Christmas is expensive.
Let’s not pretend otherwise.
The presents, the food, the decorations, the unexpected costs that always seem to pop up.
It all adds up fast.
But here’s the good news: you can make £500 or more before Christmas without taking on a second job or selling a kidney.
These are practical methods that actually work – I’ve tried them all.
Some are quick wins while others take a bit more time.
But if you combine a few together you have a real chance to get your Christmas paid for.
Watch the video below or keep reading to find out exactly how.
Want even quicker cash? Many banks and apps pay you just to sign up. See the latest free money offers to boost your Christmas budget.
1 - Sell Your Stuff
Look around your house right now.
How much stuff do you own that you haven’t touched in months?
- Clothes you’ve been meaning to wear for 3 years
- Kids’ toys they’ve grown out of
- Gadgets you upgraded from but kept “just in case”
All of it can turn into cash.
eBay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace are the places to be for this.
Electronics sell particularly well. So do designer clothes, kids’ toys, and furniture.
People are always looking for bargains, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
Here’s a tip that’s worked for me: list your items higher than you think they’re worth.
People love to negotiate and try to grab a bargain.
If you price something at £50, they’ll probably offer £40.
But price it at £60, and you’ll probably get your £50.
Obviously, this only works if your prices are realistic to get interest but it could stop you getting low-balled on everything you try to sell.
Realistically, you could make anywhere from £50 to £300+, depending on what you’ve got lying around.
Some people clear out their garage or attic and make over £500.
If you get the hang of this there’s also a way you can take this to the next level and make it a more long-term money maker.
Watch this interview with side hustle king Noah Brierley for more.
Ask family members if they’ve got anything they want to sell but can’t be bothered listing.
Parents often have loads of stuff in the loft or garage – maybe things you left at home years ago and they never cleared out.
Friends might have things they’ve been meaning to shift for ages but haven’t found the time.
Offer to do the hard work for them.
Post it, handle the messages, arrange collection or postage. Then split the money 50/50.
It’s a win-win.
They get cash for stuff they were never going to sell anyway. You get half the proceeds for an hour’s work.
| Selling stuff | Realistic earnings | £50-£300 |
2 - Bank Switch Offers (The Easiest Free Money)
Banks will literally pay you to switch to them.
It’s the easiest money you’ll make this year.
Here are the current best offers (correct at the time of writing– always check for the latest deals as these change):
- Barclays: £200 (offer ends 27 November, so move fast on this one)
- First Direct: £175
- Nationwide: £175
- Co-op Bank: £175 (£100 upfront plus another £75 if you stick around for three months)
The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) makes switching dead easy. Everything transfers over in seven working days. Your direct debits, standing orders, the lot. Your old account closes automatically.
The new bank handles everything. You don’t need to contact your employer about salary payments or update all your direct debits. It’s genuinely hassle-free.
Can you do multiple switches? Yes, but read the terms. Most banks say you can’t have received a switching bonus from them (or their sister banks) in the last few years.
Realistically, you could bank between £175 and £400 from switching accounts, depending on how quick the switches happen. You can likely get at least 1 paid out before Christmas.
That’s a big chunk of your £500 target right there.
Just make sure you meet the criteria.
Usually that means paying in a certain amount each month and setting up a couple of direct debits – charity donations work great for these.
| Bank switches | Realistic earnings | £175-£200 |
3 - Get Cashback on Everything (Even Your Food Shop
90% of people are leaving free money on the table every single week by not earning cashback on their everyday spending.
Did you know you can earn cashback on your food shop?
Gift card cashback apps like Gains make this simple.
You buy gift cards for the shops you already use, get cashback on the purchase, then spend them like normal.
It works for supermarkets, electronics, household essentials, clothes, restaurants, and loads of other places you shop at every day.
Here’s the best bit: Everyone who joins the Gains App waitlist gets entered into a competition to win their food shop paid for a whole year. Imagine not having to worry about grocery bills for a whole year. Click here to join.
You’ve also got affiliate cashback platforms like Quidco and TopCashback that work for online shopping.
