My Gig with Rover
In January I was feeling poor. Food prices kept going up. Gas prices kept creeping up. We kept dipping into savings before the end of the month. We have been “retired” since January 2021 and I feel like we are still learning how to budget for our new income. By “budgeting” I mean spending as usual but falling short faster. I gave up on being one of those couples who worked as a team on spending carefully and saving money forty years ago. Drew has lived like he has six months left on this planet for 62 years and will probably live another 30 with the same plan. It can be hard on an innately careful spender such as myself, but he has his upside, like being able to live in the same house as me without incurring much permanent damage.
So I did some brainstorming about what I could do to boost household income. What are my moneymaking liabilities? I make a poor waitress. Retail requires too much contact with the percentage of the public who have to concentrate to get dressed with their underwear on the inside. What are my assets? I can paint, but that makes me about $3,000 in a good year. I can probably find a few takers for my writing but that’s even less lucrative than painting. I have this big house and large backyard. AirBnB is a no-thanks on my part - more underwear-strugglers. Who could use backyard space? Chickens? Not a money-maker. How about dogs? I could just be an AirBnB for dogs. NOW you’re talking. I like dogs. I get along with them. I mostly understand how their little brains work. They have soft fur and like curling up, eating and playing like me. And they don’t even WEAR underwear.
Ricky could use a playmate more his size and temperament. Rocket is more like a nerd who would rather read comic books.
I had visions of a stand-alone kennel outbuilding on the undeveloped portion of the yard, facing the existing big grassy play area, with happy dogs smiling and wagging when they see me, bringing them food and toys, and frolicking with them in the most genteel and civilized way. Of course, a venture like this must start small, so I signed on with Rover.
Rover is like Uber for dog sitting. It gives the dog owner convenience, a little safety in the form of background checks and insurance, a variety of sitters and upfront prices, and it gives the dog sitter access to customers in exchange for a rather hefty finder’s fee. Dog sitters can choose what sort of service they would like to accept, from walks to house/dog sitting to day care and boarding. I signed up for day care and boarding only, as my main asset was my location and amenities here at the house, and my absolute refusal to go elsewhere.
Dogs love our yard. Even the derpy ones.
I put all my visual art and writing skills to work, making my Rover website page look like a doggy resort pamphlet. Even though I am located a little out of the way, it got fairly quick and constant results.
Check back soon to read about my first clients…