I'm 13 and my friend and I are looking for fun and easy ways to earn money. Any ideas?
By Selena
About the only jobs young people in your age group will be able to get are baby sitting, yard work, shoveling snow, etc.
You and your friend might consider "jobs" that do not pay money but will provide much more important "money" for you both! There are organizations in your area that offer assistance for seniors, disabled, etc. They help people who are not able to go to the grocery store, take their dog for a walk or play with their kitty for an hour, prepare a simple meal, read a book to someone who has vision problems etc .
Look for these organizations online or in the phone book. You can call to see if you can help. You can also simply help people in your area-mow a lawn, bring in mail, just spend an hour or so with them to play a game, etc.
Congratulations, Selena, to you and your friends for wanting to work and earn some money! I don't know if it's legal where you live to work in restaurants washing dishes or cleaning tables, but if any of your family members own a restaurant, why not ask?
Baby sitting is an option, as you know, but lots of people want help with their yardwork: winter and summer. Start asking your neighbours?
You might also want to think about what you have to offer as someone might ask "why would I hire you?" Are you a hard worker? Will you be punctual, cheerful while working, prepared to do as asked and then a little bit more?
Some companies still print newspapers and fliers, all of which have to be delivered. That's another potential source of income.
Last not least, do you have any particular talents which would earn money? For example, if you play a musical instrument, you could advertise to teach beginners.
Wishing you every success,
Rose Anne
You might see if anybody needs pet sitting jobs. I have a pet cat, and when I travel, she gets lonesome. I wouldn't mind hiring a student to come over, check the house daily, feed the cat, tend to the litter box, and spend time playing with the cat. This is the easiest job I can think of! You should also consider taking a babysitting course, and doing babysitting.
You might also help with housework if you have been taught how to do it properly. When I had little kids at home, I liked to have a teen come in to help with the kids and do jobs like vacuum, peel potatoes, dust, or clean the garage.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
I'm 13 and I need a job. I live in Liberty, Missouri. All I can think of, is mowing lawns and babysitting. But there aren't any kids to babysit in my neighborhood, and mowing lawns isn't really ''my thing''.
I could really use some feedback, because I need the money, for fixing my dad's truck, that he's giving me when I can drive.Are there any single older ladies in your neighborhood. I wish you lived near me. I'm one of those older ladies and I'm always needing someone to change a light bulb I can't reach, move furniture in my house, vacuum, wash windows, etc. Try to search out people in your neighborhood or church, etc.
Another odd job that you might like to do is pet sitting or dog walking. When I go on a trip, I need someone to check my house, feed my cat, change her litter box, and hang out with her for a bit. I usually have no trouble finding a neighbour to check the house, but most adults don't have the time to stay for an hour a visit with a cat!
I'm a 13 year old boy that's good with technology. I don't want a way to make money that costs money. I considered mowing, but I live in a town with 4,000 people in it and not many people need their lawns mowed.
By Haeven L.
I don't think anybody will hire a 13 year old to do technology work for them and the ones that do ask you to do it will expect it done for free, given your age. Depending on how much money you want to acquire, you should be able to make enough for spending money by cutting grass, even if it isn't for many people. There are bound to be senior citizens and disabled people that need that kind of work done, also shoveling snow.
I agree with the first response.
You need to find a job that people find hard to do or are willing to spend money for you to do it for them. So jobs where you have to bend over, or work on the ground, or be in an odd position - where someone as young as yourself has no problem, but older folks find tedious or numbing.
Convincing people to pay for these jobs can be difficult. Just saying - do you have any odd jobs I can do for you, is less effective than throwing out some possibilities like weeding, mowing, painting the garage, cleaning the garage ...or any odd jobs. Give their minds some possibilities to consider.
Keep a high standard for the work you do, and concern yourself with doing the very best possible job, so there is no reasonable way they can find an excuse to not pay you. Every job is a billboard and a referral. Great work leads to great referrals. Getting started is hard, but perseverance almost always pays.
Mowing is possible, but even better weeding - the lawn or garden. Time consuming, but push the organic approach and that hand weeding can remove more root, and the result will last longer. Consider a lower hourly wage plus # of cents per weed with 4 inch roots or longer. People are more willing to pay if they can see great results.
If you have a good reason for the money e.g. saving for college education, something that your client can relate to, being able to speak about this can set the client's minds at ease and help them believe they are helping you reach your goals. This is not a ploy you mention as you seek for work, but an answer you should have ready when the people ask what you will do with your earnings.
