A lot of you were wanting to know about the different ways to make extra income during the holidays, such as how to make extra money for Christmas, for many different reasons: to increase your monthly income, to save more money, to help pay for the holidays, to have more Christmas money, and so on.
And this leads to my post today about making extra income during the holidays! After reading this, you'll learn about the many different ways to make extra money for Christmas so that you can have more Christmas money and money for all of the other great holidays that you may celebrate.
There are a ton of seasonal jobs out there, so if you want to make some extra cash and not have to do anything long-term, then start applying! I recently read that Macy's is hiring 80,000 employees just for the holidays, and I know that UPS usually hires around 50,000 just for the holidays.
Related articles on how to make extra money for Christmas:
- 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
- 7+ Ways To Make $500 By The Weekend
- 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home
- Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
- 8 Things To Sell To Make Money
There are many positives to getting a part-time holiday job or finding other ways to make extra money for Christmas.
One positive of finding a part-time holiday job is that you can get a discount (and possibly do your shopping with this discount), fill up your time, network, make friends, and of course, MAKE EXTRA MONEY FOR CHRISTMAS!
I always kept the same job when I was younger during the holiday season, but I was able to thankfully work overtime and extra when the holidays came around. I should've applied for part-time jobs so that I could've made even more.
There is said to be around 700,000 seasonal openings for this upcoming holiday season. There's definitely a lot of choices out there that can fit your needs.
My number 1 tip is to apply for jobs as soon as you can! There will most likely be a lot of other people trying to get the best seasonal jobs.
Here is how you can make extra money for Christmas and all holidays:
1. Work in retail to make extra money for Christmas.
Of course there are retail jobs out there! Holidays are the time for shopping, right? Nearly every place is ramping up their employees in order to prepare for the holiday rush. The only downside would be that most retailers will be looking for those who have flexible schedules. Retailers can possibly be open at all hours (especially on Black Friday), so an open schedule might be a requirement.
Extra Christmas cash tip: Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn free CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. All you do is click on a store that you want to shop through (they have TONS of stores such as Kohls, REI, Toys R Us, etc.), and shop just like how you normally would. Ebates makes a commission for referring you to the store you just shopped at, and they give you some of that money back as a thank you. Plus, when you sign up through my link, you receive a free $10 cash back!
2. Work at a tree lot or pumpkin patch in order to earn extra money for Christmas.
Tree lots and pumpkin patches will be springing up everywhere soon. If you're like me, then you will love all of the happy people who are just trying to celebrate the holidays. These can be very fun.
3. Advertise your pet and house sitting services to make extra money offline.
During the holidays, many people will need help, such as watching or walking their pet, and watching their house for when they're out of town. There are numerous websites where you can advertise your services, so I would do so if you're qualified and think you can do it.
I recommend checking out this blog post – Rover – A Great Way To Make Money And Play With Animals.
If you love animals and want to make money fast, then you may want to consider walking dogs or pet sitting.
With this side job you may be going over to your client’s home to check in a few times a day, you may be staying at their house, or the animals may be staying with you.
For dog boarding, you may be able to make around $25+ per day for watching someone's dog or another pet in your home. This is a great service to offer, and if you love animals (which you should if you are going to do this) then it could be fun as well!
Other than Rover, you may be able to find pet watching gigs through Craigslist, Facebook, and more.
4. Plow snow in order to make money for Christmas.
This might seem like a weird thing on the list, but I know of a couple of people who attach the plow to their trucks and do this. They easily make a thousand dollars per job (which only takes a couple of hours) and they really rake in the money.
5. Find a ski or snow resort so that you can make extra income for the holidays.
I'm sure most areas have this, but there is a man-made snow/ski resort near me. This allows for it to be open even if it is a little warmer or it hasn't snowed at all. Applying at a ski resort could get you an awesome discount and be a fun winter job.
6. Find a warehouse or distributor job in order to make extra income.
Places such as UPS and Fedex hire numerous workers during the holidays. And some of these jobs lead to full-time work as well. The pay isn't always the greatest, but they are usually open at all hours of the day and night, which is helpful when you have a tough schedule to work around.
7. Wrap items during the holidays to make Christmas money.
I know everyone has seen the people at the mall and stores who just wrap your presents right? Well if you love wrapping presents and making things look nice, then look into these jobs!
8. Dress up as Santa, an elf, etc. to make extra money around the holidays.
Who doesn't love the movie Elf? Maybe this could be your holiday job! Lots of places are looking for people to fill these spots at their stores and malls.
