Ways for kids to make money

Is your child asking for more allowance or do you want to teach him or her the value of money? Helping your child start his own business is an excellent way to teach life skills that will last forever.

Depending on the age of your child, you can be a large or small part of the business venture. Some children are more business minded than others and won't need as much help. Let them choose what they want to do to earn money and then support them. This is a good time for them to learn about making good choices and the occasional failure can be a good lesson.
Lemonade Stand

This old standby is an excellent way for children of any age to make money. Location is the main concern, you need to be positioned where lots of thirsty people will be coming by. One good idea is to set up at annual marathons or along bike tour routes. And don't forget to advertise! Figure out the cost of one pitcher of lemonade and then divide it by the number of glasses you can fill from that. This is your cost per glass. Add a reasonable amount of profit and get selling!

Dog Walking

This is generally a better job for older children. Make up some fliers advertising your services and tuck them into mailboxes up and down the street. Try to avoid scheduling more than one dog at a time, since they can get to be a handful.

Cookies

My little sister goes down to the market every Saturday and sells out of four dozen chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The key to this business is yummy cookies, so pick a recipe that everyone likes and go with that. Also, when people see you regularly, they will become regular customers. If there isn't a proper venue that you can walk through, try selling in the local park or team up with a lemonade stand. Another idea is to go door to door with samples and a flier to leave with each person and become a delivery service. This can always be expanded to other baked goods as well, but start fairly small to keep costs down.

Magazine/Newsletter

Pick a subject that you know a lot about or are very interested in. Something like LEGO or baking, etc. Now start a newsletter. It can begin as two sides of a piece of paper and expand later. Charge enough to cover the cost of paper, stamps if mailing, and your time. Now to sell it. You can sell on the street, at a club if it's on a club topic, or go into a bookstore and see if they will carry it.


Window Washing

For this job, you will need a squeegee, a bucket and a good window cleaner. Make up fliers and go door to door letting people know about your service. You can also try local businesses that have storefront windows. Build up a customer base and schedule window cleanings once a month for each of them.

House Cleaning

This is also a good one for older children. Practice on your own house first (Mom will be thrilled!). Make sure you dust, get any cobwebs, scrub toilets, tubs, sinks, etc. Once you have some experience, hit the street with the fliers again. You can also run up an ad in the paper, but this can get expensive.

Mother's Help

If you are too young to actually baby-sit, consider being a mother's helper. This means that you entertain the kids while the mother gets some work done elsewhere. You will get experience and someone is there if you need help. You can also offer to look after children in the playground, while their mother shops. Start out with people you know and let your parents screen any that you don't.

Painting

Notice any shabby fences in your neighborhood? Why not offer to paint them? The owner buys the paint and brushes and you charge for your labor. If there is peeling paint still on the fence, make sure you scrape all the loose flakes off first or the end result will look awful!

Plant Watering

If you know of someone going on a trip soon, offer to water their plants for a minimal fee. Make sure you learn which plants need to be watered daily and which prefer to stay dryer. And don't over water or they could return to a house full of dead plants!

Pet Sitting

Someone leaving on a trip might also need you to look after their animals. They should show you where the pet food is and how much to feed each day. For dogs, you will need to walk them and spend some time playing. And don't forget to let them out to go to the bathroom!

Car Washing

Like getting wet? This is the job for you! You can put up a sign and wash cars in your own driveway or go knocking on doors offering to wash people's cars. You will need soap and a hose, a sponge and lots of rags. A scrub brush is good for getting the wheels clean.

Shovel Snow
The next time it snows heavily in your area, go around to all the senior citizens in the area and offer to shovel their driveways for a fee. Many will be happy to take advantage of your services and you can rack up a lot of money in just a couple days. Be prepared for hard work though.

Yard Work

Place an ad in the paper or go door to door for this one. You can offer to clean up branches, mow the lawn, weed flowerbeds and gardens and water the yard. Many people find this a dull chore and you can cash in on it!

Wake up Service

This is only for the very responsible. Advertise in the paper that you will provide wake up calls with the customer's choice of today's weather, top news, or saying of the day. You can vary the options of course. Keep a careful record of each client's preferences and wake up times. You will need to scan a local paper before making the calls to get the headlines and weather.

