With Christmas just a little over a month away (about 6 weeks to be more precise) the malls are going to be much more crowded, sales are going to be everywhere, and credit cards are going to be swiped till the numbers wipe off!! But just because the holidays are upon us does not mean that you have to go broke or spend your every last cent. You can make some extra cash to put aside for your Christmas shopping in 10 simple/easy way that won’t take much work/ if any work at all from you. Below are the 10 easy ways to make money before Christmas! Hope this helps!
10 Easy Ways To Make Money Before Christmas
1. Cashback Apps: I love love love cashback apps. I pretty much love everything that offers me cash back to be honest. Why spend money without getting back something great: MONEY! There are tons of cash back apps out there that fit your shopping needs. I’ve included over 20 different ways/apps that you can make money from in previous posts (linked them a few lines below just for you) but the following 6 are my absolute faves that reap the most rewards.
10 Ways your Smartphone Can Make You Money
10 More Ways Your Smartphone Can Make You Money
Ebates: If you are not on Ebates you don’t know what you are missing. With every online purchase you make you can earn a percentage back using Ebates. I’ve made over 100 dollars during the holiday season alone, just by simply using Ebates. What makes it even better is its free to sign up and they usually offer a cool incentive to new registrants (I believe right now its a 10.00 gift card to a store of your choosing from the options available).
Ibotta: Ibotta is for those who do grocery shopping at the major supermarkets (i.e.: Walmart, Target, Walbaums, Walgreens…etc). You get cash back for simple purchases like eggs, milk and bread. What makes it even better is that you can unlock extra cash back opportunities if you connect with your friends via email or Facebook. The bigger your team the more cash back you get!!! SWEET!
Receipt Hog: Receipt Hog is my absolute favorite cash back app! Why? Because I can get cash back just by snapping pictures of my receipts from purchases. They accept receipts from super markets, stores in the mall, even at gas stations. You also get free spins/coins which can be converted into cash, when you compete tasks/challenges. I have my whole family saving receipts for me and I’ve racked up over 30.00 dollars on Receipt Hog in less than a year, just by snapping receipts!!
ShopKick: Shopkick is going to be amazing during the holiday rush when you’ll be in and out of the mall and stores like crazy. Shopkick gives you “kicks” just for walking into a store in your area. You also get kicks for scanning certain items in the store. You don’t even need to spend money to make money using this app!
Checkout 51: This app is very similar to Ibotta, in which you get cash back for certain items that are on your grocery list. Where they differ is you don’t have to necessarily get the grocery item from a particular store. Which is great because Trader Joes hasn’t quite made it on to Ibotta yet, so I use those purchases on Checkout 51.
Snap: Another grocery app. This one is created by Groupon (I use three of hem to rack up on all aspects of my weekly trip to the grocery store) and gives you cash back for particular items. This one is more similar to Checkout 51 as it doesn’t require a particular store, only the receipt is needed, with the item clearly listed.
2. Survey Sites: When I was in college I did a lot of survey sites to get some extra cash, so I know that it definitely works and is worth it when you’re in a bit of a financial bind. However as I’ve gotten older survey sites take up a bit of time. While the previous cash back apps just fall into your daily shopping routine, these options for making a bit of extra money take a bit of extra work. Here are the 6 recommended survey sites that will get you the most bang for your buck in the shortest amount of time.
Pinecone Research
Panel App
Opinion Outpost
Inbox Dollars
Toluna
Smart Panel
3. Mystery Shopper: Being a mystery shopper sounded super mysterious when I first learned about it, but really it is a great way (especially if you love shopping) to share your input on goods/ services and products while earning some extra cash. There are so many mystery shopper options and opportunities out there now. (trust me I’m looking for a few great ones myself). So I stumbled upon this page here that summed up how to be a mystery shopper and had a gigantic list of different sites you could apply for. You can thank me later!!
4. Bing Rewards: I’m a self proclaimed Google girl. I Google just about everything, but Bing is starting to look pretty good since they started offering “Bing Rewards”. You can get gift cards to tons of places like Starbucks, Gamestop, Applebees…etc just by using their search engine on your computer. I search a million things a day, so image how shocked and thrilled I was to find out I could be earning rewards for doing what I already do on a daily basis.
5. Swagbucks: Another awesome website that gives you cash back, rewards, gift cards…etc is Swagbucks. And what do you have to do to earn it? Everything you already do! (can you see the trend here). Swagbucks gives you points for watching videos, doing searches, shopping and answering questions. This is probably the only “survey like” website I bother with in my old 27 years of age. Thats because the points rack up quickly and you can get your hands on some sweet gift cards. (I’m a sucker for any where that gives me Amazon gift cards). PS: You get Swagbucks for shopping at stores you already were planning on shopping at (double the money if you use Ebates also!!)
6. Uber Driver: This way is a little more work (you actually have to do something) but is still just as simple. My friend recently became an uber driver on his weekend days off. With the holidays in full swing and an increase in popularity , people are flocking to Ubers like mad. This is a quick simple way to make some extra cash for driving people around in your neighborhood. Unfortunately you cant do it you have you have 2 door car (boo which I do) but that is pretty much one of the only restrictions.
7. Sell Everything You Don’t Need/Want: Craigslist, Ebay, Wallapop and Amazon should be your best friends during this season. People are more willing to buy things, and they are looking for discounts/deals. If you aren’t crafty enough to make things and sell via Etsy, Spreadshirt or Zazzle then just clean house and sell things you don’t need or want. My friend has a good motto: If you haven’t used it or worn it in a year… get rid of it! Though I’m still working on fulfilling that motto, it is definitely a step in the right direction to not only getting some extra space, cleaning up the house but also making some extra cash.
8. Recycle: I know I know these easy ways are getting a bit more time consuming then they started out, but bear with me. Recycling can be a bit of a hassle, but my brother was able to make over 150 dollars in a month simply by recycling. It can go a little too far/overboard when you start digging through other people’s recycling (which I’ve seen happen in front of my house), but if you have a space to store the bottles while you pile them up then it is certainly worth the time and investment. My family is big on bottled things (I know we’re killing the Earth I try to tell them to do better), so my brother didn’t need to do much searching when it came to bottles. Just by recycling he was able to cover his gas and cellphone bill for the month!
9. Babysit/ Petsit/ Tutor: I lump these all together because they all involve taking care of someone other than yourself. Babysitting, petsitting or tutoring are quick easy ways to make some extra cash that don’t require much work except for supervision and tutoring of course. This time of year especially before state exams, and date nights parents are looking for all three badly! Corner the market and make some extra cash.
10. Rewards Cards: Like I said earlier I love cash back. There are credit cards (like American Express, Capital One or Citibank) that offer cash back percentages on all of your purchase. You can use these rewards to pay off your bill, get gift cards, or just take the cash itself. I always go for the cards with mileage rewards for travel, but its always wise to keep a cash back rewards card in the spin as well to feel less guilty on spending money and to put some aside for moments like this when you are planning on your Christmas shopping.
If you found these money making tips useful/helpful feel free to share the wealth with your friends by hitting the share button below!!
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