Thread: Money for Nothing - making cash as a kid

More of a barter system, my mate and I would catch snakes and give them to his older brother to sell at high school, this paid for fishing tackle and food and drinks when we went fishing. Later with another mate as teens, we would catch fish and swap them for beers at the local informal drinking hole.

We also used to nag our Dad to give us all the empty glass soft drink bottles, which kept us in snacks and cap guns for the school holidays.

Hahaha, remember the craze in the 80s of wearing O’rings?

Kids would wear them on their wrists, smaller ones on their earrings etc.

Dad was in the hydraulics game so I’d order thousands from him at bulk pricing and then sell them to other school kids for a ridiculous mark up.

Hardly an effort

Catching and selling Yabbies in the farm dam for Dad's workmates who were fishermen. In my teens driving tractors for the neighbour in the school holidays, although looking back I probably broke far more expensive gear than I was worth. One incident that comes to mind is wondering what would happen when I actuated the ram to fold a large set of harrows whilst driving along. The ram bent like a banana with my explanation of "I dunno how it broke" not getting a very enthusiastic response.

I'm not sure that I would be as patient with someone driving my gear today. As a mattere of interest the cocky involved ended up in the uper house of NSW parlament

Regards,
Tote

Originally Posted by Tombie

Hahaha, remember the craze in the 80s of wearing O’rings?

Kids would wear them on their wrists, smaller ones on their earrings etc.

Dad was in the hydraulics game so I’d order thousands from him at bulk pricing and then sell them to other school kids for a ridiculous mark up.

Hardly an effort

Reminds me, a mate and I would get permission to go to the local library (off school grounds) at lunch time and we would always stop at the local super market - would buy packets of jaw breakers - 2 for 25 cents. I would sell them for 25 cents each on the school bus on the way home. I quickly learned not to give out credit - cash or no jaw breakers!

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Oh the irony, considering your ultimate career.

Still make those sorts of **** ups today,i am just better skilled at landing the blame on others

Yer that was the beginning of it all,shortly after the Cut Price store it was working on the school holidays with one of the Ellabys,part of the clan that owned one of the largest commercial refrigeration companies in Brisbane.Pubs,clubs,Trawlers was their game.

We used to take those large Coke bottles for refunds as well,from memory, we used to get 20c a bottle,enough for a jelly tip ice cream.
Then there was shoving some paper up the coin return chute of the public phone box,that would add a few more 20c for the day.

Originally Posted by crash

Reminds me, a mate and I would get permission to go to the local library (off school grounds) at lunch time and we would always stop at the local super market - would buy packets of jaw breakers - 2 for 25 cents. I would sell them for 25 cents each on the school bus on the way home. I quickly learned not to give out credit - cash or no jaw breakers!

Sounds like selling cigarettes You would ask for a fiver now days...

Mowed lawns which became a job in itself ended up with 3 people helping me as had too much work.

Also did car detailing for local car dealers. Depended on what they required and the state of the car would take between a couple of hours to a full day per car. Paid according to time required. Was very satisfying to take a car which was a mess and having it looking showroom fresh when you finished.

My brother and I used to take a mattock and my grandmothers pack of farm dogs into the hills around Amphitheatre, Victoria, digging out rabbit burrows and the dogs would chase down a few. Sold the rabbits to a local buyer for 20 cents each. We’d work all day for $1 as we rarely got more than ten.
Later we got ferrets and when rabbits got to $1 each we might get 40 or so and then we hit the big time. With mattock, ferret box, nets and twenty pair of rabbits trapping up and down hills, climbing fences etc it was hard work for a couple of kids but a great grounding on appreciating the value of your hard earned money. We also collected bottles cans and scrap.
We still have a property in Amphitheatre and regularly joke about going into the hills with a cousins ferrets and then setting up a stall on the highway to sell fresh rabbits as there are no rabbit buyers anymore.
I’m 60 now and after a few beers ..... aah to hard these days.... “Still a good idea though!”
...next time.