The Christmas season is often synonymous with spending money. Unfortunately, knowing you might get a credit card bill in January that you can’t pay in full can put a damper on your holiday festivities.
Fortunately, there are several ways to make money at Christmas so you don’t blow your budget.
If you need to spend this holiday season, consider using these ideas to make some extra cash.
In alphabetical order, this list of ways to make money during the holidays includes everything from simple, one-step ideas to second jobs to work-from-home games and more.
Pick one or two that are attractive and give your Christmas budget a little extra padding.
1. Supervision
The holidays are a time for gatherings and recreation, many of which are for adults only. This means that babysitters are in high demand.
Make flyers to distribute in your neighborhood, email friends and family, or post on social media letting people know you are available to watch their children.
2. Be a Mystery Shopper
As a mystery shopper, you’ll work as an independent contractor to help companies ensure their products are marketed correctly.
You may be asked to order food from a restaurant or make another type of purchase to measure product quality and customer service.
Mystery shopping companies often give you an allowance to cover your expenses or pay you enough to cover your expenses while still making a profit.
3. Become a Seasoned Customer Service Representative
Companies everywhere are hiring seasonal customer service representatives to handle the surge in holiday sales.
You can find online customer service representative jobs by searching on sites like Indeed. With these opportunities, you can work from home.
Alternatively, you can also check with local retailers to see if they need cashiers or customer service representatives to meet them during Christmas.
4. Charge the Scooters
Do you live in an area where there are many motorcycle rentals? If so, you may be able to earn extra money by charging motorcycles.
To get started, download an app from a company like Lime. From there, you will find chargers so you can charge scooters with low battery.
Each night, you can find and bring motorcycles home to your garage to charge. Then, put them in a designated drop-off area in the morning to make a few extra dollars.
5. Bring Food
If you don’t mind delivery jobs, you might want to sign up for a food delivery app to make money for Christmas.
For example, DoorDash lets you download an app and check notifications for available deliveries. You will be paid a predetermined amount for each delivery and keep 100% of any tips you receive.
If DoorDash isn’t for you, check out Postmates or Instacart for other grocery delivery options.
6. Donate Plasma
Donating plasma is a popular sideline, especially among college students.
Depending on where you live, you can make up to $50 every time you donate plasma. Even better, you may help save a life.
It usually takes about an hour to donate plasma, and you can donate about once a week.
7. Call People
If you like to have fun and drive, another way to make money is to drive people to their destinations. You can do this with rideshare services like Uber.
As a rideshare driver, you choose the hours you work. Sign in to your app when you’re available, and sign out when you’re not.
You get a pre-set payout amount for each trap and a chance to earn tips.
8. Investigate Things
Buying and selling items is another way to earn extra money. For example, you can find cheap (or free) items on apps and sites like Craigslist.
After that, you can turn around and sell those items on the same platforms. The key to success is knowing when you’re getting a good deal on your purchase.
If you find something good, collect the item quickly so you can turn around and sell it quickly.
9. Independent
Do you have skills that you can use to make money as a freelancer? Sites like Upwork and Fiverr post jobs for freelancers with various skills.
These sites are full of clients looking for side hustlers who can help with a variety of projects, including technology, art, graphics, writing, social media, and more.
Once you create a profile on these sites, you can search for jobs that match your areas of expertise. You may also receive invitations from clients to interview for jobs they are trying to fill.
10. Get Free Gift Cards
Did you know that there are several ways you can get free gift cards? This may sound too good to be true, but it is not.
You can get gift cards for stores that sell the things you want to buy for Christmas, helping you cut down on your actual spending as you shop for your loved ones.
11. Get Paid to Lose Weight
Do you have weight loss goals you would like to achieve? How would you like to earn money if you achieve your goals?
There are companies that will pay you cash to lose weight. You can get healthy and earn Christmas money at the same time. It won.
12. Reduce Your Debts
Another way to get money for Christmas is to reduce your debts. By spending less money on your bills, you’ll have more money in your pocket for Christmas.
For example, you can work to spend less money on utilities by controlling your water and electricity. You can save money by finding creative ways to spend less money on groceries.
You can even look for cheap car insurance companies and lower your premiums.
