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Ways To Make Money During The Holidays

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 64 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Check out this list of 10 ways to mamke mone during the holidays. This is a great list!No matter what the temperature is or what season it is, there are plenty of different ways to make some extra money.

Since I do talk a lot about different ways to make extra money on Making Sense of Cents, I thought I would do an update to the many different ways you can make some cash.

The holidays are quickly approaching (I can’t believe Thanksgiving is this week!) and some extra cash may do you some good, right?

There may be many different reasons for why you are trying to make some side money. Maybe you just want to pay for holiday gifts purely with extra money. Maybe you want to pay off your student loans. Maybe you are trying to save up for your 2014 travels. Whatever your reason, finding a side job is a positive thing!

Here are different ways for you to make extra money during the holidays:

 

Give your expert opinion.

Here is a new way that you can possibly earn some money.

A site that I have recently heard about is Rewarder.com. Rewarder is a marketplace for knowledge and expertise. It’s where you can go when you need a solid answer to a question of yours, or on the flipside, put that special expertise you may have to help others with their questions. Once users such as you post what they need help with (examples are below), the person that provides the best solution receives the Reward!

There have been over $14,000,000 posted in these “rewards” so far, and there are over 500,000 users.

Examples of these “rewards” include:

  • Stacie S. purchased an espresso machine in another country and wanted to know how to make it compatible for use in the U.S. Adrienne, a coffee aficionado, encountered the same problem with her expresso machine and was able to provide her with the expertise she needed.
  • Another example is of Tori, who always wondered if an unusual rock she found on Lake Michigan was a fossil. Tori then decided to post a picture and Christa, an archaeologist, was able to help her determine what she had.
  • A final example would be Michelle, who was unable to get her garage door to close all of the way for several months. Rosa was able to give her a step-by-step trouble shooting guide based on her make and model and it worked.

 

Have you ever used Rewarder? What are your opinions on it?

 

Use Swagbucks.

I have been using Swagbucks for some time now. It’s definitely not a get rich quick scheme, but it is a way to earn some money on the side with not much work.

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo) that offers you the chance to earn “swagbucks” for different things.  I mainly just do my normal internet searches through Swagbucks.  Then when you accumulate enough, you can go to the prize store and get anything from toys, electronics, and gift cards.  Most people buy Amazon gift cards.

So far I have made over $200 in Amazon gift cards. It’s super easy to use, so sign up NOW! You’ll receive a free $5 bonus just for signing up through my link!

Do you use Swagbucks? Do you know of any other companies that are similar to Swagbucks?

Related: Swagbucks Review – How Much Can You Earn On Swagbucks?

 

Sell your stuff.

Like I always say, I’m sure there is something in your home that you can sell. You can sell your clothes to clothing stores such as Buffalo Exchange or Plato’s Closet. You can sell them online on websites such as Craigslist or eBay. If it’s warm enough where you live, you may also be able to have a yard sale.

 

Freelance.

There are many different things that you can do as a freelancer. You can become a staff writer, website designer, website manager, video editor and so on. There are sites such as Fiverr, TaskRabbit and so on if you are just starting out and want to test your skills or to see if anyone is interested in the services that you provide. Also, if you have a license, use that to your advantage. Make sure that your clients can find your license with a simple license search.

 

Find a seasonal job.

Many jobs are hiring for the holidays. I believe UPS hires around 50,000 workers every winter, and the same goes for many other large companies. And, if you are looking for a long-term job, then you may be able to secure a job from your temporary position.

There are also many retail stores looking to hire during the holidays and it can be a good short-term side job for you.

 

Shovel snow.

My friends and I were talking the other day about how we would rather be snowed in than go outside and shovel snow. Many people feel this way and snow shovelers can actually earn a decent income. Plus, if you have a snow plow then the possible income is of course much, much higher.

 

Other things that you can do include:

  1. Work at a Christmas tree lot.
  2. Clean out gutters.
  3. Rake leaves.
  4. Become a dog walker.
  5. Become a personal trainer. January means that the gym will be packed, and many people are looking to start and reach their fitness goals.
  6. Babysit. The holidays are a busy time and plenty of people need someone trustworthy to watch members of their family.
  7. Become a photographer. Not everyone has the skills to be a photographer, but if you have the skills then maybe you can start a photography business. You can start with family holiday photos!
  8. Take surveys online.
  9. Mystery shop.
  10. Rent a room in your home.
  11. Sign up for a research group.
  12. Participate in a medical study.
  13. Sell crafts such as on Etsy.
  14. House sit.

 

Do you try to make extra money during the holidays? What do you do?

 

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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. GamingYourFinances says

    Selling your stuff is a great idea. People are always looking for lightly used items around now. We just sold an old shelf for $100! A few years ago I bought my wife a slightly used snowboard for her Christmas gift.

