Earn Extra Money Through Surveys & Reward Programs

And a little info now for my readers on how to make a little extra holiday cash:

Before I started blogging last year, I'd spend at least 30 minutes at nighttime to take a few surveys. I loved being able to bring in a little extra money while still being able to stay home with my Son.

I've been wanting to get together a list of "legit" Survey companies for you all, in case you are interested in that same path.

Before you start taking surveys, here are a few important things to remember:

1) You'll definitely want to set up a separate email account just for surveys. A lot of the companies offer you $ for simply just reading emails, which can accumulate to 3-6 per day per company. This will also prevent your personal account from becoming bombarded.

2) You won't "get rich fast" with any of them. They take time to reach the designated payouts that some companies require. You'll need to definitely practice a little patience, but it's so worth it when the checks show up!

3) Different companies offer different rewards. Some only payout with gift cards. Others you'll have to reach a designated threshold before you get your money. Others pay out in freebies. And you might get lucky enough to find some that payout in a little of everything!

4) Always make sure a company is "legit." Ask around or look for those posted as recommendations from bloggers you trust. But always follow the rule of "Use Your Best Judgment" or "If It Sounds Too Good To Be True...It Probably Is!" Never, ever pay a fee to join one!

5) You can use a program such as Roboform HERE that will automatically fill in data for you, saving you time! There's a FREE version that you can download.

6) It may not seem like your surveys are adding up to much so consider putting them in a separate high-interest account, such as one from ING, to watch them grow (and earn interest!) Think of it as your Vacation/Christmas Club!

Here are a few I've tried: (NOTE: Click on their name to get to their site.)

My Survey - This is my all-time favorite one. After I reached my payout amount, I had my check in one week! They also sent me freebies to try and review that weren't even on the Market yet. And whether or not you qualify for a survey, you still got whatever points they promised. They give you 10 points for joining and up to 1500 points per survey. They also have a referral program giving you 150 points for referring a friend

Inbox Dollars - This one was slow to reach payout. But I mostly focused on clicking on emails to read. Once I reached the payout, they did make me wait a set time before they processed the check and in the meantime, I had to keep my account active.

My Points - I didn't get to work with them much because I started blogging right after signing up. But I know of others that like them and earn gift cards through them.

These are other recommended by other bloggers/readers, but I haven't tried:

Ipsos- iSay- You'll get 2-5 survey opportunities a week that earns you points. You can turn those in for gift cards to places such as Applebees, Chilis, Olive Garden, Amazon and Kohls. Each survey you complete also earns you an entry into a $5,000 drawing.

Surveyhead - You can get paid through Paypal. They send out frequent survey opportunities and you'll get a $5 bonus just for signing up.

Opinion Outpost -This one lets you cash out at 50 points ($5) and most surveys are worth 20-30 points.

Survey Spot - Earn up to $5 per survey and you can request payout when you have earned $5.

Dollar Surveys - You get $1 per survey and you get paid out after completely them, rather than waiting to reach a specific threshold.

LightSpeed Research - They offer a lot of surveys. And you can even take the option of being paid in gift cards.

Other Income/Prize Earners:

SwagBucks - Have you heard me gush about them enough? If not, I have to say that I love them! You earn points just for doing your normal searches. Every so often, a box will pop up and you'll have earned a "SwagBuck." There are also Free codes put out every so often or other ways to earn Bucks.

Tryology - You get to try out FREE products in exchange for doing a video review on them.

Nielsen Home Scanner - You scan your purchases, upload them via software they give you and then you cash in points for prizes.

These are just a few out there. There are several more that are a little slower in earning. While these are "legit" companies, you may each have a different experience with them. Some are happy with slowly earning $, while others want to earn faster and find a company is not right for them. The only advice I can give is to sign-up for them and try them out. If they don't work, you can close your account and try another one.

Feel free to share you experiences with these companies, but please...word them nicely, such as listing both pros/cons for them. Thanks!

I'll save this in my left sidebar under "Resources" for future reference and update as I find any more that bloggers/readers enjoy.

Blog DIY: Info on Affiliate Programs For New Bloggers

The first 7 months that I blogged, I didn't make a dime. This was completely my choice. I thought that if I put up ads, my opinions might seem compromised, which for those that know me, know that would never be true! Then I realized that I was actually hurting my readers by not joining some affiliate programs. I was missing out on Exclusive offers to Bloggers, Freebies, Giveaways, etc. Not to mention, I could have been doing good with that money, such as donating to charities, helping those in need, etc.

Well, I have been so blessed in a growing readership, and I am spending more time than I expected blogging. So now, I allow some profits to filter back into the pocket of my family to somewhat counteract the time I am away from them. I always say, "We are going to take a nice vacation someday!" (Or, "I'm going to Disney World"---and I hope I'm saving my readers enough for them to do the same someday, too!)

