5 ways to make some extra money during the festive season

Christmas means different things to different people. For kids, it's the perfect opportunity to beg your parents for a Nintendo Switch. For some, it's a time to get together with friends and family… and perhaps hit up a club for the countdown.

And for those of us who are opportunistic enough, the holiday season can also be a good time to make some spare cash. Here are some ways you can do so.

Find temporary work at retail outlets and roadshows

For retailers, events and F&B businesses, the end-of-year holidays are a crucial, make-it-or-break-it period where sales are brisk. Businesses need more cashiers to man their cash registers, people to wrap gifts and workers to tend their booths at roadshows.

That's why there is a such surge in the number of temporary jobs at roadshows and retail outlets during the Christmas season. These posts typically run until the end of December, and can be a good opportunity for students looking to make some spare cash during the holidays.

Rent out your home on Airbnb

So you're clearing leave at the end of the year and escaping the country on your final overseas trip of 2017.

Subsidise your trip by renting out your place on Airbnb. (Note that the consequences can be grave for HDB flat owners, so do this only if you live in private property.) Enlist the help of a family member or friend to pass the keys to your guests, and/or clean up if there will be multiple guests checking in and out.

Drive with Grab or Uber

Don't have any plans over the holidays? Even if you're not a habitual Grab or Uber driver, you might want to take a seat behind the wheel during the holiday season, as surge pricing is expected to soar over Christmas and the New Year-especially in the hours after the countdown.

So register yourself as a driver with Grab or Uber ahead of time and, if you don't have a car, arrange to borrow one from your parents/family/friends.

Perform at events

In the lead-up to Christmas and the New Year, shopping malls and F&B outlets need performers who can host or perform at roadshows, or perform Christmas songs on their premises. If you've got any singing, dancing or hosting experience, this is a great time to snag yourself some gigs.

Unless you already perform regularly with the help of an agent, you'll want to contact talent management companies who might be short-handed during this period. Musicians can try contacting venues directly to see if there are any empty slots available.

Look after other people's pets

There's a reason usually bustling offices go all quiet in December. Singaporeans rushing to clear leave tend to go on holiday in November and December, especially those with children who need to wait till the school holidays before they can go abroad as a family.

That means there will be a surge in the number of people who are leaving their pets behind, and will need someone to look after them.

That's why the Christmas season is an excellent time to begin a career as a pet sitter on Pawshake. You can opt either to visit your clients' homes to feed and walk (in the case of dogs) their pets, or to accept their pets as boarders at your home.