This is an opinion article and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo.

Mardi Gras season is a time of revelry and fun, especially for Tulane University students. Yet where some people see a week of drunken debauchery, others see an opportunity for making some quick cash. During Mardi Gas, off-campus Tulane students have some excellent ways available to make a profit.

The biggest asset available to off-campus Tulane students is their house. A quick look at Airbnb reveals that the average listing right now is $240 per night for a room. Multiply that by four or five days and you are looking at about $1,000. If you don’t have a spare room, squeezing in with a roommate for a few nights and sharing the profits is always an option.

That leads to the ultimate opportunity — renting the entire house. Living in a double or apartment with friendly neighbors elsewhere in the building, you might be able to rake in more than any other Tulane student. Currently on Airbnb whole apartments are going for an average of $600 per night. Doing the simple math, five nights are worth $3,000. If you could handle cramming into half of a house for a week, there would be quite the pot to split. Those listings are in Carrollton; for people living close to route the payoff could be astronomical.

Speaking of living close to the route, if you’re within a block or two, listing your bathroom on Airpnp, an app designed for renting out your bathroom, is easy and can grab you $2 to $5 off anyone needing to relieve themselves. There are bonus points if Airbnb guests could be convinced to let you run your Airpnp out of the apartment you rented them. Though if you rented a port-o-potty, parked it near the route and put it up online you’d probably make even more.

Carnival season is an excellent economic opportunity for those looking for one. Local share economies have been growing more and more popular, and Mardi Gras profits are no longer the sole purview of business owners. If rent is coming in a little tight or Valentine’s Day is a stressor, utilizing the Airbnb system could be the perfect answer.

Carl is a senior at Newcomb-Tulane College. He can be reached at [email protected].