Toy Rental

Do you have lots of old toys that you don't need anymore? Rent them out to families with children who are bored of their toys, or to grandparents who have children visiting. You can rent by the day, week, or month. You might consider a package deal for smaller toys. Keep careful track of who has what.

Muffin Breakfast

If you enjoy baking, you can start making muffins and offer samples to people in your neighborhood. Offer to provide breakfast (muffins and orange juice) delivered to their door on specified mornings. Give out fliers so they can take advantage of the offer later if they want to.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Just remember to keep track of your expenses and profits and to be friendly to the customers. Good luck!

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Make Your Kids Money Managers

When you teach children the basics of money management, they're less likely to become financial burdens when they're older. Try these exercises from Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad:

Balance a Checkbook
Give children a blank checkbook register and create a stack of make-believe checks. Put a monthly total in the register and have them write you "checks" whenever they need cash. "Agree that you will audit the checkbook once a month," says Kiyosaki.

Control Debt
Many credit card companies will give a prepaid card to teens under 18 if a parent funds the card and is responsible for payments. If you give kids a card, be sure they know the amount you've deposited and that they match receipts against monthly statements before you pay the bill. "Parents whose children get into credit card trouble didn't review their bills or hold them accountable," Kiyosaki says. "Sloppiness makes you poor."

Save Three Ways
Set up three piggy banks or savings boxes -- one for long-term savings (for investing), one for short-term savings (for purchases) and one for charity, says Kiyosaki. With three pools, teens learn there are multiple ways of looking at savings.

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Ways for Kids to Make Extra Money This Summer

Are you tired of your children always begging for money? Having children implies a willingness to care for the physical, emotional, and financial needs of someone else. While parents may view financial needs as providing food, clothing, shelter, and maybe college tuition - children see things a little differently. Aside from life's necessities, children usually want more. These extras might include a new video gaming system, the latest fashion trends, or perhaps their own car. Between keeping up with the high cost of living and taking care of their children's essential needs, many parents have little money leftover for extras.


With so many creative ways to earn a buck, preteens and teenagers might explore different ways to earn money.

Here are four ways for kids to earn quick money.

1. Start a Babysitter's Club: Every preteen girl is familiar with the well-liked Babysitter's Club series. If looking to make extra money for clothes, makeup or movies, consider starting your own babysitter's club. Rally a few close friends, and begin offering your services to neighbors. Pass out flyers or post an ad on a community message board. The average babysitter rate is $5 per hour/ $5 per child. Within a couple of hours, you could earn a quick $20 or $30. Of course, babysitting involves more than making extra cash. If you don't like children, or don't know how to care for small children, find a different hustle.

2. Grass Cutting Business: During the summertime, everyone on your block will likely need their grass cut at least once a week. Capitalize on this need and offer your service. A reasonable rate is $20 - $30 per lawn, depending on size. On average, it'll take about one hour to cut the lawn. If you like, offer additional services such as bagging leaves, or edging the lawn.

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Creative Ways for Kids to Make Money

Kids, like adults, love to make money. Whether it be 10 cents or 100 dollars, because it gives them a sense of satisfaction. Whatever they buy with that money they will cherish. Also, it will get your kids into a good working habit to get them ready for life. I am going to tell you 5 great ways to get your kids working and loving it!
1. The Old Fashion Front yard Stall:
I remember as a kid I use to love having lemonade stalls at our front yard. I used to go pick lemons off our tree in the morning and stay out the front all afternoon. I remember that every time I had a stall I used to make around 5 dollars and I was so excited because of it. And times haven't changed! I see lots of kids having stalls at the front of their yards selling cups of icy cold lemonade for 50 cents each. Say you opened a stall and sold lemonade for 50 cents a cup, and after 4-5 hours you get 20 customers. That's equals up to 10 dollars for just a few hours, your kids will be pretty impressed with themselves!

But who says you need to be restricted with lemonade? Why not bake some chocolate brownies and sell them per bag? Then if you sold 20 bags of brownies and one bag cost 2.50 you could raise your total to 60 dollars! That works out to 12 dollars an hour, your kids will be ecstatic!

Tips
- Keep watch of your kids, you don't know who might be in the neighborhood.
- If your front yard doesn't have enough people walking by why not setup in front of a friend or families house.
- Check with your local council to see if it is alright to set up a stall.