I am a 13 year old girl and I need money. My mom and dad don't believe in giving me money for doing chores, because it is my responsibility. Does anyone have any ideas?
By Not Needed
Hi! Here are a few tips I've read that work for teens who need to make money (besides babysitting):
1. Do you have a lot of stuff you don't use anymore but is still in good condition? Get together with a friend and hold a garage sale. Be sure to let people know a few days ahead of time if your town doesn't participate in community garage sales. Make fliers!
2. Garden or volunteer to mow grass, rake leaves, etc. See if neighbors would like to buy excess produce or if family friends could use some yard service. Only talk to people your parents know and trust.
3. Are you artistic or crafty? There are tons of places you can go to sell your work, even online! Focus on your strongest points and go from there. You can use social media to get a little business going and they say Etsy is a good place to start if your looking into selling online. Do your research about local craft fairs so that you can prepare well ahead of time!
4. When you are a little older you will be able to accept most online micro jobs or a position as an online tutor, in addition to any in-person job. Stay away from sites like "fiver" and "gigbucks." Although popular, they are pretty iffy on the trustworthiness scale.
5. I've found out that Thrifty Fun accepts submissions for periodic contests. A winning entry can earn you a $20.00 Amazon gift certificate. I think they also deposit winnings into people's Paypal accounts should they choose that option. At the top of your browser next to the Thrifty Fun logo you'll find a link to current contests.
Above all, stay safe! I know it's tempting to want to make money any way possible, but sometimes that's not the best idea. If you want to babysit, wash cars, walk dogs, bake, or do yard work for a neighbor, that person must be someone your family trusts 100%. The worst thing you can do is to sneak doing a task for someone you don't know well because they offer you money. Your safety comes first.
Second, don't get so distracted by working that your grades in school slip. Especially if you're planning on going to college. In high school, the better your grades the better chance you have of getting into college. And in college, grades are money! Keep good habits now and you will have them for the rest of your life. Have fun and good luck!
I'm 13 years old and I'm looking for a way to make money. But the thing is that I live in a pretty bad neighborhood so babysitting and dog walking won't work for me. I need to find a way to make money, but how? Please help.
By Brandon
Maybe tutoring a younger kid would work for you.
I am 13 and I really need to make some money. I don't know how to. Any suggestions?
You can run a lemonade stand or babysit for your neighbors
I am a 13 year old girl and I am an A+ student who loves kids and animals. What can I do to earn some money?
By Jolene Nichole from Muskogee, OK
At your age, you best bet would be babysitting, but for safety reasons, only for people your family knows. When you turn 14, there will be a very few places that hire 14 year olds, and then only for a very limited number of hours per week. You could also try running errands (that you wouldn't need a car for) for elderly and disabled people.
Make a bake sale and walk around houses and sell them them
I'm 13 and I wanna make some money. I need it for up coming Christmas. I don't know anyone around my area, so I can't ask if they want me to do chores and I don't think shops would want me either. What can I do?
By megan john
You definitely are too young to work in businesses. You must know some of your neighbors and parent's friends. If you know somebody that has little kids ask if they need a babysitter. Also if you are given money for ball games, movies, etc. only use the portion that would go to attend the venue, don't buy any snacks or drinks, and save that money. My parents were real hard up farmers when I was a kid, and that was what I did, only the money I saved, until I had enough went for fabric so I could make a skirt or something. Every now and then on the farm my Dad would find some odd chore for us to do that he would pay us a little for. But if you are talking about gifts for your family, you could always make things like gift cards, promising to do a certain chore for a certain amount of time.
What assets do you have that you can make money with? Do you have a computer or a camera? If not, do your parents have anything they would let you use?
You can make money with a computer and whatever kind of software you are familiar with. Example: if you are familiar with printshop or photoshop, make some lovely cards. Maybe your parents can help you sell them on ebay.
There are all kinds of ways to make money with a camera. Take pictures of items that stores stock and sell those pictures to them as stock photos for advertising, take pictures of people's children or their pets and sell them their pictures. When I went to Cedar Point, Ohio (home of the roller coasters) one year, there was a young girl standing at the gate with an instamatic camera and a bag of film.
One where the picture comes out right away. She would take pictures of anyone wanting to pay her $5 of them underneath the Cedar Point sign. You could do this at just about any event.
Hope this helps.
If you're looking for really good and unique ideas, check out www.profit-kids.com