The trick is to stack these where possible.
Some purchases qualify for both types of cashback so you can get a gift card and then shop online (but double check the T&Cs first!)
Let’s do some quick maths.
If you spend £100 a week on groceries and get 2-5% cashback, that’s £2-£5 per shop.
And you were going to spend that money anyway so it’s a no-brainer.
| Cashback | Realistic earnings | £50-£200 |
4 - Quick and Easy Side Hustles
A side hustle doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming.
There are ways you can earn a bit of extra cash simply by using your phone while you’re sitting in front of the TV.
Instead of doom scrolling through all the fake stuff that just makes you feel bad about your own life, ditch the socials and make some money instead.
Online survey sites like Prolific, YouGov, Inbox Pounds and Swagbucks can all pay £5-10 per hour.
Sure it’s not going to be life-changing cash, but it’s money you wouldn’t have otherwise if you just rotted on TikTok instead.
Online focus groups like Respondent, Focus Force and Saros Research can be higher earners – up to £25-£100 per session just for sharing your honest opinions on products, ads or apps.
And finally, there’s website testing.
UserTesting pays around £8-£10 per 15-minute test. That’s a pretty good hourly rate
| Side Hustles | Realistic earnings | £50-£150 |
5 - Subscriptions You've Forgetton About
Quick question: when was the last time you actually went to the gym?
If the answer is “January,” you’re not alone.
Gym memberships are one of the biggest money drains people forget about.
You signed up with good intentions but life got busy.
Now you’re paying £30-£50 a month for something you don’t use.
Then there are the streaming services. How many do you have?
Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Now TV… can you watch them all at the same time? Probably not.
Free trials are another sneaky one.
It’s too easy to up for a 30-day trial, forgot about it, and now it’s been charging you a few pounds a month for six months.
These all add up. It’s time to cut those subscriptions costs.
Here’s what you do: grab your bank statements from the last three months.
Look for anything that goes out every month.
Ask yourself: do I actually use this?
Cancel anything you don’t. Be ruthless. You can always start it again later if you realise you actually need it.
If you’ve got a gym membership and a few other subscriptions, you could be saving £50-£100 per month doing this.
That’s hundreds of pounds back in your pocket by Christmas.
| Cancelling subscriptions | Realistic earnings | £50-£100 |
6 - Switch and Save on Bills
Your loyalty is costing you money.
Insurance companies love loyal customers. Not because they appreciate you.
Because they can slowly increase your premium each year and most people don’t notice.
Your car insurance renewal comes through. It’s £50 more than last year. You think “that’s just how it is” and pay it.
Wrong.
You could probably get the same cover elsewhere for less than you paid originally.
Home insurance and breakdown cover are the same.
Energy bills are worth checking too, especially if you’re not on a fixed rate. Prices change all the time.
Broadband and mobile contracts are massive money-wasters. If you’re paying more than £25 for broadband or £10 for a SIM-only mobile deal, you’re probably overpaying.
Comparison sites make this easy. Spend an hour comparing and switching. It’s boring, yes. But it could save you £200-£400 more over the year.
Even if you only switch one or two things, that’s money in your pocket for Christmas with a lot more to follow next year as the savings add up.
| Switching bills | Realistic earnings | £50-£100 |
Put It All Together
Let’s add up what you could realistically make:
Method | Potential £ |
Sell Stuff | £50–£300 |
Bank Switch | £175–£200 |
Cashback | £50–£200 |
Side Hustles | £50–£150 |
Cancel Subscriptions | £50–£100 |
Switch Bills | £50–£100 |
Total Potential: | £425–£900+ |
You can hit £500 by doing just three or four of these methods.
Start with the easiest wins.
Bank switches take 20 minutes to set up and give you guaranteed money.
Cancelling subscriptions takes even less time.
Then move on to the things that need more effort, like selling stuff or switching bills.
The key is to actually do it.
Reading this won’t make you money but finding an hour to sit down and take action will.
Christmas comes around every year but this time it doesn’t need to break the bank.
If you found this interesting, please share!
Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
