If your child is not yet old enough for a typical part time job but mature and responsible enough for making money, there are plenty of ways they can get started! This summer, they can supplement their allowance, tuck money into savings, or build up their comic book collection.
Some ideas I have gathered are traditional money makers and others are new needs in this modern busy world we live in.
Your little entrepreneur is sure to find something in this list of 10 ideas they can do this summer to make money! These are fantastic ways to teach responsibility, money management, and many other life skills in a real life setting.
Set Up a Lemonade Stand
The good old stand by money maker of yesterday can still be a great operation now to draw in kids and adults alike . A sweet and simple lemonade stand is a good way to teach your child some money making skills, a new recipe, persistence, marketing, and more. Set them up at the end of the driveway or a local park.
Making Crafts
Kids who like to make anything like duct tape wallets, friendship bracelets, watercolor paintings, doll clothes, pot holders, necklaces, etc.. can turn it into a little business to build up their funds. They can be sold to friends, family, and neighbors or even setup on an Etsy storefront, brought to craft shows or similar venues.
Try Craftsy!
If you're looking for some craft ideas, try a Craftsy membership for only $2.49 your first year! There are a whole ton of craft videos you can watch!
Being a Babysitter/mother's helper
If your child is old enough they can advertise for independent babysitting but even younger children, probably at least 8 or 9, who enjoy younger children can be a mothers helper keeping the kids occupied, making lunch, and playing with the children while mom does other tasks.
By Mowing/Pulling Weeds
Children make fantastic helpers in the yard and no doubt you have a neighbor or two who can use a little help with the mowing or pulling weeds from the flower bed. Since growing season is in the summer but many people still have to work they extra hand is appreciated.
Bring in Mail/Newspapers/Water Plants
Summer is prime vacation time and people are often looking for someone to bring in the mail, gather newspapers, and water the plants while they are gone and this is a great job for kids to get them started on responsibility and money making. You can accompany younger children and let older children go on their own.
Pooper Scooper
Those with dogs in fenced in yards frequently need to clear it all out, and it's a job no one likes. But turning it into a money maker is a win win for both sides. Invest in bags and a long handled scoop (that your child can pay back in payments) and let them give a hand while filling their pockets.
Having a Yard Sale
When I can make money AND clean out the clutter it is a very good day indeed. Enlist the kids help sorting out knick knacks as well as clothes and toys no longer wanted/needed and have a yard sale. Let them do the majority of the work including setup, taking money, and handling customers.
Washing cars
Double duty jobs are the best! Kids can cool off and have fun while earning cash for movies, toys, and more. Car washing is a need and it seems especially during the summer when bugs, dust, and pollen are at a high! They can make signs, pass out fliers, and offer deals to get the word of mouth going around the neighborhood.
Pet sitting/Walking Dogs
While everyone is vacationing without their pets a great need is someone to come several times a day to walk and play with the dogs, clean kitty litter, feed fish, and similar tasks or while they are at work instead of paying big bucks for a doggie daycare.
Starting seeds
If your child has a green thumb (or wants to find theirs) you can have them start seeds or make cuttings for plants and sell them. Many people just don’t have the time and getting a hold of organic plants without pesticides can be difficult. Serve a need and make money by starting butterfly plants and veggies to sell in the neighborhood. You can also advertise on local Facebook groups (meeting in public place of course!)
How do your kids work to earn extra money during the summer?
Groceries. We need them and we have to buy them. Yet, while they are a necessity, do you find that you have quite a high grocery bill? Are you frustrated by that fact? There are ways to keep grocery costs down and I'm about to reveal my secrets that will help fix your problem.
You might be feeling as though there's no possible way to lower your grocery bill. But, I'm of the mindset that our grocery bill is one of the most flexible bills we have to pay. There is no set monthly bill that a grocery store sends our way, unlike the phone company. We make the call on how much our bill will be each time we stop at the store.
Shop your Pantry
Before you even head to the grocery store, peruse your pantry shelves to see how many ingredients you already have that will help you put together as many meals as possible. Take inventory. Every once in a while I like to dedicate a week or two to shopping from my pantry. On those weeks, I literally only spend about $30 on dairy products and fresh fruits & veggies. Simply because I'm making an effort to use what I already have on hand. This is a great way to ensure that you don't spend money you didn't have to, and that you don't find good food that has expired.