Lemonade Recipe:
It is essential to make quality lemonade to sell because lets face it, it may be a child business but you want your customers coming back for more. Here is a great recipe that I have used a few times:

What You Need:
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of Water
5 Lemons
and
3 1/2 Cups of Water to Dilute

Method:
1) Heat the 1 Cup of Water and the Sugar until all the sugar has dissolved- this will make the syrup.
2) While you are making the syrup squeeze about 5 lemons to make 1 Cup of lemon Juice
3) Combine the syrup, the juice and 3 1/2 cups of water then refrigerate.
4) After 40 minutes taste test it. If it is too sweet add a little more lemon juice.

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Help kids make money

One day, your child will need to earn a living. Kids can get an edge on the work world by starting early and in doing so they will gain valuable experience working with different people, learning about managing money, have some money to spend once they get older, or save for college.

A lemonade stand, mowing lawns, baby sitting, and doing odd jobs are popular ways that kids can earn money while learning some important life skills.

But first ask yourself, is your child ready to work? Do they have the time, and it won't interfere with their school work? If they are ready, then here are some ideas for kids to make money.

JOBS FOR KIDS

BABY SITTER

If you child likes younger kids, then a baby sitter is a popular choice. Parents often need a good and reliable baby sitter to watch their kids. This position can be even expanded into a baby sitting service, by joining together a group of people who can offer baby sitting services to all the parents in the neighborhood.

PARENTS HELPER

A parents helper is similar to a baby sitter. However, if your child is too young to baby sit on their own, then a job helping parents is a good opportunity. They can help watch someone's kids, assist with the feeding, playing, or doing chores around the house. Later, once your child is older, they would likely have gained some references for regular baby sitting work.

HOUSE CLEANING

Instead of a parents helper, your child could simply do house cleaning. There are many chores that would be suitable such as vacuuming, dusting, etc.

LEMONADE STAND

Everyone is familiar with the old fashioned lemonade stand. Of course, this is a seasonal business, depending on your location. During other times of the year, it could be a warm apple cider business -- but be careful if your child needs to handle hot items. Also try selling coffee, donuts, snack bags, or other food items. If possible, set up a booth at a local community fair, or sale if allowed.

In addition to food, there is the possibility of selling other types of items. Is your child good at crafts? Then have them make their own artwork to sell. Sometimes, a combination of food and items makes a good business.

CAR WASHING

Car washing is a needed service in many communities. Have your child get together with a few friends to offer to wash local cars. As an addition to this business, they can sell items mentioned in the lemonade stand section above while people wait for their car to be washed. See what other professional car washes charge in your area, and price the services competitively.

ANIMAL CARETAKER

If you child enjoys animals, then try an animal caretaker business. This might involve walking dogs, dog washing, or general grooming.

HOUSE AND PET SITTING

If a neighbor is taking a trip or vacation, then taking care of their house and/or pets may be an opportunity. This may include watering plants, and any other chores they may need.

LANDSCAPING

Cutting grass, weeding, trimming, planting flowers, and other landscaping jobs are abundant. Scan the neighborhood for homes that need landscaping services. In the spring, offer to plant flowers, or do winter clean-up.

SNOW REMOVAL

In the winter time, many people need to have their driveways or sidewalks shoveled. This job works best when a group of kids can work together shoveling several houses. Create a business, and make arrangements to shovel peoples houses before the snow storm.

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

- Ask what kids can do in their own home, such as writing little stories that they can sell to their family and friends.

- Kids can create their own jewelry to sell, or decorate interesting rocks.

- Raking leaves.

TIPS FOR RUNNING THE BUSINESS

For many of these jobs, have your child print and hand out flyers to be distributed in the neighborhood. As the business grows, references or work previously done could be quoted.

Giving out free samples is always a good way to attract business. For services, offer coupons for new potential customers.

SAFETY AND OTHER POINTS

Most important for any of these jobs, is making sure your child is safe, so make sure they are old enough to follow important safety guidelines including:

Make sure you always know where they are.

Avoid going door to door by themselves.

Recommend that they do jobs that they like to do. Be sure they are mentally prepared and committed to do the work they need to do and promise to do.

If there is a cost in setting up the business, make sure they have enough money and know where the money is going to come from.

All these jobs should not interfere with normal school work or completing homework for school.

Help them set fair prices for the work they are doing.

Tell them to come to you for advice if they need it.

MEMBER TIPS

Here are some more ideas sent in from our members and readers of this site:

• I once did a lemonade stand, 25 cents a cup and I ended up with $35.00.

