Mowing Lawns Equivalent

[LiveLean]

One of my life-defining experiences was mowing 4-6 lawns on a weekly basis between the ages of 11 and 16. I ran a small business, learned to budget time and money and, most importantly, understood at a young age what my time/labor translated into in terms of buying power -- and the importance of saving. As I considered purchases, I always thought, "Hmmm. That's x lawns or x weeks of income." Not surprisingly, I grew up pretty responsible about money and, yes, pretty darned frugal. My parents were terrific MMM role models, but this lawn mowing experience was in many respects my financial education. I've spoken to a number of successful Gen X-and-older guys I know who also point to their years mowing lawns.

I want my sons (ages 12 and 9) to have a comparable lawn-mowing experience. Of course, when was the last time you saw a tween or teenager mowing lawns? In our area, like most, lawn companies knock out lawns in 10-15 minutes with a four-man crew. A kid and his mower is not going to compete. Our guys are year-round competitive swimmers, which limits their time, but does open up possibilities like teaching swim lessons. Any thoughts?

I know teenagers who have become tech whizzes and serve as tutors. I'm looking for something with an entrepreneurial bent, not just working retail or in restaurants, not that there aren't lessons to be learned there. 

[AllieVaulter]

Maybe dogwalking?  I'm really curious to hear what other say as well.

[Cromacster]

Maybe dogwalking?  I'm really curious to hear what other say as well.

Dog walking or poop scooping could be a good option.  I think the "Pro" poop scoopers charge something like 10-14$ a time plus additional for multiple dogs in my neck of the woods.  Roughly translate to $60/hr at the low end, assuming 10 minutes to clear a yard for 10$.

Also, for lawn mowing.  A good case for your kids to make would be money and quality.  I don't know what pro services charge, but I'd imagine it's more than the 20-30 your kid might charge.  I've seen the jobs these pro services do and I personally would never pay for it.  Hack and slash job just to get it done fast.

Gardening is another one.  Whether it just be weeding, watering, and keeping things tidy to full on landscaping and planting.  I did a few landscaping projects in my neighborhood as a teenager.  Granted these were one off's, not regular, and took up multiple weekends.  Currently my sister does gardening from planning, planting, care, etc for some high end homes as a side gig on the weekends.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Could shovel snow in the winter.

My son (14 years old) cleared some driveways in the last snow storm. Made a decent amount of money for a few hours work.

[Leanthree]

Officiate youth sports. I started reffing 10 year-old basketball at 13, 11/12 year-old baseball at 14 and u/14 year old roller hockey at 16. I did baseball until I graduated from college. My younger brother did baseball as well once he turned 13 so it was fun to do games together.

It paid about $10 an hour (in the year 2000) when I started and $25 an hour 5 years later, had room for advancement (e.g. home plate umpire made more than the field umpire), taught me how to handle myself around adults when on my own, and was a good college resume builder. Baseball was outside so it was my favorite. All of them were very fun. We only had to be one year older than the players but that may vary from league to league

It isn't for every kid as from time to time they will be yelled at by the occasional coach or parent but those are also moments that build confidence for many. Learning to ignore some smart-ass 11 year old upset about a safe/out call is a good skill for life. Most confrontations are far more civilized, with a coach calmly asking if there was a chance the other umpire had a better view of the play, or discussing what to do about a ball that rolls under a broken gate in the outfield fence.

[Zette]

Also, for lawn mowing.  A good case for your kids to make would be money and quality.  I don't know what pro services charge, but I'd imagine it's more than the 20-30 your kid might charge.  I've seen the jobs these pro services do and I personally would never pay for it.  Hack and slash job just to get it done fast.

You'd be surprised.  In San Diego you can get a "mow and blow" of your front lawn (they tend to be small here) by a crew of 2 people for $15.  Often the workers don't speak English, and there is a guy they work for who does.

[Donovan]

Agreed with the dog walking and poop scooping ideas. Also, dog sitting. My little BIL (16 now) has been doing this for years and has several clients who only use him for vacations and one client who pays him all summer to go over around lunch time just for a feed + play session.  I think he charges $10 a visit, for about 30 minutes of mostly fun work.

It probably doesn't pay as much as some others, but I'd say it would be nice in a portfolio of services that they offer :)

[4alpacas]

One of my life-defining experiences was mowing 4-6 lawns on a weekly basis between the ages of 11 and 16. I ran a small business, learned to budget time and money and, most importantly, understood at a young age what my time/labor translated into in terms of buying power -- and the importance of saving. As I considered purchases, I always thought, "Hmmm. That's x lawns or x weeks of income." Not surprisingly, I grew up pretty responsible about money and, yes, pretty darned frugal. My parents were terrific MMM role models, but this lawn mowing experience was in many respects my financial education. I've spoken to a number of successful Gen X-and-older guys I know who also point to their years mowing lawns.

I want my sons (ages 12 and 9) to have a comparable lawn-mowing experience. Of course, when was the last time you saw a tween or teenager mowing lawns? In our area, like most, lawn companies knock out lawns in 10-15 minutes with a four-man crew. A kid and his mower is not going to compete. Our guys are year-round competitive swimmers, which limits their time, but does open up possibilities like teaching swim lessons. Any thoughts?

