Mommie Cheapest

Making Extra Money With Online Surveys

 

So you're looking to make a few bucks online in your spare time, but you're not trying to break your back doing it. Online surveys can be a great way to accomplish this!

Having said that, there are good ones and not so good ones. The first rule of thumb is NEVER pay to be a part of any survey company. If you're shelling out money, it's defeating the purpose, and it's likely a scam anyway. The second rule of thumb is to put a price on your time. In the beginning I would foolishly complete surveys that took me 45 minutes and gotten paid like thirty cents. On what planet would I work for less than 50 cents an hour? On the other hand, if I am just going to be sitting around on the couch anyway, what would it hurt to take a 15 minute survey and get paid $3.00? To me, that would be worth it.

Now on to some worthwhile companies! I will start with a couple I use and move on to ones that also have good reputations.

1. MySurvey.com - I have been with this company for years. For me, the surveys aren't exactly fast and furious, but I average about 1/week. Most surveys start at 10 points to qualify and go up from there. Most average out at between 50 and 250 points. If you qualify for the survey, they give you an option to continue for more points. I have even had the opportunity to try out several full-size products (think deodorant, laundry, beauty products) in exchange for completing follow-up surveys (for more points). When you get to 1000 points, you can cash out with either prizes or cash, even donations to charity. 1000 points would equal $10.00. They send out cash payments in check form, which you receive quickly. The best part about MySurvey.com is that they always pay you - even for surveys you don't wind up qualifying for. The worst part is that the surveys don't come often enough for my taste. Overall though, I definitely recommend them.
2. Surveyhead.com - I have been with this company since August and I like them a lot! The surveys come much more often (I average about 4 surveys/week), and the more profiles (most of which are also paid!) you complete about yourself, the more survey opportunities you will receive. Surveys are paid not in points but in dollar amounts, and most surveys pay between $1 - $2. There are occasionally surveys that pay up to $15! The most I personally have gotten paid for a survey was $8.00 for about a 40 minute survey. Once you get to $25 you can cash out via PayPal. I will say, the actual payout takes a few weeks once you cash out, but to me that's not a huge deal. The best part is the number of surveys you get. The worst part is that sometimes you spend a few minutes answering questions only to find out you don't qualify for the survey and you don't get paid anything for that. Overall though I can totally recommend Surveyhead.com. Plus if you sign up through this link, you get a $5 bonus just for signing up! I make the most money through them.
3. PineconeResearch.com - I have only been a member of Pinecone for a short time but I am already excited! This company is much harder to get into... I tried at least three times unsuccessfully to be accepted and finally was about a month ago. I have already taken a survey and received a $3.00 check... I believe most surveys pay $3.00 and they are all paid by check. I would recommend this company to anyone, and I would also recommend to jump on it if you see they have openings. Those openings fill up FAST!
4. MyPoints - I use MyPoints daily. You read emails and click through them to the sponsor's website and earn points for that (usually 5 points). If you shop or sign up through these websites, you can earn tons of points. You can also take surveys through them, valued at generally 10 - 50 points. There are lots of other ways to get points... playing games, printing coupons, etc. plus there is a daily "spin & win" game to win extra points. You can exchange points for gift cards, really good ones! I have been with them a couple months and am saving up for a big gift card! Recommended, especially if you shop online or have lots of free time and don't mind reading emails.

There are others I haven't tried yet but a lot of people swear by them:

1. Inbox Dollars ($5 Sign Up Bonus)
   
2. Cash Crate
3. Global Test Market
4. Ipsos Survey
5. Mindfield Internet Panels
6. Panda Research ($3 Sign Up Bonus)
7. Vindale Research

There are loads of others as well but I am not as familiar with them. These are just the ones I have personal experience with, or have heard of other people having success with. Overall, taking surveys online can be a fun and easy way to make a few extra bucks.

One last thing: I would recommend you establish a free email address exclusively for surveys, especially if you will be registering with several of them. Mine come to my regular email address, but only because I never remember to check my other emails. If you will check it regularly, I would establish a "survey email address."

