It may be hard to believe, but the holidays are right around the corner. While the season of giving is exciting, it can also be extremely stressful. Given today’s tight economic times and the constant price increases in, well, everything, it’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Even if you’re working a full-time job with a decent salary, building up a little stockpile of cash for gifts seems virtually impossible for most. In fact, some 40% of Americans don’t have $400 set aside to cover unexpected expenses, and let’s be honest; you probably need a lot more than $400 to do your holiday shopping.
If you’re strapped for cash this holiday season, here’s a look at four quick and easy ways you can earn some extra money so you can cover everyone on your gift list.
Clothing, shoes, books, electronics; everyone has stuff that they don’t use. Take a look around your house and you’re pretty much guaranteed to find a collection of things you don’t use that someone else would. Try selling it to make some extra cash.
There are several ways you could sell your unwanted items; post the items on social media (Facebook Marketplace is a great place to start), head to a pawn shop, or have a yard sale. Depending on what you’re selling, you could stand to make some pretty decent money. Just a word of caution: be smart about what you’re selling. If the item is particularly valuable (a family heirloom, for example), you may want to think twice before you sell it.
If you’re skilled with needed online items such as copywriting, social media, video editing, or WordPress, you could offer freelance services to make some extra cash. Small businesses are always looking for quick and cost effective help to get needed marketing items done. Create profiles on sites like Upwork and Fiverr as well as reach out to LinkedIn connections. Believe it or not, freelancers make a pretty good hourly rate; depending on where you live, you could charge up to $20 (if not more) an hour! With those type of rates, you can make a pretty good chunk of change just for doing some side hustle a few hours a week.
Do you own a car? If so, you could totally use it to get some extra cash, and get it fast! Title loans are a great way to secure anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Typically, the rates are reasonable and payment plans are flexible; and, depending on the lender you’re working with, you could have the cash in your hand within just a few hours.
Sign up to become a driver for a ride-share service, like Uber or Lyft. You’ll have the chance to make some extra money whenever you need it, and you could actually make some serious coin. In some locations, like New York City, you could make upwards of $20 or more an hour! In just a few days, you could potentially earn enough cash to pay for a pretty pricey unexpected expense.
So, there you have it, some simple and totally effective ways you can earn some extra cash and get your holiday shopping done without stressing out. If you start early enough, you just might outdo Santa!
