I have to add that which is required of me for this type of post (and like the Spoonie Gift Guide, July post, Mothers Day post and Fathers Day post) some of these links are commissioned links. Meaning when you make a purchase from one of my links the company sends me a small commission. These commissions in no way make me a millionaire but every little bit helps with my family’s monthly expenses. Thank you-thank you-thank you for supporting a small business in this capacity, Friends. ♥

The Hubby and I went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in October of 2018. If you’ve never heard of Dave Ramsey or want more info about his financial / budgeting plan, please visit HERE.

Little did I know at that time how much it would change our family’s financial trajectory and help me learn that creating a budget (and excel spreadsheets – do you hear that? The angels are singing!!) and being financially savvy is something I enjoy doing and am pretty good at.

In this post I will be sharing some tips on how to earn extra cash for the holidays, or, if you’re following the FPU plan during baby steps 2 or 3 (paying off debt and building a 3-6 month emergency fund). These are tips that I have personally used or were used by a dear friend, or they were recommended by other attendees in the class that are in my back pocket for a future use.

Please note – the items on this list will not make you a millionaire overnight – or at all, really – they are only ways to help bring in some extra funds when you need it.

1. Get rid of the junk

We all have that room where we stuff everything we don’t know what to do with. You know, like the presents we plan to re-gift, or the items we purchase on clearance to use for next year’s holidays, baby clothes we keep holding on to, or the hobby items that we just don’t have time for anymore. Get rid of it.

2. Up-sell

By up-sell I mean to purchase like-new quality name brand items for CHEAP (cheap being the key word) and sell on Ebay or other online/app retailer for a higher price than what you paid. Let me preface this by saying you do NOT have to purchase something expensive to accomplish this goal. I once funded an entire girls trip by selling items on Ebay alone that I had found at Salvation Army / Goodwill / garage sales / consignment shops – it took me about 4 months of consistent and constant effort, but it paid off in the end.

3. Bake goodies

Crafty with the baking? Sell your homemade “yummy-stuff” (as my middle child (when he was 5) would call the good smelling stuff coming from our kitchen)! Kansas allows you to sell homemade goods from your home kitchen without a license. You just can’t have any perishable ingredients (such as cream cheese). Make sure to research and know the laws for your state prior to selling. Check out some of my favorite recipes HERE or on my Pinterest.

4. Part time job

Sometimes you just gotta find a J.O.B. – especially when you have multiple teens who wish for expensive items or have a lot of debt to pay down. :-/ Fortunately there are numerous jobs that hire part time, especially during the holiday season. Bonus – you may receive a discount to help with those Christmas gifts! I knew a woman years ago who worked part time in an area that they needed at the time just to receive the discount. While they were building a house she worked at a landscaping company and received a discount to landscape her new yard. When they were pregnant she worked at a baby supply store. When their babies were small she worked at a boutique children’s clothing store. Etc…

5. Tutoring

Skilled in a subject? Use your knowledge to help those not so skilled. You can make more money by tutoring on your own terms but some colleges and corporate learning centers offer jobs during the school year.

6. Online class

Similar to #5 you can offer online classes in whatever subject you’re passionate about. If you’re a teacher take a look at Outschool – it’s a really neat platform for teachers to organize, promote, and deliver online classes.

7. Babysitting / Child Care

It’s not just a tweens job. 🙂 Either advertise for yourself or join a community like Care.com. Back when my kiddos were little the going rate for a babysitter was $15 per hour so I can’t imagine what it is now. Don’t forget to advertise with those who work night time and midnight shifts – they may need a stand in if their usual provider is out.

8. Sell those gift cards

Those 20 gift cards you keep in your wallet but keep forgetting to use when you’re at the store/restaurant? Sell ’em! You may not make the entire amount on the card in bids but it will be pretty darn close. Though, I have seen gift cards on Ebay bring in more than the card is worth.

9. Paint it out

Does a friend not like to paint but wants a room in her home painted? Offer to paint the room for a small fee! It will save her time and frustration and you can pop in those ear buds for some zen time.

10. Decorate your heart out

To tie in with #9, a friend of mine loves having holiday decor in her home but is way too busy to dig out the decorations and meticulously place everything around her home – let alone adorn the huge tree. She hires one of her friends who enjoys decorating to go through her holiday boxes and get her home ready for the season. Win-Win if you ask me.

