Do you have an expensive event or season coming up and finding your bank account a little light? The holidays are fast approaching, which means extra costs and the potential to overspend or go into debt are more likely. I wholeheartedly believe that the best gift you can give your loved ones is your time. However, that’s not always possible, and making some extra cash for the festive season could help pay toward holiday expenses.
You can earn a lot of extra cash in a short period of time with some side hustles and other money-making strategies. This article will show you 17 tested and tried ways to earn extra money to cover expenses, save up for an emergency fund, or pay off debt.
And you can use some of them all year round to make money on the side, depending on your skills, interests, and personal circumstances.
*Some links may be an affiliate. See my affiliate policy here.
1. Sell your unwanted items
You probably have goods lying around at home that you no longer want or use. Why not sell your unwanted items to earn some extra cash? You can sell your unwanted clothes, bags, kids’ toys, furniture, electronics, cell phones, and much more online.
Apps and websites that will allow you to sell your unwanted items:
You can sell almost anything on eBay. However, old clothes, shoes, bags, kids’ toys, etc. tend to sell best on this site.
If you have items, like unwanted books, electronics, cell phones, video games, and more, you can sell them on Amazon with Amazon’s Trade-in Program.
Decluttr is great for selling old or unwanted cell phones, CDs, DVDs, video games, books, and much more.
Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Offerup are great platforms for selling things, specifically larger items like TVs, furniture, etc. locally
Sell gently used designer clothes, bags, etc. items via Poshmark and ThredUP to get the best value for your items.
Selling unwanted or unused items is a great way to make some money during the holidays and beyond. Moreover, selling these items has the added bonus of removing clutter from your home, which gives you more space.
Payment timeframe:
It depends entirely on the site you use to sell your stuff. If you sell things locally then you can get paid instantly!
2. Get cashback
Another great way to earn extra money fast is simply earning cashback on items that you already we’re planning on buying. I know people who save up their cashback rewards to pay for gifts for the holidays – free is for me!
Cashback (and gift card rewards) sites include:
You will earn cashback every time you shop online through Rakuten. It is completely free to sign up and use and works as a browser extension that will pop up on approved sites.
Ibotta works after you shop by giving you cashback for scanning receipts…. which, why wouldn’t you? Free money!
Generally, cashback apps and sites offer up to 5% cashback, but you can expect to earn up to 20% cashback during the holidays. You could build a nice pot of cash over time if you use Rakuten every time you shop online and use Ibotta every time you do grocery shopping. You can earn even more if you combine this with coupons and discounts.
If you are buying some stuff anyway, why not get a percentage back of what you spend? It is an easy way to earn some quick bucks.
Payment timeframe:
Rakuten pays you every three months, provided that your account balance is at least $5. Alternatively, Ibotta pays you as soon as you have reached $20 in earnings.
3. Rent out your spare space on Airbnb
You could earn some extra cash before the holidays by renting out any extra room you may have through Airbnb. It is free to join and list your extra space, or entire home while you are away.
Guests can then make bookings for your extra space or entire home through Airbnb. When a guest makes a booking, you can check their rating and history before accepting their booking. Once you accept the booking, Airbnb takes 3% of your earnings.
Renting out your extra room, or home while you are out of town or gone on vacation, can be a great way to earn extra money before the holidays. It is also a great way to meet new people and make friends. You determine the price for your spare space when your space is available for rent, rules for the guests, and much more. Do not have an extra room? Then you can even rent out couch or garage space.
You may be able to make all the money you need for your holiday expenses in just a week by renting out your spare space on Airbnb, depending on your location and property.
Payment timeframe:
Airbnb will release funds 24 hours after the guest checks in.
4. Become a babysitter
Many people will be looking for babysitters during the holidays, at least during normal life.
If you love kids, babysitting can be a great way to make some extra cash during the festive season. Start by asking family and friends or neighbors to see if they need a babysitter. Word of mouth is the best way to find babysitting jobs in your local area.
You can also check out the following sites to find jobs for babysitters:
- Care.com
- Sitter.com
- Sittercity.com
You can earn anywhere from $10-$20 per hour, depending on your location, experience, and the clients you work for.
