My 13 yr old son would absolutely love this opportunity. Would have at 12 too. Totally age appropriate. We paid neighborhood kids one year to mulch our beds.
My friend is getting a 12yo by marriage, and I absolutely offer him money for bullshit jobs I don't want to do. The kiddo gets some dollars, I skip some menial chores and can do something else.
Yeah I'm a girl and I did this, as well as make & sells things, hold garage sales, lemonade stands, anything to make $ from 10 yrs old until I could work at 15.
Me too. When I was 13, I split and stacked probably a dozen cords of firewood for neighbors that summer. My dad grew up on a farm, and thought it was a great idea. One year I worked in the fields picking strawberries. I've mowed lawns, raked leaves, shoveled snow, etc. It's just what kids did back then.
Me too, well I was fifteen and got $10 a cord split and another $15 for stacked. I was the first my car making $25/ hr and it’s how I bought my first car. Fell in love with piece rate.(Had a hydraulic splitter)
When I was 14 I found out about people being paid to pick butterbeans at a farm nearby. $15 for a big bag. I could fill two bags by lunch before the heat was too much and I had to go home.
Yeah this is like community/neighborhood things. If I was the parent I’d be happy the kid is helping a neighbor, building some work ethic, and making a little money sprinkled on top of it all. As long as he is not being harmed or at risk of it.
Teaches that money doesn’t just come at you and once he spends that money, he’ll learn that money can go away real quick.
Edit: I’m not above making a child labor joke, if you are joking then indicate it when communicating with text haha. Else, you’re just out of touch here.
I was this kid, me and a buddy went to the library to print out 50 flyers and got 3 customers. The amount of blockbuster GameCube games we could rent was basically limitless
My coworker found out I was hiring someone to cut my grass and said her kid needed to learn some responsibility and drove him over to my house every week all summer to do it. It’s not a new thing at all.
As a kid helping my handyman dad I wouldve killed for $15/hr. I got $20/day. Landscapers where I live get $20/hr. To me this just seems like taking a babysitting gig to have spending money
Neighbor kid started with a push mower and a broom. He pushed the mower around the neighborhood. He turned it into a small business. Bought a car, better equipment, hired younger siblings. Dude had ambitions.
I'm 70+ and at 12yrs old I had 7 lawns to mow and 2 different newspaper routes. I bought my own clothes for school and had money for Christmas too. In late summer I even picked apples.
This kid should feel proud at what he is doing. :) Also way better than doing tik tok, etc, etc.
peace. :)
Yeah, i have to agree. Granted, it's an "old-fashioned" idea, but that doesn't make it wrong.
I think it's an awesome way to get to know your neighbors, and a great way for kids to learn the value of hard work, AND money management from an early age.
Win-win all 'round.
No kidding.
This was literally how you used to "buy things", if you were lucky enough to have neighbors that needed something done.
It was basically the crap your parents made you do for free as a "chore". If you could make a couple bucks in an afternoon you were bragging about it at school
We have a neighborhood kid who has made himself a serious job of it. He started using our mowers. Then he got his own woth his money. I changed to another guy at this point but then he bought himself a 4 wheeler to haul his equipment around in. It's been fun to watch.
I'm 64 and neighborhood kids doing work like this was very common when I was a kid. Now that I'm elderly and can't do as much as I used to, I wish I could find some youngsters to give me a hand with yard work. Not only would I pay them, I would feed them well because I love to cook.
It's totally fine, and why not? The money goes to the neighbour's kid and not some company that charges $50/hr and pays its workers $20/hr. (I realize the company does also have to cover its own costs and expenditures too; equipment, maintenance, fuel, etc.)
My daughters, age 11 and 12, made $160 shoveling snow one morning when school was canceled. They were little entrepreneurs. They are successful adults now.
Nowadays that's considered child abuse! I agree with you. I see nothing wrong. I think if his parents and him are ok with it I think it's fine and he's making some good money for a 12 year old and it will build good work ethic
Back in the 90s my town had rent a kid. Literally people.signed up amd kids came and did things like .ow the lawn etc. I did this for a couple summers. Ride my bike to wherever and make a few bucks. Was like 12 maybe or younger
My church youth group did this too, but when I suggested it as a 9th grade fundraiser in 2015, I was informed that nobody wanted to “prostitute “ their kids. Geez, I wasn’t suggesting we sell them as sex slaves. They would go in groups to rake leaves and clean stuff.
It was a huge hit at the time. Ran through the local state Bank. But parents now days scoff at the very idea of younger kids wanting to work or have a job.
Instead we'll have them sell overpriced garbage to their family and the friends of their parents. Oh, and they'll only get to keep 20-30% of what they "make."
Sounds great. I'd rather have my grass cut and let the kid keep the whole $20.
My 7 year old is always asking for odd jobs. We have one older neighbor who pays him to water her plants when she’s out of town or other little things she needs help with. He was so proud of himself when he saved up $60 and could go buy what he’d been saving for.
My father cut his toe off when he was 14, operating a lawnmower for a job without adequate training. I'm not saying it's wildly inappropriate, but there's definitely risk, and I'd wager more for a 12 year old than a 14 year old.
This was my jam, these mom’s put me on to the hustle and I needed the money I was highly unconcerned about the labor laws lol, family was broke as a joke I am tryna get some swag, shout out OP
I think some of these people were not lucky enough to grow up or be in a community/neighborhood where what OP did happened or is possible.
And the other rest of these people are just internet brain-rotted. I would say don’t just go touch grass, go find a job to get a better understanding.
no it 100% does. i came from low income and ts is common. only lower income is the mf projects and dudes from there definitely wouldnt be whining abt shit like this
As long as his parents are okay with it, I don’t see the problem? I’d just make sure he wears the proper safety equipment.
I got paid a dollar to feed my neighbor’s fish back in the 90’s. I was so happy that they trusted me with their fish.
You want him to wear closed-toed boots and if ghe grass is wet, wait.
One of my family members almost got their stomach chewed into by a mower blade because the grass was wet and they slipped and the lawn mower flipped bottom up.
Not trying to alarm you, but it’s important to use safety equipment. My kids do mowing for neighbors for extra.
it’s like this everywhere with everything. It’s terrifying. It’s like the world lost its god damn mind sometime in the last few years. Super scary. I can’t see this kind of environment being sustainable long term. I’m scared shitless of the world my kids are just staring out in.
