Wabi Sabi Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My 10 year old is desperate for a way to earn money, and I hear him moan and complain daily how unfair it is that he isn't old enough to get a work permit and a job. Today I had to tell him that no, he could NOT rent out his bedroom on airbnb.com. :lol: He spends lots of time and energy trying to come up with a way to earn cold, hard cash. He built a lemonade stand, but we live across from a big empty cornfield and don't exactly have lots of foot traffic on our street. He is not physically strong enough to mow grass, shovel snow or do any other work that requires physical labor. He's too young to babysit. He does do some very light pet sitting for a neighbor and feeds her cats while she's out of town for a couple dollars per day, but that's infrequent at best. Has anyone else had a young child so desperate and determined to find something to do for pay? Do you have a child who found a creative way to earn a bit of money? I'd love to hear what worked for your child! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Do you have any chores he could do at home for some extra money? Could you go through the house with him and try to find some things he could sell on eBay or Amazon (or trade in at Amazon?) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Dog walking could be fun. Helping folks get gardens cleaned out and ready for spring planting. Cleaning up all those hidden dog poos from winter. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I have a list of unpleasant chores I don't like doing and don't expect DD to do as routine, which I will pay her to do. She has yet to actually take me up on the offer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 What about sewing fleece / easy to make toys/ monsters a la ugly dolls and selling them on etsy and / or local markets? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My 6 year old makes money buying things at thrift stores and selling them on local consignment sites. I of course am teaching him what type of things have resale value and help him list things and get them to people. He gets 25 percent of the profit. As he learns to do more of the work he'll get a larger cut. He has made about 50 bucks in the last 2 months doing it with me. We also list things on eBay or amazon when we can't get the price we want locally. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My 10-year-olds have done extra chores for me at home, sold Christmas wreaths, helped older folks with yard work (raking leaves, weeding, the yuck stuff that no one else wants to do.) My dd had a thriving mothers helper business in our home. Moms loved to drop their toddlers/preschoolers off and my dd really did entertain them but I was there for any emergencies. Lisa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My 10-year-olds have done extra chores for me at home, sold Christmas wreaths, helped older folks with yard work (raking leaves, weeding, the yuck stuff that no one else wants to do.) My dd had a thriving mothers helper business in our home. Moms loved to drop their toddlers/preschoolers off and my dd really did entertain them but I was there for any emergencies. Lisa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My DS takes the trash and recycling out to the curb each week for my mom (she can't manage her steep driveway) for a dollar or two a week. My nephew does this same thing for several of his neighbors and makes $5 or $10 a week. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 DS started an origami business when he was about 6. DD started earning a tad acting at age 10 or so followed by video streaming now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I pay for tasks around the house. There is nothing else I could come up with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 You say he's too young to babysit, but is he interested/mature enough to just play responsibly with a younger kid? I used to pay a 10-year-old boy to just play with my then 4-year-old in his room or in the back yard while I did housework or tended to my baby. Maybe a homeschool mom would use him as a mother's helper for a preschooler? His mom let me pay him $5 for an hour and a half and he thought it was well worth it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 What I need and am willing to pay for is pet sitting. My kids earn a fair amount pet sitting for neighbors during the summer. But we live in a neighborhood with lots of houses--sounds like you might be more in the country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My DS learned how to do balloon twisting and makes money at parties now. He'd have to invest some time and money in learning, but it pays off pretty well for a kid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 You say he's too young to babysit, but is he interested/mature enough to just play responsibly with a younger kid? I used to pay a 10-year-old boy to just play with my then 4-year-old in his room or in the back yard while I did housework or tended to my baby. Maybe a homeschool mom would use him as a mother's helper for a preschooler? His mom let me pay him $5 for an hour and a half and he thought it was well worth it. This↑↑↑ My dd started (at 10) watching a neighbor's toddler, while the mother worked on the computer. She is now 12 and the mother pops out and leaves them for about 30 mins at a time. Dd also brings the little girl over to our house for plays with our 5 yr old ds. She gets $7-$10 for an hour and a half. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 He could start his own business through GoFundMe, KickStarter, IndieGoGo. My ten year old started a nonprofit and applies for grants. There are mountains of essay, creative writing, photography, art, and poetry contests. Magazines will publish children if they submit articles. He can blog and sell advertising. He can begin his own YouTube channel. He can work freelance doing odd jobs such as data entry, recycling, filing, window washing, and other small annoying tasks for under the table funds at various local businesses. Farmers and Saturday markets often have face painting, music busking, and balloon animal venders. If you allow him to get chickens he can sell eggs. A chicken coop can easily be made from pallets. There are lots of things he can do. They are just non traditional. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I have been following this thread and I just wanted to say that I think you guys are so creative! Your ideas are incredible. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My 11 yo curses child labor laws. She has gone into town and sold lemonade and flowers she picked. We live out of town limits so she loaded up the wagon and drug stuff into town. She currently has been sewing and crocheting stuffed animals she sells everyplace she goes.. Church, co-op, basketball games. She also made a little helping little old ladies clean. Her next project is to sell cookies at the Farmer's market. It's like she's one of those born business people who has no embarrassment selling stuff. I quit fighting it and let it go. I'm just hoping she doesn't discover used cars or insurance. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yucabird Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My daughter (almost 9) teaches English to a small group of five-year-old Mexicans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Our HOA requires the mailboxes in our neighborhood to be painted and kept looking like new. (I hate them.) A few years back, my friend's kids started a business painting mailboxes. They charged $25/box, and did quite well. Not sure if that's possible where you are, but it's an idea. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My dd5 has decided to do worm farming:) No joke, sometimes worms sell for as much as $9.00 per pound, it is green, kid-friendly, and can be run in a composting setup on a smaller scale. We went to a garden show recently and a lady there does it on quite a large scale as a full-time job. The best part is that you can start out with a very small investment, even a pound of red wigglers reproduce very quickly...and if the child loses interest all is not lost:). It is also educational, deals with compost waste in an earth friendly manner, and so forth... Here is just a quick link but there are many more out to there... http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/22/want-to-make-extra-money-while-being-green-try-worm-farming/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Giving Wabi Sabi's thread a bump because I think this is a topic that would be of interest to many of us whose kids would like to find a way to earn some money. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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