Seems like everybody gets an allowance and a cell phone these days. Not me, when I was a kid.
Ok, story time:
I was home schooled as a kid. My mom only had to teach one student instead of 20, so I got through with my studies in maybe 3 or 4 hours. The rest of the day I was outside, exploring the world on my bike while all the other kids were in school & the adults were at work. My mom thought I stayed on my street like she told me, but I ventured miles from home. We're talking maybe 7-10 years old.
I would make my daily rounds, first to the offroad bike trails in the expansive abandoned wooded lot behind walmart for an hour or so of solitary fun. Then to video arcade; not to play games, but to check all the coin slots & under all the machines for unclaimed quarters. Then to the laundromat for the same purpose. I almost always found at least 50c under the change machine. Then to the resale shop to see what new stuff they had, and what had sold. The resale shop lady often gave me trinkets & broken stuff that came in & wasn't likely to sell. those went into the homemade quick-disconnect bike basket. Then I had a few goldmine dumpsters I would check, and bring home whatever treasures I found there. I was always on the lookout for broken bikes in the dumpsters.
If I found a bike, no matter how mangled, it got bungee'd to the back of my bike, and came home with me. I would strip off all the good parts and when I got enough good parts I would build a whole good bike. I would then try to sell the new bike to other neighborhood kids, but they usually couldn't afford my bikes so I just showed them off. I also fixed their bikes & replaced bad parts in exchange for goods.
This is how I got a nintendo, a TV, a crossbow, ice cream every day from the ice cream truck, nunchucks, toy trucks & GI Joes for little brother, dolls for my sisters, and tapes & VHS movies, ..., the list never ends.
Later on when I was about 10 or 11 I wore out dad's 3.5hp walmart push mower mowing lawns front & back for 10$ a pop. That's when I started high-rollin'. I found things in the 3-digit price range suddenly attainable. First thing I bought was a Benjamin Sherridan pellet gun. I swear that thing was more powerful than a .22cal rifle.
I also bought drinks by the pallet at sams club and built a little tow-behind cooler trailer (big ice chest bungee'd to a handtruck) for my bike and rode through the neighborhoods that were under construction and sold the drinks to the construction workers. Like 10X markup! I made a killing off those guys selling them ice cold gatorade in the middle of summer. A lot more profit than mowing grass and a lot easier. On the rare occasion when I would see some kids with a lemonade stand I would scoff to myself "ha, amateurs" .
Later on when I was about 13- 14 I got my first "real" (40hrs/week) job, during the summer mowing grass again, for my uncle. He paid me 4$/hr under the table - only 1$/hr less than he payed his illegals (so he said).
When I turned 15 & old enough to pay taxes I worked @ KFC, and then at a telemarketing place (worst job ever) and then at a quick lube place. I worked at the quick lube all through high school.
ok, you've heard my story, now I want to hear yours.
Story time!
Ok, story time:
I was home schooled as a kid. My mom only had to teach one student instead of 20, so I got through with my studies in maybe 3 or 4 hours. The rest of the day I was outside, exploring the world on my bike while all the other kids were in school & the adults were at work. My mom thought I stayed on my street like she told me, but I ventured miles from home. We're talking maybe 7-10 years old.
I would make my daily rounds, first to the offroad bike trails in the expansive abandoned wooded lot behind walmart for an hour or so of solitary fun. Then to video arcade; not to play games, but to check all the coin slots & under all the machines for unclaimed quarters. Then to the laundromat for the same purpose. I almost always found at least 50c under the change machine. Then to the resale shop to see what new stuff they had, and what had sold. The resale shop lady often gave me trinkets & broken stuff that came in & wasn't likely to sell. those went into the homemade quick-disconnect bike basket. Then I had a few goldmine dumpsters I would check, and bring home whatever treasures I found there. I was always on the lookout for broken bikes in the dumpsters.
If I found a bike, no matter how mangled, it got bungee'd to the back of my bike, and came home with me. I would strip off all the good parts and when I got enough good parts I would build a whole good bike. I would then try to sell the new bike to other neighborhood kids, but they usually couldn't afford my bikes so I just showed them off. I also fixed their bikes & replaced bad parts in exchange for goods.
This is how I got a nintendo, a TV, a crossbow, ice cream every day from the ice cream truck, nunchucks, toy trucks & GI Joes for little brother, dolls for my sisters, and tapes & VHS movies, ..., the list never ends.
Later on when I was about 10 or 11 I wore out dad's 3.5hp walmart push mower mowing lawns front & back for 10$ a pop. That's when I started high-rollin'. I found things in the 3-digit price range suddenly attainable. First thing I bought was a Benjamin Sherridan pellet gun. I swear that thing was more powerful than a .22cal rifle.
I also bought drinks by the pallet at sams club and built a little tow-behind cooler trailer (big ice chest bungee'd to a handtruck) for my bike and rode through the neighborhoods that were under construction and sold the drinks to the construction workers. Like 10X markup! I made a killing off those guys selling them ice cold gatorade in the middle of summer. A lot more profit than mowing grass and a lot easier. On the rare occasion when I would see some kids with a lemonade stand I would scoff to myself "ha, amateurs" .
Later on when I was about 13- 14 I got my first "real" (40hrs/week) job, during the summer mowing grass again, for my uncle. He paid me 4$/hr under the table - only 1$/hr less than he payed his illegals (so he said).
When I turned 15 & old enough to pay taxes I worked @ KFC, and then at a telemarketing place (worst job ever) and then at a quick lube place. I worked at the quick lube all through high school.
ok, you've heard my story, now I want to hear yours.
Story time!