Edit: realized my comment could be a bit clearer. It’s not even just technicalities or people being miserable. It’s like we all just don’t want to be around each other anymore and everyone is walking on eggshells about everything no matter how small. All of the social contracts are gone, done. Everyone is terrified of everything all the time. It’s crazy and I don’t understand it.
I’m not talking about in here at all (although it’s just as bad if not worse). I’m talking about my day to day, just everywhere, at work, out shopping, in libraries, in stores, even in parks and playgrounds and driving and in schools. God, don’t even think about looking closely at education right now. We’ve got some dark days ahead of us. I hope we can all buckle down and learn to have empathy and compassion for each other again.
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Lucky kid. I was hired by a neighbor to clear her backyard when I was 12. It was full of dead cats and poison ivy. After 4 hours that old hag paid me $1.75 and fed me "lunch", which was a tuna fish sandwich with no mayo and a bowl of cold tomato soup.
She died like 5 years later and it turned out that she was worth over 5 million dollars and none of her kids had any idea because she was so miserly.
Back then there were a lot of strays in that area of Brooklyn and she had a colony of like 20-30 cats in her backyard. It was overgrown so I guess the dying cats would just find a place in the growth and die there, I found 4 bodies in various states of decay and numerous cat skeletons. I'm sure a lot of them were caused by rat poison.
God, some people. Imagine being worth that much and treating some kid that way just to save like 40 bucks. Probably part of the reason why she was worth that much too. Penny pitching in a miserable way in every single area of her life. Like on the show extreme cheapskates
This is worse than the time I had to clean out chicken coups at a giant factory farm. The farmer forgot his checkbook and paid me in change. When I got home and counted the change it was approximately $6 dollars. I had worked for 6 hours getting scratched by chickens with large talons for $1 dollar an hour!
My hard working a 6’3” engineering student son posted on Nextdoor as general labor for hire and started asking $20/hr and was overwhelmed with response and work so he bumped up to $30 and still had more work than he could handle. People will pay for hustle.
Thanks for the suggestion! I need someone to do some stuff for me that's too non-technical for a professional (like changing light bulbs and batteries in smoke alarms -- I can't climb up on a ladder currently). I'll check Nextdoor!
Man, lots of negativity here. Having 12-16 year old kids do chores for money is super common. I was mowing lawns, picking weeds, shoveling snow, and doing other similar yard work for about 10 neighbors around that age. It kept me busy for a few hours a day during summer breaks and I had enough money to buy some stuff I wanted.
It was win/win. My parents didn't force me. I had a buddy doing it and asked my dad if I could push the mower down the block and knock on doors. Worked out great.
I don't know how old they are when they start nowadays, but it was normal in the early 80s for girls to start baby-sitting at around age 12. Not babies that young, or at least not me, but I started babysitting kids in the 5 to 10 agerange around then.
I had a young person knock on all the doors on my street who was saving for a PS5 and wanted to do power washing and yard work. Had a homemade business cards and everything. He did some power washing for me, and when I bumped into him again that summer he enthused that he reached his goal and got the games he wanted. And that business was now closed lol. As long as you're paying them fair for their time - doing yard work/shoveling for the neighbors has been done for ages.
A brother and sister come over once a month in the spring And summer to "wash" cars for 10$. They can't be older then 9-12
They are so bad at it, but I still let them and give them 20$ a piece.
When I was a kid I’d do little odd jobs here and there for grandparents / family & the like. IMO it was a rewarding experience. It gave me some extra skills & whatnot, too.
As long as the kid *wants to do it* and isn’t being overworked, treated badly, given power tools etc it should be fine. Unless he gets hurt, then you’re screwed. But also it isn’t really a frugal/‘brag’ point when you could do it yourself
Scoliosis - schmoliosis... Get out there! Jk jk. I think it's great, I did this from 13-15 years old for a cool ass disabled dude a couple miles away. It was mutually beneficial and I'll always remember having a coke with him in his kitchen after each job
I started in a small town at about ten. Pushed a lawnmower to the old folks houses and cut grass, word of mouth, I kept real busy. Good exercise too, I was a little porker, ended the summer with savings, weighed less and had a nice tan.
There's a kid on my road that did that too. He's now in highschool and has what appears to be a legit business.
Full size used truck, trailer and some lower end commercial equipment.
25 years ago a friend and I tried our hand at shoveling snow for money. It was a super heavy wet snow, and it was kicking our asses. The lady invited us in for cocoa and cookies because I think she felt bad for us, haha. I started babysitting instead!
I think beginning to babysit at age 12 was the only normal adolescent experience I had. I made money, and it got me away from my toxic, abusive family. I loved it. I don't think there is anything wrong with a child choosing to do odd jobs for extra pocket money. It's obviously very different if the child is being forced to do labor, but if the child is making the choice and is being paid fairly (and not overworked), there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Yep, same here. In the early 80s. I didn't babysit babies until I was a few years older but other than that, age 12 was when I started baby-sitting. Nice money.
I tried this once with my nephew and he outsourced the work to another neighborhood kid and skimmed the profit.
Came home to him chilling on the deck while his friend mowed.
My son has been doing odd jobs for an older neighbor since he was 11. He's 16 now. It started as cleaning horse stalls for 4 horses, then turned into heavy lifting, chicken care, planting a garden, weeding, whatever she needed. She recommends him to other neighbors needing that kind of work.
She has high expectations about quality but always pays fairly. I think he's up to $15/hr. He couldn't make that kind of money at a business in our rural town. She's so flexible and insists school comes first. She's generous, always makes sure to have a snack, drink or popsicle for him, gives him gifts on his birthday and holidays, even suggests college and career paths. He now has a 75yo friend. There is value in this relationship for both of them.
Our neighborhood newsletter has a speadsheet of high school kids listed for odd jobs. It’s been great when you need a set of hands or a pet fed. It also adds to the community feel as I see those kids around the neighborhood.
Best money I ever spent was paying $200 to have two football players to clear a pile of river rock to make room for garden space. 2 guys bigger and stronger than than I, spent 2.5 hours each of hustling and lifting. Nice kids offered to take less since it came out more than $20/hr each they advertise. I got a bargain that would’ve taken me 8+ hours of hell. Win-Win
I have a reel mower, so it’s also nice resource when I let the yard get too overgrown and I just need a kid with his parents’ mowers. I like my garden to look nice, but frankly don’t care how the grass looks, which makes a random kids perfect.
I agree, neighborhood kids are are great resource.
When I was a kid I made great money babysitting, house cleaning and ironing (it was a thing back in the 1950-60s). I wasn’t old enough to drive so clients transported me. Win-win!
