my 10 year old desperately wants to earn money

[DisneyScraps]

My daughter is 10 and really wants to start having her own money. I am all for that but I am not just going to hand it to her. I want to start teaching her how to work for money.

How do you all do it with your kids? I was thinking of chores around the house in addition to what she does now and attach an amount to them. She can pick and choose and control her earnings.

I know some of you do this, what do you pay for and how much do you pay for it?

We don't really have outside maintenance we live on a pond and I have a service do the grass. I am allergic to it, it's got a wicked hill so she would not be able to mow it herself yet.

Any ideas for things she could do for other people or small jobs outside the house? She is very mature.

I was toying with the idea of a card making business. She is crafty and I am a professional designer so we have a studio in the house. I could make some prototypes and she could copy them and sell them at the farmers type market we have in the summer in town.

Anyone have little kids that do tis type of business?

Thanks!
Lisa

 

[dismom301930]

My DD10 is a mother's helper....kind of like a baby-sitter when the mom is home but busy with other things.

My kids have regular chores but I do pay them for things above and beyond. I give them the price before the job and they can decide if they want to do it. My favorite is when they wash all of the baseboards in my house because I hate to do that!

 

[Mixie]

Possible chores for money ideas:

Washing windows
Cleaning the garage
Raking leaves
Walking dogs
Washing/waxing the car
Reorganinzing closets
Cleaning the basement

Not just at your home, but neighbors as well.

 

[katesorad]

What about taking out trash or recycling? She can collect all of your cans and bottles ad take them to the recycling center to collect the $ from them.

I like your card making idea. I think that would not only be fun for her, but could really bring in some $, even if you sell them for $1.75 each.

If you do the route of the Farmer's Market and sell the cards, why not also have her bake homemade red velvet cupcakes or brownies ad sell them at the Farmer's Market as well?

Personally, I'd hire a neighbor kid to take out my trash, water plants while I'm out of town or just too busy to do it myself, feed the pets, spray down the driveway with a hose, help wash the car, etc. Maybe she could just advertise "general chore help" for a few dollars an hour for a few hours a week?

 

[brenalexacamp]

you could make up a list of jobs, their frequency, and a dollar amount to it.

So say 3 dollars to do a load of clothes.
Have everything sorted.

A few dollars to wash a dog- dry and clean tub after

bathroom cleaning- top to bottom-

Teach her how to do it to your specifications- leave it on the fridge and she can check off after they are done. Total to be paid on Friday-

 

[Mixie]

you could make up a list of jobs, their frequency, and a dollar amount to it.

So say 3 dollars to do a load of clothes.
Have everything sorted.

A few dollars to wash a dog- dry and clean tub after

bathroom cleaning- top to bottom-

Teach her how to do it to your specifications- leave it on the fridge and she can check off after they are done. Total to be paid on Friday-

LOL!

My DD has been doing her own laundry since she was 5, cleaning her own bath since she moved from her baby room to the spare bedroom that had it's own bathroom (maybe 7?8?), along with making her bed, sweeping and dusting her rooms, etc.

No one in my house gets paid for daily upkeep. That's just part of life!

 

[NewCrew42]

We just had to have our sweet gum tree in the front yard cut down on Monday as it started dying. I can't tell you how many of my neighbors have stopped me this week to say, "Whatever will your kids do now for money since there will not be any gumballs to pick up?"

Once, a neighborhood kid range my doorbell and asked if I would pay him $5 if he picked up a bucket of gum balls. I should have had that tree cut down a long time ago, it would have saved me a fortune!!!

 

[kylieh]

LOL!

My DD has been doing her own laundry since she was 5, cleaning her own bath since she moved from her baby room to the spare bedroom that had it's own bathroom (maybe 7?8?), along with making her bed, sweeping and dusting her rooms, etc.

No one in my house gets paid for daily upkeep. That's just part of life!

Totally agree. My DD8 gets pocket money, about AU$10/week. Her basic jobs around the house are for being part of the family. What if she doesn't need money one week, her jobs won't be done.

For DD to earn more money she will help my BIL wash his car, help with weeds (not ours,) and she's started to make jewellery from beeds and is doing ok selling it at school.

As a comparison, AU$10 = roughly US$10, in Australia it will buy 3-4 cans of coke from a petrol/gas station.

 

[tink2dw]

Dd and her friend Wanted to earn money. I bought inexpensive soda and priced it so they. Made a profit but was lower than the corner store. I think it was .75 a can. They sold out 2 to 3 hours. We had the soda on ice in a cooler. With several different kinds and a few diet. They made the money they needed for what they wanted to do.

 

[santa's surpriz]

I am not a fan of paying for the "expected" but when my dd8 goes above and beyond her normal chores I will pay her a little bonus, I keep a list and when she wants to earn money I reward her.