1. Get rid of things you don't use. Facebook Marketplace is a great way to get rid of things you don't use. Kijiji and Craigslist are two other places where you can sell things to your community quickly.
2. Offer your "concierge services" on social media. There are a lot of things people need extra help with around the holiday season that they are willing to pay for. One example is gift wrapping! My husband hates wrapping gifts and will hire this out to people. One year he even hired a lady to do the shopping! There are plenty of husbands out there who are flustered by gift giving when it comes to their wives. If you are a woman who knows what other women really want for Christmas (hint to the guys: it's not lingerie!) then I'm sure you'll have a line up of men asking for your help in no time.
3. Sign up to be a dog walker or pet sitter. The Rover App allows you to connect with people who are looking for dog walkers or pet sitters. You can make the most money if you also offer dog boarding. A lot of people are traveling for the holidays and need someone to watch their furbabies... if you already have pet supplies on hand such as a dog bed or crate, this is a very easy way to earn good money fast.
4. Deliver food. Sign up to deliver for a food delivery service such as Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, Uber Eats, or Instacart. Restaurants and grocery stores are even busier than usual this time of year, so a lot of them are looking for seasonal help.
5. Sell last year's Christmas garments on Poshmark. That cute dress you wore for the Christmas party last year might not be repeated this year, but someone else might want it. Or maybe you received a designer handbag that wasn't quite your style, so it's practically new. Post it!
6. Sign up to be a driver for Uber. Uber drivers make varying earnings, but when rider demand high you can make even more on top of your standard fare. The holidays are sure to be busy!
7. Sell your baked goods and home-cooked meals in community Facebook groups. Are you someone who loves to bake or cook? There are a lot of people who crave home cooking during the holidays, but either don't have time for it or never developed the skills. Yummy food is an essential element to the holiday season and things like home baked sugar cookies or freezer meals are sure to be a hit. Niche it up even further and offer things like gluten-free baking or keto desserts which are in high demand. Something like bone broth is easy to make in a slow cooker or instapot and is both in high demand and expensive to buy. You can make at home and sell it with a decent markup. During cold and flu season, having some bone broth stocked away in the freezer is a must-have. To increase your credibility online you can learn how to take good photos of food and also get your Food Safe Certificate online in as little as one day, in the comfort of your home.
8. Offer child care, housekeeping, house-sitting or senior care. You can advertise your services on Facebook or websites such as care.com. There are a lot of people who are looking for cleaners who will not just do a surface clean as most cleaning companies do, but do a deep clean or other services which are normally not included in standard cleaning company offerings. Stand out and set yourself apart from other cleaners by offering things such as: deep cleans, oven cleaning, window cleaning, organizing play rooms, carpet cleaning, pantry organization, dish washing, kitchen cabinet cleaning, etc. Having your criminal record check and child care reference will help aid in giving you credibility to offer casual child care for families in your community. If you want to go beyond casual baby-sitting and want to offer regular full-time childcare, you do not need any special certification to start your own daycare at home or to work as a nanny. You can be listed in the BC registry of child care providers if you take the "Responsible Adult Course" and "Good Beginnings", both of which you can do online in the comfort of your own home. Home child care providers can earn up to $22 an hour in BC. Home daycare providers can also be eligible for government grants.
9. Offer tutoring services during the Christmas break. Do you have past teaching experience or do you have a lot of knowledge in a particular subject matter? Are you naturally good with numbers or have a wide knowledge of literature or technical terms? Do you find it easy to learn new things and organize systems? All those things could be to your advantage when offering tutoring services. You don't need a PhD or even a bachelors degree, speaking as a homeschooling mom of 13 years I can tell you there are plenty of people who need tutoring help. As long as you are one step ahead of the student, a lot of parents would love to offload homework help to someone else!
10. Sell craft kits at local craft fairs. Instead of selling crafts at local Christmas fairs and risking being left with excess inventory that will only cost you more money, sell craft kits instead! Any leftover products can then still be used and you won't be putting up as much of a risky investment. Some ideas for popular craft kits: beginner crochet kits, crochet kits with Kawaii design patterns such as play food, wool felting kits of mystical creatures, anything Disney themed, things that can be personalized, etc.
11. Rent out things you aren't using. You can rent your car out to out-of-owners visiting for the holidays using the Turo app. Rent out baby items such as playpens or high chairs for travelers on Facebook. If you have a large yard you can rent out storage space for things like RV's or boats which need storage for the winter.
12. Apply for temporary seasonal retail positions. A lot of stores and restaurants are desperate for extra help during the holiday season. If it's not your thing, at least you know it will just be temporary.
Bonus tip: use loyalty points to pay for expenses. Whether it's saving up your PC points to pay for groceries in December, saving up your Indigo points all year to pay for gifts during the holiday season, or converting CIBC Aventure Visa points for free travel or straight cash - there are plenty of loyalty programs out there which you can take advantage of during the holiday season.
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