• I think its better to either baby-sit or car washing or paper rounds and also you can help in some shops.

• Yard sale.

• Ways to make money - mow lawn, lemonade stand, sell cards, cars wash, garage sale, dog sitting, cat sitting, basically pet sitting, baby sitting, and rake lawns.

• Asking to take your dog for a walk or clean the dishes.

• Paper route.

• When your working at a lemonade stand, always be polite. Give people their change, say please.

• KIDS CAN MAKE COOKIES CAKES BROWNIES INC. ONLY WITH ADULT SUPERVISION.

• Bird house builder, $2.50 per house

• Create your own mechanic or fixing job. For example fixing broken bikes.

• Hey your kids could earn money by walking dogs or how about helping out with the community as they pay good money for little kids to get involved but parents have to sign permission.

• Kids could do face painting at a town fair or in their neighborhood. Also, they could sell their own artwork.

• Kids can also look around the house for toys or any thing that hasn't been opened. then they could sell the items in their town.

• Window washer, car washer, lemonade salesman,

• A child can maybe help the elderly unpack or unload a car full of things such as groceries or bags of clothes etc.

• When a child starts their own business it takes them to a level of learning. Sometimes a parent should not help their child with their business so that the child can learn by their give them a few pointers but do not do the work for them. you won't help when their an adult so don't make your help a habit on your child

• When it is hot out buy a case of bottle water and take it to school and sell it for $2 each.

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Finding Child Care When You Don't Work 9 to 5

It's hard enough to find quality child care when you work traditional weekday hours. But what happens when you have rotating shifts, require overtime, or have to go out of town? About one-third of employees with young children work evenings, weekends, variable shifts, or more or less than 40 hours a week, according to a National Survey of the Changing Workforce. In spite of this reality, only a small number (12 to 35 percent) of childcare providers offer care outside the traditional 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. timeframe, according to a study by the General Accounting Office. Only 10 percent of family daycare providers offer weekend care. So, what are these working parents to do?
Alternative child care is on the rise, but mostly in larger communities, and the cost isn't cheap. Options such as drop-in child care can help a parent who has a "must attend" meeting, but these options don't address late night shifts or business travel. In-home providers can also be hired, but many families don't want or can't afford having a nanny, au pair, or even hourly babysitting in their home. It is a dilemma that is causing economic strain and emotional stress with families.

To drive home the impact of not having nontraditional child care at traditional daycare prices, Bright Horizons consultants surveyed more than 100,000 employees at various businesses/industries over three years. It reported that unresolved childcare issues holds back a significant number of working parents from the following:

• 60 percent are unable to work overtime or longer hours



• 50 percent cannot travel for business purposes



• 49 percent have issues with arriving at work on time



• 46 percent do not pursue or accept a higher position within their company



• 39 percent are not as productive as they could be

Problems in finding quality child care when working nontraditional hours aren't limited to parents who need to work more hours. Parents who opt to have one family member work part-time, for example, may find that childcare is either more expensive (offsetting the value of part-time work) or is unreliable in that many daycare centers can't guarantee their child a spot on a part-time or on-call basis. To be fair, daycare centers are working on tight child-adult ratios and a child enrolled full-time provides a better profit and more stability than one who is only there on occasion.

What are possible solutions when cost is a major concern?
Here are options that work for many families and are worth consideration:

Seek out a college student. Since most students take their courses in the morning, or even stack them into either a Monday-Wednesday-Friday or a Tuesday-Thursday schedule, it's possible to find a caring individual who can watch your kids in your home when not in school. While the hours may change slightly by semester, you can have consistent care that is reliable. Most colleges even have job boards where you can advertise the days needed and rate you're willing to pay.

Create a nanny work share. This is done more often than you think. If you need a nanny for certain hours and another family needs one for different hours, pool your efforts and time to create a win-win situation. A nanny may get paid slightly more for the dual role (two sets of kids, even at different times, still requires more effort), but both families will benefit. Just remember that you can't encroach on the other family's time. A possible downside is when one of you loves your nanny or schedule and the other doesn't, so the best arrangements are with good friends who similar expectations. Contact a nanny agency for a good starting point.

