Don't forget about surveys! I've talked about them before, but another handy check reminded me of how great they are. Now, they aren't a "job" and won't replace your income from working. Still, surveys are a great way to earn some extra cash and prizes.
For survey beginners, there are a few things to know. First of all, you don't need to pay for a list of surveys or pay to join any survey site. The information is all out there for free and legitimate market survey companies never charge a fee to the people who take surveys.
What are surveys, anyway? It's all part of market research. Companies pay market research companies to gather information from their "target market." In other works, they want to know what consumers think, and more specifically they want to know what the people they want to sell to think. The "target market" is whatever demographic (age group, gender, income level etc.) the company is trying to market their products to. This is valuable information, so the companies are willing to pay to have these surveys done. This is why survey takers NEVER should pay any kind of fee to take surveys. Sites that ask you to pay are not legitimate survey companies.
When you sign up for online survey companies, you will get "screener surveys" before you get the paying surveys. These short screeners are to ensure that you fit the demographic the company is looking for. Don't be frustrated when you get these and don't get to go on and take the paid survey. The more of these screeners you get through, the more paid surveys you will receive.
Along with online surveys, you may also find local market research companies that do focus groups in your area. These tend to pay very well. I've made anywhere from $50 to $200 for a couple hours of my time. Focus groups are fun too, and sometimes you even get to do taste tests!
There are many legitimate survey companies out there. I have my favorites and I'll share those with you.
Top of the list for me is
MySurvey. I regularly get surveys and they pay very fast. They have a $10 pay out threshold and it's very easy to reach. With MySurvey, you can get a check mailed to you, or you can turn in your points for prizes. I usually take the check, and it always comes quickly.
I highly recommend joining MySurvey. They rock!
Another good one is Opinion Outpost. This one is a lot of fun. Simple surveys, and they pay out on time via check. I've received several checks from them in the time I've been a member. Their customer service is also extremely responsive and helpful.
Another GREAT survey company is Global Test Market. They send survey invitations all the time. Cash-out is at $50, and if you try to qualify for all the surveys they send, it's not hard to get there. I just received a check from them recently. They pay quickly once you cash out.
Survey Savvy! SurveySavvy is a great company. I've been a member for a few years now and have cashed out many times. They pay by check, and you can request a check any time you have funds in your account. They pay quickly and send lots of surveys.
Lightspeed is a very reliable survey company. I've been a member for several years. I get a good number of survey invitations each month and have successfully cashed out many times. They pay by PayPal or in Amazon.com gift certificates.
Ipsos is a worldwide leading market research company. i-Say panel members earn rewards for each survey they take.
* Earn reward points for taking surveys - Points will be deposited one to two days after survey completion.
o Once you've earned 50 (or more) points, you can redeem your points for merchandise and gift cards offered by popular retail merchants.
o Click on the link below to view your reward points account, redeem rewards or to see what you can get for the points you earn.
Last but not least is MyPoints. MyPoints is one of my top favorites. I've been with them the longest of all the survey or paid to read email companies. My Points is a little different as it is not all surveys. When you sign up, you'll receive emails from them on behalf of their advertisers. It's simple. All you need to do is click on the link in the email to go to the advertiser's site and you get points. You receive 5 points just for looking at the site, and more points if you actually shop there or complete a certain task. NEVER once have I gotten any type of virus or issue from clicking their links.
They also send survey emails for which you can receive more points. You can also refer friends to receive points. If you do your online shopping through MyPoints, you get points for every dollar you spend. Shop at popular online sites to rack up the points. They also offer a MyPoints Visa card where you earn points for every dollar you spend.
MyPoints has been completely reliable. I highly recommend this company!
The rewards are awesome! The reward partners change from time to time, but I have received gift cards from Target, Starbucks, Baja Fresh, Red Lobster, Kohl's and many other of my favorite stores.
Those are my favorite survey companies. Now I have found a new fun site that rewards you for searching the web. I just cashed out for a nice Amazon.com gift certificate and received it almost immediately, so it's legit. Yay! Check out SwagBucks! Someone recently turned me on to
Swagbucks. It's easy to win. You use their search engine to look for things online and you're awarded Swagbucks which you can redeem for gift certificates and prizes! Check it out!
That's all for now! Have fun earning some extra cash. It SURE comes in handy!!
It's winter. This means cold, snow and ice. Ice on the roads in particular. This also means it's time to bring a certain fact to the attention of the masses of people who seem to have completely missed it. Yes, yes...your sweet four-wheel drive vehicle is rockin'. It's fabulous. Great to get through the snow. Yep. But get this: Four-wheel drive is not, I repeat NOT four-wheel STOP. Hello...your super slick SUV doesn't do jack squat for you on black ice.
