5 Quick Ways to Make $100

Oh great, the car broke down/air conditioner broke/dog got sick. Of course, you're down to your last $5. Isn't that the way it always happens? Now you need money - and fast. Before you throw that ski mask on and get to robbin' and whatnot, why not at least try these 5 fast ways to make some green? Guaranteed not to get you thrown in jail with Bubba.

Look around your roach-infested apartment. Surely there must be something you can sell for some cash. If you're really attached to that signed photo of Liberace, take it to the pawn shop. They'll give you money for it up front. If it doesn't sell you can buy it back from them and hang it back up in your living room again.

Go on Craigslist for your area and post what you're selling - it's totally free. Sure, you'll definitely get at least one weirdo that scares you silly, but 9 times out of 10 they will just buy what you're selling instead of rape you. Alternatively, search through your home for stuff you don't use anymore or maybe you just don't like. Make a few signs to put up near your house either on a Friday night or very early Saturday morning advertising your garage sale. Put a free notice on Craigslist too. Spend all day Saturday having strangers paw over all your stuff and haggle about a quarter. If you have stuff that is even halfway decent you can make some serious money this way.

Put another free ad up on Craigslist advertising yourself as a yard/house/office cleaner. You can pick up some quick money this way. Anyone can vacuum up some slob's house and wash a few dishes. Just search other listings to find out what the going rate is. Sometimes if you do a good job at it, you can get a repeat customer. Offices are great for this, and usually very easy to clean. You can even jazz the whole thing up if you're a hot guy/girl by offering "scantily clad" cleaning services. Then, of course, you have some creep watching your every move while you scrape the funk off the dishes he's had in the sink for 2 weeks. At least you'll make more money at it!

Another cleaning option is to put an ad up for pressure or "power" washing services. Don't have a pressure washer? No problem! Go to your local equipment rental or hardware store and rent one thats gas-powered, at least 3500 psi, and 3 gallons per minute. Medium sized homes can net you at least $150 if you pressure wash just about everything. Just be sure to use a little safety and caution. The last thing you need is to pressure wash your fingers off or destroy some guy's roof. (Yes, yes, I know. You should buy insurance. It's a risk you take if you decide to go this route. If you mess up it could cost you a lot more than 100 bucks.)

If you have a nearby blood plasma donation center, you might be in luck. Unless of course, you've come down with the AIDS or you're allergic to needles. Get there really early and prepare to spend a large chunk of your day there answering questions about your medical history and medications you might be taking. If you pass the screening, you can go in twice a week at most places and bring in about $25-$35 a pop. All for the small price of standing in line at 5 A.M., having needles jabbed into your veins, having the blood pumped out of your body, filtered through a machine that 1,000 other people have had their blood filtered through, and then pumped back into you. Groovy!

Ever wondered what it feels like to be a lab rat? Now you can find out! Do some searching around at local colleges. Most of them have research departments that are always conducting some kind of study. Some of these studies are very simple and are mostly psychological tests or even playing video games. Some studies are much more demanding (and better paying), such as studies that take biopsies of muscle or fat. Some researchers want to x-ray you and check for bone densities or shove you in an MRI and see what makes you tick. Drug studies turn you into a human guinea pig, and you're given a new medication that could do any manner of bad things to your body in exchange for a few slips of that precious, precious green paper.

Ok, so this one's a long shot. A reaaaal long shot. Take that last 5 bucks you've got left, cram it into the pocket of your Member's Only jacket, and head to the corner store. Give the clerk your money and get a $5 scratch-off. Get down on your knees in the parking lot and pray for a miracle. Slowly reveal the winning numbers, or dollar signs, or whatever. Jump for joy as you win a million dollars and all your problems are solved.

Or, collapse in a heap of emotion, bawling your eyes out at your rotten life and bad luck. Dry your tears and dust yourself off. Now you have no money. You are at the corner store though...did you happen to bring that ski mask?