    Reply

  2. My Money Design says

    If you know anything about photography, then you’ve got a potentially golden opportunity to make money during the holidays. We just hired a friend from Facebook to shoot our Christmas photos of the whole family. It was a lot less than going to a studio, she did a great job, and I’m sure she appreciated the extra cash.

    Reply

  3. Rebecca says

    I shop year round so I don’t stress too much about making extra money around the holidays. I do try and do more online sales since I tend to sell more this time of year.

    Reply

  4. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    Well I’m too busy working on the blog to take on any additional work, but my wife has been selling quite a bit of our old stuff online. She’s sold 50-100 things in the past few months and we still have a TON of stuff in the third bedroom waiting to be sold. I’d recommend this as a way to do something productive in your free time while also learning more about how to sell on eBay.

    Reply

  6. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    Like DC, I’m a bit too busy to be taking on additional work, but these are some great ideas. We’ve sold stuff online during the Holidays in the past and both have had seasonal jobs. If you freelance, this could also be a good time if you can find companies that are needing something creative done for the Holidays or even planning for the following year.

    Reply

  7. Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says

    Great ideas here, Michelle. I would say we don’t do anything more than we normally do to beef up income during the holidays, except for that I don’t say “no” to freelance stuff very often during this time of the year. I would love to do the mystery shop thing, but us living in the “boonies” I would wonder if any profits we made would be eaten up by gas costs.

    Reply

  8. The Warrior says

    Last Black Thursday (yes, Thanksgiving), I was driving some family to their hotel and noticed the Target line wasn’t too long. On the way back, I stopped, waiting in the line for 30 minutes for them to open and got one of their really big televisions on a big discount. That next morning, I posted the tv for $100 more on craigslist and sold it for a profit. For about an hour of my time, I profited $100.

    I’m not saying everyone should stand in line for hours to try to flip Black Friday deals. But….if you are already in line, quite an easy way to flip some cash.

    The Warrior
    NetWorthWarrior.com

    Reply

      • Amanda says

        My husband has been flipping Black Friday purchases for almost 10 years now. He usually makes between $2.5 to 4 k each year. Plus, since he makes a lot of his purchases at Best Buy using his rewards credit card and his rewards zone card, he receives around $500 in rewards gift cards from his Black Friday purchases.

        Now he is able to do most of his shopping online, allowing him to take advantage Swagbucks, Ebates, and Discover’s 5% cash back promotion for online shopping (for stores other than Best Buy, of course).

        Reply

  9. Dillon says

    I was going to suggest another thing you can do: hang Christmas lights. I know two people who do that for their Christmas shopping.

    Reply

  10. Connie @ Savvy With Saving says

    Great list! I have a pile of stuff I want to sell, I just need to stop procrastinating and do it!

    Reply

  12. Syed says

    Selling stuff is a great option, especially since this is the time of year when lots of people buy lots of stuff. I’ve been having good results with ebay recently selling my old video games.

    Reply

  14. Retired By 40 says

    Rewarder is a new one for me! I will have to check it out.

    Swagbucks, though, I love! In the past year I made $300 in Amazon gift cards! It is super easy to use, and only takes a few minutes per day! I highly encourage everyone to at least try out swabucks 🙂

    Reply

  16. Alexa says

    I like using Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars to save more money for Christmas. They both require minimal effort but if you’re consistent with them the entire year they can amount up to some decent spending money. Which reminds me – I need to cash out my Inbox Dollars account!

    Reply

  20. BlushandBarbells says

    I’m trying to sell some health and fitness products from Beachbody during the holidays. Perfect for everyone’s new year resolutions!
    Thanks for the other ideas.

    Reply

  28. Broke Millennial says

    Oh, I want to be a mystery shopper!! I also would love to be given roles like “being difficult” and assessing how someone deals with the issue.

    I need to up my Swagbucks game just for those Amazon gift certificates. Your skills are impressive.

    Reply

  29. Charles@gettingarichlife says

    Great list Michelle, have you known anyone who has done house sitting. That always seems like the unicorn job, watch a house and get paid!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      Yeah, sometimes it definitely feels like it can take a little bit. However, if you put affiliate links on your website, that does help it add up more quickly!

      Reply

  32. Jacob says

    I only have a few dreams in this world, but one of them is to own a Christmas Tree Farm. Not a lot, but the actual farm where the trees grow. We would make it a whole experience!

    I’m sure I need a lot of capital to make that happen, but then I’d be RAKING IT IN during the holidays 🙂

    Reply

  33. fehmeen says

    Making extra money on the side is always a good idea because even if you don’t earn much in one go, the pennies add up over time. I enjoy sending in short stories to newspapers as freelance work. Its all creative fun work and adds to my CV.

    Reply

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