Skip to content
SuperMoney logo
SuperMoney logo

The Best Holiday Side Hustles

Last updated 03/08/2024 by

Nell Terry
The holidays are an expensive time. On top of your day-to-day expenses, you also have to save up and shell out for gifts for your loved ones. For many of us, holiday shopping pushes our spending beyond our budget for the month. So how can you stay on track and keep yourself out of the red when the holidays swing around? Simple: get a seasonal side job!
Can’t afford the perfect gift? Try some of the following strategies to pad your bottom line in time for the holidays.

Compare Side Jobs

Compare money making ideas and new gigs. Find your next side hustle.
Find Your Next Gig

Block out some time to drive

If you have a car, there are a ton of ways you can make some extra cash. Rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber are available in most cities. Driving gigs have totally flexible hours — clock in when you’re free, and clock out when you get bored! If you hit a certain number of rides on your first month, you can even earn a cash bonus.

Are you looking to save up an extra $100 for a perfect gift? Consider blocking out one night a week to spend driving for a rideshare app. Pro tip: you’ll earn better rates when there are more riders and fewer drivers on the road. That means the pay is best on Friday or Saturday nights, or during events like football games or concerts.

Stand and deliver

Do you have a car, but you don’t want any strangers in it? Are you more than 18 years old, with a clean driving record, a relatively new vehicle, and qualifying auto insurance?There’s a seasonal side job out there for you, too.
If you’d rather drive solo than play chauffeur, consider making deliveries for a delivery app like DoorDash or Instacart. You’ll spend your time driving from restaurants or grocery stores to customers’ homes — without having to open your car doors to any unwanted guests.

Sell some stuff on eBay

This method is especially effective during the holiday season. After all, it’s the biggest shopping season of the year. Capitalize on the additional traffic by selling your unused items online!
Before you dig out your holiday decorations, spend a day with your family investigating items that you may be able to sell. Check your garage, attic, and closets for forgotten items that you can offer up on eBay.
If you prefer a personal touch, you can always go to a pawn shop instead! Just remember that you’ll likely get a better price from an online buyer than you would from a second-hand vendor.

Rent out your guest room

Do you have a spare room in the attic with its own attached bathroom? Or do you have a pool house with room for a spare mattress? Are you and your family going on vacation this holiday season, leaving your apartment empty?
A vacant room is a huge money-making opportunity. By using a rental service like AirBnB or VRBO, you can make some extra cash without even having to work for it. Just clean your spare room and you’re ready to go!
This seasonal side job is especially lucrative if you live in a city or town that is a popular tourist destination. If you don’t, don’t worry — tons of people travel during the holidays. You might just have to set your price a little lower to attract more guests.

Take on some odd jobs

Not interested in driving or hosting guests? Not a problem! There are a diverse array of odd jobs out there to provide that extra injection of income that you need.
Are you your family’s handyman? Then check out TaskRabbit! On this versatile hub of side-hustles, a customer might ask you to construct Ikea furniture one day and help them clean their kitchen the next.
If physical labor isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of digital labor opportunities on Fiverr, a marketplace for freelance services. Whether you’re skilled at graphic design, programming, social media, or translation, Fiverr has jobs waiting for you.

Set up a holiday daycare

If you have small kids, consider running a holiday daycare once or twice this month, before the season kicks into high gear. Just tell your friends and family that you’re offering an all-day babysitting session. You’ll have plenty of takers, given that kids are out of school and parents are frantically trying to buy and wrap presents in secret.
Just make sure you place a cap on the number of kids you’ll agree to watch! Too many will overwhelm you and could potentially become a safety hazard.

Finding the right seasonal side job for you

There are countless other ways to make some quick cash during the holidays. The trick is to find one that’s compatible with your resources and your schedule.
To browse these and other side jobs, check out SuperMoney’s database of top-rated side hustles. The perfect seasonal side job for you is out there! All you have to do is find it.

SuperMoney may receive compensation from some or all of the companies featured, and the order of results are influenced by advertising bids, with exception for mortgage and home lending related products. Learn more

Loading results ...

Share this post:

You might also like