gig

Earn Money This Summer with Surveys!

Abby H.

Even though I’m working summer school this year, pay day is net 30, meaning I won’t receive most of my summer pay until the end of August.  I need a little extra cash to take the kids on fun adventures, and snacks cost money! I try to spend 30 minutes a day doing surveys, usually early in the morning after the cat has demanded her breakfast, before the kids have woken up.  Here are some of my favorite survey companies:

PaidViewPoint– They only send you surveys that you qualify for, so there is no wasted time. Payout is only $15.00, so I make a payout about once a month. It’s not tons of work, and every little bit helps!

Pinecone Research: Get Paid $1-3 per survey!– My favorite survey company. $1-3 per survey you complete and they only send you surveys that you are already pre-qualified for!

I’ve been a member of Swagbucks for years, and it’s an easy way to earn free gift cards and cash.

Members join for free and will have access to all of our earning verticals, including, but not limited to, watching videos, shopping for cash back, taking surveys, and redeeming special offers.

Swagbucks is the web’s leading rewards platform, dedicated to providing FREE gift cards to its 12+ million members.

Choose from top retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, PayPal, and tons more.

Join Inbox Dollars free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name-brand products, and play games online.

You do online activities: Take Surveys, Watching Videos, Shopping, and More.

You earn real CASH!

Take Surveys and earn cash, sweepstakes and prizes for your participation from SurveyClub.com.
Earn cash for participating in online surveys, private panels, focus groups, clinical trials, in-home usage tests, online bulletin boards, taste tests, and mystery shopping studies.

SurveyClub gives companies the unique opportunity to access its panelists by posting studies directly on its website.

Receive cash back from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, refer your friend, and subscribe to special promotions.

Earnings are deposited into your Paypal account!

 

And I post market research and focus group invitations from PRC and AO Opinions at least once a week, so keep your eyes peeled for those opportunities as well.

Fall 2024 Making Money/Side Hustle Round Up!

Abby H.1 Comment

I’ve posted about this before, but I wanted to make an updated post with the most popular and lucrative ways I make money outside of a 9-5 schedule job.

First up, and my favorite way to earn cash: Surveys. For me, these fall into two categories: Research Studies and App Surveys.

  • Research studies are generally conducted by companies like Taylor Research, PRC, Q-Insights, or AO Opinions.  They are either performed at the research study facility (Taylor Research is in Mission Valley), or online via a Zoom meeting on an old-fashioned Bulletin Board System. In person, it can range from 30 minutes to 8 hours and payments range from $25 all the way up to $1000. Online studies are usually between 45 minutes-3 hours and pay $50-$700. Most pay via check or a gift card. If you are doing a research study survey for a brand, they sometimes offer you a gift card for their brand website. I generally don’t accept those studies/surveys. I try to post about opportunities each company has as they email them out.  I try to do 1-2 studies a month. This helps me save up for family fun during the summer. 
  • App Surveys are conducted via apps specifically for surveys. My two favorites are PaidViewPoint and Pinecone Research.  They both have a website if you don’t want to download their apps. There are other survey companies as well, I have a list of some here. I’ve used most of those to varying degrees of success, but PVP and PR are my favs, their surveys are short, and reaching the minimum to cash out with both is simple and doesn’t take long.  I usually take the Paypal or Venmo cash option for both.

Another site for Research Studies is Digsite. I don’t remember how I discovered DigSite (I think it was a targeted Facebook Ad). I have done surveys and research studies with them for about a year, and they generally pay between $25 and $200. over the past two weeks, I have done two research studies with them, it’s about 5 to 10 minutes each day for three or four days. They ask your opinions about a specific topic, sometimes you have to take a picture, or do a little bit of homework, but, overall it’s fun. Dig site pays in Amazon gift cards. They email you when they have studies that fit your demographic.

