As college students, we all have financial struggles at one point or another during our academic careers (well, unless our daddy owns bank and bought us a new BMW for graduation). These financial struggles are often exacerbated by our own improprieties, like wrecking your Tahoe after a night of “revelry,” breaking windows with your head (possibly drinking-related as well) or parking in the Tiger Land resident’s lot even for five minutes when you don’t live there.
More often then not, though, they occur because we college students don’t spend our money wisely or plan well enough for our financial futures after college.
Don’t worry, though, this column will not discuss making smart financial decisions whatsoever; its purpose is to shed some light on money-making situations when you absolutely must have $20 to go the bar tonight.
The first way is easy and requires little effort, provided you have no inhibitions about needles or homeless people. You’ve probably already guessed that I am talking about “donating” plasma. Now, before you think that only crack addicts give plasma, let me set the record straight; only college students and crack addicts donate plasma. It really is a sweet deal.
For three hours of lying in a chair, you receive $30. Most of us spend at least three hours lounging in a chair each afternoon anyway.
Besides, you meet some very interesting people. Take this guy named Roscoe (I think that was his name, but he mumbled a lot so I’m not sure). Roscoe was a former high school jock who now sold cans and gave plasma professionally.
He had quite a story, and quite a thirst for mad dog 20/20. For an easy and adventurous way to facilitate your own drinking habits, I would strongly recommend selling your blood- I mean, um, giving plasma.
If needles make you queasy but bourbon makes you tipsy, then you might prefer “junking.” Credit for this ingenious idea goes to my fourth grade teacher. Although not a drinker, she did make a teacher’s salary, so she was constantly in need of extra money. She came up with a brilliant plan that anyone could use.
The concept is simple and clichéd, but effective nonetheless. It relies on an age-old principle: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
She would simply drive through wealthy neighborhoods, engage in high class dumpster diving and then sell her finds at garage sales.
Baton Rouge has a fairly large percentage of wealthy households, and there is plenty of treasure for pirates to scavenge.
If digging through people’s refuse doesn’t bother you, then “recycling” is another way of supplementing your going out income.
You can even do this after a night of drinking, because people usually bring their refuse to the road the night before. All you need are several large trash bags. Simply pass through residential neighborhoods and empty the aluminum cans and bottles into your bags.
The next day you can bring them to a scrap yard and net a whopping 40 cents a pound for aluminum and five cents per bottle.
You’d be surprised to realize how quickly you can fill a Honda Civic full of “reusable consumables.” Additionally, you’re helping others as well, because the sanitation engineers don’t have to work nearly as hard the next day.
If none of these ideas float your boat, and your still a little shy about selling your hot body (besides, you may still have that charge pending from last time), then there still may be one more recourse for you. Come apply for a job at the Reveille.
Granted, it doesn’t pay much, but it should be obvious by now that they’ll hire anyone. Believe me when I say that the $25 paycheck will be gone an hour after you arrive at the bar, but after working here all week, you really need a few good rounds of beer.
Making ends meet on a college budget
February 6, 2004