10 Ways to earn and save extra money before Christmas.

As a single mum, finances can be quite tight coming up to Christmas. You probably want to buy presents for the kids, buy some nice food, and you may also be forced to take some time off work whilst the usual bills continue to roll in. Here are 10 ways you can earn and save some extra money before Christmas.

1. Sell stuff online.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a bunch of things stored that are of no use to you whatsoever. Old baby or children’s items, appliances you no longer use, sporting equipment etc. can all be sold on eBay, Gumtree, or swap/sell/buy Facebook sites.

If you are creatively inclined, you could also sell hand-made things on Etsy.

2. Babysitting.

Take on some babysitting work. No one is more experienced than a mother. If your kids are with their father for a few days, this is the perfect opportunity to do some babysitting for some extra cash.

3. Mystery shop.

Mystery shopping is a great way to make some extra money. You can buy some things you actually need anyway, and you can even take the kids with you.

4. Rent out a spare room to an international student.

If you have a spare room, you can rent it out for a little while. International students are great because they keep to themselves, and you can book them in for blocks of 4 weeks at a time. So if the arrangement doesn’t work out, you only have to stick with it for 4 weeks. All you need to do is provide them with a single bed and a desk. You can earn up to $300/week doing this, just by providing them with a room, and dinner. In Australia, try agencies such as Study Vision or Australian Homestay Network.

5. Rent out your car.

Sign up to Drive My car and rent out your car when you are not using it. You can earn up to $800 a month by doing this. Pretty amazing. They will also give you $50 on top of your normal rental earnings if you enter the code: OWNER50 when listing your car (offer valid until 31 December 2016).

6. Buy online.

Buy decorations and other Christmas-themed supplies through stores such as Christmas Warehouse. You can filter the store into different price categories (e.g. less than $10). Join the VIP club for free and get 10% off, all year round. You can put together a list of what you need which means you won’t be persuaded to buy things you don’t actually need, unlike when looking in a store. Christmas Warehouse will also not only just match the price, but they’ll reduce it by a further 10%, if you find a cheaper identical product.

7. Use vouchers.

Use any vouchers and coupons that you have accumulated throughout the year so that you are not making as much of a dent in your spending. Maybe you have a bunch of Flybuys points you can cash in for $$, or some Myer vouchers. Now is the time to use them.

8. Dog sitting.

It’s the time of year that everyone goes on holidays. If you’re at home with the kids, why not look after a dog or cat for someone? The kids will love it too!

9. Freelance.

Websites such as Airtasker, Upwork, and Freelancer allow people to post tasks that they want to outsource. You can do anything from data entry to cleaning, to writing out cards for people, and earn some extra cash.

10. Help out at Christmas parties.

I always see people online looking for helpers at their Christmas parties. Earn some extra money doing a couple of hours of waitressing or bar work whilst the kids are with their father.

And there you have it! Get cracking, Christmas is in less than a month!

Julia Hasche

P.S. DID YOU KNOW?

Thrive Tribe – the global membership experience for single mothers – will be opening again very soon! Join the waitlist here.

PLUS You can book one-on-one coaching with Julia Hasche from wherever you are in the world!

Do you need clarity on whether you should leave your partner or not?
Have you just parted ways with your partner, and feeling lost?
Have you been single for a little while now and need assistance with getting your life back on track and feeling empowered?

Click HERE to read about coaching and to hear from some others who have gone through coaching programs with Julia, and book in here for your 30-minute complimentary Clarity Call.

The purpose of the Clarity Call is:

For me to get to know you and understand an overview of your current situation and where you are at.
For us to establish what you need assistance with to move forward.
To see if we are both comfortable working together.

Know someone who needs to read this? Share it with them via the links below.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Please note that I only ever endorse a company if I like it.