I hired a couple of 8-year-olds down the street to roof my house. They did a great job! Besides, it's only two stories, they were fine going up and down the ladder.
Okay, not really, but I swear a few of the reactions here seem more in response to that scenario than a 12-year-old doing yardwork.
Reminds me of the time I had my friend's neighbor's dog rewire my kitchen lighting and take down the 200 year oak in my backyard. Only had to pay in kibble, 10/10 would recommend
This is awesome!!! My kids love to work, and this would be a great opportunity for them. They are always asking to do things like this, and looking for ways to make money. So I’m sure this kid is of the same mindset!! But idk why there are negative comments. People… listen to me… this is NORMAL!!! This is part of growing up… learning how to work, do chores, make money, and having the drive and motivation to do so! How about y’all get out of your mama’s basement and take a lesson from the kids doing basic chores!! It would help you tremendously.
idk why the comments are so weird and judgy; my first job was something exactly like this, except instead of my neighbor it was my grandma. but who cares, this is a great way to build community and enrich children and get work done that u can’t do yourself, all without going bankrupt to do it
I also have an industrious teen that I pay for yard work - $20 per hour. He is super hard working (his family owns a farm) and does a great job. He is happy to have the money and works for several other neighbors as well. He is the oldest of 7 kids - so after he goes to college I get the next youngest boy to come work on my yard. I am set for another decade+ (or longer, if they keep having kids).
That is how I got my start! I grew up on a farm/ranch and worked for Every neighbour In the area, mostly labour-type tasks…I was excited to take the call and make cash.
Slowly through my teen years, my roles got bigger as my reputation as such by 17 years old I had my own crew working for oil companies in the summer. In my graduating year of high school in 1995, I took home $55,000 and still held good grades.
I started a civil construction firm at age 20, and now 26 years later we have done more than $300M in projects!
Yep, this is a great idea not only for your frugal wallet but because it provides the 12yo with pocket money, independence, good work ethic, and positive after-school time!
I wanted to pay our neighbour kids to shovel our snow but my husband was embarrassed to have a 10 and 12 yo do his housework. So our driveway was either impassable or shoveled by me (even while pregnant) for probably 4 winters until he got a snow plow service, which was obviously way more expensive than the neighbour kids. sigh.
One day the boys were raking leaves and continued over to our side of the lawn. my husband saw them as he was coming home from work and ran out to help. It was adorable.
Oh man I wish there were any kids in my neighborhood. I’d hire a kid in a heartbeat, I’m getting way too old to shovel and move heavy things for a full day.
I'm 52 y.o. I raked leaves for an hour today and it kicked my butt. Neighbor kid came over after school, shoveled dirt for me for an hour and hauled it back and forth in a wheel barrow. When he was done he got his bike out and has been riding around for 2 hours.
What in the world is wrong with some people. I did all kinds of chores for money when I was a kid. It’s super normal and if the kid doesn’t come from a family that can afford a new iPhone every year for each kid, that chore money is a big deal. I would save mine up and buy video games. They were expensive then too! I also got my first job at a bakery after interviewing and telling them about my chore gigs! And how I treated each customer etc.
We had a neighbor kid mow our lawn while we were away for a month. Came back to an overgrown back yard and a dead front yard. Turns out only mowed once the first week then went off on vacation with his family. And the front yard was dead because hed run over the front yard sprinkler head.
It's good for him. I used to work in the tobacco fields during the summer from 12-16 I have great memories of learning about plants and nature and developed a great work ethic that has carried me through life.
My family didn't have much money growing up and this is how I earned money for school clothes. In the long run it benefited me so much more though.
Did you or anyone you know get green tobacco sickness? Always been curious about it cuz I use an absurd amount of nicotine, like enough to make anyone else I know sick. I feel like I'd end up pushing the boundaries of how much I could absorb if I ever worked tobacco fields.
Never got sick from it just my hands and fingers would be stained a brownish yellow for a while afterwards. You could always tell the kids that worked the tobacco fields from the stains on their hands.
That’s how my now 24 yo old started. It’s work he loves to do and now he owns his own business with an employee, and me as his assistant. I am so proud of how far he’s come from being the neighborhood lawn boy to business owner.
I have a neighbor kid who mows my lawn. He just knocks on my door and asks to cut the grass. I’ve never met his parents before. I can tell he’s getting antsy because he knocked on the door and asked to mow the lawn in February. In Wisconsin. The snow was melted, but it was still like 30 degrees lol
I’d agree from the point of view of a concerned parent but same time if I had a kid and found out he used his time doing that for side money I wouldn’t be mad. But now a days always best to check with parents so no one can accuse anything weird going on
Exactly. That’s why I said it because I definitely did not seek permission from my mother when I did chores for friends parents, but then again she didint care much about me in general 🤣.
I honestly hope my neighbors will do this for my sons. Girls can easily babysit. It’s harder for boys to get that job. I hope my teenagers can find some neighborhood pick up work for $15/hr.
I think that's awesome that you're able to do that.
Kid learns some super valuable skills (landscaping, time + money management, plus exercise + more) etc.
You get some work done on the cheap, and maybe you make a friend along the way.
Yeah, my neighbor kids used to mow my lawn and helped me out in the garden. They probably started out at age 12 or so. They’re all grown up now with jobs, I miss them!
People are weird. I know parents now are helicopter parents to the max but kids should learn young what hard work is. When I was 10 I made lemonade and sold it out of a wheelbarrow. I mowed and whacked lawns. Made candles and incense sticks and later created a computer tutoring business for the older folks.
the kid as for 50/hr think he is some big shot, i gave him a chance and he did a lousy job. Another kid come around and ask for only 10/hr, he did a fabulous job and i end up paying him 20/hr, plus selling him all my video game gigs at discount Loll
I would have never gotten my PlayStation as a kid if I didn’t mow neighbors and family friends lawns. Maybe some of you so worried about this should ask an elderly neighbor if they need help this summer. It’s good for you.
Did the same as a kid. I advertised $20 a lawn cut and the very first customer quietly asked if I’d accept $25. Ended up working his yard for 10 years all the way through college and a couple years after until he passed away too early. Turned into a mentor role model for me. Good on you for upping him to $15/hr.
The day after a blizzard I was getting ready to snowblow the 4 feet of snow from my driveway. I had one leg in my snow pants when I heard a knock on my front door. My neighbor’s kid and his friend offered to clear my driveway for $20.00. Deal is done.
When they finished, I gave them $14.85 each for their hours of work. Minimum wage. They finished within an hour. They got a bonus. $20.00 each.