9. Sell your stuff to make extra money for Christmas.
There are many things you can do to make money by selling items. We all have extra things laying around that can be sold, or you can even search for items that can be bought and resold for a profit.
10. Help with holiday lights and decorate.
Cities, families, stores, etc. may be looking for places to help them decorate for the holidays. See if any place or anyone you know needs help hanging lights or anything else 🙂
What holiday jobs have you held so that you could make extra money for Christmas and other holidays? Have you thought about getting a job for the holidays to earn extra income?
EDIT on October 24, 2017: Here are some more ways to make extra cash for the holidays!
11. Sell stuff from around your home.
Probably one of the best ways to make money fast is to find items around your home to sell.
The average person has a lot of extra stuff in their life. Too many clothes, old electronics that have been tossed to the side (like old cell phones), appliances that have been replaced, books that will never be read again, useless furniture, gift cards that will never be used, and more.
If you’re wanting to learn how to make money this weekend, then looking around your house for things to sell may be a great way to do so.
Many people are hesitant to sell their stuff, and I’ve heard all the excuses:
- No one will pay for my junk.
- That item isn’t worth anything.
- It’s so much easier to just throw it away.
- I would look stupid if a thrift store says no to everything I am trying to sell to them.
- I don’t actually have anything to sell!
These excuses are easy to make, and many people do. However, if you want to make money this weekend, selling your stuff is definitely one of the easiest ways to do so.
Really, we all have things around the house we can sell, and there are many ways to sell your things. These include:
- Thrift stores – Some may pay on consignment, cash on the spot, or store credit. Taking your stuff to a thrift store will probably be the fastest way to sell things as they will likely offer you cash for whatever they can sell.
- eBay – This online auction site can be a great way to reach a larger market.
- Craigslist – Selling on this free site can be one of the easiest ways to make money fast, but be safe and don’t fall for any Craigslist scams.
- Garage/yard sale – This can be an easy way to sell a lot of things at once, plus you can do it all from your home. A downside is that the pay is usually lower.
- Facebook – There are specific groups on Facebook dedicated to selling items in your area. Facebook makes it SO easy to sell the stuff you no longer want.
Related: This FREE 7 day course will teach you everything you need to know to start selling on Amazon.
12. Find one-time gigs.
There are many, many random one-time jobs that you can find in your local area, and Craigslist is a great place to look for them.
One great thing about these jobs is that you usually get paid before or right after you complete the work, which means that you can get paid the same day!
To find random gigs in your area, just go to Craigslist and find the “gigs” section.
Here are some jobs I found through a quick search:
- Remove yard debris
- Dirty house cleaner
- Transporting bricks
- Passing out flyers and brochures
- Kitchen cleaner
- Motorhome hauler
Here are screenshots of some of these easy to find Craigslist gigs:
These were all extremely easy things for me to find. It literally took me less than one minute to find several different gigs that were needed for the following day.
No, they won't make you rich in a weekend, but if you were to spend your weekend doing gigs like these, you'll most likely be able to make a few hundred dollars.
Related read on how to make money this weekend: How I Earned $655 From Random Craigslist Jobs
If you are new to my blog, I am all about finding ways to make and save more money. Here are some of my favorite sites and products that may help you out:
- Cut your TV bill. Cut your cable, satellite, etc. Even go as far to go without Netflix or Hulu as well. Buy a digital antenna (this is the one we have) and enjoy free TV for life.
- Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I earn over $100,000 a month online through my blog and you can read more about this in my monthly online income reports. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $2.95 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
- Answer surveys. Survey companies I recommend include Survey Junkie, American Consumer Opinion, Pinecone Research, and Harris Poll Online. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
- Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 cash back.
- Save money on food. I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It’s only $5 a month (the first two weeks are free too) and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well!
- Become an Uber or Lyft driver – Spending your spare time by driving others around can be a great money maker. Read more about this in my post – How To Become An Uber Or Lyft Driver. Click here to join Uber and start making money ASAP.
- Look for coupon codes. I search for coupon codes for everything. Today, I have two for you. I have a $20 Airbnb coupon code and a free taxi ride with Uber. Both are great services that I have personally used.
- I highly recommend Credible for student loan refinancing. You can lower the interest rate on your student loans significantly by using Credible which may help you shave thousands off your student loan bill over time.
- Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks allows me to occasionally earn Amazon gift cards with very little work. Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. You’ll receive a free $5 bonus just for signing up today!
