Top 7 Quick Ways To Earn Extra Money This Holiday Season!

The holidays are creeping upon us!   This can be a very stressful time, especially when you are on a tight budget. Not knowing how to fund holiday gifts, parties, and festivities can heighten anxiety for most people.  Fortunately, there are some ways to make extra money before the holidays.  In all instances, these opportunities will not expire after the holidays. You can use them to make ends meet throughout the year.

Some Quick, Legit Ways to Make Extra Money To Fund Your Holiday Festivities

Short on cash to spend for the holidays?  It’s relatively simple, especially if you pursue one of these top choices.

#1  - Deliver Meals for DoorDash

Courier jobs are an increasingly popular way to make money on the side. DoorDash is a leading player in the space and focuses on meal delivery from local restaurants.  When you become a Dasher, you pick up meals from restaurants and deliver them to customers.  DoorDash pays drivers weekly, though there is an option to cash out instantly. Additionally, you can set your own schedule.  Like other delivery jobs, you keep 100 percent of your base pay and tips with DoorDash.

You must be at least 18 years old, pass a background check, and have a valid driver’s license to deliver for DoorDash.  If you need money by the holidays, this is a terrific opportunity since people order meals as the holidays approach.

Learn more:  Door Dash Review 

Earning potential: $23 per hour

Get started:  Door Dash Sign Up

#2 - Work For Instacart

Grocery delivery is a convenient way for people to manage their shopping needs. If you don’t want your car to smell like restaurant food, you can deliver groceries to earn extra money for the holidays.  Instacart Shopper is the biggest player in the space and is available in over 5,000 cities nationwide. 

You accept orders through the app, go to the chosen grocery store, buy the groceries, and deliver them to customers.  You earn a commission based on the size of the order, and you keep 100 percent of your tips.  Shoppers must be able to lift up to 30 pounds and meet other requirements common to delivery gig apps.

Learn more: Instacart Shopper Review   

Earning potential: $23 per hour

Get started:  Instacart Signup

You can compare the above two delivery side hustles with the other players in the same space below.

App	Avg. Hourly Pay	Pay Frequency	Bike/Motorcycle?
DoorDash	$23	Weekly + instant	Yes
Instacart	$20	Weekly + instant	No
Shipt Shopper	$22	Weekly	No
GrubHub	$12	Weekly + instant	No
Saucey	$12	Weekly	No
Caviar	$25	Weekly + instant	Yes
Postmates	$20	Weekly + instant	Yes
Uber Eats	$15	Weekly + instant	Yes
Favor	$14	Daily	No

#3 - Become A Virtual Assistant

Do you have strong administrative skills and enjoy working on multiple projects at once? If so, becoming a Virtual Assistant (VA) is a perfect way to earn cash for the holidays.  VAs help small businesses manage workflow and can include anything from project management to social media marketing. You don’t need to be technically inclined to do the work, though it can help you earn more.   Being a VA can be a good option for stay-at-home moms or people who need to supplement their income.

Not sure where to start and how to succeed?  Check out the article below!

Learn more: Guide To Becoming A Virtual Assistant

Earning potential: $25+ per hour

#4 - Fill Out Online Surveys

You won’t get rich with paid surveys, but they are an easy way to earn extra money for the holidays. Survey Junkie is a great online survey site because they have low redemption minimums and pay at least $1 per survey.

Surveys don’t require a huge time investment. You can fill them out whenever you have free time.

Learn more: Survey Junkie Review

Earning potential: $50+ per month

Get started: Survey Junkie Sign Up

Survey Junkie vs. Other Survey Sites

Check out a few other similar platforms if you only plan to use one:

	Survey Junkie	Inbox Dollars	Swagbucks
Cost	Free	Free	Free
Tasks Required	Surveys	Surveys Watching videos Shopping Playing games	Surveys Watching videos Shopping Browsing the Web
Redemption options	Gift cards Paypal	Gift cards  Paypal	Gift cards Paypal
Minimum redemption amount	$5	$30	$3

#5 - Sell Used Electronics

Do you have old electronics you no longer use? If they are still in working condition, you could be sitting on hundreds of dollars. You can sell used electronics locally, but it’s usually best to sell items online. SellCell is my top choice for the sale of electronics.

SellCell is a marketplace that connects users with 30+ companies that buy back used devices.

You can sell various items, including:

• Phones
• Samsung phones
• Android phones
• Tablets
• Smartwatches
• Wearables
• Gaming consoles
• Smart home devices
• Wireless headphones
• GoPro

Upon accepting an offer, the chosen company sends you a shipping label. You then send the selected platform the items. When they receive them, they pay you via check or PayPal.  Most vendors offer free shipping and next-day payments after they receive your items.  The trade-in quotes for each vendor list the shipping costs, payment speeds, and how long the buyback price is valid after you accept the offer.

SellCell is also an excellent choice to sell old cell phones for cash. In fact, that’s how the company began its business.

Learn More:  SellCell Review

Get Started:  SellCell Sign Up

#6 - Do Work On Fiverr

Fiverr is the ultimate resource to make extra money for the holidays and beyond. You can earn cash by offering nearly any service, from writing a thank you note to programming a website.

Services start at $5.00. However, the real money is in the add-ons you can offer since those have no set price.  Much like other gig economy jobs, you will want to land a few clients who give good ratings to increase your chances of success.  Once your client base is established, financial security overall can be accomplished.

Earning potential: Varies

Learn More:  Fiverr Review

Get started: Fiverr Sign Up

#7 - Test Products at Home

There are some market research companies that pay significant money to learn our opinions about products. This presents a legitimate way to earn extra cash for the holidays with Pinecone Research.  Pinecone Research is a paid survey site, but they specialize in product testing. The company sends you the product, you test it, and then you take a survey on it.

This won’t earn you loads of cash, but it’s a good opportunity to help with holiday expenses.  Further, this can be done at your own convenience and the benefits of participating in product testing can extend well beyond the holidays.   

Learn more: Pinecone Research Review

Earning potential: Up to $75 per product test

Get started: Pinecone Research Signup 

Summary

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of ways to make extra money, but these recommendations are legitimate and popular ways to make extra money fairly quickly for the holidays.   Some may only score you a little extra pocket change, but others can add up to good money.  You can always combine multiple opportunities, of course.  

As you plan for holiday festivities next year, aim to save money each month leading up to the holidays to avoid substantial debt.  Also, reduce your spending and negotiate lower prices with your service providers.  Additionally, you can eliminate subscriptions that you do not use.  

If you need help with this, Truebill is a free service that works on your behalf to lower your monthly bills. If they are successful, they retain 40 percent of the savings, and you keep the remainder.

Learn More:  TrueBill

If you decide to try some of these ways to make extra cash, let me know about your experiences. Please comment below!  Good Luck and………………………………………….

*Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.

Source: Frugal Rules

I am Kezzie Rudd-Walton, the creator and owner of Kezzie's Konfections, my Lifestyle Blog that also offers for sale Hand-Crafted Organic, All Natural Sugar Scrubs and Fragrances. Additionally, I am an Educator, Entrepreneur, Journalist, and industrious Mother of two! For more on my background, check out About Kezzie.