money-making ideas

Stretch Your Budget: Earn Money with Online Surveys

October 20, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 55 Comments

I first blogged about earning money from online surveys for Christmas in July. As we are quickly approaching the holiday season, I thought I’d revisit the subject for Money-Making Week.

With only 65 days left until Christmas, it’s probably too late to earn enough money to cash out and receive a check before then, but you can get a head start on the new year by starting now!

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to earn a little extra money is with paid surveys. While I don’t have much time to invest in survey taking these days, the great thing is you can spend as much or as little time on this endeavor as YOU want to invest. If a survey interests you, take it; if it doesn’t, just delete the email.* It’s true that some companies reward you with more frequent surveys the more you fill out for them, but you are never obligated to take any of them. Furthermore, you should never pay for access to surveys. There are plenty of legitimate sites that you can sign up with directly with no fees whatsoever.

*Before signing up for any survey sites, please take a moment to read my post on protecting your personal information.

The following is a list of legitimate survey companies that I have firsthand experience with, e.g., I have taken surveys for them, cashed out, and most importantly, I have been PAID. It’s very simple to get started. Just register, fill out your profile information, and then they will email you with survey opportunities that match up with your profile. Generally you have to reach a certain threshold before you can cash out, and this amount varies by company. Some survey sites may offer points that you redeem for gifts and gift cards in lieu of cash, so be sure to read the details before you sign up if that doesn’t interest you.

American Consumer Opinion Panel

The following are some additional survey sites that I came across. While I can’t claim to have firsthand experience with them, I did check them out and they appear to be legit. If you have information to the contrary, please let me know and I will remove it from the list ASAP!

If you’ve had a good experience with a survey site that’s not listed here, I’d love to hear from you!

Money-Making Week on Deal Seeking Mom

October 20, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 4 Comments

photo credit: Caveman 92223

I’ve got some special posts lined up for my readers this week filled with ideas for how you can make money from home! Topics we’ll touch on include surveys, general transcription, monetized blogging, and more, and I’ve got a special offer and giveaway along these lines scheduled for tomorrow.

Let’s make 2009 our best year ever by helping each other earn a little extra income to help stretch our budgets! Stay tuned and check back each day for a new idea.

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Psst… General Mills Has a New Panel

September 12, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 30 Comments

I think I can say with confidence that all of you enjoy samples and being one of the first to try new things. If that’s the case, I really think you’ll enjoy General Mill’s new panel, Psst…!

Here’s the fine print:

As part of your membership in Pssst…, General Mills may from time to time give you products, or coupons for products, to try. We will ask you, if you like the products, to tell your friends and family about them and/or pass along coupons or samples to your friends and family. When you do pass on news, samples or coupons relative to those products, you agree to identify yourself as a member of General Mills’ Pssst… program.We may also ask for your feedback, either individually or as part of a group, on products, recipes, ideas, ads and other services and initiatives. All comments, suggestions, ideas, notes, drawings, concepts, recipes or other information disclosed or offered to us by you through the Pssst… program will become our property and we may use this material however we see fit, without compensation.In the event that we ask you to share product samples with others, you agree to do so responsibly, using care to prepare and/or refrigerate the product properly, and using care to avoid allergic reactions. You agree that you will be solely responsible for all liabilities, injuries, losses, or claims arising in connection with your actions in the course of this program, including without limitation, injuries to (or harm suffered by) yourself or others.

I hope to see you all there!!! Thanks to The Financial Diva.

More Survey Sites to Help Fund Your Christmas Budget!!!

July 23, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 4 Comments

Looking for a few more ways to earn some extra cash before Christmas? We’re now down to only 155 days, 2 hours, and 32 minutes!!! I ran across a few more survey sites recently to help you meet your goals.

While I can’t claim to have actually have been paid by these companies as I just joined them myself, I did research them thoroughly and they appear to be completely on the up and up. I make it a point of only posting deals on Deal Seeking Mom that appear to be completely legitimate. I’ve been doing the freebie huntin’, survey takin’, deal seekin’ thing for close to ten years now, and I like to think I have a pretty good ability to spot a scam. My goal is to help people stretch their budgets, certainly not to lead them into scams!

So, if you’d like to join me in testing out the waters with these companies, sign up below!

SurveySpot

Global Test Market

Global Survey Group

And especially for my male readers, I saw that the following company is looking for men to join its panel currently. I actually have had a good experience with this company, but it doesn’t appear that they’re looking for female participants at this time. Get your hubbies on board and sign them up, though!

NPD Online Research

Stay tuned for more in the Christmas in July series to save money and/or fund your Christmas budget, and be sure to check out Doodles’ Place for some super cute Christmas crafts, tasty recipes, and more!!!

Christmas in July: Earn Some Extra Cash Now!!!

July 9, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 37 Comments

I know. I know. You’re probably thinking I’ve lost it. “Christmas in July? It’s far too early to start thinking about that.” Yet, if you take a quick peek at the calendar you’ll discover that there are only 169 shopping days until Christmas – well, to be precise, as of writing this post there are actually 169 days, 3 hours, and 3 minutes . . . but who’s counting?

Well, you can bet I am! Five kids can get quite expensive at Christmastime. Well, they can be expensive anytime but even more so during the holidays. Yes, we do limit the amount that we spend on them, but as always, I want to ensure that I’m getting the most for my money. I flatly refuse to pay top dollar for an item just because it’s the hottest toy of the season, and to ensure that I’m not in a position where I’m tempted to do that, I like to start my shopping early. How early you ask? It’s never too early in my opinion. In fact, I often purchase items at the 75%-off clearance sales after Christmas to tuck away for the following year.

Not only does shopping early guarantee that I’ll have the best selection of items, but it also allows me to spread the expenses out over the entire year. We’ve made it through the last three Christmases without whipping out a credit card for a purchase once, even when DH was laid off last year. Fortunately, if you haven’t started your shopping yet, and I’m sure there’s a number of you out there, you still have the opportunity to earn some extra cash between now and Black Friday to pad your budget a little.

So without further ado, one of the easiest ways to earn a little extra money is with paid surveys. You can spend as much or as little time on this endeavor as YOU want to invest. If a survey interests you, take it; if it doesn’t, just delete the email. It’s true that some companies reward you with more frequent surveys the more you fill out for them, but you are never obligated. Furthermore, you should never pay for access to surveys. There are plenty of legitimate sites that you can sign up with directly with no fees whatsoever.

The following is a list of legitimate survey companies that I have firsthand experience with, e.g., I have taken surveys for them, cashed out, and most importantly, I have been PAID. It’s very simple to get started. Just register, fill out your profile information, and then they will email you with survey opportunities that match up with your profile. Generally you have to reach a certain threshold before you can cash out, but time is on your side still! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

So sign up for one, a few, or all, and you’ll be that much closer to having some extra cash in your pocket for your holiday spending! It’s definitely worked to keep our family out of the red for several years.