what would you do for a buck?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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Investing In Gold And Silver

05.20.2013
investing in gold and silver

The following is a guest post from Cindy who writes at Midlife Finance. After my post on ways to hedge your bets for expenses and investing, one commenter asked about investing in gold. Was it a good option for safeguarding your money? Well, yes…maybe. First, it’s necessary to decide how you want to deal with these precious metals. (I’m adding silver into the discussion, though other metals, like platinum and copper, are also significant.) People have been using them for coinage and ornamental purposes for thousands of years; early civilizations like the Sumerians and Egyptians seem to have focused primarily on [...]

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My Very Cheap Day

05.17.2013
My very cheap day

On Wednesday, I was sitting at the library trying to come up with an idea to blog about. Actually, I had a “to blog” list, but none of them struck a chord with me, so I started reading some magazines instead. Luckily, I found an article in Money Magazine that I can comment on – “My very cheap day” by Kristen Bellstrom. (Thanks to Brian for finding the link for us.) It’s not easy for frugal folks to cut expense Her mission was to spend one day trying to cut every expense she encountered. Aha! I already found something to [...]

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What advice I would give my 23 year old self

05.15.2013
What advice I would give my 23 year old self

Recently I read an article asking what advice you would give your 23 year old self. (Sorry, I forgot where I read this.) This is a very interesting question because it is a very personal question. It is not a generalized topic like the series I wrote about retirement advice for young folks. Everyone has a different life experience and this kind of question makes you think about what you could have done differently. Let’s see where I was when at 23… I got a Master degree in Electrical and Computer engineering and was already working at Intel. Future Mrs. [...]

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