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The holiday season has a distinctive vibe: people are happy and in a fun mood but also pressed for money. Expenditure on gifting, celebrations, and traveling, amongst other areas, can become a source of worry. A survey found that the average American incurred $900+ during the holidays. However, many paycheck workers did not earn this much. Fortunately, numerous opportunities exist to make that extra money over the holidays. This article explores the top 10 ways on how to make extra money for the holidays.
Understanding the Need for Extra Holiday Income
It might be a celebration period and a period in the year when most people splash more cash. However, the expenses are not limited to off-site decorations, gift hampers, turkeys to be served on the 25th, or travel to visit loved ones during Christmas and New Year. For most people, provision for these expenses can sometimes be complicated, creating financial pressure. Understanding how money can be earned outside the usual workplace is where things get tricky.
How to Make Extra Money for the Holidays
Travel, accommodations, food, shopping, gifts – the list of things to spend on often seems never-ending during the holidays. This blog looks at how to reduce financial stress during the holiday season with additional income. Let’s look at how to make extra money for the holidays.
1. Seasonal Jobs: Retail, Delivery, and More
The first strategy for increasing income is traditional employment during the holiday season. This is especially true for retailers, delivery services, and logistics companies, which need more employees during this period. Supermarkets, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon, employ thousands of temporary employees as cash stock clerks and customer service providers.
Similarly, everyone who works for UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Flex gets drivers and warehouse workers to cope with the portion connected with the holidays. Often, these temporary employment opportunities allow for a flexible schedule and compensate each worker $15-$20 per hour; thus, they are great for those who need an extra paycheck.
2. Sell Unused Items for Quick Cash
The holiday season is also an excellent time to organize and earn more by parting ways with clothes and essentials you no longer need. Some people are in the process of purchasing gifts, and this is an excellent reason to search for second-hand items. eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and even small boutiques and yard sales are places where you can sell almost anything from electronics and furniture to clothes and antiques.
Some side hustlers earn their income solely by reselling products they acquire from thrift stores, flea markets, or car boot sales. For instance, getting some items at a cheap price and then selling them can become a very profitable holiday job.
3. Holiday Services: Decorating, Gift Wrapping, and Party Planning
If you can do a great job decorating around the holidays, turning this into your side gig may be the way to go. Most people enjoy the aesthetic appeal of the holidays, but only some have the time or energy to put up all the decorations. Pledging to help with wreaths and ornaments for homes, offices, and outdoor areas has become the fastest-growing demand.
Likewise, if you excel in gift wrapping, you have a business opportunity to sell gift wrapping services. Besides the holiday rush, many consumers will gladly fork out extra bucks to get their gifts wrapped by professionals. It can be done locally or on websites like TaskRabbit or special online groups.
Offering party-planning services can also be pursued if one desires to earn money during the holiday season. Sometimes, people just don’t have time to organize catering, prepare guest lists, and deal with decorations, especially during the holidays, and they can pay for someone else to do it.
Also read: How to Make Money as a Dog Walker
4. Take Part in Market Research and Online Surveys
Anyone interested in a home business should consider getting involved in paid surveys or paid market research. The marketplace is full of demands for views on products and services, and it is always ready to pay for them. It may not be a means of earning regular income, but it is an easy way of making a few bucks during your free time.
Services such as Swagbucks, InboxDollars, Respondent, and similar websites provide paid surveys and research, making you anything from a few dollars up to over one hundred dollars each. These platforms offer users cash, gift cards, or whatever they can get with a PayPal payout.
5. Leverage Your Skills: Freelance and Gig Work
Freelancing has many benefits, especially during the holiday season when most professionals have loads of work. Writing, graphic design, photography, and social media management require skills not everyone has. Some simple online earning strategies include freelancing on Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.
Earning money during the holidays can prove more accessible because most of the reported jobs are short and can be completed in the shortest time possible.
