Stay at Home Parents Earn Money Through Instacart
We live in the age of the side-gig. Thanks mainly to apps and technological advances, all you need is an internet connection to enter into a world of money-making opportunities. There is a range of options from freelance writing to pet-sitting to offering your services as a handyman or woman.
However, it can be difficult for stay-at-home parents who want to make a little extra cash to find paying jobs that fit into their schedule.
Many jobs require a lot of time-consuming effort to get going, while others are simply far too demanding for the reward.
Many are turning to Instacart as a simple way to earn a little extra.
What is Instacart?
Instacart is an app that offers a fantastic service for those who hate heading to the grocery store or those who simply could do with saving that time. You fill up a virtual cart with groceries from your local supermarket and get them delivered to your door through the app.
Instacart acts as a mediator between the shopper and a personal shopper – it is the personal shopper who sees an order, heads to the shop to pick up the items, and then delivers to the ultimate customer.
Instacart partners with local supermarkets, specialty stores, and pharmacies to deliver whatever you need.
Many time-strapped customers see this as an excellent alternative to heading to the store themselves and are willing to fork out the delivery fees, processing fees, and a shopper tip to save the hassle of heading to the store.
You can try out the app to see what the fuss is about with this Instacart promo code that will take $5 off your first order.
For parents, though, you may see the benefit of being on the other side of the transaction.
Making Money as an Instacart Shopper
Instacart operates in more than 5,500 cities across the U.S. and Canada, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get involved wherever you live.
You’ll need to meet a few basic requirements – you need to be 18, have a full driving license, own a smartphone, and pass a background check.
Once you’ve met these, you can start delivering for Instacart. As a stay-at-home parent, you won’t want to be an in-store shopper – being a full-service shopper offers you more freedom. A full-service shopper is where you use your car to pick up groceries and deliver them to a given address.
What you earn depends on the delivery distance and the size of the order – more difficult orders fetch bigger rewards. Your earnings will also be affected by the tips you receive.
The highlight for a parent is that this is a relatively stress-free gig that lets you earn a little extra whenever you want around your schedule. If there’s a three-hour gap in the middle of the day when the kids are at school, and you’ve done your other jobs, you can make a little money if you feel like it – but there is no obligation.
Once signed up, all you have to do is log into your app as a shopper and choose whichever batches suit you.