If you like to do hustles that take you outside the house,  try Field Agent!– I make money by incorporating Field Agent jobs into my already-needed errands. Quick, easy money. Audits, secret shops, and trying new products are just a few ways you can earn money with Field Agent.  They have Costco missions frequently- take pics of displays, review sample folks. The $3, $5, and $7 tasks add up quickly! Field Agent pays out via Bank Transfer. 

If you want to get into secret shopping, Amusement Advantage has a lot of opportunities in the Southern California area. You have to be a good writer, have good attention to detail, and take decent photos (from your phone). Most of their shops/adventures are very specific and detailed. You can learn more about it here.

isecretshop.com is another secret shopping website that has a variety of opportunities. Before I had kids I used to do TONS of secret shops on weekends and after work. You have to be a good writer, have good attention to detail, and take decent photos (from your phone). Most of their shops/adventures are very specific and detailed.

The next three are SUPER PASSIVE, meaning you aren’t going to get rich doing these, but they are easy to do and require minimum effort.

This passive side hustle I enjoy and that I’ve been doing for 11 years. Turn your Junk Mail into Cash! I’ve been doing this for YEARS, and I love it. You can learn all about Small Business Knowledge Center here.

Evidation: This is a super passive hustle, but it’s super fun- all you need is a smart watch or a fitness tracker.  Here is the article I wrote with all the information about how it works.

I also do simple tasks with Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. I transfer the earnings to my Amazon.com account. You sign up and do tasks for small amounts of money, but the money adds up fast.  The tasks are quick and simple (transcription, surveys, flagging inappropriate photos).   If you want cold hard cash instead of Amazon.com credit there is an option to have money transferred to a bank account.  Mechanical Turk does ask for your SSN when you sign up- you will receive a 1099- MISC at the end of the year, regardless of which option you select.

This next category isn’t a “hustle” per se, but they are all great ways to get cashback or save on groceries and other shopping trips. I use a lot of cash-back/rebate apps. You can see my complete list here. 

My friend Amy uses a local company Genalyte to earn money. They offer you a “courtesy” for blood and plasma. They are in the Sorrento Valley area. You can learn more on their Facebook page.  I personally have never done it- I have very tiny veins and have a hard time doing a blood draw at the doctor’s office.

So there you have it. No Uber, Lyft, Instacart. No MLMs or crazy pyramid schemes. Nothing untested or clickbait-worthy. Want the truth behind those clickbait articles: “5 CrAzY WaYs To MaKe MoNeY?!!“ Check out my post here.

 

Earn Money This Summer with Surveys

Abby H.

It’s not all beach trips and hot girl summer here. This mama needs to earn a little cash on the side to afford all the fro yo my kids want.

One of my favorite ways to earn cash is to do surveys, here are a few of the survey companies that I use and earn with regularly.

Join Inbox Dollars free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name-brand products, and play games online.

You do online activities: Take Surveys, Watching Videos, Shopping, and More.

You earn real CASH!

Receive cash back from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, refer your friend, and subscribe to special promotions.

Earnings are deposited into your Paypal account!

 

The Survey Junkie community shares feedback with brands in exchange for rewards such as cash, gift cards, and more.

    • Complete three or more surveys a day, earn as much as $100 monthly.
    • Complete four or more surveys a day, earn as much as $130 monthly.

Sharing your opinions can earn you real rewards you can use anywhere! The Survey Roundtable rewards program grows every day, all depending on what our members most want to earn.

To make the most of your opinions, you’ll first take a Personality Survey. It’s how they target  surveys to your needs and interests

Here’s what virtual debit cards ($10 and up) are currently available: Amazon.com, Banana Republic, Barnes and Noble, GAP Brands, Regal Theaters and more.

Take Surveys and earn cash, sweepstakes and prizes for your participation from SurveyClub.com.
Earn cash for participating in online surveys, private panels, focus groups, clinical trials, in-home usage tests, online bulletin boards, taste tests, and mystery shopping studies.

SurveyClub gives companies the unique opportunity to access its panelists by posting studies directly on its website.

Earning Money with Surveys!

Abby H.

I’m not working this summer (other than sharing deals and fun summer crafts with y’all), so I’m trying my best to save some cash to take the kids on adventures.

