How to Earn Extra Holiday Money

Do you have an additional $1,000 to spend on holiday gifts for your friends and family? The chances are that sum of money isn't just lying around, nor can it be found in your savings account. The average person has less than $500 in their savings account, while a staggering amount has zero dollars to their name.

Doesn't exactly sound like a joyous holiday gift giving season.

And while the holidays shouldn't be gift centric or driven by the amount of presents that you give, you'd be hard-pressed to find the average consumer not sweating out how they're going to at least come up with a few dollars for gifts.

So get creative, motivated or practical, and try these:

Sales Force: Sell Your Old Stuff

It never fails that you'll spend one or two times per year cleaning out your garage, going through the stuff in the attic or making it a point to study your closet and subsequent wardrobe and decide what you can toss. While clearing out the old and making room for the new makes sense and provides you with peace of mind that you won't be on "Hoarders," you might be throwing away valuable items, and not even realize it.

These items, in turn, can be sold online and turned into holiday profit. The biggest misstep most individuals make is assuming that things like old technology is, well, old, and useless. That couldn't be further from the truth.

VHS tapes, old computers, and cell phones are shockingly valuable, particularly if you find one is considered rare (and again, you didn't even know it). One example would cut your Christmas budget in half: a 1983 Motorola 8000X one sold for more than $500.

Sure, it was one of the first wireless phones, but chances are you may have been ahead of the cell phone curve and have something comparable.

Also, you'll want to keep an eye out for other collectibles, such as toys, baseball cards and other memorabilia of that ilk. VHS tapes also can be gold mines, too, and the irony is that you can find them for a few dollars for most contemporary movies, but if you stumble across an older one, it could pad your holiday savings budget and then some, with VHS tapes going for as much as $700 online.

If your basement or crawl space isn't crawling with older, vintage items, don't fret: you can still take unwanted items such as clothes, shoes, furniture and even modern day toys and games and turn them into holiday spending money.

The trick is to be specific when you describe them online to potential buyers, whether your use eBay, Craig's List or LetGo. The quality of photos matter as well, along with calling out brand names. More often than not, you can make about 50 percent of what you paid for clothing and handbags, for example, which is better than simply giving them away.

Cash Machine: Use Cash Back Apps When You Buy

The phrase "cash back" is nothing new when talk of saving money abounds, but what once was used minimally has now turned into common verbiage for most companies, such as credit cards, for example, that want you to spend money to make a percent back on your purchases. Fast forward a few years, and apps have popped up in droves that offer you the ability to earn cash back just for spending money on the things you would buy anyway, from clothing to food and everything in between.

Often when you think of saving money for the holidays, you assume that means buying gifts. But for most people that also translates into making sure you have the additional cash on hand to buy food, additional to your normal grocery list, for dinners with friends and family around the table.

The SavingStar app is one that is universally and easy to use: you get money added to your SavingsStar account when you link your loyalty card to the app. Even stores that sell groceries but don't have a loyalty program participate.

Beyond groceries, if you're using cash back apps on products, the benefit is two-fold: first, if you're using them leading up to the holiday shopping season, you'll save money and be able to use that cash back toward your gift giving list. If you are just starting to dabble in cash back apps, such as Ebates, you can certainly spend money on gifts for those on your wish list and then use the cash back to pad your checking or savings account, whatever it was you spent. Ebates gives you $10 back instantly on the first $25 you spend, not a bad incentive to see what they're all about.

Ibotta works similar to Ebates with a simple sign up process and cash back offers in and around your area that constantly are updated. A simple receipt upload gets you $10 on the first one, and you can have all funds earned through Iobtta sent through to PayPal.

Cash back apps work, undoubtedly, but don't be afraid to price match, either. Some apps are adept at a very high level on finding the best price for a particular holiday gift, ShopSavvy comes to mind since it has a barcode scanner and an alert function if something you want for the holidays magically goes on sale.

Season's Greetings: Take on a Side Job

Extra work is always available during the holiday months, whether you're working for UPS or at a retail store that has extended hours. You also can't discount jobs where driving is imperative, either, considering that travel is at an all-time high around the Thanksgiving and holidays, so those who are staying with friends and family might be more inclined to pay for rides, rather than rent a pricey vehicle.

On the driving note, one of the more popular side jobs is driving for the likes of Uber.

