The Free Money Tip You Can’t Afford to Miss

I know that most of us are struggling with finances these days, and you know I’m always here to share my favorite solutions. One way that I help our family – {since with Mike out of work, I’m the ONLY one bringing in any income. Yikes} – is to use rewards sites to earn free cash through PayPal, free checks delivered in the mail, and loads of free gift cards to stores we shop at most. And most of these sites have the added bonus of rewarding you with entries into exclusive members-only giveaways, which have much better odd’s than the nationwide sweepstakes you always see. I’ve won quite a few times over the years, and they’re some of the biggest prizes that I’ve ever won, which can be an amazing help – think free toys for the kids, or free kitchen appliances.

What’s holding you back?

Many people tell me, “I don’t have time for those survey sites.” Or, “The rewards aren’t even worth it.” Well, I can tell you – they ARE worth it! I’ve done them for years while I worked full-time, and I’ve done them now when I’m even busier running this site and my business – so I’ve never had a ton of time to devote to this. And, if they weren’t worth it, I wouldn’t do it – I have a never-ending to-do list each day, and have to really prioritize!

My Tip: Sign up for as many different sites as you can find. That way, you’re automatically entered in more of their sweepstakes, even if you’re not very active. Then, make a separate folder in your email, called “Surveys” – move all survey invites into that folder when you get them. Next, make some time – 30 minutes a day after the kids go to sleep, or even an hour on the weekend – and go through as many survey invites as you can in that time. Some may be expired, because they’ve been in there awhile, but you’ll complete quite a few. After a couple months, check ALL your balances – you’ll be uh-MAY-zed at what you’re ready to cash in. Promise.

Free Shopping Spree!

I usually only cash out twice a year, once right before summer, and once before the holidays. This year, I’m doing a very low-budget Christmas, and decided to wait until January to cash out all of my sites – then splurge on some fun new stuff for ME! I’ll share my totals when I cash it all out – so that you can see what kind of serious cash and rewards you can earn. Now – Don’t be the only one missing out on this free stuff – get signed up today!

Earn CASH rewards!

• Ipsos I-Say Panel - This one is specifically targeted towards moms! By participating in their easy surveys you not only earn cash and get entered to win prizes, but you also get a chance to see new products and services before the general public, which is super cool!
• Vindale Research - Earn from $5 to $75 per survey! Mine are usually in the $10-$15 range – but I have gotten a couple that were the top rate. Very cool when you get them!
• Inbox Dollars - Earn $5 bucks cash today, and request a check every time you hit $20. Plus, earn .10 cents per coupon you print and redeem. Sweet!
• Mommy Knows Surveys – They have a super efficient rewards policy in place with PayPal payments to members processed on the 1st and 15th of each month. Mommy Knows Surveys has a screening procedure in place that maximizes your chances of qualifying for every survey you get – an average qualifying rate of 85%, giving you a super chance of earning a little extra spending cash each month.
• Opinion Outpost - Join the survey research panel and start taking surveys to earn cash! Surveys are usually pretty short, so they’re easy when you’re short on time.
• Upromise - This is a bit different – register an account, install the toolbar, and start earning money that you can put towards your child’s future college tuition. This really does work – I used it, and didn’t even really do anything with it, but earned about $150 in less than a year – with no effort at all, that I cashed out to pay for a few college textbooks last year. If you start it for your kids and let it add up over time, it could be a big amount of totally free college funds!

Free Products!

• MySurvey – Take Surveys, Get FREE Products to try out, and Earn amazing Rewards!!
• Global Test Market Panel – Test free products in your home and earn rewards. After you get to see new products and ideas before anyone else, it’s easy to understand why businesses don’t want their new ideas to leak out!
• Nielsen Home Scan Consumer Panel – Must be over 18. Earn points that you can redeem towards seriously amazing stuff: I used to do this, and redeemed points for kitchen appliances and other cool home stuff. Been trying to get approved again forever!
• Parents Opinions Matter - I can’t join this one, so I’m just sharing what they say on the site. I’ve heard good things though – “If you are expecting your first child, we want to hear from you! As a member of our online survey panel, you help to shape the baby product world by testing products and giving opinions. Plus, each month you have the opportunity to win one of three prizes: $100, $75, or $50! The more surveys you complete, the more chances you have to win! Visit us today at to join.”
• Survey Spot – Frequent opportunities, average of 24 surveys a month. You’ll earn sweepstakes entries for each survey, to win $12,000! I get TONS of baby products to test from them!

Earn Gift Cards!

• Valued Opinions – Every survey earns you points, and you turn those into FREE gift cards!
• MyPoints – Earn with surveys, shopping, and SO much more. Then turn those points into FREE gift cards, hundreds to choose from! {One of my favorite sites!}
• Consumer Advisory Panel – Earn gift cards for sharing your opinions, and enter to WIN $50 gift cards for completing surveys too! You’ll even get access to cool new products to test out sometimes, before they even hit the market.
• SwagBucks – the easiest way to earn free stuff on the web! Redeem for my favorite, Amazon gift cards, or even PayPal cash!

Have questions?

If you have any questions about how any of these sites work, feel free to ask in the comments, or on my Facebook wall, and I’ll answer right away! And I’d LOVE to have you share YOUR story of how these sites have worked for you – for a chance to be featured on Sunshine and Sippy Cups. Thanks for reading – and have a great weekend!