Side Hustles for the Holidays

It’s been a while since most of us have seen this brightly-lit scene in real life, but let’s take a moment to visualize the many things that signal the arrival of the holiday season at the mall: giant Christmas trees, lots of red and green décor, maybe some fake snow, and most importantly, big bold signs that scream “SALE”! Even with lockdown going strong, that last one is still alive and well in the online world, telling us just how great it would be to have a little extra money for these next couple of months.

After a whole year of coming up with creative ways to make money during a lockdown, it’s easy to sit back and think that now is the time to spend it all on those holiday sales. But unless you have a lot of savings, it might be a better approach to fatten your wallet before doing some heavy-duty shopping. After all, we’re still going through a pandemic, so any additional income is always a good idea.

To keep your finances healthy during the holidays, consider trying some side hustles or “rakets” for guilt-free gift shopping funds in the coming weeks, or even extra savings that could cushion your budget for the new year. And to give you a little more motivation, think of side gigs as the gift of multiple income streams for you and your loved ones this holiday season!

And speaking of gifts, that’s exactly what you should keep in mind for rakets to suit the year-end festivities. When doing business during this very specific time frame, remember one thing for whatever your product will be: dress it up as something that people might choose while they’re shopping for gifts! Not sure what to do? Here are a few ideas based on what would work best for you and your free time:

If you’re one of the many who have KonMaried the entire house during quarantine…

Sell your pre-loved items or vintage finds! Out of all the things that no longer spark joy for you, there’s bound to be treasure that will bring happiness to others. There’s always a market for vintage lovers, so find the best clothes, jewelry, trinkets, or even furniture pieces and offer them as gift options for shoppers. Set up a digital garage sale and watch extra cash take the place of everything you’re letting go!

If you have any sort of artistic talent…

Personalized artwork could be your new side gig! Passion for art comes in handy this season, especially if you’ve got the talent and business savvy to back it up. Since we’re all getting creative with gift ideas, give the people what they want by offering your services for commisioned portraits of their loved ones (yes, pets included!). Show off samples of your artwork online, ask customers to send in their photos, and transform them into traditional or digital works of art.

And if you’re more into graphic design, why not offer your skills to those who want to buy personalized holiday cards, greetings, or gift tags? Bonus points if you’re into calligraphy, as well! For those who love art but don’t really get to do it for a living, consider these ideas as a sign to embrace it as more than just a hobby, at least for the next month or so!

If you love proudly Filipina-made products…

Take your support one step further and become an authorized reseller! Because all you need is wifi and a cellphone, it’s definitely an easy way to make extra income. These days, shoppers love the gift of skincare and self-care products, so try checking out legit Filipina-made brands like Ryxskin Sincerity and Skin Can Tell for their affordable reseller packages. Hot tip: a lot of hardworking online sellers have actually earned more from this kind of venture than their actual day jobs!

If you spent your time perfecting many recipes during lockdown…

You know what to do, and you’ve probably considered it more than once these past few months! Take everything you learned while baking and cooking during quarantine and come up with a themed menu that people can order as gifts, or even as part of their own holiday feasts. For dessert, sell some fruitcake or Christmas cookies, and add seasonal flavors to everything – more than the usual peppermint or candy cane, think Pinoy holiday favorites like bibingka, puto bumbong, leche flan, and queso de bola! You can also offer your lockdown-perfected sushi bake or ube cheese pandesal as part of your Noche Buena or Media Noche packages for family celebrations.

If you’re still undecided about what side hustle you can try…

Don’t worry! It hasn’t been an easy year for our finances, among other things, but we all have the ability to take all the new things that we’ve been doing for the past few months and unlock some moneymaking ideas. This season, maybe it would help you to think of what gift you would want to receive, and try to offer that same gift as a product or service to others! Maybe you’ll find it from an old hobby you picked up, a special skill you learned, or new connections you made online – just look back at your time in lockdown and think of how those unique experiences could become your side hustle for the holidays

In any case, don’t forget to have a great time earning and shopping, Sheroes!