The Yuletide season is fast approaching – is your wallet ready? To save your finances, here are fifteen of the best ways to make quick cash for the holidays.
The yuletide season has arrived. While this means fun and food for the whole family, it could spell hell for your personal finances. Did you know that the average American spends $1,000 just on holiday travel, gifts, and goodies?
While there's nothing like the spending spirit of the world's favorite holiday to drive us penniless, there's a silver lining: people are more willing to dole out money during the Christmas season more than any other season in the year.
During this time, you'll find plenty of opportunities to find work if you're looking to earn extra cash before Christmas. A plethora of holiday jobs will be open months in advance and the best time to start strategizing your holiday work is between July and September.
But even if you start late, there are still plenty of ways to make quick Christmas cash. Check out some of the best ways below!
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1. Sign up for a seasonal retail job
As the holidays approach, retails companies become busier and busier trying to keep up with the surge in demand. If you're looking for quick cash for the holidays, you can sign up for a seasonal side gig to get you through the holidays.
The yuletide season is a great time to find temporary work, but you'll also be building experience while potentially finding an entry point for a more permanent career in retail. Here are some of the best opportunities:
Customer service representative. As customers scurry to buy gifts, customer service departments become swamped with calls. Working as a customer service representative for a retail company may mean answering phones, replying to customer queries on social media platforms and internet chat programs, and handling customer complaints and issues.
You may need experience in customer service, recordkeeping software, and internet chat programs to be eligible for hire.
Retail sales associate. Brick-and-mortar stores will be looking for hands-on staff to help them boost their holiday sales. These workers are responsible for merchandising, managing inventory, stocking shelves, overlooking incoming shipments, managing the cashier, or working with customers. Check out retailers like Walmart, Kohl's, Target, and Toys ‘R Us who are always looking for seasonal help.
Warehouse associate. Thanks to the e-commerce boom, many companies are looking to hire seasonal warehouse associates who can help assemble and prepare shipments, track inventory, and use heavy equipment to move goods around. Amazon is popular for hiring seasonal shipping associates, so don't forget to inquire!
Holiday actor. You don't need Academy Award-winning credentials to be selected as holiday actors for retail establishments. If you resemble Santa or have the acting chops to channel the likes of various holiday characters, then you've got what it takes to do the job. For most acting jobs, you'll need great people skills and you must be good with children.
2. Deliver goods through Postmates
Wondering how to make extra money for Christmas? Postmates is a popular delivery service that allows people to order drinks, food, and groceries through their phones.
Your job is to deliver these items on behalf of the company on a timely basis. The holiday season is a very busy time, and a lot of people are looking to have their needs delivered to avoid Yuletide traffic.
Most Postmates delivery drivers make as much as $18-$25 per hour while being able to keep 100% of the tips they earn. To drive for Postmates, you'd need to create an account on the Postmates website, authorize a background check, and set up a direct deposit.
You must be 18 years old with access to an insured vehicle or bicycle to deliver for Postmates.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$9-$14/hour | 100% | Very Good | JOIN NOW | Read Review |
Check out the 12 best delivery apps and jobs for more options.
3. Take care of a house in your neighborhood
With people out of town for the holidays, housesitters become very essentials. Housesitters are tasked with performing a variety of duties including housecleaning, watering indoor plants, collecting mail, feeding and bathing pets, or just being around to make sure nothing bad happens.
Most housesitters will be required to stay at their client's house, but others are merely asked to visit a few times a day.
Check out apps and platforms like MindMyHouse if you're interested in landing a housesitting job.
4. Become a pet sitter
Since most people are busy or out of town during the holidays, they'd be looking for someone to take care of their furry friends. If you're looking to make quick cash for the holidays, consider pet sitting.
Rover is a platform that can connect you with customers looking for pet sitters. You can earn as much as $1,000 a month by just pet sitting on the side.
Dog walkers must sign up on the Rover app, complete their profile, pass a background check and a Rover walker certification, be at least 18 years old, and available to work on weekdays.
Other than Rover, you can find pet watching side gigs through Facebook, Craigslist, and other job marketplaces.
5. Make money out of decluttering
You'll be getting new stuff this Christmas season, so why not consider letting go of your old items to make way for the new? You can sell old books, clothes, and other items online to make money for the holidays instead of having them collect dust. Here's how.
Sell your books through BookScouter. BookScouter is a platform that compiles the best bookselling prices from around 30 book buyers. While the amount you get depends on the title of your book, you'll likely earn around $1 for each one. While this isn't much, this is still good money you've earned for just letting go of stuff you aren't using anymore.
Sell used clothes through Poshmark. Here's a rule you could employ: if you haven't used an article of clothing for more than a year, it's wise to let them go. Online marketplaces like Poshmark allow you to sell designer brands for a good price. It has zero listing fees and features a large and active market.
Sell used gadgets. Buying yourself a new mobile phone for Christmas? Consider selling your old one through Decluttr, a platform that offers users an easy way to sell CDs, DVDs, games, and tech.
6. Sign up for odd jobs
One of the easiest ways to make quick cash for the holidays is to sign up for odd jobs. You'll find a plethora of one-time gigs in Craiglist and a variety of other more specialized platforms.
The great thing about one-time gigs is that you get paid right after you complete each work – a fantastic fallback if you're looking for quick money to buy some gifts.
Some of the best side hustles during Christmas include mowing lawns, cleaning houses with apps like Tidy or MaidsApp, or babysitting through platforms like Bambino, Care.com, or Babysits.