Ask traditional child care providers for references. Just because a traditional family provider or daycare operator doesn't offer extended hours doesn't mean they don't know one who will. Ask around for recommendations. Consider asking a provider/center you are already familiar with if they'll consider adding one evening each month or occasional weekend work. You may find providers have ideas or solutions you had never considered.

Ask your employer for child care assistance. If your boss is asking you to take a business trip or work extra hours, be upfront in explaining your dilemma. Who knows? Maybe they will offer to pay for extra time or help to negotiate a great rate that you might not otherwise have received. Some employers offer "family stipends" to help out with business travel or extended hours. A growing number of employers are even creating their own corporate daycare to help parents in similar situations where nontraditional care may be needed.

Offer babysitter special perks. If you're only needing a responsible babysitter to safely watch your child but don't require all the other needs such as enrichment or pre-school prep, then offer some perks to make a variable schedule worthwhile. Having time for homework, convenience dinners already prepared, or even free movie rentals can entice a qualified teen. Sometimes, your biggest need is having someone transport your child to lessons or soccer after school and staying at practice. That gives a babysitter free time during practice times, and you can sweeten the offer by paying for gas and offering a free oil change or car wash on occasion.

Tap on close friends or neighbors for a kid exchange deal. Maybe your boss needs you to work late every Wednesday. Perhaps you can swap care with a friend on that night and in exchange offer to keep her kids on Fridays for a kid-free date night! No money is actually exchanged, and both families benefit.

Negotiate rates at drop-in childcare places. While hourly rates at these places tend to be higher, a confirmed customer on a set schedule may mean they are willing to lower rates. Some families who are consistent users of such facilities say that they end up getting as good of a deal--sometimes even better--than advertised rates by setting up a monthly schedule based on work requirements. It's worth a shot to ask!

Request family help. Many young families ask their parents or relatives to lend a hand in child care. Most are all-too happy to do so. Just be careful to not overburden them or become too critical of the free help!

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Teach Kids to Save

The request from money from our kids starts at an early age. The "gimmes" and "I wannas" quickly escalate until the dreaded day comes when the question unexpectedly arises from your young child. "Mom and Dad! Can I have an allowance? ____ (fill in any name here) gets one and I don't! And, from there, it turns into, "_______ (any name will do just fine) gets more than me, and gets to buy stuff" and then to "Can I have a credit and/or debit card? I'll take care of it...P-uh-lease?"
Enough already. So, when should kids start receiving financial incentives to aid in their financial awareness and independence as adults? Janet Bodnar, executive director of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, offers a timeline for your child's financial development.

• Preschool means savings. Kids this age can be taught to "save" their money, but need to literally see it to understand the concept. Adding weekly quarters to a piggy bank, for example, is much more effective than heading to the bank, where kids think it has disappeared. Care providers and parents can work together to teach some basic concepts about money. Examples can include playing "funny money" games or letting kids "make their own purchases" when in line for a snowcone or other purchase-related activity.



• Elementary kids should open a savings account. By this age, kids will understand the benefit of having a savings account. Many schools work in partnership with banks to help teach the concept of saving, using a savings account, and basic premises such as making a deposit. Bankers will even come to the schools on certain "bank days." The benefit of such a partnership is more far-reaching than just about money. It also teaches responsibility, basic math facts, and, depending on the type of account set up, the concept of interest.



• Working teens need a checking account. If your teen is old enough and responsible enough to hold down a regular paying job (more than occasional babysitting or mowing), then it's time to open his/her own checking account. The benefit is that kids will taught about the rewards and consequences that come with a checking account, and learn responsibility for balancing their checkbook and being responsible for their own money. Certain banks may require the checking account to be joint or custodial, but the learning process will remain the same.



• College-bound students need financial independence. If your child didn't get a checking account before now, be sure to open one BEFORE your child heads off to college and then take the time to teach basic financial responsibility concepts. Don't assume your child knows and understands; changes are, he doesn't. The account should feature an ATM/debit card also. Bodnar urges that parents resist the prepaid credit cards or providing kids with a credit card at this stage and instead encourage prudent money management and not "borrowing" or "using credit."



• The final year in college is a good time to get a credit card. Once the notion of job and lifestyle independence is truly on the horizon, then it's time to have a child get a credit card. Otherwise, the lure of easy money could prove to be too much of a temptation...often with disastrous results. You want to teach financial independence and avoid bailing out your kids from money mistakes, and parents should maintain an active role until the kids are truly adults and on their own.

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