20 Side Hustles for Earning Christmas Cash

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 like printables, invitations, party decorations, and more to make additional income for the holidays. 

Creating an Etsy storefront takes minutes, and filling your store with goods depends on how quickly (and how many items) you make. You can also establish a store on Etsy using dropshipping, where you get orders, take a portion of the profit, and the product owners take care of shipping. 

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 get booked, people often look for ways to simplify their lives.

18. Rent Your Space

My husband was in search of storage space not too long ago and decided to look into professional storage units. Much to his surprise, all of the storage units within 30 minutes 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 you can use to list 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 many sites offer caption work as well. 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: 

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 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 that you do want to purchase gifts for, try buying secondhand items from a garage sale, Craigslist, or your local Salvation Army. You can also find great deals on resale sites like thredUP, Poshmark, and Decluttr. Kids outgrow clothing, shoes, and toys so quickly that you can often purchase like-new condition items for a fraction of the retail price.