If you need money for Christmas, here are 21 legit side hustles for making extra cash this holiday season.
Every year, without fail, the holidays seem to find a way of sneaking up. It’s not that we’re unaware of the passage of time; it just flies by faster than any of us anticipates. The only thing faster than that spinning holiday clock is the amount of cash flying from our bank accounts.
On average, in the United States, holiday shoppers spend $900 on Christmas gifts and holiday items.
With Christmas spending in the billions each year, it’s no wonder that earning enough money to cover holiday expenses can be an incredibly daunting task.
Getting a jump on that Christmas cash flow is one of the most important things consumers can do to ensure a stress-free holiday.
That’s why we’ve found the answer to all your money tension with 21 side hustles that are sure to curb that sense of wallet-crunching fear this holiday season.
One of the best parts about these side hustles? They are NOT only simple, but they’re fun and can be done in your spare time!
So, are you ready to hustle?
Here are 21 great side hustles for earning your Christmas cash!
1. Make Money With Survey Sites
Do you like sharing your opinion? How about posting your opinion and earning money at the same time? Sounds amazing, right? Online surveys have become a popular, simple side hustle for many women who are balancing everything from full households to other jobs.
Businesses today thrive on consumer opinions like yours, and with so many companies creating and producing, the need for open and honest opinions is not going away anytime soon.
One such company that rewards its members on multiple levels is Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a rewards program that gives members gift cards and cash via a point system for shopping at favorite retailers, searching the web, and, of course, answering surveys. As your points accumulate, you can redeem them for gift cards to your favorite retailers, such as Amazon or Walmart. You can even get cash back from PayPal. Consider your holiday shopping done!
If you’re serious about earning extra Christmas cash, don’t settle for just one survey company; consider joining a few.
Here are some great sites you can take for a test drive:
- InboxDollars: Earn money daily by completing simple tasks, such as filling out surveys, answering emails, or playing games.
- User Interviews: Browse projects, which include surveys, website testing, and focus groups. A recent travel study paid $125 for 60 minutes, not bad!
- Survey Junkie: Become an influencer for brands! These surveys will enable you to share your opinion on products and services that will help shape brands to provide a better consumer experience. As you take a variety of surveys, you’ll earn virtual points that you can redeem for PayPal Cash or gift cards for your holiday spending!
- YouGov: Get paid to give your feedback on topics like politics, entertainment, travel, and more.
- Respondent: Recruits individuals for focus groups, surveys, and website testing gigs. Users can earn an average of $60 to $140 per gig!
- Branded Surveys: With this platform, you can earn points for taking surveys in your spare time. One hundred points equals $1, which you’ll earn just for signing up! The more surveys you complete, the more bonuses you’re eligible for!
- Prolific Survey: Make extra cash by sharing your opinions, experience, and knowledge with researchers across academia and the AI industry.
2. Fall Cleaning? Perfect for Falling into Some Christmas Cash!
Spring isn’t the only time of year that you can clean up and cash in. Fall is the perfect time to declutter and turn those unused items into extra money.
Online marketplaces and apps are by far one of my favorite ways to make extra holiday cash. Besides being incredibly user-friendly, these sites are brimming with earning potential. As a bonus, decluttering feels good, too!
Ready to clean up and cash in? Here are some of my favorite “go-to” sites for selling:
- Mercari: Use this online selling app to connect with a nationwide audience of buyers! You can sell a wide range of items, including electronics, clothing, toys, and more. Just snap a few pictures of your item, list it, ship it off, and pocket that extra Christmas cash.
- eBay: For anything and everything you find in your house. Easy to use, and you get broad exposure from people looking for items like yours. eBay takes a small percentage of your sales, but it’s worth it when you’re cashing in.
- OfferUp: A must-have app for your smartphone. With zero selling fees and a simple process, it’s going to be a quick favorite. Here’s how it works: Take pictures and upload them from your phone, type a brief description of your item, and decide whether you want to sell it locally or are willing to ship it.
- Facebook Marketplace: If you’re on Facebook, use their marketplace to sell items locally. It’s totally free to list items, so you don’t have to worry about seller fees. Simply list your item, arrange a time to meet with the buyer, and receive your payment.
- Poshmark: If you are a fashionista with clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and accessories you want to get rid of, try Poshmark. With this online consignment shop, you’ll photograph your items, list them, and then ship them off once they sell. Poshmark accepts items for women, men, kids, the home, and more!
- Craigslist: On Craigslist, you can sell almost anything and everything, from clothing, baby gear, and toys, to cars, old electronics, plants, and more! Some categories are free to post, while others incur a small fee. Just create your listing, meet up with the buyer, and exchange your used items for cash!
3. Earn Holiday Cash with your Car
With the popularity of both Uber and Lyft on the rise, the chances are good that you or someone you know has utilized these services more than once.
