Earning Some Change

On By Lady GIn Spirit, Uncategorized

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As a kid, I grew up in a working class home so my parents really didn’t have a lot of money to spare.

Suffice it to say, my little brother and I were NOT on the receiving end of a regular allowance.

Of course, we had everything we needed and most of what we wanted but if we desired extra ‘pocket change,’ we had to figure out how to earn it.

No doubt, finding ways to make money required a good deal of resourcefulness and versatility!

That said, we did all sorts of things like:

Washing cars

Raking yards

Cashing in soda bottles.

Never heard of cashing in bottles?

Well, back in those days, soda pops came in glass bottles.

When you were done with them, you’d take the empty bottles to the store and they would buy them back.

If you had a 6 pack, you could earn about 30 or 40 cents.

Back in the late seventies, that would have easily bought you a bag of chips and some penny candy.

Never heard of penny candy?

Geez!  You are hereby banished from my territories!

Anyway, personally, I found several additional ways to hustle up a buck–including:

Babysitting

Braiding hair (Yeah, I put the beads on and all!)

Raiding the couch and coffee table for loose change

Don’t laugh!

It beat the hell out of being broke!

So the point to this crazy Lady G fable is this:

Think about what you want and find an ethical way to get it.

Will it require some work?

Absolutely!  But you’re up to it, right?

Oh, and if you’ve lost that entrepreneurial spirit that so many of us had as kids, go find it!

Think about what you want to do and do it!

The money will most assuredly come.

 

For my Millenials:  Rise and Grind!

Follow my friend Dave’s lead!

Much love and light to you all!

Lady G 😘💋

 

 

 

 

 

70 thoughts on “Earning Some Change”

  1. T. Wayne

    At the risk of dating myself, I do know what penny candy was/is. Bought my share of it back in the day (Mary Janes, wax bottle pops, gum, pixie sticks… on and on). My sister and I would get to keep the change whenever the grownups would send us to the store for anything. And of course we did little hustle jobs-one of mine was playing DJ for the grown folks at their get-togethers. Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” made me plenty of dollars back then!

    When I was old enough to get a work permit, my mom had me working with her at the seafood packing plant. It wasn’t my favorite job, but I would make enough money in the summers to get what I wanted and buy my “school clothes” for the following year!

    Love this post Twin! So sorry I’m so late in getting around to your blog, but I promise I’ll catch up!

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    1. YAAASSSS! You, like me, were a penny candy expert! Remember the little footballs made of chocolate? I also remember getting to keep the change. In most cases penny candy was the only option in those dealings! LOL!
      Queen Diva The Lady P had you running like a slave between Marvin Gaye and the packing plant! She kept you busy and thus, out of trouble’s pathway 🙂

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      1. T. Wayne

        Hahaha! Yes, she made sure I was working early on!

        To this day, I remember my grandmother asking us to get her some Squirrel Nut Zippers. Have no idea what they were, but she loved them! They were penny candy though…

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        1. I know EXACTLY what your grandmother is talking about. We hated them.
          I liked the mini chick-0-sticks, the bubble gum and those white/brown striped candies with the peanut butter in them! LOL!!!

          Liked by 1 person

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  3. Absolutely! My mom is always talking about penny candy. And I remember when I was younger, I would love when it would snow. Having snow on the ground was an opportunity to go around the neighborhood and make some money! I would knock on some doors and offer to shovel – and some people would pay me loads of cash to shovel their driveways! It was also a good way to build a sense of community – as I would often be invited inside for some hot cocoa afterwards to make some conversation!

