In their drive to earn extra money, Sam and Susen Meteer divide the night and day between them.
At any hour on the clock, one or the other is probably driving.
Its how the Meteers make ends meet.
This married couple has five children, four living at home in Sacramento, California.
Sam is an elementary school teacher by day who gets behind the wheel on nights and weekends.
On weekday mornings, Susen drops her kids at school and keeps on driving.
Its a little more sane that way.
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Tag-Teaming Life and a Side Gig
Thats how they tag-team it they bothdrive with Lyft.
The ride-sharing companys flexible hours allow them to raise their children while also earning enough to support them.
The couple drives whenever they can, within reason.
I normally drive at night.
On holidays and summers and special events, I hit it hard.
I drive a lot.
Otherwise, hes usually driving 20 to 30 hours a week.
The money ebbs and flows, he says.
Sometimes youre busy, and sometimes theres not a lot of action.
Its the law of averages.
There are nights when Ive exceeded my take-home pay from teaching.
If I start at 8 or 9 a.m., I might make that by 10.
Or it might be 2 p.m., she said.
I go wherever it takes me throughout the day.
If she works consistently, she can bring in $500 a week that way.
It keeps milk on the table, Sam says.
How much do Lyft drivers typically make?
Earnings are largely based on how much they work and how they manage their time.
He did that for 15 years and got awfully tired of it.
He was ready for a change.
But it was Susen, 43, who first discovered Lyft.
She downloaded and used the app while out with friends one weekend.
Then she started experimenting with driving for Lyft when the kids were at school.
Her advice for rookie Lyft drivers: It was a little scary for me at first.
They need to do whats comfortable for them.
Before long, Sam got jealous of his wifes sweet Lyft gig.
He quit his restaurant job and joined her.
That was two years ago.
Splitting up the day and night between them, they drive for different crowds.
During the daylight hours, Susen gets the buttoned-up business crowd mixed with a few college students.
She keeps the van spotless.
The whole thing is low-stress.
Pretty much everyone is pretty cool, she says.
Sam gets the night crowd.
People who have been out having a good time, he says cheerfully.
These passengers can be pretty boisterous.
I venture to be as friendly as possible, he said.
Friends always ask the couple,What was your wildest ride?
What was your worst ride?
But in two years, the Meteers have yet to have an unpleasant experiencedriving with Lyft.
Its an adventure for us, Susen says.
Right now,Lyftis offering a $300 sign-on bonus to new drivers when you use code EXTRA300.
Heres what you better qualify:
And just like that, the bonus cash is yours.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
He could use a lift, thanks for asking.
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