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Forget the seething masses of summer sun-seekers – sidestep the rush and aim for September. But if your pockets are empty and your cupboards bare, don’t despair: you’ve got two months to lay a golden egg.
Liquid money
If no-one else will have them, peddle your vital juices to the professionals. Donating to a blood bank may get you a steady conscience and a custard cream, but some labs pay up to £60 for 600ml: six litres later and you’re off to a better place. The only flaw is that you’ve only got five litres in the first place.
Men, of course, can tap a less finite and somewhat stickier resource. If you’re fit and under 40, three sperm deposits a week at £25 a crack will leave you thumbing the cash – until two-dozen kids come knocking for their tuition fees.
Express delivery
Sometimes only the personal touch will do, and courier firms can pay up to £15/hour to transport a package to the remote corners of the Earth, travel and accommodation thrown in. Work is sporadic by nature but one big trip could hit the jackpot – with the hard-earned cash you can fly back and see the sights you missed while playing postie.
Be an extra on the silver screen
Before computers took over, any epic battle worth its salt was packed to the gunnels with extras. Now it’s easier to copy and paste an army as required. But there are still non-speaking parts out there, and if the film’s got a budget to speak of you could rake in between £50 and £200 a day – maybe even see your mug on screen.
These snippets were published in June/July 2006 as part of Lastminute.com’s Smart Summer Stuff booklet, distributed with a 3 million print-run through various publications inc. The Observer, The Sunday Times, GQ, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire