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I know, I know, it’s still summer and already I’m talking about side hustles to make money for Christmas, blah blah. But, rumor has it that Black Friday is gonna start early this year, with shipping delayed and supply chains disrupted. Like I always say, plan ahead if you want to save money, and in this case, make more money to spend less money. Here’s how you can do it — if you get started now!
Be sure to download the KCL app when you’re ready to shop smart with your hard-earned cash.
1. Earn about $70 a month to take surveys — one of the best side hustles.
Based on the comments I will need to re-state my usual disclaimer: any time I recommend readers sign up for emails, it’s with precaution. I signed up for a spam email account through Yahoo or Google and use it for all of these things, so I don’t get spam in my personal email account.
- Swagbucks — If you or your family members are into watching the news and videos online, you’re going to love Swagbucks.com. With every video you watch, online shopping purchase you make, web search you perform, or survey you complete, you’ll earn at least one Swagbuck. Accumulate 500 Swagbucks (this is easy to do if you do a lot of online Christmas shopping), and cash out for a $5 gift card. Plus when you sign up, you’ll get a $10 bonus
- Pinecone Research — You can earn money on PineconeResearch.com by giving your opinions on new products that the general public doesn’t know about yet. Most surveys take 15 minutes or less. The number of points you earn will vary for each survey, but most will equal out to around $3 cash, which means you can complete just one survey a week and still earn $12 a month (if you start now, you have the potential to make $24 by Christmas). Redeem your accrued points for cash (via PayPal), rewards, or prizes
- Opinion Outpost — They want to know what consumers think about certain products about to hit the market. Surveys are sent via email and are customizable to your profile. I usually receive two surveys a day, and if I take just one of them a day, I can earn at least $30 a month (surveys pay between $1 – $10 each). As long as you’ve earned at least $5, you can get gift cards (Amazon, iTunes, and more) or cash out with PayPal once you’ve earned $10
Related: Best Paid Survey Apps for Your Side Hustle
2. Try doing side hustles from home and make a little extra money.
via Facebook
Another good side hustle you can turn to, to earn extra cash for the holidays is freelancing. My favorite part about freelancing is you can easily use your skills right from the comforts of your very home. Freelancing can involve just about anything from writing, editing, design, administrative work, marketing — you get the picture! You name it, and you can earn money doing it online.
Some of my favorite sites to find freelance work are:
- Upwork — As a freelancer on Upwork, you choose a service and niche that you specialize in. Businesses and clients looking for freelancers will reach out to you, or you can bid on jobs. You discuss your rate with the client and manage payments through Upwork to ensure both parties are happy and compensated fairly
- Freelancer — Freelancer.com is an online job marketplace that brings employers and businesses interested in outsourcing in contact with freelancers. Employers post jobs and freelancers “bid” (their version of applying) on the jobs. The more experienced and skilled you are, the more you’ll make. To start, just sign up and start bidding
- We Work Remotely — WeWorkRemotely.com is an online platform designed for finding and listing all kinds of remote jobs. You can find any number of jobs you’re interested in and apply. All applications are automatically emailed to jobs@weworkremotely.com, and a real human (not a bot!) takes a look at your job description and prioritizes you based on the job requirements
PRO TIP: Check out Pro Blogger for freelance blogging openings if you’ve got some writing chops!
Related: Work From Home Jobs Paying $11 (or more) an Hour
3. Flip second-hand items — another good side hustle.
A fun way to make money in time for the holidays is to shop at local thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist.com for hidden treasures marked at low prices. That way, when you clean the items up, you can resell them for a profit.
Flipping items is a great side hustle to start during the holiday season because you’re already going to be out and about shopping — what’s a quick stop into the thrift store or at a garage sale when you’re out and about.
You can refurbish items, resell clothing, shoes, and purses to upper-scale second-hand stores or on Poshmark.com, or get crafty and build new things out of old ones.
