Yahoo Finance 
6 clever ways to make money out of Christmas
There’s no doubt that Christmas can be an expensive time of year for many Australians. The pressure to splash out on the lastest gifts and entertain guests with their favourite BBQ selection and drinks on tap, can push even the most thrifty of us to dip into our savings and reach out for the credit cards.
Australians are expected to rack up an alarming $56 billion dollars in credit card debt this year, that’s $3,342 per person. The great news is that the rise of Australia’s sharing economy is helping many Aussies reduce the financial strain by allowing people to actually make money out of Christmas, as demands are high for many of these services over the season.
From cooking festive lunch for locals, to becoming santa’s little helper by delivering Christmas gifts – if you want to jump on the bandwagon and experience how your unutilised assets or services can boost your income in time for Christmas, consider these top sharing platforms:
Rent out your caravan
If your RV, caravan or motorhome is sitting idle or costing you fees in storage, you can make some extra cash by renting it out via Camplify to trusted borrowers from interstate or around your neighbourhood. The average person using this platform will earn around $280 – $2,100 a week and as the holiday season is in high peak travel period, it’s the most optimum time to offer your caravan to holidaymakers. They save as it’s more affordable than tradional companies so everyone’s a winner.
Cute job alert!
Mad Paws, is an online platform which connects pet owners with caring pet sitters to mind their dog or cat whilst away. Many people use the Christmas holidays as an excuse to jet off and thousands of adorable pets are in need of looking after (I know, it’s like the perfect job!). Also you’ll be in high demand this season as it’s more affordable than pricy kennels. Sitters make on average $220 a week, which can go up to around $360 a week this season.
Deliver Christmas gifts
Become santa’s little helper this Christmas by delivering festive parcels to homes around your neighbourhood and spreading the yuletide cheer by signing up as a courier with Zoom2u. Zoom2u acts a lot like Uber, but instead of people you’re transporting, it’s parcels! You have complete flexibility on when you work with after office hours in high demand ahead of Christmas. It’s just a matter of accepting the workload that is right for you. It’s a pretty easy way to make sure there’s some extra cash coming in to supplement the dollars you’re spending on the giant turkey! You can make between $400 to $2,000 a week!
Convert your free space into cash
Online marketplace for space, Spacer connects Hosts (people WITH space) to Renters (people who NEED space) in their neighbourhood. Over the summer season demand increases as people are moving and renovating. Whether it’s a spare room, empty garage or bare driveway, space is currently in high demand. You can make between $350 – $500 a month off your garage, spare room, driveway or attic – just off one space.
Also read: How to dodge credit card fees this Christmas
Become a home cook for locals
December kick starts Australia’s entertaining season with summer finally upon us. FoodByUs allows Australian’s talented home cooks to sell food to their local neighbours. This means that if you like to cook, bake and create, you can turn your passion for cooking into an income. The average FoodByUs maker earns around $50 an hour and with high demand they have seen some makers earn $500 a week off their culinary skills. Locals either collect their food, you drop it to their door or get it delivered with FoodByUs’ delivery drivers.
Become hired help
At this busy time of year it doesn’t hurt to have an extra set of hands around to get jobs done. From house cleaning to furniture removal or assembly requests, you can become a worker on Airtasker to help with Christmas chores and party preparation. With flexibility in task description and budget allocation, there are hundreds of ways you can be helping others while boosting your income.
