10 ways to pay cash for Christmas

A debt-free holiday is within your grasp.
It wasn't necessary to start saving last January. You don't have to give up the mall or make all your gifts. You may not even have to leave your credit cards at home.
There are at least 10 ways you can come up with the money to pay for your December celebrations without adding to your debt:
1. Adjust your withholding Most taxpayers get some kind of refund every year, and the average amount is well over $2,000. Chances are you could crank way back on your withholding for the rest of the year, seriously boosting your take-home pay, and you'd still wind up getting at least some money back in April. Kiplinger has an easy-to-use withholding calculator that shows how much more you could get in your paycheck throughout the year by claiming extra allowances; the Internal Revenue Service has a more detailed version that can help you fine-tune your withholding to maximize your December paychecks without risking having to pay on April 15.
If you're going to do this, don't wait; you'll need to submit your new W-4 in time to adjust your remaining checks. Make a note to re-evaluate your withholding in January; you can switch back to your old habit of over-withholding, or you may decide to keep the extra money throughout the year rather than getting a refund.
2. Use your miles More than 120 million Americans participate in at least one frequent-flier program, according to Randy Petersen of WebFlyer. You typically can't turn miles into cash directly, but you have options beyond trying to use them to get a free flight.
Many plans allow you redeem your miles for merchandise, for example. The exchange rate on these deals isn't all that great, but if you have a surfeit of miles, the miles are about to expire or you won't otherwise use them, it's certainly an option. Northwest Airlines allows you to redeem WorldPerks miles for magazine subscriptions, for example, while elite United Airlines mileage-program members can trade miles for portable DVD players and other electronics. Check your plans' Web sites for details.
Another alternative is to convert your miles into a program you do use. WebFlyer has a mileage converter to help you explore your options. For example, you can convert 20,000 American Airlines miles into 40,000 Hilton Honors points, which will pay for one or two nights in a Hilton property. If you were planning to stay in a hotel anyway over the holiday, let your miles pay for it and convert the money you would have otherwise used into cash for the holiday.
3. Ransack your rewardsMost credit card offers these days come with some kind of rewards program -- frequent-flier miles, cash back, points toward travel or merchandise. Many cards allow you to convert rewards into merchant gift cards, which you can use to buy real gifts.
Check your cards' Web sites or call their toll-free numbers to see what your rewards will get you and whether they're running any special offers. Right now, for example, Discover Card is running a "Holiday Mall Promotion" that offers $20 gift cards for every $200 you spend on your Discover Card at select malls around the country.
Tell us: What's your budget for kids' Christmas presents?
One big caveat: If you're already carrying credit-card debt, don't add to it. Pay cash for the holidays. You should be particularly wary of adding any charges to a card that already has a balance, because there's no grace period -- interest charges on these new purchases start immediately.
4. Use your coins Raiding the change jar to pay for Christmas isn't exactly new, but Coinstar change-counting machines have made it easier. You can avoid the machine's usual 8.9% fee by selecting one of its gift-card options for merchants including Amazon.com, Starbucks, Circuit City, iTunes and AMC Theatres.
If you don't want gift cards but do want to avoid fees, check with your local credit union to see if free coin counting is available. If you live in the Northeast or southeastern Florida, you can check out the nearest Commerce Bank lobby, which typically offers a free "Penny Arcade" coin-sorting machine. (Call 888-751-9000 for locations.)
5. Get a(nother) job Plenty of businesses add bodies during the holidays: retail stores, package delivery services, craft stores, ski resorts and temp agencies (to fill in for all those vacationing workers). These temporary part-time jobs can boost your pay, and you may qualify for employee discounts. MSN Careers is one place to start looking.
If you need a more flexible gig, consider a home-based business that doesn't require a big upfront investment. Some possibilities: baby-sitting, tutoring, house-sitting, dog walking, errand running, housecleaning, home organization (garage clean-outs and closet tuneups might be particularly appreciated this time of year).
Check out America's best home-based businesses
6. Sell your stuff The weather's not ideal for yard sales in most of the country, but you can still cut your clutter and make some cash thanks to sites like eBay, Half.com, Amazon.com and Craigslist. Half.com and Amazon.com are good places to sell books, DVDs, CDs, video games; sell higher-value items on eBay; and list bulky stuff on Craigslist.
Read "Garage sales thrive in online world" for more ideas.
7. Sell someone else's stuff If you've already turned all your clutter into cash on eBay, maybe you could help a friend who's new to online auctions help sell her stuff in exchange for a cut of whatever you manage to sell. Plenty of businesses have sprung up to do exactly that, and they often take up to one-third of the proceeds.
Make sure you work out in advance and in writing what your fee arrangement will be. Also, keep good records to head off any disputes.
8. Cancel some money suckers Examine your bills and your credit card statements for recurring expenses that don't make sense anymore. Still paying for a land line when you're always on your cell? Coughing up for a gym you haven't visited in a year? Cancel those money suckers and start redirecting the cash to a savings account earmarked for holiday expenses. (Read "Ditch those money-sucking bills" for more candidates.)
If you run out of recurring bills to eliminate, pick some habitual expenses to curb: Trade in that bottled water for a refillable sports cup (savings: $1 per bottle, or $30 a month for a daily habit); make coffee at home instead of buying it (savings: $2 to $3 per cup, or $40 to $60 for a daily habit); have a beer with friends at home instead of at the bar (savings depends on your alcohol intake). Make a ritual of putting aside the money you save as you choose the cheaper option.
9. Submit your receipts If you're owed reimbursement for money you've already spent -- from an employer for company travel, for example, or from a flexible spending plan at work that allows you to put aside pretax money for medical or child-care expenses -- submit your receipts now and put the resulting checks aside for the holidays.
10. Try a 'Buy Nothing (Else)' month
Commit to buying only essentials for a month and you could wind up with quite a stash of cash. Volunteers from the Your Money message board who tried it typically saved $300 to $400 this way. For more details, read "Could you stop spending for a month?"