Western Australian mum launches Hitch’d after making $115,000 from Gumtree sales

The Western Australian woman lost her job, but decided to risk some of her savings on a new business that is now booked out until 2024.

Western Australian mum Melonie Vujicic has always been thrifty.

Her tight spending regimen began when she had her first child at 19 and soon realised she was strapped for cash.

“For most people who’ve had children young, you have to think outside the box,” the 46-year-old told news.com.au.

She furnished her whole house using second hand purchases and then turned buying and selling goods into a very lucrative side hustle – helping her amass $115,000 in nine years.

Her savings haul was all the more impressive given that at one point she earned just $19 an hour in her day job.

“This is the first time I’ve had savings in my bank account,” Mrs Vujicic said. “The kids have moved out. This is the first time, at 46, we’re comfortable.”

But it was when Covid-19 hit and she lost her job that she decided to finally make the most of her hard earned cash by starting her own business – a pop up mobile bar service.

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Melonie Vujicic at her job at Flight Centre, where she worked until Covid hit.

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Mrs Vujicic made her six figures in savings after she started buying and selling from online marketplace Gumtree in 2012.

Some of her best bargains include buying a leather couch for $200, with a market price of $6000, and also getting a Nick Scali concrete table for free, which retailed at $3000.

She made most of her cash by selling on her used furniture.

“When you have four kids you seem to accumulate a lot of stuff,” she explained.

A report commissioned by Gumtree found that the average Australian stands to make $5300 if they sell the junk that has accumulated in their house.

Most people have around 21 items in their household that could be sold for some easy cash.

Used furniture accounts for 37 per cent of the second hand, or “circular”, economy.

Melonie Vujicic with her husband, outside her new business.

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In March last year when Covid hit, Mrs Vujicic was stood down from her job at Flight Centre but with her impressive savings, decided there was no better time to start her own business.

She created her own ‘pop-up’ bar called Hitch’d for weddings, birthdays and other events around Perth.

Using her second-hand skills, Mrs Vujicic bought two horse floats from Gumtree and repurposed them into a mobile bar at a cost of $16,000.

Other expenses including making uniforms, insurance and the electrical wiring of the vehicles.

Her lounge room is made entirely of second-hand furniture and other purchases.

Since the company’s first gig on October 31 last year, Mrs Vujicic has broken even on the business.

She now works in a new day job and has an employee who runs the bar.

Hitch’d has been booked out until 2024 with weddings, according to Mrs Vujicic.

Mrs Vujicic in the process of making her business.

Her business after renovations were made to the horse float.

Mrs Vujicic’s number one piece of advice for saving money from second-hand purchases is that you have to be open to doing work.

“You will rarely find something where you can just dust if off,” she said.

“You may have to varnish it etc.”

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