7 Ways Teenagers Can Make Money without a Job ...

In high school, you don’t need to worry about working because there are dozens of ways to make money without a job! Whether you’re too busy to work, you don’t want to, or your parents won’t let you, if you want some extra money you can get it. Here are just a few of the many ways you can make money without a job.

1 Sell Candy at School

If there’s anything I’ve learned after surviving two and a half years of high school, it’s that teenagers love sugar. If you roam the school during your lunch period with a box of chocolates, you’re bound to sell out in a day. Why? Because we all think we need a sugar rush to get us through the last periods of the day! You can make really great money if you buy candy in bulk; for instance if you buy a box of thirty chocolate bars for 15 dollars and sell each bar for a dollar, you’ve made a net profit of 15 dollars right there! Now imagine selling two or three boxes a week... This is definitely one of the best ways you can make money without a job!

2 Sell Unwanted Gifts Online

Instead of wracking your brain about why your great-aunt thought you’d like the hideous sweater she bought you, spend the day after Christmas photographing your unwanted gifts and posting them on Ebay. Unless you think this will offend the relatives or friends who bought the gifts for you, selling unwanted gifts online is a quick and easy way to earn some extra cash. Since you didn’t buy the gifts, even if you sell them for one dollar, you still come out with more money than you had before. Even if you’re up to your nose in holiday sweaters you think are a disgrace to the fashion world, I’m sure someone else will eagerly buy them!

3 Garage Sale

Some clothes have seen more days and had more love than your unwanted gifts, so you can’t sell them online. If you think they’re still sellable though, why not have a garage sale? Sure it requires getting up early on Saturday morning, but if you have enough to sell, you can make a ton of money in a garage sale! Keep clothes cheap; 50 cents for T-shirts, $1.00 for pants, because this will attract more buyers who will buy in bulk. Ask your family members for items you can sell too. They’ll be glad to have more space in their closet and you’ll make a pretty penny!

4 Edit Your Friends’ Essays

Some people don’t have a great eye for grammar and spelling, but if you do, put it to good use! You don’t want to be known as the greedy friend, so I wouldn’t recommend charging too high or bringing up your editing services too often during a friendly chat. But if you know a friend struggles with self-editing, offer your help for a small fee. As word spreads of your skillful eye in editing, before you know it you’ll have a regular job! But without taxes, commute, stuffy bosses... that less fun stuff!

5 Extra Chores

If you bring up doing extra chores to your parents, their faces will light up! When you ask for money in exchange for your hard work, they may be less eager to say yes, but odds are they’ll still concede. Picking up a few extra jobs around the house is one of the best ways for teenagers to make money without getting a job. You can do chores in your free time and, since your parents aren’t requiring you to do them, stop whenever you’ve made enough money. Then you’ll finally be able to buy those shoes you’ve been eyeing for months!

6 Sell Crafts

If you find yourself with free time on your hands, do something fun and productive! Check out Pinterest for craft ideas and see if you have a knack for creating little trinkets. If you do, take a picture and post it on Instagram or Facebook, somewhere you know your classmates will see what you’ve worked so hard on. Let people know that you’re selling your new product and I’m certain your friends will begin demanding it! Don’t overwhelm yourself if you can’t keep up with the orders; ask a friend to help you out while you have a movie marathon and then split the profits. (Then you can add small business owner to your resume!)

7 Bake Sale

I personally love to bake, and don’t we all look cuter in aprons? If you have a specialty cupcake or cookie that your friends are always begging you for, why not make some money off of it? Spend an afternoon baking your little heart out, and making sure all of your treats look as good as they taste. Then you can have a bake sale virtually anywhere; at the park, in your driveway, wherever you think you’ll find hungry people with a sweet tooth! I can only imagine all the dough your cookie dough will bring you!

So whether you’re saving for college, a car, or simply a nice dress for yourself, you can make the money you need to reach your goals without even getting "real" a job! We all have an entrepreneurial spirit inside of us, the next step is letting it out! What ways do you plan on trying to make some extra cash? What other ways have you made money without a job?