Donating Plasma for fish money?

[Tiffi]

Maybe you could build the stand in your parents' or a friend's garage?!

 

[severum mama]

Building a stand would be cool! Or, if you don't want to do that, might I suggest either a Grand Theft Auto game (my BF goes nuts for them ) or a Sirius satellite radio. You can get the plug and play units for pretty cheap, and then he could buy himself a home dock if he wanted to listen to it in his home. You don't really have to pay to have it installed in the car, it's not that difficult. It does cost $13/month though, but is well worth it IMO. My BF loves his- no commercials!!

 

[talloulou]

You know what they say about "blood money"

 

[chelli]

we have better deals than that all the time in my town. Try the lfs to see if there is anyone around you who wants to sell their tank (to move up to bigger ones). Then you could just take it over. And probably save a lot of money. The local classifieds is where I would start. Plus, if you want to buy him a tank, that is cool. But I wouldn't worry about the filters, skimmers, etc etc. He would probably want to pick those out himself and that could save you oodles of money. The tank and stand don't usually run that much. It is the "stuff" that goes with it that costs so much in the end. Even wal-mart sells a crappy 55gallon set up for $148 plus tax and the stand for another 50-60$. Give them a shot first. But with them the filters and pumps and all are included. Its kind of a dummy set up kit. Any dummy can usually figure it out. And its not that hard to make it a saltwater tank too.

 

[Toirtis]

Plasma donation (and platlet donation) is NOT painful and does not rob you of any iron, etc and does not scar your veins....I do it (for free) every couple of weeks and have done for years....but you should do it because you want to, not for cash. You may find that you cannot donate plasma, as you need to have a certain grade of vein (they use a larger needle to accomodate 'washback' of your red cells), and you need to pass a more rigorous physical to be accepted.

 

[talloulou]

I think it's probably one of those things that's different for everyone. My husband can donate blood and it doesn't affect him one bit. When I donate blood I am kinda tired and wonky for a day or so. I also have tiny veins and tend to bruise from it. My husband has huge veins and never bruises. I have only donated "blood" though and never donated just plasma so the two may be very different.....Still seems like a crazy way to make money betwen now and christmas to me. I have heard of women donating eggs though for tons of money.....not sure how safe that is but it's clear different people are willing to do different things for money.

 

[Toirtis]

I think it's probably one of those things that's different for everyone.

Not with plasma....nothing essential removed, and your body (if well hydrated) will replace completely within 24 hours.

I have heard of women donating eggs though for tons of money.....

That, on the other hand, is invasive and very painful.

 

[lyquidphyre]

I thank everyone for your comments and ideas. Where to start:
severum mama- our boyfriends sound a lot a like! Another idea I had was the sirius radio thing

As for building a stand:
all my friends live in apts, and my parents have no garage and live 45min. There really is no place to build one. I can store one somewhere.. but not build one

As for bargins:
I am the queen of bargin hunting.. but I know realistically that I will prolly spend somewhere between $200-$400 on a 55gal.. UNLESS its an amazing deal somewhere. I would like to buy the whole set up, because since its a gift, he really shouldnt have to go out and purchase all the expensive extras. It would be like giving him a car.. but he has to buy the engine, steering wheel and tires. Also, whats the point in upgrading from a 29gal to a 55gal when the 55gal set up isn't all complete. In this situation its all or nothing =o)

Reason behind donating plasma:
I was trying to think of things I could do or sell to get some extra cash to make Xmas easier on my parents (since they will be paying for all this one way or another) I don't have many things to sell in general.. and I know of a plasma clinic across from campus. I don't know anyone who has done it.. so that is why I asked if any of ya'll have done it personally.. I wanted to hear about the pros and cons of it all.
I don't mind sacrificing for my boyfriend- I just don't have anything to sacrifice (like bad habits) to save up money. Heh, on a side note- I don't think I could donate eggs (which I wouldn't do anyways) because of the whole cleft clip thing- Im pretty sure my eggs would be discriminated against- haha.

Finding a job here is VERY difficult. It is a college town for one thing and MANY people from New Orleans are here now.. and the job market is even smaller now. So finding a job with my schedule is slim to none. Babysitting is one thing.. but with my schedule it might be difficult.

