The holiday season is nearly upon us, and many Americans are already gearing up to pick up some side gigs or part-time work as they prepare for their celebrations. More than 8 in 10 adults (84%) plan to apply for seasonal work, according to a September 2020 Monster poll of 3,889 respondents.
If you're looking to earn some extra cash this holiday season, here are seven side hustles to consider.
1. Sell holiday crafts
If you're adept at creating heartwarming graphics, can sew the perfect stocking, or have a knack for designing dazzling holiday decorations, the holiday season may offer opportunities to make money. Consider offering your goods and services on sites like Etsy, eBay, or Fiverr.
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Some examples: Etsy users sell homemade snowflake window decorations for $14 each, eBay users sell Grinch masks for $15 each, and Fiverr users design holiday card designs at $15 per card design.
2. Help people with holiday tasks
From putting up (or taking down) creepy Halloween decorations, shopping for holiday gifts, and wrapping and delivering those gifts, there are a slew of seasonal tasks for people to take on. And some could probably use help. Consider offering your services for any of the above on sites like TaskRabbit, Nextdoor, or local Facebook groups.
Taskers on TaskRabbit typically charge between $45 and $152 total for decorating projects, and between $22 and $63 total for shopping projects, according to the site. Gift wrappers make about $12 per hour on average, according to Indeed.
Make sure to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines for social distancing when you're interacting with clients.
3. Deliver groceries
Demand for grocery delivery skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people elected to stay home and social distance instead of going to the store. Many may continue to rely on the service as the weather cools and they plan holiday gatherings or prepare to hand out Halloween candy.
Sign up to deliver groceries for companies like Instacart, which pays an average of $13 per hour, according to Glassdoor, or Shipt, where experienced shoppers can make between $16 and $22 per hour, according to the site.
Video by Stephen Parkhurst
It's important to make sure that in supermarkets and grocery stores, you can still "adhere to the principles of social distancing," Dr. David Hirschwerk, an infectious diseases doctor at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, told Grow earlier this year. Keep that six-foot distance from other people and wear a mask.
These rules apply for making the deliveries, too. Ask your employer what kind of contactless delivery system is in place to mitigate your risks. And make sure your employer has a break system in place to allow you to wash your hands frequently and to rest.
4. Deliver takeout
Demand for takeout also exploded during the pandemic, with eateries like Pizza Hut posting tens of thousands of jobs for pizza makers and delivery drivers to keep up with orders. Takeout is likely to continue to be popular during the busy holiday season (Chinese food on Christmas, perhaps?).
Sign up to make food deliveries through services like DoorDash, where drivers make an average of $14 per hour, according to Indeed, or Postmates, where drivers make an average of $15 per hour, according to Indeed.
Once again, ask your employer what kind of contactless delivery system is in place and make sure to adhere to the CDC's guidelines for social distancing.
5. Sell a recipe
Maybe your friends always ask for your bacon and mashed potatoes recipe, or your family insists you make your famous tofurkey every year. If you have a winning recipe you think people would enjoy over the holidays, "you can sell your recipes on Etsy, Facebook groups, or freelance job boards like Upwork looking for recipe writers," says side hustle expert Daniella Flores.
One framed chocolate chip recipe is going for about $17 on Etsy, for example, and recipe writers on Upwork charge as much as $200 per hour.
Video by David Fang
6. Babysit
With the pandemic restricting our ability to spend time with people in large groups, holiday get-togethers may look different this year. Still, some parents may get invited to smaller gatherings and they'll need someone to watch their kids.
Consider signing up to be a babysitter on sites like Care.com, Sittercity, and UrbanSitter. Sitters nationwide can make anywhere from around $13 to $23 per hour, according to Care.com. The holidays also tend to drive hourly rates higher, as it is assumed whatever holiday celebration babysitters are working on takes time away from their own celebrations.
"There's gonna have to be a certain degree of vetting that goes on," says Dr. Hirschwerk, in terms of how to approach babysitting from a safety perspective. "I would want to know, in the household, has anybody recently been ill? And I think you'd want to know to what degree is that household practicing social distancing."
7. Pet sit
Similarly, pet owners celebrating around or on the holidays themselves may need someone to watch their pets, whether that's a dog walker to cover them while they're at a holiday party or a pet sitter while they're traveling out of town.
Sign up to be a pet sitter on sites like Care.com, Sitter City, or Pet Sitter. The average rate of a pet sitter is $25 per hour, according to Thumbtack.
The article "Make Some Extra Cash With These 7 Holiday Side Hustles" originally published on Grow+Acorns.
