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Speaker 1: One into Australians say that their income isn't enough and

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Speaker 1: nearly two and five are considering extra work. So exactly

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Speaker 1: how do we make this extra income meaningful and effective

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Speaker 1: for our financial freedom journey? If you're ready to hear

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Speaker 1: some practical ideas, solutions and strategies, please keep listening as

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Speaker 1: we have lots to learn and so much to discuss.

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Speaker 1: Welcome back to Sugar Mamma's Fireflight, the podcast where weirdnite

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Speaker 1: your financial independence, fuel your early retirement goals and dreams,

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Speaker 1: and empower you to build long term financial harmony in

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Speaker 1: your life. Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Amazon Flex

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Speaker 1: and it couldn't come at a better time because new

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Speaker 1: research from YouGov commissioned by Amazon Australia shows just how

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Speaker 1: many of us are really filling the pinch with the

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Speaker 1: rising cost of living. One in two Australians say that

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Speaker 1: their current income isn't enough to cover the bills, and

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Speaker 1: almost two in five are considering taking on additional work

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Speaker 1: in the next six months just to stay on top

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Speaker 1: of their household budgets. So to break this down in

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Speaker 1: more detail, let's start with a bit of a reality check,

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Speaker 1: which I think most of us will relate to. So

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Speaker 1: from this new research by YouGov, eighty two percent of

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Speaker 1: Australians don't believe cost of living pressures have eased over

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Speaker 1: the past year. And that is even with interest rate cuts.

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Speaker 1: Forty three percent of us feel less financially comfortable than

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Speaker 1: we did just twelve months ago, so we're feeling even

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Speaker 1: more overwhelmed financially and for retirees that number is even

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Speaker 1: high at fifty six percent. Which is most concerning is

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Speaker 1: this is the stage in your life where you should

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Speaker 1: be really enjoying life, not worrying about it. And here's

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Speaker 1: the big one. Australians say, on average they would like

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Speaker 1: to supplement their household budgets by an extra six hundred

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Speaker 1: and fourteen dollars per week, which is almost thirty two

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Speaker 1: thousand dollars per year. Now that's not pocket change or

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Speaker 1: fun money. That's mortgage repayments, rent, groceries, childcare, or even

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Speaker 1: just topping up retirement savings or income. Now these numbers

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Speaker 1: aren't just statistics. They reflect the daily reality for so

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Speaker 1: many Australians. With the cost of living rising faster than

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Speaker 1: our incomes, we've had to become more savvier and more

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Speaker 1: intentional with how we manage our budgets so that we

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Speaker 1: can stay on track and have a go at actually

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Speaker 1: achieving our life goals. Now, the good news is that

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Speaker 1: many of us are already taking the right steps to

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Speaker 1: help bridge this gap, which is so empowering to hear.

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Speaker 1: You know, we're stepping up and we're taking control and

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Speaker 1: we're searching for solutions to get our heads above water

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Speaker 1: or even better, creates some much appreciated breathing space in

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Speaker 1: our budgets. Interestingly, in the past year, three out of

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Speaker 1: five Australians they're taken up a side hustle or seriously

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Speaker 1: considered doing so. And guess what, It's not just about

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Speaker 1: money and plugging holes in our budgets. It actually goes

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Speaker 1: way further than that. In fact, sixty four percent say

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Speaker 1: side hustles are appealing because of the flexibility and autonomy

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Speaker 1: that they offer. You know, they can pick and choose

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Speaker 1: when they want to work, depending on their work commitments, studies,

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Speaker 1: kid schedules, or even their social lives. And then seventy

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Speaker 1: one percent believe flexible earning opportunities play a really important

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Speaker 1: role in helping people boost their income because that extra

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Speaker 1: money can go towards the expenses and the goals if

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Speaker 1: you like of their choice. You know, whether it be

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Speaker 1: paying down debt, building up savings, investing, or even just

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Speaker 1: everyday living expenses. They're the ones that decide where that

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Speaker 1: money goes. And eighty one percent say that they want

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Speaker 1: work to fit around their lives, not the other way around,

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Speaker 1: leaving them in the driving seat. Now this tells me

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Speaker 1: something really important. Australians don't just want more money, they

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Speaker 1: want more control, control over when they work, how they work,

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Speaker 1: and how much income is used. And this is where

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Speaker 1: Amazon Flex comes in. So Amazon Flex offers everyday Australians

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Speaker 1: like you and me, the chance to earn extra money

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Speaker 1: in our spare time by delivering Amazon packages using your

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Speaker 1: own vehicle. It's available across the country in Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Melbourne, Geelong,

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Speaker 1: Brisbane and the Gold co Most, Adelaide and Perth. Here's

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Speaker 1: how it works. As long as you live in a

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Speaker 1: region Amazon Flex operates in, have an eligible delivery vehicle