Think, people. Let's see...night before there was sleet on roads that were warm from the 50+ degree weather. In hours, the temperature plummets into the single digits. What does an intelligent person surmise from this situation? ICE on the roads.
SO, Mr. Cool Stuff in your Denali...do me a favor and get the BLEEP off my bumper! I'm terribly sorry you're in a rush, but it's not your right to make the fact that you didn't leave early my problem. Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for me, so no. I'm not going to go any faster. I'm in the right lane. PASS me if you must but stay the H.E. Double Hockysticks off my rear.
Believe me, wherever you are headed is not nearly as important as us all getting where we're going SAFELY, so slow down, leave some room in front of you and for goodness sake hang up the dang phone.
Rant over. Thank you for reading.
It's that time of the year, you know! Sending out holiday greetings is part of the Christmas and winter holiday traditions. It's not too late if you haven't gotten your cards yet! Whether you need holiday cards for your family or business, there's a place online where you can order gorgeous holiday cards.
The Gallery Collection has a terrific selection of
Corporate Holiday Cards and personal cards. GalleryCollection.com is sponsoring several promotions right now. They are even giving away cards! They are sending out emails to customers who haven't yet placed their orders and giving away holiday cards to the first 100 people who place orders of up to 250 cards. No Scrooges there!
Speaking of Scrooge, they are sponsoring a delightful giveaway on DailyLit.com - FREE downloads of the famous tale "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens! Revisit the wonderful story of Jacob Marley, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchett and Ebenezer Scrooge.
Check out the great sales on holiday cards while you still can! The site is so easy to navigate and they have a wonderful selection of holiday cards, photo cards, birthday cards and just about every occasion you can imagine. They even have assortment boxes you can order so you always have the right card on hand for any occasion.
So, if you haven't gotten your cards yet - check them out. You won't regret it!
Oh excitement and joy! My new notebook from Dell arrived today and here I sit all comfy on my couch typing away on my wireless internet connection, as happy as can be. I'm thrilled with the service I received from Dell. The computer arrived quickly and it's fantastic. I got the Inspiron 1525. It's green. Green is my favorite color. That just is the icing on the cake.
I'm going from a 1.7ghz processor, 512MB ram to a 2.4 Duo with 3GB ram. WHOOOOOOSHHHH this thing is fast. I like the keyboard too. Not too clicky, but not too soft either. The sound is great. Screen resolution rocks. ::::beam::::: Look...isn't it pretty??
I was impressed with the selection of
Dell Notebooks.
I love their little wizard that walks you through building the system with just the options you want. I even got a matching green wireless mouse and laptop bag. Life is good.
Now that I can blog from anywhere, I'll probably blog a lot more!
I just saw on one of my favorite blogs,
World of Mom, Razz is doing a giveaway! You can
qualify to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate! You should swing by her blog and check it out! She posts about all sorts of cool stuff - there's something for everyone!
I can't recommend Laura Stack's methods enough. If you have a chance to get to this seminar, DO IT! You won't regret it, I promise!!
Get organized and productive in 2009! Attend a Denver seminar with Laura Stack!Productivity Enthusiasts,
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Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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To register or view complete seminar information and objectives, click here
There is a great list of WAHM blogs over at SparkPlugging and you can vote for your favorites. What a wonderful wealth of information those blogs have. Check this out and bookmark it so you can go through all these fabulous blogs!
http://www.sparkplugging.com/wahm/vote-for-your-favorite-wahm-blogs/ . I didn't even know about this site - just found it on
StumbleUpon. So go now...vote for your favorites!
Fellow blogger Anthony is having a Blogiversary Carnival over at
The Life and Times... to celebrate his three year blogiversary! He's accepting entries through the 18th, so go on over and check out the carnival and his great blogs!
My local news station did a story on work from home opportunities tonight. It's nice to see working from home becoming a viable option for more and more people. There are so many jobs that can be done from home. I truly hope more companies begin to recognize this. Check out the article on the
9News website, and check out this
cool blog of a work from home mom they featured!
Yep, that's been my day. I realized things were getting messy and it was taking too much time to find things. So now my files are back in order and I've set up a handy-dandy tickler file to keep track of things. It's really one of the best inventions. Here's a great link that shows you how to set it up and use it
Tickler File. Trust me, you won't regret it.
Staying organized is one of the most important parts of working from home, I think. When you work where you live, if your work is cluttered you just can't get away from it. Fall is a great time to purge a bunch of stuff, throw things away, or get some file boxes to put away stuff you need but don't refer to on a regular basis like old tax files.