Anyone had any experience with any of these companies, or other ones not mentioned here?

Are You, Or Do You Want To Be, a Blogger?

Have you been toying with the idea of blogging? Maybe you are already blogging with Blogger or Wordpress.org but looking for a platform change?

Well, Typepad may be for you. I have been with Typepad for a while now and I really like it. I loved Wordpress.org's pre-designed themes but it was missing many of the features I was looking for. I liked the flexibility of Blogger but I hated how I couldn't get little things to work right or that it looked different depending on the browser. I settled on Typepad based on a recommendation and I really like it. They could use some more variety in the pre-designed themes department, but I design my own theme (and I am a complete novice, but it was easy!) and I really love the features it gives me for the level I am at. No, it is not free, but it is cheap, and it is way worth it to me to pay a few bucks a month to get what I want out of my blogs (I have a personal blog for family and friends and then I have this blog). Plus, they have an AWESOME help desk which replies promptly and thoroughly in user-friendly language.

Right now Typepad is offering a LIFETIME discount of 10% for new users who sign up for the Plus or Pro plans! Just use code TypePadspring10 at checkout. Code expires April 20, 2010. I wish this was around when I signed up!

Plus, they are giving away 5 copies of Typepad For Dummies here! Typepad isn't hard to figure out, but there are probably tips and tricks that I don't know about, so I entered!

Good luck with your blog, whatever platform you choose!

ING Direct: Service Review and $25 To Start Your Account

I posted a while back about using small banks for your everyday banking, as they are aces in customer service. I do admit, however, to breaking my own rule when it comes to saving for a cause.

For us, that cause is buying a home. We are looking to save enough money to have 20% for a down payment on our first house. The faster we get there, the sooner we can start looking, so we knew interest was going to be key. We have a savings account at our credit union which we actively use, but the interest is painfully low. They do offer a decent return in a 30-month CD, but we were (and remain) extremely hesitant to tie that much cash up for two and a half years... just in case. We decided to shop around a couple years ago for a higher interest rate for a savings account we could have access to at any given time, should we need it.

Enter ING Direct. We actually got a mailer from them offering a $25 bonus which was the impetus behind us looking into the details of the ING Orange Savings account. Here is what we found:

The Orange Savings Account

• High Interest - best rate we found at the time.
  
• No Fees, No Minimums - this was imperative to us -- we weren't going to pay to keep our money somewhere. And we didn't start with much, so we needed a no-minimum account.
• No Changing Banks - we just added this account to our existing accounts. We transfer money from our credit union checking account to our ING account.
• FDIC Insured - deposits are FDIC insured up to $250,000, just like any bank.

With that, we opened our account and got started. After a couple of years of being ING customers, we feel we can safely give you a list of pros and cons:

PROS:

1. The interest is significantly higher than our bank's savings account.
2. No minimum balance is required.
3. There are no fees. 
4. We have access to our money, so if we needed to make a withdrawal for some reason, we have the peace of mind to know that we can, unlike a CD.
5. Online transfers are quick and simple.
6. You can link up to your checking account online, so you never have to physically go to the bank.
7. You can set up direct deposit if you'd like.
8. You can also set up regular deposits from your checking account, or you can do them manually one by one (which is what we do).
9. You can view and download tax forms and transaction history online, 24/7.
10. New accounts get a $25 bonus. **see below**

CONS

1. Transfers from checking accounts are not immediate. It takes about 2 business days for your deposits to go through, and five days total to be able to have access to them. (Direct deposits are accessible immediately.)
2. The interest rate continues to drop. We started out at 3.65% APY 26 months ago and we are currently at 1.10% APY. This is reflective of the lousy market in general, our credit union's savings account interest rate has plummeted too. I did check and there are banks that offer savings/money market accounts at over 2% right now, but most of them have specific rules, such as regional limitations, minimums to reach that APY (some as high as $100,000!), crazy restrictions on transactions, etc. For my money (literally) I am sticking with ING.

So overall, I definitely recommend ING Direct. I do hope that the APY will change direction and go back up, but I still have been happy with our return, especially when compared with our credit union's savings account.

