What do your sons do as their "money earning project"?

[Ark]

Do they raise rabbits and sell for meat?

Build things that sell well?

What?

HELP!!!


My 13 yr old son is at a loss, and needs to do something constructive with his spare time. I'd like for it to be something he enjoys, and can learn from, and can earn from... BUT, I am getting desperate. Fixin' to TELL him what to do! I want him to invest in an incubator, LOL, and hatch chicks to sell at the monthly auction. But, that would be MY idea of fun, not his... so that's not fair.
He THINKS he might not want to raise goats in 4-H next year, so that is one less thing he'll be doing.
He likes arrowheads and all things Indian.
He does not especially like any kind of animal, altho he'd like to get a dairy cow. I'd probably get stuck with the milking tho unless hubby and I agreed up front to make him do it most of the time. I will be milking about 13 goats within 2 months when they kid, so the thought of milking a cow as well is not too thrilling. If he paid for it's feed, and did the work, he could keep the milk money.
He LOVES early American history.

I would just like to hear what your kids do!!! Please?

Thankyou!
Rachel

[DW]

If you're in town, paper route. We were not. My husband & I are always so busy with big projects, we handed over smaller projects to son and would pay. Last sumer he painted all out buildings. The only disaster was when he tilled under the sweet 100's in the garden.

[Carol K]

When my boys were 12 they earned money at the Strawberry farm picking for them, they could work a few hours here and there. Then they moved to dishwashing for a local restaurant. My kids just didn't want to do the "animal thing". The one thing they were close to doing was free range eggs and selling them door to door, but they never did start it.
have your son cost things out, even if you give him the ideas, tell him to sit and see how much he can make on paper before he commits to the job. Sometimes working off the farm is a break for them to.

Carol K

[Ark]

I SHOULD have said what do your CHILDREN do, not just boys.

We live WAAAY out of town, and only go to town every two weeks, so it would have to be something he can do from home. We have goats, chickens, and sheep. We used to have a slew of JRTs, but now dont have any dogs at all. Animals are just a part of life to him - nothing to get excited over. LOL

Thankyou both for your ideas! We are often too broke to give an allowance. More often than not. LOL. But, in a couple months he can be a BIG help to me with outside chores and we can probably pay him a little.

One thing I thought of: if he was motivated enough to earn money for something in particular, then he wouldnt be so picky about the job. He just doesnt care about earning money, since he knows we rarely let him blow it on toys. LEGO is such a rip off!

Thankyou!
Rachel

[Ross]

My boy makes glued rock inuksuks (Inuit landmarks) in all sizes from gravel versions an inch high to 6 foot tall monsters! He sells at our farmers market. Makes about 5-600 per year. Girl child runs the "fish pond" where little ones can "fish" for toys and candy. 50 cents and they toss a line over the pond wall where the toy and candy is clipped on. On busy days she makes as much as I do selling lamb!

[Ross]

Oh and they both get paid to help out around the farm etc. I let mine blow it on whatever suits their fancy. They've both learned to be better shoppers even if they threw away thier first couple of savings on junk.

[bergere]

Lets see,,

DS can earn money or computer game time while working on the farm.

He cleans the 1/2 acre and 2 acre pastures every week of horse manure.
Help clean up the garbage as we find more,, left from the previous folks.
Sometimes he can help me groom the horses.
We always have weeds toxic to livestock we need to get rid of, he pulls them out and bags them.
I some times need help fixing the fence.

He also has chores that he does without pay because he is part of this family.
I feel it is important for children to help out, without expecting to get something for it every time.

Even with these chores he still has plenty of time to goof off.
He has learned to save his money up to buy what he really wants. Took him a few years to figure it out. But it was good to see that his ideas are changing for the better.

[okgoatgal2]

the kids all get $1 per year of age, per month, paid 1/4 per week, that we give in change, that they cannot spend for a week-they have to pay fines for not doing work, fighting, disrespect, etc, out of that money each week. it is figured into the budget. then, the oldest was given the chance to take care ofthe chickens and earn the egg money, but she just didn't care for the chickens properly, so she lost that. she is now interested in them again, but i'm making her wait. the rest, well, i pay them for picking up metal and glass in the pastures (this used to be a salvage yard). i pay for raking the yard, etc. they have normal chores they each have to do every day, they get extra $ for extra chores. their dad pays them way more than i do for far less stuff (he lives in an apt in the city) which makes it harder on me, but that's the way it goes. this summer, they'll have the opportunity to learn to do more...mowing yards, etc.

[bergere]

That is a good point and one I forgot to inlcude.

If my son forgets or does not do his chores, his time or money will be docked.
He is learning it is better to do the job right the first time, then have to do it over again,, and again if need be and on top of lossing time or money.
Very important where the animals are concerned. We treat and care for them like we would like to be treated.

