Here’s how to make some extra money for Christmas!

Get Christmas sorted with a short term loan from Loans 2 Go!

In our recent article Is Christmas Cancelled, we discussed the need to start getting organised for Christmas early this year. Yes we know everyone says that every year! But this year has been exceptional in many ways, and we have no real idea of what might or might not be happening by Christmas.

So it’s a good idea to get shopping done – and perhaps even presents exchanged – early, while we have the chance. The main problem with this is that we may not have the money to do it.

So in this article we look at five ways that you might be able to make some extra money for Christmas.

Sell things you don’t need

The latest estimate from eBay is that the average UK home contains at least £2600 of unwanted items. Even if that is not true for your home, there probably are many things that you don’t need and could make money from by selling. So have a good look round your home and you may be pleasantly surprised by some of the potential selling items that you find.

You can then decide where to sell your goods. As well as eBay there are many other online selling sites, including local sites such as Facebook Marketplace. There are also other local options such as papers, magazines, newsletters, shop windows and community noticeboards.

The more effort you put into your selling, the more successful you are likely to be. Who knows, you may even be able to completely fund Christmas 2020 just from selling existing belongings.

Take on extra work

2020 has not been the easiest year for finding work. The pandemic has adversely affected many jobs, but as Christmas approaches there may well be growing demand in some areas that would not normally be the case. Take a look around to see if any of the following seasonal opportunities might work for you, even with the Covid-19 restrictions:

Sales assistant
Warehouse assistant
Store demonstrator
Christmas entertainer
Christmas events
Customer services
Office administration
Concierge

Create your own work

If the above opportunities are not available or are not suitable for you, another potential source of income is to create your own work.

One option is to offer some kind of service locally, depending on your skills and experience (and references, if necessary). Some examples might be:

Babysitting
Housesitting
Cooking
Pet care
Cleaning
DIY
Decorating
Garden clearing
Help with Christmas shopping/wrapping

Also if you have any kind of creative skills – such as baking, sewing, knitting, painting, jewellery making or pottery – how about advertising your products locally on social media? Your products may be just what someone needs and is prepared to pay for: win-win!

Be a savvy shopper

An alternative to making extra money is to spend less money. Even though you are trying to get Christmas sorted early, you don’t have to panic buy. You can still set a budget and be careful about what you spend. If you do this, you may find that Christmas is not actually going to cost as much as you thought, so you are therefore not under as much pressure to find extra cash.

It can be easier than you think to be a savvy shopper. Five quick ways to save money on Christmas presents are:

Suggest a Secret Santa for adult family members, so everyone buys and receives one decent gift rather than lots of bits and pieces.
Find alternative sources of gifts rather than buying brand new from shops. For example look for gifts on online sites such as eBay, or local charity shops or markets.
How about making your own personalised gifts. We have already looked at the money-making potential of different skills, but there may also be things you could make that would be the perfect gift for someone.
As an alternative to the above, you could also consider preparing personalised gift vouchers offering your help with things such as babysitting, hairdressing or cooking a meal. These can be much more appreciated than an easily forgotten gift.
Team up with friends to either bulk buy items to get them cheaper, or to swap unwanted new items between you that you can then use as gifts for others.

A short term loan

If none of the above options work for you, and you need money fast to get Christmas sorted, then a short term loan could be the answer. It could provide you with cash up front that you can then repay as soon as you are able, perhaps by using some of the above ideas to help.

If you do want to look at short term loans then do get in touch with Loans 2 Go. We offer short term loans from £250 to £3,000, with repayment periods of up to 24 months. This could provide you with the funds to get everything in place for Christmas now, while you have the opportunity to do so.

We hope that the above ideas help you to make extra money for Christmas. Do check back here soon for more financial and lifestyle tips from Loans 2 Go.