How to Make Money Over Spring Break and in the Summer

Spring and summer are great times to earn some extra cash

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Updated on January 16, 2020

School is out and you want to earn some extra money. But what can you do? You can't take a job for one week, can you? Maybe not, but you can start up your own money-making enterprise.

A job is simply a matter of providing services to someone who needs them and is willing to pay for them. Some spring break job ideas require setting up in advance, but some can be started just with a little hard work. You might even find that they're profitable enough that you want to keep up with them to some extent when you head back to school or relaunch them again in the summer.

Start a Car Wash

kids washing jeep — Inti St Clair / Getty Images

Spring break is a great time to wash neighborhood cars if the weather is nice enough—and it should definitely be warm enough if you want to keep scrubbing and hosing away in the summer. It's fun, it's easy, and your neighbors will appreciate their clean cars.

A car wash can be a good business to operate with siblings or friends. Make flyers or spread the word in advance so adults can arrange to have their cars washed when it's most convenient for them.

Be a Pet Sitter

Close up of a pug on a leash with a petsitter. — Leonides Ruvalcabar / Unsplash

Petsitting is often a great spring break job because many families will be heading out of town on vacation. They'll need someone to keep an eye on their pets while they're gone.

Begin spreading the word a few weeks before spring break begins and you should be able to line up a handful of families for the week. You might also offer to collect their mail and newspapers for them or to water their plants.

Be sure to make a schedule and check off each pet each day so you're sure you didn't miss any. This is especially important if you're caring for pets for a lot of different families. Or keep more detailed notes of each visit and give them to the owners when they return. You might get some return business in the summer if they're pleased.

Mow Neighbors' Lawns

girl mowing lawn — Paul Bradbury / Getty Images

If you like to be outdoors and you regularly mow your own lawn, why not offer your expertise to others? Lawn mowing can be a great way to make money over spring break—again, many homeowners will be on vacation and unavailable to take care of this chore themselves.

If you do a great job, you should be able to line up some summer jobs, too, or keep mowing throughout the spring after school or on the weekends. You might even pick up some money raking leaves in the fall.

Sell Art and Crafts

Woman and girl looking at items on table at craft sale. — Stefan Cristian Ciota / Getty Images

Learn the pros and cons of selling crafts, clothing, jewelry, or other artwork online or to people in town. Online businesses designed especially for kids have actually made it possible to sell your crafts all over.

Just be sure you have your parents' permission. They might want to oversee your connections with customers you don't actually know personally.

Consider Other Online Jobs

Doing surveys or your own reviews could be a fun way to fill some time during spring break, particularly if you encounter a spell of bad weather and find yourself indoors with nothing to do. Get your parents' help when you explore online jobs for kids and keep safety first.

It's Not Just Spring Break

Think of your spring break work as laying a foundation for your future efforts. You might try something only to discover you hate it—like cleaning up after another family's dog. That's OK because you've still learned how to handle money and responsibility, and these are skills you can take with you to branch out into another job in the summer months.