Between gift shopping and the costs of traveling home to see family, the holiday season is expensive! Rather than having to pay off debt from all these costs later, consider another income stream. Many Americans have side hustles of some sort, and the extra income can really help your finances out this month. Here are 5 side hustle ideas you can try this holiday season:
5 Side Hustles to Pay for the Holidays
1. Seasonal Part-Time Job
This is probably the most obvious of the side hustles you can do. According to our recent survey about second incomes, a part-time job is the most popular type of second income that consumers have. Now is a great time to find a part-time job. Many retailers hire seasonal part-time employees to help with the busy holiday season. A few weekend shifts at the mall could make enough money for you to afford the gifts you wanted to get for everyone this year!
2. Selling Old/Unused Items
Maybe your grandma got you a sweater for your birthday that just isn’t your style, or you’ve had some shoes in your closet for years that you’ve never worn. Instead of letting old, unused items sit in your house collecting dust, make some money! Try selling on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to see if anyone might be interested in buying. They might make great Christmas gifts for someone else!
3. Selling crafts
If you love knitting, crocheting, making jewelry, or doing any other type of craft, the holiday season is the perfect time to try selling your creations. Similar to the idea of selling old items, maybe people would be interested in buying your crafts to give to their friends and family as gifts. You may want to try selling them on Etsy or a similar website.
4. Babysitting
Everyone is busy this time of year. There are Christmas parties, fundraisers, and other holiday events to which parents can’t always bring children. Offer to babysit for your friends who have kids. Chances are they’ll be more than happy to pay you to watch their toddler so they can attend a Christmas party without worrying about their kid having a meltdown in public.
5. Tutoring
The holiday season also means exam season for students. Maybe you’re a math wiz or you speak another language fluently. You can tutor some high school kids and help them prepare for their algebra midterm, or help a college student pass their Spanish class to get their language credits. You can do some research ahead of time to see how much tutors usually charge on average, and then offer your tutoring services to students in your vicinity.
Side hustles are a great way to supplement your income to afford everything you want to buy during the holiday season. Just be sure to come up with a budget and don’t rely too much on your credit card as you do your shopping! You don’t want to start off the new year trapped in debt.
If you struggle to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.