Wierdest thing you've done to finance your trip?

[Chels]

I was feeling rather pleased with myself recently when I realised that I would be able to reach my savings target for my upcoming trip
Then I thought "hang on, how did I save all that cash?".

So here's the oddest things I have done in the last year to save cash:

1. Taken part in a vaccine trial - yep, for the love of science (ok and $440 cash) I was injected with a vaccine. Although given that I had NO side effects I think I may have been in the 25% that got the placebo (yay!). Will find out in a few months...

2. Worked as essentially a human robot in a molecular diagnostics lab (brain-dead work that required repetitive motions and hurts your hands a LOT - hmm wait that sounds dodgy....)

3. Worked as a demonstrator in undergrad student labs - always fun to help influence the minds of the youth of today heh heh..

So what crazy things have other TP's done to fund their travels??

[benna2]

I don't know if this is weird or not...but I divide up my paycheck and put it into separate accounts. Two of them are dedicated for travel and one of them is for bills and other expenses. I also have twenty five hours deducted every pay that I don't even see...that money is set aside and I will be able to access it before "the big trip" and not before.

So yeah...basically I am content on living on Ramen noodles and not going out and spending all my money on weekends. I just let it grow until I shall travel again!

[space virgin]

Many of these won't apply to the general populace, but they work for me:

1. Detail cars

2. Braid manes and tails (as in horse manes and tails) at shows. Damn, if I could get into that full-time, I could make enough money throughout the show season to not work during the winter... but it's far more difficult than it sounds.

3. Catering in my "spare" time.

4. Work at my full-time job in my "non-spare" time.

5. Henna

6. Sell my other "art"

7. There's something else but I can't remember what it is.

[Chels]

Ooh I forgot one - selling crap on Ebay.

You know those free little samples of cosmetic-type stuff you get in chick's magazines? Well for some reason I had a stash of about 15 of them and some GUY bought it for like $20... crazy...

Every dollar counts for me!

[blinkchick2134]

I'm in the process of starting a support group/trial for the birth control patch. $200 bucks for 4 months with free patchs (saving $25 a month right there), a few exams and some minor bloodwork prior and after (for blood clotting - birth control side effect).

I would sell plasma ($40 bucks plus) but that involves too many needles for me. I'm freaking out about blood work.

My one friend works for a sex chat hotline...makes a few spare bucks doing that. Too bad I'd get bored.

[Chels]

Yeah unfortunately us Aussies have to donate blood for free!

I am looking forward to getting back from my trip and not having to say "No I can't afford it I am saving for my trip" to every movie, concert, event, shopping, and generally anything requiring spending.

[chelseafc05]

Originally posted by Chels@Dec 15 2005, 12:31 PM
Ooh I forgot one - selling crap on Ebay.

You know those free little samples of cosmetic-type stuff you get in chick's magazines? Well for some reason I had a stash of about 15 of them and some GUY bought it for like $20... crazy...

Every dollar counts for me!

[snapback]92974[/snapback]

ive made $500-$600 on ebay

[Chels]

It is a totally untapped resource I swear FC...

I have probably made about the same in the last year.

Just selling clothes I don't wear, and cosmetic type stuff. I often buy Clinique products cos they come with these 'gift packs' of mini products.. The last time I spent about $70 on the actual products then sold the gift pack individually and made about $50 back!!

Having said that tho I have encounter some crap with people taking AGES to pay/not paying at all then being deregistered before you can follow it up with them.. I just re-list the stuff but it's annoying all the same...

Which reminds me I must do a scrounge for a final listing before I go (Feb 23 - 10 weeks today !!!).

[TheJake]

hahahha hah ah chels your avadar is frick hot!?DS

[Chels]

Aww shucks

Ta.

That was me on my last night of freedom before I got... married! I did try my best to scrub up well heh heh.

[Slacker]

What kinda stuff do you guy sell on ebay? How do you accept payments? Paypal (yuck!)?

I want to sell some stuff on ebay...but I dont really think I have much to sell....

I'm seriously trying to find more ways of earning money...but I cant really think of any...

[florencia9699]

Hehe, funny.. . here it's all about making the bride and groom look as ridiculous as possible. For some reason one of my classmates decided to have her bachlorette party with her fiance (2 parties in one)... anyways... their closest friends dressed her like a cave woman and they dressed her fiance as a ballerina (all included + this huge blonde wig and a little crown on top) really really creepy considering the eyemake up and his beard....

Anyways, they made them get down at Mc Donalds and order a burger and fries and little children stared at them in shock, desbelief, terror... hehehe

Another tradition among guys here (perhaps its done everywhere else in the world, though I havent seen it) is to dress the groom as a hooker and sit him in the back of a car (preferably the trunk, with the door open and baloons popping out... and his friends in the other cars with the fog lights on drive around the city honking the horns like mad....

Thank God I'm not a guy....

[Somnambulation]

Yes, thanks god for the clinical trial. I was in Berlin and literally had no money left because my check from my trial which was supposed to come through by that time hadnt yet. I had just enough money for another night at the hostel I was in, but none left for food the next day. Luckily it came through the next morning and I had enough to travel for 1 1/2 months beyond that.

