Christmas doesn’t need to break the bank, there are loads of ways to make it affordable, but there are times when you might want to spend a bit extra. The minute you put the word organic in your shopping list, the price goes through the roof. Sustainable gifts can be pricey and if you are visiting family and friends that aren’t local, costs can spiral. Last year the Mirror said that the cost of Christmas had ‘pushed up to 87% of adults into debt and nearly half of those will still be in the red at the end of 2016’.  Getting into debt over Christmas is not a good idea especially if you are still recovering from last year! It is so much better to save up the money first and if you are running out of time and options for that, another alternative is to try and make a bit of extra cash in the run up to Christmas!

Easy Car Club: Rent out your car when you are not using it! EasyCar club lets you list your car for free on their website for potential punters to rent out. I thought about doing this and to be honest didn’t get very far, but I don’t live in the right area. I think this would probably work best in city centres where lots of people can rely on public transport most of the time and only want occasional access to a car. If you are away over Christmas and won’t need your car, it might be the perfect time to rent your car to someone who wants to rent one to go and visit their friends and relatives! 

 

Uber:  Become a taxi driver in your spare time. Uber allows people to book your services virtually and handles the rates and takes payment as well. We took our first Uber ride a few weeks ago. We were pretty impressed with the service and it was cheaper than getting a traditional taxi.

Just Park: Rent out your parking space! If you have a parking space or garage near a station, a popular beach, or in a city centre that you aren’t using, you could make some money renting it out. Garages aren’t just for parking in – we actually rent out part of our garage for long term storage, which is such little work for a bit of regular money coming in.

Airbnb: Rent out your spare room! We rent our spare room to students on and off throughout the year and I prefer having someone in it to not because when we don’t have student it just ends up being filled with junk and tidying it is another thing to add to the to do list. Make sure you are comfortable with whoever you are renting to before you do (ask for more info, check passports if needed) and also make sure you comply with any relevant legislation like having a gas safety certification and reporting any earnings which are taxable.

So what are you waiting for? Make your assets like an underused car, parking space, garage or a spare room start working for you, pay their keep and help you avoid getting into debt this Christmas!