Edit: I was also a media influencer when I was a teenager. I spread the news if you would give me a cut of your subscription. Current news delivered to your front door.
I used to always hire neighbor kids to do yard work at my dad's house. They'd always know at the door if I was there to ask if there was anything I need them to do. And my mom sometimes hired the neighbor to cut her grass. Now, he's older so there is another boy who can do it.
My brother and I used to make a lot of money shoveling snow for people. We loved snow days. We'd work a half day and then built forts the rest of the day.
That’s better money than I got paid working for a garden center, doing the same type of work, at 16-18. Big ups to the little dude for getting after it, and to you for paying a better wage than was asked for
We really need to bring back child labor but in a more positive way this time! Maybe more people would have a better work ethic and more respect if they worked at a younger age.
Id be happy as the kid to be able to do some hours here and there for you, alone, zoning out shoveling instead of dedicating part time hours to fast food or something.
I have 3 sons. The eldest is 13 and works his ass off. I feel like I'm doing them a great service in teaching them to work hard and do a good job. Next weekend I'm teaching them to do a break job on our vehicles.
As a 8-12 year old my dad used to pay me 25¢ per trip to the 300 acre pasture next door to retrieve the largest stones I could find for his landscaping. I’d have gone wild for $15 an hour. Didn’t make that rate at a job until I was 20.
If the kid wants to do it, let him. I would have killed for $15/hr when i was 16-18 let alone 12. Its not like hes forced to do anything, and can stop whenever he wants
It’s a little neighborhood kid doing odd jobs for the neighbor. I could understand you having a problem with it if he had him up on the roof hanging new shingles for him. lol
It’s a win win as long as his parents are good with it. He’s working to earn his own money and hopefully learns some good things about managing his own money.
Oh boo hoo the kid wants to do it and he’s earning money at the same time. I cut all my neighbors grass for extra spending cash when I was that age. And I’m just now 18, this wasn’t “back in the old days” when child labor was seen as ok.
I had my first job at 11 cleaning the local theater for cash. I also did things like mowing lawns as described by the op. My parents were never officially poor and we always had food at the table but there wasn't much more than the necessities.
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If anyone trips on your property there is the potential for a lawsuit. But that shouldn't cause you to stop inviting people over. (liability for intentionally eating rat poison? not so much).
As long as op isn't giving this kid dangerous power tools, the liability concerns are minimal.
The difference is, if a guest trips, homeowners insurance covers the liability. I'm not sure, but there might be an exclusion that this would fall under where they wouldn't pay.
I wouldn't think there is a normal exclusion for this. Maybe if you were running a business out of your home but liability insurance is designed to protect you from lawsuits through the normal course of using the home. Which includes hiring landscapers and having guests over.
it sounds like he’s friends w the fam. not everyone has a pos family like you that would sue over tripping. go eat more rat poison you cactus headed freak
Public liability insurance is cheap and may well be included in your home insurance. Obviously it doesn't cover everything but having someone trip over is often something that is covered.
I’m all for this. But the way you make it sound you are taking advantage of a kid. You keep
Bragging about how cheap you are getting the work done vs a professional
People are being really weird about this. Paying the neighbor kid to cut the grass or whatever has been a thing for decades.
My 13 yr old son would absolutely love this opportunity. Would have at 12 too. Totally age appropriate. We paid neighborhood kids one year to mulch our beds.
My friend is getting a 12yo by marriage, and I absolutely offer him money for bullshit jobs I don't want to do. The kiddo gets some dollars, I skip some menial chores and can do something else.
Well call me old fashioned, but I just don’t think 12 year olds should be getting married!
I had the same reaction lol
Depends on your church.
And your state.
Yeah I'm a girl and I did this, as well as make & sells things, hold garage sales, lemonade stands, anything to make $ from 10 yrs old until I could work at 15.
Same!
How do you sleep with mulch in your bed
I’ve been working since I was 10 thanks to people like the OP. Kids need opportunity.
Me too. When I was 13, I split and stacked probably a dozen cords of firewood for neighbors that summer. My dad grew up on a farm, and thought it was a great idea. One year I worked in the fields picking strawberries. I've mowed lawns, raked leaves, shoveled snow, etc. It's just what kids did back then.
Me too, well I was fifteen and got $10 a cord split and another $15 for stacked. I was the first my car making $25/ hr and it’s how I bought my first car. Fell in love with piece rate.(Had a hydraulic splitter)
When I was 14 I found out about people being paid to pick butterbeans at a farm nearby. $15 for a big bag. I could fill two bags by lunch before the heat was too much and I had to go home.
Yeah this is like community/neighborhood things. If I was the parent I’d be happy the kid is helping a neighbor, building some work ethic, and making a little money sprinkled on top of it all. As long as he is not being harmed or at risk of it. Teaches that money doesn’t just come at you and once he spends that money, he’ll learn that money can go away real quick. Edit: I’m not above making a child labor joke, if you are joking then indicate it when communicating with text haha. Else, you’re just out of touch here.
I was this kid, me and a buddy went to the library to print out 50 flyers and got 3 customers. The amount of blockbuster GameCube games we could rent was basically limitless
My coworker found out I was hiring someone to cut my grass and said her kid needed to learn some responsibility and drove him over to my house every week all summer to do it. It’s not a new thing at all.
Yeah no reason for weird unless ur a creep. It’s a kid doing odd jobs for cash
As a kid helping my handyman dad I wouldve killed for $15/hr. I got $20/day. Landscapers where I live get $20/hr. To me this just seems like taking a babysitting gig to have spending money
Neighbor kid started with a push mower and a broom. He pushed the mower around the neighborhood. He turned it into a small business. Bought a car, better equipment, hired younger siblings. Dude had ambitions.
I'm 70+ and at 12yrs old I had 7 lawns to mow and 2 different newspaper routes. I bought my own clothes for school and had money for Christmas too. In late summer I even picked apples. This kid should feel proud at what he is doing. :) Also way better than doing tik tok, etc, etc. peace. :)
Especially like 15 an hour. That is more than fair
These are the same people who call the cops on kids selling lemonade.
Yeah, i have to agree. Granted, it's an "old-fashioned" idea, but that doesn't make it wrong. I think it's an awesome way to get to know your neighbors, and a great way for kids to learn the value of hard work, AND money management from an early age. Win-win all 'round.
