Christmas is just weeks away, and the credit card bills for it show up in January. If you’d like an extra few hundred dollars — or a few thousand — before then, you’ve got more options than you might think.
Don’t count on the old standby, though. Stores will add about 450,000 seasonal workers this quarter, down from 461,500 last year, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas forecasts.
So skip the “Now Hiring” sign at the mall. Here are seven places I’d look instead, what they realistically pay, and the one I’d think twice about.
1. Go where the hiring actually went up
While stores are cutting back, Amazon isn’t.
On Oct. 20, Amazon said it plans to bring on more than 300,000 people this season — a mix of seasonal, part-time and full-time workers — and that its seasonal staff average $20 an hour.
In each of the prior three years, it had announced 250,000 holiday hires, according to Challenger.
UPS also said it plans to hire 100,000 workers over the next few months, ABC News reported.
Run the numbers: 25 hours a week at $20 for six weeks is $3,000 before taxes. That’ll cover a lot of presents.
The catch? Warehouse and package work means lifting, walking and standing for hours. If your back or knees complain after a day of yard work, be honest with yourself before you sign up. Amazon says it’s posting new openings every week through December, so it isn’t too late.
2. Turn forgotten gift cards into cash
Before you look for new money, find the money you already have. Odds are there’s a gift card or two in a drawer somewhere with a balance you forgot about.
You can spend it on gifts, which frees up cash, or sell it for less than face value. We explain how — and the fees to watch for — in “Americans Have $27 Billion in Gift Cards They Haven’t Used. 6 Ways to Cash Yours In.”
This is the easiest money on this list. It takes 10 minutes, and nobody has to hire you.
3. Sell the stuff you don’t use
Look around your garage, closets and basement. That treadmill you hang clothes on? That’s cash sitting in a corner.
To see what yours might be worth — and how much the fees really take — read “eBay’s CEO Estimates You Have $4,000 of Household Stuff That Could Be Sold Online.”
Here’s the tax side, and it’s good news for most people. If you sell a used personal item for less than you paid, the proceeds don’t add to your taxable income, according to the IRS. Sell something for more than you paid, though, and the profit is taxable.
Payment apps and online marketplaces generally have to report your sales on a Form 1099-K only once you top $20,000 and more than 200 transactions, the IRS says. But you might get one anyway, so keep your receipts.
4. Watch pets and houses while people travel
The holidays empty out neighborhoods. People go to see the grandkids, and somebody has to feed the cat, walk the dog and bring in the mail.
This is work that rewards exactly what many of us 50-plus types have: reliability, a flexible schedule and a track record people trust. Start with neighbors, your church or your homeowners association. Word of mouth beats any app.
What should you charge? The median pay for employed animal care workers was $17.08 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure leaves out the self-employed, but it’s a reasonable floor for an hour of pet care. Overnight house sitting should cost more.
Quick aside — most internet financial advice comes from people who weren’t alive during the last recession. I’ve been writing about money for more than 35 years. Want rock-solid advice? Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter. Takes 10 seconds. No fluff. No spam.
5. Rent a spare room to holiday visitors — possibly tax-free
When relatives descend on your town, not all of them want to sleep on a sister’s air mattress. If you have a spare bedroom, somebody may pay for it.
Here’s the part most people don’t know. If you rent out a room in the home you live in for fewer than 15 days a year, you don’t report that rental income at all, according to the IRS. The trade-off: You can’t deduct expenses as rental costs.
Before you list anything, check your HOA rules and your homeowners policy. A few nights of rent isn’t worth a fight with your association or a denied claim.
6. Think twice before you drive for an app
Delivery and ride-hailing apps promise easy money on your own schedule. Maybe. But the car is yours, and so are the costs.
Ride-hailing drivers usually drive their own cars and pay for their own gas and upkeep, the BLS notes. Most work as independent contractors, and the BLS wage figures leave contractors out entirely, so there’s no solid government number for what drivers really clear.
Here’s a reality check.
For the second half of 2026, the IRS lets self-employed drivers deduct 76 cents a mile. Drive 100 miles in a shift, and a business could write off $76 for those miles.
I’d treat that as a decent hint of what the trip really cost you in gas, tires and wear. Make sure your pay beats it before you celebrate.
If driving doesn’t add up, our Solutions Center has a roundup of other ways to earn on the side.
7. Sell your time to busy neighbors
December is when everybody runs out of hours. That’s an opportunity if you’ve got some to spare.
Offer to wrap gifts, hang lights (from the ground or a short ladder — nobody needs an ER visit), assemble toys, address cards, bake for a party or help clean up after one. Post a note on a community board or tell a few friends you’re available.
There’s no reliable data on what this pays, so set a price you’d be happy with and stick to it. The real advantage: It’s work you can stop on Dec. 26.
Don’t let the IRS ruin Christmas
Most of the money on this list counts as income. Gig income has to go on your tax return even if nobody sends you a 1099, according to the IRS. Set aside a slice of every payment so April doesn’t sting.
Already claiming Social Security? Your paycheck can shrink your checks. If you won’t hit full retirement age until after 2026, the Social Security Administration withholds $1 of benefits for each $2 you earn above $24,480 this year.
In the year you do reach that age, the threshold jumps to $65,160, and the agency holds back $1 of every $3 above it. Only pay earned before the month you reach it counts.
Six weeks at a warehouse probably won’t put you over.
A steady part-time job plus holiday work might, so add it up first. For how the test plays out, see “Born in 1960? Your Social Security Full Retirement Age Is 67. If You Claim Early and Keep Working, There’s a Catch.”
Bottom line
Stores aren’t hiring like they used to. That’s their decision, not a verdict on you.
Start with the free money — the gift cards and the clutter. Then pick one thing that fits your body and your schedule. A few hundred dollars from a garage cleanout and a couple of pet-sitting gigs beats putting Christmas on a credit card and paying for it until spring.
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