Payment timeframe:
Daily or weekly, depending on the family or company/site you work for.
5. Become a dog walker/ petsitter
One of the fastest ways to earn extra money before the holidays is to become a dog walker. It’d be a great way to get some exercise and spend time with pups if you can’t have one of your own.
You can also parlay working for one of the below sites into your own dog walking business. My current dogwalker started sitting Rory through Rover and we followed her when she started her own business!
You can look for dog walking jobs on the following sites:
- DogVacay
- Rover
- Care.com
- Petsit
These sites match dog sitters or dog walkers with people who need someone to walk their dogs while they are busy or away at work.
Dog walking is a great way to earn a lot of extra money in a short period of time during the holidays. If you’re an avid walker, who likes dogs then this is a perfect fit for you.
Payment timeframe:
Daily or weekly, depending on the family or company/site you work for.
Get the inside scoop from someone who does the dog walker side hustle here!
6. Get a seasonal retail job
Due to a sharp increase in sales, a lot of retailers need to hire hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers to handle customer service, delivery, and more areas in their business during the winter holiday season. Summer sales may also require more employees, and most larger retailers generally are always hiring.
A few of the roles that are available for seasonal jobs include customer service agent, cashier, shelf stocker, gift wrapper, and security.
Typically, seasonal retail jobs last 2-3 months. Hiring for seasonal retail jobs generally starts in late September. If it is too late already to start a seasonal retail job, you could consider this option again before the next holiday season.
Retailers usually offer better pay for seasonal jobs so even if you can get a seasonal job over a few weeks, it could make a big difference when it comes to saving money for the holiday season.
Payment timeframe:
Likely bi-weekly.
7. Become a remote customer service representative
A lot of companies hire remote customer service jobs, especially before the holiday season, to handle customer service online or over the phone. If you have excellent communication and telephone skills and enjoy talking to strangers, then becoming a remote customer service representative is a great way to make money at this time of year.
Some remote customer service representative jobs do not require you to talk over the phone. They involve emails or live chats only. Typical job duties include answering calls to customer questions about products or services.
Here are some of the best companies that hire for customer service representative jobs:
- 1-800-FLOWERS
- Alorica
- Hilton Worldwide
- Amazon
- Apple
- American Express
- Arise
- SYKES
- Liveops
- Convergys
You can also check out employment or jobs sites like Indeed.com, Monster, ZipRecruiter and Virtual Vocations to find remote customer service jobs.
You could earn anywhere from $10 to $22 per hour as a remote customer service representative, depending on the company that offers the job.
Payment timeframe:
Weekly.
8. Test websites and apps
Many website owners will pay others to test their websites and give feedback on user experience before they launch their websites. Many web developers also seek website testers to test websites they have developed for their clients in order to get feedback from real users before they submit their projects to the clients.
Often website owners and web developers outsource this job to website testing companies or hire testers directly via freelance sites or other sites.
You do not need any technical skills or a degree in IT to test websites. So this is an easy side hustle for anyone looking to make extra money online. If you already surf the web often, then why not get paid to test websites!
Here are some of the well-known website testing companies and other sites you can check out to find website testing jobs:
- UserTesting
- WhatUsersDo
- Userlytics
- Userfeel
- TryMyUI
- UserZoom
- WhatUsersDo
- Testbirds
- Fiverr
- Amazon Mechanical Turk
Most companies usually pay $10 per test, and most tests take around 10-20 minutes to complete.
Payment timeframe:
Weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the company/site
9. Earn money on Fiverr
Consider offering freelance services on Fiverr. If you have any marketable skill, you can advertise it and sell relevant services on Fiverr by creating a free seller account.
Skills in writing, proofreading, graphic design, web design, SEO, social media marketing, teaching, video editing, or any other field can be sold. You can even perform not-so-serious stuff through this site, like singing a birthday song in your local accent, drawing funny cartoons, playing pranks, and so on.
