Savvy Shopper: Top tips for making extra cash for Christmas

Well, 2020 has been one hell of a year – and it isn’t even yet done yet. We still have the most expensive time of the year: Christmas. Here’s your survival guide.

Well, 2020 has been one hell of a year – and it isn’t even yet done yet. We still have the most stressful and expensive time of the year: Christmas.

Not only did a lot of us lose jobs and our minds, but most of us blew the COVID government money on things like rent and food. To top it off, our credit cards are maxed out and not many of us have any savings left. Now we need to miraculously come up with cash to buy the mini humans Christmas presents. 

2020 – you truly are a piece of work! Don’t fear – I have a few good ideas. Read on:

Christmas can be stressful due to extra expenses.

HAVE YOU ACCUMULATED LOYALTY POINTS?

If you use loyalty and rewards cards when making purchases during the year, log into your account online and see how much credit you have. I found $50 on my Woolies card! And it is actually surprising just how many decent gifts you can buy at a supermarket. Use up your loyalty dollars to grab gifts!

LEGO IS NOW WORTH MORE THAN GOLD

If your kids have outgrown Lego – give it a wash (put it in a pillowcase and run it through your washing machine) – dry it in the sun – then weigh it and sell it by the kilogram on eBay or Gumtree. 

The closer you are to Christmas, the more it is worth – and it goes for a fortune. Don’t worry about putting sets together or anything like that – just whack kilo lots online and wait for the money to rain on in.

ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES TO SET UP CHRISTMAS TREES

I would genuinely pay someone to come and put up my Christmas tree – and then even more money in July when I get sick of making excuses to pull it down again. It is a painful job if you aren’t remotely crafty or one of those anally retentive sorts.

You could charge upwards of $150 to do it; put up a few trees per day – you are rolling in cash. Advertise on local noticeboards and Buy Swap and Sell Facebook Pages.

Note: This year I’m tempted to wrap the completely decorated Christmas tree in plastic wrap and place it in the shed for next year!

MAKE AND SELL CHRISTMAS LOLLY CRAFTS

If you are a parent, every second Facebook post at the moment will be ‘What should I buy little Johnny’s teacher for Christmas?’. The answer: Make Christmas Lolly Sleighs or other lolly-related Christmas Crafts. I made the sleigh pictured here. It sells like hotcakes in the schoolyard. You could retire on Christmas Lolly Sleigh money. Advertise in local school groups. Start your own Lolly Sleigh cartel.

So there are a few ideas. Happy start of the festive season, everyone.

Jody Allen is the founder of mothers network Stay At Home Mum. Find her at @StayHomeMum on Facebook, @jodyallen.stayathomemum on Instagram, @JodyAllen_SAHM on Twitter

Originally published as Savvy Shopper: Top tips for making extra cash for Christmas