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Alright Dakka need a little personal advice, was hoping you guys might have some ideas.

Just got a van a couple of weeks ago, and I need some cash to pay off the loan, insurance, and general repair work it needed to get on the road. This is on top of my having to pay off student loans, food, wargaming, and other expenses, and my budget is getting a bit.... strained.

I already have my stagehand job that pays well, but gets relatively few hours, and am working on getting a second part time job. However, it'll be a while before I have a second job, and in the meantime I need some cash, preferably fast (and legal, obviously). I'm not looking for handouts, I just need a bit of cash flow till the second job kicks in. Oddjobs, flipping items, etc. I'm not trying to be lazy, I just want more money and getting a 3rd "real" job just isn't an option right now. Plus, I hate sitting around with nothing to do, so I'd rather be putting my time towards something useful.

I'm just kind of stumped where to start. I've considered hitting up Craigslist wanted adds, but that site always came off as a little sketchy to me at times. I've tried calling up friends and family to see if they need oddjobs done, but no luck there. I don't really have anything valuable that I can sell off right now, and I've already drastically cut back my spending to where I'm pretty much just buying gas and as little food as I can get away with.

Basically, I need ideas guys. I'm not afraid of physical labor, (I routinely push around roadcases weighing 100-300 pounds as a stagehand for hours at a time, as well as lifting things that a 5'5" 140 lb guy probably has no business lifting) and I'm pretty good with my hands. I'm pretty much what you would call "unskilled" labor though, as I haven't been to any formal trade schools and I'm not done with college, so my options are pretty limited. Other than Eagle Scout, being a Kentucky Colonel, a lot of stagehand work, and a good ol fashioned can do attitude, my resume is pretty "meh" as well. I'm 21 though, so I guess this isn't exactly surprising.

So yeah, TL;DR: Guy in his early 20's needs ways to get some extra cash quick without resorting to stripping/prostitution. Already have one job and working on getting second, so I need things that can be done "on the side", at least until the second job kicks in. Do you guys have anything you've done in the past to make some quick cash on the side? Any recommendations to some websites or businesses that deal with this kind of thing? Maybe some sort of niche service I could provide for a while like using my van to help people haul stuff around with? Websites that hire random people online to write articles for them? Really, I don't care how crazy it is, feel free to post it, I'm open to ideas. I just need something to help get some money back in my wallet. I don't expect to get a ton of help, but I figured if anybody knows how to make money, it's probably the guys who are able to sink thousands of dollars into plastic army men and still afford a house, car, and food at the end of the day.

Also, if this is somehow against the rules mods, feel free to strike it down. I just figured Dakka might be able to help since most of my friends in real life are idiots Thanks for everything guys.

Sell your plasma.

 Valion wrote:
Sell your plasma.

They pay you for that in the US?

 Fafnir wrote:

 Valion wrote:
Sell your plasma.

They pay you for that in the US?

Some places do.

Join the reserves or national guards.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I need some cash, preferably fast (and legal, obviously).

Well, there ya go, limiting your options.

Seriously, though, flip thrift shop clothing. My buddy does it and makes some decent cash. It helps to have some knowledge of designers and whatnot, but is otherwise pretty simple. Just go to goodwill and find new/like new designer clothing and buy for cheap and flip it on ebay for profit.

Also, try dishwashing. Just hit up every single restaurant within a reasonable distance and ask if they are hiring in the kitchen. At least one probably will be. It's minimum wage and kinda crappy, but it's easy and will give you at least a little extra cash.

 Fafnir wrote:

 Valion wrote:
Sell your plasma.

They pay you for that in the US?

Yeah. You can also sell, the stuff. There are people in the US pulling living wages just donating their bodily materials.

 LordofHats wrote:

 Fafnir wrote:

 Valion wrote:
Sell your plasma.

They pay you for that in the US?

Yeah. You can also sell, the stuff. There are people in the US pulling living wages just donating their bodily materials.

I've heard it's a little more strenuous than one is made to think. Apparently, you've got to keep your specimens in top shape. Not to mention, the credentials required would probably imply the qualities that would net someone gainful employment in the first place.

I'd suggest hitting up general contractors, you can make good money and regular hours swinging a hammer or what have you and in the unskilled positions, they really don't care if you come and go, the turn over tends to be pretty high from what I understand.