One of my favorite ways to earn cash is to do surveys, here are a few of the survey companies that I use and earn with regularly.

Join Inbox Dollars free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name-brand products, and play games online.

You do online activities: Take Surveys, Watching Videos, Shopping, and More.

You earn real CASH!

Receive cash back from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, refer your friend, and subscribe to special promotions.

Earnings are deposited into your Paypal account!

 

The Survey Junkie community shares feedback with brands in exchange for rewards such as cash, gift cards, and more.

    • Complete three or more surveys a day, earn as much as $100 monthly.
    • Complete four or more surveys a day, earn as much as $130 monthly.

Sharing your opinions can earn you real rewards you can use anywhere! The Survey Roundtable rewards program grows every day, all depending on what our members most want to earn.

To make the most of your opinions, you’ll first take a Personality Survey. It’s how they target  surveys to your needs and interests

Here’s what virtual debit cards ($10 and up) are currently available: Amazon.com, Banana Republic, Barnes and Noble, GAP Brands, Regal Theaters and more.

Take Surveys and earn cash, sweepstakes and prizes for your participation from SurveyClub.com.
Earn cash for participating in online surveys, private panels, focus groups, clinical trials, in-home usage tests, online bulletin boards, taste tests, and mystery shopping studies.

SurveyClub gives companies the unique opportunity to access its panelists by posting studies directly on its website.

 

Have Some Free Time This Summer? Earn Money with Surveys!

Abby H.

If you are like me, you’ve got a little free time this summer. Sitting on the pool deck while the kids swim, sitting at their martial arts classes weekly, and those quiet early mornings when the cat wakes you up for food but everyone else is asleep. I think the last one may just be me.

Regardless, there are tons of way to make a little extra money this summer. Enough for an extra trip to Starbucks, or a browse through the dollar spot at Target, or maybe more, depending on how much time and energy you wish to invest.

Here are a few of my favorite survey companies:

Inbox Dollars- Join for free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name brand products, and play games online.

 

 

 

Receive cash back from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, referring your friend, and subscribing to special promotions. It’s super simple!

 

 

 

LifePoints is one of my favorites. It’s so easy! Join one of the largest influencer communities in the world. We’ve rewarded over $20 million to our members in the last year alone.

Share your opinions on numerous products and popular brands. Complete surveys and get paid for it!

Earn points that can be redeemed for rewards of your choice. Join today and get 10 LifePoints to kick off your earnings!

I’ve been using MyPoints since 2011, and I’ve earned a lot of cashback just by doing my normal online shopping, completing surveys, and using their magic receipts cash back program- all through MyPoints.

If you are looking for some more ways to make some extra money, check out my side hustle post here. And if you want to earn cashback and save money on your shopping, check out my complete list of smartphone apps here.

Why I Gave Up Hustle Culture and Got a Full Time Job

Abby H.

For years, I was part of the hustle culture. I did gigs and what most people deemed to be “side work” so that I could stay home and support my kids in their education and development. Hell, I even have a page dedicated to it on this blog. 

And I did a post about the Side Hustles seen frequently on Tik Tok too. The research time it took for that was about 6 months, and it was awful. The return on investment (ROI) was not there.

Childcare here in Southern California (and the entire US) is costly and I wouldn’t be able to work full-time and bring home enough money to contribute to the family, beyond paying for daycare. Once we discovered Bubs was on the spectrum, my work outside the house was thrown out the window. There were a lot of appointments, therapies, and special help that were required. So I hustled- I spent hours each day doing surveys online, research studies online and in person, product reviews, teaching coupon classes, and doing app-based work for Field Agent and other similar apps (mostly secret shops and store/product placement audits). And of course, blogging and posting deals and affiliate links when I could make it work and not sound like I was shilling for some company. Because I have a small following, I didn’t have access to a lot of opportunities and sponsorships, in fact, after the pandemic, a lot of programs and companies changed their content creator programs to only larger (10k+ followers) audiences, leaving us little guys out. That meant, once again, it was back to the drawing board, finding new ways to make the same amount of money as before.