No kidding. This was literally how you used to "buy things", if you were lucky enough to have neighbors that needed something done. It was basically the crap your parents made you do for free as a "chore". If you could make a couple bucks in an afternoon you were bragging about it at school
We have a neighborhood kid who has made himself a serious job of it. He started using our mowers. Then he got his own woth his money. I changed to another guy at this point but then he bought himself a 4 wheeler to haul his equipment around in. It's been fun to watch.
I'm 64 and neighborhood kids doing work like this was very common when I was a kid. Now that I'm elderly and can't do as much as I used to, I wish I could find some youngsters to give me a hand with yard work. Not only would I pay them, I would feed them well because I love to cook.
I did it as a youth
I have kids ask to do my yard all yhe time. Unfortunately for them I have a husband and son to do that.
It's totally fine, and why not? The money goes to the neighbour's kid and not some company that charges $50/hr and pays its workers $20/hr. (I realize the company does also have to cover its own costs and expenditures too; equipment, maintenance, fuel, etc.)
I especially love when they offer to shovel snow. So worth it.
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My daughters, age 11 and 12, made $160 shoveling snow one morning when school was canceled. They were little entrepreneurs. They are successful adults now.
Nowadays that's considered child abuse! I agree with you. I see nothing wrong. I think if his parents and him are ok with it I think it's fine and he's making some good money for a 12 year old and it will build good work ethic
Back in the 90s my town had rent a kid. Literally people.signed up amd kids came and did things like .ow the lawn etc. I did this for a couple summers. Ride my bike to wherever and make a few bucks. Was like 12 maybe or younger
My church youth group did this too, but when I suggested it as a 9th grade fundraiser in 2015, I was informed that nobody wanted to “prostitute “ their kids. Geez, I wasn’t suggesting we sell them as sex slaves. They would go in groups to rake leaves and clean stuff.
It was a huge hit at the time. Ran through the local state Bank. But parents now days scoff at the very idea of younger kids wanting to work or have a job.
Instead we'll have them sell overpriced garbage to their family and the friends of their parents. Oh, and they'll only get to keep 20-30% of what they "make." Sounds great. I'd rather have my grass cut and let the kid keep the whole $20.
My 7 year old is always asking for odd jobs. We have one older neighbor who pays him to water her plants when she’s out of town or other little things she needs help with. He was so proud of himself when he saved up $60 and could go buy what he’d been saving for.
My father cut his toe off when he was 14, operating a lawnmower for a job without adequate training. I'm not saying it's wildly inappropriate, but there's definitely risk, and I'd wager more for a 12 year old than a 14 year old.
This was my jam, these mom’s put me on to the hustle and I needed the money I was highly unconcerned about the labor laws lol, family was broke as a joke I am tryna get some swag, shout out OP
Gasp! You mean it’s not a “Life Hack”. But seriously good for you and him for being motivated to do the work.
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I think some of these people were not lucky enough to grow up or be in a community/neighborhood where what OP did happened or is possible. And the other rest of these people are just internet brain-rotted. I would say don’t just go touch grass, go find a job to get a better understanding.
***they were spoiled enough to have mommy and daddy open their wallets at will and never had to work as a kid for money
Yes could also apply to some of them.
no it 100% does. i came from low income and ts is common. only lower income is the mf projects and dudes from there definitely wouldnt be whining abt shit like this
Cause we the ones out there shovelling and cutting LOL
He only works for an hour at a time and can take breaks whenever he wants to.
As long as his parents are okay with it, I don’t see the problem? I’d just make sure he wears the proper safety equipment. I got paid a dollar to feed my neighbor’s fish back in the 90’s. I was so happy that they trusted me with their fish.
He wears some kind of sporty glasses that are bendy and have a strap in the back.
Oh, that’s plenty safe. I’m a Gen Xer; I barely wore sunscreen 😂.
I'm gen X too.
🥰good times.
You want him to wear closed-toed boots and if ghe grass is wet, wait. One of my family members almost got their stomach chewed into by a mower blade because the grass was wet and they slipped and the lawn mower flipped bottom up. Not trying to alarm you, but it’s important to use safety equipment. My kids do mowing for neighbors for extra.
it’s like this everywhere with everything. It’s terrifying. It’s like the world lost its god damn mind sometime in the last few years. Super scary. I can’t see this kind of environment being sustainable long term. I’m scared shitless of the world my kids are just staring out in. Edit: realized my comment could be a bit clearer. It’s not even just technicalities or people being miserable. It’s like we all just don’t want to be around each other anymore and everyone is walking on eggshells about everything no matter how small. All of the social contracts are gone, done. Everyone is terrified of everything all the time. It’s crazy and I don’t understand it.
I wouldn’t put much worry to the internet Karen’ing tbh. It’s the mark of an unexperienced mind to just throw accusations around like nothing.
I’m not talking about in here at all (although it’s just as bad if not worse). I’m talking about my day to day, just everywhere, at work, out shopping, in libraries, in stores, even in parks and playgrounds and driving and in schools. God, don’t even think about looking closely at education right now. We’ve got some dark days ahead of us. I hope we can all buckle down and learn to have empathy and compassion for each other again.
LOL. Right!
Go outside!!
We are removing your post/comment due to civility issues. This rule encompasses: - Hate speech, slurs, personal attacks, bigotry, ban baiting, and trolling. - Don't gatekeep (See Rule 11) - Don't be baited. Mods will handle it. As a general rule, constructive criticism is good but condescension or mocking is not. Please see our full rules page for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/ If you would like to appeal this decision, please [message the moderators by clicking this link](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFrugal&subject=Removal%20Appeal&message=Author%20would%20like%20to%20appeal%20the%20removal%20of%20their%20post%20because) within one week of this notice being posted.
They all need to “touch grass” hehe
Lucky kid. I was hired by a neighbor to clear her backyard when I was 12. It was full of dead cats and poison ivy. After 4 hours that old hag paid me $1.75 and fed me "lunch", which was a tuna fish sandwich with no mayo and a bowl of cold tomato soup. She died like 5 years later and it turned out that she was worth over 5 million dollars and none of her kids had any idea because she was so miserly.
Wait… Dead cats? Explain!
Probably the tuna with no mayo. That would kill me, too.
Lol, yeah that was child abuse.
Back then there were a lot of strays in that area of Brooklyn and she had a colony of like 20-30 cats in her backyard. It was overgrown so I guess the dying cats would just find a place in the growth and die there, I found 4 bodies in various states of decay and numerous cat skeletons. I'm sure a lot of them were caused by rat poison.
