Grocery Game

This is by far the best way I save money for my family. Check out www.grocerygame.com to join the game and begin saving money on your groceries. The game consists of a weekly grocery list that combines coupons with sales to save money. It shows you when something is at a rock bottom price and when it is just a sale. The whole concept is based on stockpiling and the 12-week sale cycle. Most sales cycle through every 12 weeks or so. I've been on the game about 7 months now and will say this is pretty much true. When I start getting low on an item, I know that the next sale cycle is just around the corner. The cost is $1 for the first four weeks and then $10 every 8 weeks after that. If you want an additional list (ex. Walgreens, CVS), it is $5 every 8 weeks. With three referrals, you receive 12 weeks free. If you would like to use me a referral, type in light52b at yahoo dot com (typed like a normal email address) in the referral area.

Survey Exchange

Survey Exchange no longer has a referral program, but they are still a great survey company. Cash out is as low as $5. To create an account, go to www.surveyexchange.com.

Etsy

I like crafting but do not do it as much as I would like because I just don't need the items. I've turned my hobby into a small business using www.etsy.com. Everything on this site is handmade or supplies to make the items. I don't currently have much listed but I have several projects in the works. Check out my site for baby items right now - http://samsplace.etsy.com. I am planning on adding cards, bow holders, and who knows what else in the next few months.

How to Get Rid of Your Junk

My favorite ways to get rid of my stuff are:

Craigslist - Google it to find your local craigslist. For safety reasons, I suggest meeting somewhere other than your house to exchange the item unless it is a heavy piece of furniture.

Ebay - use www.auctiva.com to make your auctions look more professional. Every time I've sold through them, my auctions have brought in more money and more sales.

Freecycle - once again, Google to find your local site. Give away your junk or ask for something you want on here. The rule is that everything has to be free. Just tonight I received a free toaster oven just for asking. Please be considerate and actually offer items instead of just taking them.

Cash Duck

This is the first get paid to (GPT) site that I joined so it is the one I'm most loyal too. Earn feathers that can be turned in to gift cards and cash (via PayPal). Check out the forum if you have questions. Kira (the site owner) is easy to work with and quick to answer questions.

Harris Poll

For prizes, instead of money, check out www.harrispollonline.com. You can win everything from magazine subscriptions to vacuums, depending on how long you allow your points to accumulate. This is one of the few sites that I qualify for almost every single survey sent to me. The prizes occassionally change so if you don't see anything you like, simply let your points accumulate until something you want comes up. The prizes make great gifts too so start thinking about your Christmas list and see if there is something one of your friends would like.

Global Opinion Panels - Synovate

This is another great survey site. You can sign up your spouse to receive surveys too through your account. To learn more, check out www.synovate.net. If you would like a referral, email me at light52 at yahoo dot com. Global Opinion Panels is another points based survey company and cash out is as low as $5.

Global Test Market

This is one of the easiest sites to earn cash from. Cash out is at $50. Even if you do not qualify for a survey, you receive points simply for trying. I have earned cash out levels very quickly on this site compared to others. Visit www.globaltestmarket.com to learn more. For a referral, email me at light52b at hotmail dot com.

Clix Sense

This is another great Paid to Click site. Ads pop up in a separate window so you can do other things while it counts down. There is an option to become a premium member for $10. This will give you something like 500 ads to click on. Some people take their first $10 and use it to become a premium member. I am not one but have thought about. Referrals are much better at this level too. At a normal level, you make 10 cents for each referral. To check out the site, click on the above banner.

Hits4Pay

Hits4Pay is a great Paid to Click site. As far as I know, it pays the highest of any site. As a bonus, you receive $10 just for signing up. Cash out is at $25 and goes into your paypal account. They cash out once a month if your account reaches this amount, if it doesn't, then it accumulates until it does reach $25. Referrals are 2 levels deep and you make half of their earnings. To sign up, click this link http://hits4pay.com/members/index.cgi?light52.

Get Paid to Click

This is my new favorite way to make extra cash. I put this just behind surveys in order of enjoyment. You view ads, usually for about 30 seconds, and get paid for it. The best way to make money on these sites is to get referrals because you then earn off of you referrals clicks. My first site seemed to take forever, then I got a few referrals and now I'm cashing out pretty much every month. It didn't take many referrals either to start making cash. You can cash out on your own, but it takes longer.

The easiest ways to get referrals:
1. Tell friends and family (who couldn't use a little more cash in these times)
2. Create a blog like this one and let everyone know about it
3. Post on forums you frequent with links to your referrals (or blog)

I told friends and posted just a few times on one forum and now I make enough to cash out every month or two on most sites. I find it easiest to tell about one or two sites and then when they get comfortable, add another site or two. If you really want to get serious about referrals, post an ad on Craigslist - it doesn't even have to be your city. I've never done this but it is how I got started on these sites. I answered a Craigslist ad and decided to give it a try.

GPT (Get Paid To)

I have used GPT sites off and on for about a year now. They aren't my favorite, but you can make some great money from them. Please use a separate email account (or 2-3) as you will get spam. When I first started, I made a few hundred dollars spending about 30 minutes a night on the sites. If you put more effort into it, you can easily make more.

My biggest tip is to do the trial offers, including the $1 trials. You will make much more money this way. Please keep track of trials though and cancel before they start charging you. I created an Excel spreadsheet and put the date they had to be canceled by so that I wouldn't miss anything. I still do these GPTs occasionally, but not as much as I used to.

Surveys

Surveys are my favorite way to earn money because it is easy and I love to give my opinion. As with just about everything on this blog, I suggest you set up a secondary email just for surveys. I use gmail, yahoo, and hotmail for everything. I like to send my surveys to one address and split the rest between the others. I know some people who make $600 a month doing surveys alone. I work in the marketing industry so I don't qualify for many surveys, but decent money can be made from surveys.

My best tip for this category is to take all of the short surveys on each site that tell more about you. You will receive a ton more surveys just for taking the few minutes to do this. Moms and pregnant women tend to get more because this is a highly sought after demographic.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog on how to make a little extra spending money each month. Each site listed is one I use on a regular basis and most I have been with for quite some time. I began doing surveys and GPT (get paid to) sites awhile back to have a little extra spending money. My husband decided to go back to school this year though, so now all earnings are going towards his tuition. It is nice to have a little additional income so that we don't have to take out a loan or dip too much into savings to pay for his schooling. In a few years, he will be done and then I can go back to having my spending money.

If you ever find a dead link on this site, please leave a comment so I can find the error or remove the post. Thank you an enjoy!