As a college student, you have the freedom of your time being your own. However, time is money… and since your time is your own, that means your own time is your own money. Confused yet? Regardless, winter break can be an incredible opportunity to use your extra time to gain a bit of extra cash and learn what things to do for extra money. After all, those college textbooks ain’t free.
Fortunately, the solution to your money problems can be solved by sitting (baby-sitting and pet-sitting, that is).
Here are a few ideas of things to do for extra money. Read this list and see which of them are the most plausible in your circumstance this winter.
1. Babysitting
Ah yes, babysitting. A position that’s humbling for the modern-day college kid. As more and more parents start to use nanny sites, these positions have dwindled for the 20-somethings of the world.
However, you’ll still find several family members and friends that would love to have you take their hands off of their child for a night.
So much so that they’ll pay you handsomely for it. most parents give you a pretty detailed itinerary to follow such as movies to watch, bedtime, any food they shouldn’t have, etc.
All you have to do is make sure to follow those rules to the “T” and make sure the child is safe while under your watch.
Capitalize on the holidays by telling everyone you know that you’re available to babysit and you’ll have several takers before you know it!
2. Sell Your Old Things
Every single American can relate to having too much stuff. Some of which you can’t remember the last time you’ve used, if ever.
However, as the old saying goes “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!”
Use that saying to turn your old unused junk into cash that can help you throughout the next upcoming semester.
There are two thought processes on how to go about selling your stuff and maximizing the return that you receive.
First, if someone you know comes to mind as a person severely interested in certain items you have, then go to them directly. They may pay a bit more than what you’d sell online for it.
Secondly, you can use online sites to sell your things and reach a wider base of people that may be looking for it. In fact, sites like eBay can help you drive up the price via a bidding war.
Both are incredible options and will help you gain more cash in your pocket.
Gathering up the cash from what you sell and using sites for cheap textbooks will help you have more money for the upcoming semester.
3. Petsitting
Maybe watching kids for several hours at a time sounds like more work than what it’s worth to you. Not to worry… kids aren’t for everyone.
There is still an option for you in this arena though, in the form of pet sitting. Many people have pets that are essentially in place of not having kids. As such, they’ll pay a premium to make sure they’re being watched while they’re away.
Seeing as how many people take their winter vacations during this time, it could be a great way to stack up money fast.
They will pay you for several days’ worth of work versus babysitting where you’re only being paid for a few hours.
Better yet, petsitting requires far less monitoring, and many people just request that you drop by once or twice a day. If so, you can get a few pet sitting jobs simultaneously and really stack up the money.
It’s a perfect fit that those of you reading this that love pets and are looking for a less tedious way of making money over winter break.
4. Tutor
Looking to do a winter break job for a few weeks that will help you gain cash and look good on a job resume someday? Enter the field of tutoring.
If you enjoy helping kids of all ages learn and apply themselves, there’s possibly no greater winter break job than this one.
Most parents don’t want their kids to lose momentum on what they’ve learned so far this school year. That’s where you can help them keep their kid’s minds fresh.
Not only is it a great way of earning money, but it’s also very rewarding to help them learn and progress. Better yet, if you impress the parents during this break, they’ll be happy to hire you again during spring and summer break.
5. Tear After Down the Holidays
Maybe you don’t live in a place where you can run your mowing business during the winter.
However, there’s still an opportunity to get paid by helping your neighbors tear down after the holiday season.
Things, like taking down lights, putting up decorations, and readjusting the year-round yard decorations, can result in some serious cash.
Find More Things to Do for Extra Money
As you can undoubtedly see by reading this article, there’s no shortage of things to do for extra money for the upcoming semester.
A big worry of yours is most likely how you’re going to pay for the textbooks you need for your classes.
Be sure to read this article on how things such as selling your damaged textbooks can help you gather the finances you’ll need for such a payment.
Interested in seeing whether you can be purchasing your textbooks for cheaper? Be sure to view our new or used textbooks page to search by ISBN, Title, Author, or Keyword.