13 Best Side Hustles to Make Extra Money in the Winter

Potential earnings: $25–$75 per hour

What it is and how it works: This is a classic winter side hustle: helping people clear their sidewalks and driveways after it snows. All you need is a sturdy snow shovel and decent physical stamina.

Why it’s suitable for winter: In places that see regular snowfall, shoveling is a chore that everybody needs to do in the winter, but not everyone has the time or physical strength for it. Even those who do are often happy to pay someone else to do the hard work for them.

How to get started: If you live in an area that receives much snow, chances are you already have a shovel. If you don’t, you can buy one secondhand for a low price.

If your budget allows for it, you can get a snow blower to make the snow removal process easier. It’s also a good idea to keep some salt on hand in case you need the ice or snow to melt faster.

You can land your first few customers by asking your neighbors if they need help shoveling snow. There are also several gig apps you can use to find shoveling jobs, including:

• Shovler
• TaskRabbit
• Wonolo
• Thumbtack

Potential earnings: $10–$20 per hour

What it is and how it works: Gift wrapping is one of several often-overlooked jobs that are perfect for the holiday season. You’ll be tasked with wrapping presents of all shapes and sizes.

You’ll need attention to detail and the manual dexterity to wrap gifts quickly and efficiently. To set yourself aside from your competitors, think of ways to enhance the look of the finished products, like using decorative stickers instead of tape.

Why it’s suitable for winter: The holidays can be busy and stressful. By the time December rolls around, many people are in the market for gift-wrapping services to save time and make their presents look … well, presentable.

How to get started: There are several ways to set up this side hustle. You could rent a kiosk in a local mall and offer gift-wrapping services to customers there, or, alternatively, you could work from home and ask your customers to mail you items that need to be wrapped.

Make sure to acquire all the necessary tools and supplies. You won’t need much, but obviously, you’ll need wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, scissors, and tape.

Potential earnings: $25–$50 per hour

What it is and how it works: If you’re a digital artist or graphic designer, you could create wintery digital graphics or artwork, such as designs for holiday cards, Christmas decorations, and advertisements.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Most brands update their ads and other materials as the holidays approach. If you can come up with tasteful winter-themed graphics, you’ll probably be able to find buyers for them.

How to get started: If you already have a website for your design or art business, update it to highlight your seasonal services.

You can also find jobs on freelance platforms (both general-purpose ones and websites specifically for designers). This might be your best bet if you don’t already have a client base. Here are several places to start:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer
• Dribbble
• Designhill

Potential earnings: Varies depending on your product

What it is and how it works: If you enjoy crafting, consider creating handmade artisanal goods, such as candles, ornaments, pottery, greeting cards, crochet hats, or Christmas sweaters.  You can sell them online or at a local market to make some extra cash.

If you set up a stall at a market, consider also selling hot beverages on the side. When it’s freezing out, many of your customers will appreciate a cup of tea or hot chocolate. That might be enough to convince them to spring for one of your primary goods.

Why it’s suitable for winter: With Christmas and New Year’s on the horizon, many people will be on the lookout for thoughtful and unique gifts for their loved ones. High-quality handmade products are always in demand during this gift-giving season.

How to get started: First, pick the type of product you want to create and where to source the required materials.

The next step is to decide where you want to sell your products. One option is to create an online store on an e-commerce platform like Shopify or Etsy.

As mentioned, you can also set up a stall at a local farmer’s or Christmas market. Note that you may need to obtain certain permits or licenses for your stall; contact the market’s organizers to find out whether there are any bureaucratic hoops you’ll need to jump through.

Potential earnings: $15+ per hour

What it is and how it works: As a decorator, you’ll help individuals or businesses decorate their houses or offices for the upcoming holiday season.

Your responsibilities may include brainstorming ideas with your clients, shopping for decor, installing holiday lights, and adding other decorations (such as tinsel, Christmas trees, or even nativity scenes) to the property.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Many people who want to get into the festive spirit by decorating their homes and offices don’t actually have the time or skills to handle it themselves. Especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas, there will be plenty of people scrambling to put up decorations, and many of them will be happy to pay for some extra help.

How to get started: Promote your services on your social media accounts. You can also put flyers up in local buildings, such as your community center, church, or supermarket.

If you plan on branching out and offering this service year-round, consider creating a website for your business.

You can also use on-demand labor apps to look for holiday decorating jobs. We’ve already mentioned several you can try, including TaskRabbit, Wonolo, and Thumbtack.

Potential earnings: Varies depending on your services

What it is and how it works: Are you a skilled baker or cook? If so, you’re in luck—when the weather gets cold, almost everybody loves to indulge in goodies.

You can sell home-baked goods, such as Christmas cookies, to people who are planning events or who are just craving some seasonal treats. In a similar vein, if you fancy trying your hand at being a personal chef, you could prepare meals for holiday parties, and so on.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Again, winter is when people tend to be relaxed about their diets; after all, swimsuit season is long in the past and New Years’ resolutions are still around the corner. Between this and all the festivities, people are on the hunt for great food, which gives you the opportunity to put your baking and cooking skills to good use.

How to get started: Regardless of exactly what food-related hustle you want to explore—selling baked goods, becoming a personal chef, or something else entirely—you’ll need to advertise your services to find clients and customers.

Start by creating social media accounts and a website for your business to establish your brand, then put the word out on your personal network. If you have the time and energy, you can also set up shop at a Christmas market (as discussed above). This can be a great way to build your reputation and attract customers.

Potential earnings: $15 per hour

What it is and how it works: If you’d like an easy job that will keep you on your feet, you can work part-time at a Christmas tree lot.

