Everyone is under a great deal of pressure throughout the holiday season. Our waistlines get thicker while our wallets get slimmer. All this occurs at warp speed as we stress about gifts for friends and family and attempt to cook the perfect feast. Despite it all, the Holidays do not have to be that stressful on you or your pocketbook. With a few helpful tips, you can be well on your way to a pocket full of cash and a few less worry lines on your forehead.
Sell Your Junk
Whether you prefer to use eBay, craigslist, or a good old fashioned garage sale, selling your old stuff is a great way to make room for holiday décor and profit from it too. People will buy all manner of items such as clothes, gym equipment, and books. There is literally a market for everything. If you choose to use a website to post your goods, be sure to title them with something that is attention grabbing. When it comes to the old fashioned garage/yard sale, utilize modern day technology like your local classifieds’ website to advertise the event for a better turn-out.
Utilize Your Talents
It doesn’t matter whether you are crafty, notably intelligent, or gifted with children. All of these are bankable talents. Did you subjects in school easy? Try tutoring students in your local community. Are you a gifted DIY specialist? Make crafts and sell them to your family and friends for their holiday shopping needs. Better yet, you could even host a small Santa’s workshop for the neighborhood kids that get them creating gifts for family members. For this, you could charge a small fee per child. By doing so, you could combine both a knack for crafts and a gift with kids. Advertise such services at the local schools and churches/non-profits.
Donate Blood/Plasma
There are so many great things about donating during the holiday season. Besides lining your wallet a little, you also get that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something good. Whether you decide to donate your blood or your plasma, there are local collection sites and banks across the country. These are excellent resources for quick cash within minutes. Some plasma centers pay as much as $50 for a withdrawal that can take as little as 30 minutes. It is simply a matter of being in good health and meeting primary prerequisites.
Join our newsletter
Subscribe to get the latest "Engineer Your Finances" content via email.