The holidays are a financial strain for most people anyway; add in the current struggling economic woes, and most of us have even less cash for holiday gifts and festivities than usual. If you find your Christmas list larger than your budget, you can try these last minute cash generators to help ease the crisis. Or, if your Christmas shopping is done, you may want to seize this opportunity to put a little extra something in your bank account to help tide you over the next few months.
- Have a yard sale.
I know that Christmas isn’t the time that most people think of having yard sales, but this year just may be the exception. Everyone is looking for a good deal this year, so more people are open to alternatives to the big mall prices. Plus, there are the dedicated yard sale shoppers who have limited “shopping opportunities” this time of the year. This may actually be the best time to have a yard sale that you’ll get for a while.
If the weather is just too bad where you are to have a yard sale…
- Take your stuff to a flea market.
Most area’s have an indoor flea market of some kind, and again, you have the dedicated flea market shoppers who are out in full force this time of the year looking for a bargain. Some people go to flea markets for inexpensive entertainment, and if something catches their eye, they will spend more on a spontaneous purchase than they might otherwise. If you have some bigger ticket items, this may just be the outlet you’re looking for to unload them.
- Sell on eBay.
eBay is always a great outlet for selling the unwanted and unused items around your home. Granted things are selling as well on this online auction giant’s sight like they did even a year ago, but it’s still possible to make some extra cash if you price it right from the start, and offer shipping at cost. Your best bet here is with new, popular, or collector’s items.
- Gather your books.
Cash4books.net buys books in good condition at a fair price. I’ve sold some books here myself, and got more money for them than I would have anywhere else. Type in your books’ ISBN numbers and see what they will buy. Complete the transaction online, print out a prepaid mailing label, pack up the books and send them off. In just a few days you will receive your choice of either a check in the mail or a deposit to your PayPal account. It doesn’t cost you a cent – not even for postage. (When I sold my books they gave me a bonus for using PayPal.)
- Put it on consignment.
This is sometimes the best place to sell larger items, like furniture, and high ticket items such as designer clothes, antiques, and jewelry. Keep in mind that you will only collect if the item sells, and you only get a percentage of the selling price. Make sure you find out what their pricing, discounts, length of time they will keep an item, and unsold items policies are. You don’t want to find out after 90 days that they donated your Wedgewood china to the Salvation Army, and you don’t even get the write-off!
Which brings me to my final suggestion…
- Forget the cash.
Donate your unwanted items to charity and take a tax write-off. It’s not money in your pocket right now, but it does mean that you will have a larger tax refund at the first of the year. And that may just be worth more than you could get at a yard sale anyway. To get everything you are entitled to for your donations, check the up-to-date lists of fair market values at TurboTax’s itsdeductible.com and use the free online software to track your donations. Don’t forget to take pictures and collect your tax receipt!
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