- Try Digital Voice. Another one you may be interested in related to Swagbucks is Nielsen Digital Voice. Digital Voice is a part of Nielsen, which I’m sure you’ve heard of. All you have to do is surf the web and you may be able to start earning money.
- Try InboxDollars. InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5.00 for free just for signing up!
- Find a part-time job. There are many part-time jobs that you may be able to find. You can find a job on sites such as Snagajob, Craigslist (yes, I’ve found a legitimate job through there before), Monster, and so on.
- Lower your cell phone bill. Instead of paying the $150 or more that you spend on your cell phone bill, there are companies out there like Republic Wireless that offer cell phone service starting at $10. YES, I SAID $15! If you use my Republic Wireless affiliate link, you can change your life and start saving thousands of dollars a year on your cell phone service. I created a full review on Republic Wireless as well if you are interested in hearing more. I’ve been using them for over a year and they are great.
- Rent an extra room in your home. If you have extra space in your home, then you may want to rent it out. Read A Complete Guide To Renting A Room For Extra Money.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and have learned about the many different ways to make extra money for Christmas and other holidays.
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When I was a student I worked in a sports shop as a cashier during Christmas and the January sale. College was on break so I didn't mind the extra hours, the overpay for working during the holiday was really sweet too! It was exhausting though, not the best way to start college after the new year..
Another financial advantage of working a retail job during the holidays – employee discounts for when you do your Christmas shopping! 😉 My extra income for the holidays for the past few years has been selling my jewelry at craft shows. I'm able to set aside a decent chunk of that income for Christmas gifts, and still have enough left over to reinvest in my business for the next year.
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Yay for extra income! My mother-in-law used to always get an additional job during the holidays – partly for fun and partly to help pay for the ungodly amount of gifts she buys for all of us. There are a lot of seasonal jobs out there. All you have to do is look!
FYI – We've pretty much used the exact same photo for our blog posts today:)
My recent post Tips on Saving for College
Haha great minds think alike 🙂
My recent post Extra Income During the Holidays
I have never held a seasonal holiday job, but I definitely would have it I wanted to make some additional side income. Right now my job plus my site takes up most of my time, so I won't this year but if someone has some free time available I think they should absolutely take advantage of it! You listed a bunch of them and it's amazing how many jobs are out there.
My recent post How We Saved Hundreds of Dollars on Coffee
This is a great list. In University, holiday jobs were awesome because I was always done school around Dec 15th-20th and had an open schedule until after the new year. There's a local manufacturing company in my home town, I always managed to snag some clerical work from them while I was home.
My recent post October 1st NETWORTH UPDATE!
We have tons of insane hayrides and haunted houses going up that require seasonal workers right now. And what's more delightful than prepping for work revving your chainsaw and dressing like a lunatic??
Great list. Another point is that if you don't have a part time job currently, some of the companies will keep on some of the seasonal hires to fill their open spots. By working there for the seasonal hours you can see if it's somewhere you'd like to work and you can make a good impression.
My recent post How to Save Money and Not Spend $300K Raising a Child
Very true!
My recent post Extra Income During the Holidays
These are all great. I have already called a few major retailers, and they're hiring NOW, because most places want their new staff trained before Thanksgiving.
My recent post Made For You and Me
I have always said I wanted to get a part time job at a ski resort. Maybe that will be my retirement job 🙂
Michelle, I'm curious how many of those jobs you tried yourself? 🙂 Like Sean, I could see myself working at a ski resort. It probably wouldn't be as fun when you have to be out in the cold all day, but then again maybe it would be?
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I've never had a part-time job, but my job before the one I have now (and my only other one) was at a retail store as a manager.
My recent post Extra Income During the Holidays
I had a friend who worked at the LCBO (liquor store) over the holiday break. They always need extra help.
My recent post Negotiating with utility companies
Bowling alleys are normally busier in the fall and winter as well but I don’t think they hire a ton of extra help. The money isn’t great but I loved working in bowling alleys.
I've actually been thinking of this for the upcoming holidays. On top of my goal of volunteering more this winter, I think I'm going to start looking into dog sitting or an evening retail position. Great ideas!
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I don't think I could handle a part time job this holiday season! I hope I can next year. I would love to work for Pottery Barn or Dillard's. I buy everything at Dillard's, so 🙂 the discount would be awesome! 🙂
I used to do a lot of retail when I was younger. I might pick some up this year just for the hell of it!
