College Being

If you’re in college right now, chances are that you are broke or you are as close to the red as possible. While many websites will offer tips on saving money or budgeting your funds or whatever, we all know that doing something as responsible as saving is beyond the capacity of our as-yet-developing university selves. So instead of giving you some budget tips, I’ll give you some tried-and-true make-some-extra-cash-quick schemes that served me well during my undergraduate days. I’ll leave out the failed ones and present only those that worked. Voila:

1. Sell your textbooks before the semester is over.

Okay, your parents would kill me for even suggesting this, but this idea is not as crazy as it sounds. I’m not sure about you, but I took plenty of courses in which the “required” textbooks were not even once referenced or used. So if you were the dupe who bought that hundred dollar book that never gets cracked open, do yourself a favor and sell that sucker on Amazon.

2. Do a good deed and sell some plasma.

Of course, I’m a huge proponent of donating blood, and one should help out the Red Cross or blood bank as often as possible, as well as participating in other altruistic endeavors. But the great thing about plasma banks is that you get paid for doing a service for your brethren in need. Win on both accounts.

3. Get rid of excess furniture and junk on Craigslist.

Especially if you are freshman, it’s likely that your parents bought you a bunch of stuff that you really don’t need. You know what I’m talking about, the stuff from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, or perhaps some furniture that is, in the grand scheme of things, totally superfluous. Instead of letting all that stuff sit around and collect dust, post ads on Craigslist to get some quick extra cash.

4. Get an on-campus job.

When I was in college, I vacillated between studying hard when necessary and otherwise just squandering my time by sleeping, hanging out with buddies, etc. So I’d be the last person on earth to suggest getting steady employment. However, on-campus jobs are a different species of work altogether. Since these jobs are made specifically for students, they’re super flexible, relatively painless, and, depending on the job, you can call in “sick” often without getting fired. The campus library, bookstore, cafe, and many more places need student staff, so why not spend your time making money instead of wasting it?

These were my personal top money-makers when I was in school living on a shoestring, but I will say that there are tons of different methods out there if you know how to sniff out an opportunity. Good luck!

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.