After the year we’ve had, it’s likely most of us will need a little extra money for the holidays this year.
If you could do with some extra cash, it could be worth considering your own seasonal start-up.
Here are some ideas for how you could make some extra festive cash with your own Christmas business.
Sell your own Christmas decorations
The appetite for artisinal arts and crafts has never been greater, as more and more people reject machine-produced products in favour of handmade items from independent retailers, crafters, and artists. So, if you’re more than a little handy in the art department, it could be worth putting those skills to good use by making your own Christmas baubles, lanterns, wreaths or ornaments.
Sell your own Christmas cards
If you’re a dab hand with glitter and PVA glue, and have a knack for rhymes and puns, it could be worth making and selling your own Christmas cards. You could create a range if cards with certain themes, from kids to family to romantic to funny, and even maybe create e-cards that can be sent by email or on social media.
As it’s the season of goodwill to all men, donating some of the money you make to charity could be a nice touch that will also help you shift more units.
Sell your gift wrapping skills
If you know your way around a bottle with a roll of wrapping paper, or you’re unfazed by the prospect of wrapping box after box of children’s toys, it may well be worth cashing in on those skills – although, for many, wrapping the gifts is half the excitement, for countless others it’s a chore they could well do without.
Part of the service could be to make those gifts look extra special with fancy bows, quality paper, and (homemade) gift tags – all of which can be added to the cost of what could be a premium (and quite lucrative) gift wrapping service.
Sell old clothes and toys
It’s amazing how much more clutter you collect at Christmas, and it’s always a good idea to get rid of all the old clutter, at least to try and make some room for the new stuff. So, why not have a pre-Christmas clear out and make some money while you’re at it?
If you have any old clothes that are in good nick (designer clothes are best, but you’ll be surprised at what people will buy), and toys that still have plenty of life left in them (if you still have the boxes, even better), then it could be time to consider cashing in on them.
Sell your own gin
It seems the world has gone gin-crazy, and you can now buy gin that has been steeped with any number of flavours and botanicals. And because gin is basically vodka with added flavours, it’s easier to make than you might think.
To make your own gin, you’ll need:
- a glass receptacle to infuse your spirit in. A bottle or a large glass kilner jar or similar should do it
- a 70cl bottle of base spirit (go for a premium vodka)
- botanicals (you can flavour your gin with anything, but it’s always good to go with juniper berries, coriander seed and angelica root to start, then add other flavours on top)
- a sieve
- a jug
- a funnel if you’re messy
To find out how to put this all together to make your own gin, check out http://www.ginmonkey.co.uk/2014/03/04/how-to-make-gin-at-home-no-distillation-required/, or check out this video:
And once you’ve made a batch, you can bottle it up in fancy bottles and watch the cash come flooding in.
How to sell your Christmas goods
If you’re unsure how to get your Christmas goods out there, and a pop-up shop at your local market is a bit out of your price range, you could try and get a stall at a local school Christmas Fair, or sell your items on sites like eBay or Etsy.
Alternatively, your venture could be about money-saving rather than money-making, and you could give homemade cards and gifts to friends and family, instead of splashing out at the shops.
