Getting a job as a teenager is easier said than done. Sometimes there’s just no time for it because of extracurriculars and homework. Some parents don’t want their kids working yet or would not be able to drive them to work. Whatever the case, this does not mean making money is impossible! In fact, there are many ways to make a decent amount of money with minimal effort: side hustles. Side hustles are technically considered a supplementary source of income for working adults but they can also work as a primary source of income for teenagers. I’ve tried quite a few and all of them were great experiences. In this blog post, I will be sharing some of the best options for teenagers.
Babysitting/Petsitting: Starting off with one of the most popular options, looking after pets or kids is a great way to make money. Families will often offer to give their babysitter rides home after the job and most will not require too much prior experience watching children. If you know families with children, ask them if they need a babysitter! It is recommended to learn CPR and get certified for it before working your first babysitting job. If you are not great with kids, being a pet sitter for neighbors is also a good option. It will not pay quite as well but walking a dog can be a lot easier than taking care of kids. In my experience, babysitting can be hard work, depending on the kid, but it is super rewarding! I could get work done while the child slept and I got paid well. The downsides of babysitting, for me, were getting home pretty late on weekdays and not getting asked to babysit often enough.
Selling Clothes: Selling your old clothing requires little effort but can make you a good amount of money. Most teenagers have a ton of clothing sitting in the back of their closet that could be sold to someone new. Not only is this an easy way to make money, but it is also environmentally friendly! The best place to do this is online on websites like Depop, Poshmark, and Vinted. It only takes a couple of minutes to take a photo of an old shirt and list it online at a reasonable price. I have sold multiple clothing items on Depop, at pretty low prices, and it is one of the easiest methods I have used to make money. However, my friends have tried the same thing and sold nothing. It is important to use keywords, take good photos of the clothing, and sell it for less than you bought it for. Some people turn this into a real job by reselling clothing for twice the price they buy it for at places like Goodwill. This can be a great way to make money if you consistently list clothing, but it does take more time than selling clothes you already own.
Online Surveys/Games: Filling out surveys or playing/testing video games is one of the easiest ways to make some extra money. There are a ton of websites and apps for this! All that you have to do is fill out surveys that you qualify for and you will gain money for each one you take. However, I would not recommend it to someone trying to make a good amount of money. It makes you very little for the minutes you’ll spend answering the most boring questions known to man. For more information, see my post Can You Truly Make Money Answering Surveys?. Still, it is a good option for anyone who can’t leave their house very often and is likely the easiest of these four methods.
Social Media: Becoming an influencer or running a social media account is a lot easier than most people seem to think. Countless people have gained followers online for cooking, working out, dancing, showing their outfits, making jokes, drawing, or getting ready online. Now that every social media app has short-form content, it is much easier to go viral. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are where most people choose to do this. Influencers can get sent lots of free stuff depending on their niche and will make money through sponsorships and the creator fund. Although I never tried to monetize it, I went semi-viral on TikTok in middle school three times. One of those times was for posting rabbit music videos. Any teenager is just as capable of going viral with minimal effort. Make sure to be careful about what you post on your account and never share any important personal information!
These four ways of making money are just a few of many! Doing a combination of a few might be the best option considering the small amount of time each one takes. It is best to talk to a parent or guardian before deciding on one, especially when it comes to social media and babysitting.
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