My original plan was to go to still blog Part-Time, as well as work Part-Time outside the home after the littlest was in school and work during school hours, however, COVID happened and plans were changed. In late 2021, I started looking for a small, part-time job, and I found one at a local school, in the district where my kids attend. It was a few hours a day, and it was a great way to ease back into working outside the house.

This fall I was offered an opportunity to become a paraeducator, assisting in a special education classroom. After discussing it with my family, and making sure there would be coverage from school pick-ups, I applied for and accepted the job. I work while my kids are at school, and I pick them up from my mom’s house right after school/work, and we have enough time for whatever appointments and shenanigans each afternoon. I have the same weekends and holidays off that they do, and I can work summer school for 6-ish weeks if I want to.

Why am I telling you all of this? The rise in popularity of hustle culture has made it harder for most of us to rely on it to get along. There is the same number of opportunities, but more of us trying to get by and scramble for all of those gigs. If you find yourself struggling with gig work and you have a set schedule that you need to abide by (for example, if you have school-age kids that you are responsible for dropping off and picking up each day), think about working jobs that support kids.

Many school districts are hiring kitchen and cafeteria workers, lunch and playground aides, and even paraprofessionals. There are few prerequisites for these jobs, and a lot of the training and guidance you get on the job. Full-time in most districts is only 30 hours a week, and full-time work comes with benefits. Most districts use EdJoin for job postings, and there are postings from teaching to classified staff. And if you aren’t available every day, you can join the substitute pool (even for classified jobs, like mine), and work per diem as you are needed.

Working in a public school isn’t going to make me rich, but the steady salary helps my family, and the consistent schedule is helpful for making appointments and doctor’s care.

Bottom line- I was tired of busting my ass to make pennies. I spent most of my 30’s working every day, trying to juggle motherhood and making money, trying to give my kids awesome experiences and fun every day while doing surveys from my phone at the park, staying up late to write reviews (a 500-word review about tampons? Come on!), and I was making less than minimum wage, but I had “Time Freedom” and I was “Able to Work Where Ever I Wanted!” and all of the other lies that hustle culture has fed us (Not to mention MLM culture, but I’ll leave that to Roberta Blevins). Now I’m happier and healthier, and I feel like I’m a better mom because I’m able to worry less about making the ends meet, and I can spend time playing with legos with the kids without having to stop every 5 minutes to post something or pack us all up to go do a secret shop or audit.

That being said, one of the few things I still do that’s posted on my Side Hustle page is Small Business Knowledge Center. It’s easy, quick, and I get paid for sending them my junk mail. It’s free Starbucks/Pizza money (Kid’s choice).

Earn Money this Summer with Surveys!

Abby H.

It’s not all beach trips and hot girl summer here. This mama needs to earn a little cash on the side to afford all the gas to get around! BTW, if you are looking for a way to save on gas, check out this post.

In addition to the resources below, I recommend checking out the posts I write several times a week for various research studies. It’s a good way to earn the most money in the least amount of time. It’s usually $75+ for an hour of time over a Zoom meeting.

I have signed up for all of the survey companies below and have hit the cashout threshold at least once!

With Branded Surveys, it’s simple to earn! Create a profile and begin taking surveys.

They pay you with cash or gift card rewards to complete market research studies.

Refer your friends to maximize your rewards.

 

 

Inbox Dollars- Join for free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name brand products, and play games online.

 

 

 

 

LifePoints is one of my favorites. It’s so easy! Join one of the largest influencer communities in the world. We’ve rewarded over $20 million to our members in the last year alone.

Share your opinions on numerous products and popular brands. Complete surveys and get paid for it!

Earn points that can be redeemed for rewards of your choice. Join today and get 10 LifePoints to kick off your earnings!

The Survey Junkie community shares feedback with brands in exchange for rewards such as cash, gift cards, and more.
To participate in Survey Junkie Pulse, you have two options: Install it on your computer or opt in via the Survey Junkie app.

