Off The Wall Shit You Did to Make Money When You Were Younger

Ben89

New member
Mar 30, 2007
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What are some off the wall things you did to make money regardless of whether they worked or not when you were young?

I'll start:

1. When I was around 12 - 14, Jamba Juice would send coupons for a free smoothie every year around May. I lived in an apartment with around 150 units and I knew that many of the tenants would probably just throw their coupons away. So I would search the mail room's trash can (which only contained mail/envelopes/ads) and collect as many of these coupons as I could and then sell them on ebay for a few bucks each. I probably made a few hundred bucks each time but looking back, if I found a way to access the mail room of other apartments, I could make way more.

2. When I was around 15, I tried to sell advertising on the window of my room by posting an auction on ebay. I came up with this pitch of how the ad would have excellent visibility because my room's huge window had a height that went from the ceiling to the floor, it was adjacent to a huge parking lot with around 100 cars, and it was on the 2nd floor. The auction did get a few bids but unfortunately ebay shut it down claiming some sort of TOS violation that I don't recall exactly.

What about you guys?
 


When I was 16 i used to work at a country club as a golf caddy/errand boy. I made a little money doing that. As that summer went on I got to meet many powerful men everything from judges and attorneys to accountants and business men. Then one day this judge asked me if I could help him out with some work at his apartment. I began doing chores that night and could hear the shower running. While I was finishing making his bed he came out naked as the day he was born. I couldnt help but look down and to my surprise his member was hard as stone and he began staring at me. We locked eyes and he began to approach me as he neared he asked me if I wanted to make some real money. I slowly nodded my head and just then he reached out and grabbed my arm and put my hand on his throbbing manhood. He taught me about things that I couldnt have imagined in my wildest wet dreams. As I left he put $400 on the nightstand and told me to buy something nice.

As the summer progressed he began introducing me to many of his friends that needed my assistance and by the end of the summer I had made nearly $50,000 in cash which I used to pay for my tuition.
 
10-12 years old:
I would set up a lot of my stuff including baseball cards, comic books, figurines, on a table in my room and sell it to neighborhood kids.

14-15 years old: (The Winner)
I lived on a plantation converted to a golf course with a neighborhood inside. My brother and I would take pillow cases and swim through the ponds and collect all the golf balls lost, take them home, dump them in the bathtub with bleach, clean them, and ride around on our bikes reselling them for 3 for $1.

16-18 years old:
Started a lawn maintenance business with client list growing well beyond my own ability. Brought on help, and then quit for college. Made the most money.
 
I went to Catholic school growing up, and the priest used to buy me all kinds of toys and video games and stuff just so I wouldn't tell my parents that I was giving him oral sex.

I'd then sell the video games to my classmates for way cheaper than you could buy them in the store.

Shit was cash.
 
I went to Catholic school growing up, and the priest used to buy me all kinds of toys and video games and stuff just so I wouldn't tell my parents that I was giving him oral sex.

I'd then sell the video games to my classmates for way cheaper than you could buy them in the store.

Shit was cash.

Your so lucky my priest didn't buy me shit. He threatened to tell my parents about the nasty sins I was committing. Damn your so lucky
 
When I was 16 i used to work at a country club as a golf caddy/errand boy. I made a little money doing that. As that summer went on I got to meet many powerful men everything from judges and attorneys to accountants and business men. Then one day this judge asked me if I could help him out with some work at his apartment. I began doing chores that night and could hear the shower running. While I was finishing making his bed he came out naked as the day he was born. I couldnt help but look down and to my surprise his member was hard as stone and he began staring at me. We locked eyes and he began to approach me as he neared he asked me if I wanted to make some real money. I slowly nodded my head and just then he reached out and grabbed my arm and put my hand on his throbbing manhood. He taught me about things that I couldnt have imagined in my wildest wet dreams. As I left he put $400 on the nightstand and told me to buy something nice.

As the summer progressed he began introducing me to many of his friends that needed my assistance and by the end of the summer I had made nearly $50,000 in cash which I used to pay for my tuition.

Strong 2004th post
 
-real young 5-10-
Sell 3 leaf clovers to old ladies in my moms kitchen cups
had my bro signup for a paper route in his name so I could do it (wasn't old enough)
Dig in the dirt at concession stands for change
Buy things from garage sales then hold mini garage sales at 100% mark up

-older 11-14ish-
add $1-$2 markup on the candy I sold for football

sell game programs at football games, they gave us a special vest to wear that we could just walk in / out without a ticket. We would give people the vest and walk in for $20-$100(depending on game) then have them throw back to us over the side.

When selling programs we would sign up with fake names and simply keep all the money we made selling them ($100-$500 a game)

Knocking over pop machines and stealing all the money/pop(lol)

Sold acid, weed, coke
 
There is no statute of limitations for the things I did for money as a young buck.
 
9 - 12 sold bookmarks made of glue and dye from markers. If anyone remembers pencil holders, I would pour some of the ink onto the top of the indent and then place the liquid glue in it. Stir up the glue with the multiple dyes I used and sell them as bookmarks.

13 - 15 - Sold yugioh cards, basketball cards, and a ton other TCGs. I also ran a successful junk food vending machine from my locker. I use to sell energy drinks, soda, and candy that I bought wholesale from Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's.

15 - 17 - Sold runescape accounts, maple story accounts, and a ton other mmorpg stuff. I was also selling the currencies and programs to cheat within the games.

18 - 20 - Stopped doing anything and everything. I lost all ambition for the longest time.
 
I had a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine and would sell to people on my street.

SNOP-0156.jpg
 
Age 12-14:

Bought a CD burner for about $200. Sold custom made CDs at school for $10 each. Probably made about $800.

Also had a Paper Route but that's not very off the wall.

Hustled everyone in my neighborhood on baseball cards, pokemon cards, and magic cards. Never really sold any but I know I always got the better deal on the trades.

Age 16-20:

Played Poker. Used to always beat neighbors and friends, and did well online. Probably made $500+ every month from winnings.

Read a ton of books: Super System, Theory of Poker, Harrington on HoldEm, Body Language Books, etc.

Basically could beat anyone I played when I was in my prime. If I wasn't so damn broke I woulda tried to enter the World Series of Poker at 21.

Age 19-20:


Started a vending gumball machine business. Wasn't very profitable. I then found out that flipping the vending machines I bought was the way to go. Made about $2000-3000.

Found niche silcone bracelets that a famous comedy TV show was promoting. Bought 1,000 of them the day after the show aired for $600. That's when I first learned about buying from china, dropshipping, etc. Sold the items on eBay and made about $4000-5000, then other people caught on and kinda flooded the market.

-----

Since then I've been trying to build more legit and sustainable businesses. Was obsessed with doing a Tech Startup before I found out more about IM and this forum.
 
In 5th grade I would steal candy from 7-11's after school and sell it the next day. Made like $10 a day and must have stolen thousands of packs of gum over the years.