Ideas From One Cash-Strapped Undergrad, to Another

I was at Crimson Cafe, which is the newest cafe on the BSC campus, and a friend of mine and I were having a dead-end conversation, as usual. The topic of the day was, what can we do to make extra money, with minimal effort. Needless to say, that conversation didn't get too far. But it did spark my imagination, to think of lucrative ideas requiring minimal effort. Below, i've combined what I already do for extra money, along with ideas that I have researched.

Online Surveys - Let me just start with this, you won't become rich by doing online surveys. However, if you ever find yourself with extra time, this may be a viable option. I've been taking online surveys for about two months now. I personally do the majority of surveys while I sit at work, but im sure that you can agree, us undergrads have no problem with finding spare time. Check my last posting, where I rate my two favorite Survey Sites.

Help out a classmate with notes, papers, and knowledge - Next time a semester comes to a close, think twice before burning your class notes and papers. There are undergrads that are very desperate to pass classes, so desperate that they will pay you for your notes. For example, at student of fortune, undergrads post questions, request notes, and need tutoring. The best part is that they are paying money for it. If tutoring is more your thing, E-tutor might be the way to go

Become a Freelancer - Before last week, I didn't know what freelancing meant. It basically means, you don't have a set job, and you are willing to work different types of small, under the table jobs. Now it is easier than ever to sell your services. Websites such as Barefoot Student and Odesk, offer a vehicle through which you can post your services. Services can include, helping a student move in, transportation, cleaning, babysitting, and much more.

Make a funny Video - If your weekends are as crazy as mine at school, there are countless occurrences, that if recorded, would make for a very funny video. At Revver, you can post videos that you create, and based upon how many views it receives, you will get paid. You also get paid through people clicking on the advertising that is on your video's page. If I had a Digital Video Camera, I would be all over this, but I only have an analog camcorder.

Recycle Cans like a Bum - Collecting cans isn't the most sought after job, but if you can rake in $40+ dollars over the course of a weekend, can collecting, can prove lucrative. This is extremely practical if you, or a friend, has a party house on campus. Last year, my Roommate and I went every Sunday, after three days of hard partying, and collected $40 - $50 dollars worth of cans, which we would split 50/50. Don't waste your time at Stop&Shop, redeeming cans one by one. At a redemption center, you can bring pre-counted bags full of cans and they will give you cash.

Be the Local Dorm Laundromat - I have not tested this out personally, yet. But my Fraternity is considering this idea for a fundraiser. All that needs to be done, is to set up posters around the dorm advertising your service for a particular date. You charge each client an extra dollar or two, and they can bring their laundry down to you, you wash it, dry it, (perhaps iron it for an additional fee) and then bring the finished laundry to their room. If you plan on trying this, I would try to create a team that can help you. Offering to wash peoples laundry, by yourself, may come across as creepy haha.


Finally, Throw a Party! - This is something that I am very experienced with, and has proven time and time again, to be EXTREMELY lucrative. I will give you a personal example. Last Halloween, I presented a proposal to my friends who had an off-campus house, which outlined, in detail, exactly how the party would be run, who would run it, and how we would profit. After expenses, which mainly was purchasing cheap Keystone Light thirty racks, we profited around $300 dollars. In ONE NIGHT! I won't get into detail on the actual specifics of the execution (maybe a future post will be dedicated to explaining exactly how to plan, and execute, a profitable party).

I'm not trying to explain exactly what you should do, to make money on campus, I am merely proving ideas through which you can brainstorm with! For more info, check out TheSimpleDollar, which is one of my favorite financial blogs, it has a lot of good financial advice, for the common person!