Once you’ve opted in, the Survey Junkie Pulse tech gets to work in the background, automatically tracking digital activities.

If you are looking for some more ways to make some extra money, check out my side hustles post here. And if you want to earn cashback and save money on your shopping, check out my complete list of smartphone apps here.

 

Cutting through Clickbait- Weird Ways to Make Money Debunked!

Abby H.

Ok, so you see the clickbait-y posts on Facebook and other social media “5 CrAzY WaYs To MaKe MoNeY?!!“, and most of them are stupid, convoluted, or impossible for the average person to do. Before you click on “10 Easy Ways Single Moms Can Make Rent This Month!” or whatever asinine crap is going around, lemme let you what “Hustles” aren’t going to pay out well.

It may look like some of these are fairly well paying, but once you consider the time to money ratio, you’d be better off getting a part-time job at Starbucks or a grocery store.

Selling Your Plasma. Seriously. It’s hard on your body, takes time (1-3 hours), and if you have tattoos or piercings, or small veins you can’t do it. And it typically pays less than $50 per session. Some places advertise that you can make $5200/year, but that’s usually 2 donations per week and with referrals each month.

Selling your poop. I’m not kidding, and it’s not an Only Fans Type thing. Open Biome is in MA, and they help people with C Diff. They aren’t taking new donors, and even if they were, you gotta live near the Boston/Cambridge area (and there are additional requirements as well). It looks like there may be other places you can sell your poop too as well.

Manage a Mobile Scooter Fleet. Like Bird or the green scooters (I can’t remember their names). Not only do you have to drive around to pick them off (and drop them off), you have to charge them (paying for electricity). Once you’ve factored in the gas and wear and tear on your car, and the price of electricity, are you making money?

Anything that involves driving your car. Sorry friends, especially those here in Southern California, where gas was this morning $4.45/gallon at 3 different stations in my hometown, driving isn’t a really great way to earn money. Unless you have an electric or hybrid car, the cost of gas, maintenance, and insurance can eat up most of your earnings.

Scan the Stuff you Buy… This has been around FOREVER, and I did it for like a month, but it took so long to do, and I earned pennies.

National Consumer Panel has various ways for you to earn points, which you can redeem for gifts from their catalog. It’s a lot of work.

The next few were mentioned in my TikTok Side Hustles Tested here. I tried them both and they aren’t quick or easy. But if you’ve got time and looking for something you can do over the long haul, they might be for you.

  • Flipping stuff (buying at a low price at thrift stores, garage sales, even FB marketplace) and selling it online for a profit.
  • Selling books from Dollar Tree/thrift stores (Scan UPC through Amazon app to see if the books have a good selling price).
  • Make Coloring books, journals, worksheet books in Canva and upload them to Amazon to sell. This one takes a while to do.
  • Upload free art from Canva to sites like redbubble or other print-on-demand sites where you can earn money when people buy items with images you’ve uploaded (journals are pretty popular recommendations).
  • Make educational worksheets, family binder sheets, or organizational worksheets and sell them via Etsy as PDF’s.

If you are looking for ways to make a little extra money without going out of your way, check out my article here.

 

TikTok “Side Hustles” Tested (so you don’t have to).

Abby H.

This post has been like 6 months in the making. It really took me that long to try a majority of these “easy side hustles” as so many are advertised on TikTok.

Disclaimer: Most of these are fairly easy, however, they do take time, and many of them have high payouts, so it will take time to earn enough to cash out. If you wanted to make a go of it and work through several of these sites, you could make good money. But keep in mind there are a lot of people doing the same thing, so there may not be a lot of tasks or potential jobs/freelance opportunities in your area. Also, these are all independent contractor positions, meaning if you earn over $600 per site, you will have to pay taxes on earnings (I’m not a tax guru, consult yours with specific questions).

