How To Pay Rent By Volunteering For Science Experiments
This is a guest post from Hank.I recently earned $40 the easy way. I was just sitting in my doctor's office minding my own business when a nurse from the office next door stopped by to ask for volunteers. It seems that they were doing a medical study on the adverse effects of vaccines. I was given the money for about thirty minutes of my time, a brief medical questionnaire, and five small vials of blood. Not bad for a half hours worth of "work".
This wasn't the first time that I had been exposed to earning money for the benefit of science. I grew up in a medium size southern town that had a fairly large teaching hospital. Not only were there lots of medical students running around the hospital's hallways, but there were also a lot of medical experiments being conducted too.
I remember hearing about one experiment that the medical college was conducting while I was a senior in high school. For $5,000, the research doctors at the school would cut off one of your big toes, sew it back on, and then measure how the loss of the toe affected your balance. All my friends and I thought that it would be so cool to have all of that money. It was a lot for a kid in high school, but none of us ever were ever gutsy enough to try for it.
Earning Money From Science:
So, of course, this recent medical study got me thinking. Can someone earn enough money from science to pay your rent? I think you can. Here are a few examples of how you can make money by giving back to help science.- Sell Plasma. Most people don't know about selling plasma. Blood plasma is prepared by spinning a tube of fresh blood in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the test tube. It is just like giving blood. While you can make approximately $240 a month if you donate twice a week, it is nothing that you can get rich off of. There are also a few negative connotations associated with selling plasma, although I personally know of several respectable people from the "good side of the tracks" who sell plasma to supplement their income. Let's face it, teachers do not get paid enough (but, that's a subject for another time.)
- Sell Eggs. Many women can make around $5,000 by selling their eggs to companies who resell them to women who cannot give birth. The only problem with this plan is that it takes a lot of time and patience, and there is a small surgical procedure that the woman has to go through in the end to retrieve the eggs. I knew of one lady who was trying to earn money this way, and it took months of paperwork and several doctors visits before they would even consider giving her a dime. This isn't the option to pursue if you need money in a hurry (or if you're a guy!), but it may be well worth your effort if you are patient.
- Sell Sperm. Every year, approximately 75,000 American children are born thanks to a sperm donor. To qualify as a sperm donor, many sperm banks require that you be between the ages of 18 and 38, have a clean medical history, have high quality semen samples, and be able to pass a rigorous psychological and genetic screening. You must also be able to provide a medical history of you and your relatives going back several generations. The payoff can be handsome though at about $100 per visit and several visits needed each month.
- Medical Experiments. Like I mentioned above, you can get paid up to $300 per day or more to participate in clinical or medical trials that test new or improved ways to treat an illness or condition. Or, you can participate in research studying a particular phenomenon or a new search for a disease's cure. In my case, I was paid to be in the control group of the study because I had never had a reaction to any vaccines. The possibilities of finding the study that is right for you should not be too hard since the possibilities are almost endless. You can get paid to participate in studies for things such as sleep deprivation, time isolation, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine studies, exercise, diet and nutrition studies, psychology studies, the list goes on & on.
- Others. There are several other ways to make money in the medical arena that could be explored as well. You can consider becoming a surrogate mother which can pay tens of thousands of dollars. Or, you can sell your hair for few dollars per inch. There are many ways you can get paid for helping science. The hard part may just be finding them.
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Oh man, this guy cracks me up :) If you like what you saw, check out Hank's blog Own The Dollar where he writes about personal finance and investing. Or even better, sign up to his feed.
Labels: guest post, money hacks
posted by J. Money at
7:29 AM
18 Comments:
Wow, J. Money, I missed the "guest post" part at the top and thought this was you talking at first. At any rate, for me, this kind of "income" would be right down there under... well, I don't want to name distasteful jobs. Once I asked our snippy bank teller how her baby was doing and she snapped, "fine," and the next time I asked, she said, "How would I know? I was only a surrogate." I apologized for not knowing that, and then I wondered what kind of cash she raked in for that and what she did with it.
My brother got cholera, inpatient, for science once. I don't know what kind of insanity prompted that. My father actually DONATED his body to science and they used his heart to demonstrate a new heart surgery technique at Stanford medical college. I'm proud of him for that; as far as I know he never sold any part of his body nor rented any part out while alive, but he wanted to help humanity and did so without receiving payment, just to make the world a better place.
I would consider giving up my big toe, but then I wouldn't be able to play the piano...
I wouldn't consider this as income and shouldn't be looked at as a side job by any means. I did sell plasma to gain extra money for spring break in college, but that's as far as I took that.
I think there is a link on the NIH website for all of the studies they are currently looking for participants. A friend of mine signed up for a study on PMS and different remedies, but she went through such horrible mood swings she couldn't finish with the testing. Thus she wasn't paid. I think that is one point Hank should have probably made with the clinical testing, if you drop out before the end, most don't pay you any compensation.
I'd sell plasma if I wasn't so afraid of needles! and extra $240 a month for a few hours of my time doesn't seem so bad!
You forgot to mention to sell Sperm you have to be over 5'10! When my fraternity brothers and I got the bug to make some easy cash...I was quickly denied barely pushing 5'8
I've totally done medical studies for money! Its awesome - and usually fairly easy!