Anyway, I get asked often, "How do you make money blogging?" to which I say, "I have no idea!" I am still learning myself but I have found some nice companies to join that will give you great offers for you and your readers. Just please, never ever sell out to a "shady deal." You'd never want to jump through hoops yourself, so don't do that to them. If your readers are like mine, they are AMAZING and basically will become your second circle of friends. So please, examine each offer closely!

Here are a few of the companies that I do recommend:

The next three companies get exclusive offers for publishers, such as bloggers. Make sure you check out the offers thoroughly and only use ones that you'd participate in yourself!

Logical Media

My Savings Media

Panthera

Now the next three are kind of "portals" for stores that give you a small commission for a sale. Stores that you are probably already finding awesome deals for your readers for!

Commission Junction

Linkshare

Connect Commerce (Google Affiliate Network)

Amazon - My favorite online company! I advertised for them for free for so long, not knowing they had an affiliate program. They are my first choice to link to when I am referring to a product because they almost always have the best prices.

MyBlogSpark - These are the absolute friendliest people to work with. They will offer you products to review and giveaways for your readers. Lots of yummy foods and more!

SwagBucks - Just like I refer this for my readers, I do the same for my fellow bloggers. You can turn your points in for gift cards or even Paypal $.

I have no idea if most of these have referral links, as you'll notice. They may or may not have those types of programs.

And as far as any further blog profit advice, I have none. I put my main focus on finding deals, freebies and such for my readers and any spare time that I have, I focus on my own income. (which is usually zero time!) I blog as a hobby and to connect with people. It's the biggest payout for me when I hear my readers tell me that they've saved money themselves. Most bloggers begin blogging with the goal of helping others. Please, never lose sight of that.

For those of you wanting to start your own blog, you can read my other postings in the Blog DIY Series HERE. (Scroll to the bottom and work your way up.)

This will be under "Blog DIY Series" in my left sidebar under "Resources" for future reference.

NOTE: If you are affiliated with any others that you like, I'm all ears! :) Please let me know and I'll update the list. Thanks!

Are Surveys Worth It?

I know a lot of you don't have your own blogs but are still interested in earning a little extra $$. Maybe just some small change to pay for diapers or a small family vacation somewhere close to home. One option is to do surveys for varying companies. But are they worth it? Some yes, some no.

Of all the survey companies that I participated in, My Survey was by far my favorite one. Once I reached my required points, I received my check within a week. They didn't take out any "processing fees" like some of the companies do. Every dollar I earned, I got. What I liked best about them is that they tell you how many points each survey is worth and even if you don't "qualify" for the survey and are done in a few minutes, they still give you the full points value for your time.

I also received some GREAT products to test. Can you believe one was a FREE package of Pampers? That was a great day when it showed up at my door. :) I also tested a frozen smoothie that isn't even on the market yet. (So I can't disclose who it was from!)

But there are sooo many great survey companies to try. This was just my favorite of the few I tried. If you are really interested in surveys and want to know which ones are thumbs up, Moms By Heart has a GREAT article here of the ones she's tried, what she thought of each and some great tips for making surveying successful.

If you put aside just a small amount of time each day/week to work on them, surveys can earn you that little extra money you are looking for.

Earning Extra Income, Coupons and Prizes

I was excited to receive an unexpected package in the mail today for FREE. What was it? A package of Pampers Baby Dry Diapers! All I have to do is use them. Umm...OK, please don't twist my arm! :) I signed up for a few survey sites a few months back and want to share them with you. Don't worry. I won't give you my referral links. I'm not here to make money on any of my readers. I just want to expose you to the opportunities I've found so you can try them, too, if you want.

MySurvey.com- This is the site I got the FREE diapers from. I am part of a test marketing and after I use them for 7 days, they send me a survey and I just answer a few questions. This is the first test product I've gotten. What I love about this one is, they give you points for taking part of a survey even if you don't qualify AND most of their surveys are 5 minutes or less. You have to earn $10 for a pay-out. I'm almost there after spending less than 30 minutes on them.

Inbox Dollars- I've been working on this one for just a couple months. I'm up to $32 and $30 qualifies for a pay-out. This one offers surveys, games and offers. (I got FREE business cards and one month of Blockbuster online through them, plus PAID to accept the offers.) Their surveys are longer and sometimes you get part-way through and don't qualify but you don't get $. They send you emails everyday to just look at and you get $.02 a piece. Doesn't seem like much, but it adds up!

Homescan- I just got this one last week so I can't give you a long-term view. They send you a scanner and you scan the items you buy throughout the week. At the end of the week, you send over all your transactions and you earn points to turn into prizes. The prizes are quite nice and it really doesn't take long to scan everything. Be patient to be chosen for the program after signing up. I think mine took over a month to be picked!

Shopper's Voice- My mother kept telling me about them and she had them send me a survey. It took just a few minutes and they'll send out coupons. Large dollar coupons with long expiration dates. It's worth the couple minutes of time!

Have you found any that you really like?

Good Luck if you try them! I hope you like them, too!