Straight Talk TNT

Making money right now is hard, but it can be done. Are your parents willing to help you out with extra chores? Do their friends have projects such as housework, cleaning garages, that kind of thing? Lots of elderly people, especially, need help around their houses. There is also dog walking, dog grooming, washing cars, vacation house-sitting (picking up mail, watering plants, feeding animals), or if you’re artsy, you could make things and sell them at the farmer’s market.

Put out flyers to be a helper for social events like weddings or Fourth of July parties. Help set up, clean up, cook, address envelopes, whatever needs to be done.

Did you check for private tutoring programs or programs in other schools? You’ve got to believe in yourself and put the word out. Also, do you like animals? Put up signs for dog-sitting, dog walking, even dog bathing.

I got a job washing dishes at a bakery and I’m only 14.

I have lots of job experience and I can’t seem to get a job. I’m incorporating all the tips the hiring managers shared in the last column (JUN 3), including dressing appropriately and going back numerous times to the places I applied. It’s tough out there.

With a work permit some independent places will hire you under 16. I just got hired at a private college cafeteria. This summer, I’m also planning a garage sale with stuff collected from families I know. One good garage sale will net about $400. Other ways I’ve made money are washing cars in my neighborhood, cleaning houses, making jewelry — and, yes, baby-sitting. On that note, suck it up! Last year I made over $700 on baby-sitting alone, working just now and then. I’m not crazy about little kids either, but of all the things I’ve done, it pays the best, it’s the easiest, and if you baby-sit at night, you just put the kids to bed!