Hell I'm considering construction for the summer, but given what that'd do to my already busted up legs...

sell some of your collection of plastic crack.

Film extra/background actor
Mystery shopper
Consumer focus goups
Steal people's pets and return them for the reward once the family puts up posters
Paid medical testing trials
Insurance fraud

 Jihadin wrote:
Join the reserves or national guards.

There ya go.

Alternatively, go to any temp agency where they will hook you with unskilled work on a daily basis. Most times it is gak work but you can go any day you want/are free.

Deal drugs, become a porn star or prostitute.

 Cheesecat wrote:
Deal drugs, become a porn star and prostitute.

Fixed.

Get a second job?

Extra cash, easy - Sell your van!

Have you tried Jelly Wrestling?

Well done sir, well done.

 Ahtman wrote:
Have you tried Jelly Wrestling?

Well played.

 Valion wrote:
Sell your plasma.

Even better, sell other people's plasma.

MrMoustaffa wrote:without resorting to stripping/prostitution.

Well that's my idea out the window...

 rubiksnoob wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I need some cash, preferably fast (and legal, obviously).

Well, there ya go, limiting your options.

Seriously, though, flip thrift shop clothing. My buddy does it and makes some decent cash. It helps to have some knowledge of designers and whatnot, but is otherwise pretty simple. Just go to goodwill and find new/like new designer clothing and buy for cheap and flip it on ebay for profit.

Also, try dishwashing. Just hit up every single restaurant within a reasonable distance and ask if they are hiring in the kitchen. At least one probably will be. It's minimum wage and kinda crappy, but it's easy and will give you at least a little extra cash.

The flipping idea isnt a bad one either. My brother the Giant does something similar but with the other things people donate. Hes found toys for a couple bucks and sold them on craigslist for $30+ profit, did that several times. Hes found Christmas trees for under $20 there and flipped them for double the price he paid and so on. You can make some easy money doing that if youre clever at it

Sell blood, plasma, MrMoustaffa seed.

Collect cans like the homeless do, it's starting to get nice out, offer to mow people's lawns.

Get a newspaper route, use the van to deliver large bundles of newspapers to the people that deliver them to houses. I used to do this for a small local paper, and made 80 bucks a week for 3 hours (tops) worth of work. Granted I only got half the pay because my mom did all the driving even though I did the heavy lifting.

I will vouch for Mystery Shopping. When I first moved, my wife did it as an odd job and it worked out pretty well.

However, do your research on the companies offering you jobs prior to accepting. Some are a bit "shady".

I find it hilarious that everyone suggests selling sperm. It's not that I'm doubting the epic potential of Mr.Moustaffa or anything, but if you're 21 then it's very unlikely you've got a college/university degree yet, and generally speaking most fertility clinics are unlikely to accept donations simply on the grounds of "I have a van".

There's sperm in plasma now?

I blame it on the water.

 azazel the cat wrote:
I find it hilarious that everyone suggests selling sperm. It's not that I'm doubting the epic potential of Mr.Moustaffa or anything, but if you're 21 then it's very unlikely you've got a college/university degree yet, and generally speaking most fertility clinics are unlikely to accept donations simply on the grounds of "I have a van".

If you got plasma in your sperm, I'd see a doctor

Indeed. Sell plasma, not sperm. Only do sperm if you're Ryan Phillippe or Benicio del Toro.

I need to go re-watch that scene.

Cutting grass isn't that bad of a job if you can find a convienent location.

I would say be a waitress at a bar/club and get 100$'s tips every night,

but you lack the "requirements"


its generally a lot easier to cut costs then it is to increase revenue, I found that not driving for a couple years when I was young basically made me rich since thats at least 10 grand a year I was saving.

other then that, go pick bottles and dumpster dive for bottles/stuff to sell,

its all profit, and you would be SHOCKED at what people throw away, I used to do that, as well as canvass for bottles/old books to sell, never made a huge amount of $, but it was about 100$ a day on average, and i really only spent 3 or four hours a day at it. Was good for beer and date money during university, and all tax free and on my own spare time.

I knew one guy who made 10 grand in one month just from selling "trash" he found, but its not a definet thing