Yesterday, I was walking to the Portland State University library to do a little blogging and saw a big van with a sign “We’ll Pay You $1.00 to Watch This 4-Minute Video.” How could I say no to that? A volunteer led me to one of the 10 video monitors installed and I spent 4 minutes watching a segment of the Farm to Fridge video.

Vegan Outreach promotes cruelty-free eating and the video showed how animals are mistreated in modern day farming. It started off quite grisly with a clip of male chicks being ground up. Apparently male chickens on egg farms are not a viable product so they just get rid of them as soon as they hatch. The video continued with more disturbing videos of chickens, pigs, and cows. After 4 minutes, I was a bit queasy and quickly took the offered $1 and a “Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating” (how to eat vegan) pamphlet.

Anyway, I was wondering, what you would do for a buck? I think 5 minutes of unpleasantness for a buck is about the limit for me. I wouldn’t watch an hour of disturbing video for $12 though. We have been trying to eat more vegetarian meals already, and the video was still very disturbing.

Here is a short list of what I have done to make a buck or two

• Pick up coins from the fountain – Once in a blue moon, the city drains the fountains for cleaning, and I say coins are fair game then.
• Mystery shopping – A few years ago, I watched several movies for mystery shopping assignments, and that was about it. There weren’t a lot of assignments in our area. If I ever have more time, I probably would try mystery shopping again.
• Sell used stuff – It’s easy to sell used stuff on Craigslist. It’s a great way to make a few bucks instead of throwing things away or just locking them in storage.
• Tutoring – I did some tutoring when I was in college. I’m not sure I can do it now since none of these subjects are fresh in my mind anymore.
•  Focus group/surveys – Mrs. RB40 used to fill out surveys by mail, and received a few bucks in return.  Most of these questions were about infant formula, and did not take a lot of her time.

Here are a few things that I would like to try when I have more time

• Medical experiments – I haven’t done this yet, but when I have more time, I probably would sign up for some assignments. Here is a local study to predict glaucoma development. It pays $50 for one visit. This is a perfect assignment for me because my family has a history of eye problems. Maybe I’ll try to get on board after I turn 40 (the eligibility age.)
• Baby sitting – I wouldn’t mind baby sitting at all. I think having another kid around for a few hours wouldn’t be a big issue, and Baby RB40 would love it. Most parents probably trust a woman more, though. Isn’t that a little sexist?
• Yoga – At one point I considered getting a yoga teaching certificate. I love practicing yoga and this would be a great way to do it regularly and make a little money on the side.
• Focus group/food tester – How about tasting new food and getting paid for it? I just found the Food Innovation Center while researching side hustles.

The lack of time is a huge factor here. Even now that I’m not working a full time job anymore, I rarely have time to do anything extra. When Baby RB40 goes off to school, I’ll have more time to try to make few extra bucks.  Another factor is that I would be doing this more for fun rather than serious earnings, though if I do make any extra, it would feel like a bonus!

What about you? Have you done anything to make a few extra bucks lately? Please share some ideas. 

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