You might think making money as a teenager is impossible, but there are many different ways you can earn some cash in your younger years. Child labor laws do not allow for many people under the age of 15 to work a job. So how can you make money as a teen? In this post, we’ll explain some of the best ways you can make money as a teen and how to get started!
Cut Grass or Landscape
Many teenagers will opt to cut grass throughout high school and college to pay for gas and other essential items. You can start by purchasing a small lawnmower, trimmer, and blower for a few hundred dollars and then upgrade your equipment as needed. It’s best to start by offering your services to neighbors within walking distance so you can easily access their yard without transportation.
It is common to charge anywhere from $25 to $50+ to cut, trim, and blow an average size yard, making it a great way to pick up some extra cash.
You can earn even more money by completing landscaping jobs like mulching, removing flower beds, or adding new flower beds. Pricing for these jobs varies widely.
Clean Homes
Cleaning homes is a great way to earn money as a teenager. It requires little skills and equipment other than some common household cleaning products, a vacuum, and a mop.
You can offer your services through local classifieds, social media, or ask your family and friends to promote your services.
The amount you can charge for cleaning homes can vary on the size of the home and how long you spend cleaning. Some will choose to offer an hourly rate.
Don't worry – we hate spam too. Unsubscribe at any time.
Sell Household Items Online
If you have any old books, clothes, or other items lying around the house, consider selling them online to earn some money. You’ll need to find a way to ship the items and you should account for these costs when determining the price to list your item for.
Some great options to sell online:
- Books
- Movies
- Old toys
- Antiques
- Clothes
You can choose to sell your items on popular sites like eBay, Amazon, or a local option like LetGo or Craigslist.
Become an Influencer
People of all ages have become successful content creators, young and old alike.
There are many different platforms to create and promote your content on, each with their own unique look and feel.
Some of the best platforms to consider are:
- YouTube
- Tik Tok
- Snapchat
The type of content you create can be just about anything. By growing your following these sites might reach out to you about the opportunity to collect royalties for your content offering you the ability to make large sums of cash.
Become a Lifeguard
Lifeguarding is a great job for many teens as it will allow you to work throughout the summer months in a somewhat relaxed environment. You will spend most of your time in the sun, so be sure you are capable and enjoy this atmosphere.
You’ll need to complete a certification course before you can become a lifeguard. These classes can be found through the RedCross and you can expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for your certification.
You can expect to make minimum wage for a lifeguard position.
Create and Sell Graphics Online
If you have some basic design skills, consider selling your designs online. You can sell them through several websites like Creative Market, Graphic River, or Fiverr.
You should create graphics that can be used by many to increase your chances of building a solid stream of income. It’s also worth noting that you should plan on creating several different versions to will suit various needs and styles.
Businesses are always looking for graphics to update their website or promote on social media, so by creating an easy to use template, you can cash in.
Babysitting
Babysitting is a great gig for teens to make extra money. It requires you to care for children and be attentive to their needs. Usually, a babysitting gig will last anywhere from 2 to 8 hours (but sometimes even longer) and you can expect to get paid depending on the number of children you are watching.
Many times, parents will leave money for food or entertainment for yourself and the children depending on how long your watch is. You can sign up for services like Sittercity, Care.com, or Urbansitter.com to find local jobs near you.
Watch Advertisements
You can get paid to watch various advertisements across the web. While this won’t bring an enormous amount of income, it is a way to earn extra cash without much work, making it ideal for teenagers.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks offers rewards for watching videos online that vary in duration. You redeem the rewards you earn for many different gift cards from top retailers. You can also take advantage of a free $10 sign up bonus here.
InboxDollars
Inboxdollars offers several ways to make money. You can earn cash by watching videos, completing surveys, or shopping online. Plus, you can get a free $5 when you sign up here!
Slidejoy
Slidejoy is available for Android device owners as a way to monetize your screen space. An advertisement will be displayed on your local screen and you’ll earn rewards throughout the day. These rewards can then be redeemed for gift cards to many popular retailers. Sign up here!
Take Surveys Online
Similar to watching advertisements, you can also take surveys online to earn more money. There are many different places you can find these surveys and pay is dependent on the length of the survey. Inboxdollar, Swagbucks, and Prize Rebel all offer paid surveys.
Get Paid to Watch Movies
Did you know that you can get paid to watch movies? That’s right. Companies are willing to pay you to watch movies and give feedback about them, making it a great gig for any teenager.
Sign up to become a certified field associate here where you will get paid to watch movies, movie trailers, and more. You will be reimbursed for the ticket you purchase and maybe even for your favorite snack or popcorn.
Complete Chores Around the Home
If your family offers a cash allowance for completing chores or doing mundane tasks, it’s time to take advantage. Whether it’s walking the dogs or cleaning the bathrooms, be sure to cash in on this opportunity.
Become an Affiliate Marketer
You can monetize your social media accounts by promoting affiliate links where you earn a portion of what is spent. There are many different affiliate services with Amazon being one of the simplest and most common.
