How Can You Raise Some Extra Cash in Time for Christmas?

The festive season is upon us, and this time of year is always full of excitement. Cheery music, pretty lights and lots of visits from loved ones who we don’t see as often as we’d like. Not to mention gifts and delicious food and drink! However, there’s a flip side to Christmas, and if you’re the one footing the bill it can be fraught with anxiety too. Most of us could do with a little boost of cash during December, and any extra money can make life that bit easier. And thankfully there are ways we can achieve this. We have a few weeks yet until Christmas is upon us, and so there’s time to raise some funds. Here’s how you can go about it!

Sell what you no longer need

Selling what you no longer need is beneficial in a couple of ways. First, it’s a chance to declutter. You can get rid of anything you no longer have use for, and that’s simply sitting in the cupboards gathering dust. If the items are still good quality it prevents them going to waste, as someone else can use and enjoy them. Most of us have new things coming into the home at Christmas, so selling old items helps to make space in your home for these. Secondly, selling things helps you to raise money which can be used elsewhere. Whether it’s on food, decorations, gifts or travel, it’s a way to earn some money to put to good use. Go through your home and gather items that you don’t need. Places like Facebook marketplace and eBay are good places to sell. And you might be surprised, even things like clothes, books, old DVDs, CDs and games can sell- you might think they’re useless but there are people out there who will want them. Old technology after you’ve upgraded sells well, so things like phones, tablets and laptops- even if they’re older models.

Sell things you’ve made

If you’re a keen crafter then you have a ready made business which will do especially well at Christmas. Whether it’s soaps, candles, jewellery or cakes, people will want and buy these kinds of things. Rent a stall at a market and you’ll get a ton of foot traffic at this time of year- present things in a way that look attractive as gifts. For example, if you sell soaps you could bundle them together in a wicker basket with some shredded paper and wrap in cellophane and a big bow. If you’re a designer or artist, put your pieces in frames and sell them as ready made pictures. One good tip if you sell at places like markets, fetes and boot sales is to accept card payments. Companies like Square Terminal offer this, it prevents you from missing out on sales. While people will usually plan ahead and bring cash to markets it’s a good backup option.

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Do some freelancing work

It’s simple to sign up to a freelancing site, from there you’re able to bid on whichever jobs you’d like to do. Whether you’re a writer, an artist, graphic designer, app designer, social media expert or something else- there will more than likely be job on there that you’re able to do. It’s something you could work on in the evening or at the weekend right from your own home, and is a great way to boost up your monthly earnings. If this is something you want to be able to rely on as a source of income during leaner times, it can be worth spending some time building up your ratings. That way whenever you want to pick it back up you already have a good reputation and are more likely to be accepted for jobs. But it’s not too late to sign up and start now, you can begin earning money right away. You’ll just get rejected for some jobs too.

Pick up an extra shift or part time job

None of us want to be at work any longer than we need to be. However, if there’s overtime or the opportunity to pick up some extra work over December then it could be worth doing it. You could even take on a temporary Christmas job and work some shifts to raise more money. Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous holiday season, always keep it Southern Y'all!

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