Money making for under 18’s

18 and under is a difficult age, because you have so much you want to buy and not enough money (apart from the bank of mum and dad). It can be very hard to find a job if you are under 16 without having a national insurance number, as you can’t be employed without one. Here are a few tips that I found helpful:

1. Part time job- Although you can’t get a full time job yet, you could look for something like a paper round: it won’t make that much money, but if you’re saving up then it will all add up. When I was 15, I got a job housekeeping at a house near me, doing general cleaning and ironing, which paid £9 an hour-it still does, as I work this job alongside my full-time one. I also did babysitting whenever I could. There are lots of odd jobs you can do for people, like washing cars, walking dogs, cutting grass etc.
2. Selling stuff- Obviously you’d have to ask your parents if you can sell your stuff, but this will be a fast way of making money. There’s lots of websites and apps available for this (eBay, Gumtree, Depop) but most of them charge to post your ads. Facebook marketplace is a good way to sell, as they don’t charge and it is all done over messages, so you can ask questions about the products before buying, and you can share the item so it gets more views.
3. Online surveys- These might not make you much money, and it won’t be quick, but it will be an extra couple of quid. You sign up to websites such as ‘Valued Opinions’ and ‘Opinion Outpost’, where you are emailed a survey every day, which will take a few minutes to fill in, and then the credits are added to your account. Once you have enough credits, you can redeem them for money. Occasionally, they will also send products for you to test and review, although this doesn’t happen very often.
4. Social media promotion- This is only an option if you have above 8k followers (I’ll be posting a blog shortly on how to gain more followers), but you can contact brands and become an ambassador, and earn money per post.
5. Saving money- I’m probably not the right person to be suggesting this, as when I have money it burns a hole in my pocket, and I find myself online shopping, but it will help your money add up. Saving any money you get, like birthday or Christmas money, should leave you with a fair amount. Also, every penny counts-maybe get a money pot and put in any loose change in it. Putting it in a money pot, like the ceramic ones, means you can’t get the money out after, so you can’t be tempted to spend it.
6. Making and selling things- My last tip would be to find something you are good at making (maybe you’re good at sewing, so you could make some clothes, or you’re a natural photographer, so could shoot some commissions), and sell them on, making sure that you make a profit after using all the materials.