WFMW: Making Money Online

Our budget is tight.  TIGHT.  We need to tighten our belts even more this year with increases in health insurance costs, the need to replace a vehicle, plus an income freeze at Hubby's job (thus no cost of living increase for this year).

How will we find that extra money, especially with a new mouth to feed?  Well, I've been earning a few extra dollars online.  I am able to earn enough to pay for most gifts for the family.  I also use this money to pay for coupons I order that help me cut down the grocery budget.

What do I do?  I take surveys and participate in programs.  You can read all about what I do on the Online Income tab.  I want to showcase a few for you today to help you get started.

My very favorite program is Swagbucks.  It is basically a search engine that pays you to use it.  Earn money by doing what you already do online.  I have explained the basics of how it works in this past post.  To date, I have earned about $225 since March '09 just by searching the internet using this engine.

ExpoTv is another favorite program of mine.  By simply creating and posting  2 minute product review videos, I earn points that quickly add up to be swapped out for great prizes.  I just cashed out for a $25 iTunes gift card for a Father's day gift.  Want to learn more?  Check out this post.

Lastly, here are a couple survey companies that are reputable and are favorites of mine.

• Opinion Outpost
• Mindfield Online
• Toluna Surveys

I love how these surveys and programs have enabled us to tighten out budget so I can remain at home with our kids.  It works for us!

Do you make money online?  How do you do it?

Making Money Online: Logical Media

Logical Media is an affiliate marketing company.  Through them, I can run small ads on blogs, twitter, facebook, email, etc and get paid.  It doesn't pay a ton, but ads aren't my main focus.

When I choose ads, I make sure to choose things that I already use or would willingly use.  There are some ad campaigns that I just will never run because they go against my beliefs.  With Logical Media, I can choose what ads I run, when I run them, and by what media outlet.

For example, any time I list coupons that I am printing, I use a link from logical media.  I get paid $.40 for each print session that happens after someone clicks through my link.

If you are interested in trying Logical Media, just click through and check it out.  Sign-up is simple.  Once you sign up, you get $25 in your account for free as a start-up bonus.  Cash out is at $100.

Making Money Online: Expo TV

ExpoTV/Tryology is a unique program.  If you enjoy making videos and enjoy telling people what you think about products, this program could be for you.  ExpoTV is a collection of video reviews.  You can choose any product and create/submit a video review or submit reviews for assignment that are emailed to you.  Some products will earn you points by reviewing.  Email assignments offer points until the quota is reached.

Points can be redeemed for prizes such as gift cards.  Tryology is a branch of ExpoTV.  Tryology sends you products to try and review on video.  Videos are generally just around 2 minutes long.  If you have the technology, this can be a very lucrative program.  Points add up quickly for prize redemption.

I just recently got serious about doing video reviews and within just 3 short weeks, I had enough points to cash out for a $25 iTunes gift card!

Tryology has been awesome - I have been sent many full-sized products to review and keep!  That is in addition to the points I earn for the review.   I also love the list of highly requested products - I can search through them and find products I currently use and earn lots of points for doing a short 2-minute video review!

Check it out!

Earn Money with Twitter

Do you tweet?  I'm just learning how to use it.  I get mixed up with all the symbols and such.  I need a middle schooler to teach me how!  That's how I learned how to text on my cell phone!  A student of mine taught me!  Haha!

Anyway, if you use Twitter, you can actually make money with it.  I just signed up for Sponsored Tweets and wanted to let you know that this program is out there.  It does not just randomly tweet people.  If you have over 100 followers, you can set your price per tweet and select advertisers.  If you have under 100 followers (and have been on twitter more than 60 days),  advertisers may contact you.  You can accept or decline so you won't just be randomly spamming your friends.

Hey, it's worth checking out!  Click here to learn more about this interesting program.

Kohl's and Cabela's Deals plus Amazon Britax Sale

February Secret Sale

Receive 15% off on all purchases when using your Kohl's Credit Card with coupon code: FEBKC15 
 offer valid  2/10 - 2/17/10.

Other offers:

• Free Shipping with a purchase of $75 or more (2/5 - 2/18)
•  40-50% Off Selected Chaps Apparel for the Family
• 40-50% Off Entire Stock SONOMA life + style Sportswear
• 30-50% Off Entire Stock Simply Vera Vera Wang Collection
• 40-55% Off Entire Stock Mudd & SO Apparel
• 30-35% Off Selected Tony Hawk Apparel for Boys 8-20   
• 50% off Selected Jumping Beans Tops & Bottoms
• 40% Off Selected Dresses & Dress Sets  
• 30-40% Off Selected Watches
• 50% Off Selected Sheet Sets

   



Cabela's Branded Hard Goods

Cabela's CG-15 Vacuum Sealer       
Save 10% Reg.$449.99  .....Sale $399.99

Other Hard Goods

Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater       
Save 20% Reg.$99.99  .....Sale $79.99

