Fun Ways Teens Can Earn Money this Summer

If you have a driver's license you can run errands using your car, if not a bike is perfect plus you can always walk, stay in shape and enjoy the summer weather.  Imagine all the useful errands you could run for working adults, the elderly, and stay home parents in your neighborhood.  Once you decide on the services make up a flier and deliver it to the area you want to target, consider the amount of distance you feel you want to travel.  

A-List of Errands for Drivers

 I'll Do the Heavy Lifting for You! - Your Catch Phrase and Sales Pitch - Save Money on Bulk Items

Pick up grocery items that are heavy and or bulky, things women might not like carrying such as kitty litter, dog food, cases of water, soft drinks, charcoal for grilling, potting soil, bags of mulch anything of that nature. This is a great niche. These are items every household needs on a regular basis and therefore can create a repeat service giving you a steady flow of income.  

You will want to consider young mothers with babies in the community as they often have needs they go without to avoid packing up and dragging their babies or toddlers out disrupting their schedules.  It's difficult for parents to do these chores but they have a long list of things they'd love to get done and pay you for doing so. 

Do keep in mind the elder members of the community as well.  Regardless of the clients you choose, do not take others in your car or vehicle as you would be liable for any damages that may occur, you should always avoid this never making exceptions.

Make arrangements with the client as to where and when you can drop these items off.    

You will create a better list of services by asking adults you know what types of errands they would pay you to run, let them know you're doing research for summer work.  You may want to send out emails or make calls but give them time to think about it as they will come up with a better list if they sleep on it.  Arrange for a time to get back with those you call. 

You could also run grocery errands.  Get a bicycle basket for your bike and you'll be amazed at the things you can carry.  

Think about the stay home parents with young children who could benefit from a service like this.  I can't tell you the times I'd give my right arm for some items from the store if only I didn't have to pack up the kids and take them as well.  Let these parents know you're available to run errands.

Be reliable and respectful never questioning the items they ask you to pick up. If they need a box of twinkles and a bag of chips to get through a particularly difficult day don't question it or make any comments, just do it with a smile.  

Building trust with your clients will help them to trust you and use your services more. Remember what you buy for your customers should always remain confidential, you might want to include that in your sales pitch.  

For example; all jobs will remain top secret, we can smuggle in junk food without the kids knowing it!   Make sure you do that, if you have a cell phone call the client letting them know you're in the driveway with the delivery.

Host classes for ambitious teens by introducing them to the world of finance and making money grow.  

There are a few really good board games that teach you the insider secrets of the trade.

Enjoy playing games this summer with friends all the while building your money-making potential to new heights.  

You may find yourself investing the earnings from your summer job in the stock market.

Let those attending know there is a small entrance fee to pay for resources.  This can be a one-time fee and thereafter they can supply snacks etc. 

List of Benefits - The Reasons For Your Parents Should Say Yes

• The house will get cleaned up and look great for summer gatherings etc.
• Finally, you're showing responsibility and ambition, the one thing every parent knows every kid needs to succeed in life.
• The parents won't wonder about what you're doing with your time as they know about your killer plan.
• If your parents are hard-nosed about it the reason is no doubt they don't believe you will actually follow through with it.  You must prove yourself so go ahead and start with your room.  Get some boxes, you can find many behind stores on the stock day, or buy them at the UPS store, etc.
• Start taking everything out of your room you don't want and put price tags on them.  Stack the boxes neatly in the hallway outside your room so you don't get overwhelmed with stuff and your parents can see you're serious.
• Make a point to ask if it's okay to sell a few things as you go through the contents of your room, this earns trust with your parents as they learn you won't get rid of anything important without asking them first. 
• Make your room look as good as possible along the way and invite your parents in to take a look.  This will get them excited about the possibility of actually getting the house G'd up!
• Stay motivated, get this done as quickly as possible, fun awaits!

• Talk with your parents about the plan
• Buy price stickers, collect boxes and clear an area to stack the boxes of sales items
• Call around to borrow tables and clothes hanging racks, ask someone who has yard sales annually as they should have the stuff you may borrow and tips to help you succeed. 
• Start thinking about the date you plan to have the sale decide for sure once done pricing
• Write your yard sale ad for submission to Craigslist, add a basic list of items to let shoppers know what you will be selling. People have certain items in mind when they shop so it's vital to let them know or they may pass your sale up.  
• Make the signs
• Get coolers ready and start buying bottled water and soda's buy what's on sale to increase your earnings.
• Get your money box ready with someones, fives, and change.  
• Park all the cars outside the garage the night before the sale, set up the tables that fit inside the empty garage, and fill them with products, this saves time getting things out the next morning.  
• If you were lucky enough to borrow a rolling clothes rack, fill that and have it ready to.
• Set up the remaining tables you have and fill them with products.
• When people show up say hi let me know if you have any questions.  
• Many people like to talk you down on your prices, be prepared 

Organize tables to set in the driveway for a well-organized sale, this pulls people into your yard sale and makes it easier for them to see the merchandise.  This is a great opportunity to let your organizational skills soar, really show em what you've got.  

The neater and better organized your merchandise is the more people will be willing to pay for it and buy more of it.  So put some effort into this, you get out of it what you put into it. 

• Be sure to clean the items you plan to sell making them look top-notch, you get more money for things that look good.  
• You can use pre-priced tags like those to the right if you like or buy them blank adding your own prices.  
• Color coding them helps keep track of who's and gets the profit from any particular sale. Keep a notebook handy to write down the amounts sold per person as sold.
• Don't use tape or stickers that will be hard for the customer to remove, no one wants an item with a permanent or hard to remove price sticker, the stickers below are easy to remove.

• Make five or six good signs to advertise your yard sale.  
• Pick a date everyone involved can agree on and stick to it.  
• Hammer the signs to ground stakes and place one at the end of your street with arrows pointing in the right direction, this is important as drivers are more likely to stop if they see arrows pointing them easily in the direction of the sale. Add the remaining signing on the streets naturally leading to yours.
• Place a free ad on Craiglist, but do not include your phone number.  All you need do is advertise when and where, the times and days plus a list of items to be sold.  This brings traffic to your sale and increases your earnings a great deal.
• Plus, Have a few big coolers packed with bottles of water and soda on ice and sell them for $1.00 or $1.50, you will make a huge profit from these cold beverages.  Stick to bottled drinks, people feel safe about buying these. 
• Once you lay this plan out share it with your parents, showing them you mean business and can take charge of this plan is what  they need and should be thrilled to support your efforts

You and your parents will feel good about it. Everyone will be more inclined to relax and enjoy summer having friends over for laid-back fun.

It takes money to do anything in life, there's no reason to set around bored all summer long bumming because you're broke.

Find creative ways to earn money, this is a great start. The most successful people in life are ambitious, let your ambition fly.

Enjoy your own money-making home improvement project today and be ready for summer, it is just around the corner.

Enjoy Your Success, Katie