Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but let’s face it, it can also be one of the most expensive. If you’re looking to make some extra cash for Christmas without dipping into your savings or taking out a Christmas loan, we’ve got the advent calendar you’ve been waiting for!
From festive side hustles to passive income ideas, we’ve rounded up 25 ways to give your bank balance a little Christmas cheer.
Overview:
- Transcription work
- Surveys and research studies
- House storage
- Car space
- Extra Rooms
- Baby Equipment
- Vehicles
- Everything else!
- Car washing and detailing
- General handyman jobs
- Markets and garage sales
- Online marketplaces
- Thrift flipping
- Babysitting and nannying
- Pet sitting and dog walking
- Refereeing
- Rideshare and delivery
- Tutoring
- Events
- Santa and Christmas staff
- Recycle for money
- Advertise with your car
- Savings accounts and cashback rewards
- Cut out other expenses
- Enter Christmas giveaways
Making extra cash for Christmas from home
1. Transcription work
If you’re a good listener and fast typer, transcription jobs are a low-effort way to get extra cash for Christmas. You can do as much or as little as you like, all from the comfort of your own home. Companies like Transcript Divas, Upwork, or Freelancer are a great way to pick up some transcription work.
2. Participate in surveys or research studies
If you love quizzes or talking about yourself, universities and companies are always looking for new data. You can get gift cards and vouchers through online survey sites like Opinion World, Survey Junkie and LifePoints.
Platforms like Respondent allow you to earn money doing different market research surveys, interviews, and research projects from home.
Renting out your spaces and belongings
1. House storage
Got some spare storage or garage space with nothing much in it? Lease it out to someone to store their belongings in. Some people might need somewhere to keep their things while they move house, and others might need a long-term storage space. Places like Spacer are great to offer storage for things like:
- Furniture
- Clothes
- Office documents
- Cars
- Caravans
- Boats
- Pallets
2. Car space
Finding somewhere to park seems to be harder and harder to do these days. Take advantage of the lack of car spaces and put your spare parking spot up on Parkhound for an easy side hustle.
3. Extra rooms
Platforms like Airbnb allow you to rent out a space or your entire home for a short term stay. If you are spending time away, make some money during Christmas. Otherwise, spare rooms can also be rented out!
4. Baby equipment
Babies need so much equipment and clothing, and the costs can add up quickly. But babies also grow incredibly fast, which means many of those expensive items are only useful for a few months.
If you already have the baby equipment but bub is outgrowing it quickly , why not make some extra cash? Hire out larger baby equipment and clothes to other parents who may need it temporarily. It’s a win-win: you’re earning some extra cash while helping other parents save hundreds of dollars on new equipment they may only use two or three times.
Kindershare makes it easy to hire out baby gear or browse items available to borrow.
5. Vehicles
Vans and caravans are a great asset to have, not only for the adventures you can have on long weekends road-tripping around Australia but for the passive income you can make from them.
Our busy lives mean we can’t always travel around. So, if you’re deciding to stay home these holidays, why not list your caravan on Camplify or one of the other vehicle leasing sites in Australia?
If you’re lucky enough to have a boat to your name, it can also be rented out to some outdoor lovers these summer holidays. You can list your boat on Floatspace and set the price, availability, and rules.
6. Everything else!
If you need that extra cash for Christmas shopping and have a bunch of quality things lying around that you don’t want to part with, you can hire out just about anything.
You can list your stuff on hiring platforms such as:
- The Volte for clothing
- ToolMates Hire for tools
If you don’t want to mess about on hyper-specific lending platforms, try something more general like Appomate.
Providing handiwork
1. Car washing and detailing
If you live around Sydney or Melbourne, you can check out WipeHero and become an on-demand car washer for some extra money.
2. General handyman jobs
You can also earn extra cash for Christmas in your own time by helping the local community. If you’re a handyman or woman, join your local suburb Facebook groups or Airtasker. These communities are great to both advertise your services or find posts for people requesting a handyman. Busy families, unwell neighbours or elderly residents might need some help with things like:
- Building furniture
- Gutter cleaning
- Gardening jobs
- Lawn mowing
- Taking things to the dump
- Ironing
- Errands and odd jobs
- General house cleaning
As Christmas gets closer , you could also earn a few extra dollars by helping neighbours and others in your local community put up outdoor lights, Christmas trees, and other Christmas decorations.
Selling your stuff
1. Markets and garage sales
If you’re creative and love to paint, draw, crochet, knit or cook, you can make some quick cash for Christmas with a market stall. While bigger market events might be harder to get into, apply for your local regular markets. Stock up on your projects, make some prints, price them up and sell, sell, sell!
If you’re short on time, you can take a similar route with a garage sale instead. You won’t need to pay any market fees or pack everything up to transfer it back and forth. Garage sales are also a good opportunity to declutter any other unwanted items from your house.
2. Online marketplaces
Old electronics like phones, computers and gaming consoles are sought after for parts. eBay is a popular platform for second-hand electronics, or you can try more local online places like Facebook Marketplace, or Gumtree.
Of course, on these platforms you can sell anything. Listing on Gumtree is easy for beginners. If you have any high quality or vintage items, furniture, collectibles or creations, get a listing!
3. Thrift flipping
Have any skills like woodwork, restoration, mechanics, electrics or sewing? They can all be used to flip second hand or broken items. Find bargains (or free stuff) on Facebook Marketplace, council pickup or op shops and give some items a second life.
For clothing and jewelry, Depop and Vestiaire are very popular for selling unique and second-hand fashion.
