1001 Ways to Make Money If You Dare (3 page)

8 MAIL OUT A CHAIN LETTER.
You're not taking advantage of your nearest and dearest — you're letting them in on the ground level of an upstart entrepreneurial enterprise. Compose a letter with instructions to return a single dollar to the five people on the enclosed list and then replace the bottom person with their own name and address (your name's on the top), and pass the list and instructions on to their friends and family. Careful: This is what that uptight government likes to call a “pyramid scheme.”

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9 REDEEM YOUR CANS AND BOTTLES.
Who says addictions don't pay off? Parlay your love for Diet Coke into cold harsh cash — a nickel in most states, ten cents for the right container in the right place (California and Michigan), and possibly nothing if your state doesn't believe in the whole “bottle bill” thing. Check your state laws before you rinse and sort. You wouldn't want to recycle for nothing.

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10 CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET.
If you aren't up for a full-blown tag sale you can always resell right to consignment shops. It'd be in your best interest to wash and hang whatever you plan on selling. Presentation does matter when you try to haggle for an extra buck or two.

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11 TURN YOUR BACKYARD INTO A “LOCATION.”
How cool would it be if you received a party invite that listed the location as “[Your name here]'s backyard”? With a little sprucing up and some marketing, it could very well be the case. Offer to rent out your lawn space to friends for a fee so they can hold that garden soiree they always dreamed about. The risk comes the next morning when you're outside with a poker picking up trash.

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12 RENT OUT YOUR HOUSE FOR A FUNCTION.
Take the fun indoors and allow others to use your spacious pad as a place for their own parties. (Note: Spacious, clean, and clear of empty pizza boxes is a prerequisite to this being pulled off.) The risk rises, though, when you allow others inside. Be sure to remove any breakables from heavily trafficked areas, and lock up whatever's concealable and worth stealing.

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13 THROW A PARTY AND CHARGE ADMISSION.
If you're sick of everyone else having all the fun, organize your own shindig and have guests fork over a fee to get in. (Nothing says classy like a cover charge.) In order to make sure your guests will want to throw down to raise it up, you'll need to provide plenty of food and beverages. Just be sure your per-person overhead is covered by the ticket price.

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