Aus mum makes $5k a year from her spare bedroom

A struggling single mum has revealed the surprisingly simple side hustle that put an extra $5000 in her pocket in just 12 months – and helped her give her kids the little luxuries she feared were slipping out of reach. As households across the country battle relentless cost-of-living pressure, Gold Coast mother Debra Balhatchet found an unusual way to make her budget stretch further: opening up her spare bedroom to international students. The move has helped the healthcare worker cover more than just the basics, giving her room to spoil sons Luke, 13, and Malachi, 10, with things she otherwise may have had to go without. After splitting from her partner a few years ago, Debra said life as a single mother became noticeably tighter. Debra Balhatchet is leasing our bedrooms in her home to international students. Her full-time job pays the bills, but she wanted a way to create more financial breathing space for her family. Instead of taking on a second job, she turned to the empty room in her four-bedroom home. That decision paid off. Debra said she earned more than $5000 in the last financial year by hosting international students for short stays, usually for two to three weeks at a t...