[jnap31]

When I was young in town I use to deliver papers,Shovel snow rake leaves,cut grass. Check your local LAW's though cause in AR everything but the papers is illeagal unless you have a landscapers license.In the country I one yaer I picked up 100# of white oak acorns for 75 cents a # It was a bad yaer for them I took forever to get them)I was so happy when I found giant post oak acorns thought I hit the jackpot and did not listen to my grandfather (will finish this later as got to go(I am back thought I was off today boy was I wrong guess I am on call 24hrs)When he told me different. Anyway I picked up 100# of the wrong acorns for nothing and learned a lesson.Later he took me to all the old cemetaries in the county and I was able to pick up 100# to fullfill my commitment,That was one of the hardest 75$ I ever earned I think,Though I also worked as a landscaper for $2.75 cents an hour when I was in Highschool in the marshall islands.Picked 50 gallon of black berries one summer in KY when I was 14 I think it was a (bumper year)I sold them for 5$ a gallon delivered when others were selling them $10 a gallon My grandpa was still getting calls from people asking if I was still picking up till a few years ago.

[Carol K]

Hmmmmm, if you live so far out of town I'm not sure then. What about raising a few piglets to sell at either the shows or just to locals. he could maybe put a few adds up around town when you next go and see if any interest is shown.
Can he make things to sell? Bird Houses maybe or bat houses, then when you are in town next take them to the local store and ask if he could leave some and see if they would sell them or take him and let him get a booth at the local farmers market? Can he paint? Taking a rock and painting on it can make some great money.

Carol K

[Jolly]

When I was that age....

Building fence, hauling hay, cleaning fence-rows, doing odd jobs for other folks in the community. By the time I was 16, it was raising pigs, working as a grease-monkey, and as a sawmill hand.

If he wants to work, and he will be reasonable in what he expects, he'll find something if he starts asking - and he'll find lots more if folks find out he's a "worker".

[ace admirer]

well this is not what you had in mind, but my children work for me. work on a farm is never done.

[Misty]

our kids raise livestock...they do 4-H. Many family's buy a decent show pig,feed it decent and can sell it at the 4-H premium sale for about $500-700 if they don't win. $1200 or so if they win. They also sell show pigs. They kept back a couple of show pigs for mommas and AI'd them. A litter of 10 pigs can easily sell for $100/pig. He does chores for the neighbor when they are out of town.

[sullen]

Personally, I think your boy needs to stew on what will make money and learn that you have to do what is available, and it's not always fun. Maybe an internet thing, if he doesn't want to do animals again.
Sometimes a kid needs to think and realize that the easy way is not always available. Thats what I do with mine.

[okgoatgal2]

nais will make it harder, btw, to do any animal related stuff.

[thedonkeyman]

Is he Artistic ? My wife and I make Jewelry and sell a Flea markets and a friend of ours sells her American Indian stuff at the POW WOWS. IF he would just get interested in this he just might make some money. He might collect photos of early American Indian jewelry and see what developes HUH?

[Jillis]

When we still lived in town they would go door to door shoveling walks and driveways...and other small jobs.

Now that we are on the homestead, they earn money doing chores. My boys earn most of their real money when my dh goes snowplowing in the winter and does mowing and the summer. (This is my dh's "side" job!)

With the money they made and are making, my 16 yo son bought a 62" fully loaded Troy riding mower! My 14 yo just bought the drum set of his dreams.

DD, 9 yo, makes 3 dollars a week doing animal chores. She saves it up, as well as gift money, and she enjoyed greatly buying Christmas gifts for everyone with all her own money.

Blessings, Jillis!

[thedonkeyman]

A good DONKEY would also be GOOD for him, to ride.

[Iddee]

Catching minnows in the local creek and selling them and earthworms to fishermen were always a good summer income for me. He could also raise plants. House plants year round, and tomato, squash, cucumber, ETC. plants in the spring.
Ask the neighboring farmers to call when they are bringing in square bales of hay.

If he could spend some time with a beekeper, he would probably become interested in keeping a hive or two. Bees are lucrative, but not demanding. They can be left unattended a month at a time, then brought up to date within an hour. A normal hive will produce close to 100 lbs. of honey yearly, selling for 3 to 5 dollars per lb. "also makes him look MACHO around his friends and relatives. "
He can also multiply the hives by split or swarm catching, and the new hives sell for 100 to 200 dollars each.

The above ideas are all jobs that will not pin a 13 y/o down to a steady routine which he will tire of quickly.

Look for others in the same catagory. He will not want to milk twice daily, year round, and not be able to go someplace overnite, go hunting or fishing before daylight, ETC. In other words, he doesn't need a job requiring him to "punch a clock" on a regular routine. He's still too young for that.