15 Odd Jobs You Did as a Kid to Make Extra Cash
Making extra cash as a kid meant doing odd jobs that were a little weird but totally worth it.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 5 min read
Back in the day, kids didn’t have apps or side hustles; they worked, plain and simple. From mowing lawns to selling handmade crafts, every dollar felt like a jackpot. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember the odd ways we earned our tiny fortunes.
1. Lawn Mowing
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Grabbing a rusty old mower and pushing it around the neighborhood was a rite of passage. You smelled like gas and grass for the rest of the day, but that five-dollar bill felt like a paycheck from heaven. Some neighbors even tossed in a lemonade as a bonus. Cutting crooked lines was part of the charm.
2. Babysitting
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There you were, a twelve-year-old trusted with actual living humans. You got paid to microwave mac and cheese, play board games, and occasionally yell, “Stop jumping off the couch!” It was chaotic, terrifying, and somehow the best gig ever. Plus, you got first dibs on all the snacks.
3. Dog Walking
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Getting dragged down the sidewalk by someone else’s overexcited poodle was just part of the deal. Every tangled leash and muddy paw print was a small price for pocket money. You learned pretty fast that not all dogs cared about your plans. Sometimes you were walking them, sometimes they were walking you.
4. Car Washing
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Armed with a sponge and a dream, you promised a “professional” car wash for five bucks. It usually ended in soapy puddles, water fights, and missed spots. Still, parents and neighbors smiled and paid up like you were running a luxury service. The real win was getting to spray your siblings with the hose.
5. Selling Lemonade
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The classic lemonade stand was less about thirst and more about cuteness marketing. You spent two dollars on supplies and made fifty cents in profit, but you felt like a business tycoon. Half your customers just stopped because they felt sorry for you. The other half came because your sign was hilariously misspelled.
6. Raking Leaves
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Fall meant drowning in a sea of crunchy, endless leaves. You raked, bagged, and somehow still had more leaves blowing in your face five minutes later. It was sweaty, itchy work, but that crumpled cash in your pocket made it worth it. Plus, you got to dive into the piles before cleaning up.
7. Shoveling Snow
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Nothing said “entrepreneur” like hauling a too-big shovel around the block at six in the morning. You froze your toes off clearing driveways, but people paid big for a clean sidewalk. Sometimes they tipped you with cocoa instead of cash, and somehow that felt just as good. Snow days meant payday.
8. Paper Route
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Throwing newspapers at front doors was an Olympic sport, and you were the reigning champion. Rain, snow, or vicious Chihuahuas, you kept those papers moving. Folding them into tight rolls was an art you mastered by sheer necessity. Yes, Sunday editions weighed more than you did.
9. Collecting Cans
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You learned early that one man’s trash was another kid’s treasure. Digging through recycling bins for soda cans was dirty, smelly work, but five cents a pop added up fast. It taught you hustle, grit, and to always carry hand sanitizer. Plus, you became weirdly good at spotting aluminum from twenty feet away.
10. Pet Sitting
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Taking care of someone’s hamster or fish for a week felt like running a tiny zoo. You checked food, cleaned cages, and prayed nothing died on your watch. Most pets survived, and you walked away a little richer and much more anxious. You still cannot hear a hamster wheel without feeling nervous.
11. Helping at Garage Sales
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Setting up tables, folding ancient sweaters, and convincing strangers that someone’s junk was pure gold was part of the gig. You earned tips for hauling heavy boxes and making change without messing it up. Bonus points if you managed to sell a cracked vase for a dollar. Haggling made you feel like a mini Wall Street broker.
12. Weeding Gardens
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Getting paid to rip plants out of the dirt sounds glamorous, right? You crouched in the hot sun, battling roots like they were villains in a bad action movie. Neighbors paid in cash, lemonade, or sometimes cookies, which honestly felt like a fair deal. You learned fast that weeds have no mercy.
13. Running Errands
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Parents and neighbors trusted you to walk to the corner store and pick up milk, bread, or the occasional mystery item. You clutched that change like it was gold and triple-checked the shopping list in fear of forgetting something. Running errands felt like being sent on a grand quest. Plus, you sometimes kept the change if you were lucky.
14. Making Crafts to Sell
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Friendship bracelets, beaded keychains, and weird painted rocks were your first “products.” Craft fairs, family events, or even just pestering neighbors made you a few dollars richer. Every lopsided craft was sold with more enthusiasm than skill. You were basically Etsy before Etsy was cool.
15. Helping at Family Businesses
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If your family owned a shop, restaurant, or farm, you were an unpaid intern long before internships were a thing. You stocked shelves, handed out menus, or ran errands for “experience” and tips. Half the time, you barely knew what you were doing, but you showed up anyway. Secretly, you felt pretty important.