<div class="block">Do you need to pick up some extra cash ahead of the holidays? Kira Caban, head of strategic communications at Instawork, joined &#39;Stretching Your Dollar&#39; to talk about setting financial goals, ways to earn extra cash and how to use Instawork to snag a new gig.</div>

Stretching Your Dollar

Stretching Your Dollar: How to Earn Extra Money for the Holidays

Holidays are approaching quickly and with high price tags on everything from groceries to clothing and toys, you might be feeling the strain on your wallet. So to learn more about ways that you can make extra cash ahead of the holidays, I was recently joined by K Kan, the head of Strategic Communications at in to work and a flexible work expert. Take a look, Kira, welcome. Thank you for having me. All right. So let's start here. What advice do you have for those wanting to earn some extra money for the holidays? People are really thinking about the holidays and what can be a really expensive time of year for most people. And as they're thinking about that increased cost, they're also looking for ways to offset those costs. And I think it's really important to set a financial goal for yourself, whether it's visiting family, friends, travel or setting a budget for gift giving. You need to have that goal because it's gonna keep you motivated and excited to pick up that extra work and offset those costs. What kind of jobs do you think people should be looking for? So I think it's important to tap into the skills and experience you already have. And so if you're a person that goes to parties and you're become your friend's resident bartender or that's something you've done professionally, that's a really great way to earn extra money, especially as corporate events and holiday parties get underway very soon. These same sort of events are gonna be looking for food servers, bussers, think about all of the people it takes to put on a great event. They're gonna be in high demand and it's a really great way to make some extra money for the holidays, where are some good places to find these types of jobs. So one of the easiest things you can do is use your smartphone, go to your favorite app store and look for apps like Insta work that will allow you to build a work schedule based on your skills and experience. Um All you have to do is create a profile put in your work experience and you can get started within 24 hours and it's a great way to work when you work, where you wanna work and how you wanna work that best fits your schedule. Ok, good to know what can people expect to earn, let's say on an hourly basis for some of these jobs posted on Insta work. Sure. The average hourly rate on the Insta work platform is about $19 an hour. But I think it's important to note that that varies based on your geographical location and the types of roles that you're gonna pick up. So some is gonna be more, some is gonna be less but you can bank on about $19 an hour. I know you mentioned open your smartphone, go to in to get started. Anything else? Our viewers need to know when they make that first step? So I think they should think about once they've downloaded the app treating it like a linkedin profile for the hourly worker, put in your experience, put in your skills, you can upload pictures of yourself to show your professionalism. The more you build out that profile, the easier it's gonna be to match with a potential employer and the sooner you'll be able to create that schedule for you, it's super easy and it's perfect time for the holidays. Any other tips for applying, just be creative, show your skill set. There are quizzes within the app and other platforms where you can highlight your skills, make sure you complete those and just put your best foot forward like you would anywhere else and you'll be off to the races before the holiday set in. All right, Kira Caban. Uh, thank you so much for joining great tips and ways to certainly stretch our dollar this holiday season.