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There are all sorts of strange businesses and jobs out there. The first time I heard about an old couple that went diamond hunting in parking lots, I knew there were more ways to make money than any scheming mind could imagine.

A teenager was taking Playboy magazines out of newspaper recycling bins to sell for a dollar each in school. I also sold ammunition to both sides in my brother’s paper-wad war, so I had a taste for the more unusual ways to make money. I still do. Here are some really weird money making stories I’ve collected.

Treasure Hunting:

The old couple mentioned above can recognize the sparkle of a diamond amidst pieces of glass, from a hundred feet away! Parking lots are where most diamonds pop out of there settings, due to the temperature changes when people get out of their cars. Investigating mall parking lots has become second a secret retirement income for some couples.

Shag Carpet?

One California man offers to take out the shag carpet from a large theater being remodeled, saving the owners the cost of disposal. During the thirties the theater was a place where the wealthy went, and the wealthy, like all of us, lose things, but more valuable things perhaps.

When the man cut up and carefully shook out the old carpet, it was found to contain over $2,893 worth of precious stones, rings, and rare coins.

Stuff Animals?

There is a man who sells stuffed animals every weekend on the side of a busy intersection. His business is secret because he sells the stuffed animals a lot cheaper than the average person can buy it for. He simply buys in bulk and makes a killing profit selling outside his van during the best selling months.

He claims he sold $4,000 worth of stuffed animals his first month.

Beating the Casino?

A lot of people foolishly write down the numbers that came up on the roulette wheel. Foolishly, because their theories were nonsense. Casinos will always welcome these players and even hand them the pen and paper.

One player, however, was actually scientific about it. By finding a bias in the wheel, after “charting” it for 5,000 spins, he made thousands betting on just one or two numbers. When a number comes up, it pays 35 to 1. One of the numbers, because of manufacturing imperfections or whatever the reason, was coming up 1 in 27 spins, instead of the average 1 in 38 spins.

He bet $10 a spin, and he profited $80 for every 27 spins of the wheel in the long run. That’s about $100 per hour. The ups and downs were dramatic though, so this is not for the faint-hearted. I saw this player lose as much as $700 in a night, but he later confided that he profited over $80,000.

Secret Making Money With Real Estate?

Making money with real estate isn’t unusual, of course, but there are less common ways to do it. You can simply option hilltops. If the owner wanted $30,000 for the land, this investor might offer $300 for an option to buy the property at full price ($30,000) within six months. The sellers liked the idea of getting full price, or just keeping the $300.

Next, he contacted radio stations, police departments, and cell phone companies that would probably require a hill to put a radio tower on. Antennas on hills obviously provide better reception for customers. It is common practice to lease the properties on ten-year or longer leases. Once the investor got a lease signed, it was relatively simple to get a bank to lend the money for the purchase.

Your loan payments might be as much as $200 per month. The radio station puts up the tower, and rents the hilltop for $300 to $500 per month. Total risk? If he doesn’t find an interested party, he walks away, losing the $300 option fee. (or whatever you agreed to) However, you just might create more winning deals than losses. When you hit the right deal – it’s long lasting monthly profits.

There are literally hundreds of “Secret” and some really “Weird” ways to get money in a down economy. Let me show you many many more.