Thrifty Dining Out

Last week my husband and I enjoyed dinner out at Olive Garden for $8! How did we manage this? With a gift card earned through online surveys and a coupon from the Sunday paper!

I recently cashed out points from My Survey for a $25 gift card to Olive Garden. My Survey is one of the three survey companies that I've been able to keep up with during this busy season of life. I like that I do not "screen out" of any surveys, and that most of them are less than 5 minutes long. I also like that my husband can be registered through my account, and will occasionally be sent surveys as well.  The only downside that I see to My Survey is that since most surveys are short, the compensation for them is usually small also. I qualify for a few larger surveys, and those are what help build my point total more quickly.

If you want to sign up through my referral for My Survey, just click here!

Online Survey Update: Opinion Outpost

I've mentioned before that I enjoy having a little extra spending money by taking part in online surveys. I just got a check from one of my favorite companies, Opinion Outpost, this past week. I like to wait until I have $20 saved up in my account before requesting a check, and I am usually able to make the $20 in 2 months or less.

I've been doing a lot less with online surveys this summer because I've been so busy, so this one took me a little longer to accumulate. I really enjoy that I get to give my opinion on new products that are not out on the market yet! I don't know how many times I've seen a commercial for a new product that I heard about months ago because of a survey. Opinion Outpost has also given me the opportunity for a few in-home product tests, which I love!

Read more about the other survey companies that I use in this post!

Hurry! Pinecone research sign up is open!

Pinecone Research is my favorite survey compnay! Their surveys are very straightforward, you never screen out after investing time into a survey, and they pay $3 per survey (and pay you after each survey, via check or Paypal). They only open for new sign-ups once in a while and it never stays open long....so hurry! Click here to sign up!

You can also read about the other survey companies that I use and recommend in this post!

Smarter Spammers - Beware!

Over the last week, I have received several different "spam" emails that appear to be from totally legitimate companies (Amazon, Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Hallmark). The email has the logo of the company in it and looks very official. The tip off is that all of the emails have attachments and the message of the emails tells me to "open the attachment to see _______" whatever it is that particular company might really email me about.

For Hallmark it was an e-card, but Hallmark e-cards tell you who they are from (this one did not) and there is a link to follow to the online card (not ever an attachment).

For Facebook, it said I had a new message (which can be viewed on facebook's site, not an attachment to an email).

For Amazon, it was in reference to an order with an order number (but there was no link, just the attachment).

Be very cautious with emails like these! The first few did not go into my spam folder because they looked real. After I reported them as spam, they have been going to the spam folder. I have also only noticed these in the email address that I use for my survey companies/free samples. This may or may not be a coincidence, so just be aware that these emails are looking much more like legitimate emails than they used to!

Paid Telephone Interview with Inspired Opinions

One of the ways that I earn a little extra money is through online surveys. Inspired Opinions is a company that does paid in-person focus groups, paid telephone interviews, and paid online surveys.

I recently received an email from them asking for participants for a telephone interview. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes and you will be compensated $50. Here is the information and they specific people they are looking for this time:

~ Males Age 18+ who have been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer to participate in a 60-minute telephone interview. We have times available June 3rd through the 15th. IF YOU ARE CALLING ABOUT THIS STUDY PLEASE ASK FOR BRIAN (x302)

~ Males & Females Age 18+ who have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease in the past 2 years to participate in a 60-minute telephone interview. We have times available June 3rd through the 18th. IF YOU ARE CALLING ABOUT THIS STUDY PLEASE ASK FOR JEFF (x312)

If you think you or someone you know may qualify please call toll-free 866-236-1754 and ask to speak to the appropriate recruiter (noted above). You will be asked a few questions to see if you qualify.

This is a totally legitimate company that I recommend. Their online surveys pay via Amazon gift certificates, but I am not sure how the phone interviews and in-person focus groups pay. I receive about 2 emails a week about focus-group opportunities in Philadelphia. I have been called about participating in these, but have never been able to do so because I would need to find a babysitter! To join Inspired Opinions click here. This will set you up with the online surveys as well as the focus groups!

MySurvey.com - looking for Moms with young children

MySuvey.com recently contacted me to let me know that they are looking for new members, specifically mothers with children under 4 years of age!

MySurvey.com is one of my favorite survey companies. Their website is easy to use, surveys are usually very short (less than 5 minutes) and you never "screen out" of a survey - something that can get really annoying. The short surveys often will qualify you for longer surveys that are worth more points. The other thing I really like about this company is that they will send you surveys for other members of your family - my husband has taken a few.

To join MySurvey.com, click here and fill out the brief registration form. And just so you know, the links in this post are my personal referral links, so I do get credit if you sign up through me. I only recommend survey companies that I personally use and enjoy!

As always, feel free to ask any questions about survey companies. I also wrote about all of the companies that I use here.

Pinecone Research Sign up!

This is really exciting news for those of you who are not yet members of Pinecone Research - HERE is a link to register! Sign up is usually not open for very long, so now is the time to jump on it. Only one person per household may register.

As I mentioned before, Pinecone is my favorite survey company. They sent out only a few surveys a month, but you never are disqualified (a huge time-saver) and they usually take no more than 15 minutes. Surveys pay $3 each, and they are very prompt with payment (I receive a check in the mail, but Paypal is also available).

A heads-up for anyone who is accepted to Pinecone, you must take the first survey they send you, or you will not receive additional surveys. This is a way for them to ensure that members are willing to complete surveys in a timely manner. Additionally, if you are ever going to be on vacation or away from a computer for an extended period of time, you can let Pinecone know so that they do not think you are no longer interested in doing surveys. They really are a great company!

