It always sucks when the the holidays are suddenly here and you realize you don't have quite the extra cash you planned on to give gifts you wanted to give and enjoy the holiday adventures you envisioned. This happens to me nearly every year and this year I've decided to start making extra cash and putting it away months in advance.
Let's look at some ways to start making some extra holiday money starting NOW so that you can save enough by the time the season gets here!
Ebates
This site is great! First of all, you get a $10 gift card to Target, Home Depot, Macy's, Walmart (there are others) just for signing up. They mail it to you plain and simple. Then anytime you have to buy something online, say other presents or just regular necessities, if you go through their site first, you start racking up cash back points. They'll start mailing out checks to you based on what you've bought online recently. Of course it might seem counter productive spending money to get a little back, but if you're going to be buying diapers on Amazon anyway or groceries or other things online anyway, you might as well make something back! I've been getting little $15, $25 checks from them every couple weeks for many months now and they'll add up. Just be sure that you cash them before 90 days as I learned the hard way!
Check the "ETC" Pages
On Craigslist, if you look at the second to last option under the "jobs" column on craigslist, you'll find the "ETC" section. This area can be hit or miss but if you check it out regularly you'll come across extra ways to make money including pet sitting, yard work gigs, elderly assistance driving to and from doctor appointments, helping with small business packaging, and so on. A couple years ago I wanted to make extra cash behind my husband's back so that I could surprise him. I raked an elderly woman's leaves that I found on the "ETC" section, helped in writing names on homemade ornaments for a small business.
Clothing For Cash
I know in Utah there's a place called "Plato's Closet" and here in Seattle there's a "Rewind Clothing". Lots of big cities have places that will buy your gently used, stylish clothes for cash. Instead of just trashing them or letting them sit in your closet unused, might as well make a few bucks while getting rid of them.
Sell on Etsy
You're talented I just know it! If you aren't already selling on Etsy, why not give it a whirl? Sell some homemade baby bows or headbands, a holiday banner or table runner, wedding decor, hand sewn napkins, place settings for Thanksgiving, photography prints, throw pillow cases, jewelry, whatever you want! I've been selling paintings on Etsy for over a year now, and although it's nothing steady, when I suddenly sell one, that's some unexpected cash in my pocket! Of course you might want to try to sell things you have already created or using supplies you already have instead of going out and spending a bunch first.
Consignment FB Page For Your Area
There is an online Facebook page set up for the people in one general city where any of them can post things they are no longer in need of and sell them to each other. If you have baby clothes to sell, a kitchen appliance you never use, clothes, books, furniture, what have you, if you have many others join your group you're likely to find some buyers for things you no longer use to your neighbors looking for those items. Try your hand at setting up a similar page with friends and inviting everyone in your area to join.
Take on some online writing projects
Sites such as www.elance.com or www.crowdspring.com/ provide thousands of online gigs for people interested in making some extra money. You can find all kinds of creative projects, writing jobs, photoshop, editing, programming, data entry needs and so on so check it out!
Focus Groups
I've been surprised just how many opportunities there are for focus groups in my area. Many of them are clinical groups but lots of them center around products and services such as focus groups for Android users or moms of toddlers just to name a few. Sites such as http://www.fgglobal.com/
or http://www.focusgroup.com/ make it easy for you to browse the opportunities coming up in your area that you might be interested in. Since many of the studies take place over the course of many weeks, you might as well look for one that starts soon where you go in once a week for an hour or so, make $50 or whatever they pay for the hour, and then set the money aside each week up until the holidays arrive!
Make The Most Of Furniture Finds
This might seem odd, but I've actually made a nice chunk of change more than once on scoring a good furniture find and then turning around and selling it for more. Browse your local Goodwill or look on Craigslist for furniture pieces in either the furniture section or, better yet, in the FREE section. Look for pieces with interesting textures that you can't find everywhere (vintage pieces are always great) and give them a lift yourself. Add some paint or fun knobs or fabric and post the piece for sale. Some of my own personal furniture in my own home were pieces that I found for free and polished up myself and I've sold a couple of dressers and tables for cash after getting them for free.
If you have any suggestions on other ways to make some extra cash ahead of time, please share them in the comments below!
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