Once you have created a seller account, you can then create “Gigs” which are services you want to sell based on your skills, experience or interests, on the site. To set up a Gig, you choose a title for the Gig, describe your service or Gig and set your rates for the Gig. You can create three packages in each gig with different price points for each. For instance, you can create a gig like “I will write an SEO optimized article on investing”. You can then charge anywhere from $5 up to $995 for each of your packages. You can also offer add-ons to enhance the value of your packages.
Once you have set up a Gig, buyers can order it directly. As a new seller, you can create up to 7 Gigs. Every time a buyer orders one of your Gigs, you have to complete the order, make any changes if requested by the buyer, and get paid once the order is marked complete.
Fiverr is one of the best sites to sell your services online for money, with no upfront fees or personal websites required to attract business. On Fiverr, you do not apply to jobs. Instead, buyers come to you. If you are good at what you offer, you can make a decent amount of money before the holidays or all year-round by selling your skills on Fiverr.
Payment timeframe:
14 days after each Gig you complete is approved by the buyer
10. Do transcription work
If you are a fast and accurate typist and have good listening skills, then transcription work can be a perfect fit for you to make some extra cash during the holidays. Transcription involves listening to audio files of interviews, academic lectures, legal reports, medical reports, podcasts, voicemails, etc. content and type up what you hear.
You may choose to transcribe various types of documents or just do transcription work within a particular field.
Here is a list of transcription companies or websites that are often hiring:
- Rev
- TranscribeAnywhere.com
- TranscribeMe
- Aberdeen
- GoTranscript
- Scribie
- Appen
- Babbletype
- Cambridge Transcriptions
- Birch Creek Communications
- CastingWords
- Focus Forward
- SpeakWrite
- Speechpad
- Transcript Divas
- Ubiqus
- Verbal Ink
- Quicktate.com
A note: If you work for a transcription company, you cannot set your own rates.
You can also find transcription jobs advertised on freelance sites like Upwork and Fiverr, job boards and other sites.
Transcription jobs typically pay per audio hour and pay rates vary from company to company. You can generally earn anywhere between $5 and $25 per audio hour, depending on the company and your typing speed.
Payment timeframe:
Depends on the company you work for, but weekly payment is common
11. Write articles online
If you have a knack for writing and knowledge about a particular topic, then you could write online articles or blog posts on your favorite topic(s) for other people who need fresh content to post to their blogs and websites on a regular basis.
You could get paid as a freelance writer even if you do not have a degree in journalism or any writing experience. Yes, that is true. There are all sorts of writing jobs online. And there are many ways to find and land writing jobs online.
Here are some of the best article writing sites, freelance sites, job boards, and other sites where you can find writing jobs online.
Where to sign up
- Textbroker
- iWriter
- Online Writing Jobs
- HireWriters
- WordAgents.com
- Upwork
- Freelancer
- PeoplePerHour
- Guru
- Fiverr
- ProBlogger Jobs
- BloggingPro
- Zerys
- greatcontent
- ClearVoice
- WL Marketing
- IncomeDiary
- The Penny Hoarder
- LoveToKnow
- Wise Bread
- Listverse
- College Humor
- Cracked
- RankPay
- A List Apart
- SitePoint
- Mediabistro
- Indeed
- Craigslist
You can also reach out to companies and individuals that have a website to see if they need a writer.
Best practices
The easiest way to find writing clients is to write for an article writing service, like Textbroker or iWriter. Keep in mind that article writing services do not pay well, but you will find plenty of jobs on some of the popular article writing sites.
Another way to land writing jobs quickly is to join a freelance website like Upwork or Freelancer and bid for writing jobs that match your skills and interests. If you are awarded a job, you will submit the work and get paid after the client approves your work.
Some websites will pay you for every article you write for them providing it is approved by the relevant site. You can send your articles to them via a submission form on their sites or via an email provided by them, depending on the site. You can also find writing jobs on employment/job sites and other places.
If you write for other people’s blogs and websites directly, you can earn anywhere from $20 to $50 per article for a 1,000-word article, depending on your skills and the client, if you are just starting out. But as you get more experience and establish yourself as a writer, you could earn hundreds of dollars per article.
Payment timeframe:
Daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or upon receipt of services depending on the client or site you work for.