Have a Meal Plan
I'm a huge fan of meal planning. Like, huge! Every week, I try to have 5 dinners planned out by Sunday evening. Five, because one night we usually eat out and Sundays are spent at my parents. I plan dinners only because lunch usually consists of dinner leftovers and breakfast is a rotation of oatmeal/peanut butter toast/pancakes/French toast/and eggs, each always served with fruit.
This works for us because usually the same things get marked down on the list and I know what each item generally costs. This makes our bill fairly consistent, since there's usually only a few "not usual" items needing to be purchased.
Check out The Meal Planner! I created the printable Meal planner to help make meal planning and saving money easy! The PDF includes:
18 pages
Monthly, Weekly + Daily meal planning worksheets
Meal brainstorming worksheets
Food inventory worksheets
Grocery lists
Price matching worksheet
Party Planning worksheet
Shop the flyer sales
I'll admit and say that shopping the store sales and planning meals around those sales is not my strongest trait. But often times if there's an item on sale that I know we'll use in the near future, I will buy at least a couple. (Chicken is on sale this week so I'll probably buy at least four packages to get us through to the next sale.) If you can get good at planning your meals around what's on sale each week, you'll be saving a ton!
Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast is cheaper than dinner. There are usually a couple of nights a month where I plan to make breakfast for dinner. Waffles with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and bacon? Yes, please! My husband also likes to make a huge batch of French toast once in a while and we put the leftovers in the freezer for super easy breakfasts.
Use rice & pasta
I like to use rice and pasta quite a bit because I find them to be so cheap! Pasta is very cheap when it's on sale. Rice, when purchased in bulk, is cheap and lasts a long time. I like to make up stir-frys once in a while using rice or pasta to serve the veggies over. (Stir-frys are also a great way to use up vegetables!) Also, I know when I make something involving rice or pasta, it'll be a hit with my toddler, and that's a win!
Eat leftovers
Growing up, I was not a big fan of leftovers. When my parents would inform me that we'll be having leftovers for dinner, I usually cringed. Now, as an adult, I LOVE leftovers! Leftovers mean one less meal I have to make during the week! More often than not, I'll actually double up on dinner just so we have extra. Most of the time we save leftovers for lunch, but occasionally we'll have a busy night that will need a super quick dinner.
Use meat substitutes
These days, I'm actually forced to use something besides meat and poultry because my daughter has decided she'll have none of it. Luckily, she loves beans, lentils and eggs, which I find to be a great grocery budget saver! There are also many other vegetables that are high in protein such as mushrooms, green peas, kale, broccoli and cauliflower that I prepare with each meal.
Use frozen vegetables
While I much prefer fresh vegetables, sometimes buying frozen vegetables can be cheaper in the long run. Especially if you find certain vegetables are always going bad before you have a chance to finish them. (That's cauliflower in our home!) I usually have a bag of mixed frozen vegetables on hand for those nights when dinner can't be made fast enough. We have also determined that steaming them makes them taste the best. They're not as soggy that way!
Use coupons
I don't use a lot of coupons, but as I mentioned above, I've stocked up on pasta (and other items) many times because of some sales and coupons I've had. I also consider paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and other household items to be grocery items and I won't buy these items unless I have a coupon. There are also some great cash back apps that I use to save even more.
Eat before you shop
This is a tip you probably hear every time someone tells you how to save money on groceries. But, I can certainly attest to its truth! Nearly each time I grocery shop hungry, I end up with extra stuff in my shopping cart. And, it's usually not healthy stuff! A bag of chips? Sure! A bottle of pop? We haven't had that in a while! I always have snacks in my purse because of my daughter, but I've been known to "share" them with her just so I'm not starving and fill our cart full of unnecessary stuff.
There you have it. My 10 Secrets to a lower grocery bill! I hope you found something helpful in this list, or at least something that inspires you!
I'd love it if you would share your tips and tricks for a lower grocery bill in the comments!
In today's fast-moving world, keeping tabs on your finances is pretty darn important if you want to stay above water. But perhaps, keeping a full on budget isn't your thing. Enter printable expense trackers: your trusty sidekick in the quest for financial proficiency.
