Turn your spare time into spare cash

Mums, dads and grandparents are turning their spare time, spare room or spare car into spare cash.

The advent of the sharing economy means some people are even quitting their day jobs for a better lifestyle.

Uber is now well-established, as is food delivery services like Deliveroo and Foodora, but lesser known ventures putting people directly in touch with customers include Mad Paws for pet sitters, Spacer for renting out garage space, Car Next Door for hiring a car and You Camp for private land owners who want to make cash from campers.

Runcorn dad Franky McGrath used to run operations for a warehouse but now he's his own boss.

"Just the freedom, time off with the kids," Mr McGrath said of the perks.

"I like to have a day off during the week (and) I just really enjoy doing it."

Mr McGrath can make $300 a day delivering parcels - not for an established company but for Zoom2U - the Uber of courier drivers.

"From seven in the morning to eight at night, jobs continually pop up," he said.

"The sharing economy helps everyday Australians earn extra income by using their spare time or renting out their spare assets," Alexis Soulopoulos, from The Sharing Hub, a company supporting those in the sharing economy, said.

Luke Bird traded in his job as a boilermaker to rent out camper vans and RVs on Camplify.

"You can make really good money," Mr Bird said.

He started with his own camper and now he has a fleet for hire.

"Some of my caravans return $20,000 for the year," he said.

Mr Bird also rents out his car, earning him around $600 a month - he's just won an award from The Sharing Hub.

“I think it’s a really alternative way of making money as a job if you want the freedom, it’s a great way to go,” Mr Bird said.

Supervising companies can offer the security of guaranteed payments, free insurance, even customer support for those nervous about going it on their own.

As always, tax must be paid on any earnings.