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Speaker 1: and a valid driver's license for your vehicle, car insurance,

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Speaker 1: and an iPhone or an Android smartphone, you could actually

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Speaker 1: be on your way to earning extra money. Also being

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Speaker 1: in your car, you can listen to podcasts, audiobooks or

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Speaker 1: music of your choice. You can choose delivery blocks that

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Speaker 1: fit your schedule and you can book them up to

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Speaker 1: a week in advance, and these are manageable blocks, ranging

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Speaker 1: from three hours to eight hours depending on your type

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Speaker 1: of vehicle. So you decide if and when you want

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Speaker 1: to work based around your own diary schedules and of

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Speaker 1: course your own responsibilities. And you know upfront how much

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Speaker 1: you're going to earn for each block, meaning you'll know

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Speaker 1: exactly what you'll be paid and how much of course

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Speaker 1: to set aside for tax, giving you a great sense

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Speaker 1: of clarity and ability to actually justify your time. And

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Speaker 1: you're paid weekly, so you can put that extra income

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Speaker 1: towards your living expenses or financial goals, seeing feeling and

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Speaker 1: making greater and more efficient progress with your financial journey

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Speaker 1: and financial wellbeing. To give you an idea, a four

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Speaker 1: hours to DAN block starts at a minimum of for

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Speaker 1: one hundred and eighteen dollars, then as six and a

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Speaker 1: half hour block for a larger passenger vehicles such as

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Speaker 1: an SUV starts at a minimum of one hundred and

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Speaker 1: eighty dollars, and then an eight hour cargo van block

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Speaker 1: starts at a minimum of two hundred and seventy dollars.

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Speaker 1: Let's put that into perspective again. If you just did

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Speaker 1: one four hour block a week for a year, you'd

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Speaker 1: be looking at an extra six thousand, one hundred and

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Speaker 1: thirty six dollars a year as a minimum. That's money

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Speaker 1: that could cover groceries, maybe like a family holiday. Fast

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Speaker 1: track debt repayments, help build your emergency money, help top

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Speaker 1: up your superannuation or retirement income. And importantly, you can

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Speaker 1: schedule it around your existing commitments, whether it's your main job,

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Speaker 1: your kids routines, or your social life. Now, if you're

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Speaker 1: looking to take on extra work, whether it's Amazon, Flex

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Speaker 1: or something completely different, it's really important that you are

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Speaker 1: smart with that money. So I'm going to share with

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Speaker 1: you my seven habits to help make the most of

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Speaker 1: your side hustle money. Number one, have a purpose before

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Speaker 1: you even begin earning. Decide what this money is for.

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Speaker 1: Otherwise it is way too easy for it just to

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Speaker 1: get absorbed into the everyday spending. So ask yourself, this

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Speaker 1: is it to pay down debt? Is it to save

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Speaker 1: up for a holiday? To boost your super being? Really clear?

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Speaker 1: In knowing the why. That is your why keeps you

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Speaker 1: motivated when you'd rather stay at home instead of doing

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Speaker 1: an extra block, because you know exactly what that money

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Speaker 1: is building towards and can feel really proud about that.

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Speaker 1: Number two, have a separate bank account or two okay,

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Speaker 1: I recommend you keep your side hustle money in its

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Speaker 1: own account or accounts, one for the income and one

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Speaker 1: for the tax payable on that income. Now, this creates

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Speaker 1: a mental and physical boundary so that you see your

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Speaker 1: own progress and you're not tempted to swipe it away

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Speaker 1: on impulse buys. This also helps you keep track of

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Speaker 1: exactly how much your side hustle is bringing in, and

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Speaker 1: of course stay on top of those really important tax

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Speaker 1: responsibilities that we all have. Number three automate savings from

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Speaker 1: this account. I recommend setting up automatic transfers from your

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Speaker 1: side hustle account to wherever that money is meant to go.

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Speaker 1: Now that might be a high interest savings account, your

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Speaker 1: mortgage job set, or your investment account even and perhaps

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Speaker 1: even just making those important extra contributions into super if

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Speaker 1: that's part of your wealth creation journey and strategy. If

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Speaker 1: you automate, it's done before you have the chance to

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Speaker 1: second guess yourself and spend it. Number four tackle debt first.

