10 side jobs to help your finances cope with added Christmas bills

After you've realized that Christmas bills have added an even greater strain on your finances, Money Crashers points out a number of jobs to help you pay your bills.

While some of these are mainstream and well known, others may take you by surprise:

Public speaking or teaching

Teaching a skill you have in a class, whether it's knitting, doing taxes, planning a wedding, or many others, could be nice little side job. Heather Levin, the author of the article on Money Crashers, taught how to declutter a home at a rec center, and got paid well to do it.

Tutoring

Whether at a local school of any age, or online, tutoring in an area you are skilled at can be satisfying. Levin suggests Tutor.com for online tutoring, but the best way to get additional business is through referrals after starting with a few families.

Child Life Coach

This is a real field that involves teaching children of parents who are busy skills they generally learn from parents, such as riding a bike or throwing a baseball.

Creativity

If you're a designer, you can submit designs to sites like CafePress and Zazzle, who make them into shirts.

Senior assistant

This is one of the fastest-growing fields of need, because one in every eight Americans is over 65. The pay is about $10 to $15 an hour and usually involves helping them with basic tasks.

Freelance writing

Competition is big right now, but good writers are always needed. Sites online can help those looking to freelance get started.

Dog waste cleanup

Maybe not the most charming job, but according to Levin, this is a booming business because people don't want to pick up pet waste in their own yards. Generally this can earn $15 per dog a week for a regular yard.

Dinner cook

Geared for you to go into people's houses that really hate cooking, you act as a chef for a night. Dinner cooks go into others' homes once or more a week and make a meal for them as well as do the cleanup.

Blogging or writing on your own website

This is a more passive income builder. Blogs generally do better when writers have unique informative information to tell readers.

Holistic or "green" housecleaning

Green cleaners clean homes through natural cleaning products, because 50 percent of Americans suffer from chemical sensitivity, and cleaning with natural products could allow you to find business in areas other housecleaners don't get.

EMAIL: alovell@deseretnews.com