I am open to as many suggestions as you guys can dish out. I didn't think this topic would spark so much interest.. but it really has helped me come up with some ideas/other options

 

[TomK2]

Lyquidphyre-
I thought that cleft lip was a developmental event, not a genetic event. Thus, your genes are fine, upstanding members of the pool and should face no descrimination!

 

[odobenus]

I have donated plasma a couple of times, and had no problems at all. At the end they give you some extra fluids, which aren't quite at body temperature, which feels pretty strange (but not painful) the first time. (Toirtis, do you know what the fluids are?) I don't see why you couldn't give a couple of times to help pay for your Christmas gifts.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Lyquidphyre-
I thought that cleft lip was a developmental event, not a genetic event. Thus, your genes are fine, upstanding members of the pool and should face no descrimination!

But it in inherited- I got it from my dad... and my kids have a 1 in 4 chance (i believe) of getting it as well

I might not give $400 worth of plasma.. but I might give here and there for some extra money to use towards it. Im not totally sure, tho.

 

[TomK2]

But it in inherited- I got it from my dad... and my kids have a 1 in 4 chance (i believe) of getting it as well

Hmmm. I had to look it up, not that I didn't beleive you, and it would seem that there are environmental /developemental causes, and familial causes. I only remembered the developemental explanations. You learn something new every day! It also appears thay you probably forget something old every day too. 8O Here's the source if you are interested:
http://www.widesmiles.org/cleftlinks/WS-168.html
It is certainly a most common form of defect, and the repairs available today are very good.

 

[lyquidphyre]

From what ive been told is the severity of a cleft lip decreases each generation and mine wasn't all that bad. I had an AWESOME surgeon and I was fortunate enough to not have a speech impedament and my scar isn't all that noticeble. I do plan to have a nose job in the near future- hey, thats another thing I can save up plasma money for! (hehe j/p)

 

[Toirtis]

(Toirtis, do you know what the fluids are?)

Citrate-based anticoagulant and saline solution....I also get it when I donate platlets (now theres a procedure...very similar to plasmapheresis, but it takes about twice as long).

 

[Toirtis]

and it would seem that there are environmental /developemental causes, and familial causes.

Correct. One of my girlfriends in junior-high had been born with a cleft-lip, and hers was developmental, whereas a magician friend of mine was also born with a cleft-lip (and palate), and his is genetic.

 

[Toona]

Well donating plasma in it's self is not bad actually quite a good thing to do. The plasma donated is made into life saving products like the ones that my wife has to have. So thanks to all that do donate. Now donating to buy a tank for christmas presents?? I hope you reallly like this guy. You might can find a slightly cheaper set up maybe not quite as nice but something to get him started. But i know people who donate 2 time a week and one of them is a girl that weighs about 105. It wears her out for a few hours but she does alright with it. But it will leave scarring and will start to hurt after you do iy for a while cause of the scar tissue build up. Ultimately it's your choice is it worth it? its a question youll have to answer for yourself

 

[FMJnaX]

You know, we're moving just around the corner from you... and we have two small kids (3 and 18 months). My wife is thinking of getting a job so perhaps there would be a babysitting opportunity there.

 

[Guest]

I donate my blood for free, but ive thought about donating plasma, its not that bad, they pull the blood out of one arm, take out hte plasma, and push it back in through the other arm.. its a lot of time for a small amount of money though, but i want to do it to be helpful because i work in a hospital and that FFP (fresh frozen plasma) can help save someones life at times.

EDIT- whoah, didn't realize this is 4 pages long, damn... lol

 

[Menagerie]

lyquidphyre, if you want to donate, go for it. If you get a bit of cash, all the better. However, I know I have tried to give blood on a few occassions and as a borderline anemic, they have yet to take my blood, even after I eat a bunch of raisins! In the end, it's up to the staff at the donation center to determine if you are physically fit.

 

[Guest]

lyquidphyre, if you want to donate, go for it. If you get a bit of cash, all the better. However, I know I have tried to give blood on a few occassions and as a borderline anemic, they have yet to take my blood, even after I eat a bunch of raisins! In the end, it's up to the staff at the donation center to determine if you are physically fit.

Ummm raisins aren't all you need. Try to bulk up on some nece dark green leafy vegetables (Greens and spinache are great for iron) And take a multivitamine with Iron in it. Eat good protein sources and eat your fruits and veggies to bring your Iron up.

But i agree, go ahead and donate and if you get cash, all the better. The donation is for the greater good.