Earning Money in the Handyman Business

By Sam Casco
Published on July 1, 1988
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ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
My mother told me that if I earned half of the money for the snorkel and mask, then she would pay the rest.

MOTHER’S CHILDREN: A junior jack-of-all-trades. The young author starts up a handyman business in the neighborhood to earn money for a snorkel and mask.

MOTHER knows that many youths undertake interesting, original projects and start their own small businesses. To support these endeavors, we buy and publish well-written articles from children and teenagers concerning their efforts. However, we recommend that all young authors query (that is, send us a letter telling about the story they’d like to do) before writing a full article. Send your queries to MOTHER’s Children, MOTHER EARTH NEWS, Hendersonville, NC.

Earning Money in the Handyman Business

A couple of summers ago, when I was eight, I needed money for a snorkel and mask, because I like to swim on the bottom of a big river in our town. I am a rock hound and there are lots of nice rocks on the bottoms of rivers.

My mother told me that if I earned half of the money for the snorkel and mask, then she would pay the rest. I had to somehow earn $11, so I decided to start a handyman business called Sam’s Summer Service. My mother and I made up flyers listing the jobs I would do and their prices. I put copies in my parents’ and friends’ houses.

The first job I did was to clean my mother’s car. I made 50¢ for cleaning the outside and 25¢ for cleaning the inside. Soon other people started hiring me. I picked rocks, shelled peas and weeded gardens.

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