"Ten Ways to Make Money"
"Earn Money Fast"
"Read the Testimonials"
"My Error is Your Gain: 50% Off"
On and on the circle goes. When you search the internet looking for ways to make money, what is often found are gimmicks that don't really make you money, but cost you money. It can be one of the most frustrating things online, at least for me.
In my situation, I am in need of the green stuff to pay for bills and groceries. When I get the will up to search out some possible solutions, so often I just end up sighing. Gimmicks and more gimmicks. The 'make money' schemes out there are endless, and they all want me to invest. How can I invest what I don't have? How can I save money when there is nothing left to spare from the income I do get?
It's a vicious circle that is crazy enough to spin even the most sane and rational person's head.
However, in my search, I've found a few ways that are proving to be helpful, and they don't involve buying a membership, a set of CDs, or submitting money to prove I'm not just some human trying to invade the sacred society.
1) Do you have a website? I'm not talking a business site, but any kind of home page, be it to promote your family, a hobby, a celebrity, or some cultural joy. The subject doesn't really matter, but if you do have a website, consider becoming an affiliate to places like Amazon.com.
When you go shopping or surfing, check the links on merchants you enjoy and look for an affiliate link. Read the requirements and sign up! You might be surprised just how easy it is to become associated with online retailers.
Some do their affiliate work through specialty companies. What's great about these is that when you sign up, you can then shop through their client list for other companies you might want to publicize.
Once approved, you can put up banners or text messages to promote the company and then reap in a percentage of what your family, friends, and website visitors purchase when they access the company from the link on your page.
One such company that hosts several clients to choose from is Affiliatefuture at http://www.affiliatefuture.com/registration/affiliat es.asp?AffiliateID=130416 (this is a referral link). I signed up with them when I wanted to become an affiliate for DeepDiscountDVD, a company I often utilize to purchase low-priced DVDs. I feel good about the company so have no qualms putting up a banner and talking them up on my webpage.
Another popular company is Commission Junction at http://www.cj.com/. Years ago, I used them with success, but backed out when they changed their requirements and essentially added a fee to continue operating with them. Please note I am not current on their policies, but they are still out there, active, and very successful.
So, utilize your personal websites by becoming an affiliate to one or more companies.
2) Surveys for pay or points are in abundance, and many are worth the time and effort it takes to be active in the survey world.
While not every survey pays out cash, don't devalue the importance of earning points. I've used points that ultimately redeem for cash, gift cards, kitchen appliances, electronics, and more. While we all like to have cash, points can allow us to acquire items we might not otherwise be able to. I've always wanted a sandwich maker, but could never afford it. It was an extra I just couldn't rationalize buying in my current financial situation. Recently, I cashed out points on one of the survey sites and received a Hamilton Beach panini press. I'm happy with that and consider it an excellent reward for the time I spent earning those points.
Three sites that I've successfully used for years are:
-Survey Spot, https://www.surveyspot.com/join/Join.faces?VendorID= 33&OptInSource=usgen&locale=en_US - I get several surveys from them and for each survey, whether or not you qualify for it, you get to play one of their sweepstakes games. Last year, I actually won a $50 gift card for Circuit City for a survey I didn't even qualify for. Just today, I also cashed out for a check for earnings I've accumulated.
-Global Test Market, http://www.globaltestmarket.com/gtm/gtm/index.php - Again, I get a lot of surveys from them. They give out points, and the points add up to cash that can be redeemed.
-NFO My Survey, https://www.mysurvey.com/default.cfm - I love their surveys, and there are lots of them, on all kinds of topics. Points are rewarded that can be redeemed for cash. They also do home testing, and that's always been fun. Of course, we're never allowed to talk about specifics when we are lucky enough to do a home test, but I've done a few, and they've all been worthwhile and interesting.
With many survey groups, you can set your preferences as to how many survey requests you get. If you like to give your opinion, it's a great way to earn a little extra money. Sometimes, you forget how much you're earning. It's always fun to just routinely check on your balance and realize you have $50 there for withdrawal.
3) Shop and earn! One of the first sites I joined when I joined the internet was My Points, at http://www.mypoints.com. It's a proven idea that has been working and growing in its offerings.
One of the main ways to earn points is to initiate shopping ventures from their website. You can get 'x' points per dollar spent or a flat point award for your shopping. It can add up quickly. They also offer trial memberships for points, surveys, and paid email promoting their advertisers. What I love right now is getting gas cards from my shopping and email reading efforts.
4) Find other ways to earn cash, which I definitely know isn't easy. Every time I search for a work at home website, I end up finding a gimmick and someone wanting my money, not helping me to earn money. Even the supposed 'top ten sites' promoted by all kinds of TV shows ultimately want you to spend money before you can make money. I just don't believe in spending money to get a job.
Finally, I found out about a few websites that are actually for the person wanting to work at home without getting bogged down in hype.
The best of these for me thus far has been Rat Race Rebellion (http://www.ratracerebellion.com/job_postings.htm). Be careful of the paid Google ads at the top of the pages, though. Those all seem to link to the 'gimme your money' folks. Scroll down, though, and you can see the Rebellion's screened ads for the day. This is the place where I found out about Helium. All kinds of at-home work is listed there, and none of it costs anything.
