The festive season is right around the corner, and this time of year is known for being a tad expensive, but there are ways you can make a bit of extra cash in the lead-up to the big day.
Christmas is costing British households more than ever, with this year set to be no exception. According to MoneySupermarket, households spent around £1,800 on average on Christmas celebrations last year. Even though many will be looking to cut back this year, having a little extra cash will be a massive help and there are many ways to get this.
It’s important to note when thinking about Christmas you should not be paying more than you can afford. It is a good idea to make a plan and a budget for the festive season and chat with friends and family about what you can and cannot afford this year. After this, you may then want to look into the ways you can make some extra cash.
Here we have rounded up a few ways you can boost your finances before Christmas 2024 officially begins.
Sell online
This may just be the perfect time for a declutter if you haven’t done one in a while and you may never know, you could be sat on a goldmine. You can sell just about anything online nowadays so whether its old tech such as mobile phones or games consoles, clothes that don’t fit anymore, or old toys selling online is a great way of making some quick cash.
There is a full range of platforms you can use to sell your old stuff with Vinted and Depop leading the way for second hand clothes, and eBay being a staple for everything else. Something to note here also, is that eBay has recently removed all of its selling fees – which means you will take home more cash from selling your items on the site.
Alongside this, there are specialist platforms which buy things such as CD’s, DVD’s, games, with Music Magpie being a popular one. You can also sell unwanted jewellery and gold online and through specialist high street stores. Facebook Marketplace is also a great platform for if you want to sell larger items such as furniture. Before selling online, you should make sure to research the platform you are using and the item you are selling to find out the best price to retail it at.
Take advantage of cashback
Cashback is a great way to boost your finances throughout the year, and there’s still plenty of time to make a few extra quid before Christmas. Even better, if you take advantage of your planned Christmas spending as this could give you a boost in January when finances are always a little stretched.
You can consider a range of different cashback schemes. Some debit and credit card providers offer cashback when you spend at certain retailers using their card, such as Monzo, while others offer cashback on all your spending like Chase. Meanwhile, dedicated cashback credit cards often reward you with a set percentage of cashback every time you shop. However, you must pay off the full balance each month, or you could rack up more in interest charges than you earn.
Finally, there are dedicated cashback apps and websites that can track your online purchases and reward you with a percentage of your spending as cashback such as Topcashback and Quidco.
Switch bank accounts
Switching bank accounts is one of the easiest ways to make some cash, as all you need to do is swap your main bank for another. through the Current Account Switching Service (CASS). There are a few switching incentives currently in place, with First Direct paying you £175 when you move and Lloyds paying £200.
Nationwide is also offering £175, while Co-op bank is offering an initial £75 to switch, plus £25 a month for three months – bringing the total to £150. However, it is important to note that you need to jump through a few hoops to get these payments.
It usually includes things such as putting over £1,000 into the account, spending money on your debit card, and set up a number of direct debits. Make sure you check the terms and conditions before you do this – as if you do meet the criteria you will not get the cash.
Do online surveys
Online surveys and market research can help bump up your finances as they offer you cash or the chance to win prizes simply by sharing your opinions on a range of different topics. It’s not always easy though, and you usually have to put in a bit of effort to complete them to earn any meaningful money.
Bear in mind that some of these sites will be pretty iffy, so it’s important to focus your efforts on those with decent reputations and that offer more significant payouts. YouGov is one of the better-paying – and more trusted – sites. For every 5,000 points you amass, you’ll get £50. Generally, you can expect to get around 50 points for a 15-minute survey.
Rent your belongings
Renting out your personal belongings is becoming a very popular way to make some extra cash, from cars to driveways to clothes and lawnmowers. You can pretty much rent anything nowadays. There often are specific sites which allow you to rent things out such as YourParkingSpace for driveways and Swished for clothes.
However, before renting out your items, do read the small print and consider how you would feel if your belongings were damaged, especially if they have sentimental value. Plus, don’t overlook how much of your time might be swallowed up by admin if you find that your goods or services are in high demand.
See if you can get benefits
If you are on a low-income, it will be worth checking if you are eligible for benefits. Universal Credit is the main benefit in the UK and it’s not just for people who are not working, it is for those on low incomes too. Policy in Practice estimates that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits across Great Britain is now £22.7 billion a year. Claiming what you’re owed could get you hundreds or even thousands of pounds extra a year.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website, you can use a benefits calculator to check if you could be eligible. The calculator gives you an estimate of:
- The benefits you could get
- How much your benefit payments could be
- How your benefits will be affected if you start work or increase your hours
- How your benefits will be affected if your circumstances change – for example, if you have a child or move in with your partner
The three benefit calculators which the DWP recommends you use include:
Exchange past holiday money
Everyone has a bit of leftover holiday cash stashed away somewhere and you could potentially be sat on a fair bit of cash. Research by Leftover Currency found that this forgotten holiday money amounts to a staggering £2.7billion across the UK, which could be exchanged back into sterling and provide a welcome boost for any Christmas savings.
The £2.7billion figure would give each of the 40.5million 18- to 64-year-olds in the UK £66.67 in their pockets. The good news is that the process is relatively easy to do. You can exchange your cash back into pounds through foreign exchanges, online websites, the post office, and supermarkets.
It’s important to shop around when deciding how to get the best deal on travel money and the same is true with currency buy back. To get started, search online for currency buy back schemes and see who’s got the best rates.
Pick up odd jobs
Another option for making money without a job is to pick up odd jobs through apps like Airtasker and Fiverr. These platforms allow people to outsource tasks such as furniture assembly, CV writing, graphic design, gardening, and decorating to others.
You can pick up as many tasks as you like. However, you are rated on the platform, so it’s best that you take on jobs which you can do to a high standard. How much you can make depends on the advertised job rate – some can be £5 while other tasks could be a few hundred. These sites, of course, take a small cut in your earnings for the jobs you do. Airtasker, for example, charges a service fee of between 10% and 30% on jobs depending on the tasker’s “tier” on the platform and the cost of the task
Find lost savings accounts
Lost savings accounts – plus other financial assets – are a big issue in the UK, with as much as £82billion in total in lost bank and building society accounts, Premium Bonds, pensions, investments and insurance policies. As it’s lost, you might not even know you have one.
Accounts are declared dormant after banks fail in attempts to track you down at your last known address, so you never know. It might be worth taking an afternoon to go through the paperwork or emails. To track down lost money in bank accounts or savings, you can use My Lost Account.
This is a free service that brings together three tracing schemes: UK Finance (UKF), the Building Societies Association (BSA) and National Savings and Investments (NS&I). This means that whether you’ve got a lost account with a bank, building society, or NS&I – or all three – you can search use My Lost Account to track it down. However, it can take up to three months for it to complete their search.
Make the most of referrals
Several business and financial firms, such as banks, offer incentives such as free cash and vouchers for referring others. For example, both Monzo and Paypal will give you £5 if a friend signs up through a referral. It’s not just banks, though; other companies offer similar schemes. The broadband firm Hyporoptic offers a £25 Amazon voucher for successful referrals while the cashback site TopCashBack offers up to £30 if you refer a friend and they sign up and earn cashback.
However, remember that you can potentially annoy your loved ones by pestering them with links. It is best to take advantage of these if you know someone is looking to make a switch or use a particular shop.
