If you're balancing parenthood and a career, you know that it's a juggling act that often seems like it takes superhuman levels of organization, endurance and some serious multitasking abilities. If you're a mom or dad who also needs to bring home the bacon, you probably wish you had a flexible work schedule, if you don't already have one. While many companies are increasingly open to work-at-home arrangements or flexible schedules, not every employer is on board with the trend. That leaves many parents struggling to make it all work. That's why one couple from Sacramento, California, turned to the ride-sharing company Lyft to make their livings while raising five children. While you might think that you can't make enough being a Lyft driver to cover your daily latte habit, let alone support of family of seven, Sam and Susen Meteer will prove you wrong. They manage to pull in between $800 and $1,500 a week working for the burgeoning company. What's more, because Lyft allows for its drivers to work whenever they choose, the Meteers are able to set their own schedules, making balancing their jobs with their roles as mom and dad a lot easier. 
So how do they do it? After dropping the kids off at school, Susen turns on the app and begins picking up customers. Meanwhile, her husband is also at school—as a sixth grade teacher. Sam picks up shifts driving for Lyft mainly during weekends, holidays and summer break. He'll also sometimes work on a school night for extra cash. While the couple admits the pay isn't always steady, they say the extra income and flexibility it provides them is worth it. “The money ebbs and flows,” Sam told The Penny Hoarder.“Sometimes you’re busy, and sometimes there’s not a lot of action. It’s the law of averages. There are nights when I’ve exceeded my take-home pay from teaching." 
As for Susen, she sets a goal of making $100 a day while the kids are at school. " 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 you're wondering if the Meteers' strategy could work for you, Lyft offers an earnings calculator on its site that helps you estimate how much you'd make from the gig. If you don't yet have Lyft in your town, the company is rapidly expanding throughout the country into areas including the Southwest, the Southeast, the Carolinas, the Rockiest, the Midwest, New England and Central California.
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
