No Job - No Problem!
We have had several students make a lot of money with out having a work permit. How? Please read below.
When it comes to teenagers making money, it doesn't get much better than babysitting. My daughter babysat for someone one night from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. - she made $60! The best part was that she put the kids to bed at 8:00. Please do not consider babysitting if... you get really annoyed by your younger siblings or get easily upset/angry if they do not listen to you or follow instructions.
Want to try babysitting? Here are a few suggestions.
• Have your mom or dad tell their friends (the ones who have children) that you are available to babysit.
• Make a flier about your babysitting services. Hand it out to neighbors you know and/or post it at your church.
• Make it fun. Maybe bring a game or an age-appropriate movie (ask parents first).
• If you know how to bake - maybe make cookies or brownies. Clean up after yourself!
• Consider taking a class about babysitting through the Downers Grove Park District. Click Here
Want to try babysitting? Here are a few suggestions.
• Have your mom or dad tell their friends (the ones who have children) that you are available to babysit.
• Make a flier about your babysitting services. Hand it out to neighbors you know and/or post it at your church.
• Make it fun. Maybe bring a game or an age-appropriate movie (ask parents first).
• If you know how to bake - maybe make cookies or brownies. Clean up after yourself!
• Consider taking a class about babysitting through the Downers Grove Park District. Click Here
Lawn Mowing
Does your family have a lawn mower? If so, why not use it to start making some money. I had a friend in college who started his own lawn mowing business when he was in high school. How? It started with talking to a neighbor (I think an elderly woman) and offered to mow her lawn for $20. She said yes.
How can you get started? Put together a flier and start by passing it out to elderly neighbors and/or single moms. Keep your prices pretty low. Do the math. $20 for one yard for 20 weeks (May through Sept.) is $400. At $20 per yard you can start making a lot of money. I think my friend was up to 5-10 yards a day ($20/yard). He then bought another mower and hired a friend to mow the yards for $10/hour. He then went out and got more clients. Every summer from the age of 15 through college he made thousands of dollars!
How can you get started? Put together a flier and start by passing it out to elderly neighbors and/or single moms. Keep your prices pretty low. Do the math. $20 for one yard for 20 weeks (May through Sept.) is $400. At $20 per yard you can start making a lot of money. I think my friend was up to 5-10 yards a day ($20/yard). He then bought another mower and hired a friend to mow the yards for $10/hour. He then went out and got more clients. Every summer from the age of 15 through college he made thousands of dollars!
Snow Shoveling
Basically, read the paragraph above on lawn mowing and do the same thing for shoveling. All you need is a shovel. A lot of people would rather pay you $20-25 at 7:00 a.m. to shovel their driveway than go out and shovel themselves. I have had students tell me, "Mr. Gross, I made $60 shoveling this morning.
Raking Leaves
Most people are really busy in September/October when leaves fall. Raking can take some time and they don't want to spend a Saturday or Sunday raking leaves. Downers Grove does not let homeowners burn leaves and the leaves need to be in bags if you want them picked up on garbage day. Hiring a company to remove your leaves can be expensive. Most people would rather hire a local teenager. Grab a friend or two, some rakes, and make some money. You will want to charge more than you do for lawn mowing since it will take longer to rake. Make sure you have the home owners supply the yard waste bags.
Dog Sitting or Dog Walking
Do you have a dog? Are you a dog lover? Check with your parents to see if they would be open to letting you watch a neighbor or family friend's dog. Many dog owners go on vacation in the summer. They do not like the thought of putting their dog in a kennel the whole time. They would probably prefer having a family watch their dog. Tell your parents that you will walk the visiting dog as well as give him/her food and water. Maybe consider volunteering at a local animal shelter first. That way you can get some good experience being around a lot of different kind of dogs. Here's a link to the one in Downers Grove - West Suburban Humane Society