LendingTree Says 61% Need Side Income To Survive. The Bar Was Already On The Floor.
A MoneyLion-sponsored piece rounds up five side hustles targeting roughly $300 weekly, with food delivery cited as the easiest to start. The backing data comes from a LendingTree survey: 33% of Americans run a side hustle, and 61% say they cannot afford life without one. Startup costs and ramp time vary by hustle, though the article conveniently glosses over specifics.
The principle here is friction-to-income asymmetry. Low-barrier hustles like food delivery have minimal startup cost but also minimal leverage. You trade time for money at a fixed rate with no compounding returns. The real lesson is understanding the difference between survival income, which is what 61% of respondents describe, and scalable income, which this article does not actually offer.
MoneyLion provided the article to AOL. LendingTree supplied the survey data. No actual side hustle operators are quoted or profiled. The $300 figure is a target, not a documented result.
- Open the DoorDash or Uber Eats app on your phone and complete the driver signup form. You will need a valid license, proof of insurance, and a vehicle. Expect approval within a few days.
- Track your actual hourly earnings and vehicle expenses for your first week. Gas, mileage depreciation, and taxes reduce the headline rate significantly.
- Compare your net hourly rate to your day job. If it is lower, you have just learned why low-friction hustles scale poorly. Use that data to decide whether to continue or find a higher-leverage skill.