I Love My Life In NoMi: Medical Study Money Buys A Lawn Mower, Vehicle Battery From Craig's List! (Summer Visitation 2010)

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

I needed a lawnmower, rather than borrowing one all the time. For the record, I actually HAD a lawnmower, but only Peter Teachout could figure out the trick to making it start consistently. One day I just told Peter, "You know that lawn mower we've been sharing? Just consider it YOUR lawn mower for various favors you've done me."

Which left me short a mower. Unless I wanted to borrow one all the time. Fortunately, $20 goes a long way on Craig's List. Though it's tough to make money AND pull off 5 weeks of summer visitation, I managed to sell some of my bodily fluids at the University of Minnesota, for a medical study. A check for $258 arrived the other day, woo hoo.

Call it "blood money."

That cash had places to go, baby, but those places were entirely consistent with my frugal, environmentalist, artistically creative NoMi lifestyle.

First of all, a friend had...

...spotted such a great deal on a Craigs List lawn mower, he bought it for $20, knowing I'd compensate him. So there went $20, and my friend was mighty glad for that Andrew Jackson, because he was broke. Another $20 purchased a much-needed auto battery on Craig's List. When I asked the battery dude where he resided, I found he was so close I could practically walk there. Not only did he sell me a good battery, but he was happy to take the bad one off my hands FOR FREE.

Yet another chunk of change went to my favorite shade tree mechanic, who makes a little money here and there but DOESN'T annoy the heck out of his Northside neighbors with this activity, unlike SOME folks. Mr. Shade Tree fixed a bunch of electrical stuff, including a bad battery cable, pictured, for $75. I also gave him a bike I'd found thrown away--I guess somebody found it easier to throw the bike away than fix the jammed up chain. That's OK, the earth will grow more on a tree like bananas. (Sarcasm font)

My 13-year-old son was along for all these transactions; learning how to get a car fixed cheap, work out barter deals with friends, give a broken, discarded bike a happy new home. Actually, I didn't bring my son Alex right to the clinic where the medical study was conducted, but rather somewhere safe and happy with pizza and internet while I offered up--good lord!--it felt like a QUART of blood. But Alex was fascinated with the idea of making so much money for doing so little. I told him, "You just have to be tough-minded and willing to do WHATEVER."

This series of blood money transactions still left plenty of cash to buy my kid chocolate milk and for, um, a little trip to Wisconsin to, um, look over the fireworks available for purchase in that state. THEORETICALLY, a mere $20 would go a long way on a 2-for-1 sale.

As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

Medical study money is about the easiest money you've ever made in your life, UNLESS you have a problem with needles. I've made plenty of cash this way over the years. It's a simple matter of watching for ads on campus bulletin boards or a student newspaper at any fairly large university. If you want to learn all there is to know about this subject, check out the book Sell Yourself To Science By Jim Hogshire.

I actually knew the author personally, back when I lived in Seattle. Quite a character.

Sometimes my life in Seattle seems like the life of a different person. Home ownership will settle you down as much as having a child, and the two put together will entirely transform you.

But I still make money doing medical studies, whenever I can.