Then there were the things i did in London to survive. I participated in a British games show as a standby contestant for a couple of days for 90 pounds and free lunches, I was street vendor and travelling salesman selling paintball tickets in the UK, and then was a one time drug deal that I invested in which was the easiest money Ive ever made.

[SuDz]

Originally posted by florencia9699@Dec 15 2005, 05:11 AM
Hehe, funny.. . here it's all about making the bride and groom look as ridiculous as possible. For some reason one of my classmates decided to have her bachlorette party with her fiance (2 parties in one)... anyways... their closest friends dressed her like a cave woman and they dressed her fiance as a ballerina (all included + this huge blonde wig and a little crown on top) really really creepy considering the eyemake up and his beard....

Anyways, they made them get down at Mc Donalds and order a burger and fries and little children stared at them in shock, desbelief, terror... hehehe

Another tradition among guys here (perhaps its done everywhere else in the world, though I havent seen it) is to dress the groom as a hooker and sit him in the back of a car (preferably the trunk, with the door open and baloons popping out... and his friends in the other cars with the fog lights on drive around the city honking the horns like mad....

Thank God I'm not a guy....

[snapback]93065[/snapback]

Man, I am glad I ain't getting married down there at some point. Zany stuff.

SuDZ

[Chels]

Hey Slacker - I mainly sell old clothes on Ebay. Or cosmetic stuff. And I get paid by direct deposit into my bank account. It can be a bit time consuming but worth it if you get two crazy people in a bidding war over something!!

The best thing I ever sold was some Vanilla perfume oil from the Body shop. It was a present that had been in my cupboard for about a year (unused). So before I list anything I always check what a similar item has gone for... anyway I discover that the Body shop changed the formulation/smell of the oil and that the one I had was the 'old' vanilla smell, which smelt like lollies (and was way more popular), whereas the new one smelt like flowers (?!?). Fast forward to me listing it as the 'original' smell and I ended up getting about $75 for it (considering it was a gift so I didn't pay for it in the first place, I was pretty stoked!).

My only Ebay advice is to put in your listings some conditions like "Buyer must email within 3 days of winning auction and payment within 7 days or I will list you as non-paying bidder" - but maybe a little less nazi-like than that ha ha. But you have to say that kind of stuff otherwise people take forever to pay you...



Flor - yeah in Oz they tend to make fun of the groom at his 'Buck's night' however the bride is usually left to have a good night! I did have to wear a 'fabulous' plastic tiara which dug into my head all night... and it was blue which clashed with my gorgeous red dress... Often they make the bride wear a tacky-looking veil or something similar. I don't know all the details of my husband's buck's night but it's probably best left that way....

[chelseafc05]

Originally posted by Slacker@Dec 15 2005, 08:10 PM
What kinda stuff do you guy sell on ebay? How do you accept payments? Paypal (yuck!)?

I want to sell some stuff on ebay...but I dont really think I have much to sell....

I'm seriously trying to find more ways of earning money...but I cant really think of any...

[snapback]93064[/snapback]

i sold every last peice of shit i could find in my room, in the house and garage, books,toys,games,clothes everythin, i also get payed into my debit account account.. you give then your bsb and account number and they just transfer it in easier if you have, online banking... also to increase the bids i get my mate to bid on my stuff to increase the sale price also rip em off with postage .....suckerss

[Chels]

FC- that is evil!

[omisan]

I just realized the weirdest thing I've done to finance my travel:

As of the 2nd week of January, I'll have been working at my present job steadily for 4 years now. That's absolutely freakin' unheard of in my life. Seriously, me sticking around anything/anywhere/any people for that long is an anomaly. And I think the main reason I stick around (besides loving what I do) is that they give me plenty of time off to indulge in my greatest passion: Booze. Er, I mean, travel!

[Slacker]

Originally posted by chelseafc05@Dec 15 2005, 10:02 PM
i sold every last peice of shit i could find in my room, in the house and garage, books,toys,games,clothes everythin, i also get payed into my debit account account.. you give then your bsb and account number and they just transfer it in easier if you have, online banking... also to increase the bids i get my mate to bid on my stuff to increase the sale price also rip em off with postage .....suckerss

[snapback]93266[/snapback]

How do you have it transfered directly to your account? After the sale end, you just give them your acct routing number or something? And they just...tell their bank to send it?

Cuzz right now at this point I am worried about having enough money for my upcomming Eurotrip. I just paid for my Roatan trip (i got 1000 off the normal price so I couldnt pass it up!) so I might be a little short with my current job. Anyway, I am trying to find stuff to sell and whatnot, so I think i'll try ebay with my stuff....you think guys clothes will sell?

I guess I'll try to sell tons of useless stuff I dont use anymore...but it might get kinda weird... "up for sale is an empty tin can" or i dunno...old motherboards? Broken hard drives? lol.. I really dont have much. I guess I could try books or something.

I was thinking of donating plasma.... we'll see how that goes.

[chelseafc05]

just find out ya bsb number and account number (dunno wat it would be called in the US if not that) just ask ya local bank, and put the details into your ebay account so people can see it after they buy the shit from ya.. most use online banking where they transfer money from there account to your account online by using your bank details (dont worry they cant get into you account). if they dont use online banking they can just go to the bank and deposit money into your account. or you could always have them send cheques or money throught the mail but i wouldnt reccomend that