Odd but Real Ways to Make Extra Cash
Earning extra cash during a recession
With the economy in the doldrums and the holiday season fast approaching, many people are looking for ways to make a little extra money on the side. Cutting back spending and looking into extra work are the best ideas, this isn't always enough for some people. Some people exploring the wealth of get rich quick schemes often are online while others are looking into alternatives. Here are three unusual opportunities that at least some people have had success with and might be worth considering.
Donating your reproductive cells
The idea of being a sperm donor has been the subject of endless crude jokes for years, but believe it or not there is real money to be made by selling your sperm or eggs. Women’s reproductive cells, or eggs, fetch much more money than men’s reproductive cells, sperm, because they are harder to obtain. A woman can get up to $ 3,000 to $ 8,000 for her eggs, whereas a man will only get $ 1 to $ 200 per sperm donation. To successfully donate, you'll have to be physically fit, free of disease, and well educated. You will also have to get a series of medical exams and psychological tests before a reproductive center will pay you to donate. Women can also become surrogates, or carry fertilized eggs of another woman until birth, usually done for women that are unable to carry a fetus. Surrogates can typically receive around $ 25,000 to carry a child to term.
Becoming a clinical trial subject
Like sperm donors, many jokes – and even several television comedies – have been based on the idea of volunteering to be the test subjects for medical experiments. Nevertheless, this is a legitimate way of making money which can also leave you free to do other work at the same time. Clinical trials typically run from ten to ninety days, and can pay between $ 50 to $ 5,000 per person, depending on the clinic, risk factors, and the drug being tested. Though you will be asked to provide a comprehensive medical history before entering into a clinical trial, you may not have to be in great health or shape to participate. Some trials look for people with specific pre-existing conditions, so having asthma or high blood pressure might actually pay off with a clinical trial.
Selling your hair
Believe it or not, your hair may be worth more than you know. There is a whole industry that uses human hair to make wigs and hair extensions and if your hair is long and healthy it might be worth quite a bit of money. A good parcel of hair might net the seller in the neighborhood of $ 300 to $ 900, and if you have hair that is considered desirable, ie long and pretty, you might get even more. Generally the key factor is length, the longer the hair the more it is worth. Hair with vivid color, or healthy and untreated tends to be more valuable. You can find any number of businesses online that will buy your hair right away and the process is fairly simple and direct.
Tags: clinical trials, make extra cash, Recession, sell eggs, sell hair, sell sperm, the current climate, Tough times