This is exactly what it sounds like: a place where people can buy Christmas trees. Workers at these businesses need to help customers load, unload, net, drill, and deliver trees.

Unless you work solely as a salesperson or check-out clerk, you should be prepared to do a lot of heavy physical labor at this job.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Obviously, selling Christmas trees is seasonal work that takes place during winter. Many Christmas tree lots begin hiring temporary workers in early to late November and employ them for 2 to 5 weeks. If the Christmas tree lot doubles as a pumpkin patch (as some of them do), it may start hiring workers as early as October.

How to get started: Check if any Christmas tree lots near you have websites where you can apply for positions. If not, drop by the lot and ask them in person if they’re hiring.

Bear in mind that having your own truck, trailer, or van is a prerequisite to becoming a tree delivery driver at some lots.

Potential earnings: $15–$25 per hour

What it is and how it works: Virtual personal shoppers help their clients find and buy items within a set budget. These may include clothes, groceries, furniture, luxury items, and—of course—gifts.

While your client will ultimately have the final say over what to purchase, you can make store or product recommendations.

You should be skilled at negotiating prices with sellers and returning items for refunds.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Many people are busy during the holiday season and don’t have the time to go on shopping trips. Especially with Christmas, Hanukkah, and other gift-centric holidays nearing, many clients may require help selecting and purchasing presents for their friends and loved ones.

How to get started: Anyone can become a personal shopper, although people may be more willing to hire you if you have past experience as a retail worker or salesperson. You can hunt for work by leaning on your personal network or searching on sites like Fiverr, Guru, and Curated (a website specifically for online personal shoppers with a focus on outdoor gear).

Potential earnings: Varies depending on the sport (often $20–30 per hour)

What it is and how it works: If you’re good at any popular winter sports, such as ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, or ice hockey, this side hustle is for you.

As an instructor, you’ll need to give appropriate advice and instructions to your students, which will depend on their level. You’ll need to demonstrate basic techniques and explain the ground rules of the sport to beginners, whereas with seasoned athletes, you’ll focus on helping them improve their skills.

Why it’s suitable for winter: For outdoorsy types and other people who are into winter sports, cold weather isn’t something to avoid. To the contrary, it’s something to look forward to.

You’ll need to be able to perform at a fairly high level in your chosen sport to do this side hustle, but if you’re qualified, you can make decent money and do it while engaging in an activity that you love.

How to get started: Research the qualifications you need to meet to teach the sport you picked. For instance, most ski resorts will require you to obtain an official ski instructor certification to teach students.

Instead of teaching for a company, you could also offer private lessons. To do so, promote your lessons on your social media accounts and consider setting up a website for your business.

Potential earnings: Varies depending on the scale of your business

What it is and how it works: Many people who are into winter sports don’t actually have their own gear. After all, they have the chance to hit the slopes just once or twice a year, if that. If you live in an area that’s known for winter sports, you could rent out skiing and snowboarding equipment and clothing to visitors.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Winter is obviously peak snowboarding and skiing season. When the snow starts to fall, why not take advantage of it to earn some money?

How to get started: You’ll probably have to buy additional equipment, even if you already have your own. Do some market research to learn what’s in demand in your area before purchasing it. You should also analyze how much local ski resorts rent out their equipment for. Set your own prices a little below theirs to attract customers.

If you’re okay with running a small operation, you can just list your items on FriendWithA, a website that’s designed to help people rent out all kinds of equipment.

If you plan on scaling up and starting a full-fledged rental business, visit your local government’s website to check if there are any licenses or permits you need to obtain.

Potential earnings: $15–20 per hour

What it is and how it works: As an event or party host, your responsibility will be to ensure that everything runs smoothly and the guests have a good time. You’ll be expected to:

• Communicate with the sales team, management, and staff
• Obtain necessary permits and resources
• Decorate rooms
• Manage guest lists and party reservations
• Greet guests
• Resolve problems
• Answer guests’ inquiries and engage in small talk

Why it’s suitable for winter: The winter months are filled with festive gatherings, including holiday parties, New Year’s celebrations, and family get-togethers. Take advantage of the season of celebration and host these events to earn extra money.

How to get started: You don’t need any degrees or certifications to become a professional event host. However, you’ll need connections and experience to land gigs, so this job is best suited for people who’ve previously worked in the event industry in some capacity.

In the weeks before the holiday season, promote your services to your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. You can also browse job boards like Indeed to find gigs.

Potential earnings: Varies, often $25+ per hour

What it is and how it works: Event photographers document parties and other events with their cameras. You may be asked to take candid pictures of the guests, as well as posed pictures of them at a photo booth.

Why it’s suitable for winter: People often want pictures of their holiday galas, so if you’re an amateur photographer, winter is a great time to try to sell your services.

How to get started: If you’re considering this side hustle, you’ve probably been taking photos for a while and already have photography equipment. To land jobs, search online for winter events in your area and pitch yourself to the organizers. You can also use freelancer platforms, such as Upwork and Fiverr, to find clients; just filter for jobs in your area.

Potential earnings: Often around $15 per hour

What it is and how it works: Many large retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Macy’s hire seasonal workers during winter to help manage the holiday rush. You can usually find open positions in a variety of areas, including sales, warehouse work, and customer service.

Why it’s suitable for winter: Late fall and winter are major shopping seasons. Many retailers begin hiring seasonal workers in October and employ them for 2–6 months.

How to get started: Visit the websites of local retailers to see if they’re hiring. Create a resume and apply for positions that align with your work experience and expertise.

Don’t be shy to ask your HR department or your manager about a permanent position if you’re interested. If you perform well, they may agree to hire you as a regular employee once your seasonal position expires.