There is going to be all this talk about how to save money during back to school time, and I will write my fair share of articles as well. Of course, saving money is a big focus for families.
As with any profit and loss statement, we have both revenue and expenses, so I thought it might be worthy to get you to consider how your children can start earning money. It’s 100% certain that a few weeks into the school year they will be asking you for $20 to go to movies or hit the arcade, so here are five smart money moves to help you beat them to the punch.
- Get The Babysitting Flyers Out Now– Is most neighborhoods, people like to move in or out over the summertime. This way they can get their children situated in the new school system before the first day of school. If your child wants to earn some extra money babysitting, the new neighbors may not yet know which families have teenage kids willing to do some after school or weekend sitting. Help your daughter or son print off some flyers with all of your information, rates, and times you can be available.
- Yard Work– In many upscale neighborhoods, families may have a landscaper that works on their yard. There are still many households that just prefer to do the work themselves. When the leaves start falling, have your kids let your neighbors know they would be willing to rake leaves or work on other landscaping projects during the weekend. You children might be able to make $8 to $12 bucks an hour doing some hard labor and helping out the neighbors.
- Car Wash– The weekend before school starts, consider having your children set up a car wash at the school (if they aren’t restricted) or do it in your neighborhood. As parents get back into the swing of things, a car wash is often one of those checklist items they will want to get done. Both people can win in this equation. The parents won’t spend $40 to go through one of those expensive car washes, and your children can pick up an extra $100 to $200 with a weekend’s worth or work.
- Garage Sale– I really miss the flea markets in Englishtown, NJ that I used to go to on the weekends as a kid. If your garage and basement are overflowing with books, games, and sporting equipment that your children just don’t use anymore, then it might be time to set up for a garage sale to unload some of those goods. Another great way to pick up a couple hundred bucks.
- Set Up An Account On Fiverr– One of the really cool peer to peer websites is called www.fiverr.com. On this website you can come up with an idea anywhere from drawing a cartoon to writing a jingle and charge $5 for your work. If your child has a particular skill or talent, perhaps they could set up an account and start earning some weekly money ($25 to $50) providing a service to others.
Written by: Ted Jenkin
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