11. Bake Dog Treats

Everyone knows someone with a dog, and pet parents feel like their furry friends are part of the family! Sell gourmet dog treats packaged with a nice red bow for the holidays. Don’t forget to add your contact info to the package for repeat customers!

12. Sign up to be a Dog Walker

If you prefer the 4 legged [fur]babies, sign up to be a dog walker. Rover.com also allows you to offer other pet services such as boarding, house visits and doggy (or cat) day care. To be honest this sounds like an awesome way to make a little extra cash.

13. Use your green thumb

I have another girlfriend who sells starters of her already established and bountiful house plants for around $5-$10 each. Sometimes she re-pots them and sometimes she just sells the starter. Either way – minimal effort for quick cash.

14. DIY furniture

Purchase inexpensive furniture items at RE: stores, estate auctions, Salvation/Goodwill, Craigslist or even on the side of the road, add some quality paint and sell for a profit. Flipping furniture is flipping fantastic! The markup is usually well worth your time and effort.

15. Ibotta

This nifty little app is one I used for a season while we were paying down debt. It’s super easy – after you download the app on your phone just upload your receipts from the grocery store. If there are any coupons for what you purchased then you will receive that money back. Once your account reaches a certain threshold you can “cash in” towards gift cards. Sign up at Ibotta.com

16. Sell your photos

I couldn’t create a list without including this one! Most “how to make money” lists suggest you sell your images on stock photography websites but the truth is without posting thousands of images and being on the website for years you will barely make any money. This is why I would suggest to sell the images on your own website or enter them into a juried competition to earn prize money. Create some notecards and sell them! Believe it or not the art of note writing is not at all extinct – especially when parents like myself make their kiddos write thank you cards after receiving a gift. 🙂

17. Photographer for hire

Again, I’m not a true photographer if I don’t suggest this. 🙂 Holiday season is the PERFECT time to earn some extra money by taking portraits of family and friends. Just make sure if you’re charging that you make it worth their investment. My favorite platform to host the images from the session that enables the client to directly download images is Shootproof.

18. Create tshirts / mugs / prints

Create anything you could ever imagine and sell it. I use Printful for all merchandise and graphic printing needs within my business. Just upload your design and begin selling. They also integrate with your Etsy shop (among many other platforms).

19. Raid your cushions…

…and your old purses and your pockets and under the seats in your car. Spare change can add up quickly, especially if you add the paper money you find along the way. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve taken our change jar to the bank to cash in and receive more than expected. However, if you don’t use cash it will be harder to find change so this may not work for some people.

20. Sock it away

Okay so this last one really isn’t a way to MAKE you money per se, but a suggestion to save what you were going to spend. Being the avid coffee drinker that I am there are days when you just want need are desperate for a cup of professionally made java. I totally get it! But instead of spending that $6.50 at your favorite coffee place, sock that money away towards your Christmas fund. Years ago when we were paying down debt I found myself in this exact predicament. So I purchased all the things to make “professional and fancy” coffee at home. Granted, the big coffee giant used to sell their brand of syrups/sauces on their website pretty cheap at that time so it worked out well and would taste EXACTLY like the store made it. The coffee giant doesn’t sell them on their website anymore but I just did a quick check and the sauce for my favorite hot coffee drink is available on other online outlets. This is still absolutely doable, you may just have to get creative and do a little searching. “But Jenni…”, you say, “…everything is paid via my app and I don’t use cash so I can’t just store the cash elsewhere!” “Malarkey!!” I say in reply, sounding slightly like my father. Just keep a tally in that nifty little NOTES feature on your phone of how much you would have spent every time you get that hankerin’ (thanks again, dad!). You might be pretty surprised at how much you’ve saved, or not spent, for the month.

What tips would you add to this list? Regardless what avenue you choose to earn some extra cash for the holiday’s, remember to HAVE FUN. You got this.

~JB♥

JB Photo and Design, LLC | Jenni Blake is based out of Leavenworth County, Kansas and proudly serves the areas of Lawrence KS, Tonganoxie KS, Basehor KS, Eudora KS, Leawood KS, Mcclouth KS, Spring Hill KS, Gardner KS, Eudora KS, Lenexa KS, Olathe KS, Bonner Springs KS, Leavenworth KS, Overland Park KS and surrounding areas.  We love to capture images of seniors, families, children, events, landscape, maternity, and macro. However, we also love to bake homemade items with love from our kitchen and create fun prints which are sold on Etsy but also given away for FREE. Be sure to follow us on social media for these FUN and FREE items.

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