This post is written in collaboration
A fair few years ago, I wrote a post on how I thought best to give my daughter pocket money. Fast forward five years, and her need for cash has become even more evident, with lunches out with friends, shopping trips and visits to the cinema, she needs cash! Sadly, I am not willing to fund all these activities, so she has had to find new, inventive ways to raise money.
At 14, she is too young for a Saturday job, and also too young to be in charge of young children and babysitting (although this will change in the next few years). However, like all young things, she is tech-savvy and also has an eye on the growing market of buying 2nd hand, therefore, she decided to download eBay and Depop onto her ‘phone, and she began to look at her possessions and see what she could sell to raise extra money.
She found a pretty lucrative market in selling old Barbie clothes. Similarly with outgrown trainers – she could polish them up, make them look good, she could get a good few pounds for them.
Of course, this is her enterprise, and she has to run it. I play no part in packaging anything up or indeed posting it. She has to manage the whole process from listing to selling and posting.
As well raising money, she’s found a way to send her friends who live far away a little something for a birthday or Christmas. The art of regifting, especially all those smellies and cosmetics she has amassed have found new homes. Recently, a friend moved to another part of the country for school, she handily packaged a gift up, and using a large parcel delivery service, had it delivered to her friend who I am sure was delighted at a home warming (of sorts!) present.
Personally, I am loving this little step on the ladder of independence. Teaching children financial independence is so important: Both from handling finances as well as the lesson of creating wealth as opposed to the bank of Mum and Dad just handing it over. That said, I am still awaiting that meal out from her newly gained riches …