1. Earn Money With Lawn Care
Teenagers can earn $20 to $50 per hour with a lawn care business. Measure the lawn to estimate how long it will take you to cut it and then quote a price to the homeowner. You need to budget at least 30 percent of your income for gasoline and repairs to your equipment. You can expand your business by hiring some of your teenage friends. Advertise your business in your neighborhood and with family or friends.
2. Wash Cars at Customers’ Homes
Grab a bucket, a good water hose, sponges, a chammy, soap and a water nozzle to start your own car wash business. You take the supplies to the car owner’s home and wash his car by hand. Promote your business as providing a high-quality wash, cleaning hard to wash areas sprayers miss and saving your customers time. You can price a local car wash company and undercut the competition by $1 to $2. If your business goes well, you may want to set aside some of the profits to buy a pressure washer to make your job easier.
3. Pick Up the Poop
You can earn money gathering animal poop in yards and throwing it away, because many people don’t want to do the job themselves. All you need is a shovel and a plastic bag, so operational expenses are minimal. Start with friends and neighbors who have dogs. Offer to scoop the poop in the backyard for a set fee each week. You should charge a higher fee for the first time depending on how much work you need to do to get the yard clean. By charging $10 to $15 per week for the service at each home, you can easily earn $300 or more per week and only work 20 to 25 hours each week.
4. Hang Out With the Seniors
You can earn money spending time with senior citizens who need assistance during the day or in the evenings. Many seniors need someone available to help with basic chores, like cooking, or in case of an emergency when the family is away. Helping out the senior citizens in your area can give you the opportunity to listen to stories from the good old days, play checkers or read a book while getting paid. You can find ads in the newspaper and talk to local senior centers to find out who may need some help.
About this Author
James Kitchens has over 15 years of experience counseling individuals and families struggling with relationships, money management, personal well-being, career choice and other life issues through seminars and one-on-one consulting. In addition to his work as a freelance writer, Kitchens is an ordained minister and co-founder of Clear Vision Ministries.
