Extra Income Christmas Jobs Online
With Christmas fast approaching, you may be worrying about how to find the extra cash you will need for all those presents, party food and celebrating. Well, don't despair! If you have good internet access and a few hours to spare each week, there are lots of ways you can top up your spending pot in time for the big day.
Get Paid to Give Your Opinion
One of the simplest ways to earn money online is to get paid for completing surveys. There are many sites available, such as Opinionate, SurveySavvy and Toluna South Africa, which are free to join, and will pay you for each survey you complete. Of course, companies are usually looking for people who 'fit' a certain category when they are doing their market research, so you will sometimes find you are screened out of surveys after you have answered some questions about yourself, but it's still possible to make a reasonable amount from surveys.
Some sites pay in cash (usually via Paypal, so you will need a Paypal or Payfast account in order to claim your earnings), whilst others offer vouchers from well known retailers - this can be a very useful way of saving on the cost of Christmas presents! The beauty of completing surveys is that most of them are fairly short, so they can be fitted easily around your home life.
Write Articles Online
If you have a bit more time to spare and enjoy writing, you might consider joining up to a website to write articles. Of course, you do need to be able to write correctly, with good spelling and grammar, and you must also be able to write in different styles, depending on the requirements of the article. For example, you could find yourself writing product descriptions one day and a formal article on finance another day, so versatility and the ability to pay attention to instructions is vital to your success. However, if you are willing to do some research for the subject online, this can be an interesting way to earn money.
The sites which offer article writing usually pay cash (again, often via Paypal or Payfast, although some will pay directly into a bank account) and you may be paid per word or per article. Deadlines are also very important, so make sure you are able to complete articles in the given time before committing yourself to this.
Online Service: Cooking for Others
Maybe you are skilled at cooking or cake decorating? At this time of year, busy people may be looking for Christmas cooking to be done for them. Many would love to have a homemade Christmas cake, but are either too busy or they are daunted because they don't have the necessary skills to create one of their own. Christmas puddings may also be in demand, and miniature versions of both could be ideal for an unusual or personalized Christmas present. Naturally, you will need to check if there are any regulations about selling your own cooking from home, but by setting up your own website or advertising online, you could find yourself in great demand!
Sell your Crafts Online
Of course, many people will now be looking for Christmas presents, but increasingly customers are shying away from crowded stores and are choosing to shop online. Often they will pay a premium for handmade items, such as craft products, which provide a gift with a touch of individuality. If you are skilled at crafts and can dedicate the time to making items to sell, it's easy to set up an online shop to sell your goods, either through your own website, or by using a site such as Etsy or Hippo go Lucky.
Although Etsy is based in the USA, and so operated in US dollars, there is a South African community open to crafters living and working in South Africa. There is a small financial outlay to get started, and the site may charge listing fees and take a percentage of your sales, but this is a good way to get your products noticed and build a market for your items.
These are just a few of the many ways you can use the internet to make a little extra spending money for Christmas, so why not take the plunge and see what possibilities are out there to cushion the cost of Christmas?