Any freelancing job, like teaching or personal training, can prove beneficial. Say you are a tutor preparing a student for final tests or a fitness trainer working with a client on an end-of-the-year fitness goal. Both jobs are functional.
6. Use Cashback and Rewards Programs
Since you’re out shopping for gifts and other holiday-related necessities, why not turn your shopping sprees into profits? Sometimes, you can get extra cashback or other additional bonuses for every purchase during the holiday, eventually saving you some more money. Along with the ride, we have Rakuten, Fetch Rewards, and Ibotta, which give customers cashback on everything from groceries to online purchases.
Credit cards also have limited signup bonuses or elevated cashback rates during the holiday season. For instance, you can get a bonus of $200 if specific spending is made in the first three months of activating a new card. Just be aware that you will have to pay interest if you don’t pay off the balance before the due date.
7. Rent Out Your Space or Car
In other cases, people earn more income during the holiday by sharing their car or renting out an extra bedroom in their house. Other listed platforms are Turo or Get Around, and you can let people who need a car for the holiday season do so.
Similarly, if you have an unused attic, basement, or garage, you can list your space with popular websites like Neighbor or StoreAtMyHouse. These services involve renting storage space from those needing seasonal storage for holiday ornaments, gifts, and other items for a monthly fee.
8. Become a Pet Sitter, Babysitter, or Caregiver
People travel during the holidays, and pet sitters, babysitters, and caregivers are required. Platforms like Rover and Care.com are available to help find families needing help with their pets or children during the day, while they are out of town, or while entertaining during the holiday season.
Childcare services can yield during the festive season, as parents seek babysitting services during shopping, event attendance, and travel. Child care and sitting services typically charge between $15 and $30 per hour, depending on the sitter’s location and experience.
Also read: How to Start a Pet Sitting Side Hustle
9. Deliver Food and Packages
As more people order food or shop online using delivery apps, the demand for delivery drivers increases during the holidays. Services such as Uber Eats and Instacart can deliver food, groceries, or packages while earning income from individual customers.
Another option is Amazon Flex. Delivering orders can earn you between $18 and $25 per hour. Freelance delivery jobs also allow for a diverse working schedule, so you can choose when to work.
10. Work Part-time at a Mall Store
The peak period in malls and retail store establishments is the holiday season, making them ideal places for seasonal employment. From cashier, shelf putter, and door greeter to helping facilitate consumer service, all these positions are available at most malls. For the most part, they are on-call during the holidays. Many retail stores offer employee discounts, which can help you save while earning extra money.
Conclusion
The festive holiday season does not have to be expensive. Everyone can look for additional sources of income to pay for gifts, traveling, or holiday celebrations. It is possible to find a seasonal job, use your skills, or sell things that are no longer needed. This blog has detailed how to make extra money for the holidays. By implementing any of the ten strategies listed here, you can avoid the financial pitfalls of the holidays.
While pursuing any of these side gigs, a financial tool like Beem can track hustle income and create a realistic budget. As a user-friendly mobile application, Beem can assist you in managing your holiday earnings to achieve your cash goals this festive period. Download the Beem app here.
FAQs on How to Make Extra Money for the Holidays
What are the best seasonal jobs for the holidays?
Flexible jobs that can be obtained during the specific season are retail jobs, delivery driver jobs, and temporary services jobs in hospitality and event organizing. Delivery services and stores go on a hiring spree just in time for holidays, flexible shifts, and decent wages.
How can I make money from home during the holiday season?
Apart from paid surveys taken online, you can earn money from working at home, freelancing, tutoring, or even starting home businesses, such as selling arts and crafts materials on sites like Etsy. Other options for making money include cashback applications and online work, such as transcription services or virtual workplace employment.
Are there any online platforms that offer quick holiday gigs?
You can find impulse jobs on Upwork, Fiverr, TaskRabbit, or similar websites, which you can accomplish during the holidays. There are also pet-sitting on Rover, babysitting on Care.com, and even household cleaner service. These platforms enable one to get jobs based on availability and the expert area in which you want to work.