Survey feature on Common Sense with Money!

Be sure to check out my guest post on Common Sense with Money today about my experience with Ipsos I-Say, an online survey company! It is a little more of an in depth look at a specific company than the post I wrote a few weeks ago about the various companies that I use. You can read my post about the different survey sites I use here.

If you found this blog through Common Sense with Money, welcome! To find out more about me and some of my thrifty endeavors, check out the About Me tab! I'm so glad you decided to visit.

Thanks to Mercedes @ Common Sense with Money for letting me share my survey experiences with her readers!

Online Survey Opportunities

One thing that I do to earn some extra money is taking online surveys! I was skeptical at first because the idea of getting paid to do something online seems like a perfect scam opportunity...and there are places out there that will scam you. On the other hand, there are also legitimate websites that will pay you for your opinion!

I have been doing this for about a year now. Originally, I signed up with nearly every site I could find. I have since weeded through the different sites and unsubscribed myself from ones that sent too many emails out, did not pay enough, or just were not enjoyable. I also had more time when I first started, because I would take surveys when my daughter was nursing. But now that she's running around the house, its a little harder to find the time! I do try to look through the survey emails every few days and take as many as possible.

The list I'm sharing with you today is based on my experiences, and I'm sure there are other people who have had different experiences than me. I will continue to tweak this to make a "master list" of all of the companies that I've used, even briefly, that are legitimate.

Two helpful things that I've learned to make survey-taking a more enjoyable experience. I have a separate email that I use only for survey websites. This makes it so much easier to see what survey opportunities I have and to keep things separate from my personal email. The second is an amazing program called RoboForm. This is free for download and will fill out forms on the internet for you! You input your information initially, and then all you have to do is click a button and it will fill in a form for you. You only put in the info you want, so I chose not to add my phone number and other more personal information. This really helps speed some of the basic surveys along.

Pinecone Research

This is my favorite website, but is also the hardest to join. They only open up membership for small periods of time, and I will let you know the next time they do. I usually do 3-4 surveys a month for Pinecone. The best things about Pinecone are that you never screen out of a survey, they are usually pretty interesting, and they always pay the same, $3.

As of 2/4 it looks like registration is open!! Click here to sign up!
Update: Pinecone registration is already closed! It fills up very quickly, but I will post ASAP next time I hear that it is open!

Lightspeed Consumer Panel

Lightspeed was one of the first survey sites I used, and I am still happy with them. Most surveys are between 150-300 points, which works out to about $2 each, though periodically there are higher value surveys (500 points each or more). The best redemption option I have seen through Lightspeed is giftcards for restaurants. To sign up for Lightspeed, click here.

Opinion Outpost

I seem to go through cycles with Opinion Outpost in terms of qualifiying for their studies. I had gone weeks without qualifying for a survey until the other day when I did 4 and made $8 in just over 30 minutes. I like that the screener questions are usually very short with OO, so you don't spend 5 minutes answering questions just to find you did not qualify. Also, you are given an instant win chance for $50 at the end of every survey for which you do not qualify. I have never won, but my sister did! OO uses a point system where 50 equals $5, at which point you can request a check or an Amazon gift certificate. Go here to sign up with Opinion Outpost.

MySurvey.com

When I first joined MySurvey, I was a little disappointed because I rarely was sent any survey opportunities (probably 1 every month or so). Over the last few months, however, I have gotten surveys weekly, some of which have been really interesting! I think it may just be that it took a little while to get me in the system. Surveys are usually very short (2 or 3 minutes max), and are worth around 10 points (10 cents) but will many times qualify you for a longer survey. Points are easily turned into cash (1000 points = $10) and you can request a check at $10. To join My Survey, go here.

Global Test Market

Global Test Market sends out a few screener emails a week. If you do not qualify for the survey, you will still be given Market Points (5 per screener). Sometimes they do send out surveys where the only reward is a sweepstakes entry, and I choose not to do those. You can request a check at 1000 points ($10). To join Global Test Market, click here.

American Consumer Opinion Panel


American Consumer Opinion sends out relatively few survey opportunities (at least to me...it can be different based on your demographics) but they are usually higher value surveys, and I feel like they tend to be more enjoyable than some of the lower value surveys. The minimum to request a check is $10, but you can probably hit that payout in just 2 surveys! To join American Consumer Opinion Panel, click here

Ipsos I-say

I-say has had some of the most interesting and interactive surveys that I have taken. This is another company that rewards you for taking a screener, even if you do not qualify for that particular survey. At the end of every survey you also have the chance to take part in a poll guessing game, and depending on how well you guess you are given entries into a sweepstakes of your choosing. You can cash out at 50 points ($5). To join I-say, click here.

Focus Forward

Focus Forward is one of the newest sites that I have joined. They offer both online survey opportunities as well as in person and over the phone focus groups. I have participated in their surveys, but have yet to qualify for one of the focus groups. You need to have $20 in your account in order to request a check. To join Focus Forward click here.

If you have any questions about online survey opportunities, feel free to send me an email at thriftylivingde@gmail.com!

As a full disclaimer, I want to say that some of these sites do give me credit when I refer someone, so many of the links I have posted are my personal referral links. I am not hoping to get rich through referrals, and so if you would not like to be referred, feel free to sign up directly through the various companies. If you heard about these companies through me or were motivated to sign up for online surveys because of the information that I have provided, I hope that you would use the links that I have posted! Thanks also goes to Carrie @ Money Saving Methods, who got me started with online surveys.