How to Earn Extra Money This Summer

June 18, 2019

Lending Bear

#earn extra money

If you’re like many families who struggle with staying on budget, you feel the pinch in the pocketbook more strongly during the summer months. The kids are out of school, summer activities often put a strain on finances, and kids without productive ways to spend their time often fall in with the wrong crowd or develop unhealthy habits such as spending most of their time playing video games. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities for modern families to harness some of the excess energy of youth in ways that help develop character while turning a profit. Following are just seven of the many possible options for average families and young adults to earn extra money during summer.

Provide Pet and Plant Sitting Services

Because summer is prime vacation time, it should be relatively easy to generate extra income in your community for those who need pet and/or plant sitting services while they’re away from home. Many pet owners would prefer to leave their furry friends safely in familiar surroundings rather than use a boarding kennel. If you decide to offer this service, however, make sure to have them leave you with the contact information for the veterinary office that they use in case their pet becomes ill or injured while they’re away.

Provide Lawn and Garden Services

Many busy homeowners find themselves unable to keep up with lawn and garden tasks during the summer months. Consider offering mowing, trimming, and weeding services in your neighborhood to make money this summer. This is a great option for teenage siblings to work together and develop the basic skills required to run a small business.

Hold Garage Sales

Holding a garage sale puts extra money in your pocket as well as provides you with the opportunity to purge your home of usable items that you no longer want or need. This is something the entire family can help with except for the very youngest members. Having a garage sale in early summer also provides a great way for families to put the final finishing touch on their overall spring cleaning efforts.

Deliver Groceries

Grocery delivery services are becoming increasingly popular among busy American consumers, and those who contract with companies that provide this service, such as InstaCart, are generally able to choose their own schedule as long as it’s within reason. For instance, you probably wouldn’t get much work if you decided you could only do deliveries after 10 p.m. or on Sunday mornings, but you might be able to do make quite a bit of extra income by offering greater flexibility.

Host Vacationers in Your Home

If there’s an extra room in the house, hosting vacationers through a service such as Airbnb or VRBO can bring in quite a bit of extra cash. It helps if the home is located in an area that is popular with tourists. Those who decide to make money this summer this way should take care to avoid negative reviews by providing a high level of customer service by making certain the accommodations are sparkling clean and that visitors aren’t bothered by household pets and active children.

Clean Vacation Rentals

If you live in an area where summer tourism is a big part of the local picture but would rather not host vacationers in your own home to earn extra money, consider offering cleaning services to those who own and operate vacation homes. One of the major benefits of working around a vacation rental schedule is that most of these properties tend to be at their busiest when school is out.

Work at a National Park

There are more than 400 National Parks in the U.S., and nearly all of them hire seasonal employees during the summer. Although most people in the country don’t live within easy driving distance of a National Park, many have employee housing options for those over the age of 18. This is a great way for students to earn tuition money while spending the summer in an environment that’s brimming with natural beauty.

Many ambitious individuals and households create a customized combination of the above suggestions specific to their personal abilities, circumstances, and preferences. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit to find out what works best for you and your household members.