**One thing though -- the $25 bonus seems to be gone for new customers unless you are referred by an existing customer. I looked everywhere on their site and can't find the $25 offer for non-referrals. However, you can get the $25 startup bonus by getting a referral email from ING (they get your email address from their existing customer).

If anyone wants to be referred to get their $25 bonus, let me know and I will refer you (I get a smaller bonus as well). If you want me to refer you, either leave your email in the comments here giving me permission to pass it on to ING, or if you prefer, you can email it to me here. You will then get an email from ING. If you open an account by using the link provided in the email, you will get the $25 bonus. You have to use the link provided in the ING email though! You can only open your account once, so make sure you use the email link because if you open it any other way, you don't get the bonus. You can also email me with any questions as well!

Either way, saving your money in a shoebox just isn't cutting it anymore! Why not earn money as you deposit it! High yield savings accounts are a great assistant for saving with a goal in mind and ING Direct is a trusted, proven provider of a high-yield savings account with its Orange Savings Program.

Diapers.com Review and Offer

Look what I got in the mail a few days ago!

I used Diapers.com for the first time! I am not usually shy about buying online... we bought our TV, baby bedding, and some musical instruments online and I had no qualms about it whatsoever. But when it comes to groceries and errand-type things that I pick up on the regular, I tend to not even think about ordering online unless I find a killer deal. Well I did find a killer deal for these diapers, so I tried Diapers.com for the first time.

Overall I am very happy with my experience! They have a large selection and they carry everything I use on a regular basis for our daughter. Everything was in stock and shipped right away. Their site is very easy to navigate and the shopping cart and order placing went smoothly and quickly. They accept all the major credit cards plus PayPal.

I ordered on a Friday and received the items three business days later, on Tuesday. They provided me with a Fedex tracking number, though I didn't need it because everything arrived on time. They did make one mistake... instead of a small travel case of Pampers wipes I ordered, a pack of Huggies Pull-Ups came in the box. I called and the customer service rep was very apologetic and kind on the phone. To correct the problem, he sent out my wipes right away (I didn't call until Tuesday evening and I received them Thursday morning) and told me to keep the Huggies for my trouble and even credited me $5 on my next order since this was my first order and I experienced a mistake. Honestly, it was no big deal, especially since he was SUPER nice on the phone and made it right immediately... that's all I care about! But it was nice to see them going out of their way to resolve the problem, no matter how minor -- it shows they really care about their customers!

I used the following deal to get a case of 204 diapers, a tub of Pampers sensitive wipes, and a travel case of Pampers Sensitive Wipes for $26.50 shipped!! PLUS I got to submit for the $100 Coupon Book from Proctor & Gamble with just that one order! Here's how:

Order:

 - 1 Pampers Baby Dry XL Case Diapers @ $45.99

 - 1 Pampers Sensitive Wipes Tub 64 ct. @ $3.49

 - 1 Pampers Sensitive Wipes Hard Case Travel Pack @ $1.99

Subtotal: $51.47 (enough to get free shipping AND to submit for the P&G $100 in coupons)

• Enter coupon code MOMMIECODE at checkout. This will take $10 off your first order. Shipping will still be free. Your total will be $41.47 (unless you live in MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, PA in which case you have to add tax).
  
• Print this mail-in rebate and submit it within four weeks. You'll get $14.97 back!
• Then print and submit for the $100 P&G Coupon Booklet
• Total after rebate: $26.50 plus $100 in coupons!

For me there was no down side (unless I don't receive my rebate for some reason? But I don't anticipate any problems, I will let you know when I receive it). Compared to what these diapers retail for at Babies R Us ($40.99) I got these for $14.49 less plus free wipes plus the $100 in coupons. That's nothing to sneeze at! Not to mention it saved me a trip to the dreaded Babies R Us!