Some other suggestions that TikToker’s had to earn money:

  • Manage a Bird.com fleet (Those are the electric scooters- they are only available in limited areas)
  • Sell with Amazon FBA
  • Flipping stuff (buying at a low price at thrift stores, garage sales, even FB marketplace) and selling it online for a profit.
  • Selling books from Dollar Tree/thrift stores (Scan UPC through Amazon app to see if the books have a good selling price).
  • Make Coloring books, journals, worksheet books in Canva and upload them to Amazon to sell. This one takes a while to do.
  • Upload free art from Canva to sites like redbubble or other print-on-demand sites where you can earn money when people buy items with images you’ve uploaded (journals are pretty popular recommendations).
  • Make educational worksheets, family binder sheets, or organizational worksheets and sell them via Etsy as PDF’s.

Bottom Line- I tried about 10 of these, and I didn’t make tons of money (less than $100 over 6 months all told). A lot of these sites have received a large influx of new users and they don’t have tasks/jobs that I was interested in/had time for. I made worksheets and had them on my Etsy store, but after three months and not selling any, I took them down (It was costing me money to have them listed). I have a part-time day job and some gigs/side hustles that I already do, so I don’t think I’ll be adding in any of these in the near future.

My 2022 plan is to work the gigs I already do and look for some new endeavors over the summer to make money, and of course, if I come upon anything new and cool, I’ll definitely share it with you.

Earning Money with Surveys 2021 Summer Edition!

Abby H.
Kitty is on the prowl for surveys!

Looking for a job is a process that takes time. In the meantime, you still have to earn money. I thought that I’d post some survey companies that I use to make money while I’m on the hunt for a part-time job.  There are a lot of Get Rich Quick scams out there (here are a few to avoid), and I wanted to share with you some ways you can earn money at home in a legit way.

I do a lot of surveys online through various companies. Some of my favorites can be found here on my Side Hustles page.

Recently, a few more survey companies have been brought to my attention, so I thought I’d share them too.

Join Inbox Dollars free and get paid to take surveys, shop online, try name brand products, and play games online. And you start off with a $5 bonus when you sign up!

 

 

Receive cashback from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, referring your friend, and subscribing to special promotions.

 

 

With Opinions4Good, you earn points by providing feedback on a variety of different research topics.
Once you reach $10, you’ll be automatically paid out the following month directly to your verified PayPal account.

Earn your first $2 filling out your member profile, which we’ll use to send you surveys that match your interests.

Take Surveys and get Rewarded from PaidResearchSurvey.com.

Sign Up – Create an account and complete your profile step by step

Complete Surveys – Choose from a large amount of surveys to participate in.

Earn Rewards – New surveys added daily, so check back often to earn more rewards.

Pinecone Research members receive points for each completed survey! Points can be redeemed for cash or prizes. I love Pinecone research!

They will send you an email notification when you have a survey available. Complete the survey and earn points to be redeemed for either cash or prizes. Occasionally, they will send you a product to test, too.

Sign up and take surveys to earn points that can be redeemed for e-giftcards from Survey Junkie. Earn points by taking surveys, which can pay anywhere from $2 to $75 per completed survey.

One differentiator with Survey Junkie is that if you do not qualify for a survey, you still earn some points for it.

Survey Roundtable is a community where you can share your honest opinion about the products and services you use every day and get rewarded for taking surveys. Sharing your opinions can earn you real rewards you can use anywhere! Their rewards program grows every day, all depending on what our members most want to earn.

To make the most of your opinions, you’ll first take a Personality Survey. It’s how we target our surveys to your needs and interests

Here’s the virtual debit cards ($10 and up) currently have up for grabs: Amazon.com, Banana Republic, Barnes and Noble, GAP Brands, Regal Theaters, and more.

I’ve been a member of swagbucks for years, and it’s an easy way to earn free gift cards and cash.

Members join for free and will have access to all of our earning verticals, including, but not limited to, watching videos, shopping for cash back, taking surveys, and redeeming special offers.

Swagbucks is the web’s leading rewards platform, dedicated to providing FREE gift cards to its 12+ million members.

Choose from top retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, PayPal, and tons more.