You don’t need to be an adult to make money. Just because you’re a teenager and not old enough to do “real” job, doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to make money. Earning something when you’re a teenager is not impossible than you think. It just takes a little creativity and efforts. When teenagers start earning money, they also learn life lessons about saving and investing.

So how to find work as a teenager?

Think about what are you good at. If you think carefully, there are many things you can offer others. Make a list, write down ALL the possibilities. There will be some things that will be more profitable than others and some that you won’t be able to do. Take anything off the list that involves buying materials you don’t have or can’t do where you live.

Determine how long you can work. You need to save the time you need for homework, going out with friends, and doing other fun things as a child. If you play sports or do other activities, it can be really hard. Teenagers are always very busy, so it’s hard to spend more time making money than you have on weekends.

Find out how much time you can invest in making money and set a strict schedule for yourself. Can you work five hours on Saturdays? More?

Here are are some easy options to earn money as a teenager

Beverage Stall

Most children are familiar with the old fashioned lemonade stand. Differentiate by experimenting with other products to sell at your stall. Offer drinks that are seasonally themed. For example, if you live in a cold climate zone, set up a hot chocolate stand in the fall and winter. In the summer, sell cold drinks.

House Cleaning

Ask your neighbors if they could use a hand cleaning their house. Offer to do specific tasks such as vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning sinks and countertops.

Raking and Shoveling

If you live in a place where the seasons change, offer to rake neighbors’ leaves or shovel their entrances. Go door to door and ask your neighbors if they’d like to hire you. Create simple brochures on your computer and put them on your neighbors’ doors. Get a good snow shovel and offer to shovel the entrances of cars and the passages of your neighbors.

Pet Care

If you live in a neighboorhood with many pets and you like to spend time with pets, this can be a good way to earn extra money. Talk to your friends, family and neighbors to see if they need help to take care of their pets. Offer to walk your neighbors’ dogs or other pet for a small fee. Think of the neighbours who work during the day, during summer holidays. If you’re around and can take the dog for a walk when you don’t do anything, it’s easy money.

Garage and Yard Sales

Pick up all the things you don’t want anymore and make a garage or yard sale. Have your parents donate some of their old belongings or volunteer to plan and coordinate the sale with a share of the profits. Advertise by creating brochures or publishing an online ad.

Private tutor for other children

If you excel in a particular subject, talk to your friends’ parents and ask them if they’d like to hire you as a tutor for a small fee.

Run Errands

Offer to run errands for your elderly neighbors. Sometimes it’s hard for older people to move around, so many of them will welcome your service.

Growing Flowers and Vegetables

Grow flowers, vegetables and herbs in your backyard or window sill and sell them to people in your neighborhood. Create a stall to attract people who want some fresh produce and beautiful flowers.

Clean Gutters

Clean gutters in spring. After a long winter, gutters tend to stagnate and need good cleaning. Mostly, this involves removing leaves and clumped branches from the gutters and placing them in bags.

Even if you live in a place with a great climate, the gutters need to be cleaned regularly to prevent branches, leaves and other debris from clogging them. But this may also involve climbing a ladder or roof and could be dangerous as well. So think before stepping into this service.

Help in Harvesting

Help with a harvest in your area. In rural areas, many farmers and fruit producers hire young children to help harvest the fruit during the harvest season. If you live where there is a lot of agriculture, don’t lose sight of local food stores and rural suppliers, in case farmers need to hire people. It involves hard work, but it can also be short-term (a few weeks at most) and you can earn good money.

The following jobs may be available in different regions for teens:

• Pick fruits such as peaches, apples, cherries and berries
• Prune the grapevine
• Help process wheat or other grains
• Extracting potatoes
• Gathering hen’s eggs

Decided what to do? What Next?

Once you have decided what service you will be offering; put up flyers, ask family members if they need your services, and ask people you worked with to recommend you to their friends. Let many people know about your services. Make sure your potential clients know who you are, what you offer, and how they can contact you.

If you live in a neighborhood, knock on doors. Introduce yourself and talk about your new business.

Don’t tell anyone why you need money. Instead, tell them how you’ll make their lives simpler or better by hiring you. For example, don’t offer to pick up the leaves, sell less work for them and a beautiful garden. If the customer is satisfied, then ask them to recommend you to others. Also, ask if he can arrange a meeting for you.

If you know other ways to make money as a teenager, do mention in the comment section below. And the same would be added in the list above.