12 Ways to Earn Extra Cash for Christmas!
Need some extra cash for Christmas this year?
You can save money by shopping deals and using easy hacks to score the lowest prices on gifts, but you can also pick up a few side hustles that you can work from home to pay for Christmas shopping.
Waking up to a big credit card bill is not a great way to start the New Year off, especially if you have some serious financial goals.
Pick up one or two of these easy side hustles to start making some extra money now, so you can save your wallet from Christmas!
Easy Side Hustles to Make Money NOW!
#1 Clean Out Your Closets & Sell Your Stuff
Now is a great time to clean out your closets, make room for new toys, and sell your things online. You can sell almost anything that is Gently Used to Excellent Condition. Try selling your things on eBay or local Facebook Groups. Sell your video games, game consoles, DVDs, CDs, old smartphones, and even old textbooks with Decluttr, a convenient online platform.
They make it really simple to sell your items!
- Fill out the information on your item OR scan the barcode on your item g
- Get a price immediately
- Accept the price
- Pack the item and use the free shipping label & ship it
Once Decluttr receives the item and checks it you will be paid by direct deposit, PayPal, or check.
#2 Tell them What You Think
Surveys are some of my favorite ways to make quick cash. As a busy mom, I love that I can take surveys on my phone while I’m waiting in the car pick up line or sitting at sports practice.
Two of my favorite surveys that I trust and use are Survey Junkie and Branded Research (Mintvine).
Survey Junkie is a popular market research company that gives you opportunities to share your opinion about a variety of different products and services. Get all the details in this Survey Junkie Review.
Branded Research (Mintvine) is my number two favorite survey company. They also have a good variety of surveys along with other opportunities to earn points like daily polls and referral rewards. AND you can get paid for watching Primetime TV? Yes! I’ve recently seen surveys that ask about what you watched on TV last night. Here is the Branded Research (Mintvine) Review for more details.
Both Branded Research and Survey Junkie allow you to earn points even when you don’t qualify for a survey, so you don’t feel like you’re wasting time.
Join Survey Junkie Today!
Join Branded Research (Mintvine) Today!
#3 Get Paid to Watch Videos with Swagbucks
You can earn gift cards and even PayPal cash with Swagbucks by watching videos.
One of my favorite ways to earn some extra cash is to turn on the Swagbucks videos while I’m folding laundry or washing dishes. You earn points whether you are paying attention or not, just as long as the video is running!
You can earn even more “bucks” by taking surveys, browsing through the Swagbucks extension, earning extra points through the Swagbucks Facebook Page and shopping online. All these points add up over time. This mom used her Swagbucks to pay for her trip to Disney!
Read my Swagbucks Review for all the best tricks to earn!
Sign Up with Swagbucks and Get a $10 Bonus!
#4 Get Paid for your Internet Usage
Have you heard of the Nielsen Ratings? Yes! They are the company that is known for giving TV ratings. But now Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel is interested in information about internet usage.
Here’s how it works! Nielsen will pay you $50 a year to keep their app on your phone for a year and let them anonymously track your internet usage. Get paid to use your internet as normal.
Sign up for Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel to start make passive extra cash today!
#5 Make Money while Shopping at the Mall
Shopkick is a fun and easy way to earn free gift cards for everyday shopping. Earn points for walking into stores, scanning products, and purchasing items listed in the app. Turn your points in for free gift cards that you can use for your Christmas shopping!
We all have a million errands to run during the holiday season. You can earn points for walking into Walmart, Target, Kroger, and 300 other retailers. Shopkick often has special rewards and other incentives during the holidays. It’s the perfect time to start earning FREE gift cards!
Join Shopkick Now and Start Earning Free Gift Cards!
#6 Earn Extra Cash with Ebates
Earn cash back while shopping online with the most trusted cash back site, Ebates. It’s really simple to use!
Just sign up on the Ebates website or app. Then click through the store link on the Ebates site where you want to shop. Ebates has partnered with stores like Amazon, Walmart, Khol’s, and over 2500 more stores! You can earn between 1% – 10% cash back on your purchases when shopping online. Find out my favorite Ebates tips to earn the most cash back!
Earn a $10 Bonus by Signing Up with Ebates!
#7 Make Money Shopping with Instacart
Love shopping? Then Instacart might be the best side hustle job for you! Basically this works like UberEats, but instead you are delivering groceries and you are the shopper.
Instacart offers a very flexible work schedule. You get paid to shop and deliver grocery items to the client. The amount of money you make per order is based on a few factors like distance driven, commission based off of purchase, and more. The average pay seems to be around $12 – $15 per hour.
Sign up with Instacart and Get Paid to Shop Today!
#8 Drive with UberEats
UberEats is a food delivery service that has partnered with local restaurants who don’t have a delivery service. You can deliver food in your car or on a bike and work flexible hours on your own schedule.
After you make a delivery you are eligible to make a tip as an UberEats driver. You can also set up Instant Pay and receive payment the same day as your deliveries! So if you need quick money this is one of the best side hustles to put money in your wallet.
