19 Hard-Working People Who Learned the Value of Money in Their Childhood

Adults receive their salaries every month, and there’s nothing unusual about it. But many of those who have large incomes today fondly remember the moment when they earned money for the first time. For some, it was hard work; for others, it was a lucky coincidence. But one thing is certain: you never forget that moment.

At Bright Side, we’re sure of one thing: all honest work is respectable. Today, we’re happy to dive into the memories of internet users of how they earned money for the first time.

• Helping the farmer next to us herd sheep into different fields. Chasing sheep across a field with my collie dog by my side. © Forgot_her_password / Reddit

• At the end of the ’90s, I earned good money with my drawing skills. I was given a set of gel pens of 12 different colors. I tried to draw temporary tattoos on my friend — they were good. And if you covered the tattoo with clear nail polish, the drawing would stay on the skin for the entire day or even 2. I was a great local tattoo artist: everyone came to me — boys, girls. They all asked for cartoon characters, flowers, cars, logos. The money was flowing and I was good. Well, until I started drawing on nails. Man, that was crazy money! Even girls and adult women started visiting me. I was famous and rich. Unfortunately, the pens were getting less and less expensive and my business was destroyed by competitors and cheap stickers for nails. © Prohorlinna / Pikabu

• I got my first job at the age of 14. I was a model. My mom was an accountant for a guy who sold fur coats. I was photographed for leaflets where I was this kid in different fur coats. I wore boots with high heels. I thought I was incredibly cool. I remember thinking, “I’m already cold in this coat after 20 minutes. How do people even wear this?” After that, I worked giving out leaflets to people in the street. I earned quite good money after spending a few hours near the subway in the cold. I was happy. © Ekaterina / AdMe

• At 16, I worked for a local furniture store delivering furniture. We had an old Chevrolet pickup (with a 3-speed manual with column shift) and an old International Carryall that we used... Every day was an adventure! All for the princely sum of $2.10 an hour...© Braxton Nelson / Quora

• At the age of 10, I earned my first salary. I went to the market to sell my hamsters. I had many of them. The day before, we washed them with shampoo to make the fur shiny and soft. That morning, I sold so many that I earned 1/3 of my mother’s monthly salary. And some people think hamsters are useless! © Natalya Beschetnikova / Facebook

• My first job was bagging groceries and bringing shopping carts in from the parking lot for $4.45 per hour in January 1991. I did it part-time for seven months before heading off to college, then I did it part-time for the next 2 summers when I came home on break. © Scott Biddle / Quora

• I worked as a postman delivering newspapers and letters. The bag was really heavy, and I wasn’t very tall. My mom bought me golden earrings and a ring for the money I earned. I was 13. © Maria Pluchek / Facebook

• My very first job ever was picking cucumbers in the fields of Washington state during the summers when school was out. Boy, was (is) that tough work! This was in 1998, and I was about 10 years old. First, in order to maximize efficiency, one must get a head start when the temperatures are somewhat cool, which means that, unless you want to be in the scorching sun all day, you have to start early in the morning. Second, you’re out there hunched over all day with rows upon rows of cucumber bushes in front and underneath of you, sweaty gloves on your hands, loose dirt under your boots, and a bucket which you learn to love and hate. It taught me a plethora of things. I realized that I didn’t want to do this my whole life, and that I better do well in school or at least have other aspirations! © Chris Robles / Quora

• Mowing the old lady’s lawn down the road every fortnight during spring/summer. Making $40 for that every time at the age of 12 was a jackpot. © BISCUITCOOKI3 / Reddit

• When I was in 9th grade, I cleaned the school for money. I washed 2 floors, but then I thought if I added more detergent, it would be easier to clean. I decided to check if it was true. I was shocked: all the floor was white! I had to wash it all again. I earned enough to buy myself some nice sandals. © Valentina Shuvakina / Facebook

• When I was in school, my parents bought me a technical wonder — a Hitachi 2-tape recorder from Malaysia. The best thing about it? The feature that lets you copy records from one tape to another. I started doing this for my classmates for the cards I collected. But when kids from other classes started asking me, I did it for money. Later, I bought some blank tapes and started selling them with the recordings cheaper than the stores did. I sold about 30 tapes. It was enough for lots of sweets and a cool robot I wanted. Of course, when the school found out, they were angry. © Bear84 / Pikabu

• Washing dishes at a breakfast restaurant when I was 14. I was so happy making $250 every 2 weeks. I wish life was that simple again. © Spacebasskilla / Reddit

• When I was in school, we had a task to make 3D geometric shapes. My friend and I made some and I suggested that we make even more. He asked me why, and I told him that there would be other kids that would forget to bring theirs, and they would be glad to buy them from us. We made lots of them. And I was right. Almost nobody made the shapes and ours were selling like hotcakes. After that, we made more and more for several days because the teacher gave some kids extra time. The easiest money I’ve ever earned. © suslikoy / Pikabu

• Around 5 years ago, my daughter got interested in beads. We bought her a big box of different-colored beads and rubbers. Day by day, she was getting better and better, but we kind of missed the moment when her works started disappearing. Six months later, her teacher called us and said, “Don’t let your daughter sell her bracelets to other students. Our school prohibits this kind of activity.” It turned out that she sold her bracelets to kids. She sold about 2 every day. Of course, we talked to our daughter, but now I think we shouldn’t have. © Vereshch / Pikabu

• It was at a cafeteria and I had the job for about 3 months. I’d just turned 15 back then and was so excited that I finally could earn my own money. © Devilsmurf69 / Reddit

• I earned money for the first time at 10 or 11 years old — I grew spring onions. My parents knew a guy who owned a store. He gave my parents the seeds and I grew them on the windowsill and made sure there was enough water. A few weeks later, I would bring the onions back to the store and get my money. After that, I started selling apples, pears, cherries, and currants at a local market. I remember, in August 1998, I earned more than my mother did. I was so proud. I bought myself some clothes for school. © Yuliya / AdMe

• At the age of 13, I worked as a babysitter. I had to watch a 5-month-old girl and I was happy. The parents watched me for a couple of days, but then they trusted me, and I was with her for 3 years. She called me mum. © Angelina Ivanova / Facebook

• My first real job was digging trees. There was a lot of snow back then and, before the services decided to chop a tree, my job was to remove the snow from around it. I had to wake up at 4 am, catch the bus at 5 and take another hour to get to the place. I worked so hard that I would sweat. But the good thing about it was the free lunch. It was tasty. When I came back home, I just went straight to bed. One month later, I was able to buy the tape recorder I’d dreamed about. © Igor / Facebook

• In the ’90s, when I was a kid, my grandmother taught me how to make decorations from paperclips and cards. In quite a short period of time, I made a lot of them and there was almost no room left for them around the house. And then, I was offered the opportunity to make those decorations for a local store. They set a price and I realized I could earn some good money. My decorations were at the entrance and I earned the money! I was super happy! © Ufanext / Pikabu

How did you earn money for the first time? Tell us your story in the comment section below!