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Right now, I'm worth about $7,350.

It's easy money, too -- just a matter of cashing in on the fact that I'm a young woman with long, blonde hair.

And what's my part? Oh, just chopping off my hair, donating my eggs and giving blood.

Selling your body parts (Blood! Tissue! Hair!) for money is the newest way to keep the repo man away from the TV. Some creepy resourceful types are even renting themselves out as lab rats for clinical trials, meaning that in exchange for cash, they'll swallow pills and inject serums made of drugs that pharmaceutical companies are still testing. (Story continues below.)

The Higher the Hair, the Closer to Heaven

    Sky high.

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    Bouffant big.

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    Brushed and mussed.

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    Gelled and curled.

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    Mega-moussed.

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    80s flip bangs kept Aqua Net in business.

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    "Sure Jamie gets to go to prom, but my hair is still higher."

    Epically large.

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    Marge Simpson-esque.

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    Harujuku-ed

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It's not a career path your guidance counselor will steer you toward ("We think you have a bright future selling your platelets"), but taking your bits to market can be surprisingly lucrative. Body fluids and tissues go for anywhere from $20 to $50 a pop, and a round of plasma nets you up to $40. A shot of sperm from the fellas is worth about $60, while girls can get anywhere from $200 to $900 for their hair, and a whopping $7,000 for fertile eggs. Cha-ching!

Don't count your eggs before they're snatched, though: Not everyone qualifies to be a donor. And the competition is stiffer than ever, thanks to a major increase in donors, particularly in the last few months. Folks, it's official: The economy isn't just bad -- it's bloodsucking.

Still, if Christmas is turning out to be spendier than you thought, remember that as long as blood flows through your veins and hair grows on your head, you've got options.

Are you serious? Then sell it:
BloodBanker: Location and reviews of cash-for-plasma programs.
TheHairTrader: Lop your locks, and sell them here.
Fertility Network: State-by-state listing of egg donation clinics.

Jenny Muller regularly writes about beauty, fashion and health for Lemondrop.


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