Need an odd job? Give blood, watch porn

By Donna Freedman

I earned $35 for watching a porn film. I sell my blood, a couple of teaspoons at a time, to medical researchers. I get a monthly rent credit for being the go-to gal in my apartment building.

An acquaintance gave me $120 to watch her dog for four days. I get $10 to $15 an hour to care for children who go to bed 90 minutes after I arrive. I was paid to buy $179 sunglasses and then tattle on the sales clerk for not doing his job right.

Medical testing, child care, dog-sitting, mystery shopping and apartment management have at times helped keep me afloat. I've scaling back on the side jobs, but I haven't given them up entirely. Extra income is always welcome.

If you've set a specific goal -- paying down credit card debt, saving toward a $500 emergency fund -- consider taking on a side job or two. The advantage of these occasional gigs is that they're, well, occasional.

They're a good complement to a regular day job, but they don't eat up all your free time. You can take as few or as many as you're comfortable doing.

The mysteries of mystery shopping

People often ask me about mystery shopping. Yes, for some people it's nirvana: getting paid to shop! But you have to fill out multiple-page reports, and if you do it wrong, you won't get paid. You usually have to pay for things upfront and wait for reimbursement. With some jobs, you have to go twice: to buy the item and then return it, writing a report on each experience. (Sometimes, the return is optional. But not everyone can afford to keep $179 sunglasses.)

On the other hand, it gets you free things: steak dinners, hotel rooms, oil changes, beer, pet food, nights at a casino, rental cars, molten chocolate cake. Or the chance to buy $27 bikini underpants (honest.)

How do you get a piece of this? Just ask. It's free to sign up with mystery-shopping agencies, so ignore those e-mails that offer access for a price. The easiest way I know is to go to Volition.com, which has a list of agencies. Once you get a reputation for doing good work, managers may call you personally instead of sending mass e-mail lists of available jobs.

I've earned anywhere from $15 to $95 per shop.

Sometimes, there are cookies

Medical studies, whether through universities or drug companies, are always in need of test subjects. Personally, I don't do the "investigational medication" trials, but I've donated blood and filled out questionnaires for studies on a number of subjects, including female sexual response (see "porn," above), Alzheimer's disease, depression and airway ailments.

I find them through Craigslist and through college bulletin boards and newspapers.

You don't necessarily have to suffer from a condition in order to get involved. The Alzheimer's study, for example, needed multiple blood samples.

But other trials are designed for people with specific problems: urinary-tract infections, asthma, even cold sores. One long-term project I know of seeks female "social drinkers." I once saw a study called "Yogurt, Fiber and Hunger." Yum.

Expect to earn anywhere from $10 to $35, and maybe juice and cookies (or yogurt and fiber). Also, expect to be turned down a lot because of very specific criteria. It's nothing personal, although it's an ego deflater to think that you're not good enough for a study of irritable bowel syndrome.

Continued: Paid to play games

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