Buzz
Looking to make some extra cash? While you may be too young to hold a traditional job, there are plenty of simple household tasks you can do for money. Learn which chores are ideal for earning, and discover how to ask for payment and keep track of your work.
Steps
Performing Chores
Clean the house. Want to make an impact around your home? Start by cleaning! It's a task you can do year-round, and if you do it well enough, you can ask to get paid. Have a conversation with your parents about taking on cleaning tasks in different rooms for money.
- Start by cleaning your own room. It's usually your responsibility, but having it tidy could open up opportunities to do other tasks for pay.
- Bathrooms, living rooms, and kitchens are always in need of cleaning and often become dirty quickly.
- Consider less-frequented spaces, such as the attic, garage, or sheds. These may not need cleaning often, but once or twice a year could be a great opportunity to offer your services for a fee.
Take on additional simple household tasks. There are plenty of basic chores you can learn to do (if you don't already know them), and possibly get paid for completing them. Here are some common chores you might be able to offer your help with for a fee:
Take on outdoor tasks during spring and summer. When the weather's nice, why not get outside and earn money at the same time? Summer offers plenty of outdoor chores to take care of around the yard, driveway, or even your neighborhood:
- Try hand-washing a car or offering to wash your parents' vehicles.
- Set up a lemonade stand during hot days.
- Walk dogs for your neighbors.
- Offer babysitting services during summer vacation, especially for families nearby.
- Mow lawns in your neighborhood.
- Tend to the garden, from planting to pruning vegetables.
Handle yard work in the fall. As autumn sets in, there are plenty of outdoor chores to help keep your household and neighborhood in order. If you have a yard, talk to your parents about caring for it in preparation for winter. Some great fall tasks include:
- Cleaning out gutters
- Trimming bushes
- Raking leaves
- Picking up sticks, acorns, or other yard debris
Offer your help with winter jobs. When the cold weather and holidays come around, there are many opportunities to earn money by helping out around the house or your neighborhood. You can assist with decorating, bringing in firewood, or clearing away snow.
- Shovel snow from driveways, especially in snowy areas. It's hard work, but it pays well. You could also remove ice from cars in the mornings.
- Offer to shovel driveways for your neighbors or scrape their cars for them.
- Consider delivering groceries to elderly neighbors or simply checking in on them during the cold months.
Offer your skills with computers. If you're tech-savvy, there may be opportunities to earn money by doing computer-related tasks that you enjoy. Rather than focusing on traditional chores, help your parents or neighbors with their tech needs in exchange for payment.
- Teach older adults how to use computers. Show them how to power on, use the keyboard, and navigate the internet.
- Help people create and manage email accounts, allowing them to stay in touch with family and friends.
- Assist in setting up social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Show others how to get started, make connections, and share updates or photos.
Getting Paid
Talk to your parents about payment. If you're looking to get paid for your chores, your first conversation should be with your parents. Sit down with them when they're free and explain which tasks you plan on doing and ask if they'll compensate you for them.
- If they decline, ask them what tasks they would be willing to pay you for. Maybe you haven’t picked enough challenging chores or enough of them to earn money.
- They may also want to know why you need the money and what you'll spend it on. Be ready with a good answer—something like, "I just want to learn how to earn money myself," is always a good response. They'll appreciate that.
Look for other clients, if possible. While your parents are an obvious first choice, consider expanding your client base to neighbors, elderly people in your community, individuals from your school or church, and others nearby who might need help with chores.
- However, always make sure you trust these people before agreeing to work for them. Always ask your parents for permission before offering services to someone you don't know well. Never visit a stranger's house without an adult.
Set your price. There are two main ways to determine how much to charge: a flat rate for the entire job or an hourly rate depending on how long the task takes. Larger jobs are usually better suited for hourly pay because they take more time, while smaller jobs are better priced as a one-time fee.
- For instance, if mowing a lawn takes about two hours, and you decide to charge $5 per hour, you’ll earn $10 for the job.
- On the other hand, folding laundry might take several hours, but much of it is passive time. This may be a better job to price as a one-time fee, like $10 for the entire task.
- If your parents are paying you, they might choose the price, but that's fine—just be happy you're getting paid!
Keep a record of your work. It's a good idea to have a notebook to track your chores. Write down the tasks you’ve done, how much you were paid, and the dates of completion. This will help you stay organized and keep track of your earnings.
- Once you've reached a certain amount or the scheduled payday arrives, tally up what you’ve earned from all the chores to see how much extra cash you've accumulated.
- You may also want to take pictures of your completed work with your phone for proof. If you can show, "Here’s what the room looked like before I cleaned, and here’s the after shot," it will help confirm you’ve done the work and deserve your payment.
Do quality work. If you want to turn chores into a paid gig, you must take them seriously and deliver quality results. If your lawn mowing is sloppy or only half done, you won’t get paid. To earn money, you have to give it your best effort every time.
-
Try to get the person paying you out of the house. People are usually more generous when they’re not expecting to receive something in return.
-
If you already have an established chore routine for pocket money, consider asking for a raise if you take on additional tasks.
The tips in this section come from the shared experiences of Mytour readers like you. If you have a useful suggestion to add, feel free to share it in the submission field below.
- Consider using a kid-friendly chore/debit card app like GoHenry or Greenlight. These apps let you track your chores, earn money, and learn how to manage your finances responsibly.
- When you're starting out, practice your skills, especially for tasks like lawn mowing or customer-facing roles. Rehearse how you'll interact with clients to sound more professional.
- For grandparents or seniors, offer help with cleaning, yard work, or even small projects like artwork. Their appreciation and kindness can often lead to unexpected payment.
- Vary your chore requests rather than sticking to a fixed list. Asking to take on extra tasks from time to time shows initiative and can earn you bigger tips.
- Before setting your price, do some research to find out what reasonable rates are. Asking for too much or too little can cost you the job, so try to find a balanced rate.
- Once you're hired, try your best to remember and complete tasks on your own. Constantly needing reminders can annoy employers and risk losing your payment.
Warnings
- Ask the person who will be paying you (such as your mom, dad, etc.) to review the pricing for the chores and confirm whether they agree with the rates.
