We all know those really bad ”wants” that take over your mind sometimes, like a craving for Morelli’s pistachio ice cream after a tiresome day in school – or maybe a burning desire to buy that really neat, but expensive jacket for the winter that’s soon to come.
Entering Morelli’s empty-handed and exiting with an ice-cream in your hand every Monday may bring you some relief, and your taste buds will certainly thank you for it – but your wallet? Probably not. The student life is hard, and every month we have an income and many expenditures just like any adult, whether it may be satisfying our food cravings, buying clothes or getting yourself some new school gear.
So, what can you do if the wallet-you and the student grant simply isn’t enough? If you want to unburden your parents and take matters into your own hands, this guide is for you. Below you can read all about 3 great ways to earn some extra money as a struggling KG-student!
- Selling your old clothes: If you feel like there’s that certain pair of jeans that you bought ages ago that simply doesn’t appeal to you anymore, sell them! Instead of them lying in your wardrobe and collecting dust over time, they can be of use to someone else while you’ll earn money for it. Selling old clothes is something that everyone can do and it doesn’t require much time or effort. And hey, don’t worry if they’re (according to you) kind of ugly, someone else will surely want to buy them. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
Useful tips:
- There are several apps out there that act as marketplaces with the purpose of selling unwanted and old stuff. Simply take pictures of the garment you’re trying to sell, put a reasonable price on it and then publish the garment on your app of choice. Your garment will be visible to many other users and sooner or later someone will pick up on it. My favorite apps and perhaps the most well known, are called ”Shpock” and ”Plick”, but there are also many other similar apps on the market.
- When taking pictures of your garments, make sure to steer clear from furniture in the background. Also, you should opt for a white/black background so the garment and its details are as visible as possible.
- Go through your entire wardrobe and put all the clothes that you no longer want or need in a big bag and publish all of them on an app of your choice. Within a couple of weeks, you will surely have sold some of the garments – if not all of them, and your wallet will feel less lonely.
- Babysitting: I know it sounds lame, and you’ve probably already done it a couple of times for family members or neighbours. But I’m talking about babysitting on a more ‘’professional’’ level. This way you can earn money while also challenging yourself, maybe in a way that you haven’t done previously. A good site where you can become an employed nanny/babysitter is ‘’ nanny.nu ‘’. Becoming a hired nanny for ‘’nanny.nu’’ however does require some kind of previous experience with children, such as having worked in a kindergarten or simply having babysitted a family member or someone else. So if you like children and feel like applying – simply visit http://nanny.nu and get on with it!
- Getting a part-time job: This is a more permanent and long-term alternative, but obviously very effective when it comes to earning some money. All it requires is for you to get a bit handsy on the keyboard and write yourself a good CV and personal letter. If you already have those: good for you! The next step is to scout some places that you think you would like to work at. Take a stroll in town, bring your CV and visit different restaurants & cafés if you so wish and simply hand your CV out. If it feels like too much at once, a good tip is applying for jobs online! You can easily find the email addresses for different places on the internet or apply in their ‘’available jobs’’ section which most places have.
Getting a part-time job has lots of benefits – you don’t only get to challenge yourself and develop your personality, but you also get loads of experience which will be beneficial for future job applications.
Useful tips:
- If writing about yourself and your qualities is a bit hard, no worries. You can always get a friend or family member to help you, simply ask them to describe you and list some good qualities that you have – also get them to write it down on paper! This way you’ll get some inspiration and a general overview when writing your CV and personal letter. Just don’t forget to listen to yourself! In the end, it’s you who’ll be describing yourself in both CVs and job interviews – not anyone else.
- In general, there are many job opportunities for students in the service and restaurant industry. A good tip is to apply for jobs in different fast food chains, cafés, and bars. Another possible idea is applying for jobs in diverse stores, such as food stores, clothing stores and so on. Be creative!
- Ask around! Maybe you have a family member or a friend that could get you a job in their workplace.
That’s it, now you’ve read all about different ways for bringing your wallet back to life. If you’re a struggling KG-student I truly hope that you’ve gathered some good inspiration for future money-making. However, please keep in mind that it isn’t all about the money itself, but how you earn it. Working hard in order to achieve a goal for yourself will (as mentioned earlier) get you a great deal of experience. It will also help you to become stronger and more independent, two qualities that are essential for the tough adult-life to come! Good luck.