Lifeguarding
Teaching group and individual swim lessons
Coaching

[AllieVaulter]

There's also newspaper routes.  It's not super entrepreneurial, but they do have to collect money which can be a good skill for kids to develop.  Although...  my experience with paper routes is over 15 years out of date.  People might pay online now.

[jaye_p]

- Teaching swimming lessons sounds right up their alley.
- Dogsitting (dog walking might be hard to break into, depending on how many adult dog walkers you have operating in your neighborhood - but it also depends on how many community contacts you have in your neighborhood, and how much you can call on them to get dog walking jobs for your kids)
- Child sitting (for the 12-year-old)?  I started babysitting when I was 11, as did most of my friends, and it was a great experience for us.
- Yard/garden work (weeding, breaking up sticks for yard waste bags, pruning bushes, etc. - the kind of thing that most people don't hire grownups to do, but also often dislike doing themselves)

[kudy]

I grew and sold pumpkins (my parents had a spare field).

I also sold in-game resources/money in massively multiplayer video games when I was a teenager... I think the Chinese have completely taken over this market though.

[GizmoTX]

House "sitting" while neighbors are away: water the plants, take care of any pets, maintenance weeding & yard care, pick up any trash, walk the entire house for any problems, like a burst hose or water heater, & check the locks & windows. DS did this for vacant houses for sale in our neighborhood.

[Bob W]

Door to door sales.   There are programs set up for this.   You would have to research it.   My daughter just turned 13 so I'm interested in some ideas myself.     

The appeal is "I'm selling x in order to earn money to go to college."   People love helping other people and if the product is decent they will buy it.

It is also very flexible and has the advantage of learning transferrable sales skills. 

My 7 year old sold $600 in cub scout popcorn over 3 days recently.   I hated it mostly because the scouts keep 70% of the sales and the product was way over priced.   

But I could see a kid selling something useful (LED bulbs?  Green cleaning products?  Kids books?  Republic Wireless services?) and making very good money. 

[LadyStache]

Door to door sales.   There are programs set up for this.   You would have to research it.   My daughter just turned 13 so I'm interested in some ideas myself.     

This isn't the safest idea unless a parent is willing to supervise.

[mama]

Babysitting.

[Bob W]

Door to door sales.   There are programs set up for this.   You would have to research it.   My daughter just turned 13 so I'm interested in some ideas myself.     

This isn't the safest idea unless a parent is willing to supervise.

Good point --

What could be more dangerous than mowing lawns?  Damn near cut my foot off on more than one occasion.  Still I see your point with all the weirdos out there.  We'll definitely have to have a safety class prior to the 13 year old 5'10" 180 lb daughter (yeah, big) getting into this.   We would definitely focus on neighborhoods with nice houses and money of course.   Probably would want to put a panic button on her cell phone as well.    Yeah and Dad would probably never be more than 100 yards away for the first year. 

Thanks for the reminder on child safety and jobs.   Many can be very dangerous. 

[TrMama]

Door to door sales.   There are programs set up for this.   You would have to research it.   My daughter just turned 13 so I'm interested in some ideas myself.     

This isn't the safest idea unless a parent is willing to supervise.

Good point --

What could be more dangerous than mowing lawns?  Damn near cut my foot off on more than one occasion.  Still I see your point with all the weirdos out there.  We'll definitely have to have a safety class prior to the 13 year old 5'10" 180 lb daughter (yeah, big) getting into this.  We would definitely focus on neighborhoods with nice houses and money of course.   Probably would want to put a panic button on her cell phone as well.    Yeah and Dad would probably never be more than 100 yards away for the first year. 

Thanks for the reminder on child safety and jobs.   Many can be very dangerous.

We live in one of those neighbourhoods. I, and all of my neighbours, have gotten so tired of people knocking on our door, looking for a handout from the gigantic pile of cash we keep in the entryway, that we no longer answer the door.

[h2ogal]

The BEST thing my sons and nephews did for thier future careers was to get Lifeguard/Ski Instructor Certifications.

Their skills were always in demand.
While other kids were paid minimum wage, they earned way above that.
Teaching swim and ski to younger kids taught them leadership and responsibility.
The got a lot of respect from peers and adults.
They became and stayed very fit.
Looks great on a resume and on a college application.
Got them free and easy ways to go to Camp/Travel in summer.
Made great social connections.

[LiveLean]

The BEST thing my sons and nephews did for thier future careers was to get Lifeguard/Ski Instructor Certifications.

Their skills were always in demand.
While other kids were paid minimum wage, they earned way above that.
Teaching swim and ski to younger kids taught them leadership and responsibility.
The got a lot of respect from peers and adults.
They became and stayed very fit.
Looks great on a resume and on a college application.
Got them free and easy ways to go to Camp/Travel in summer.
Made great social connections.

I appreciate everyone's input. Lifeguarding seems like the best idea, especially since our guys are year-round competitive swimmers and we're surrounded by water. And since most everyone here (Central Florida) has a pool, I'm thinking they could charge $25/hour for babysitting/swim lessons.