Another place I like is the Work at Home Mafia forum, located at http://workathomemafia.com/. Here you can find job leads and talk to others for ideas and suggestions.
I was so relieved to find these sites. Finally, a couple of places that have valid links that can help and not just links to the 'gimme your money' people, who are getting rich from us just wanting to get by.
5) Network. Okay, that term has a business and social connotation to it and implies going out and meeting people. We're work at home, so we need to network at home. One of the ways to do that is to find forums or groups where other people have similar goals.
The Work at Home Mafia is one way to do that; and then there are places like the Womens GPT Referral Exchange group, found here - http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/WomensGPTRefer ralExchange/join.
The one thing to be weary of when looking for groups is that some are just spam, spam, and more spam, but many others are like the group mentioned above - with people sharing links, leads, and their experiences. At yahoogroups.com, you can search for these groups and find the one(s) that work for you.
Starting a blog is another way of networking. Talk about your experiences and what you're looking for. Share what you know, and welcome comments.
When you find some ventures that work, refer! Referrals are just as important as your earnings at many places. Get business cards made that have your referral links on them. Pass them out to family, friends, and people you meet on the street. Some folks even print and distribute flyers, especially for the GPT sites I'll be talking about in a moment. Back up your word-of-mouth, casual conversation by pulling out that business card. It can work!
6) Become a tester. There are several companies that use the internet to find testers for their products. AsSeenOnTV is one.
In addition to being a formal tester, you can also find companies like Vindale Research, located at http://tryvindale.com/VsAWXf64V (referral link). At Vindale, you get paid for doing short trials and product evaluations. Some are services provided on the internet and some involve products sent to your home.
Having a credit card is not required, but there is much more to do, if you do have one. Earnings can stack up quickly here. I made $50 in my first weekend with Vindale and another fifty within two weeks. They pay out promptly, twice monthly.
It's important to keep track of your trials and remember to cancel, if you don't want to continue a service or product, but this is a simple and relatively easy way to earn cash. The 'evaluations' usually require anywhere from five to twenty minutes, and the 'survey' that is done to complete the task just takes two to five minutes, tops.
7) Test the waters, and don't be afraid to try something you haven't done before. That's what I'm doing here at Helium. I never envisioned writing articles that would bring in some cash, but I discovered this site as a lead from Rat Race Rebellion and decided to give it a go.
This is my fourth article, each on a totally different topic; and I've been doing my best to promote my work here on my personal blog, on my websites, on my group lists, in my email signature, and with friends.
I have no clue if my ramblings will catch on and actually be a viable source of income, but I'm giving it a shot. Folks are checking it out, and I see a few cents in my earnings every day, so I'm encouraged, and I realize that, like most good things, it takes some time to grow and mature.
My point is that I'm taking a chance and putting my all into it, and I urge everyone to do the same with interests that they've never quite had the courage to tackle or been hesitant to do, for one reason or another. Explore!
8) GPT sites. Now this is a relatively new world to me, but it's basically 'getting paid to' read ads, click on ads, and complete sponsor's offers (no purchase required). It can be tedious to some or become repetitive, but I view it as a job, and that's how I approach it every time I sit down to spend an hour or two 'at work'.
My favorite GPT site is found at http://gptcashcow.com/members/register.php?ref=Orrym ain (referral link) and is formally called GPT Cashcow, or just The Cow to those of us who just love this place. The administrator of the site is very accessible, and users are extremely friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this website as your GPT home. There are lots of bonuses, sometimes just for signing in and completing an offer or two, and contests, too, that allow for extra income. On Friday the 13th, for example, a trivia contest was held, the last question being, 'What is your favorite GPT site?'. Well, the answer was obvious, and we all received $13 just for playing.
There is a forum at The Cow where you can introduce yourself, chat, ask questions, voice concerns, and just have fun. Unlike other forums on other sites, posts don't get deleted out of concern for upsetting sponsors or just because the folks in charge don't like you. In stark contrast, members are free to speak their minds. It's a great place, and I wish I'd started out there.
A search for GPT sites will list a number of places, but beware. While this can be a profitable home business hobby, there are folks who are in wait to take advantage of unsuspecting members. Bookmark GPTBoycott.com, found at http://www.gptboycott.com/watch/. They are the GPT watchdogs, and this is the place where you can found out which sites have multiple complaints against them or are on the official boycott list for a long list of failure to pay and more.
There is definitely a certain skill, a few tricks, and a parcel of luck involved with using GPT sites successfully. My personal blog talks more about this, but when applied, there is cash to be made for relatively little effort.
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Making money at home is possible, and it's possible without having to fork over money you don't have to get a set of CDs or become a member of some secret society. They won't make you rich, but they will bring in income that will help pay the bills and buy the groceries.
Explore!
I'm learning more every day about how to make money at home, and I plan to keep on learning and trying out different things, thanks to group lists, forums, 'real' work-at-home websites, and from the survey sites and GPT sites I'm participating in.
All of these sites require only your time and willingness to try, so take a chance. As I often say, nothing ventured, nothing gained!