10 Creative Ways to Pay Off Holiday Debt
By
10. Hold an online garage sale.
One search on Facebook for garage sale pages in your local city is sure to yield dozens of results no matter where you live. From densely populated urban neighborhoods to the green lawns of suburbia to the picket fences in more rural areas, these pages are filled with local bargain hunters willing to pick up your items in many cases and pay for them as well. If you can’t find a garage sale site local to you on Facebook, you can start one of your own or try Craigslist instead.
You may have to meet at a local public place, such as the parking lot of a local shopping center or fast food restaurant, if you don’t want strangers coming to your doorstep. However, you can fetch a decent price for pretty much anything you’d sell in a regular garage sale, from clothing to purses to small appliances to toys and tools. Take a quick look around your house and you’ll surely find some things you just don’t want anymore. List them online and you’ll have cash in hand in no time flat that you can put toward that annoying holiday debt.
9. Babysit.
If you’re home during the day, in the evenings or on weekends, offer to babysit in your home. If you’re looking for extra cash in an ongoing capacity, offer permanent babysitting services for working parents. If you’ve got kids at home anyway, adding one or two more into the mix seems only natural. If you’re just looking for some extra money to get the holiday bills paid off, offer to sit for friends or friends of friends (social media works well for this) on evenings and weekends so parents can get some alone time and you can get your credit cards paid down. You’ll both win!
8. Go to the dogs.
Love dogs? Why not turn your affinity for all things canine into a side job that can earn you some cash? From dog walking to dog sitting and going on doggie dropping duty, there’s money to be made on Fido. Solicit your services to neighbors, friends and acquaintances on social media, or hang flyers where permissible in your local neighborhood. Soon you’ll be getting doggie kisses and getting your holiday debt paid off.
7. Find your focus.
Focus groups pay more than pocket change. Opinions on new products, advertising campaigns, foods, corporate brands, music, education and even websites can yield big payouts ranging from $25 to $200 or more for just a couple of hours of your time. Find focus groups in your area on Craigslist, or just do a Google search. There are plenty of reputable companies who will hook you up if you are eligible.
6. Return the things you really don’t want or need.
A quick look around the house may yield a pile of things you or others bought that you no longer want or need. From those awful slippers from your well-meaning Aunt Betty to that shirt that just didn’t look the same in your mirror as it did in the dressing room, gather these items and take them back to the store for a refund that you can apply to your holiday credit card bills.
5. Sell your heart out.
Look into selling a product to your friends, family and coworkers by affiliating with a sales program, which can yield great extra income in very little time. Well known brands like Avon, Thirty-One, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Origami Owl, and Scentsy offer motivated sellers the ability to make extra cash to pay off their bills. You should only consider these, however, if you are serious about making cash and will put a bit of work into it, as many companies have nominal up-front costs associated with becoming a sales representative.
4. Get crafty.
Channel your inner Martha Stewart and get crafty by selling your goods on Etsy or at local craft fairs. From jewelry to teacup cozies and bejeweled pencil cases, buyers love hand-made items that are unique—and they’ll pay for them; often more than you think. Visit Pinterest for ideas and then get to work! Your credit cards will be paid off in no time, and you’ll have fun doing it.
3. Turk It Up.
We all spend too much time surfing the web, so why not make money for it? With Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program, you can make a few bucks a day for doing short, mundane tasks, like clicking a link, Tweeting about a company, or giving your opinion about a website. It’s free to sign up, and you can begin making money to put toward your holiday debt as soon as possible.
2. Tutor.
If you have a degree, you can use your expertise to tutor college students and make great extra money. Some tutors charge up to $100 per hour, so you get a great return for minimal time. Tutoring children is also an option, and there are many companies that hire qualified people to tutor both kids and adults. In many cases, tutoring can be done online as well, so you may not even need to leave your home.
1. Use your equity.
If you’re a homeowner, you have a great tool to help you get out of debt not only from the holidays, but all your credit card debt in general: your equity. By cashing out some of your equity while mortgage rates are at all time lows, you can reduce your monthly payments, improve your credit rating, free up a good portion of your cash flow, and strengthen your financial future. For more information on how to use your equity to pay off those pesky credit cards, visit NLC Loans™ online or call one of our personal mortgage advisors toll free at 877-480-8050. There is no risk or obligation to do so.
newsletter no longer available