Monday, October 21, 2013

5 Legit Sites To Make Extra Money From Home

Thanks to our guest blogger, Alison from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, we're learning how to make a lil extra cash!

Money
Who likes free money and cool prizes? This girl!! Making money sitting on your couch playing on the computer while you watch your favorite re-runs of The Walking Dead and Supernatural (or insert favorite TV program here)  – sound too good to be true right? Well let me tell you it is totally possible. Now don’t get me wrong, survey sites are in no way going to make you rich and allow you to quit your job and all that good stuff – a good lotto win is still the key to that dream. However, I have been able to make about an average of $25-$50 a month in cash, gift cards, and super cool prizes. Some months more, but it all adds up in the end. I generally save up my points until I reach a good payout or save up my Amazon Gift card credits and use them to make Christmas shopping free or at least really, really cheap. I’ve tried tons of sites and it’s true, some of them just plain suck…either the points don’t add up very quickly, you screen out of pretty much every survey, or there are way too many ads that you have to click through to even get to the point of taking a survey. I don’t blame you for getting discouraged with those. There are several out there though that are awesome, they send you quality surveys, and a lot of them so that you are able to qualify for enough surveys to make it worth your time and actually earn some money or prizes. My five favorite legitimate survey sites are:
 

  • Toluna – Toluna is one of the first sites I signed up for. They’re points system is sort of crazy – surveys can be worth 2,500 to 30,000 points, sometimes more, which seems like tons right? Well, 30,000 points equates to about $10 because it take 60,000 points to cash out for $20 PayPal cash. (There are other reward options, but PayPal and Amazon are two of my faves). Toluna has more than just regular reward items though – they also have “gifties” which are virtual gifts for relative few points (100-250 usually). The thing with gifties though is that randomly they turn into real rewards so there is the chance that the 120 point virtual Coach Handbag or Exercise Equipment that you picked will actually be delivered to your door. I usually save my points for the cash reward and then use whatever odd amount I have left over for gifties – you know just in case I get lucky.


 
 

  • Harris Panel – This site is great and the reward choices are great too (who doesn't love Amazon credits?). This one doesn't rack up the points as quickly as some of the others but that’s mainly because they don’t send out as many surveys – I get about 5 a week give or take from Harris that I end up qualifying for and the points values are usually around 100 points per survey. As you can see below, it does pay out though so definitely worth signing up for.
 
 
 
 
  • E-Rewards – E-Rewards credits you with virtual cash for every survey you take. Even if you screen out of a survey you still get $0.25 credited to your account. Surveys you qualify for can range from $1.00 to $5.00 on average – some significantly more. The screen shot below shows where my credit amount is at right now so I would be eligible for any of the rewards in the $75 redemption category. You can get to this level pretty quickly and I use this to get Game Stop & ITunes gift cards for my hubby and kiddos (Birthdays, Christmas, and so the ITunes downloads that normally are taken out my checking account are free!!) Now that it’s almost Fall I may be redeeming my credits for a Starbucks gift card because I do love me a good Pumpkin Spice Latte…
 
 
 
 
  • Global Test Market – Each survey is worth an average of 15-40 points, some are significantly more. For PayPal cash you can redeem as few as 230 points ($10) or save up until you have 2,300 pints like I’m doing this time to redeem for $100 sent to your PayPal account. No PayPal account? No problem, there’s tons of other rewards at all points levels so everyone is bound to find something that interests them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • American Consumer Panel – I think this is the panel I've been part of the longest and I’ll be honest, the points rack up slow – they don’t send a lot of surveys and you don’t qualify for all of them. You have to have 1000 points to cash out for $20. I usually do that about twice a year. Is it really worth it you ask? Yes, the great thing about American Consumer Panel is this the site where I get tons of product tests from. I've gotten diapers to test several time which is worth about $30 a pop in not having to buy them at the store. I've gotten shampoo, facial cleanser, lotions, boxed dinners, gift cards to purchase groceries to try new recipes, and the list goes on. If you’re into product testing (and who doesn't like to try new stuff for FREE), then this is a great site to sign up for and at the end of the day you still earn a few bucks here and there.
 
 
 

If you have a few extra minutes each day to take some surveys and haven’t signed up already, you should definitely check these out. There are a couple more I just came across in the last couple weeks that I’m testing out – I haven’t used them enough to form an educated opinion though so if those pan out to be legit as well I’ll update you all and let you know.  

What are your favorite survey sites? Did I miss any in great ones in my list? 
Alison 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

My Favorite Things About Fall (Fall Feature blogger)

Hey there!