You can sign up to become an Amazon affiliate here. Then you can promote your links in accordance with their guidelines to earn money.
Stream Video Games
Some of the top producers on the video game streaming service Twitch have made millions by entertaining others. If you have a knack for video games, this might be perfect for you.
To start, create your Twitch account and decide which type of content you will make. It could be humorous, serious, or a mix of both.
The next step is to produce entertaining content and promoting your stream for people to see. You can choose to promote your stream on your social media profiles for your friends to watch.
Once you’ve started growing your audience, you can make money by including affiliate links in your description, asking for donations, and creating and selling custom clothing or accessories about your stream.
Play Mobile Lottery Games
Mobile lottery games like Lucky Day allow you to play scratch-offs and lottery games with the chance to win real cash rewards. It can take some time before you start to make money, but by playing daily you can better your chances.
Use Cash Back Services
Whenever you shop, make sure to use a cashback service like Honey, Rakuten, or Dosh to earn money for every dollar you spend. Many of these websites will offer some sort of cashback for most major retailers, making it a no brainer to make some extra money. In addition, many of them will offer some sort of sign up bonus putting more cash in your wallet.
Honey
Honey allows you to earn cashback for spending on many different purchases. You can download an extension for your internet browser to see if Honey can find a better price elsewhere saving you money.
Download Honey for free here!
Rakuten
Rakuten offers cashback on many popular retail stores. All it takes is the click of a link to start saving. You can earn anywhere from 1% to 20% and are eligible to get paid at the end of each quarter via a check or PayPal.
Sign up to receive your $10 bonus here!
Dosh
Dosh is a strictly app-based cashback affiliate system. You can use your linked card to make purchases where available to earn cashback rewards.
Sign up to receive a $5 bonus here!
Walk Dogs
If you love dogs and want to make some money, consider becoming a dog walker. Teenagers make great candidates for dog walkers as it requires nothing but your time.
You can register to become a dog walker on websites like Wag or Rover to give you access to thousands of people searching for people to walk their dogs.
By using these services, the dog’s owner will typically provide a key to their home and notes about their dog giving you access to walk them even if they aren’t home.
Donate Plasma
If you are at least 18 years old, consider donating your plasma to make extra money. You can find a local donation center here. You expect to be paid anywhere from $20 to $50 per donation and you are allowed to donate two days per week.
Donating plasma will take approximately two hours from start to finish, so be sure to allot time appropriately.
Become a Photographer
If you have a digital camera or a phone with a quality camera you could consider working as a photographer to make money as a teenager.
There are many different types of photography and many different ways to profit from it.
You can choose to work for people or companies to produce portrait shots, or you could consider nature or stock photography in which your images will be sold online for a profit.
Interior Painting
Painting requires little equipment other than a few brushes, cleaning supplies, and the paint itself. It will require high attention to detail and is considered tedious by some. If you have patience, painting can be an excellent way to earn money on the side.
Typically, painting is charged by the size of the room but you could also consider charging an hourly rate if you are inexperienced at quoting.
To be a successful painter, you should also know the basics of patching drywall to ensure a proper finish and satisfied customer.
Complete Homework for Fellow Students or Tutor
If you excel at school, you can offer to complete homework or assignments for other students. While this is technically fraudulent, you could also consider tutoring others for a price.
You can charge an hourly rate for your services that is dependent on your education and skills.
Create a Blog
Creating a blog can be a great way for teenagers to make extra money. You’ll need to purchase a domain name, hosting, and then design your blog to your needs.
It’s best to blog about a niche that you are interested in as operating a blog will require much perseverance to become successful.
You should also be capable of promoting your blog and understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) to get your blog found online.
Complete Restaurant Reviews
Reviewing restaurants can get your meals paid for and even provide a small profit. Websites like MysteryDining.net offer the ability to have your meal paid for if you can provide a detailed report of your experience and are available to speak about it the day after your visit.
Test Out Products or Services
Companies are desperate for feedback on their products and services. Many times, they’re willing to give away their item for free in order to receive valuable feedback. You can sign up to test products here.
Flip Furniture
Flipping furniture can be a great gig for teenagers, especially those interested in art or design. The basics of furniture flipping are simple. Purchase a distressed piece of furniture from a thrift store or garage sale, restore that piece, and then sell it for a profit.
Flipping furniture requires some standard equipment including sandpaper, painting supplies, and a space that you are capable of painting in.
Your profits from flipping furniture are extremely volatile. Some pieces can provide much larger returns than others. It’s wise to experiment with which pieces do better than others and adjust your efforts accordingly.
Flip Electronics
Every year on Black Friday, many retailers will offer popular products with a deeply discounted price tag. You can take advantage of this by purchasing these items and then selling them locally on classified for a profit.
The catch? You’ll need to be okay with waiting outside of these store hours (if not days) ahead of time to get the best products. You should also be content with large crowds.
You can usually score on large televisions that you can sell for a hundred bucks or more through local classifieds.
Open and Read Marketing Emails
Similar to viewing ads or completing surveys, you can also get paid to open and read emails. Vindale.com offers you the ability to receive marketing emails and will give you a small commission for each one you open and read.