Intex Comfort-Frame Bed       
Save 15% Reg.$159.99  .....Sale $129.99

Grand River Lodge™ Suede Bear Bedding Collection       
Save Up To 70% Reg.$149.99 - $199.99  .....Sale $39.99 - $69.99

Primos® Double Bull Dark Horse Hunting Blind       
Save 25% Reg.$399.99  .....Sale $299.99

Flambeau Flocked King Strut Turkey Decoys       
Save 10% Reg.$79.99  .....Sale $69.99

DeSantis Concealed Carry Holster       
Save 15% Reg.$59.99 .....Sale $49.99

CVA Accura™ 209 Rifle - Stainless/Realtree       
Save 30% Reg.$479.99 .....Sale $329.99

Quantum Array/Cabela's Pro Guide® Spinning Combo       
Save 30% Reg.$59.98 .....Sale $39.88

Flambeau 3040ST Strike Bag       
Save 40% Reg.$16.99  .....Sale $9.88

Cabela's Branded Soft Goods

Cabela's Pattern Sandstone Twill Shirts       
Save 15% Reg.$26.95 - $30.95  .....Sale $21.95 - $25.95

Cabela's Women's Fleece-Lined Ranch Coat       
Save Up to 55% Reg.$79.95 - $89.95  .....Sale $39.95

Other Soft Goods

Under Armour® ColdGear® Mock T-Neck      
Save 40% Reg.$59.99  .....Sale $35.99

Under Armour® ColdGear® Bottoms with Fly      
Save 35% Reg.$64.99  .....Sale $39.99

 

Since the new baby will be here in just a few months, we are on the hunt for a new carseat for Little Man.  He is currently in his Graco SafeSeat and still has a little room to go, but our new little guy will need that seat pretty soon!  I have fallen in love with the Britax seats for their comfort and their safety.  Check out the Amazon Britax Event!  You can save up to $50 on Britax seats!

Many of my friends have signed up for BeRuby and are earning money just by using the internet.  I will say that I, honestly, just haven't made the time to sign up myself.  Can't hurt to check it out!

Moneymaking, Bath and Body Works, and More

First of all, if you enjoy making a little money online, check out some of my previous posts about moneymaking opportunities.  Some are more lucritive than others.

• Winster Games - play games for gift cards
• Opinion Outpost - surveys.  I have made over $70 since April.
• Cloud Crowd - do a little work online. Pays to paypal daily.
• YouData - see ads, get paid to paypal every Friday.  There is a glitch at sign-in - I need to log in twice before it works.  I can see ads once or twice a week.  Not a huge money maker, but every penny helps.
• Swagbucks - online search engine that pays you to use it.  I have earned $85 in Amazon cards since April.

Snag a free antibacterial hand gel (pocketbac) at Bath and Body Works with ANY purchase!  I'll be looking for an item for around $1 when I go!  Thanks Hip to Save!

Check out this super-cute coupon binder tote!  I think this is going on my wish list.  What a great idea to help couponing look "cool!"

Here's a link to some great freebies and coupons.  There are a lot of offers - decline what you do not want and do what you want!

ExpoTV

Do you like trying new products?  Do you like giving your opinion about things?  Do you like making videos?  If so, ExpoTV may be for you!  I just recently signed up and am excited about all the upgrades to the program in the past few weeks. 

With ExpoTV, members upload video reviews of products.  You can choose to review any product or you may review a product as part of an assignment.  Assignment reviews offer incentive points for completion.  Incentive points can also be earned by answering questions by other members on products you own and have reviewed, uploading videos, referring friends, and taking surveys.  You can also enter monthly giveaways.

ExpoTV also offers the Tryology program.  Members are selected, after taking prequalifying surveys, to receive free products to try and review for points.  I took 2 prequalifying surveys today: one for a 100-calorie snack, and one for a blu-ray player! 

I have only been with this company for about a month, but I am excited at the potential.  I love giving my opinion and the videos are super easy with my macbook.  The point levels for rewards are low, so you can redeem your points fairly early compared to other companies.  

Click onover to ExpoTV and see what it is all about!

Blog Goals

I want to do a quick post to explain some of the abrupt transitions in topics in this blog. I do not want this blog to be completely about money. I want it to be about things that are close to my heart. My desire is to grow in my walk with the Lord and strive to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman:

The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I don't want this blog to focus just on getting money for worldly concerns but various topics that are extensions of this passage: character, frugality, hard work, mothering, inner beauty, wisdom, strength, patience, organization. I just wanted to be clear!

Making Money from Home part 2

I want to finish posting my thoughts on making money from home and move to other topics for a short while. My desier is for this blog to be about several topics, not just money, though money will be in the forefront for quite some time.



I want to continue my list of survey sites that I use.

