Unusual but legal ways to make money for Christmas - including selling your hair

There are only a few months left to save for Christmas - so MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry explains unusual ways to make some extra cash in time

The average Christmas household spend in 2023 was over £1,800 – even in the midst of the cost of living crisis.

If this year feels like it’s going to be a bit tight now you’ve seen that figure, fret not! There are several fun and unusual ways to make some extra cash towards your festive spending pot.

Sell your hair

If you have undyed and very long hair, you could make a pretty penny selling your hair. Professional wig makers are always on the lookout for high quality, long, hair. You can cut your hair with as little length as six inches cut off, but the longer it is the more you can earn.

Prices start around £200. Get in touch with wig makers before you cut your hair. This will let you get an estimated price to decide if a restyle is worth it!

Sell your story

Weekly magazines and newspapers are always looking for reader stories to entertain or inform their readers. Even MoneyMagpie offers £25 for money savvy reader stories!

For a small article in a weekly magazine, you could earn around £200 – but for longer stories with lots more drama, especially if they have a famous connection, you could earn thousands. Make sure you tell the truth: publications have fact checkers, so if you’re making something up they’ll find out and you won’t get paid.

Sell your photos

Everyone’s a photographer these days thanks to smartphone technology. Online galleries like Shutterstock will pay for your photos, making it an ideal way to nab some extra cash.

The pictures should be useful for corporate or online use – so, if they have people in them, you need to have a release form agreeing to their use (unless taken incidentally in a public place, such as in the background crowd of a photo).

Online galleries usually pay commission, so each time your photo is licensed, you’ll receive a fee. This can quickly add up over time if you find a niche or take particularly popular photographs. Landscapes, objects, and flatlays like those you see on Instagram with laptop, cosy coffee, and a plant to make something seem enticing and cosy are all particularly popular.

Get paid to be on TV

Background extras, now formally called Supporting Artists, are the people you see in the background of TV and films. Whenever a scene is in a public place like a café, the people you see around them are also paid actors – or supporting artists.

This is ad-hoc work, and is ideal for students or flexible freelancers as work can pop up last minute. You don’t need to look like a Hollywood star, either – background artists are supposed to blend in, so a ‘normal’ look will benefit you.

If you are given a line to say, or you interact with a principal (the main actors in the scene), you could be paid more money, too. A day starts at around £100, with extra fees for night rates or extra skills (think performance art like fire eating or acrobatics, playing musical instruments or similar). There’s a lot of standing around and waiting, but your food is paid for and you get to meet a wide range of people, so it suits the sociable ones!

Rent out parts of your home

Finally, there are lots of ways you can make extra cash renting out parts of your home that you don’t use. That could be offering some shelving space for storage in your garage, offering a shed to a gardener needing to store a mower, or even your parking space if you live in a prime location such as near a commuter station or large event venue such as a sport stadium.

If you want to take in a lodger for your spare room, you can earn up to £7,500 a year tax free using the Government’s Rent a Room scheme, too! Make sure you have a clear agreement in place whatever you rent out, so that people are clear about the fees, terms, and when they need to pick up their items at the end of the contract.

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