While writing out a list of all the Christmas gifts we want to give our family and friends this year, it was easy to see that we were going to run out of funds before we ran out of friends. We do use credit cards but we pay the balance off every month so CHARGE IT was not an option. I put my thinking cap on and thought of a few things we could do to make our dollars go farther this year. I'm not going to personally use all of them, but I wanted to share them all hoping that it might help someone else.
1. CASHBACK BONUS BABY! This is one of my favorites because it's quick and easy. If you have a credit or debit card that earns you cash back or rewards points, cash that baby in! Go check and see how much you've got stored up in your cash back or rewards points. You might be surprised and find a hundred bucks just sitting there waiting for you. Many of these programs allow you to cash in your rewards for gift cards or actual physical items. You could redeem these and gift the item or gift card to your family and friends.
2. Sell something. This doesn't have to be complicated. Ebay and Craigslist are always good options for turning your unwanted items into cash. Personally, I haven't sold anything on eBay or Craigslist yet but I have taken items to resale shops and got cash on the spot. Actually just a few weeks ago I took some clothes to a local resale shop and got twenty bucks back. That's enough to buy at least one person on my list a Christmas gift. Resale shops that sell childrens' items and clothing would be a great option for a family who wants to turn some of their unused items in to new Christmas gifts for their kids. (You could even do some Christmas shopping there with the money you make, saving you from full retail price at a regular store.)
3. Request a reimbursement from your employer (if they offer such things.) At your company, do you get reimbursed for driving to off site meetings or purchasing supplies? If so, awesome! Add up what you are owed and turn in all your paperwork so you can get your money back before December. Don't wait until the week before Christmas, depending on the size and efficiency of your company they probably won't have enough time to process all of your paperwork and get your money back to you before the big day.
4. Find some seasonal work. This is more of a time commitment but it would definitely be a solution to finding more money for Christmas. This article says that Kohl's is hiring 50,000 seasonal jobs this year. This would be perfect if you only need seasonal money. Other places to look for season work would be the mall, local retail stores, places that offer seasonal gift wrapping, local community events (light shows, zoos, parks and recreations events, etc.) Another way to earn some seasonal income might be to babysit for a mom while she does her Christmas shopping, or offer to wrap gifts for a family (this is a great idea for a family your regularly babysit for), pet/ house sit for your neighbors while they are out of town visiting family, offer your babysitting services (again) to families who have company Christmas parties or other holiday soirees to attend. Offer to clean someones house before they host a holiday party. People are usually busier this time of year and their full schedule might equal more green in your wallet.
5. Empty your change jar. Do you have a jar of change sitting on your dresser? Roll it up and take it to the bank. You might just have fifty dollars sitting right there. Or if you've done the five dollar bill savings plan (every time a $5 bill comes into your possession you hang on to it) the holiday season might be the right time to make good use of it.
Here are five ideas for helping your come up with some extra cash at Christmas time. (I know I said Christmas over and over again but they would definitely apply to any kind of holiday giving.) Do you have any ideas for coming up with some extra money this time of year? If so, please share!
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