• Inbox Dollars - To the right of the blog posts, I have a banner that links right to my account. If you would like to sign up, I would appreciate you signing up under me! I get 10% of the amount you earn (not detracting from your earnings)! I am quite happy with this company so far. I have nearly $10 after just about 2 weeks. I can take surveys, play games, complete offers, and read emails and get paid. Each email read pays 2 cents - not a lot, but it adds up for just clicking to read ads for a few seconds. The only thing I wish this company did was send an email for when surveys are available.
• Valued Opinions - This is another great survey site. You are emailed survey requests with the amount of compensation clearly listed. Money is deposited into your account within a short amount of time (varies by survey) and once there is $20 in your account, you are mailed either a giftcard (amazon) or a prepaid Visa debit card! I am just about up to my first $20!
  
• MySurvey - I just joined this site. I signed up under a friend who told me she had earned some money through this site in the past. If you would like to sign up under me, I will need to send you an email with an invitation.

Now for a list of other reward programs and panels that either pay in cash, gift card, or products.

• Swagbucks - Honestly, everyone should just sign up for this. It is a search engine that pays you to use it. Swagbucks isn't a sub-standard search engine either - it is a combination of google and ask.com so you get great results. As you search the web as you normally would, you are randomly awarded swagbucks. These bucks can be saved and redeemed for either giftcards or merchandise. April is music month and the song of the day can be purchased for one swagbuck. By the end of this week, I will have the 49 bucks I need to redeem a $5 Amazon gift card. I did absolutely nothing for this money but add the swagbucks toolbar. I would love it if you sign up under me if interested! When you win, I win too and the bucks pile up even faster! From time to time, there are special swag codes that can be entered for free bucks. Note that there can only be one account per household.
• Disney Movie Rewards - if you watch and buy a lot of Disney movies, this is a great way to get point for free Disney stuff! If you'd like to sign up under me, I will need your email address.
• MyPoints - I signed up with MyPoints because it is the compensation for a panel I belong to and have since learned that there are many ways to earn points towards good stuff of all sorts. If you'd like to sign up under me, I will need your email address.
• BzzAgent - (This is the invite email that I just copied here. I am new to this but a lot of moms I have talked to have done this and have gotten a lot of cool stuff to try for free plus some cash) Hello. Have I told you about BzzAgent yet? I'm a member, and I thought you might like to be one too (joining is free). I get to try products and services at no cost with samples, coupons and stuff like that. Then I make my voice heard by sharing my honest opinions with others, including some of the largest companies in the world. Want to learn more and sign up to join in the fun?
• BuzzBack - This is a similar panel to BzzAgent. I have only completed the initial profile survey, but that was by far the most interesting and thought provoking survey I have EVER taken.

Now for the final way I am trying to make money from home, this blog. No, I am not soliciting donations. I am learning how marketing a blog and using advertising can create an income. I am so thankful for a blog posting by Christian PF that I have been pouring over that breaks down exactly how to go about setting up a professional blog.

Now take any information and run with it! My goal is to raise enough money through these various means to pay for all our meals on our vacation this summer - well, at least pay for a couple meals! I would love to know of any other ways you have been successful earning money from home!

Making Money from Home

I am new to staying at home. As a teacher, I had summers off but most of that time was devoted to house projects, visiting family, and preparing for the next school year. Now that I am at home, we are adjusting to one salary, a new state, a new city, a new house, and a new baby. The learning curve has been huge! I want to let others know about ways I am bringing in a little income while I am at home.

1. Sell things. I am selling things we no longer use on amazon and ebay (books and musical instruments mostly). I plan to have a garage sale this summer. All of the selling is helping to declutter and simplify our lives as well. What can you sell?

2. Teach private lessons. I am not doing this yet, but it is on the horizon. I spent 8 years as a public school music teacher so this was an obvious extension. I hope to teach a guitar camp this summer and offer music classes through the Y and other after school type places. Had I been a regular classroom teacher, I would pursue tutoring students who need help. What would be an extension of a prior job for you? What skills do you have that you could share with others?

3. ChaCha and KGB. I want to be very careful and clear on these companies. Both companies are search services for cell phone users. Users can text or call in a question and a person will search the internet and send back an answer within minutes. Workers (not employees, but independent contractors) can work any hours and can take breaks whenever. The schedule is whatever the worker wants it to be. All that is needed is a high speed internet connection and a few specific software programs downloaded on the computer.

I signed up to work with ChaCha about a month ago. I passed the initial test and completed the training in preperation for the final test. As I learned more about the company, there were a lot of things I liked but a few that made me decide to not persue employment. Customers can search ANYTHING that can be searched on the internet including pornography. As a ChaCha guide, I would be required to send pronography to their cell phone if asked. There were safegards in place so that guides would not see the images and so that the customer would need to verify being over 18 before viewing, but this was something I just could not do. From the research I have done, KGB seems to be a similar service. I may look into employment through KGB when the quality control positions are open. Those positions would involve overseeing the information being sent out by "agents" and helping them improve performance. I need to research this position more. I will not do anything that will compromise my beliefs.

