1001 Ways to Make Money If You Dare (9 page)

44 HOST YOUR OWN HAPPY HOUR.
All you need is some booze, some snacks, and some friends. You can buy the alcohol and the appetizers, but since you're expecting to make money off these people — you can't buy your buddies. So before you hit up the discount liquor store, make sure you have a head count that covers the overhead. Charge a small cover, shake up some cocktails, and make Friday afternoons at your place the most fun part of the weekend.

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45 START YOUR OWN MUSEUM.
Everyone is an authority on something — be it bees, boxing, or bullshit. Parlay your authority on a topic and collection of all related materials into a cultural center for the world to see. (And by world, we mean anyone who's bored or who has an equally high affinity for whatever you're curating.)

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46 TURN YOUR BACKYARD INTO A PARKING LOT.
Maybe you live close to a ballpark, concert venue, or other area of mass interest where parking is a pain — or costs a fortune. Get yourself some cones and a sign, underprice the competing lots, and be prepared for your beautiful lawn to turn into a mud bowl.

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47 CREATE YOUR OWN CAMPGROUND.
What sounds more adventurous than a weekend away in the wilderness — at Bob's Backyard. If you own enough land located in a nice enough location, you could be Bob. It's best to check on state regulations if you plan on going legit, but if you just want to let a few hippies pitch a tent for a couple nights, we won't tell anyone.

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48 RUN A ROADSIDE ATTRACTION.
Similar to starting your own museum, running a roadside attraction banks on people's curiosity. Maybe you've taught your roaches how to race around a track, have collected and combined spitballs to create the world's largest lump of paper and saliva, or have stuffed and positioned enough squirrels to reenact the opening scenes to all of Shakespeare's plays. Whatever it is, market the attraction on the side of the highway and charge people to come take a look.

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49 START A SWEAR JAR.
What better way to teach the people you live with to speak respectfully than to charge them up the ass for using four-letter words? Make sure the penalties are known, and then do your best at policing the foul language. However, there's a big risk here, if your own mouth puts sailors and truckers to shame. The point is to make money — not to lose it. Stick some soap in your mouth and hope for the best.

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