The upcoming holidays mark one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and you can bet that individuals will need drivers for a variety of holiday events. From train stations to airports to holiday parties and gatherings, you can make some serious cash during the holiday rush this season!
You can choose from driving individuals to their destinations or delivering food or groceries to a holiday party.
Below are some of the best companies we’ve found:
4. Freelance Your Way to Holiday Cash!
The freelancing world has never been better for writers and designers alike. With many companies hiring freelancers to write blog posts, create product reviews, design pins and websites, edit content, and more, the possibilities are endless.
Here are some great platforms to get you started:
5. Grab Cash Back for Your Holiday Spending
I will start by saying I’m an absolute lover of coupons. I’m that annoying girl in the checkout area who desperately searches for “that coupon” I know I had before getting in line with restless little ones.
Here are my favorite places to earn cashback online:
- Capital One Shopping: Even if you’re not a customer with Capital One, you can sign up for their free cashback program. Once you’ve signed up, download the browser extension, and you’ll receive an alert when you can claim discounts and cashback offers with retailers. The cash that you earn can be used to purchase gift cards from popular retailers.
- Rakuten: Formerly Ebates, Rakuten is one of my favorite sites to earn cash back and score coupons. I have earned almost $300 in cash from Rakuten for simply doing what I always do: shopping online! In addition to cash back, Rakuten offers a wide range of coupons and various deals. Even if you don’t shop online, you can connect your debit or credit card to Rakuten so you can continue to score big at your favorite brick-and-mortar stores.
- Ibotta: Works by helping you earn cashback from the products you already buy. You can send a receipt over for review, link your loyalty card, or complete mobile in-app purchases. It’s a simple and easy way to earn cash for the holidays.
- Receipt Hog: Turn your receipts into everyday cash for items with this app. Install the app, snap pictures of your receipts, earn rewards, and redeem them!
- Shopkick: Imagine conquering most of your holiday shopping this season using free gift cards! Shopkick is a rewards app that gives you gift cards for the shopping you already do! Simply install the app and start shopping.
- Fetch: This rewards app allows you to earn points just by scanning your receipts. For each receipt you scan or upload, you’ll earn a varying amount of points that can be traded in for free gift cards to popular retailers and restaurants.
6. Earn Christmas Cash by Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
By far one of my personal favorites, Rover is an app that allows you to become a pet parent for a day, a week, or overnight! You set your own pricing and schedule! Walk a dog on your lunch break, puppy-sit a neighbor’s dog for the weekend, and grab that cash!
To get going on Rover, all you need to do is:
- Create your profile showing who you are
- Choose the types of dogs you would like to care for and the dates that work for you
- Get paid two days after you’ve completed the service!
It’s that simple! Be sure to check out my full Rover review here!
7. Have a Smartphone? Sell your Photos Online!
My iPhone currently boasts 5,400 photos, and while most of them are of my kiddos, I’m betting there are a few pics that I could sell for some cash! Even if you don’t have a photographic eye, there is money to be made from selling your photos online!
Here are a few spots where you can sell those beautiful pics:
- Foap: Get the Foap app and then upload your photos! When your photos sell, you reap a profit! The profit split is 50/50, but, in my opinion, every dollar counts!
- Scoopshot: With this smartphone app, you can sell your photos and videos for Christmas cash! Simply download the app, create a profile, and upload your photos. When someone purchases your picture, you’ll earn a portion of the sale. Earnings can be withdrawn via PayPal or your bank account.
- Shutterstock: If you have high-quality photos, you can upload them for sale on Shutterstock! This is by far one of the most popular stock photography sites, and every time your photo or video is sold, you’ll earn up to 30% of the sale price, all while retaining your copyright. Worth checking out for sure!
8. Become a Website Tester! (No Experience Necessary!)
This is not as scary as it sounds! In fact, it’s a ton of fun! Don’t have any website testing experience? No problem! All you’ll need to get paid is a reliable internet connection!
Here are a few website testing companies to get you started:
- Gigwalk: This is a smartphone app that will pay you money for completing short tasks, such as website and app testing. Simply download the app and view the available gigs in your area. When you find a gig you’re interested in, apply by answering a few simple questions. With Gigwalk, you’ll earn anywhere from $3 to $100 per task!
- Userbrain: Earning money with Userbrain is as simple as speaking your thoughts! This website testing company asks users to express precisely what they’re thinking as they go through the tests. You’ll need to install the Chrome extension or iOS app to start testing websites, and then you’ll be on your way to earning cash! Each test takes only 5-15 minutes to complete, and you’ll make $5 per test. Tests are sent out weekly, and you’re paid out via PayPal!
