There are several great ways to make money for Christmas and to reduce your money stress. These are some easy ways you can start saving money for Christmas today.
One of the biggest stresses around Christmas is money. It can be an expensive time and often breaks budgets. Reducing costs by shopping sales, planning ahead, and focusing on memories instead of stuff helps but it’s still nice to be able to bring in some extra money to use for Christmas.
Starting as soon as possible to make extra money will help the most but even last minute you can bring in some extra money. Either way, it will help reduce some of the stress.
How to Make Money for Christmas
Sell stuff
Decluttering is a good task to tackle before the holidays and you can kill two birds with one stone by selling some of that clutter. If you have a lot of stuff a garage sale can be profitable. You can also sell things on Facebook sell groups, eBay or Amazon Trade-In.
Additional Resource: Make a Killing at Your Next Garage Sale
Get Money Back on Stuff You Already Buy
During the year you can get cash back on purchases you already make using cash back apps and websites. For grocery shopping, the Ibotta, Checkout 51, and Fetch Rewards (use referral code TN8EW during sign up for $2 in points!) are great choices. You earn cash back by scanning your receipts. Fetch Rewards gives you points for all receipts and extra for special products. Ibotta and Checkout 51 give you points for special products.
For online shopping try Ebates. You can save money at many online stores like Etsy, Walmart, Target, and even Amazon. You also get $10 just for signing up and using the site!
Additional Resource: How to Use Ebates
Make Stuff to Sell
If you are crafty or like to bake or cook you can create things to sell for some extra money. Local shops often offer handmade goods. Or you can sell online on Etsy or Amazon Handmade.
Just make sure you price your items so that you are making a profit. You don’t want to spend more on supplies and fees than what you are charging.
You can also create digital products like ebooks or printables and sell them using Send Owl. This is especially great if you already have a blog or website.
Pet Sitting
Pet sitting is a fun and rewarding way to bring in extra money. You can offer your services online or on a site like Rover. If you are available around the holidays you can make a lot of money while people go on trips.
If you have space you can even offer to pet sit in your home. Or offer to walk dogs when people are at work or on short trips.
Additional Resource: Free Printable Pet Sitter Information Sheet
Fill Out Surveys
This is a really easy way to add a bit of income. You won’t likely get rich doing this but you can get a bit of spending money. There are many options out there. I personally have used and like Mechanical Turk. It’s run by Amazon and you can find some short, high paying surveys on the site.
Another option a lot of people like is Swagbucks. Also, read The 10 Best Survey Sites to make Extra Money for more sites to try.
Start a blog
Starting a blog takes time and a lot of work but can bring in a lot of income and can even be a full-time job. I personally run this blog and two others. It’s a lot of fun and has become my full-time job.
You won’t make money overnight but if you are looking for a long-term income option this can be a really good option.
Additional Resource: How to Start a Blog
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Jae (@gorjaeous)
Selling stuff is definitely on my to-do’s list. My husband and I have accumulated a lot of things over the years, and they’re literally stressing me out. One of these days, I’m going to start walking around our apartment with a trash bag, and dump everything (still useful) in there that other people may benefit from.
Lisa Sharp
That’s a great idea! It really does help our stress level to get rid of clutter.
Beth
My husband just retired due to health issues, so we’re looking for ways to bring in some income. Some of these might work for us. Thanks for the suggestions!
Lisa Sharp
I’m sorry he had to retire for reasons that aren’t happy. I hope some of this help and I hope his health improves.
Dree
I have always heard people mention Ebates but I’ve been dragging my feet to sign up. As much as I shop online, it can only help!
Lisa Sharp
Do it today! You don’t want to miss out on the money. I wish I had signed up when I first heard about it. I always love how much I get back after Christmas shopping.
Melissa
I’ve been thinking about selling some things rather than getting a second job. I have a guitar that I bought but have used less than 5 times that I’m sure I could get one hundred or two hundred bucks. I’m curious about Ibotta too.
Lisa Sharp
I’ve been selling some stuff on Facebook. It’s nice to declutter and make some extra money.