PRO TIP: Before you start flipping stuff, make sure you carefully track how much you spend and make while buying and selling. You don’t want to find yourself spending tons more on items than you’re making.
Related: Ways to Make Cash Selling Used Items
4. Drive for a rideshare company for at least $200 extra a month.
All you need is a decent car, a smartphone, and some extra room in your schedule, and you can join the ridesharing revolution. Sign up to be a driver, and you can earn between $8 – $25 an hour, or even more in busy urban locations. On top of that, riders can tip you through the app (depending on the service, they may have to do this before the ride ends).
- Uber — Drivers in different areas can make an average of $8.55 – $21 per hour. Depending on when and how often you work, you could earn between $200 – $838 in extra income per month
- Lyft — Depending on where you live, you can make an average of $15 per hour, and up to $40 per hour on weekend nights. Depending on when and how often you work, you can earn between $200 and $800 each month
5. Start a side hustle doing food and grocery delivery.
What I love about these ridesharing and delivery services is that you can adjust your availability. You can choose to drive a few hours a week in the evenings, or only on the weekends. It’s an income source that can adjust easily to your schedule.
- DoorDash — Depending on the time and location of your food delivery, drivers can expect to make between $12 – $18 per hour, plus tip
- Instacart — You’d be picking up groceries and delivering them to people’s homes. You can make $10, up to $25 per hour during busy times. But on average, Instacart drivers earn $15 per hour before tips
- Postmates — Drivers can make between $6 – $37.40 an hour delivering food. It’s a broad range, which can be good or bad depending on where you live. On the plus side, you always get to keep 100% of your tips
6. Apply for $20 an hour tutoring jobs.
If you’re a teacher looking for a way to earn extra income on the side — check out these work-from-home options:
- QKids — If you like online tutoring, you can teach 5 – 12-year-old Chinese students for $16 – $20 an hour. The classes are taught in a group setting and are only 30-minutes long
- VIPKid — After you pass a brief interview process, you can make $14 – $22 an hour teaching one-on-one classes. You’ll earn on the higher end once you hit a number of their “performance bonuses”
- Udemy — If you’re interested in creating your own online video courses, you can earn money every time a student purchases your course. Just choose your topic, build your online course, and Udemy will help you promote it for a percentage of your sales
Related: Genius Smartphone Hacks That Will Change Your Life
7. If you want an easy side hustle, try babysitting part-time.
Working parents will need a lot of help when school “starts” in the fall. You can apply for jobs online and get connected with families that need extra help. Plus, you get to set your schedule and get paid $12 – $25 or more an hour, depending on your experience and where you live.
The apps I’ve used most frequently for finding babysitters are Care.com and SitterCity.com. Both are easy to navigate, offer free and pay-to-play options, and work like a charm. I remember picking up a job shuttling extra kids in my car to and from sports practice after school — it was the easiest $125 a week I’ve ever made.
PRO TIP: You can also become a dog walker or a pet sitter once people begin to return to the office. Find a job through Rover, PetSitter, or PetBacker and earn an extra $399.52 per month by walking a single dog three – four times a week.
8. Start your own blog and become a side hustle pro.
Blogging is a long game, but it’s also the most rewarding career choice I’ve ever made. It’s fun, flexible, creative, and opens up a whole new world of money-making opportunities. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Nobody becomes an overnight success, but with some hard work, you can have a potential income for Christmases to come.
All you need to start a blog is simply decide what you are passionate about, create some awesome content to share, drive traffic, and monetize. That’s why blogging is so awesome; anyone can do it! A blog does not have to be overwhelming to start, and the income potential is limitless.
Related: How to Blog
Don’t Scroll Up! Here’s the related links:
Best Paid Survey Apps for Your Side Hustle
Work From Home Jobs Paying $11 (or more) an Hour
Ways to Make Cash Selling Used Items
UP NEXT: Rebate Apps That Don’t Require In-Store Receipts