13. Make a Cash Purchase
You can’t always avoid shopping, especially during the holidays. However, you can make money while shopping.
Ibotta is an app that will show you a list of things you can earn cash on. After making an eligible purchase, simply scan your receipt using the app to receive discounts.
Similarly, Rakuten is a cashback shopping portal. When you shop online by accessing stores through Rakuten, you’ll earn a percentage on every purchase.
14. Open a Bank Account
Many banks pay a large bonus when you open a checking or savings account as a new customer.
The best promotions and bonuses can help you earn $100, $200 or more by opening a new account and completing qualifying activities.
15. Rent a Room (or Your House)
Do you have an extra room in your house that you are not using? How about a vacation spot or second home?
Since many people are looking for an affordable place to stay while traveling, especially during the holidays, listing your spare bedroom or home on Airbnb can help you make money this Christmas.
If you don’t have an extra room but have space in your garage or a spare closet, you can rent it out to someone who needs storage space using Neighbor Storage.
16. Retail Arbitrage
Some people make money by buying merchandise, such as disposables, and reselling them. This side problem is called retail arbitrage.
There’s a learning curve to this side gig, but it’s possible to make money from retail sales.
If you love to shop, this can be a great way to help you make money this Christmas and find great deals on holiday gifts.
17. Sell Your Creations
If you have a gift for making nifty crafts, you can sell for cash.
Check the rules for entering local craft shows or vendor shows, and bring your creations to sell to buyers.
You can also sell your items on Etsy to reach a wider audience.
18. Sell Your Unwanted Stuff
Do you have stuff in your attic, garage or closet that you no longer use? Why not sell them to make money for Christmas expenses?
Go through your house and find things you no longer need. Post these items on sites like Craigslist to earn extra money.
19. Start a Blog
Although starting a blog probably won’t make you money early this Christmas, it could help you make money next Christmas.
Regardless of your technical skills, you can start a blog in ten minutes or less. If you have valuable information to share to help others, a blog is a great way to make money by sharing your expertise.
20. Swagbucks
Swagbucks will pay with gift cards to your favorite retailers or with PayPal payments.
You can get paid for various activities, such as playing games, browsing the web, watching videos, and more.
You’ll earn points for every transaction, which can be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash.
21. Check Websites
Did you know you can get paid to review websites? Yes, you read that correctly. There are several companies that will pay you to do tests on websites.
Website testing helps companies determine and perfect the effectiveness of websites. Most tests only take 20 minutes, and they pay a decent amount for the work you do.
22. Use Small Job Sites
Small jobs are small, online jobs that you can do quickly. For example, if you work with Amazon Mechanical Turk, you may be asked to perform data validation or image processing.
Another option is Clickworker, where you may be asked to perform data classification, error checking or web research.
23. Walk Dogs or Pet Sit
Many people go on vacation and need someone to take care of their furry family members. Why not make money walking dogs or pet sitting?
One good thing about this sidebar is that you can choose the types of jobs you want to offer. For example, you may want to walk the dogs. Or, you may prefer to pet-sit cats.
Pay varies depending on the job and the salary you set. You can create a profile on a site like Rover to find pet grooming jobs near you.
24. Work Events Requiring Employees
Many times, local events take place during the holiday season. These events may require staff to help them run smoothly. For example, you can serve food at holiday parties.
Or, you can work as a food sampler at local stores. Check out nearby stores for job opportunities.
You may be able to find opportunities in the “Events” section on Craigslist as well. Other options include checking popular job search sites.
25. Do Local Odd Jobs
Finally, you can always find work doing local odd jobs. For example, you can sign up with TaskRabbit to get jobs helping people decorate for Christmas.
Handyman work is also a popular choice. Some people may need help with small household repairs or rearranging furniture.
Additionally, given the cold weather, you may be able to find jobs shoveling snow or helping people clean and prepare their pools for the winter.
Summary
There’s no reason to go into debt with holiday expenses when there are so many ways to make money at Christmas.
No matter how talented you are, you can find a way to earn money if you need it now. Whether you’re helping others or selling your own items, there are plenty of opportunities to add cash to your wallet.
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