With the arrival of fall comes the reminder that the most festive (and expensive) time of year isn’t too far behind. It seems as if winter always lends itself to mega-spending, which is where a season job could come into play. Before you know it, decorations will be unpacked, gifts will be exchanged, calendars get full and a few extra holiday pounds will get packed on. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to slim down considerably is your bank account. Even with Black Friday Sales, Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, it’s almost expected that you’ll blow your personal budget and overspend.
Jobs that are seasonal are opportunities to lend some extra hands during the busiest shopping times of the year! The best part is that you can start as soon as now, just get your applications in and shifts scheduled! Check out the best places to land a seasonal gig to keep your saving levels in the black.
Halloween Store
You know those massive Halloween superstore pop-ups that come to town every year? Well, guess what, you can get a job there. They only stick around for a couple months, which is more than enough time to save up a stack of holiday savings and not get burnt out by fake blood and sexy police officer costumes.
Christmas Tree Lot
Like the Halloween store, a Christmas tree lot is a great place to earn cash for about 6 weeks of work. These typically start showing up a couple weeks before Thanksgiving and close up shop on Christmas Eve. It’s a great side gig for anyone looking for slightly unconventional part time work. Must love the outdoors, the smell of pine, and be OK with sappy hands.
Mall Kiosk
During the holidays it seems like a zillion more kiosks selling trinkets pop up at the local mall. Phone cases, hair accessories, wind chimes, hats, bags, you name it, there’s a kiosk for it. With longer mall hours they’re all hard up for help and basically handing out seasonal jobs like a free sample. The benefit is you’re not trapped inside a store, but make sure they provide a chair to sit on when you need a break from standing.
Baby-sitting/House Sitting/Pet Sitting
When the holidays hit, calendars get packed with parties, events, and trips out of town. For those that have the responsibility of kids, pets, or fall in the cautious homeowner category, they will need people to step in and help so they can take advantage of the end of year celebrations without fear of FOMO. Let your community of people know you’re available, by posting to Facebook, a neighborhood app, and/or just letting people know by word of mouth you’re eager to take on some extra work.
Brick and Mortar Retailers
If none of the above sounds appealing, brick and mortar retail is always a reliable source of income. Sure you have to accept the fact that you’ll more than likely be working Christmas Eve, but if you’re not heading out of town, you have your pick of places to find a seasonal gig. Stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Target, Gap, Amazon and many, many more always have seasonal positions available and begin accepting applications early!
A Seasonal Job At UPS
With a surge in package shipment during the holidays, delivery services like UPS always need an extra worker on their trucks to keep deliveries running on-time. Aside from padding your pockets, the job is a surprising great workout! Jumping on and off the truck and carrying packages up to 50 pounds no doubt works your arms, legs, abs and glutes, which is an unspoken benefit to being holiday help.
Lead image via Getty