10 Ways to Make Some Extra Money for Christmas

With exactly ten days until Christmas, people are either kicked back and relaxed because they are done Christmas shopping or fearful and stressed out because they aren't.  With the extra tight economy this year, lack of money can play a roll in the stressed out part when it comes to gathering up gifts for friends and family.  Here's ten quick ways to raise some cash for Christmas:

1. Sell stuff on Craigslist.  Many people have taken to Craigslist as a way to stretch their Christmas shopping dollars so if you have stuff to sell, now might be a good time to sell it.
2. Sell gold.  Even small amounts of broken gold jewelry can bring in quite a lot of cash.
3. Sell blood.  While you shouldn't have to pop open a vein in order to buy Christmas presents, it is still an option.
4. Offer your services.  With terrible weather hitting much of the country, it does allow one to make a bit of extra cash doing everything from shoveling walk ways to driving fearful commuters to work if you have a four-wheel drive.
5. Babysit.  Many parents would love a few hours of alone time during the busy holidays to finish their holiday shopping, wrap gifts, bake, etc, all without having kids underfoot.
6. Rent out your truck (with you as the driver of course).  This can be useful for people who have small cars yet want to haul home a Christmas tree, bring home a new appliance, schlep lots of stuff to a party, etc.
7. Rent out a room in your home.  When people have too many holiday guests or when people want to escape the holiday season and visit a touristy area (such as Las Vegas) they are now just as likely to check out AirBnB as they are to hit up hotel.com.  List your home on AirBnB if you are so inclined and rake in a bit of holiday cash.
8. Go trash picking.  The end of the year can often be "out with the old, in with the new" time.  If you just happen to drive by neighborhoods the evening before garbage day you might find everything from chairs and tables discarded to make way for a new set to odds and ends, all of which can be cleaned up and posted for sale on Craigslist.  Note universities are a good place to trash pick at this time of year as it is the end of the semester and some students are leaving for good; the often throw out perfectly good, perfectly sale-able items.
9. House sit/pet sit.  When folks head out of town for the holidays they often have to scramble to find someone to care for their pets.  Ditto for their homes.  If you are good with animals, pet sitting or even ranch sitting may be just the way to make some extra cash.  
10. Sell your crafts.  There are still plenty of holiday craft fares where you can sell your homemade wares to people looking for unique gifts.  Note for a non-mobile selling opportunity consider selling on etsy.