Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 30, 1994 TAG: 9406080055
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: By NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You might get money for your birthday, but that's only once a year. You might get an allowance, but that's not always enough.
How about working? It's a great way to earn money, and you'll feel good about having earned it.
Think you're too young? If you're reading this, you're old enough to walk a dog, take out the trash, wash cars, set the table, rake grass, sort laundry, dust, sweep floors, do laundry, weed a garden, feed pets, water plants, haul wood, wash windows, pick fruits and vegetables in a garden and so on.
If you're a little older, you can baby-sit, mow lawns, have a paper route, shovel snow, vacuum, wash dishes, help prepare meals, clean garages or basements, run errands for a neighbor, help in a garden or on a farm, and take care of someone's house while they're away (feed the pets, water the plants, take in the mail).
Usually, there are chores around the house you have to help with; sometimes, you get an allowance or pay, sometimes you don't. You might be able to earn extra money at home by doing more chores or special projects.
Shelly Greer of Vinton earned $5 a week helping clean house. Teri Hill of Wytheville earned money picking up cans. "It was worth it because all together I earned $25," she said. And she helped the environment, too.
Instead of being paid in real money, you might barter. Long ago, people traded what they made or had for what they needed. If a blacksmith shoed your horse, you might have paid him with bushels of corn you had grown.
Carrie Bowles, 10, helps out at a horse farm and gets riding lessons in trade. Her brother, Travis, 12, does work there and is allowed to fish in the farm's pond. Sometimes, you can be paid by receiving a special privilege.
If your parents or someone you know owns a business, you might be able to work there. Some businesses need more workers at special times of the year, such as during the Christmas season or summer vacations. Parents might even need more help with baby-sitting, wrapping gifts or cleaning the house for guests.
A good way to get ideas for work is to watch the chores your parents do. Maybe there are some they would rather pay you to do. (Or maybe a neighbor would.) Remember, though, that being part of a family means helping out, so don't think you'll get money for everything you do. You get paid in other ways - clothes, food, rides to friends' houses, clean laundry, etc.
Once you've found some work, you have to decide what to charge. Ask other kids what they get paid for various jobs. Think about how long the job might take and how hard or easy it is. Be fair.
Mowing a flat lawn is easier and faster than mowing a hilly one. Baby-sitting one child takes less work than taking care of three. And quiet, well-behaved children are easier to baby-sit for than kids who act like Dennis the Menace.
Scott Cline, of Maury River Middle School in Lexington, mows yards and charges "by how big the yard is." This summer, he will work for his uncle's landscaping business.
Give your employer (the person who hires you) a price. If he or she thinks it's too high, decide on what you both think is fair. Then, maybe write it down and both of you sign it so there's no misunderstanding.
There are some employers you can't bargain with very much - your parents. Chances are, though, they're giving you a pretty good deal.
by CNB