When I worked in life sciences, I also picked up shifts at the hospital during the holidays.
Pretty cool suggestions. I like the courier idea. Lots of gifts being exchanged during the holiday season and those packages have to delivered one way or another. I work part time at a school year round so I don't think I'll have time this holiday to do anything extra. I'm happy with my side income right now, although it's only like a fraction of yours lol. The money is out there, people just have to get up off their butts and apply themselves.
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Working in bars / nightclubs is always a good holiday job.. especially when people get generous in tipping with the Christmas spirit! 🙂
I've worked a number of part time retail jobs throughout high school and college and always had to work the holiday season. Only one retail job was an actual 'seasonal' job I took, but I ended up loving it and doing really well that they hired me permanently afterward. Now I have a full time job and financially comfortable. I kind of want to take on a strictly seasonal retail job down the street from where I work. Not because I NEED the money or because I want something to do, but only because it'd be nice to have a bit extra spending money for the holiday season. But I think I like my evenings and weekends off too much to do that… Still thinking though!
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Owning a Tree farm is one of my dream jobs! That, and being a gigantic crane operator on a Pier in Seattle. 🙂
but seriously, tree farms have to rake in the dough! I mean, c'mon, who buys a tree for $80?!?!?! That's a crazy markup!
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I tried to do the retail thing during the holiday season once year, but the most they would pay was $7/hour and that just wasn't worth my time. I made more selling items on etsy! Just depends on the area I guess. I was excited for my discount and the extra pay, but after working 16 hours and getting a $53 check I was done lol.
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Since we have no stores, I don't think seasonal employment is an option here, except for maybe at WalMart. I do think people would pay money to have someone put out Christmas lights and decorations. I don't think I have time to do anything else, but if I didn't have a child I would look for some extra income. Maybe I can sell some of her (outgrown) clothes for extra holiday money.
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I was an elf in high school – and the easter bunny, too! It was good money for high school, but way high stress – I would go home with huge headaches from all the noise bouncing all around the mall and the kids shrieking!
Awesome post as always! I need to get a job badly, but it's always one thing or another that keeps getting in the way.
Hope you are having a great Wednesday!
My Inlaws have some farm land that they aren't sure they want to lease out next year and are thinking about doing a Christmas tree farm. I think it is a solid idea, too bad it will take a few years before they will have any trees that can be sold…
Yeah I think that sounds like a great idea!
I always thought working at one of those haunted houses or scary corn mazes would be so much fun. I always waitressed in high school, so my job didn't have to change with the seasons. Then in college, I had a year-round job ( that was much busier during election season) and now I work full-time. BUT I still could use the extra income by taking up a weekend shift or two at one of these. Great ideas!
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good suggestions but none of these will make $3500 in extra income in a month like selling links will! Also I disagree, you do in fact have a part-time job, and it's here on the internet!
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Haha yes, you are very correct 🙂
It seems like everyone is trying to earn extra money right now. The economy is forcing people to work extra hours and find part time jobs. People are searching for the best way to earn extra income for Christmas. A part time job can be a dream come true and offers the perfect way to pay for Christmas gifts. The holidays are a time that millions of people often look for part time work.
I actually just applied for a seasonal job at a bookstore today! My school stuff ends in the middle of December so I'll definitely have extra time over the holidays. I'm hoping that my 2 years of AR (basically customer service) and experience at a coffee chain will look good enough. Plus my book reviews at Chic Darling give me an edge up on everyone else because I'm already knowledgeable about what's coming out in literature. The only thing I'm worried about is my schedule- it's not as flexible as a manager would like.
I hope you find something good. You definitely sound qualified!
These are AWESOME ideas! I always wanted to be the person with the chainsaw 😉 hahaha, which is so weird because I'm so girly!
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Greg is trying to earn a few extra commissions at work to help pay for gifts. That way we don't have to take gift money out of our regular budget. We don't really have any time for a part time job unfortunately so we just have to make it work!
I worked at a department store on winter break when I was a university student. I had a connection since my mother worked there year around. I was only a stocker, but it was a nice break from the studies.
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I would love to work at a ski resort. Extra money plus a fun way to burn calories? No brainer! Unfortunately, though, it would mean I'd have to hire a babysitter. Ah, well, when the baby's older!
My recent post Investing in Yourself: You're Never Too Old
Well I can confirm The Container Store hires for the holiday season. Tell them I said hi. lol! I get hired for a Beverly Hills private Halloween party. 200-300 for one night's work. Love it!
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