I’m often asked about the online money making offers I post:
“Do you really use these?”
“Can you really make money with these sites?”
“Are you sure this isn’t a scam? Seems way too good to be true!”
My answers are respectively:
1. Yes, although not as much nowadays.
2. Yes, although be wary of claims of huge payouts.
3. There are definitely scams out there, I won’t ever promote a scam though. Even the programs that aren’t scams tend to overestimate your potential earnings…so take their claims with a grain of salt.
Can you really make money online?
Yes you can. And yes, you can make money online doing things like reading emails, completing surveys and reviewing products. Will you get rich? Absolutely not.
However, small trickles really do turn into a stream! Like I always say, every little bit helps. Maybe you only earn enough to take your family out to eat once a week…that still can be a big morale boost! Some people earn enough to cover their groceries for the month. Swagbucks pays for our diapers and wipes each and every month and has for the past 8 months!
It’s not as easy as it sounds though. It’s not as simple as just logging into your account and bam, people are going to give you money!
First off, the reason they are compensating you for your time is because they want something from you. In some cases it’s your opinion, in others it’s your email address, in some cases they desperately want to get their hands on your phone number.
Secondly, there’s no such thing as “free money”.
Here are some things to think about when you decide you to want to start trying to earn some money online:
- Provide minimal personal information. If an offer pushes you past your comfort zone, opt out and wait for the next, less obtrusive offer.
- Set up another email account. These people want your email address and they will use it. Consider it your “work” email.
- Keep track of what you are earning and how you are being paid. It’s easy to cash those checks or spend that paypal without thinking much of it. Make sure your bottom line is making sense for the time you are spending.
- Focus on what works and forget what doesn’t. I tried a few different Swagbucks type sites before I started focusing my efforts there. Swagbucks provided the most compensation with the least work, so I focused my efforts there and have not been disappointed.
- Agree to give everything a shot, but allow yourself to back out if it’s not working out for you. This is similar to the above point, but it’s a reminder to keep an open mind. Just because something worked horribly for someone else, doesn’t mean that it won’t be great for you.
Why don’t you do it as much nowadays?
The main reason I don’t do many surveys nowadays is because I just don’t have time. However, if we started having money problems? I’d be right back to my survey’s and product reviews in an instant. When I was really involved in survey sites and paid emails I was averaging about a part time paycheck from a minimum wage job. Making money while I nursed and played with my babies. It wasn’t easy and a lot of it was crap, but we needed the money, so it was worth it!
What’s worth it?
I have personally either used all of the below companies OR I’ve heard great things about them from people I respect and trust (companies crossed out are not accepting applicants at this time):
- Synovate Global Opinion Panel
- Survey Junkie
- Earning Station
- Top Cashback
- Vindale Research
- Swagbucks
Sign up for all or some of these and weed out those that don’t work for you. Utilize their referral programs and any other easy methods of earning. If you are hurting financially, you can make money by using these online companies. Keep it in perspective though and remember to use strategic shopping and budgeting to further your dollar even further.
You won’t get rich, but small trickles can create a big stream. Be wise with what you earn and you’ll definitely begin to see a profit.
Shannon says
May 4, 2011 at 4:40 pmGreat article! Very well written. thank you!!
Kim says
May 5, 2011 at 3:43 pmI think your post hit the spot on making money online. I was into survey’s for a while. Some of them are time consuming, while others I whipped through. Is there money to be made..YES. I’ve also use Swagbucks and MyPoints to earn giftcards which have helped us pay for Christmas or provided us with giftcards while we are on vacation.
At this point, I’m trying to decide if I want to continue doing surveys. I’ve started getting really big into Ebay again and have done very well with it. I use my funds to pay for our family vacations. I took us to Disney last year and we are going on vacation again next month. For those, who like extras and don’t do something like Ebay..I think Surveys is a great to help your family reach their financial goals.
Kylee Robinson says
May 5, 2011 at 4:10 pmGreat read 🙂 I have had some success with survey sites and swag bucks, but not to the degree that many of you bloggers have. I need to get my head in the game and do more 🙂
Sarah Filep says
May 5, 2011 at 4:11 pmI love doing surveys for E rewards. Do I make a lot of money? No way, but it’s enough to get a few giftcards to gamestop to buy a couple video games for either me or as a Christmas gift. Either way it ends up being between 50-100 a year of completely disposable fun money that I don’t feel like I’ve done much for. I’m sure if I worked harder at it I could earn more, but then it wouldn’t be as fun and I would stop.
MichelleS says
May 5, 2011 at 4:17 pmNote: I DO Swagbucks, but that gets me somewhere.
If I was a stay at home “wife” and had all the endless time in the world then perhaps I would get sucked into these, but I don’t haha. I’m not “bashing” them, but they suck the very life out you.
I understand it’s not going to be “easy money” and you have to bide your time to reap what you sow through the use of these programs, but they aren’t for me. The majority of the “money” comes from referrals, but I *dislike* spamming my personal wall or harping on people to sign up under me.
bethany eskro says
May 5, 2011 at 4:26 pmI am a stay at home mama of a 1 year old, and expecting baby two in June. I have just recently started following blogs, such as Family Friendly Frugality, entering contests, giveaways and seriously using sites like swag bucks. Not only have I been able to win a few things and save some money it has also become a source of entertainment for me. I find myself entering almost every giveaway and contest that I can, winning or redeeming points is like my fix. I can’t help myself anymore! I would LOVE it if you could help me get my latest “fix” by picking me . Plus, with all of the fun stuff Plum District offers, maybe I could use it on a deal for my husband and me before this little one comes along .
Thanks for this giveaway opportunity!
Bethany Eskro
Heather K says
May 5, 2011 at 4:39 pmI do swagbucks but I should try some of the others you listed. I find I don’t have a ton of time and financially we do ok so I guess I don’t have a lot of motivation.
I use the swagbucks for amazon cards and that pays for my kindle books.
Katie R. says
May 5, 2011 at 7:10 pmSame here…..I love my swagbucks! I’ve gotten $35 in Amazon cards so far. 🙂
lori says
May 5, 2011 at 6:18 pmI recently quit my job in order to homeschool my boys. I had reached that point where the thought of them in daycare with strangers literally made me sick. I had no idea what a struggle it would be financially! I have started keeping up with a few blogs and I’ve learned hpw to coupon, but its still an uphill climb! My hat goes off to all the moms who’ve done it for years! You all are my heros! I honestly believed it would be easier to make money online. Boy was I shocked. Eben the survey sites don’t want my opinions! Lol. I have learned many really good ways to save and stretch my money and for that (and all the cool contests) I am very thankful!
Crafty Mama says
July 2, 2011 at 2:46 pmAll right, all right, people won’t stop talking about Swagbucks! I’ll join already! ;D
Heather says
July 2, 2011 at 5:18 pmLOL…Swagbucks rocks!
Angela West says
August 13, 2011 at 11:27 pmdoes anyone else do QuickRewards? I just love that site. I will never get rich, but I make a few cents a day. You can transfer it to paypal, or they have great gift cards. I usually get Disney gift cards and save a bunch up until a trip (or until I need to make a payment on a trip!)
Teresa Douglas says
September 12, 2011 at 9:03 pmI have had good luck with : https://www.applymarketforce.com/
and their sister site: https://www.certifiedfieldassociate.com/
Another place to check out is: http://www.narms.com/jobbank.html