The Christmas season is upon us. The season of family, faith, food, and…shopping…..collective sigh…
The spending part of Christmas can get crazy, so I’ve come up with a list of ideas to find some extra cash for your Christmas spending if you’re coming up short.
Our goal is to NOT put our Christmas purchases on a credit card. January will be one giant nightmare when the credit card bills start rolling in. Hopefully, that’s your goal too.
Before we get to the list, if you haven’t started planning for Christmas, I offer this FREE Christmas Gift & Spending Budget Excel Worksheet to my email subscribers.
I use this spreadsheet every year. I make notes of gift ideas for my family and friends throughout the year. So please, take advantage of my offer and make a spending plan for Christmas.
We set aside money each month throughout the year for gift spending, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in 2013, I had a year-long series, Christmas Savings Club, to encourage everyone to set aside money each month for the holidays.
The series was inspired by my own problem with not having enough cash for Christmas in 2012. We paid for many of our Christmas purchases on a credit card and then hustled in January 2013 to pay it off. Enough was enough and we have since changed our ways of budgeting for Christmas gifts.
Whether you are scrambling to find the money for gifts OR you could just use some extra cash this season, my hope is that this list of ideas (many we’ve done ourselves) helps you find some cash for Christmas.
10 Ideas to Find Cash for Christmas
1. Donate Plasma
In early 2021, a friend posted on Facebook about how she was making extra money by donating plasma. I was intrigued and asked for more info and decided it was worth a try. I started donating plasma in January of 2021 and earned over $1000 in the first 3 months of the year. The initial promotional offer may have changed, but it’s worth looking into. You earn money after each donation.
It’s not for the faint of heart though, but if you can tolerate blood and needles, then it might be an easy way for you to earn extra cash.
Related Reading: My Honest Review: I donated plasma to earn money!
2. Make Money from your Skills or Hobbies
My husband has made hundreds of extra dollars by using his experience as a collegiate swimmer and high school swim coach to teach private swimming lessons. What skills do you have that you can offer or teach to make extra money?
- Can you teach piano lessons?
- Are you a skilled photographer? Think high school senior portraits or family photos for Christmas cards.
- Are you fluent in another language or maybe you’re a math whiz? Consider tutoring.
- Were you a high school or college tennis star? Teach tennis lessons.
3. Are you Crafty? Sell your crafts.
Do you love to bake? Christmas cookies are as synonymous with the season as gift giving. Some people don’t have time or don’t like to bake but would love to buy home-baked cookies and treats. My sister-in-law buys dozens every Christmas from a mom who bakes for cash. And a friend of mine sells her homemade Christmas candy this time of year.
Do you love to sew/knit/crochet? My mom makes and sells Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls. If you’re a knitter, make and sell scarves and/or hats from the yarn that you might have sitting around your house.
4. Sell Your Old, Unused Gold Jewelry
Several years ago, I made $150 from some gold pieces that were broken or I no longer wore. I had no emotional attachment to any of it and I was happy to make that money right before the holidays.
Read about my experience: Sell Your Gold Jewelry for Cash.
5. Sell Unused Video Games
My husband loves video games but just doesn’t have time for them anymore. They sat unused, so he decided to sell his Wii for $80. Has this happened to you? If someone in your family was desperate for a gaming system only for it to sit unused–consider selling it. It’s a great time of year to unload, especially if the system was hardly used.
6. Have a Virtual Yard Sale.
I love yard sales, but it’s getting a little cold in the northeast to be hosting one outside. However, there’s always stuff to sell, like outgrown, but good clothing, shoes, toys, household goods, etc. Spend some time and go through your house. Look for the big items that are worth your time and list them on Craigslist or find a local Facebook page where you can list stuff that you’re selling.
If you’re nervous about selling on the market page, I’ve had a lot of success simply listing some things on my personal Facebook page.
7. Return Unused Purchases
I shop at thrift stores frequently and I am always amazed at how much I see with store tags still on the product. If you have something that didn’t fit or you didn’t end up liking, RETURN it. Many stores will at least give you a store credit if you don’t have your receipt. But that store credit is much better than sending it to the thrift store as a donation.
8. Babysit or House Sit
At this time of year, parents might be looking for a sitter so they can gift shop or attend a holiday party. Or maybe you have friends that need their house attended to while they are away for the holidays.
8. Pet Sitting, Dog Walking, or Dog “Clean Up”
Yep, people will pay someone to pick up their dog’s poo…who knew? Pet owners will also pay for someone to take care of their pets while they’re away.
9. Snow Removal and/or Lawn Mowing
The northeast was pummeled with snow last winter and some of the high school kids in our neighborhood offered their shoveling services. The same kids mow many lawns in my neighborhood during warmer weather.
11. Part-Time Job
I just ran into a mom from my kids’ school that picked up a part-time waitress job to supplement their income. Tips, baby! Seasonal part-time jobs are most likely filled by now, but if you have free evenings or weekends, picking up a part-time job might be a great option for you to make some extra cash.
What creative ideas do you have to find some extra cash for Christmas? Please share in the comments.
Still short on cash, think outside the gift box: 30 Free (but Thoughtful) Christmas Gift Ideas.
photo credit: Pixaby
Great ideas to find extra cash! We’ve had the boys sell some of their old video games.
These are great ideas. I’m doing a couple of these and also using my blog to earn some extra Christmas cash. #SITSBlogging
Anitra Elmore recently posted…Happy Thanksgiving 2014 from The MamaZone
Good luck with making some extra cash, Anitra. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Great ideas for some extra cash for Christmas because I agree…pay cash for Christmas instead of using your credit card!
Julie @ Girl on the Move recently posted…12 Days of Christmas…Coming Soon!
A cash only Christmas is the only way to go, Julie! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Check out Craigslist “Gig” section – you never know what you’ll find. One time I talked to some guy on the phone for 15 minutes about whether or not I would consider installing a chat app on my website and what I liked and didn’t like about that idea. I made $50, which he PayPal-ed me right after the phone call. It was pretty awesome.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays #66
Great tip, Mel. I will check it out. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Any used electronics can fetch good money on e-bay. Old smart phones, dvd players, computer hardware, etc. We have made some goo extra cash selling are used stuff over the years.
Brian @DebtDiscipline recently posted…Week End Round Up #59
That’s a great tip, Brian. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
These are great ideas. I signed up with Fiverr for some extra money, but my gigs haven’t really taken off. I probably need to do some more research. #SITSSharefest
My husband uses Fiverr all of the time. I’ve never considered it as a money making tool, so I’ll have to look into it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.