50 Fantastic Ways for Teens to Make Money

If you’re looking for ways for teens to make money, this list is for you. When you’re doing a job for someone, you’ll not only gain financially, you’ll learn incredibly important life skills for teens.

Luckily, you don’t have to wait until you can secure a traditional part-time job to earn some much needed cash. There are unlimited ways that you can make your own income.

Whether you’re interested in kick starting a side business or just want to earn some extra spending money, these 50 ideas will help you discover how to make money as a teen.

If you're looking for how to make money as a tween or teen, this list is for you. Luckily, you don't have to wait until you can secure a traditional part-time job to earn some much needed cash. There are unlimited ways that you can make your own income. #teensmakemoney #teenentrepreneur #kidsjobs #teens #tweens #middleschool #lifeskills #educationpossible

This post contains affiliate links.

*I want to put a huge disclaimer here for all tweens and teens. Before you put yourself out there to make money, whether it’s online or in person, make sure you’ve talked to your parents about safety and set up some guidelines. Have your parents monitor your online presence/activity and never meet up with strangers in person alone. Consider pairing up with a friend or sibling or have a parent tag along if you’re working for someone you don’t know very well.

Ways Teens Can Make Cash

Make Money Online

  • Become a Youtuber – I’m sure you know at least one young person who has made a lot of money through their Youtube channel. Why shouldn’t that be you?
  • Blogging –  Why not start a blog or vlog? You can make money by sharing products that you love (called affiliate marketing) or by selling products that you create. Blogging is a great way for you to creatively share your thoughts and expertise. Maybe your mom will even let you count it as a class credit!
  • Digital Photography – If you like to take pictures, consider selling your photos to the stock sites. Online marketing is image driven, so those who make money online are constantly looking for quality images that they can use.
  • Freelance Jobs – Check out Fiverr to see the vast number of online freelance jobs that are out there. See if your talents and passion match up with any of them.
  • Graphic Design – There is a wide variety of graphic design work out there. From printable creation, logos, eBook covers, web design, the list is long. If you know how to do some graphic design, you can take on freelance jobs.
  • Social Media – I’m guessing that you spend time on social media. By using these platforms with purpose (instead of just checking in with friends), you can build your following and attract brands and affiliates (companies who pay you to mention/share their brand).
  • Surveys – If you are like most teens, you have opinions about everything. Turn those thoughts into money by signing up for some survey sites.
  • Website Creation – There are people who want to blog, but don’t want to mess with setting up a website. If you can learn the basics of website design, you can definitely make money helping people who don’t have the desire or time to do it on their own. Here’s a tip – take what you learn from setting up your own blog and go from there.

Do Some Physical Labor

  • Clean Carpets – Cleaning the carpets is another chore that homeowners put off and will happily pay someone to do. If your family doesn’t own their own machine, consider lining up a few clients over a period of time and rent a machine.
  • Clean Gutters – In the fall and spring, grab a ladder and go around cleaning out the gutters in your neighborhood.
  • Clean Houses – If you’re someone who likes to keep things neat and clean, consider cleaning houses. Like to clean, but don’t want to commit to a full house? Ask to clean the bathrooms and kitchen. If you’re not looking for a weekly or monthly commitment, offer to perform a deep cleaning once a quarter or spring cleaning.
  • Odd Jobs – If you’re willing to do the labor, there are plenty of people who have odd jobs that they are willing to pay you to do. Ask people you know if they have any odd jobs you could do for them or search online on Craigslist, the Nextdoor app, or your town’s Facebook group.
  • Painting – Ask to paint fences, baseboards, walls, houses, or the inside of garages. If your neighborhood allows it, grab some stencils and a bucket of paint and go around offering to paint your neighbor’s house numbers on their curb.
  • Power Wash – Power wash siding, driveways, decks, patios, and windows. If your family doesn’t own their own machine, consider lining up a few clients over a period of time and rent a machine.
  • Rental Turn Over – Check with local management companies to see if you can work with them cleaning out houses/apartments to get them ready for new tenants.
  • Wash Cars –  Offer to wash cars for neighbors in their driveway. Consider taking it a step further and offer detailing services to make even more money.
  • Window Washing – Washing windows (inside and outside) is a chore that many homeowners put off, so you could probably find quite a few people willing to pay you to take care of theirs.
  • Yard Work – Mow or edge lawns, trim hedges, rake leaves, or pull weeds.

If you're looking for how to make money as a tween or teen, this list is for you. Luckily, you don't have to wait until you can secure a traditional part-time job to earn some much needed cash. There are unlimited ways that you can make your own income. #teensmakemoney #teenentrepreneur #kidsjobs #teens #tweens #middleschool #lifeskills #educationpossible

