Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
20 wonderful ways to make money and save money in Winter
Reading Time: 6 minutesChristmas is just a few weeks away (no, we can’t believe it either) but for many it will bring nothing but financial strain.
We’re here to help with 20 wonderful ways to make money and save money in Winter to ease that burden. Take a look below.
December
1.Win some prizes. Enter a load of free competitions whether it’s online, magazines or writing and you could win anything from a chocolate bar to a free holiday.
Read our full competitions article for more details.
There are loads of fabulous prizes to win and all you have to do is answer a simple question to be in with a chance of bagging a brilliant prize.
2. Prepare a Christmas budget. Try to organise yourself so that looking at your bills after December won’t be a horrible shock. Use our budget planner to help, and remember that keeping a good budget will increase your wealth.
3. Get paid to dine out and enjoy lots of free pre-Christmas treats. Why not sign up to be a Mystery Shopper? Mystery Shoppers are lucky enough to be paid to dine out and enjoy lots of freebies and treats! It’s a great, enjoyable experience and a perfect opportunity to make some extra cash before Christmas. See our Mystery Shopper article for the best and safest agencies to sign up to!
4. Dec 3rd is International day of disabled persons. Having a disability shouldn’t stop you doing what you want to do with your life as many disabled celebrities have proved. We’ve put together a list of highly successful celebrities who have overcome their disabilities and worked extremely hard to reach their level of success.
They show us all that a disability doesn’t mean you can’t reach your goals – in fact a disability can even make you better than able-bodied people at certain tasks!
5. It’s also National roof-over-your-head-day on Dec 3rd. National roof-over-your-head-day is the day when we think about how lucky we are to live in safe and secure accommodation. It’s the day when we appreciate our comforts and security and think of those who are less fortunate. Take a look at our advice on how to pay off your mortgage quickly if you’re lucky enough to have a home.
6. Save money making hampers. Hampers make such a lovely gift at Christmas, especially homemade ones, so we’ve put together a guide on how to make your own! This is a great money-saving gift as you can buy products in bulk or snap up two-for-one deals. If you think your baskets look particularly great you could even sell a few and make a nice little profit just in time for Christmas. Find out how to treat your family and friends to a specially-made hamper filled with their favourite goodies here.
7. December is a good time to switch your broadband deal as the providers like Sky, BT, Virgin etc vie with each other to grab customers and tend to offer attractive package deals including TV, phone and wifi. Find out the best new deals here.
8. Book very cheap tickets for West End shows for January and half of February when Getintolondontheatre.co.uk launches its bargain offers (usually from mid-December). Get tickets for as little as a tenner for shows like The Lion King, Wicked, Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.
January
9. Happy New Year from the MoneyMagpie team! Look at MoneyMagpie’s article on how to keep a New Year’s resolution and tips to save money in 2016.
10. Go onto the online auction sites to get cheap iPhones, Kindles, Xboxes and other cool gadgets. When people get new gizmos for Christmas they put their old ones up for sale, so you can get great rates if you don’t mind second hand gadgets.
11. Return gifts and make money. Now is traditionally the time to take some gifts back or make the most of the sales, before we all have to get back to work! Whatever you’re doing in the shops, though, remember your rights. You do still have all your usual legal rights, even with sale goods. Find out here what you’re entitled to and how to protect your money- and see how clever spending on a credit card can protect your money.
12. Clear your clutter – It’s easy to let clutter build up over time and before you know it your house is filled with junk you no-longer want (especially after Christmas where people tend to buy you rubbish to add to your collection.) Sort out your house and get rid of the things you no-longer want so you can enter the new year with a nice clean house. Don’t throw your things out though – remember, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Find out how to get involved with MoneyMagpie’s National Clear Your Clutter Day
13. Get your self-assessment sorted. If you’re self-employed and doing your tax returns online then the deadline is 31st January 2016 (if you’re doing a paper tax return you’re already late…the deadline was October 31st!). Rather than waiting until January why don’t you take the weight off your mind and get it sorted out early? At least you won’t have to worry about getting any nasty fines! Read our definitive guide to filing your tax return if you’re in any doubt.
February
14. National Apprenticeship week. Are you tired of sitting in an office all day, yearning for a more thrilling career? Are you looking for a cheaper alternative to university? How about trying an apprenticeship and making some money along the way. To get you started take a look at our article about apprenticeships.
15. National Marriage week. Are you planning your big day this month or the months ahead? If you are you are probably feeling the pinch in you purse. Take a look at our guide to credit crunch weddings here to ease the stress and save some money along the way. Click here to read more.
16. Make money from Valentine’s Day. Start baking heart-shaped cakes, sweets, chocolates and biscuits to sell at a market or car boot sale in time for Valentine’s Day. Click here for our article on how to make money selling cakes, jams and sweets.
17. Still struggling to pay off Christmas debt? Avoid this year’s mistake next by starting to save now for Christmas 2017. We know that right now, Christmas is probably the last thing you want to think about. There’s spme great tips in our article “12 Sneaky Ways To Save Money at Christmas” you’ll have next Christmas wrapped up in no time!
18. Get as much as you can for free. You’re probably still smarting from the Christmas and January bills but you don’t have to do without fun this month. There are always free events going on that you can take part in. Look at what your local council is offering this month by doing a little research on their website. Also have a look at websites like Free-events, Timeout (putting in ‘free’ in the search bar), and typing in your area and ‘free events’ into your search engine. Also, check out our regularly-updated article on the latest freebies and free ways to live here.
19. February 20th is the start of National Chip week. We here at MoneyMagpie HQ love chips and so does most of the British nation. Whether it’s straight, chunky, crinkly or wedges, Britain just can’t get enough of the delicious potato delight. If you’re looking for a tasty day out with family why not visit one of the events being held around the UK this month to celebrate the nation’s favorite fast food.
20. Sign up to our newsletter. End the month by signing up to our newsletter. If you want weekly money-saving and money-making ideas along with the best bargains for the coming months then sign up to MoneyMagpie’s FREE weekly newsletter.
You can also follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
How are you planning on making some extra cash this Winter? Let us know in the comments below.
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