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Here are some money making ideas for kids, as promised. All of these have been used successfully by children between the ages of eight and sixteen. In fact, some of these may work for adults as well.
This is fun one from years ago that may still work. The idea is simple; there are valuable coins out there being given out in change. People spend the old coins from their coin collections (or the collection of a spouse or brother), and these collectibles circulate for a while before someone recognizes their value. They end up in rolls of coins at the bank, which is where you can find them.
You simply buy rolls of pennies for 50 cents each, or rolls of dimes for $5 or rolls of quarters for $10. Then you search through them for any valuable ones. You don't need much to start, because after you go through them, you roll them up and return them to the bank for more rolls (if they have a problem with this, return them for currency and then buy more rolls of coins at another bank.
Watch for old dimes and quarters in particular. Before 1964 they were 90% silver, so you can sell them at any coin shop for many times face value. Once you know what you are looking for, you can recognize the silver ones from the others just by looking at the edges. For pennies and other valuable non-silver coins, you can get a book at the library which will tell you what they are worth.
The bad news is that it is illegal to pick some flowers. The good news is that you can get an identification book at your public library that will tell you which ones are protected. There are many common wildflowers, like daisies and tansies, which you can legally collect, and which can be found in large quantities.
You can start this business without any investment if you save old glass jars to put the flowers in. Have a big container with water in it while you are collecting, and then split the flowers up into smaller bunches for sale later. Ask around to see how much people are willing to pay. This may work best during events in town, but ask your parents where you can sell them.
This one is for the older kids who like to fix things. You can get books that show you how to repair bicycles, and you can start by learning how to repair your own. Then you need to see what people are paying for used bicycles, by going to yard sales and looking at advertisements in the classified section of the newspaper. Take notes. Once you know what the bikes should sell for, you can start buying broken ones to fix.
Make sure you buy them cheap. Let everyone know what you are doing too. Sometimes people may give you old bicycles that they were going to throw away. During spring clean-ups in some towns people throw away bikes as well, and you can take these from the junk at the curb (if it's okay with your parents). I once met a man who collected sixty bikes in one day in this way.
You'll need to have a little money to buy parts and old bikes when you start. After the first sale, use the money to buy more bikes and parts. wait until you have several projects going before you start spending any of your profits. You can sell the bicycles in front of your home with a simple sign, or you can get your parents to help you place an ad in the paper if you have some expensive or popular bikes to sell.
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We didn't learn enough about money when we were children, did we? That explains many of the financial problems people are having now. Imagine how much better it will be for your own children if they grow up understanding money and business. Jenny Ford has a great program for educating kids about money at Cash-Smart Kids. Cash-Smart Kids. |
If you are near an area where people fish, you may be able to sell night crawlers or worms. Visit a bait shop or other place where they sell them to see how much you can charge. Then you can sell them at the lake or stream where the fishermen are.
To get the worms, check the lawn after a rain. In some areas there are hundreds of night crawlers all over the sidewalks after a summer rain. You can also dig under wet piles of leaves to find them. There may be books in your library that show you how to breed them as well. You can start without any money if you save plastic butter tubs and coffee cans to sell the worms in. Later you can use your profits to buy nice Styrofoam containers with lids.
If you live in an area with wild grape vines, you can collect them to make wreaths. People pay as much as $20 for these, although simple ones sell for closer to $5. Get permission from the property owner if the land is private, and don't cut all the vines from a plant. They grow fast, so if you take less than a third they will normally grow back by the next year.
To make the wreaths, form a circle with a vine and weave others around it until it is thick enough to look good. Tuck in the ends so it won't unravel. To make them prettier, you can buy plastic flowers-vines at some dollar stores and weave these into the wreaths. If you practice, you might even be able to make heart-shaped ones. If people really like your wreaths, you could sell them at a craft show, with your parent's help.
Many people have painted rocks for doorstops or paperweights. If you live in an area where you can get nice smooth rocks, you can make them yourself and sell them. You can paint them with flowers, or with people's names. Look around at what other's have done for ideas. Ask your parents to help you buy the right paints.
There are many young kids who know a lot about computers. My own nephew was getting paid for programming by the the time he was fourteen. Even younger kids might get paid to show old folks how to use a computer and the internet. If you know how, you can even set up computers for new owners who are using them for the first time. Telling grandparents to spread the word would be a good marketing ploy.
You can find more on the page;
Ways For Kids To Earn
Money
Note: This is part of the "Unusual Ways"
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