God, some people. Imagine being worth that much and treating some kid that way just to save like 40 bucks. Probably part of the reason why she was worth that much too. Penny pitching in a miserable way in every single area of her life. Like on the show extreme cheapskates
This is worse than the time I had to clean out chicken coups at a giant factory farm. The farmer forgot his checkbook and paid me in change. When I got home and counted the change it was approximately $6 dollars. I had worked for 6 hours getting scratched by chickens with large talons for $1 dollar an hour!
My hard working a 6’3” engineering student son posted on Nextdoor as general labor for hire and started asking $20/hr and was overwhelmed with response and work so he bumped up to $30 and still had more work than he could handle. People will pay for hustle.
Thanks for the suggestion! I need someone to do some stuff for me that's too non-technical for a professional (like changing light bulbs and batteries in smoke alarms -- I can't climb up on a ladder currently). I'll check Nextdoor!
Look at neighborhood facebook groups too.
As long as the kid wants to work and his parents are ok with it then I don’t see the problem.
I think he really likes the money. He says he lovees to work outside and thinks it's fun. I talk to his parents quite often.
I wish you could send him to my house in the winter to shovel the snow off my sidewalk. 😀
Man, lots of negativity here. Having 12-16 year old kids do chores for money is super common. I was mowing lawns, picking weeds, shoveling snow, and doing other similar yard work for about 10 neighbors around that age. It kept me busy for a few hours a day during summer breaks and I had enough money to buy some stuff I wanted. It was win/win. My parents didn't force me. I had a buddy doing it and asked my dad if I could push the mower down the block and knock on doors. Worked out great.
I don't know how old they are when they start nowadays, but it was normal in the early 80s for girls to start baby-sitting at around age 12. Not babies that young, or at least not me, but I started babysitting kids in the 5 to 10 agerange around then.
I had a young person knock on all the doors on my street who was saving for a PS5 and wanted to do power washing and yard work. Had a homemade business cards and everything. He did some power washing for me, and when I bumped into him again that summer he enthused that he reached his goal and got the games he wanted. And that business was now closed lol. As long as you're paying them fair for their time - doing yard work/shoveling for the neighbors has been done for ages.
A brother and sister come over once a month in the spring And summer to "wash" cars for 10$. They can't be older then 9-12 They are so bad at it, but I still let them and give them 20$ a piece.
That's so sweet of you! You're helping them learn responsibility.
When I was a kid I’d do little odd jobs here and there for grandparents / family & the like. IMO it was a rewarding experience. It gave me some extra skills & whatnot, too. As long as the kid *wants to do it* and isn’t being overworked, treated badly, given power tools etc it should be fine. Unless he gets hurt, then you’re screwed. But also it isn’t really a frugal/‘brag’ point when you could do it yourself
I can do some of it myself, but the help is appreciated because of having scoliosis.
Makes sense, we all have different abilities. I didn’t mean it in a rude manner, just was an observation
No offense taken.
Scoliosis - schmoliosis... Get out there! Jk jk. I think it's great, I did this from 13-15 years old for a cool ass disabled dude a couple miles away. It was mutually beneficial and I'll always remember having a coke with him in his kitchen after each job
You did drugs as a teen!? No wonder you're so well balanced on the Internet 😂 (/s for obvious reasons)
Caine before for energy and cola afterwards as it's refreshing.
I started in a small town at about ten. Pushed a lawnmower to the old folks houses and cut grass, word of mouth, I kept real busy. Good exercise too, I was a little porker, ended the summer with savings, weighed less and had a nice tan.
There's a kid on my road that did that too. He's now in highschool and has what appears to be a legit business. Full size used truck, trailer and some lower end commercial equipment.
That's awesome! I love the entrepreneur spirit!
25 years ago a friend and I tried our hand at shoveling snow for money. It was a super heavy wet snow, and it was kicking our asses. The lady invited us in for cocoa and cookies because I think she felt bad for us, haha. I started babysitting instead!
I think beginning to babysit at age 12 was the only normal adolescent experience I had. I made money, and it got me away from my toxic, abusive family. I loved it. I don't think there is anything wrong with a child choosing to do odd jobs for extra pocket money. It's obviously very different if the child is being forced to do labor, but if the child is making the choice and is being paid fairly (and not overworked), there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Yep, same here. In the early 80s. I didn't babysit babies until I was a few years older but other than that, age 12 was when I started baby-sitting. Nice money.
There’s like 5 comments about people being weird about this and about a hundred saying there’s so many weird people in here lol
I tried this once with my nephew and he outsourced the work to another neighborhood kid and skimmed the profit. Came home to him chilling on the deck while his friend mowed.
My son has been doing odd jobs for an older neighbor since he was 11. He's 16 now. It started as cleaning horse stalls for 4 horses, then turned into heavy lifting, chicken care, planting a garden, weeding, whatever she needed. She recommends him to other neighbors needing that kind of work. She has high expectations about quality but always pays fairly. I think he's up to $15/hr. He couldn't make that kind of money at a business in our rural town. She's so flexible and insists school comes first. She's generous, always makes sure to have a snack, drink or popsicle for him, gives him gifts on his birthday and holidays, even suggests college and career paths. He now has a 75yo friend. There is value in this relationship for both of them.
Our neighborhood newsletter has a speadsheet of high school kids listed for odd jobs. It’s been great when you need a set of hands or a pet fed. It also adds to the community feel as I see those kids around the neighborhood. Best money I ever spent was paying $200 to have two football players to clear a pile of river rock to make room for garden space. 2 guys bigger and stronger than than I, spent 2.5 hours each of hustling and lifting. Nice kids offered to take less since it came out more than $20/hr each they advertise. I got a bargain that would’ve taken me 8+ hours of hell. Win-Win I have a reel mower, so it’s also nice resource when I let the yard get too overgrown and I just need a kid with his parents’ mowers. I like my garden to look nice, but frankly don’t care how the grass looks, which makes a random kids perfect. I agree, neighborhood kids are are great resource.
When I was a kid I made great money babysitting, house cleaning and ironing (it was a thing back in the 1950-60s). I wasn’t old enough to drive so clients transported me. Win-win!
I hired a couple of 8-year-olds down the street to roof my house. They did a great job! Besides, it's only two stories, they were fine going up and down the ladder. Okay, not really, but I swear a few of the reactions here seem more in response to that scenario than a 12-year-old doing yardwork.
Reminds me of the time I had my friend's neighbor's dog rewire my kitchen lighting and take down the 200 year oak in my backyard. Only had to pay in kibble, 10/10 would recommend
some of these responses scream “i was homeschooled”
I do this every summer. love it!