4. Surveys. I have been doing online surveys for years now. I have used just one company up until just a few weeks ago. I will list each company, a link to sign up under me (I get points/cash for that), what type of compensation, and what my experience has been so far.

• Harris Poll Online - There is no link to sign up under me. Harris Poll uses HiPoints as rewards. As surveys are completed, HiPoints are earned that can be redeemed for various items including gift cards, dvd's, cd's, posters, and entries into sweepstakes. I have used this company for nearly 10 years and have had good experiences with it. It seems that the compensation rates have dropped in the past year or so. By spending about a half hour a week on surveys (that I can pause at any time), I have been able to get a free dvd about every other month.
  
• Survey Spot - I just cancelled my membership with this company. I had taken HOURS worth of surveys, supposedly just screening surveys that would take up to an hour and a half to complete, and earned NOTHING for compensation. I have heard many people rave about how great this company is, but that was not my experience.
• Opinion Outpost - If you are interested in signing up under me, I will need your email address to send you an invitation. I joined with this company years ago then quit. I recently joined again and it is by far my favorite site. Points are earned by completing surveys. Point cash conversions are clearly shown. I have done one long survey (about 15 minutes where I could care for my son at the same time) and have earned $2.30. Once $5 is earned, members can request a check be mailed.
  
• Mindfield Online - I just started with this company about a week ago. I don't know what I think about it yet. I have received several surveys but have not qualified for any yet. We'll see how this one turns out!
• SayNation - This site is also becoming a favorite site. Points are earned for taking surveys and points are earned just for trying to qualify for a survey. Through this company, you can earn gift cards or donate to charitable causes.

Come back later for more ways to earn money on the web! Happy blogging!

Beginings of Frugality

I want to start off holding the hands of those of you new to deal seeking as I have had many people hold my hand as I learned the basics. There are many ways to approach deal seeking, but for this post, I want to use the K.I.S.S. principle - keep it simple, sweetie!

To begin deal seeking, we will start at the easiest place to save money - our grocery budget. I challenge you to sit down with your checkbook and tally up how much money you spent last month on groceries (include household items and toiletries if you wish - I do since it is just easier that way). You may be surprised. Make it your goal to spend LESS this month. You choose how much less. Maybe aim for 10% less or get intense and strive for 40% less or more!

Here is another homework assignment. Sit down with your calendar. Mark in all the meals you will be eating at home for the upcoming week. Pull out the circular from the grocery store (you may choose to shop at more than one place to get deals on specific items with loss leaders). Start writing in menus for each meal for the week using the items that are on sale at your grocery store. Most stores have "loss leaders" each week - items the store is willing to take a loss on to gain your business in hopes that you spend more elsewhere. Once you complete your menu for the week, create a shopping list from your menu. Check your pantry to see what you already have. Don't forget toiletries that you may need.

Now that you have your list based on the sale items in your menus for the week, you are armed and ready to go shopping! Just by doing this small step, you can save money, but if you want to increase your savings, keep reading! It's coupon time!

Now is the time when you can scour through coupons to find ones you can use! The Sunday newspaper is a great way to score a lot of coupons. There are tons available online as well. There are also sites that load coupons directly onto your shopping card so there is no need to clip at all! Here are some good sites for coupons:

• couponbug.com
• couponmom.com
• hotcouponworld.com
• shortcuts.com - load coupons to your card
• UPromise.com - load coupons to your card - savings go directly into UPromise account to save/pay for college

Take a few minutes to research the coupon policies for your stores. For example, my local Kroger doubles coupons up to 50 cents and triples coupons to 29 cents. They accept coupons I print at home (some stores do not) and allow coupons on the Kroger card to be used with paper coupons allowing some items to be nearly free. For example, let's say a box of cereal is on sale for $3.00. I have a paper coupon for 50 cents off said cereal plus I have a coupon on my Kroger card for 75 cents off this cereal. I would save a total of $1.75 off of the cereal that is already on sale making it just $1.25 - more than half off.

Once you know what you want to buy, what coupons you will use, and what your store will allow, you are almost ready to go. Grab some water and a snack and head out the door. It is always unwise to grocery shop while hungry! Make sure you STICK TO YOUR LIST! Each week you do this, you will get better about making your list accurate so you don't remember something else last minute.

In a later post, I will discuss how helpful a shopping journal can be. Good luck and happy shopping! I'd be curious to know how much you save in a trip. Kroger prints the percentage saved on the receipt. On average, I save around 30 - 35% in a trip. My best so far has been 46%! Happy saving!