Ways to Earn Spending Money for Christmas

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year. It's a time for family and the ones you love. Warm and lovely as it may be though, there's still no escaping the fact that Christmas can also be a very expensive time.

There are presents to buy, parties to prepare for and food to be stockpiled for the annual yuletide binge. These days, it seems like Christmas is the season of spending.

So, how are you supposed to pay for all that festive fun? Let's face it, Santa and his elves aren't going to help. If you're not careful, Christmas could end up costing a fortune.

Here are a few ideas of ways you can earn a little extra money to help with your Christmas spending.

Since you'll probably be getting loads of presents, why not make a little space and have a clear out. There are all kinds of things you can sell: books, DVDs, electronic gadgets, clothes, furniture, toys.

Whether it is through a yard sale or online through sites such as eBay, the chances are you can find a buyer for your old goods. You get to declutter and also make a little extra cash.

The king of Christmas temp jobs is, of course, that of Santa. Here are the qualities you need:

• Friendliness. Every expects a jolly Santa. You are going to be dealing with a lot of people on the job. Good people skills are vital.
• Stamina. Sitting in your Santa suit all day can actually be quite exhausting. You've got to keep your enthusiasm levels high for every child sitting on your knee.
• Foreign language skills. Santa delivers pressies to children from all over the world. Being able to speak another language is a plus.
• A good belly laugh. You need to be able to ho, ho, ho.

Many stores take on extra staff over the busy period surrounding Christmas. If you have some retail experience, you could always take on a few hours and earn yourself a little extra cash. You might even end up getting a decent staff discount.

If you are busy during the day, bars are sure to need extra help to cope with the crowds keen to get filled with the Christmas spirit. Catering companies are also worth a look too, if that is more your scene.

People need stuff doing during the holiday season and often they can be busy. That's where you can step in. Why not provide a housework service. You can clean houses, do ironing, cook, tidy, help out with the shopping or even to wrap some Christmas presents.

There's always someone who doesn't have the time to do those little things, but does have the money to pay someone else to do them for them. Make yourself some fliers, pin them on noticeboards, stuff them through mailboxes or hand them out to anybody who you think might benefit from your services.

If you haven't already done so, you should definitely consider signing up to HubPages. The online article sharing site is a great way to make money from sharing your knowledge of things that interest you. Go ahead, sign up now.

If you are a crafty, creative type why don't you put your talent to good use and make something which you can sell. Jewelry, scarves, hats and accessories all make great gifts.

Whatever you reckon you can create, if the quality is good enough you can probably find a buyer. After all, people need to buy Christmas presents for their folks. Maybe you can supply them. You can sell your goods on a stall at a local craft fair or online via website such as Etsy.

It turns out that your spending throughout the year can actually help you build up your Christmas fund. If you are smart with your spending, it is entirely possible to use credit cards in such a way that you can actually make money from them.

Always remember that credit cards should be handled with extreme care. If you are not careful, you can end up deep in debt. If you are careful though and make sure that you always pay off your full balance every month, it is completely possible to get cashback rewards from your credit card. Save up those rewards and then you can cash them in at Christmas.

It's possible to make a little extra cash by completing surveys online. Companies want to gather market research information about their products and so they use sites such as MySurvey and Swagbucks to collect data from consumers. The incentive they provide is points which add up to prizes and cash.

Online surveys aren't going to make you a lot, but the little you do get from online surveys can add up and all helps towards your Christmas fund.