I'm weary of selling eggs though. I have several friends who work in women's reproductive health and the hormones you have to take in order to sell your eggs are really hard on your body, its not really "good" for you. I suppose if you really need the money, it might be worth it to you, but I definitely wouldn't be willing to mess with my hormones that much for a few grand.
I'm not that hard up for cash... :) Wow, cutting off your big toe and sew it back on??? Seriously?? haha! I would try a 2nd job first, more money and you can keep your self-respect... :) Just kidding on the self-respect, I lost mine years ago!
Donating plasma is not a picnic and not quite the same thing as donating blood. Donating plasma takes much more out of you, and takes quite a bit of time, like 3-4 hours per visit if the place is busy. Is it worth 35$ a trip? I say not for me.
The same goes for some of these others. To become a sperm donor, there is a huge process involved including lots of tests and many that try just don't qualify after its all said and done.
Personally, I am just too squeamish to do most of these.
@444 - WOW, your dad IS awesome! I would have loved to meet him in real life :) I bet he was fun. And that bank teller you were talking about is nutso - how the hell were you supposed to know? I find most people working face-to-face with others aren't that great at their jobs unfortunately. It's sad to as they're representing their companies.
@AG - Backing Up The Truck - haha...I don't know where you came from, but keep on leaving comments - you crack me up.
@Craig - I think I'll have to agree with you. Great for either extra money or when you're in dire need, but I wouldn't make a habit of it for sure. See you at happy hour tonight!
@MK - Oooh good point. Man that would suck to go through all of that only to not get paid in the end
@My Journey - What?! no way...tell me you're joking?
@dospajaritos - I can see that. I'm sure some of the smaller experiments are okay, but I wouldn't give up my baby eggs if I were a women for any money. Unless, perhaps, I already had all the kids I wanted? Who knows. I'm happy being a guy anyways :)
@Dad - I know! Never in a million years would i cut off a toe. Or any body part for that matter. What if it didn't work out??? haha...so strange. And by the way, every time I see your name here I think it's actually MY dad leaving a comment :) Which would be very very surprising.
@Jesse - I'd do it for $35 if it took me 20 mins or under, but hours? no thanks. I can't remember when I had that sort of free time in one sitting anyways.
One of my roommates in college frequently participated in medical experiments. She'd have a short stay in some testing facility, go in for regular check-ups for a few weeks after, and walk away with check for up to $4,000. A few things to think about with this type of income...
If you don't fully complete the experiment, you won't get paid. Some companies are nice enough to offer partial payments but not all. Also, the amount they quote for payment is usually pre-tax. So come tax time be ready for Uncle Sam to take his cut of your earnings. Lastly, I've known a few people that have had insurance issues after participating in medical experiments. Their insurers have attempted to use their experiment participation as a "pre-existing condition" to remove their liability for covering medical costs later on down the line. Just something to think about.
J,
Thanks for letting me "borrow" your readers today. I really appreciate it and love hearing everyone's experiences with earning money through different means.
I know many people who sell plasma (I'm 21, enough said?). Even a few people I know who have "real" jobs do this on the side on a weekly basis. An extra $60/week goes a long way if you do it week after week, year after year.
I haven't done it (not sure I would enjoy it) but if you try it out and you don't mind it, go for it. After the initial physical the visits are only about 1-2 hours and you get about $15/hour at that rate.
Donating plasma isn't something I can do, I can't even donate blood. Tattoos have made sure of that. (They won't even label it and give it to another person with tattoos.)
Now, selling my eggs.... I need to think about that one. Especially if they're worth so much to some people...
I did the plasma thing in college and it was okay for a while.....until I stared to pass out (I had another hidden condition). I went twice a week and got $15 and $20 (because I could only give the smallest amount) but it was good supplemental income and it only took me 45 mins to 1 hour lying on the bed plus a 15 minute round trip drive.
There are easier things than donating plasma or blood, or even sperm. (although probably not quite as fun as donating sperm)
I work in a science research lab (non-medical) and we pay $10 per hour for studies. People can only do each study once, but its easy to make a few hundred over time. And lots of other labs here to do the same thing. We are in a psychology related field, and most studies take an hour per day or less, and range from 1 - 6 days.
@Ashley - Wow, never even thought about the insurance thing. Or that so many of you would know people who've done some of these! haha....I love hearing all these stories.
@Hank - Thank YOU for the interesting post my man.
@David@DINKS Finance - man, I don't know anyone who does this....but then again, I'm no longer in my early 20's....*tear*
@Foxie | CarsxGirl - yeah, last time I tried to donate I couldn't either due to my tattoo. I wonder if there's some time limit on that or if you can just NEVER donate once inked up? I'd love to give away blood to help out again, it's been a while.
@Lulu - sucky they found something else :( hope all is much better now!
@Les@SpillingBuckets - haha...i've heard it's "fun" giving sperm out too ;)
J,
Just ran across another article and an interesting way to make money from science that we need to add to the list...selling your kidneys! Not just a joke and urban legend anymore. Now people are volunteering for the ice bathtub. People are making almost $50k USD off kidney sales in Great Britian. I'm smelling a road trip / vacation abroad coming up soon in my future.
Hank
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6850879.ece
omg you are too much my friend. if you ever have the balls to pull this off, you better let us know ;) i like my kidneys perfectly in my body - unless it was going to a close friend or family memember. and even then it would scare me $hitless.
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