Become a Freelance Writer
If you are a skilled writer, you can monetize those skills to make money as a teenager! You can use sites like Upwork or Fiverr to market your services and gain clients.
Pay for writing depends on your experience and the company in need. Many writers will charge by the project or per word. The most seasoned writers can charge upwards of $1 to $2 per word with a less experienced writer charging around $.50 per word.
Open an Online Store
Create an online store to sell products and make a profit. You can sell various types of products including clothing, electronic accessories, coffee` mugs, or just about anything else.
You could choose to sell your products on a website of your own or through third party websites like Amazon or eBay.
Manage Social Media Profiles for Companies
One of the great things that comes with being a teenager is the perceived knowledge of all things digital. Companies are willing to pay people to manage their social media accounts, a great gig for teenagers or those in college.
You’ll need to understand how to use some of the most popular social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to become a successful social media manager.
Start a Shoe Cleaning Service
Sneaker-heads have an acute obsession with keeping their precious shoes clean, giving an opportunity to those who are willing and capable.
You can find many shoe cleaning kits online to get started. You should understand the basics of materials that make up a shoe and what cleaners you should use on which materials.
People can make enormous sums of money by restoring antique or sought after shoes.
Become a Candle Maker
Making candles involves a few key elements and is surprisingly easier than you might think. Wax, scents, and the wick are three main components that compose candles. You can source these ingredients from a variety of places or you can opt to create your own scents.
You can choose to sell your products online through websites like Etsy, eBay, or Amazon or by offering them to local friends or family.
Open a Savings Account
By opening a savings account, you can make money by simply letting your money sit in the bank. While the amount of money you will make is small, it’s a great way to pad your savings and make money for many teens.
Savings account interest rates vary on the institution and current market conditions by you can expect to earn at least .10% annually on your savings.
Many digital banks offer relatively larger interest rates due to the savings they accumulate by not operating physical locations.
Rent Out Your Car
If you have a car, you can consider renting it out when it’s not being used. These services are still developing, so many smaller cities will not have the capabilities.
You can list your vehicle on websites like Turo.com or Getaround.com to get started. You’ll need to ensure that your car meets the eligibility requirements and you read the full terms of service before you start the process.
Rates will vary depending on your vehicle and several other factors.
Become an Artist
For those who are gifted artistically, consider selling your art or creating custom products for those interested. You can even register for a booth at a local art fair to gain more exposure to your work.
Repair Phones or Mobile Devices
With the emergence of mobile phones and glass screens a whole new industry was born, mobile phone repair. You can learn how to replace mobile phone screens online and the parts can be purchased on many different websites for relatively cheap. You can expect to charge anywhere from $70 to well over $100 for your services depending on the device and screen.
Wash Cars
Consider starting a mobile car detailing business to earn extra money on the side. You’ll need some basic car washing equipment including soap, rags, hoses, and a few other materials to get started.
You could offer your services to local neighbors and family to start.
Rates vary but you can expect to charge at least $25 per vehicle. You can also consider charging an hourly rate for your work.
Recycle Cans (Or Anything Aluminum)
If you can find aluminum to recycle, you can cash in. You can collect cans or jars from your home or ask neighbors to contribute to your cause.
The amount you’ll get paid depends on the weight of your inventory. It’s best to save up before making a trip to your local recycling center to maximize your profits.
Related: How to Build a Money Making Machine
Help People Move
Moving homes is an extremely stressful and time-consuming process. Take advantage by helping families move their items to their new home. You can either provide your labor or if you have a large enough vehicle you could also charge for the use of your vehicle.
The amount of money you’ll make depends on how long your labor is needed and if your vehicle was used throughout the move.
If you’re looking for ways to make money as a teen, this is a perfect option.
Offer Personal Training or Yoga Instruction
Help others get in shape by offering personal training or yoga. If you are passionate about health and fitness and have a solid foundation, you can offer your services to those looking to lose weight or put on muscle. You can consider offering your services online or in person.
You might consider obtaining a certification before promoting your services to better understand the mechanics of the human body and techniques to prevent injury.
Pricing for personal training and yoga varies based on your experience and is priced on either a per session basis or per hour. You can expect to charge at least $20 per 30-minute session.
Hair Styling
Many women will pay to have their hair or makeup professionally styled. If you are capable, consider offering your services to friends for a small fee. The equipment and supplies needed are relatively low cost making it a great option for many teens.
You can consider performing cosmetics for weddings or prom season to make even more cash.
Sell Baked Goods
If you’re keen on baking, consider offering your pastries for sale. You can sell them at local farmers’ markets or other community gatherings. There are many different types of baked goods to consider selling like cookies, cake, and other sweets.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Money as a Teenager
There is a wide variety of options for teenagers looking to make some extra money and many of them will simply require time or basic skills. Depending on your age, you might be able to pick up a part-time job to give a boost to your income.
What were your favorite activities to do to make money when you were younger? Comment below!
Don't worry – we hate spam too. Unsubscribe at any time.