In the never-ending quest to stay out of debt, some ISU students have found unique ways to earn money.

Steven Dickey, sophomore in civil engineering, started fixing Sony PlayStations because he wanted to help his friends, but then he started to receive money for it.

“I think everyone who has ever owned one has had at least one break,” Dickey said. “It’s not that hard [to fix] once you know how to do it.”

He has fixed two PlayStations this semester and hopes to expand his business.

Dickey makes about $20 per repair, which can take anywhere from five minutes to two hours.

Ashley Honts, freshman in animal science, makes her money by breeding rats, something she has been doing for about four years.

She first got involved with breeding rats when she worked at PETsMART Inc. during high school.

Honts breeds the animals to be kept as pets and puts up fliers at local pet stores and the Humane Society to advertise her services.

She uses a screening process to ensure her rats don’t become snake treats.

Honts said rats make great pets because they can tell who their owner is better than other small animals, and they are very affectionate.

She also said rats are intelligent — she taught her first rat to follow commands in both English and Spanish.

She does the breeding at her home in Bettendorf, where she has a new litter of about 12 rats almost every month.

Honts keeps the baby rats until they are about 1 month old and are ready to go to their new homes.

Although some students are working to earn money, Mark Oleson, director of Iowa State’s Financial Counseling Clinic, helps students find ways to save money.

Oleson said consolidating federal loans before the interest rate increases July 1 is a great way for students to save money. Consolidating loans enables students to make smaller payment.