Yes our economy is bad. Many are without jobs, or have been laid off from jobs they had for many years and are now working jobs at a lower wage. Many of these individuals, prior to being laid off, had house payments, car payments, etc. set based on a wage they considered safe. They had worked for companies that, before the plummet of the economy, had been successful. These workers weren't unreasonable to accrue some debt based on a stable job and the ability to pay it back. My family fell into this trap, my husband had been working for his family company since graduating high school, which at the time was 16 years. We were living a good life. I didn't have to work. Our bills were paid ahead of time. We could take vacations, go out on dates, take the family to dinner and spoil the kids. When the economy crashed so did the telecommunications business that had put us in such a sweet position. The business was based in Detroit and serviced the greater metro area. We had a home up north, where we lived, and he stayed with family from Tuesday through Friday, and was home on the weekends. Detroit and the surrounding areas stopped building. They stopped upgrading their systems. They aired on the side of caution. This is what good businesses do, but unfortunately for us it left our business bankrupt. We had to close the doors. We were both able to find work up north, but at half of what we were making before. We called our creditors, who did not want to work with us at all. Our mortgage was through GMAC, who had just received monies from the government through the bailout project. So we found ourselves stuck with payments that were set for a bigger income. We had to walk away. We let the bank take back one vehicle and we bought a used truck. We were foreclosed on and found a house on land contract with a much lower payment. This is happening more and more. So many couples and families are finding themselves in exactly the same boat. Struggling for so long to keep their heads from going underwater, until they can't anymore. This leads me to todays topic....what length would you go to make a buck?
I read an article earlier today about some Mexico residents can cross the border into Texas and sell their plasma. One woman goes twice a week, the maximum allowed in the U.S. She makes $60 per visit. That's an extra $240 per month for her family. This article made me curious if there are other ways to make money from our bodies. A man can sell his sperm, making $50 - $200, per specimen. Platelets go for about $50 per specimen. Hair at least 10 inches, that is in good condition goes for about $5 - $10 per ounce, but some can see up to $400 for their hair. Some desperate souls sign up for clinical trials in which they use experimental drugs for payment. Amounts are determined by which pharmaceutical company is conducting the trial and the type of drug in the trial. Some extreme individuals travel to countries where selling their organs is legal. A good kidney can fetch up to $25,000. A woman can sell her eggs to fertility clinics or to couples who are facing infertility. Women must answer extensive questions concerning family genetics and health. Clinics generally offer from $5,000 - $12,000 per "donation". Some couples may pay up to $50,000 for eggs.
I'm sure there are other ways the body can pay out, but to be honest...I was shocked enough at the ones listed. I did skim over an article about prostitition, touted to be the world's oldest profession. I suppose the question becomes...how desperate are you? What would you do??
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