American web entrepreneur Andrew Fischer made almost $50 000 (about R350 000) by auctioning his forehead on eBay for companies to use as advertising space – by means of temporary tattoos – for a month. This is a seriously unsexy way to make money. We’ve found some interesting ways to make extra cash with little or no effort at all – and they won’t harm your babe rating.
TURF RETRO CLUTTER
YOU NEED to get rid of your New Kids On The Block memorabilia collection (tapes, albums, CDs, posters and ticket stubs) before your Kings of Leon-loving new man sees it. Next, turf out dodgy fashion – fuchsia Madonna sandals and baseball jackets won’t be making a comeback – and furniture that’s past it.
HOW? Open a seller’s account on a site such as
www.bidorbuy.co.za (SA) or eBay (US or UK), pay the fees, then list your stuff for sale – and don’t worry, you don’t have to use your real name.
WHY? There’s a huge market for antiques of the future, so you can get rid of junk and make money by flogging stuff online.
HOW MUCH? By selling one great item a month for R500, you can make R6 000 in a year.
WRITE CLITERATURE
YOU NEED to be a voyeur deep down. But if your sex life isn’t all heavy breathing and fluffy handcuffs, let your dirty mind out to play without sacrificing your reputation.
HOW? Go to
www.scarIetmagazine.co.uk and click on ‘Contact us/work for us‚’ or visit
www.millsandboon.co.uk to find out how to submit your sexploits.
WHY? After devouring our sex features, create a few steamy scenes of your own – with or without accessories such as a crotchless PVC catsuit. You’ll never get such a good opportunity to brag about your bedside manner – and get paid for sharing.
HOW MUCH? For a 500-word true sex confession in the UK’s Scarlet magazine, you’ll earn £50 (about R675), while a 1 000-word erotic-fiction story pays £100 (about R1 350). So if you write one erotic-fiction story or true confession a month – and it’s accepted – you could earn between R8100 and R16 200 in a year. Bring on those designer shoes!
OFFER YOUR HOUSE AS A SHOOT LOCATION
YOU NEED a house that’s gorgeous enough to make Wentworth Miller beg to stay the night. Ideally, you should own it – otherwise you’ll end up forking over more than half your profits to a landlord.
HOW? Mail-bomb art directors, shoot coordinators or fashion editors at your favourite magazines, punting your home as the hottest location this side of Hollywood. Make sure you attach some good snaps of your home so they get a feel for the place. If they don’t call immediately, chase them – this is one instance where nagging might pay off.
WHY? Magazine spreads, TV ads and movies need to be shot somewhere, and SA is the new international flavour du jour.
HOW MUCH? Small, trendy properties start at R1 500 a day, so you could earn R7 500 for a five-day shoot, which you could save towards that overseas trip you’ve been lusting after. Medium-sized homes can go for R5 000 a day and if your home is massive and designer-glam, you can charge R10 000 a day. (Of course, if you’re living in a house like this, you probably don’t need the spare cash!) Shoots vary in length, so check this upfront.
PIMP YOUR BLOG
YOU NEED to have a blog on, for example,
www.soulcast.com or
www.myspace.com. Get it to work for you allowing people to place advertisements on your blog.
HOW? AdSense is Google’s advertising service that lets you put ads on your blog to help you make money every time someone clicks on your ad. To find out more – it’s complicated – go to the Google home page, click on ‘Advertising programs’ and navigate from there, or visit
www.adsense.blogspot.com.
WHY? If you’re going to be blogging online anyway, you may as well make some money out of it.
HOW MUCH? Your earnings are calculated on a cost-per-click basis and you can earn between US 2c and $1 (about 14c and R7) a click. If 100 people see your blog every day for a year, you’ll rake in at least R5 100.