By Billy Mau

Just about every kid has something on his must-have list, and there isn’t always the spare cash around to make it happen. So what’s a kid to do? If you have a summer birthday, you can always take your chances with that, but what if your birthday is nowhere in sight?

One sure way to help out the situation is to raise a little money on your own. A kid can do this by doing some extra chores around the house, but a more enterprising way is to get a summer job.

Summer jobs are easy for older kids that are old enough to work in town, but there are options for younger kids. With a little hard work and parental supervision, any kid could become an entrepreneur. Here are some summer job ideas for the kids:

LEMONADE STAND

This is a tried and true business for kids that has been around for years. In addition to the money, kids also get to learn about business, budgeting and customer satisfaction. Best of all, it doesn’t take much to get one going.

The fi rst thing you want to do is make sure it is ok for you to set up your stand. Permission is defi nitely required if the stand is not in your own yard. Some places have pretty strict rules about soliciting so check on that before starting.

Once you have your location in place, you’ll need some lemonade. There are plenty of mixes, but making it from scratch is fun and can make a much better fi nished product. Make sure an adult helps you to make sure you’re making good lemonade.

Finally, there is the matter of price, which is a great way for a kid to learn the basic economics of supply and demand. Charge too much and no one will buy it. Charge too little and you will sell a lot, but you might lose money with each sale.

LAWN MOWING

Yard work can be tough, especially during the hot parts of summer, but it is also a time-tested way to make a few bucks for kids. If an aspiring amateur landscaper can get a few houses in his or herneighborhood as clients, they can end the summer with a pretty nice amount of pocket money.

Due to the nature of the work and the equipment being used, lawn mowing is best suited for kids at least 11- or 12-years-old. The child will need to be properly educated on using the equipment, and also should be taught about the importance of hydration while working outside. People often underestimate the strain that working in the heat puts on the body. Keeping cool and drinking plenty of water is very important.

Pricing is very important also. Most people are happy to get out of summer yard work if the price is right, so keep value in mind. Plan out how much gas it will take to mow the yard and factor in for equipment maintenance. Above that fi gure, it’s about fi nding out how much people are willing to pay. Kids that are handy with edgers and trimmers can make a little extra money by providing those services also.

RECYCLING

Here’s a way to make money and clean up the environmenta little. It’s also a job that allows a child to start small and branch out from there.

A great place to start is in the home. Put the child in charge of recyclables in the house. Have he or she separate and bag the items and then have the child come along to the recycling center. They will be happy when they get to keep the earnings for their work.

Once the child is able to handle the home’s recycling without any problems, they are ready to expand. That could mean picking up litter around the neighborhood or offering to collect recyclables for neighbors. It’s probably going to be hard work and a little dirty at times, but kids should be able to collect some decent money by the end of the summer. They’ll also be able to say that they are doing their part to help the environment