If you haven’t noticed, stores have begun to put out the holiday decorations. The holiday season is coming, and with that comes the holiday shopping. And while you may want to start saving money for the holidays, why not turn that idea on its head and use the holiday season to make some money!
Consider a Part Time Job
A lot of stores around me are currently hiring sales associates for the holiday season. Many are looking for people to work evenings and weekends – not every evening and weekend of course. A friend recently got a job where she has to work one weekend a month along with some evenings (though she’s willing to work more).
One big advantage to a holiday season job is that it’s time limited. These jobs are designed to last through Christmas, maybe through the New Year, and then the company won’t need you anymore. Stores have extended hours during the holidays, and they also have employees who are traveling and want time off. They need to fill all those spots, so they’re hiring extra people. And that’s where you come in.
After the holidays, you might find that you really like having a second job. Or you might find that you absolutely hate it. And if that’s the case, the job is over anyway, and you don’t have to go back. And you got some extra money out of the experience.
Do You Have the Time?
Obviously, a part time job on top of a full time job isn’t for everyone. But take a look at your schedule. What kind of time do you have in the evenings? How busy are your weekends? And if they are busy, are you willing to shift your schedule to allow yourself to pick up some extra work?
The big question to ask is what kind of commitment the store wants from you. Maybe they’re looking for people to work a couple of hours a week or just to cover one weekend a month. And if you have the time, it’s a great way to bring in some extra income during the holidays.
What are the other perks?
Let’s be honest, a lot of times, store employees get a discount if they shop at the store. Now, you don’t want to just be turning your entire paycheck back over to your new employer, but it can be a way to get a discount on holiday gifts you were already planning to buy.
So if you’ve been struggling with your finances, or are just looking to bring in some income, take a hard look at your schedule and consider applying for a holiday season job. It might be just the thing your budget needs!
Megan is a 40-something government employee in the Washington, DC area. She got interested in Personal Finance when she got out of college and realized that her paycheck wasn’t going to go as far as she had hoped. Since starting this blog, she has managed to buy a house and make a solid start on her retirement goals, and hopes to help others do the same. Here is her story:
In 2007, I was a gainfully employed 20-something with no debt but not a lot of knowledge about personal finance. It was a co-worker’s comment about Roth IRAs that sent me to the internet, searching for information. It was then that I realized that I really didn’t know a whole lot about personal finance and that my current financial situation was due a lot to inherent frugal tendencies, generous family members, a fear of debt, and good luck. While that was working for me, clearly I needed a better plan.
While I had no debt, I was also pretty much living paycheck to paycheck and not worrying about going over budget (I say this as if I had a real budget) because I had an emergency fund set aside to cover any overages.
Except that’s not what an emergency fund is for.
So I did a lot of research, read a lot of blogs, and decided that I needed a plan. I needed to budget. I needed to know what I was spending my money on. I needed to prepare for the future.
I decided to create a blog not only to make myself accountable to others but also to share the knowledge that I gained along the way. I’ve learned so much from my fellow bloggers, and I hope that my readers can find something useful in what I have to share as well.
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