Whether you need money for gifts, some "walking around cash," or the fare for a ticket home, here are a few ways you can make some extra bucks for the holidays.

1. HUMAN GUINEA PIG: Ever thought of participating in a research study? Compensation for clinical research study volunteers runs the gamut from $15 for answering a few questions on lifestyle habits to a couple of thousand dollars for participating in a longer term study with an in-patient stay.
   
   If your university has a med school, check out opportunities on campus. National clinical listing services include www.clinicaltrials.gov and www.centerwatch.com.



2. MOVING BILLBOARD: All Savi Maharaj from the University of Florida has to do to get a paycheck is drive her black Volkswagen Beetle around campus. If she leaves her car parked in front of the dorms, it's even better for business.
   
   Maharaj is one of the over 700,000 contacts for a marketing and promotions company called Free Car Media. The company matches advertising clients with drivers across the country to promote the company's products. Drivers are given free samples of the product they are promoting to pass out along the road to interested consumers.
   



3. SELL STUFF: Sell what you don't need, can't use, or no longer like. Sell back your used textbooks at semester's end. Do it on campus for the fastest return, but if you're a recent grad you can sell back textbooks on-line. Check out www.barnesandnoble.com.
   
   Other easily convertible-to-cash items include CD's and clothing. Expect to get $1-$5 per CD, depending on the condition. Gary Alpert, 23, after-school director at the Jewish Day School in Newton, Mass. takes the music resale concept a step further. "I've bought a box of used records at a garage sale for $3 and then sold them for $1-2 each at the used music store."



4. QUICK CASH-IN'S: For students that live in a state that has bottle deposit laws, returning empty soda cans and beer bottles is a popular way to make quick cash. Pick up empties at the cafeteria or littered at school events.
   
   Kate Hutchinson, 21, and her friend Nate Curtis, 22, both recent Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.) graduates, recycle cans together and use the money for "the extras, mostly stuff for our cat; a new collar, a litter box, going out money."



5. ODD JOBS: Hutchinson does typing for extra money. "I work an average of 2 hours a week at $10/hour but I get more business closer to Christmas because my customers are busier themselves," she says. Alpert has a weekly babysitting gig.
   



6. TEMPORARY HOLIDAY JOBS: Sometimes the only way to get real money is to get a real job. Temporary holiday jobs are perfect if you want to make money but don't want to make a huge job commitment. Some schools will post jobs on-line; others will post them outside the financial aid office.
   

*The ten states with bottle laws are: California, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Iowa, Maine, Delaware, Connecticut, Oregon and Vermont.

Contributing writer Sara Faiwell provided information for this story.

© 2003, InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.