Five hacks for a ZERO-COST Christmas

It may be too early for supermarkets to start selling candy canes, but with 12 weeks until Christmas, it’s a perfect time to boost your savings.

The average Aussie is set to spend $1,178 on the festive season, potentially causing significant stress.

Also read: Australia’s deadliest jobs named and shamed

According to finder.com.au research, Aussies spent around $22.1 billion in the 2017 Christmas season.

However, there are ways for the average Aussie to squirrel away enough to ensure the festive season doesn’t come with a financial hangover.

1 Airtasker

The great thing about Airtasker is you can be paid for nearly anything. For example, you could make 1,000 medium-sized paper cranes and be paid $1,000. That’s Christmas nearly paid for.

Design whizz or furniture assembler extraordinaire? This could be an easy way to make some cash.

2. DriveMyCar

Find you’re not making the most out of your car? DriveMyCar lets you rent your car out and earn between $350 and $1,750 a month. Its Manage My Car service will manage the entire process and includes comprehensive car insurance.

Also read: Secrets to successfully bagging a pay rise

3. MyCaravan

If you’re not driving your car, you might not be driving your caravan either. Why not list it on the peer-to-peer caravan rental platform, MyCaravan. You could pocket about $605 a week, based on a $35,000 caravan.

If you list it over the Christmas period you could even double this.

4. Wrappli

Or make your car a mobile billboard! Wrappli will wrap your car in advertisements and pay you based on how far you drive. The average earning is between $300 and $400 a month, but your car will be covered in an advertisement. That’s something you should probably bear in mind.

Also read: How financially conscious are you?

5. Sittr

Love kids? Qualified carer? You could earn more than $500 a week ($23 per hour) by babysitting for busy families over the holiday season.