If someone in your family wants a pizza oven for Christmas this year, but it’s really just not in the budget, all hope is not lost. An app called Yoodlize offers an easy way to rent one.
And if you have a pizza oven that only gets used occasionally, you can start generating some passive income by renting it out to interested people on the same app.
Yoodlize founder and CEO Jason Fairbourne is a Utah native who was living in Kenya with his family when his 14-year-old daughter came up the idea for an app that would provide a space to rent out your stuff.
They moved back to Utah, and since then, Yoodlize has expanded into California and Hawaii. Fairbourne has hopes that it will continue to expand nationwide.
The app promises a greener lifestyle
A 2021 study published to SWNS Digital showed that the average American spends nearly $18,000 a year on nonessential goods.
In a month, the average American adult spends $209 eating out at restaurants, $189 on drinks with friends, $91 on cable, $23 on streaming services and $22 on music. The study added that Americans spend $109 on impulse buys every month.
And more than half of those surveyed said there were important things they couldn’t afford.
One of the goals behind the Yoodlize app is reducing excess waste. He asked, “Why does every house have to have a lawnmower if we only use it for an hour a day once a week? That’s a lot of extra resources out there,” per Utah Business.
You can save money and reduce waste by sharing, Fairbourne explained.
“Ultimately, maybe there is one lawnmower per neighborhood. We might slowly change the way we consume and change the way people view ownership,” he told Utah Business.
“From an environmental perspective, we can’t continue to consume the way we can right now,” Fairbourne said.
What can you rent on Yoodlize?
The app’s inventory is extensive and varies depending on your location. Items that are typically available no matter where you are include drones, Nintendo Switches, bounce houses, paddleboards, kayaks, snowshoes and motorcycles.
A portable pizza oven typically costs around $300, but on Yoodlize it can be rented for $20-$30. Drones, meanwhile, usually cost more than $100 but are $25-$30 on the app.
For Christmas, you can use the app to gift someone an “experience.” For example, you could give a friend a day out on ATVs by renting a four-wheeler or a video game night by renting them a VR headset.
Fairbourne told the Deseret News there’s also a whole subcategory of more “bizarre things” being rented on Yoodlize. He mentioned recent rentals including a Santa suit, a Christmas tree, an engine lift and specific tools for a Subaru.
Who’s using it?
There are two different user types on Yoodlize, Fairbourne said. The first is the side hustler. He mentioned a woman in Lehi, Utah, who has been growing her inventory of skis, and uses the platform to run a ski rental business. Another man does the same thing with paddleboards.
The second type is the person who sees the app as a way to preserve the environment and grow community. They’re the type of person who asks, “Why do I have four mountain bikes?” and views the app as an alternative to consumption.
Where can I use Yoodlize?
People are renting things out on Yoodlize all across Utah, and just recently, the company expanded into Oahu, Hawaii, and the Bay Area in California, Fairbourne told the Deseret News.
The Yoodlize team is focused on developing and growing rental markets in small areas to make it easy for people to rent in close proximity. However, several isolated cases in areas where the company hasn’t made any advertising efforts yet, including one in Washington, show a growing desire for a platform that makes renting goods easy.
Fairbourne attributes this high demand to money being tight. Many families find themselves opting for staycations instead of traveling abroad, and this app makes mountain biking trips or outdoor movie nights attainable — and sustainable.