- UserTesting: Start by signing up on this site and earning $10 via PayPal for every 20-minute video you complete. UserTesting pays you to visit websites and apps where you’ll complete a set of tasks and earn up to $60 per test. You will need to install their testing software, and you must be able to speak English to participate.
9. Become a VA (Virtual Assistant)
Do you love helping others? Becoming a virtual assistant (VA) is one great way to not only do what you love but earn some serious Christmas cash in the process! A VA is skilled at providing businesses with administrative, technical, or creative tasks.
Becoming a virtual assistant does take a little bit of know-how, so you’ll want to research this side hustle before diving in full swing! You can take a course on how to become a VA, or if you already have some experience, you can check out these job boards to land your first virtual assistant gig!
10. Cash in on Books, Old Phones, and More!
More than likely, you’ll do your share of online shopping this holiday season, and what better way to earn some Christmas cash than by trading in your old electronic devices, video games, and books for Amazon gift cards? If you have books collecting dust from your college years, old cell phones, gaming devices, and more, the Amazon trade-in program is for you! These may be gift cards, but if you shop at Amazon the way I do, it is just as great as cash in hand!
For more ways to sell your books online, check out this list of sites that will purchase your used books!
11. Become a Content Creator
If you enjoy writing, snapping photos, and creating videos, and want additional money for the holiday season, content creation might be the perfect side gig for you. While building an audience and earning a full-time income from your content may take time, many part-time content creators enjoy earning extra cash and freebies from their website.
Not sure which platform to create content for, here are some great options:
Here are a few quick ideas for monetizing your blog so you can make a little holiday cash:
- Affiliate Income: Endorsing products you love is a great way to earn money quickly from your content. Check out if the companies you want to endorse have an affiliate program on their site, write about these products, and promote them! You can check out some popular affiliate platforms here.
- Monetize with Google Adsense: Signing up is easy, and it allows other companies to place ads on your site, from which you’ll be able to collect a commission. To earn money using Google AdSense, you must meet specific criteria for your website or YouTube channel.
- Write Sponsored Blog Posts: If you already know brands that would benefit from the additional exposure, you can advertise and pitch posts to other companies that would happily pay you to write a post about their products and services. Becoming an affiliate for these companies is another way to amplify these posts and earn even more money.
12. Love Amazon? Try These Side Jobs
If you’re like many of us, shopping on Amazon has become almost second nature. Known as the place for everything from A to Z, you can now also take advantage of these Amazon programs to earn some extra cash:
- Amazon MTurk: Make money by completing small tasks such as data input, taking surveys, and more. Simply sign up using your Amazon account.
- Amazon FBA: You don’t need an elaborate storefront to become a seller on Amazon. With Amazon’s FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) program, you can shop for local deals on items from school supplies to toys and then resell those items at a higher price back on Amazon.
- Amazon Influencer Program: If you’re active on social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, you can apply to the Amazon Influencer Program. With this program, you’ll get your very own Amazon storefront to showcase to your audience. You can also create video and photo reviews of products you purchased, and earn commission each time someone makes a purchase through your link.
For more ways to make money with Amazon, including part-time and full-time jobs, check out this post.
13. Nanny, Child Care, or Caregiver Positions
Even with the explosion of work from home opportunities, many parents still need childcare, and when the busy holiday season approaches, this is especially true. Becoming a nanny or childcare provider allows you the flexibility to choose when you want to take on jobs and when you don’t.
Besides traditional nanny or childcare positions, you can also help as a caregiver to seniors. To stand out among other caregivers, you can also get a Babysitting and Advanced Child Care Certification from the Red Cross.
Here are a few popular platforms where you can start a profile and begin making money as a caregiver almost immediately:
14. Other Micro-Tasking Jobs
Earning money for the holidays doesn’t need to take hours away from your day. Micro-tasks are the perfect way to grab extra holiday cash in a flash. These tasks often include data entry, watching videos, proofreading, writing social media updates, and so much more. Because these tasks are short and can be completed just about anywhere, you can take on a few in between your lunch break, on your way home, in between other jobs, or at night.
Below are a few places you can dive into for micro-tasking your way to a holiday payday:
15. Tutor for Holiday Cash
Tutoring is a fantastic way to make some holiday cash if you love teaching. There are a few ways you can go about scoring a tutoring job, from signing up on one of the platforms listed below or by advertising your services among friends, family, or even at local libraries.
Check out these companies to start tutoring students online:
- Cambly: Help kids and adults around the globe learn English simply through conversation.
- Care: Offer your specialized tutoring services (in specific subject areas or industry-specific knowledge) on Care, where you can connect with individuals locally and nationwide. You can also advertise other services here, such as childcare and pet care, among others.
- EF: On Education First (EF), you can teach online ESL(English as a Second Language) classes. To get started with this flexible side gig, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certificate of at least 40 hours.
