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Simone's Blog: Money Magnet

As the Director of Affiliate Relations at HomeFree-USA, I’ve always been fascinated with how people handle their money. Like everyone else, I’ve had my financial ups and downs. In fact, it took me 32 months to pay off $32,000 in credit card bills and build up a six-month emergency fund. While that was a very difficult period, I am grateful – and wiser -- for the experience.

Through my personal experiences and working at HomeFree-USA, I’ve gained a ton of insight that I feel compelled to share. You’ll find those lessons here. Feel free to take the thoughts and ideas that resonate with you most and put aside the rest for later. I look forward to sharing my journey.

Yeah, you can rent that

Usually, when people think of things they can rent they only consider cars and homes. But as the sharing economy grows so too does the opportunity to "borrow" things that are either unaffordable or unnecessary to own outright.

Here are a few things you can rent or lend at a decent price:

1. Your parking space
If you live in an area where many people frequent, you can list your space for a short or long term. Price suggestions are offered but you ultimately set your own rate. Check out Parking Spotter  or Just Park.

2. Your Car
Unlike Uber or Lyft, where you drive people around, sites like RelayRides and Getaround allow you to rent your own car by the hour, day, week or even month, perfect for people who travel often or have a second car they rarely use.

3. Your home
Check out my previous article on space sharing.

4. Your photography equipment
Anyone who's into photography knows how expensive the equipment is. Now you can turn that expense into profit even when you're not using it via sites like Cameralends or Borrow Lenses.

5. Yourself
At least two of my friends have had to cut or add bridesmaids because her number of close friends didn't line up with the groom's. Now, you can rent a bridesmaid from Bridesmaid for Hire.  (I won't lie. I was judgmental for about 1.5 minutes. Then, I fell in love with the idea!) You can also rent yourself out as a friend via Rent a Friend. Again, this makes sense for many people, especially those who may have just moved to a new city and don't know anyone.

6. Your wedding dress
Craigslist offers this, as does Borrowing Magnolia. Some people want to keep their wedding dress forever and wouldn't dare allow others to wear it, while others just don't care as much, especially if they're divorced. This is a great opportunity to let the dress be seen and admired on more than one special day.

7. Anything else
Check out Zilok, rentything.com or loanables.com for pretty much anything you'll need only a few times.

And so it is.

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