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Speaker 1: If you have some high interest debt, like you know,

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Speaker 1: credit card debt charging twenty percent or outstanding by now

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Speaker 1: pay later repayments, putting your side hustle income there is

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Speaker 1: one of the smartest moves that you can make. Every

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Speaker 1: dollar you pay off is really helping create so much

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Speaker 1: more financial harmony for yourself, and you're actually clearing the

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Speaker 1: path so that you can start working on other financial

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Speaker 1: goals such as saving and investing, rather than chasing your

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Speaker 1: tail in the debt merry go round. Number five. Build

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Speaker 1: an emergency fund. Life throws curveballs. No one is immune

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Speaker 1: like unexpected car repairs, VET bills, medical expenses. An emergency

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Speaker 1: fund is your safety net and it helps you sleep

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Speaker 1: at night. Trust me on that. You know. It stops

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Speaker 1: you from reaching for a credit card or a loan

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Speaker 1: when those moments happen. And whilst a few thousand dollars

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Speaker 1: set aside isn't really enough, it can definitely give you

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Speaker 1: incredible peace of mind and gives you something to actually

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Speaker 1: build upon from there. Number six Invest for your future.

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Speaker 1: Once you've cleared debt and you've started building up a

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Speaker 1: cash buffer, start investing your side hustle money into other

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Speaker 1: income producing assets, think dividend paying shares, ETFs list of

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Speaker 1: investment companies, or topping up your super If you know

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Speaker 1: that that is right for you and your goals, you know,

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Speaker 1: this is how you start to really transform a few

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Speaker 1: hours of extra work today into long term passive income

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Speaker 1: that's going to help serve you tomorrow and number seven

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Speaker 1: reward yourself wisely. It's okay, In fact, it's actually healthy

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Speaker 1: to enjoy some of your side hustle income. The key

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Speaker 1: is doing it intentionally. Maybe you know x amount of

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Speaker 1: dollars or even x percent goes to some sort of

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Speaker 1: guilt free spending on little luxuries that make your life

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Speaker 1: feel fun and meaningful, like a massage or a nice meal,

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Speaker 1: or even a weekend away. The rest should be directed

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Speaker 1: towards those bigger, exciting goals. That way, you can enjoy

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Speaker 1: the present without sacrificing the future. It's a really healthy

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Speaker 1: balance that I highly recommend because here's the truth. It

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Speaker 1: isn't just about earning extra money, but rather it's about

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Speaker 1: using that money strategically today so that it changes your

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Speaker 1: financial position long term. With your feeling good about it

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Speaker 1: today and with your own decisions and action. Now. The

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Speaker 1: reason why I'm so incredibly passionate about these steps is

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Speaker 1: that earning more is only half the story. If we

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Speaker 1: don't channel that money properly, it can slip through our

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Speaker 1: fingers just as easily as our regular income can. And

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Speaker 1: these habits make sure that your hard work actually really

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Speaker 1: counts all right. So now I want to share with

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Speaker 1: you a quick story which I found really inspiring. So

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Speaker 1: Elizabeth is an acupuncturist who started delivering with Amazon Flex

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Speaker 1: three years ago. She wanted to earn some extra pocket

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Speaker 1: money to support life, you know, little extras, and she

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Speaker 1: wanted something that was flexible so that she could work

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Speaker 1: around her work schedule at the clinic. Now, for her,

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Speaker 1: it wasn't about working more hours. It's about using her

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Speaker 1: spare time outside of the clinic to get outdoors and

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Speaker 1: experience a change of scenery while earning some extra money

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Speaker 1: along the way. She could plan ahead and she could

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Speaker 1: see the earnings upfront. Now that flexibility is exactly what

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Speaker 1: so many Australians are looking for right now. Work that

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Speaker 1: fits into life, not the other way around. You know.

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Speaker 1: Hearing Elizabeth's story makes me wonder you know what could

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Speaker 1: an extra, say six thousand dollars a year mean for

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Speaker 1: you and your family. Take a moment to picture that

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Speaker 1: money in your life right now. So to wrap this up,

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Speaker 1: one in two Australians say their income isn't enough. Side

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Speaker 1: hustles are on the rise as smart flexible solutions and

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Speaker 1: Amazon Flex offers a simple, practical way to earn extra

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Speaker 1: money in your spare time, and with the right financial habits,

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Speaker 1: that money can be truly transformational. Remember, taking control of

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Speaker 1: your finances doesn't always mean working harder. Sometimes is about

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Speaker 1: working smarter and using opportunities like Amazon Flex to give

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Speaker 1: yourself that breathing space and of course, that peace of mind. Now,

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Speaker 1: if you'd like to learn more or sign up as

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Speaker 1: a delivery partner, visit Flex dot Amazon dot com dot Au.

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Speaker 1: And a big thank you to Amazon Flex for sponsoring

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Speaker 1: today's episode. And remember, even just a few hours a

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Speaker 1: week of side hustlework can give you not just that

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Speaker 1: extra income, but peace of mind, and that is priceless.

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Speaker 1: I'm Canna Campbell. Thank you so much for joining me

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Speaker 1: on Sugar Mamma's Fireplay. Until next time, keep your financial

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Speaker 1: fire burning Bright, and I'll see you this Friday for

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Speaker 1: your start here. Fireplay miniseries Chow for Now,