Christmas is coming! While most of us look forward to the festive season, in whatever form it comes, money is usually tight at this time of year, and it’s hard not to feel stressed at the thought of covering those Christmas costs. Making a few pounds on the side over the next few weeks will help take a pressure off those festive finances…
You never know when your old ‘junk’ could actually be someone else’s treasure/Christmas gift! Have a thorough search through your home and consider everything – clothes, furniture, jewellery, collections, sporting memorabilia, toys, tools, games consoles, mobile phones… There’s probably a lot more than you think!
As well as sorting out what to sell, you can also make the most of your items by researching the best way to sell them. As well as eBay or Vinted, look into specialist selling sites and you may well pick up extra pounds from reaching the right audience direct. There are specific companies interested in mobile phones, gold jewellery and music/gaming as well as a growing trend for vintage clothing. If it’s a larger item, be sure to make use of free, local platforms such as Gumtree and Facebook marketplace.
Well funnily enough this one is our favourite and the one we can really help you with!
Whether your car has come to the end of its days, or your travel methods have recently changed, there is still time to get rid of your old wheels and get paid before Christmas.
An instant quote will give you a guaranteed price, and if there’s any time left on your vehicle tax you’ll get another pay out with that money returned too (there is more information in our FAQs on Documentation and Regulations).
Not in the literal sense of course! We’re referring to a skill that you might take for granted that could actually make you a little, or even a lot of money!
Maybe you are a dab hand at carving, drawing, pottery, jewellery making or baking, wrack those brains and fish out that tool – you could be making money from your hobby and selling the items you make online – check out sites such as Etsy.
Your skill may be something that enables you to provide a service online – helping an individual or business with writing, graphic design, music composition, photography or any other special skill you may have to offer. You could use Facebook or other social media sites to spread word of your skills but one of the official sites we’ve seen recommended is Fiverr where you can post adverts for your particular skills.
Don’t forget other practical skills you may have to offer – gardening, dog walking or even present wrapping!
When cash-back schemes first started many people were sceptical, but they continue to make people money and as long as you follow some simple advice (see Money Saving Expert’s guide to using cashback sites) you could potentially get back hundreds of pounds in a year and a lot of that could be from your Christmas shopping! Check out Top Cash Back or Quidco and watch the money roll in.
It may sound insignificant, but you can have more loose cash stashed around the house than you’d think… Whether they are carefully collected in a specific bottle/piggybank/swear jar (!) or you have little piles of coins around the house depending on where they have been fished out of pockets and handbags. It can all mount up!
Why not do a coin sweep in the house, or even get the kids to do it as a game! You may well find it adds up to a healthy sum. Some large supermarkets have coin converters that give you shopping vouchers, or you can save it for a bank trip.
While you are searching the house keep your eyes peeled for old bank notes and foreign money that could be swapped. The Bank of England is the best place to go for advice on swapping old bank notes and if you have old foreign currency there are services such as Left Over Currency. If you’ve come across current foreign currency, rather than hanging onto it ‘just in case’ you could exchange it back to sterling to help out this Christmas – we suggest checking Money Saving Experts comparison service for the best rates.
We don’t mean you have to take on a lodger. If you’ve recently got rid of your own car, or you are lucky enough to have a spare parking space, driveway or garage, whatever your situation, space sells! Many people have to travel to work in areas where there is limited parking or wish to park near more convenient travel options such as train stations. There are plenty of online sites that will help you make money off your space, you can try Parklet, Your Parking Space, Just Park or Park on My Drive.
It’s not exciting and it’s not strictly generating money, but it is saving it! Whether it’s getting round to cancelling memberships you’re not using or reducing your subscriptions, a family can save hundreds of pounds a year from a simple review of their finances. Once you’ve taken a look at the individual costs you can get rid of or reduce, you may run out of steam, why not try a service such as Look After My Bills – they automatically move your bills onto the best tariffs – saving you money without you having to lift a finger! (Don’t forget our advice for saving money on your car insurance.)
Most people don’t mind filling in a quick survey if they get to share their opinion and/or perhaps improve their customer experience in the future… Did you know you can actually get paid for doing it! There are sites set up to help businesses with survey responses and by filling them out online you can earn cash or gift vouchers. Perfect for Christmas! There are so many sites that offer this opportunity but here’s a few to get you started: Prolific, Swagbucks and Curious Cat App.
Hopefully that’s given you all some inspiration, you might even enjoy making some extra cash for Christmas!
Wishing all our blog readers a wonderful a festive season.
Please remember that all self-employed income should be declared to HM Revenue and Customs.