Imagine a world where tracking your spending feels like organizing a DIY project—except this project saves you money!
These already made printable expense trackers that I have for you, come in a minimalist design so there's no confusion on what needs to be jotted down. In this freebie, you'll find 12 printable sheets - one for each month of the year.
These trackers are your personal finance cheerleaders, shouting "You got this!" as you track everything from groceries to that daily latte. By jotting down your expenses, you get a crystal-clear view of where your hard-earned cash goes. It's like shining a spotlight on your spending habits—making it easier to tweak budgets and save up for that dream vacation or rainy day fund.
Going old-school with pen and paper isn't just nostalgic; it's smart. Writing things down makes you more mindful of your money moves. It's like having a mini-financial coach nudging you towards smarter decisions—like skipping that impulse buy or renegotiating that subscription you forgot about.
Plus, these trackers are like a yearbook of your financial journey. Flip through and see how far you've come from those early days of tracking. It's not just numbers; it's your story of financial growth and savvy choices.
Best part? These trackers won't cost you a dime. They're like the best DIY project ever—free, fun, and oh-so-rewarding. Just download, print, and let the financial adventure begin!
So, whether you're plotting your escape from debt or aiming to stash away for that epic road trip, grab these printable expense trackers and make managing money as fun as finding a hidden treasure map. Your financial future will thank you for it!
This homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick) is made with only 5 simple ingredients and takes just minutes to mix up. It’s cheaper, healthier and tastes great!
Homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick)
If you are like me and looking for ways to eat healthier and save money at the same time, then you’ll love this copycat “Bisquick” mix!
It only takes minutes to make, is cheaper than buying the Bisquick brand and it doesn’t have any ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Take a look at my recipe for homemade baking mix (Bisquick)! Use it in any recipe in place of Bisquick. It's so great in casseroles, quiche, pancakes, biscuits, muffins and more.
I'm so ready for some summer fun! In fact, I'm so ready I created some summer bucket lists for you all to enjoy along with me! There are two for you to enjoy:
Have you ever made Sun Tea? It's my favourite way to enjoy iced tea in the summer! The taste of real brewed tea and endless flavour options is what gets me really excited about brewing a batch.
Sun Tea is a method of brewing tea slowly by using the heat of the sun to steep tea bags. I find it fascinating to watch the water in the glass jar slowly change colour as the sun works its magic on the tea bags. 🙂
Sun Tea is really easy to make and is very adaptable to your own personal flavour preferences.
Place in the direct sun for 3 - 5 hours, or until desired strength is reached. Remove tea bags.
Place in the fridge.
To serve: add sliced lemons, fresh mint, sweetener (honey, simple syrup, agave...etc.) if desired.
For the batch I brewed pictured below, I used 2 Ginger Peach tea bags and 6 Orange Pekoe tea bags. I added some of the Simple Syrup I featured the other day until I was happy with the sweetness. I think it tastes pretty darn good, but if I had some lemons on hand I would have added a few slices to make it perfect!
Looking for another valuable use for that KitchenAid stand mixer? How about an easy way to shred meat? It works so well to shred some cooked chicken breasts, boneless pork butt, or beef roast.
If you have ever tried to "pull" a pork shoulder with forks, you know this can take a bit of time. With the stand mixer and the normal beater attachment, you can shred a pound of cooked chicken breast straight from the slow cooker in under 30 seconds! (Tip: You can also use a hand mixer!) Take a look at this handy kitchen hack:
Here's the Easy Way to Shred Meat:
1. Take your meat straight from cooking and toss it in the mixing bowl.
2. Make sure the beater attachment is in place.
3. Raise the bowl and hit a low power setting for about 30 seconds.
4. Enjoy your shredded meat!
So you no longer need to hesitate to make recipes like chicken enchiladas, pulled pork, or beef barbecue because of this tedious job again. If you don't have a KitchenAid Mixer, here is another great reason why you might just want to take the plunge!
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Here's a bit more information:
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Participation is simple! They send you an email notification when you have a survey available. Complete the survey and earn points to be redeemed for gift cards, physical merchandise, and more.
