5 Untraditional Ways to Make Extra Cash
August was a terrible month for jobs. There was little to no hiring, no jobs were created at all, and the unemployment rate has snuck up to 9.1%. Throw in the 8.8% of people who are underemployed, and almost 18% of the country isn’t making enough and are scrambling for what few jobs are available.
It’s a time where everyone needs a little extra cash, and people are starting to get creative with how they’re doing it. Many of us utilize yard sales and online surveys for some dough, but today we’re going to look at 5 ways that people make extra money that may be a little… untraditional, perhaps?
- Donating plasma. I’ve considered doing this, especially because I have a blood type that is incredibly uncommon (A negative). Plasma donation is a little more taxing on your body than blood donation; if you’re going to do it regularly, make sure your diet is protein rich. People usually make between $50 and $75 a donation. The plasma is used for various treatments of blood diseases such as hemophilia, and also for burn and shock victims to help with their recovery.
- Teaching Classes. Educational institutions are always looking for adjunct professors. If you have a degree of any sort and the right amount of experience, you can be considered to teach classes. A little extra dough for teaching a night or two a week? Sounds good to me.
- Medical Research. This works especially well if you live in a city with a well-known medical research center, or near a university that has medical students. Many of these places will post research they are doing and what populations they need in order to conduct their research. Anxiety, obesity, sleep apnea, allergies, and even people with more serious conditions are needed to help advance medical research, Now, there’s a bit of a risk involved; you are allowing others to test your body, but there are trained professionals on staff who will make sure that you have the safest experience possible. You can get paid hundreds of dollars for your time and investment.
- Recycle. I grew up near New York, so taking bottles to be redeemed was a normal part of life. But there are other things that you can recycle and get cash for. Cell phones, computers, iPods, scrap metal, old vehicle parts, motor oil. Different states have different programs for recycling, some offer cash for your efforts to better the world, others don’t Just do a little research and you may turn that junk in your basement into some spare cash.
- Ebay and Craigslist turnover. Some people thousands of dollars a year doing this. What do I mean? Basically, they specialize in something. Art, trading cards, pottery, old records, it can literally be anything. Daily, these people scour Ebay and Craigslist, seeking really good deals on items that could be sold for much more. People regularly dump stuff just to make a few dollars; these people take advantage of that to make a profit. Now, there is debate about the morality of this, but that’s your choice as to whether you’d feel alright doing this.
Have your creative juices started flowing yet? These are just 5 suggestions of hundreds of interesting and non-traditional ways to get you a little more cash in your pocket. Until tomorrow, save smart, spend smart!
