Ways to make money when you're 16

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My job search failed, and I'm 16, without a car or a driver's license, and not enough money available to pay for a bus or something every work day. Any ways to make money that I might not have thought of yet? It doesn't matter if it's online or not, perhaps I could make my own business... But I don't know how to do that, really. So yeah, I need money. Perhaps this would help. I (am):

Never had a job before.
Good at poetry.
Smart but inexperienced, and I ask a lot of questions.
Can sing well (according to others).
Not the most attractive person (If 5 out of 10 is average, then I think I'd be a 3.5 or 4, at most).
Tall and look like an adult.

Street performer? I don't know, I'm in a small suburbs, 10,000 people or so in my town, and my neighborhood is mostly made up of old people.

Pet walking, trash pickup / yard cleaning, car cleaning (wash, wax, and detail)...

Fnord is right. A lot of it is the baseline of what jobs are available, rather than specifically what you're good at.

Now, since you're good at both poetry and singing, have you thought about songwriting? Yes, a long shot, but you have as good a chance as anyone, maybe better. Perhaps check out a local open mike and if you think you can do as well or better, you probably can. (Of course still a lot of luck factors, external factors, time lag)

I'm kind of a fan of having multiple things going when possible. So maybe steady-eddie type services to some of your senior citizen neighbors, and at the same time pursuing more long shot activities. As well as doing good in school of course.

And try and cut yourself some slack regarding appearance. In high school it's so narrow what is defined as "good looking." That won't always be the case.

For me, there was always a lot of weeds to clear. Sometimes moving heavy objects too. Unfortunately, holding a regular job during high school wasn't practical and there wasn't any money for an allowance.

cut lawns

Cleaning cars (that's always a good choice), busking, delivering flyers/papers, cleaning windows (just go to properties with one floor) ...

You might get extra money if you sing when cleaning cars or windows!

What do you mean by busking?

Umm, street performance? Non-professionals stand on busy streets and sing/play guitar and people generally pay a little for their effort.

Okay, so the guitar case laying open. Thanks.

Need the right city, and sometimes regulations.

Alright, thanks for the job suggestions. Now I need to know how to pull it off.

Being an Aspie and all, as well as looking more like an adult than a teen, the last time I went around the neighborhood seeing if anyone had anything for me to do, I sorta... Well, someone thought I looked suspicious enough to call the cops on. So how would I pull this sort of thing off? Hang up posters or tack things to the local community store?

I don't think there's enough people who go on walks around here to pull off 'busking', but being a songwriter...? That might work, if I can find some local bands. Hmm, I'll try all of those things once I know how to pull them off... Asking NTs for advice hasn't worked out well so far...

One summer (going into 8th grade) I made about 80 a week for 3 weeks mowing lawns. After that it was about 20-40 depending on how it went.

I had to submit 30 job application and finally got a real job at walmart when I turned 18

Both of my boys have worked with friends fathers who ran their own business. My oldest did roofing and laying carpet. He started at both as a helper when he was 12 or 13 for the roofing and laying carpet when he was 17. Within a year or so he was doing the actual work. The roofing work was mostly full time during the summer and after school or on weekends when he was needed otherwise. He had quit school at 16 and the carpet job came along from a friends dad, and he started full time and learned fast. Now he's doing other construction, but it's stuff he's learned on various jobs and going to work with his dad. My husband doesn't own his own company so he could only take him sometimes and pay him out of his own pocket, not profit.

My younger son has just now gotten a job at the liqour store who is owned by two kids (mid 20's) who are friends of my older kids, and this son is friends with the owners younger brother, so he hangs out there a lot and they play video games. Now he's going to be paid to help out around there and unload trucks, etc. Before that he used to go to work with another friends stepfather who has a landscaping business.

Neither had a car. The guy would either come to the house to pick them up or my husband would drop them off somewhere on his way to work in the morning. My younger son just walks to work now because it's only about a mile and he walked up there every day after school anyway. They run him home at night.

I'd suggest that you ask friends parents who run businesses to see if they can find you something to do. That's always worked for them.

My oldest daughter babysits and bakes cakes for parties. My youngest is 15 and she's not really interested in finding work yet.

Most bands want to write their own songs. Now, of course as soon as I say that, you'll probably be on the Grammys in two years. But, even with plenty of talent, there are a lot of luck factors and a lot of external factors. Please keep that in mind.

When I was your age I used to catch fish from the local ponds and sell them to the bar for them to serve. Not the best pay, but so much fun.

have a yard sale, mow the lawn for a price, and Boy Scout Cookie (don't know if they have those)

My Trig teacher joked that if you want to make money fast, he would sell dope, which is something I would not do

From age 15 I had a small backdoor business repairing computers, I made a lot of money off of that, especially since I took a fixed fee of 350 DKR (around $60) plus cost of components. Considering the amount of computers iv'e gotten that had just a faulty driver, or, once, just had the wifi turned off, you can get a lot of easy money... however there are also lenghty jobs like malware removal, upgrades, computer building etc.

As for your poetry, as mentioned before, songwriting could be good, but don't count on earning lots of money on it, and for God's sake learn those copyright laws by heart or hiphoppers will steal your lyrics. Additionally, you can go for regular writing. Some forums (especially hardware forums) and review sites offer money for your services.

If you can find a local band that needs a singer, see if they want you. It's not something that pays off, at least at first, but you'd have a place to put your talent at work.

Additionally... think up a service (or a number of services) you can offer (be it mowing lawns, repairing computers, babysitting etc.) and make fliers to put on lamp posts, in stores etc., that's basic marketing 101; sell yourself.