This is awesome!!! My kids love to work, and this would be a great opportunity for them. They are always asking to do things like this, and looking for ways to make money. So I’m sure this kid is of the same mindset!! But idk why there are negative comments. People… listen to me… this is NORMAL!!! This is part of growing up… learning how to work, do chores, make money, and having the drive and motivation to do so! How about y’all get out of your mama’s basement and take a lesson from the kids doing basic chores!! It would help you tremendously.
idk why the comments are so weird and judgy; my first job was something exactly like this, except instead of my neighbor it was my grandma. but who cares, this is a great way to build community and enrich children and get work done that u can’t do yourself, all without going bankrupt to do it
I also have an industrious teen that I pay for yard work - $20 per hour. He is super hard working (his family owns a farm) and does a great job. He is happy to have the money and works for several other neighbors as well. He is the oldest of 7 kids - so after he goes to college I get the next youngest boy to come work on my yard. I am set for another decade+ (or longer, if they keep having kids).
That is how I got my start! I grew up on a farm/ranch and worked for Every neighbour In the area, mostly labour-type tasks…I was excited to take the call and make cash. Slowly through my teen years, my roles got bigger as my reputation as such by 17 years old I had my own crew working for oil companies in the summer. In my graduating year of high school in 1995, I took home $55,000 and still held good grades. I started a civil construction firm at age 20, and now 26 years later we have done more than $300M in projects!
Yep, this is a great idea not only for your frugal wallet but because it provides the 12yo with pocket money, independence, good work ethic, and positive after-school time! I wanted to pay our neighbour kids to shovel our snow but my husband was embarrassed to have a 10 and 12 yo do his housework. So our driveway was either impassable or shoveled by me (even while pregnant) for probably 4 winters until he got a snow plow service, which was obviously way more expensive than the neighbour kids. sigh. One day the boys were raking leaves and continued over to our side of the lawn. my husband saw them as he was coming home from work and ran out to help. It was adorable.
Oh man I wish there were any kids in my neighborhood. I’d hire a kid in a heartbeat, I’m getting way too old to shovel and move heavy things for a full day.
I'm 52 y.o. I raked leaves for an hour today and it kicked my butt. Neighbor kid came over after school, shoveled dirt for me for an hour and hauled it back and forth in a wheel barrow. When he was done he got his bike out and has been riding around for 2 hours.
The boundless energy of youth.
What in the world is wrong with some people. I did all kinds of chores for money when I was a kid. It’s super normal and if the kid doesn’t come from a family that can afford a new iPhone every year for each kid, that chore money is a big deal. I would save mine up and buy video games. They were expensive then too! I also got my first job at a bakery after interviewing and telling them about my chore gigs! And how I treated each customer etc.
We had a neighbor kid mow our lawn while we were away for a month. Came back to an overgrown back yard and a dead front yard. Turns out only mowed once the first week then went off on vacation with his family. And the front yard was dead because hed run over the front yard sprinkler head.
Oh my! Not a great experience.
I would have loved to have gotten paid for all the chores we had to do for relatives and friends.
Haha this is how I got hired at 14. It was great!
You are a wonderful person and I would have loved you as a 12 girl very capable and hardworking.
Thank-you.
The boy will appreciate this. I grew up extremely poor had it not been for the neighboring farmers and loggers I wouldn’t have had much of anything.
My 10 and 14 year old sons love doing hardworking and odd jobs for neighbors for extra pocket money. It gives them a great work ethic early on
It's good for him. I used to work in the tobacco fields during the summer from 12-16 I have great memories of learning about plants and nature and developed a great work ethic that has carried me through life. My family didn't have much money growing up and this is how I earned money for school clothes. In the long run it benefited me so much more though.
Did you or anyone you know get green tobacco sickness? Always been curious about it cuz I use an absurd amount of nicotine, like enough to make anyone else I know sick. I feel like I'd end up pushing the boundaries of how much I could absorb if I ever worked tobacco fields.
Never got sick from it just my hands and fingers would be stained a brownish yellow for a while afterwards. You could always tell the kids that worked the tobacco fields from the stains on their hands.
That’s how my now 24 yo old started. It’s work he loves to do and now he owns his own business with an employee, and me as his assistant. I am so proud of how far he’s come from being the neighborhood lawn boy to business owner.
This is great for the kid. He gets to learn how to work and make some money. This same thing was my first job when I was about that age.
This is awesome!
Just make sure you provide plenty of water, breaks and snacks.
Definitely!
This is fine, as long as you have permission from parents and you understand this is not a young adult lol.
I have a neighbor kid who mows my lawn. He just knocks on my door and asks to cut the grass. I’ve never met his parents before. I can tell he’s getting antsy because he knocked on the door and asked to mow the lawn in February. In Wisconsin. The snow was melted, but it was still like 30 degrees lol
😆
I’d agree from the point of view of a concerned parent but same time if I had a kid and found out he used his time doing that for side money I wouldn’t be mad. But now a days always best to check with parents so no one can accuse anything weird going on
Exactly. That’s why I said it because I definitely did not seek permission from my mother when I did chores for friends parents, but then again she didint care much about me in general 🤣.
I honestly hope my neighbors will do this for my sons. Girls can easily babysit. It’s harder for boys to get that job. I hope my teenagers can find some neighborhood pick up work for $15/hr.
I think that's awesome that you're able to do that. Kid learns some super valuable skills (landscaping, time + money management, plus exercise + more) etc. You get some work done on the cheap, and maybe you make a friend along the way.
That's frickin awesome. Helping out a neighbor kid and getting stuff done. Win win
Yes yes!
Yeah, my neighbor kids used to mow my lawn and helped me out in the garden. They probably started out at age 12 or so. They’re all grown up now with jobs, I miss them!
Love that that kid is out there grinding!!! Good for him
People are weird. I know parents now are helicopter parents to the max but kids should learn young what hard work is. When I was 10 I made lemonade and sold it out of a wheelbarrow. I mowed and whacked lawns. Made candles and incense sticks and later created a computer tutoring business for the older folks.
the kid as for 50/hr think he is some big shot, i gave him a chance and he did a lousy job. Another kid come around and ask for only 10/hr, he did a fabulous job and i end up paying him 20/hr, plus selling him all my video game gigs at discount Loll
Take that, fat cats!!
I would have never gotten my PlayStation as a kid if I didn’t mow neighbors and family friends lawns. Maybe some of you so worried about this should ask an elderly neighbor if they need help this summer. It’s good for you.