- Studypool: Help people of all ages in a wide variety of subjects like algebra, business, chemistry, foreign languages, SAT prep, and more. Earn up to $7,500 a month as an independent contractor!
- Tutor.com: Whether you’re a seasoned teacher, professor, or industry professional, you can tutor remotely from anywhere around the globe on Tutor.com.
16. Sell on Etsy
Whether you want to create physical products or not, you can make some extra cash this Christmas by opening your own Etsy shop. Besides crafts and physical items, you can sell digital products, such as printables, invitations, party decorations, and more, to generate additional income during the holidays.
Creating an Etsy storefront takes minutes, and filling your store with goods depends on how quickly (and how many items) you make.
Related content: 25 Christmas Crafts to Make and Sell for a Profit
17. Make Money Cooking From Home
If you love to cook, you can make an excellent way to make money for the holidays. From writing recipes to food blogging and even opening up your kitchen for others to use, there are various ways to make this a profitable side gig this Christmas. Don’t forget to offer your cooking services to local friends and families as well. As the holiday season approaches and calendars fill up, people often seek ways to simplify their lives.
18. Rent Your Space
My husband was recently in search of storage space and decided to look into professional storage units. Much to his surprise, all the storage units within a 30-minute drive of our home were booked solid. Whether it’s an in-law suite, an apartment, or even your garage, renting out space is a great way to turn what you already have into working cash for the holidays. Here are a few ways to rent out your space for holiday cash:
- Rent out your living room or other large venues for parties.
- Rent out that ample backyard for events or boat and RV storage.
- If you have space that would be perfect as an office, you can rent that out.
- Rent storage space in your garage or shed.
There are several platforms available for listing your space. Here are a few:
19. Transcribe Some Audio Files
Transcription work is another excellent way to make holiday cash. Watch videos or listen to audio files and transcribe what you hear. There are many platforms to choose from, and numerous sites also offer caption work. Popular transcription sites like Rev offer their transcribers up to $1.10 per audio minute of transcription writing. This adds up to some pretty solid holiday coin!
Here are some transcription sites that are great for earning Christmas cash:
20. Proofread Your Way to Profits
Do you love examining text to ensure it’s absolutely right? Proofreading as a side hustle is the perfect side gig for making that extra Christmas cash. Not only can you do it in the comfort of your living room or while lounging in bed, but there’s an abundance of proofreading jobs out there, so you can take this side hustle as far as you would like it to go!
Here are a few fantastic platforms for finding that perfect proofreading gig:
21. Mystery Shopping
If you have excellent memory recall, attention to detail, and solid written communication skills, being a mystery shopper can be a fun way to earn Christmas cash and freebies. As a mystery shopper, you’ll secretly evaluate your shopping, dining, or entertainment experience by rating key aspects of the event. Sometimes, these shopping gigs are done online, over the phone, in person, or via a smartphone app. Your first gigs will generally be lower-paying opportunities, but as you build your reputation as a high-quality and detail-oriented shopper, you’ll get invited to higher-paying gigs.
To explore this holiday side hustle, check out:
Ways to Save Money on Christmas Expenses
Making extra money isn’t the only way to stop the financial pressure of the Christmas holidays. By watching how much you spend and by being thrifty, you can stretch your holiday dollars further.
Create a Holiday Budget
First, start by creating a realistic budget and a prioritized list of gift recipients. If you find that your budget doesn’t allow for gifts for extended family, friends, teachers, or co-workers, consider making something, writing a note of appreciation, or hosting a holiday potluck. Instead of spending money that you don’t have, focus on celebrating friendships, showing appreciation, and letting your loved ones know how much they mean to you.
Purchase Secondhand
For the people you want to purchase gifts for, consider buying secondhand items from a garage sale, Craigslist, or your local Salvation Army. You can also find great deals on resale sites like Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop. Kids outgrow clothing, shoes, and toys so quickly that you can often purchase like-new condition items for a fraction of the retail price.
Obtain Assistance
If you need financial assistance this holiday season, there are Christmas assistance programs for low-income families. Organizations such as the Angel Tree Program, Toys for Tots, Trees for Troops, and Blue Santa provide essential items like toys, food, Christmas trees, and clothing to families in need. Most of these organizations begin accepting applications in October, so it’s best to apply now before the December holidays arrive.
Last Words About Making Christmas Money
As you can see, there are lots of ways to make extra money for the holidays. Pick a few that pique your interest, and start now. If you’re interested in work from home seasonal part-time jobs, this post has a bunch of hiring companies. And remember, saving money during the holiday season is equally important, so be sure to budget and plan accordingly.
How are you making extra money for Christmas? Share it with us below! Have questions about making money on the side? Ask away! We’re here to help!