    Great post =D

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hey love! 🙂
      Back in the day, you could quickly and efficiently shovel snow without fear of a heart attack 🙂
      Well worth the money, I’d say!
      LOL!!!
      Apparently snow shoveling is very strenuous and hazardous to your health 🙂 Being a Southerner, I haven’t really had that to worry about.
      As always, I love it when you share a bit about your Mom. She sounds like someone I would enjoy hanging with.
      But of all things, I most enjoyed the fact that you were able to participate in great conversations with the folks in your community after the work was done.
      That’s really cool D 🙂

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  4. Thanks for the extra dose of postivity and motivation today. I never had an allowance, my mom or grandparents gave me money. My granddad used to collect bottles and cans. My siblings used to make meals for my aunt, and then charge her. Like a restaurant. lol

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  5. Now you’ll have to forgive me for not knowing what penny candies are, My excuse is that I come from another continent😀 They probably went by another name. All I know is that you could get 3 sweets for one cent but that sounds like the dark ages when I look back. I didn’t get to do much of this because coming from a working class home myself, there were plenty of chores to keep me busy. kinda feel, I lived a subsistence lifestyle – wood had to chopped, fire had to be made just for one person to take a bath. So I have to say that on the odd occasion I got pocket money, I had earned it!
    I do recall when I was about 14 – having to help bring in some food when my father was unemployed. With my limited knowledge of knitting and sewing, I made baby clothes to earn us some food ( that was after school). I have no idea if any babies got to wear those clothes coz they were probably skewed or made for the size of a doll.
    I know about the bottles, but that was reserved for the folks who had hangovers and needed a fix the next morning.

    I guess having grown up that way, we tend to spoil our children and rob them of an enterprising spirit. Good food for thought though Lady G 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I loved reading this Chevvy! I learn a little more about you all the time.
      And yes, back in those days we had to be willing to pitch in where we could. I was fortunate that my little pocket money was never needed for serious things but I can tell you times did get harder down the line. Fortunately, my Dad stayed employed on the same job for more than 30 years. Mom didn’t work but that was their choice. I guess we might have had more material things if she had but I wouldn’t trade having her home everyday for nothing in the world.
      Oh yeah girl, we do tend to spoil our kids and you are right, it does rob them of being more enterprising.
      BTW, You and I are talking about the same thing with ‘penny candy’ and like I was telling another viewer, you are excused for not calling it ‘penny candy.’ LOL!!!

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      1. Oh, my children get tired of me telling them these stories though I think they’ll value the lessons one day. Of course the areas in which we were enterprising was in making our own toys or figuring out our own entertainment and when I look back on that aspect, life was like an adventure everyday. I also have a younger brother (two now) but for 11 years it was just the two of. Together with his friends we made our own go carts which we’d ride down a steep road, tumble and land ourselves plenty of bruises. Anyway, let me stop there. I use these stories to motivate younger people in illustrating that you can rise above the context you were born into. BUT, that context was what gave me the skills and temperament to be break barriers to success.

        Yeah, I think we are talking about the same thing – what you call candy, we call sweets.

        Till next time Sweetheart – it’s great shooting the breeze with you here! 😊

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        1. I can see in my mind’s eye, you and your dear brother on those homemade go-carts flying down that hill.
          I can almost feel the exhilaration myself!
          Not to mention the satisfaction of making such a thing with your own hands.
          And you are so right my sweet, these stories are good for providing motivation to younger people. As I said in the post: “Rise and Grind.” Of course, I didn’t originate that saying but it is so appropos.
          Look forward to chatting soon. I hope that you are resting well and having pleasant dreams 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

        2. Well, you know how to take me back in the time machine. I continue to be amazed at how much we store in our memory. For me, it’s also good to see what remains core to who we are and what has changed. Enjoy your Sunday when you wake up 🌹

          Liked by 1 person

  7. ronbrownx

    My brother and I did yard work for our “pocket change” and my Dad was our “manager”, meaning, he got us gigs.

    We usually made $5 for a small yard $10 for a medium and $20 for a big yard.

    Once Dad got us a gig to “do” the yard of a couple of elderly White sisters. One was cripple and the other couldn’t walk😊. Cute though, and STINGY!

    Well, we had to rake the leaves, pick up the sticks from the pecan trees, now the grass, trim the hedges and take again.