The average Uber driver makes somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 per hour, although that number has fluctuation depending on where you live. Detroit, for example, you can expect to earn about $8.77 per hour, so make sure you aren't making a mistake by driving if it's not worth the time or effort.

If you aren't thrilled about earning holiday cash by damaging or putting miles on your vehicle, you might go a more traditional route, such as retail or package handling.

Retail is probably the easiest job to land since it lends itself to the hustle and bustle of holiday traffic. They need you to fill shifts and work beyond normal hours, so be prepared to give up evenings and weekends if you're already working during the day.

Companies like Nordstrom and Lowe's, pay above $10 per hour for seasonal workers, while some stay just below that number, usually between $8.53 and $9.79.

Not surprisingly the stores with the higher priced items tend to pay more, and because you're not commission based on most seasonal jobs, focus on those.

And here's a little money saving tip: don't pick a job with a discount that you'll end up using more on others than yourself.

You never know, too, if a seasonal job might end up turning into something more permanent, particularly if you're not working at all, and need income for the holidays and beyond. UPS has about 95,000 seasonal jobs this season, and about a third of those workers end up on the permanent payroll there. In the meantime, you'll earn more than $10 per hour.

Checks and Balances: Open a Checking Account

Saving money starts with always trying to find the best deal, agreed? Why not use that principle to save money on not only how you bank but who you bank with, perhaps rethinking your financial institution and taking your money elsewhere (or just opening up a new checking account to get extra cash in the process of the holidays).

Whether you're talking about local banks or ones that are of the national brand, they'll be more than willing to throw a few hundred dollars to you just for opening an account. Nationally, Chase Bank might be the one that is more inclined to your business, with around $200 to $300 for your new business.

These savings are typically offered year-round, but November is one of the better times to look into making the switch when incentives are at an all-time high.

Granted, and with good reason, banks have specific criteria you have to meet, whether it's a direct deposit initiative or a particular type of account.

KeyBank is one financial institution that doesn't ask for your first born, but rather $500 in direct deposits over 60 days to earn $400. Direct deposit is so common, and that amount hardly is a knock your socks off figure. And, you get your money in 90 days.

And even though you don't get the money right away, but consider this: If you could work through the parameters (which aren't all that strict, truthfully), wouldn't it be nice to know if you spent money on gifts that you had a little reinforcements in the form of reimbursement of sorts on the way?

The other nice piece is that your current bank might be inclined to ask you to stay with something comparable. If we can compare prices on cable bills, cell phone plans and car insurance, who says banks can't be held accountable for the best rates and better incentives for current customers?

Your Opinion Matters: Take Online Surveys

Imagine a world where you can earn a few hundred dollars in just 30 days, and all you have to do is give your opinion. Unless you're a newspaper columnist, writer or on air or social media personality that gets paid for that, you'll be happy with your Twitter rants and Instagram posts for now.

That is until you're paid for what you think, and what better way to earn money for the holidays and shopping than giving honest feedback.

Retailers are always in the market for test markets, focus groups, etc., and they'll pay you for what you think about a product or service.

Despite the "too good to be true" vibe, you have quite a few legitimate websites that offer paid surveys to those who qualify and are willing to participate (and no need to donate blood, either).

Realistically, you're talking about $100 or $200 per month if you stay at it consistently. The idea that you can forgo your full-time job in favor of online surveys seems a bit risky (and silly) but that doesn't mean your time can't translate into extra money this holiday season.

The range of pay for a specific survey can range from a few cents to $50, although that is contingent on how much time the survey takes. If a survey takes about 35 minutes, you can expect around $4 in compensation, with a whopping 90 percent of them on average taking less time to take versus what is advertised.

If a site truly does seem like the payout is massive versus the amount of work, be leery of it, and most likely skip it altogether. Some of the more notable sites that are trusted include Swagbucks and Opinion Outpost.

Most online surveys also are extremely easy to not only take but get paid, with most of it ending up in your bank account or in the form of gift cards, which again you can use to buy holiday gifts for everyone.

The average person, in 2016, spent about $900 on gifts, 3 to 4 percent higher than the previous year. So while concerns about money abound, consumers are finding a way to spend still (and in this case spend more).

The idea of adding credit card debt shouldn't be on your radar, either, so with that; you're at a financial impasse.

Until, of course, you consider thinking outside of that gift box and implement unique and everyday ways to save.

Keep reading with: Why These After Christmas Sale Items Can't be Ignored