Side hustles
1. Babysitting and nannying
Side hustles like babysitting are great if you feel like you can’t afford Christmas. Especially around this time of year, working families are busier than ever. While it may be school holidays, the working calendar does not stop! Take care of the school pick up and drop off routine through a nannying company or babysit for some friends and family and take the load off stressed parents.
2. House sitting, pet sitting, and dog walking
If fur babies are more your thing, you can have somewhere to stay for free and get paid to look after cute pets. You can even board pets at your house if you’re not keen on travelling.
There are a bunch of sites for you to look for jobs on including:
3. Refereeing
This one is for the sport lovers. Whether it’s netball, soccer, volleyball or rugby, there are always competitions being run – and they need referees. Check out university social sports or local leagues to make some money while exercising.
4. Rideshare and delivery
There is no shortage of rideshare apps these days. You can pick your own hours and do as much or as little as you like for the Christmas holidays. While rideshare is more popular for men, there are some women-only companies for women who are worried about safety, like Shebah and SheSafe.
If people aren’t your thing, food delivery through UberEats, Menulog or Doordash is another flexible option for extra Christmas cash.
And if you don’t want your car smelling like food either, you can become a courier on demand and deliver packages for Christmas with companies like Zoom2U!
5. Tutoring
If you have any particular skills or areas of knowledge and you’d love to teach, you can offer tutoring services for students. You can meet up at the local library, go to their house or even do it online over video.
6. Events
Christmas isn’t the only event in summer. There are always so many special events, festivals and shows in the area that need staff for one off events. Try Partistaff to get started.
7. Santa and Christmas staff
What could be a better Christmas job for extra cash than being Santa himself? Over the festive season, shopping centres and other busy public spaces often look for Santa Clauses, elf helpers and gift-wrapping staff to join their Christmas teams.
If you enjoy meeting people, spreading some holiday cheer and getting paid while you do it, head to your local shopping centre and ask about seasonal vacancies. You could land a fun Christmas job while helping make the festive season a little more magical for everyone!
Other ways to make quick cash for Christmas
1. Recycle for money
Recycling your cans and bottles as a way to make some cash has been around for a long time. But it’s finally starting to become easier to do so. All you need to do is keep a box to the side to stock up, then drop it off at a collection point to get paid instantly. Ask friends and family to help out and do the same. It’s a great way to get some cash in hand for Christmas!
We’ve listed some of the most popular recycle options below for you to try.
- Return it: Get a 10c refund for every eligible item given to a return depot or participating store.
- Re-collect: Both self-serve return points and a pickup service is available for bottles, cans, mobile phones and electronics. You’ll get paid or have the money donated within 48 hours of having the items picked up.
- Environbank (QLD, NT and NSW): Get a membership and trade bottles for cash or points for other goodies on offer.
- Containers for Change (QLD and WA): You can scan (or enter) the barcode to see if it’s eligible for a cash refund.
- Return and Earn (NSW): Trade in bottles, cans and cartons for a retail voucher, cash refund, or electronic refund at 10c an item.
2. Advertise with your car
You can earn up to $600 a month when you use your car to advertise with Wrappr. There are a number of car advertising agencies popping up in Australia, so do a quick search to find where you’ll get the most bang for your car.
3. Savings accounts and cashback rewards
If you need extra cash for Christmas quickly, some banks offer incentives and rewards for opening a savings account with differing requirements and terms. Some also have cashback rewards schemes while you spend with them.
While you do your Christmas shopping, you can also make some cash back with Shopback.
4. Cut out other expenses
This one is a little obvious, but a good way to make some money for Christmas is to cut another expense somewhere else. For example, you can give up a subscription streaming service for the month. You can even drop to a lower subscription tier or use a free trial on a different platform. Another idea is to skip takeaway nights and use up what is in your fridge and pantry.
You also might want to consider the average Christmas budget for Australians to check your own spending habits.
5. Enter Christmas giveaways
Last but not least, Christmas is the season of giving – and giveaways. Win some last minute cash for Christmas by keeping an eye out for any giveaways from your favourite stores and companies
Follow us on Facebook or sign up to our newsletter to be the first ones notified about our giveaways. We run them pretty regularly throughout the year, so there is usually something up for grabs!
Now you know how to make extra cash for Christmas. Just keep in mind that you may need an ABN to provide some services as a sole-trader, so it’s a good idea to check with the ATO before you start.
Quick Christmas cash loans
At the end of the day, if you need some last minute cash for Christmas, we’ve got you. Check out our online Christmas Loans. It’s super easy to apply and you could get your cash that very same day!
Extra cash for Christmas FAQs
What’s the best side hustle?
There is no single correct answer to this question, because the best side hustle is ultimately the one you enjoy and are willing to put the time and effort into.
Like any job, starting a side hustle can take plenty of hard work, money, and sacrifice. It may take time to build it into something that makes a decent income. However, if you genuinely enjoy what you’re doing, and are willing to stick with it, you can turn almost any passion or skill into an opportunity to make extra money.
What is a Christmas loan?
A christmas loan is a type of personal loan that can help cover extra expenses during the festive season, such as presents, food, or Christmas decorations. Swoosh Finance offers Christmas loans of up to $5,000, giving you access to extra funds when you need them.
How can I financially plan ahead for Christmas?
Start by spreading the cost throughout the year. Set up a Christmas sinking fund and put aside a small amount from each payday, and look out for sales like EOFY and Black Friday to buy gifts at a lower price.
Saving gradually means you can enjoy a less stressful Christmas without facing a big bill at the end of the year.