Look at Your Talents/Passions

  • Fix or Build Computers – Do you love to tinker around with computers? People are always searching for people to help them fix their computers (and smartphones). If you’re especially talented, start building computers to sell. There are many buyers who would love to get a computer that’s been built to their specific specs.
  • Golf – Find and clean lost golf balls and resell them to golfers.
  • Host a Mini Summer Camp or Preschool Story Time – For those teens who like kids, consider creating a little summer camp for younger kids that runs during the week for a couple of hours. Plan a craft, snack, and some games and you’ll have a fun filled morning for the kids while offering parents a much needed break. It’s a great way to expand your babysitting business because you can watch more than one family’s child at a time. Teens looking to run something like this more often should think about starting a preschool story time. It’s the same concept as the camp, except you can offer it once a week for a set number of weeks.
  • Page at a Local Coin Show – Both of my girls make money by helping the dealers during our local coin show. They’re basically gophers, tasked with loading cases in, cleaning cases, getting coffee and lunches, and handing out flyers. The dealers tip them to perform these tasks.
  • Sell Organic Eggs – If you already raise chickens or are in location where you can have them, sell their eggs.
  • Serving – See if your church is willing to let you work to earn money toward a church trip you want to take. Right now, both of my girls are working various events at our church to earn money for their summer camp.
  • Set Up Electronics – You know how to set up anything electronic so help those who struggle getting their technology to work, especially the elderly.
  • Teach a Sport – If you are skilled in a particular sport, offer private lessons for people who are looking to learn or simply want to improve their game.
  • Tutor – If you are skilled in a particular school subject, start a tutoring business.
  • Umpire or Referee – I’ve known a number of teens who made a lot of money working games and our local soccer leagues are always looking for referees.

Make Money by Reducing Clutter

  • Sell Books – Consider selling any books you’ve already read or even any school books you’re done with. You can look up your books on Bookscouter and immediately see how much different used book websites would be willing to pay you.
  • Sell Your Clothes – If there is one thing that most teens have an abundance of, it’s clothes. Go through your closet and sell items you don’t wear or want any more.
  • Sell Your Stuff – What about all the other stuff you don’t need? Have a garage sale or sell it on OfferUp, Craigslist, or eBay.

Use Your Creativity

  • Crafts – If you’re crafty, make something that can be sold. Make jewelry, sew blankets, create homemade soap, etc. Get a table at your local farmer’s market or sell your items online at websites like Etsy, Craigslist, eBay.
  • Dog Treats – Make and sell organic dog treats.
  • Face Painting – Learn how to face paint and set up a booth at your local farmer’s market or look to use your skills as part of the entertainment for children’s birthday parties.
  • Flea Market Flips – Are you handy or can you turn trash into treasure? If so, turn your skills into money. Check out garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, Craig’s List, and the curb for free or inexpensive items that you can fix, clean, paint, or polish to resell.
  • Sell Flowers – Find a place that sells flowers wholesale and buy some to sell on major holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
  • T-Shirts – Create designs for t-shirts and sell them.

If you're looking for how to make money as a tween or teen, this list is for you. Luckily, you don't have to wait until you can secure a traditional part-time job to earn some much needed cash. There are unlimited ways that you can make your own income. My teens are already doing a couple ideas on the list. What one is your teen excited about? #teensmakemoney #teenentrepreneur #kidsjobs #teens #tweens #middleschool #lifeskills #educationpossible

Work With Others in Their Homes

  • Babysitting – This is a great first job for teens. Consider taking a Red Cross babysitting course if you can. It will give you practical skills and make you more marketable.
  • Do Extra Chores – Ask your parents if there are any chores above and beyond your regular duties that you can do to make some extra money. Look back over this list and see if you can do any of these items for them.
  • Holiday Decorations – Put up and take down holiday decorations for people. There is a great need for this, especially hanging and removing Christmas lights.
  • House Sitting – Put your neighbor’s mind at ease by offering to watch over their house while they’re away. You can bring in the mail, check for packages, water plants, turn on lights, or anything else they need.
  • Meal Prep – Do you love to cook? Many families don’t have time to make delicious homemade dinners, so come up with a few delicious recipes that you can make and deliver to them. You can do a batch cooking day on the weekend and give them a set number of meals that they can just heat up during the week.
  • Mother’s Helper – Unlike traditional babysitting, a parent usually stays home when you’re working as a mother’s helper. You might be asked to play with the kids, but you’ll probably be asked to do a variety of other tasks like folding laundry, washing dishes, vacuuming, and making lunches.
  • Organize/Declutter – If you enjoy a clean and ordered environment, offer to help others take control of their clutter. It could involve a closet, garage, pantry, old photographs, etc.
  • Pet Grooming – Some dogs get stressed when they go to the groomer, so if you wash pets in their own homes, you’re offering a valuable service.
  • Pet Sitting – Pet owners often prefer to have their pets stay at home rather than putting them in a kennel when they’re away. So start a pet sitting business to take care of people’s pets in their home or yours when they’re out of town.
  • Pooper Scooper – There are plenty of people who would pay you to clean up the dog poop from their yard.
  • Walking Dogs – If you love dogs, offer to walk your neighbor’s dog. You can set up a regular appointment (especially if the owner works) or do it occasionally.

And last, but not least, if you’re an older teen, consider getting a traditional part-time job. Think about becoming a lifeguard, working at the local movie theater, bussing tables, or working in fast food. Anything to get your foot in the door and gain experience. Not old enough for those? What about getting a paper route?

As you can see, there are a wide variety of avenues for you to make money as a tween or teen. Just work hard and be creative. Jump in and get started!

Important Personal Finance Fundamentals Teens Need to Know

My husband and I have put together some other things that we are doing in our family to make sure our girls become financially literate – personal finance fundamentals.

Other Money Management Skills for Teens

Additional Money Resources:

Teens – how are you earning money?

Megan Zechman
I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.
Megan Zechman
Megan Zechman
Megan Zechman

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