What Would You Pay For A Night In Someone’s Backyard Hipster Igloo?

How People Try To Profit From Winter Weather

Some enterprising young soul in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, tried to make a lemonade stand out of lemons by turning the surplus snow and ice in his backyard from this weekend’s blizzard into a kind of igloo he could rent out on AirBnB for $200 a night. Turns out AirBnB has standards, though, or at least lawyers: the site made him take down the listing.

If you’ve got a yen for snowcommodations, this gorgeous Icelandic cottage is available for only $20 more than the Hipster Igloo.

And there are more reliable ways to make money from or even during a snow storm. Take it from Mr. Plow:

You could shovel snow for pay. According to the Penny Hoarder, “While shoveling sidewalks and driveways (and digging out cars) is physically taxing, it can also be lucrative. The going rate for snow shoveling is $25–75 per hour.”

The site also recommends renting out winter gear to people who want use of something like a snow blower or a sled but don’t want to pay for and store it themselves; charging folks to run their errands for them; peddling firewood; and selling homemade S’mores kits. (Yes, really.)

Put together a few pre-made “S’mores” kits, including graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows and skewers, and market these to families with stir-crazy kids who would love to find a family-friendly and memorable way to enjoy the storm.

S’mores kits are selling for around $30 online (plus shipping), so providing door-to-door service should be worth a premium.

I’m sorry, who would spend $30+ to buy ingredients for S’mores online? They’re about as low-maintenance and cheap as dessert gets. A bag of marshmallows, a couple chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers shouldn’t set you back more than $10-$15. That’s like a Williams-Sonoma catalog type markup.

If you are going to charge extortionate prices for bundles of things people could buy themselves, though, why stop at S’mores? You could curate and sell Mulled Wine Kits (cider, wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, zest, juice, cloves and star anise) for the grown ups, too. Even better, you could build your own backyard hipster igloo, throw a tarp and then some blankets down, and charge couples $50 an hour to drink mulled wine and eat s’mores. There, a cozy, romantic winter experience you can sell for cash. You’re welcome.