Extra Cash for Christmas

As of this post writing, there is only 66 days left until Christmas!  Crazy!  Is it just me or has this year flown by?

Anyway, are you going to pay CASH for Christmas or are you going to put it on credit cards?  I am so hoping that you said cash!  I don't know your personal finance situation so I will just show you a few places to get some cash for Christmas.

These are some survey sites and mystery shop sites that you can earn extra cash to spend for the holidays.  Even though these don't pay "that much" money, they can add up over time.  What if you were to do them for 6-10 months leading up to Christmas?  When you are mindlessly watching TV, just login and complete some.  They don't take very long.


These are legit companies that I have personally used and have personally gotten checks from.  (note:  these are accounts where I may get referral fees, some of them I don't).

Surveys from Inbox Dollars:  I have personally earned around $100.  There are lots of ways to earn money on IBD, like surveys, paid emails (just click the button), grocery coupons (I haven't done this), games, apps, etc. 


Mystery Shop companies

TrendSource
Intelli-Shop.com
MarketForce.com
Sinclair Customer Metrics



Garage Sales or Consignment Stores-Clean out your garage and/or closet to make extra $$.  If you have some "nicer" stuff then I would take it to a local consignment shop to get money.  If you have random stuff, maybe have a garage sale instead.   Take a few days to make a pile of stuff and sort it out by garage sale (ask friends if they want to join you) and by consignment store. There are a ton of shops that take children's clothes too.  I personally like going to consignment stores that the stores portion of the proceeds goes towards charities that I support, but that is a personal thing.

YOU CAN DO IT!!  Even if you only earn $20-50, that is $20-50 that doesn't have to go on a credit card.  Hustle out there to be debt free. :)

Garage Sale

I have been wanting to have a garage sale for a while now.  I am trying to de-clutter my life and get rid of tons of stuff.  It's really silly how much crap I have accumulated in a few short years.  In addition to wanting to simplify my life, it doesn't hurt to get extra $$ too! :)

I went through my house with a fine tooth comb and had no mercy.  I was getting rid of everything!  I got rid of all but two pictures that were hanging on my walls.  My walls still have the nails in them.  Old purses, scarfs, sconces, holiday items, bags, books, and more are all gone now!

I got rid of about 20 DVD's at the local DVD retailer.  I sold them for $10.10 total.  They were DVD's that I didn't ever watch anymore, so I didn't mind getting rid of them.  A new family can watch them.  A few DVD's they wouldn't take because they had too many or were too scratched up. I just threw them back in the garage sale pile.

My friend Tracie, who lives in Pearland, let me borrow her house for a garage sale.  My apartment doesn't have an annual garage sale and no one in my family would let me have one at their house. Off to Pearland I went!

Jabba loves sitting on top of boxes and he was sad when I took this one with me.

I got to her house around 7 and started to unpack my car.  Everything I wanted to bring didn't fit in my car. :/

I put everything on two old sheets (the blue one is hers and the red snowflake one is mine).  This side was DVD's, holiday items, kitchen stuff, office stuff, a few scarves, a few decorative items, etc.

This side was mainly books and bags.  Tracie and her daughter Kayla had a few other things they brought with them outside to sell. It looks kind of bare, but we really had a lot of stuff!

I sold a lot of my stuff for really cheap.  I think the highest thing was $5 (maybe $10 for one item, I can't remember), but most stuff was between $.25 and $1.  My goal was to get rid of it and make a small amount of $$ in the process.  What I don't sell, I will give away.  I made right at $100 though!!!  It isn't a ton of money, but it is $100 I didn't have.  The stuff was just lying around, collecting dust, and I didn't need it anymore.

We are having another garage sale this weekend too.  Hopefully I sell more stuff!  If I don't sell it, I will donate it to the local pet shelter resale shop that supports BARC.


Next up:  My couch!  I have been wanting to get rid of it for awhile now and I think the time has come.  It is HUGE and I am ready for it to be gone.  It takes up too much space and is a pain in the booty to move.  I just want a regular couch.  I will have to save up for a regular couch, so I might be couch-less for awhile, but honestly, that is ok. I don't need to sit on the couch for hours and watch TV, I need to be up and about doing something with my life.   I will probably sell it on Craigslist or something.