I have a wonderful neighbor who is a high school sophomore who for the past two winters has been clearing my driveway (with his family’s snow blower). I have two questions - one is what do people think is the correct pay scale for doing this (obviously it depends on the amount of the snow - I shovel it myself when it is only a few inches - so he is only involved in the "bigger: snow events). The other is anybody have local kids who do stuff like this to make money (shovel, mow, etc.) - seems like kids don’t do these things any more.
Depends how long it takes him. If its a 20 minute job, I’d say $25-30, for a half hour job probably $40, and if its upwards to an hour, $50-60. Don’t forget, he’s using his (or probably Dads) equipment and gas. My son used to snowblow the neighborhood and then dig out the walks and clean it up a bit. Would make hundreds on a snow day. I have three friends with sons, not one of them went out to help others or make some money, their mothers were saying how bored they were. Really? My kids were not allowed to charge my elderly neighbors, a lesson in itself.
Wow, NE Pats, I’ll come over and clear your drive for that!
Most of the kids in my neighborhood don’t even shovel their own drives, but my kids were out shoveling our drive from the time they were able (maybe age 9 or 10). The times they shovel for others they maybe got $5 or $10.
$10 is good the for the walkway but they did whole driveways for that? Child labor, lol, but good work ethic training for sure 
I would pay $20 to be completely dug out, including a plowed in driveway. I think it depends on the size of your propery though. Same amount for mowing my yard front and back, more if they had to do trimming/edging.
In our neighborhood, the trucks that take 5 minutes to shovel driveway get $25 minimum. I like the payscale above. I think it’s fair, and helps out the kid who is willing to do it. So many aren’t now.
And some common sense should prevail. The price doesn’t have to be the same for everyone. The neighbhors who invited him in for hot chocolate and brownies usually got a better deal and got their work done first.
I don’t see any kids out asking to do any kind work anymore. Including mine, but we don’t live in a real snowy area. My husband snow blows out the elderly neighbors and the average house in my neighborhood is on 5 acres. I’d encourage kids to be entrepreneurial and generally am not looking for a great deal, but to entice the behavior.
Holy Lucrative Snowstorms! I’m all for kids working, but paying them too much is another mistake.
I’d also not be paying a minor to use power equipment unless certain conditions were met.
They have unlimited energy so they should use that, anyway.
$12/hr max, done the old-fashioned way, tipped to $15 if the job was exceptionally well done with thought put into it.
Depends on what the going rate is in your area, and how much snow they have to remove.
I think the gauge should be time - that will take into account the amount of snow (sometimes even with a snowblower more snow = more swipes on the driveway/walks and it will take into account the amount of drive/walks you have at home. Snow shoveling is one of those can’t-thank-you-enough-so appreciated jobs - I would say estimate the amount of time (or time it if you are home) and come up with a base amount to pay him each time he does it. If it takes an hour, I’d say something like $20-$25/job. If it takes 1/2 hour, $10- $15 is ok.
We have so many shoveling entrepreneurs that I get up early on snow days to shovel so I can go back to bed. An unshoveled walk invites too many knocks on the door looking for work. If it’s a really big storm I do use their services but usually don’t need to. In my neighborhood it tends to be 2 or 3 men working together. For this last storm I made sure I had a bunch of $5 bills which makes paying a group easier.
We paid a neighbors son $25 to do our driveway and walks with his Dad’s snowblower. We live on a hill and it took him about 45 minutes. He also did a little shoveling around the garage doors. When it’s below 20 degrees out and there’s a foot of heavy snow, that’s money well spent IMHO. My husband generally does the snowblowing but our snow blower couldn’t budge that stuff so we would have had to shovel it.
Son’s friend has a snowblowing/lawn cutting business and plenty of clients around here. He walked around on spring handing out fliers and shaking hands with people and the next thing you know people were cancelling their lawn services and hiring him. So much work he had to sub contract out- to my son ( who has a job ) and others. He has a set rate for lawns for people pay what they want for snow removal. This year he hasn’t worked much but the last two years he has been very busy! My son said most people would pay $20-40 for a driveway and walks to be cleared.
I would probably pay $25 for driveway/walk. When S was in high school he often shoveled our driveway, usually along with H, but we didn’t pay him.
The only time I had to hire neighbor kid for anything was after both Irene and Sandy to pick up all the fallen branches and rake up everything. I paid him $50 each time.
I like our neighborhood. One of the guys does the sidewalk for the entire block. (Last year we gave him a big fruit basket for a thank-you.) The guy across the street who was making the street wider than what the town plow had done for us, also did the front of my driveway which the plow had filled in with his brand new snowblower. If we are slow kids come up to the door and offer to do the front walk and sidewalk and driveway for $20.