Christmas is supposed to be a happy time of family and celebration, though anyone who says the season is not at least a little bit stressful is probably lying.
Never mind having to coordinate with family and friends who are either in town or who you will be seeing while you travel, but there are oh-so-many other things that need to be worried about.
Only adding to the drama is making sure you can snag enough gifts for everyone who deserves them. It’s tough enough figuring out what everyone wants or needs, but even once that’s done, there’s that simple matter of figuring out how to pay for it all.
Maybe your current gig pays enough to take care of that, or it’s possible you wouldn’t mind having a little extra cash lying around to help.
If you fall in the second group, there are some part-time jobs out there that will ensure you have the money to take care of everyone this Christmas.
Caregiver, Nanny, Companion
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Do you enjoy being around children? Do you like helping older folks get around? If so, being a caregiver, nanny or companion would be a great way to earn some extra money this holiday season.
In a lot of ways, this is great work if you can get it. It’s fulfilling to be responsible for the life and well-being of someone else’s precious child or parent.
Sites like Care.com and Sitter City can help you register and start getting jobs. You can also sign up to take care of pets for vacationers.
Drive around
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You’ve probably taken a ride in an Uber or Lyft, but have you thought about driving for either company? Both are always hiring, and you could be on the road ready for passengers in a short amount of time.
There is no set number for how much drivers make, with the amount predicated on the number of fares snagged, how far they took you and, of course, tips. The great thing is you set your own hours, working when you want and for as long as you’d like.
A recent study showed Uber drivers make an average of $15.68 per hour, while Lyft drivers earn roughly $17.50.
If you do not want to bring people in your car, you could always deliver food with a service such as Uber Eats, DoorDash or Postmates. You will not make as much money as you would if you were driving people around, but some money is better than none.
Whatever you prefer, if you have a solid, reliable car, then these could be the avenues with which you earn that extra spending money.
Rent your home or just a room out
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Do you have an extra room that is out of the way? Maybe you are going to be out of town for a long stretch? Either way, signing up to rent for Airbnb or VRBO might be a good way to go.
Especially during the holidays people are looking for places to stay, and your home could be the perfect fit. No matter what kind of home or room you have to offer, a renter may be out there waiting for it.
Best of all, you control the availability, prices, house rules and what kind of interaction you will have with guests. The bigger the place and the more amenities you have to offer, the more you will be able to charge.
Work for Amazon
Dreamstime.com
You’ve probably purchased a good many things from Amazon, but have you ever thought about working for the company? There are various roles all across the country — the world, really — and some of them offer incredibly flexible hours.
Whether you are a Prime Now Shopper, Warehouse Fulfillment Associate or in some other area of the company, no matter where you live there is a good chance Amazon will have an opportunity for you.
The salaries vary by job, but given the right hours and stability, it’s not a bad direction to take for anyone who needs a quick buck over the next few months.
Do small tasks and odd jobs
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Are you a whiz at cleaning, basic home repair, grocery shopping, building Ikea furniture, helping people move or being a personal assistant? You can do all of these, and more, as short-term jobs, meaning a few hours here and there.
You just need a way to connect with people and businesses that need the tasks done. TaskRabbit is one of the most popular sites for this kind of short-term work.
You sign up and go through the verification process. Then when people request little jobs in your area, TaskRabbit notifies you so you can go help out and get paid. The site handles payments, so you don’t have to waste time messing with invoices or chasing down clients who don’t pay.
Another service to check out is Gigwalk. It lets businesses hire you for short-term tasks. You might go to a store to verify changes in product prices on the shelves, or to make sure that a new marketing campaign has been put up at a local chain. Usually you just snap and send a picture to get paid.
If you’ve got a talent, you can put it to good use. If you do voice-over work, edit websites, write music, or you’re an expert in search engine optimization (SEO), Fiverr may be the place for you. (That “Five” in Fiverr refers to your initial price for your work; $5 may be for your first task, then more after that.)
Take surveys
You love giving your opinion, why not get paid for it?
Businesses are always looking for input from customers on how they can improve products and services. Now, you can get paid for offering up your thoughts.
Sites like i-Say, Swagbucks and iPoll offer cash, gift cars or even airline points. You’ll have to sign in and get approved, but there’s a lot of opportunity to sit and take surveys at home with minimal effort.
Other possibilities include…
You could earn some money by working from home. Tap or click here for some legitimate possibilities. There are also jobs you can do online. Tap or click here for some ideas.
Kim talks about how much money you can make in the gig economy. Tap or click below to listen to a Consumer Tech Update.
Don’t want your spending to get out of hand? Track it on your home computer
We all spend money on products or services that we don’t need. Drawing attention to these impulse purchases can make a world of difference in changing your daily spending habits. Tap or click here for an app that will help.