For the next two weeks, my blog will feature horseshoes-n-handgrenades, a blog by the beautiful Alison. Just few weeks ago, Alison became the lucky winner in the "September Spotlight Giveaway". She's super cool and such a sweet pea so make sure you click on her picture below and become her newest follower. Without running my mouth any longer, allow me to introduce you to the wonderful, the witty, the down to earth, Alison!

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Here's her first feature blog post! Enjoy and don't forget to show her some love.


My Five Favorite Things About Fall 
“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." ~ L.M. Montgomery
 
Fall Photo
It's that time of year – schools are back in session, the weather is cooling off, and people are taking a breather before gearing up for the holiday season. Its fall…or at least fall is very quickly pushing the final lingering bits of summer hastily out the back door. Some people hate to see summer go, and I’ll admit there are parts of it that I wish would stick around a bit longer, but for the most part, I welcome fall as it encompasses the landscape, the air, and the season takes over. When someone mentions the seasons changing, the first things that jump into my mind and get me excited about this time of year are:
 
1. Fall Fashion – I love fall fashion! It’s still warm enough for tees and  even tanks and cardis in the day but I love hoodies, jeans, sweats, jackets, scarves, leggings, and layering. I especially love boots! Casual boots, dressy boots, flat boots, boots with heels, and cowboy boots. Fall is the season of boots so I love fall! I love fall colors…while I like glitter and glitz, I’m not a super flashy color person, and so the neutrals that go with the fall wardrobe choices I’m a total fan of. 
 
2. Pumpkin Everything – Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin cheesecake, and of course pumpkin pie. I don’t think there’s a pumpkin flavored baked good that I’ve tried that I didn’t like…ever. In addition to the wonderful baked goods (and a couple extra pounds to fill out those sweaters and hoodies) there’s pumpkin spice latte’s. It doesn't get better than hot pumpkin spice latte' on a crisp fall morning on the way to work. 

Pumpkins
 
3. Blankets on The Couch – I have blankets on the couch year round, but I don’t actually snuggle up in them until fall sets in. (Unless I’m sick in which case it’s no longer an enjoyable activity.) I just find something super comforting, almost therapeutic, in lounging on the couch wrapped up in a soft blanket to watch my favorite TV show on a fall evening. Add a pumpkin spice latte' or some pumpkin bread to that and you've got a happy girl on your hands!
 
 
4. Harvest - It’s not so much the actual activity of harvesting that I love, it’s the end product. I live in an agricultural community so fall means finishing harvest so we have fresh apples, corn, squash, pumpkins, and a plethora of other freshly harvested goodies available that the local farm stands. The price is right for buying in bulk to freeze for the year and those fresh pumpkins and apples are great for making all those seasonal pies and jams that are so in demand through the season. 

Harvest
 
5. Leaves Turning – Of course there’s the universally accepted sign that fall has arrived…the turning of the leaves. Living in the Pacific Northwest we really get the full effect of the annual transformation of the plants and trees. It truly is beautiful to watch and enjoy. (Now, I don’t care so much for the perpetual raking of said leaves once they fall from the trees…but while they’re still attached they can be absolutely breathtaking.)


So, those are a few of my very favorite things about fall, what are yours and why? If you’re not a fan what is your favorite season? 



Thursday, October 3, 2013

Fall Feature Pin Show





I luuuuuv me some Pintrest.

Recently I've been on a mad search for great Fall crafts that are sorta unique...out of the box. And let me tell you, it's not an easy task.

But, I'm not one to give up so easily, so my search continued. Below, you'll find some great unique Fall craft ideas for you and for the kiddos!

Hey, if one of these unique Fall crafts are from your blog, then guess what? YOU ROCK! If you're not on this list, I dare you to pin the one you like most!

I've set this up as my top 5, because a top 10 list would just be too long and I know you guys have lives to attend to ;)

Let's do this thing:

Number 5 (yes, we're going backwards...it's fun, right?)

By: Play.Create.Show 
 " Pumpkin Owl"
Fall pumpkin owl! Could also be a fall serving dish. An easy, cute fall craft!
Number 4
By: Decor To Adore
 "Wooden Knobs Acorns"
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Number 3
By: Zakka Life
"Pine cone Votive"            
                                                                         
Number 2By: That Artist Woman"Paper Roll Squirrel"  Number 1By:.........I don't know who it's by....seriously! But it's so cool!Fall pumpkin craft- made from dryer vent hose and paint- Looks like something from Pottery Barn.. but at a fraction of the price! Love IT If you're wondering what that is, it's dryer vent with a little glue, embellishments and paint! Genius!    
So, there you have it..some unique Fall crafts. Wasn't that fun? Do you have some Fall crafts you would like to share ? I'd love to know about em'