7. Make the most of your vehicle
With everyone in a rush to buy food, head to the airport, and visit their families, getting around can be difficult during the holidays. That's where you come in. If you have a car or you're great at driving, you can make good money out of it.
Try a ride-sharing app. Consider working as a driver for ride-sharing apps like Uber where you can ride-sharing as $140 on a good day. Since it's the holidays, chances are, you won't be running out of customers since the transportation business booms even during non-peak hours.
Uber allows you to work when you want, as often as you want. To drive for Uber, you'll need to have a driver’s license, a smartphone, and a vehicle in good running condition. You also need to pass a background check.
Rent out your vehicle. If you have a vehicle but you don't have time driving people around, you can consider renting out your car for a price. This is a great way to make passive income if you need Christmas cash.
Try signing up for platforms like GetAround or Turo where you can earn as much as $720-$800 a month when listing your vehicle.
See Related: Turo vs Getaround: What is Better for Owners?
8. Rent out your space
Do you have an empty room in your house? If you're wondering how to pay for Christmas with no money, you can rent out your free space for passive income. During the holidays, throngs of people will be temporarily moving into your neighborhood to attend gatherings, and some of these visitors will be looking for nearby accommodation.
Rent out a room. Instead of a more expensive hotel or inn, platforms like Airbnb or Homestay can offer them cheaper options via room-sharing. Both platforms allow you to set your own rate, compose house rules, approve guests, and plan out your own renting schedule. Do note, however, that both platforms take a host service fee of around 3-5%.
List your entire home. If you're moving away for the holidays, why not consider renting out your entire house so you can earn from it? Vacation rental sites like VRBO allow you to list a wide variety of properties including bungalows, condos, cottages, villas, and chalets.
9. Become a personal shopper
Demand for personal shoppers rise when the holidays arrive, and this comes as no surprise. There are just so many things to do, and most people just can't be bothered with taking regular trips to the grocery store. If you're wondering how to make money during the holidays, signing up for personal shopping platforms like Instacart is a great side hustle.
With Instacart you can work as an in-store shopper tasked only with picking out groceries, or as a full-service shopper with the added responsibility of delivering the goods to your clients. The platform allows you to get paid via commission or per hour, depending on your type of employment.
You can set your own schedule and cash out any time.
Full-service shoppers are independent contractors of Instacart who are able to work an unlimited number of hours every week. In-store shoppers are part-time employees of Instacart who must be able to work at least 15-20 hours per week, including Mondays and Sundays.
They also get benefits, including 401(k) savings.
See Related: 8 Top Alternatives to Uber to Make Money
10. Get cashback from your holiday purchases
One of the easiest ways to make quick cash for the holidays is to get cashback from purchases you're already doing. Cashback apps allow you to save on gifts when you're shopping online through the platform.
Each purchase you make through a cashback app earns you points which you can redeem for gift cards or cash out via Venmo or PayPal.
You can use the gift cards you’ve earned to actually purchase gifts for your friends and family – a great no-cost gift idea! Here are some of the best cashback apps to get free money during Christmas.
- Wikibuy: You can install the Wikibuy browser extension and earn cashback from all partner retail stores.
- Fetch Rewards or Ibotta: These are two of the most popular cashback apps. All you need to do to earn cashback and snap a photo of your receipt and upload the photo to the mobile app.
- Rakuten Rewards: Users can shop through Rakuten's online portal and get cashback. New subscribers get a $10 bonus.
- Dosh: Dining out on local restaurants and checking into hotels can earn you 7-10% cashback.
- MyPoints: You can get up to 40% cashback on all your gift purchases on over 2,000 retailers and stores.
- Drop: This platform offers access to deals and rewards from over 300 brands.
- Earny: Dosh offers automatic refunds on your purchases when the prices drop. This allows you to save on discounts you failed to avail of.
- TopCashBack: Offers discounts to over 4,000 of the most popular stores in the US.
See Related: 11 Best Cashback Apps to Save Money
11. Answer online surveys
While this method won't earn you cash overnight, it's one of the best ways to make quick cash for the holidays.
Most paid survey companies will issue your payment at the end of the month, so make sure you try this method months before the holidays begin.
Survey companies pay to your hear your opinion on a variety of things, as this helps them plot out consumer behavior to find better ways of attracting customers like you. If you have a lot of free time during the holidays, this is a great way to make money online.
Do note, however, that you won't get rich through this method.
To increase your chances of generating income through paid surveys, try to sign up for as many paid survey companies as you can.
Most survey companies will only send you a few surveys each month so it's wise to sign up for as many platforms as possible.
Some of the best paid survey sites are:
Looking for more options? Read our review of the 10 Best Survey Apps to Make Money on the Go.
12. Get paid to lose weight
Here's a fact: while celebrations abound, most people gain weight during the holidays. While it's okay to cut yourself some slack and let a little loose on your diet during the festivities, some people are more dedicated to their weight loss.
Here's where weight loss platforms come in.
Weight loss platforms help you stick to your weight loss goals by offering you cash incentives if you reach your goal.
HealthyWage allows you to instantly earn $100 if you lose 10% of your weight in six months. GymPact allows you to earn quick cash for the holidays for each week that you commit going to the gym.
DietBet offers several weight-loss challenges with varying durations, goals, bet amounts, and prizes.
See Related: 7 Ways to Get Paid to Lose Weight
Looking for more ways to earn extra money? This step-by-step email course is absolutely free and has everything you need to know about increasing your income online.