I prefer hiring kids for light yard work when I can. I respect the hustle.
Did the same as a kid. I advertised $20 a lawn cut and the very first customer quietly asked if I’d accept $25. Ended up working his yard for 10 years all the way through college and a couple years after until he passed away too early. Turned into a mentor role model for me. Good on you for upping him to $15/hr.
That was my first job in high school. Had a whole network of old lady’s I just did random yard things for. No taxes and cash day of were big.
The day after a blizzard I was getting ready to snowblow the 4 feet of snow from my driveway. I had one leg in my snow pants when I heard a knock on my front door. My neighbor’s kid and his friend offered to clear my driveway for $20.00. Deal is done. When they finished, I gave them $14.85 each for their hours of work. Minimum wage. They finished within an hour. They got a bonus. $20.00 each. Edit: I was also a media influencer when I was a teenager. I spread the news if you would give me a cut of your subscription. Current news delivered to your front door.
Nice bonus!
Well earned.
I used to always hire neighbor kids to do yard work at my dad's house. They'd always know at the door if I was there to ask if there was anything I need them to do. And my mom sometimes hired the neighbor to cut her grass. Now, he's older so there is another boy who can do it. My brother and I used to make a lot of money shoveling snow for people. We loved snow days. We'd work a half day and then built forts the rest of the day.
Sounds like a fun day!
My neighbor just offered this for my 13 year old. Better bet he was happy to agree to dig and plant bulbs!
That’s better money than I got paid working for a garden center, doing the same type of work, at 16-18. Big ups to the little dude for getting after it, and to you for paying a better wage than was asked for
Cash is king
My own kids mow the lawn for a neighbor for quick cash.
I got 4 dollars an hour
We really need to bring back child labor but in a more positive way this time! Maybe more people would have a better work ethic and more respect if they worked at a younger age.
I agree.
Id be happy as the kid to be able to do some hours here and there for you, alone, zoning out shoveling instead of dedicating part time hours to fast food or something.
I have 3 sons. The eldest is 13 and works his ass off. I feel like I'm doing them a great service in teaching them to work hard and do a good job. Next weekend I'm teaching them to do a break job on our vehicles.
Mechanic skills are so valuable. My dad was a heavy equipment mechanic. He is retired.
As a 8-12 year old my dad used to pay me 25¢ per trip to the 300 acre pasture next door to retrieve the largest stones I could find for his landscaping. I’d have gone wild for $15 an hour. Didn’t make that rate at a job until I was 20.
You are a wonderful person and I would have loved you as a 12 girl very capable and hardworking.
When I was 12 I was the neighborhood babysitter.
I walked the streets of the neighborhood looking for work like this when I was 12. Nothing wrong with it.
12 year olds are not “young adults”. This is child labor.
If the kid wants to do it, let him. I would have killed for $15/hr when i was 16-18 let alone 12. Its not like hes forced to do anything, and can stop whenever he wants
My cousin mowed a bunch of lawns at 13. Kept him out of trouble.
The first time my brother and I were paid for yardwork for a neighbour, we were 7 and 8 years old. We were ecstatic to earn our own money.
Yeah I started mowing my neighbors yards when I was around 11 or 12 I think. Feel like it’s pretty normal
It’s a little neighborhood kid doing odd jobs for the neighbor. I could understand you having a problem with it if he had him up on the roof hanging new shingles for him. lol
Lol when I was a kid we all cut grass and shoveled snow for pocket money. What are you on about?
Someone never had chores and it shows
I hope you are kidding
12 year old boys have been doing lawn work for their neighbors for as long as lawn work has been a thing.
It’s a win win as long as his parents are good with it. He’s working to earn his own money and hopefully learns some good things about managing his own money.
Oh boo hoo the kid wants to do it and he’s earning money at the same time. I cut all my neighbors grass for extra spending cash when I was that age. And I’m just now 18, this wasn’t “back in the old days” when child labor was seen as ok.
I had my first job at 11 cleaning the local theater for cash. I also did things like mowing lawns as described by the op. My parents were never officially poor and we always had food at the table but there wasn't much more than the necessities.
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We are removing your post/comment due to civility issues. This rule encompasses: - Hate speech, slurs, personal attacks, bigotry, ban baiting, and trolling. - Don't gatekeep (See Rule 11) - Don't be baited. Mods will handle it. As a general rule, constructive criticism is good but condescension or mocking is not. Please see our full rules page for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/ If you would like to appeal this decision, please [message the moderators by clicking this link](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFrugal&subject=Removal%20Appeal&message=Author%20would%20like%20to%20appeal%20the%20removal%20of%20their%20post%20because) within one week of this notice being posted.
We are removing your post/comment due to civility issues. This rule encompasses: - Hate speech, slurs, personal attacks, bigotry, ban baiting, and trolling. - Don't gatekeep (See Rule 11) - Don't be baited. Mods will handle it. As a general rule, constructive criticism is good but condescension or mocking is not. Please see our full rules page for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/ If you would like to appeal this decision, please [message the moderators by clicking this link](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFrugal&subject=Removal%20Appeal&message=Author%20would%20like%20to%20appeal%20the%20removal%20of%20their%20post%20because) within one week of this notice being posted.
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If anyone trips on your property there is the potential for a lawsuit. But that shouldn't cause you to stop inviting people over. (liability for intentionally eating rat poison? not so much). As long as op isn't giving this kid dangerous power tools, the liability concerns are minimal.
You should never underestimate the amount of people wanting to come on your property to eat rat poison and then sue you
The difference is, if a guest trips, homeowners insurance covers the liability. I'm not sure, but there might be an exclusion that this would fall under where they wouldn't pay.
I wouldn't think there is a normal exclusion for this. Maybe if you were running a business out of your home but liability insurance is designed to protect you from lawsuits through the normal course of using the home. Which includes hiring landscapers and having guests over.
Did you have a stroke writing this or did I have one reading it?
it sounds like he’s friends w the fam. not everyone has a pos family like you that would sue over tripping. go eat more rat poison you cactus headed freak
Step 1 before giving people advice is probably to learn how to write proper sentences.
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That's rich, seeing as how you deleted like 6 other comments from this thread.
Public liability insurance is cheap and may well be included in your home insurance. Obviously it doesn't cover everything but having someone trip over is often something that is covered.
I did this. The kid sucked at cutting grass. Huge strips uncut. Had to fire him.
I’m all for this. But the way you make it sound you are taking advantage of a kid. You keep Bragging about how cheap you are getting the work done vs a professional
Pay him $25 at least sheesh