So you've taken a second job, had a yard sale, maybe even sold jewelry to get you through this tough economy. What else can you do to bring in extra money? Take a look in the mirror. You can sell your body for cash - it's all legal.
It's the first day on the job for Jennifer Perren. She has her clothes on for this art class at UALR but later she'll pose nude.
"I'm an art history major and I think it's an important part of being an art major in general, is being able to understand what it's like for models."
And the money isn't too bad, 25 bucks for a 2 and a half hour session.
"I'm on a scholarship where I don't have to worry about tuition but I still have to feed myself," Jenn says.
There are many ways to sell your body, or parts of it for cash. Take your hair, for instance.
"It's tripled in price in the last year and a half." Jamie McLemore with Peacock Wigs says the good stuff is becoming harder to find. But you can get $500 bucks or more for 10 to 12 inches of high quality hair.
"Brown, red, curly, straight. There are all kinds of hair out there so which kind sells the best. The biggest requirement is it has to be natural, no chemicals."
Brown sells best but you'll have to use an online auction site; we found no Arkansas businesses buying hair.
Then, and college students know all about this one, you can sell your blood plasma. Healthy people can donate up to twice a week. At $20 to $40 per donation you can make around $250 a month.
So what about the more sensitive issue of reproductive donations? It's illegal to sell any living part of your body but you can sell your time and that's what fertility clinics pay for.
"We're paying them for time away from work that they miss with their family. There are certain risks to the procedure."
For a sperm donation you'll get around $100 but you'll have to go out of state, Virginia or Illinois to do it. The
Arkansas Fertility Clinic specializes in egg donations.
"It's fairly intense, and you have to be committed. It's not just something they can expect it's just a few minutes and then they're done."
If you make it through the strict, and thick, application process, you have to commit to around two months of testing, medication use, and the egg extraction. But when it's done it's between $3,000 and $4,000.
"Two semesters of you living in a nice apartment on campus, it could pay fines or fees." Jenn Perren says that's something she would consider doing.
How about becoming a surrogate mother? The 12 to 15 month process can get you up to $19,000 your first time and as much as $30,000 if you've done it successfully before!
"Having a baby is a lot on your body definitely and I'm not sure you could put a price on that," says Jenn.
But it is something many women do. Jenn says whether you're modeling or carrying a child, you're providing people something they can't get anywhere else, a part of you.
"I think some people have a surplus of resources that other people need access to, I really do."