So a BIG thumbs up for Diapers.com. I would recommend to either buy in bulk or save up for a bigger order so you don't have to pay shipping (any orders over $49 have free shipping). If it's your first order, I would also use coupon code MOMMIECODE to get that extra $10 off and definitely submit for that rebate! If it's not your first order, I could see how they would be a little pricey! I would search for other coupon codes to use, depending on what exactly you are buying (sometimes they team up with manufacturers to give you a special code if you buy that manufacturer). Overall, Diapers.com is a little more expensive than the stores, but if you can find a coupon code and get free shipping by ordering over $49, then it is worth it because their service is great and they save you a trip to the store!

PetCareRx: $10/$75 Plus Free Shipping, Today Only!

Need meds for your pets? PetCareRx is having a new promotion! Right now you can take $10 off any order $75 or more with code VIP313. This code ends TODAY though, so don't wait! Don't worry... PetCareRx calls your vet and gets approval for the prescription, so you don't have to worry about it. Shipping over $35 is free as well.

We use PetCareRx for our dog's heartworm and flea & tick meds. They are much cheaper than buying meds from our vet, and we found that using a discount makes them about $14 less for our meds than 1-800-PetMeds. The processing and delivery was extremely fast. I ordered the medications on a Wednesday night, they approved the prescription with my vet on Thursday, and by Friday noon I had them in my hands! I was extremely impressed with this!

I highly recommend them!

TaxACT Online Tax Preparation

We recently filed our taxes. We were nervous to do this because we had some life changes this year, plus last year we somehow ended up owing to both federal and state for the first time in our lives. And I'm not talking $20 here... the amount hit us pretty hard, especially because it was a surprise.

This year my father-in-law suggested we try TaxACT. Last year we used Turbo Tax. While I found Turbo Tax very user friendly, now that I have used TaxACT, I can tell you that Turbo Tax was not as thorough as TaxACT, PLUS it was far more expensive.

TaxACT walks you through every step, line by line. All you need to do is get your paperwork together and sit down with the computer. They take you through each topic and prompt you for the information. They do give you the option to upgrade to the deluxe version at various points, though we did not do this. I'm not sure what is deluxe about it since we didn't take advantage of it. At the end, they e-filed our federal return for free and gave us the option to e-file our state return as well, at a cost of $14.95. We decided to go ahead and pay since we are actually getting money back this year, and it was very convenient to have them file the state return, since they can just import all the information you just entered for the federal return right into the state return! That's worth the money!

Within a few hours we received an email stating they had filed our returns, and a day later we received another email stating that both the federal and state returns were accepted. It was literally that easy. What would have taken me several hours took just over an hour with TaxACT.

Long story short, I would recommend them!! If you haven't filed your taxes yet, click here to get started. And here's hoping you get a nice, big refund!

Review: PetCareRx (Plus Deals!)

We have a 16 month old puppy, and we do use some prescription and over the counter medications for her. I was always a 1-800-PetMeds user, and have found them to be pretty good. Their prices are competitive, their products are great, and the shipping is free over $39 and fairly prompt.

However, I recently tried a new company, PetCareRx. We found that with a discount, they were about $14 cheaper for the same medications, their shipping was also free (over $35), and the processing and delivery was extremely fast. I ordered the medications on a Wednesday night, they approved the prescription with my vet on Thursday, and by Friday noon I had them in my hands! I was extremely impressed with this!

They also offered various coupon codes. RetailMeNot found a 15% off coupon code which is what I used for this order.

Here was my mistake, however: though I am both a MyPoints member and an Ebates member, I foolishly placed my order directly through the website instead of through MyPoints or Ebates!! The worst part is that I have done this several times recently... lots of Christmas shopping online, buying clothes on clearance for my daughter, and now pet medications! Don't make the same mistake I did!! Join MyPoints or Ebates (there are several others, too -- does anyone have any experience with any others?) and shop smarter! I think it has finally sunk in for me at this point.

Anyway, if you want to try PetCareRx, here are some deals you can try:

PetCareRx through MyPoints: 20% off, free shipping over $35 and 5 points on the dollar

PetCareRx through Ebates: 10% 0ff, free shipping over $35 and 12% cash back

Don't want to join? Here are some coupon codes to use through the main website.

We had a great experience with PetCareRx and would definitely use them again!