Signing up is simple. There are a few driver requirements that you will need to meet like having a valid driver’s license and a car, scooter, or bike to make deliveries.
Become an UberEats Driver and Get Paid Today!
#9 Pet Sitting & Dog Walking
Calling all animal lovers…get paid to pet sit and dog walk. People are busy and need extra help when it comes to their pets.
Make money by letting dogs out during the day, taking them on a walk, feeding them while their owners are out of town, or simply playing with them. You can find jobs as a pet sitter or dog walker by using an app like Rover or Wag.
These apps allow pet owners and you to connect! Create a profile, fill out your information, and start walking dogs to make some extra cash!
#10 Help Improve User Experience on Websites and Apps
Businesses are working hard to improve their websites and apps to make the user experience easier for their clients and customers. You can make money testing websites and apps by providing a walk through recording of yourself using the website or app describing you experience as you use it. These side gigs pay between $3 – $15 per test.
Check out these companies that pay you to test websites and apps:
#11 Teach English Online
Make money teaching English online to Chinese students! This is a really popular job opportunity that pays between $13 – $22 per hour. You need to be a native English speaker, have a bachelor’s degree (does not have to be in education), and experience working with children.
This is a really fun job with a flexible work schedule. All the work is done on an online platform similar to Skype with no prep work or grading papers.
Check out these companies that hire English teachers:
#12 Make Money with Your Smartphone
Your smartphone is a useful tool that can help you make money where ever you go! You can teach English on your smartphone, take surveys, test apps, make money taking pictures, and more!
Find out how to turn your smartphone into a side hustle!
Christmas Budget Made Easy
We know Christmas time gives you ALL. THE. FEELS. There is jolly Christmas music playing in every store, and it’s so easy to get carried away (even at the grocery store! I want to buy all the holiday treats! 🤷) I put this Christmas Budget together to keep myself on track this holiday season, and I’m sharing it with you!
Getting Started with Your Christmas Budget
What is your Christmas budget? Many times we find ourselves over spending because we never had a plan to begin with. Creating a Christmas Budget is the best way to keep track of your spending and staying within your financial means when it comes to gift giving this holiday season.
Decide how much you can spend this holiday season
First take a look at your overall budget, do you have extra income you can use for gifts? Have you already been saving throughout the year for extras?
You mainly want to make sure that you don’t dive into your savings accounts, emergency fund, or rack up bills on your credit cards to cover the cost of Christmas.
Christmas Budgeting Tips
Make a List and Check it Twice
Now that you have an idea of how much you can spend, make a list of all the people who you want/need to buy for.
- spouse
- kids
- parents
- siblings
- extended family
- friends
- kids friends
- teachers
- postman
- neighbors
- and anyone else you can think of!
You can then decide how much you will spend on each person. Give each person a dollar amount. This will help you stay on track as you begin your Christmas shopping.
Download the Christmas Budget Planner
A Christmas budget planner will help you keep track of your spending on gifts, party supplies, baking items, and all the other random things you need to buy during the holiday season.
This Christmas budget worksheet has space for making a gift list, calendar for marking events through out the holidays, and planning your parties. Simply keeping track of your spending, shopping, and time will help you stay within your Christmas budget.
Use a Christmas Budget Planner App
Another great way to keep you on track with your Christmas budget while shopping is to use a Christmas budgeting app. This makes it easy to remember how much you spend and how many presents you have bought.
Don’t waste time, energy, and money this year. Take advantage of one of these apps below to keep your Christmas budget on track!
2 apps to help you manage your Christmas Shopping Budget
- Santa’s Bag – Christmas Gift List (iPhone/android) – Track Christmas gift ideas and set a gift budget for each person and mark them off as you buy. Cost is FREE.
- The Christmas List for iPhone – similar to Santa’s Bag with a few different features, but cost $1.99
Quick Cash for the Holidays
One of the easiest ways to get some quick Christmas cash for is to start by looking within your own budget. Where can you cut back on some things to save money for gift giving in December?
- Gym Membership you don’t use
- Subscription box that is too expensive
- Negotiate your cable bill
- Update Amazon orders for a lower price
- Look into switching cable services or change to Sling TV, Netflix, Hulu
- Cancel services you don’t use regularly (Audible, Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Pandora)
- Change to a better cell phone service like Republic Wireless (pay $23/month for the same service you have now)
- Combine Home and Auto Insurance for a better deal
- Look for a better Health Insurance solution
12 Ways to Earn Extra Money for Christmas
Follow these extra earning tips for your Christmas budget. January 1, after all the holiday crazy, you will be so glad you don’t have to pay for Christmas the rest of the year!
Week 1: Christmas Budget Challenge
Week 2: More Ways to Make Quick Cash for Christmas
Week 3: Christmas Gift Giving Ideas
Week 4: Christmas Shopping Tips and Deals
Week 6: Sell Gift Cards Online
Week 7: DIY Crafts to Make and Sell During the Holidays
Week 8: Ebates Shopping Tips and Tricks