, a 2001 Mazda, can be hired for $5 an hour, or just $20 a day.

"We've had it listed for three years now and it's made nearly 14 grand," she said.

Other share economy offers are based on subscription.

Through Toy Libraries Australia, families can sign up to their local library - for free in some areas, and for a small subscription fee in others.

Melbourne mums Amber and Mel say signing up was a no-brainer, and that it cut down on the cost of toys for their kids.

While Emma has the compost app Share Waste to connect with donors getting rid of their scraps.

"I have always grown things, so it's good to have a free supply of fertilizer and compost to put into the gardens, but it's also a way of getting rid of your food scraps," she said.

Emma has been using the app for a number of years and now grows her own vegetables.

"I like building community connections, meeting people on the street that are happy to just drop off their stuff, or connecting through the app," she said.