A Holiday Treat for you!

Hi all,

Sorry to be MIA this past week. My computer hard drive took a vacation from which it did not return, so I'm slowly but surely rebuilding things!

As a gift to my fellow frugal friends, I've compiled a list of some proven ways to earn extra cash via the Internet. I hope you can find something to help give your budget a boost in the new year!

Best of Holiday Wishes to you! Hope you have a safe and wonderous holiday season.

Hugs,
Barb

SURVEYS

A popular way to make money on the Internet is to participate in online surveys. There's a multitude of companies out there who offer incentives from entries into contests to amazon gift certs. For the purposes of this note... we're only interested the money, honey!

Also (I can't stress this enough) never pay a website or company for the chance to participate in a survey! The money should flow towards your pocket, not away from it.

Here's the best of the best out there:

SURVEY SAVVY Pays cash for completing short surveys. They pay out by check and are very prompt.

MY SURVEY Pays points for completing short surveys, but your accumulated points can be turned in for cash payments. They pay out by check and are very prompt.

OPINION OUTPOST Pays cash for completing short surveys. They pay out by check and are very prompt.

AMERICAN CONSUMER OPINION Pays cash for short surveys and product testing. They pay out by check and are very prompt.

If you have a child between the ages of 6 to 19 KIDZEYES is a great survey company where your children will have the chance to earn points (to trade in for cash) and prizes each month.

PSB SURVEYS Pays cash for short surveys. They don't offer as many opportunities as the others, but they pay promptly via PayPal when they do.

Non-Cash Paying Survey Sites, We Still Recommend:

BZZ AGENT Bzz Agent is a product testing company that asks in return for you to "bzz" about the products. You earn points for your "bzz" activities which can then be traded in for prizes. So, no cash here, but some great freebies and the chance to be "in the know" with new products.

GREENFIELD Greenfield has a lot of survey offerings that give you an entry into their monthly contests, but from time to time, they offer cash surveys too- so it's worth checking into.

KEYNOTE Conducts surveys mainly on websites and website usuage. Pays promptly in Amazon dollars (gift certificates to Amazon.com)

WR INSIDERS Another survey website for children and teens. Offers points (that build up quickly) to be exchanged for prizes or gift certificates. Please use referral code P09137051236 when registering (it's my daughter's code.)

Additional or Elusive Sites: Another mentionable is PINECONE, but they only have open calls on occasion- so watch their website! They pay cash for surveys and product testing.


MYSTERY SHOPPING

If you ever go to the grocery store, shop for electronics, eat at a fast food chain or popular restaurant and feel that you know the difference between poor and excellent customer service... then Mystery Shopping might be a great way for you to earn some extra cash.

The very first and most important rule of thumb you need to know: Mystery Shopping Companies do not charge you to be a Mystery Shopper!

This is the easiest way to spot a scam. If a company wants your money in order to get assignments (meaning you are going to be employed by them) run, run, run as far away from their website as possible!!

You'll find a long list of legit Mystery Shopping Companies here : MOMdotCOM.net Mystery Shopping List

Mystery Shopping won't make you rich, but you could pull in a decent part-time income if you work for several companies, plus, if you take on restaurant gigs, you'll get plenty of free meals!

PAY PER CLICK

There are a ton of pay to click website out there with new ones cropping up everyday. I did my best to weed through them and pick out the cream of the crop, with the best reputations.

MYPOINTS Probably the most well known and biggest of the pay to click websites, MYPOINTS offers points for completing offers, reading emails, completing surveys, shopping, and other activities. The points accumulate quickly (depending upon your habits) and can be redeemed for Gift Certificates (and occasionally other offers.)

MORATRAFFIC Pays out cash and points for just about everything you can think of!: Completing offers, chatting, reading emails, surveys, clicks, referrals, playing games, and more. In addition they have an excellent payout level minimum of $5 (this is harder to find and the mark of a company interested in its users- most of the click to pay have a threshold of $25 and upwards before you will receive a payment.) Points can be redeemed for prizes.

CASH CRATE Another quality program with a great rep and an excellent payout level of $10. They pay for completion of offers, surveys, shopping, and more! They also have point offers that can be redeemed for prizes in the prize shop.

SEND EARNINGS Offers cash for a wide variety of things including reading emails, surveys, playing games, shopping, completing offers, and much more. They have a higher payout threshhold of a $30 minimum, but they made our list because they offer a $5 signup bonus and the offers all pay very well, so the $30 payout is not hard to obtain. Plus they have an excellent reputation amongst users.

And of course, GATHER which offers points for posting articles, pictures, and chatting with other members which can be traded in for gift certificates and other prizes.

CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVE

Do you enjoy helping others? Do you have a gift for gab? Do you have pockets of quiet time available to talk on the phone?

Then, you may want to consider employment with a call center service. This growing field of opportunity for the at-home worker typically involves answering in-coming calls ranging from taking customer product orders to coordinating maintenance repair services.

Many companies will allow you to work as little as fifteen minutes a day to full-time hours each week.

You'll find a complete list of legit companies along with pay information for this job here:WORK AT HOME JOB FACTS: CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVES

OTHER IDEAS

These opportunities may not fit "neatly" in the other categories listed, but they are ones you should check out, if they suit your interests.

CAFEPRESS If you own a website, blog, have a great idea for a t-shirt, or would like to promote your graphic designs or art, Cafe Press might be the place for you. Your profit can vary from a few dollars to full time wage depending on your pricing and the popularity of your products. (They are also a good site to consider using for school fund-raisers or family reunions!)

If you'd like to get an idea of products and how you might tie in to your website, we own a shop called The Write Shop which offers a few unique writers' gifts. It was created to give readers of The Frugal Writer a place to find fun items suitable for gift giving. (All prices were kept low to accomodate starving artists, so the profits are on the low end too, but this particular shop wasn't set up to be a money-generator. In any case, it will give you a good idea of how a basic shop operates. )

ASSOCIATED CONTENT Do you like to write? Do you know how to construct a good article? Or do you think you'd be good at reviewing travel locations, products, or sharing how-to information? Associated Content might be a very rewarding place for you to work on line, then.

AC pays for quality content/articles (starting pay average of $5 - $7 per article) and offers a continued performance bonus.

Check out these articles for examples of content (and for some interesting info too!)
Use Your Math Skills to Write a Book In A Year
Are Internet Freebies Taking Over Your Home?
Articles from A to Z (reviews/how- to/frugal living/etc.)

If you have websites or ideas to add, please send them to me and I'll feature them in the next blog. The more we share, the better opportunities for everyone!

Happy Holidays!!