Wallet Watch newsletter: Your laundry machine could make you money
Source: Community Service Society of New York
Ever look at your laundry machine and think, I can make money from that?
That's exactly what some Long Islanders are doing through Poplin, an app that matches customers seeking help with laundry with locals who wash their clothes, reports Victor Ocasio.
Melville resident Danielle Olsen said she earns around $2,500 per month from the app and her earnings helped her family secure a loan modification on her mother's house.
"Without it, we wouldn't even have a home," she said.
Experts say more people are relying on gig work to cover rising expenses — but pointed out that larger apps like Uber or DoorDash often leave gig workers with little control over job opportunities.
"These bigger companies are controlling where they work, how they work and it's creating a financial precarity," said Rachel Swaner, vice president of policy, research and advocacy at the Community Service Society of New York.
Around one in five Long Islanders earn money through online gig platforms, and statewide, around half of gig workers rely on these platforms as their primary source of income, according to an April report from the nonprofit.
What apps do you use to make money? Let us know at walletwatch@newsday.com. Read more about Poplin and the gig economy on Long Island here.
To our readers
Gas prices are up (again)
They topped $4 per gallon Wednesday for the fourth day in a row. Inflation for the New York metro area was up 4.6% year-over-year in July, and home prices are near all-time highs. We all keep saying it — everything is expensive, and the cost of living is only getting pricier. That's where Wallet Watch comes in.
We can't actually lower prices, but we can answer questions about bills, taxes, price hikes and more. Looking for ways to save money? Don't understand why something costs what it does? Send us your questions and we might answer it in the next newsletter. Email walletwatch@newsday.com or click here.
Brianne Ledda covers personal finance and affordability for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