    The cripple sister cam out with one of those old fashioned change purses; told us we did “OK”, but didn’t get all of the sticks ( we went back and gathered any twigs we may have missed) Only then did she pay us the whopping amount of $1.75…TO BE SPLIT BETWEEN US! 87¢ apiece.

    We vowed never to return, no matter what Dad said!!!!

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Tareau Barron

      Lmfao man I’m with ya brotha. I remember those days of elderly white folks nit picking about chores only to stip you for you’re hard earned money.

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  8. Woebegone but Hopeful

    Wow Gwin and true American in the good old way, working for your cents, nickels and dimes!
    That shows a real endeavour. Hats off to you.
    I used to hustle for my money.
    Buy comics and then when I was done with them, sell them off to others. There were lean years and good years.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. thoroughly enjoy your post!
    Babysitting was my source of money , then , and helping some children at English….( in my youth I lived in Argentina)
    Totally ignore what penny candies are…..sorry…!
    All the money I earned would be spent on drawing paper and pencils. I was crazy about drawing, then!
    Love your read, Lady G!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thank you my love and you are excused on the penny candy because you grew up in a different country.
      Here they used to sell candy in these bulk type bins or canisters for a a few cents; sometimes only a penny! Usually it was bubble gum or hard candies.
      I’m sure you guys had something comparable 🙂
      So glad you stopped by love!

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  10. Love this, and I was so there, doing just about anything to earn some change. We would ride our bike along country roads, picking up those soda bottles that were only worth 2 cents, but it seemed like “found treasure” at the time. I couldn’t wait to start babysitting, saved almost all of it. Great piece, G. 💝

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  12. Inspirational as he-, er, heck! 😬😂

    My family had little $ for extras too. But I did get an allowance. My first allowance was 5 cents. Don’t laugh! Stop it, I can hear u snickering! In the mid 50s when I was 8 & 9, that would’ve bought you five (duh) penny candies, or a small chocolate bar, or an ice-cream cone! And yes, I remember cashing in small soda bottles for 2 cents or big bottles for 5 cents. Shameless plug: I’ve written a few blog posts on this topic. Go to my nostalgia- 1950s category. C u! 😘😁🙋🏼

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  14. I love this! It makes me want to hustle. There are so many ways to make money, people just gave to seek them. Or should I say, be hungry enough. And about the beads, those were the times. I only know about penny candies because of the stories from my mom, and aunties. Thank you for the shout out as well Sista G. Much appreciated!

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      1. Thank you fit the kind words Sista G. I needed to hear that today. I was a little down myself. The slow motion can be discouraging. When you have a good message, or good content, and you see fuckery and fluffy doing numbers — it’s frustrating

        Liked by 1 person

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        1. Awwww.. I’m glad to hear that my words helped you today.
          It is frustrating… but consistency and persistence are the keys to the ‘kingdom.’
          I’m going to shoot you and e-mail a little later .

          Liked by 1 person

  16. always money in the couch…and I have a gift for finding it when out walking too, after a snow drift melted one winter, I found a 20 in the ice, sooo excited and penny candy is the best, especially the red swedish fish or raspberries 🙂 good old days for sure, then I was a papergirl for a few years, all good till a man showed up at his door in his “mantees” (man panties) and lets just say, at eye level, I turned red as a beet and after that, made my little brother collect from his house. Some people, I tell ya….still gave me the heebies when I saw him as an adult. Ick indeed. ❤ this post Lady ❤

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    1. You just made me spit my tea out from laughter! ‘Mantees!’ Just the visual of the whole thing is HILARIOUS!
      No, seriously, I hate that happened to you. But as you said, “Some people…”
      Oh and you cannot find penny candy in most stores today.
      Can you believe that?

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      1. If you can, it’s much more than a penny, and they want you to buy a whole bag of just one…sigh, but on a good note, just bought some caramel cookie crunch gelato, gonna be another good day poolside eating yummies😊💕

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