12. Offer house cleaning service
One of the fastest ways to make some money during the holidays is to clean other people’s houses.
Many people need someone to clean their homes as they get busier during the holidays and don’t have the time to do it themselves. You could take advantage of that by offering a deep cleaning service to family, friends, or neighbors.
Where to sign up
Advertise your cleaning service on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to get some local customers. You can also look for work with an established local cleaning company in your area at Appjobs.com. Reminder – be safe!
Cleaning jobs pay very well so it is a great way to make a good side income around the holidays, especially if you have cleaning skills and enjoy cleaning.
Payment timeframe:
Daily or weekly depending on the client or company you work for.
13. House sitting
When people are gone on vacation during the holidays, they often need someone they can trust to take care of their homes. You could offer house sitting services to family and friends while they are on vacation or via house sitting websites like Housesitter.com
Where to sign up
Often these jobs are available locally via Appjobs, a site that aggregates local work from a variety of sites.
As a house sitter, you just need to check in on someone else’s home once a day or so while they are out of town or gone on vacation. Often it involves picking up the mail, watering the plants or taking care of animals, depending on your client’s requirements.
You can expect to earn anywhere from $10-50 per day, depending on the responsibilities involved.
Payment timeframe:
Depends on the client and how you find work.
14. Rent out your car
If you own a car that’s not being used, you can rent it out to drivers in your area via apps like Turo and Getaround to make extra money fast during the holiday season.
Check out these sites to rent out your car:
- HyreCar
- Turo
- Getaround
If you choose to rent out your car via Turo, you can set your minimum daily price for trips, or Turo will set your car’s rate based on the market value of the car. Getaround has a $1 million dollar primary insurance coverage against theft and physical damage.
If you are at work or busy at home when your car is not being used, you can rent it out to local drivers to earn extra money during the festive season.
Payment timeframe:
Depends on the company you use to rent out your car (e.g. Turo pays within 3 days after each trip is completed).
15. Rent out your parking space
Renting out your parking space is an easy way to make some extra cash, especially if you live near a desirable and high-demand area for parking. Places like schools, train stations, airports, shopping malls, etc. where there is high a demand for parking space. You can monetize your car space to earn some extra cash during the holiday season.
Check out these sites to rent out your parking space:
- SpotHero
- JustPark
Depending on your location, you can earn several hundred dollars per month by renting out your parking space. Not to mention, you can charge more during the holiday season for your parking space.
Payment timeframe:
Daily or weekly depending on if you work with a client directly or are using a company.
16. Make money as a delivery driver
There are many courier, food, and grocery delivery services/apps that will allow you to work as a delivery driver. If you’re already working a full-time day job then you should consider becoming a delivery driver on your off-hours, since it would be a great way to earn extra income.
Here are some popular delivery driver services you can check out to become a delivery driver:
You can make $18 – $25 an hour delivering for some of these check out Appjobs for listings specifically for your area.
Payment timeframe:
Most companies pay on a weekly basis.
See also!
important things to consider about meal delivery right now.
If you are over 21 years of age, have your own car, a driver’s license, and a clean background, then you could make some serious cash before or during the holiday season since there is a high demand for drivers.
Popular rideshare companies:
- Uber
- Lyft
People can request a ride through the relevant ridesharing app on their phones. You then can accept the ride request through the app on your smartphone.
This is side-hustle has great flexibility since you’re in charge of your own schedule. Depending on your location and how much you work, you can potentially make $500-$1000/wk outside your day job as a ride-sharing driver. Furthermore, You also keep 100% of the tips.
Payment timeframe:
Every week.
18: Bonus suggestion: Donate Plasma
This isn’t for everyone, but plasma donation can get you money fast and help people in need.
Payment timeframe:
Immediate
See the full pros and cons here!
Final thoughts
If you are looking to earn extra money, these are viable opportunities that require minimal skills and no investment upfront. Although These may not be the most glamorous jobs, they could be a great starting point toward financial security, getting out of debt, and breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle.
Happy side hustling!
Want to know how you can make more money? Then check out these articles:
Why It Might Be A Bad Time To Start A Meal Delivery Side Hustle
