It's that time of year! I always get a bit anxious and worried I won't beat my LY numbers but yet again, I have done it! Here is my breakdown for 2017:
GRAND TOTAL: $19,667.94 (SO CLOSE TO $20K!)
THAT AVERAGES TO:
$1,639 A MONTH
$378 A WEEK
$54 A DAY
NO, IT DOESN'T STACK UP TO A REGULAR FULL-TIME JOB BUT FOR WORKING FROM HOME AND SETTING MY OWN HOURS AND CHOOSING EXACTLY WHAT PROJECTS I WANT TO DO---IT'S PRETTY SWELL AND IT REALLY, REALLY HELPS OUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET!
2017 WAS A 13% INCREASE FOR ME OVER 2016.
my blog has definitely slowed down. the first few years i was so busy discovering new sites and money makers--now i feel i have discovered all the good ones unless they are new--so there's not too much to post now. i also saw many sites close or join forces with other research companies. nevertheless i tallied up my top 15 money makers for 2017. here you go!
15. mintvine (now branded surveys) $105-----review HERE.
14. radial insight $107-----review HERE.
13. TIE! global test market $115 (review) and panel polls $115 (review)
12. qualnow $125-----review HERE.
11. springboard $150----HERE.
10. TIE! myopinionnow $155 (review) and pinecone $155 (review)
9. product report card $184-----review HERE.
8. mysoapbox $200-----review HERE.
7. dscout $205-----review HERE.
6. opinionoutpost $217-----review HERE.
5. oneopinion $261-----review HERE.
4. innopoll (now forthright) $397-----review HERE.
3. surveysavvy $419-----review HERE.
2. usatalknow/resolutionresearch $515-----review HERE.
and my top earner for the year is:
1. SWAGBUCKS! $1040!!!!!
two reviews HERE and HERE.
that ends up being $4,465 from my top 15 sites---but keep in mind i belong to almost a 150 sites! many i earn under $100 each for the year but it all adds up so i keep them around. i keep a notebook and i log every penny i make!
my earnings broke down to 67% cash (paypal, check or visa), 33% gift cards (primarily amazon).
my goal for 2017 was to incorporate more gpt sites and make more passive money. here are my totals for that segment:
#1 top earner: earn honey $212-----review HERE.
2. inbox dollars $136-----review HERE.
3. fushioncash $74-----review HERE.
4. instagc $50-----review HERE.
5. perk/apptrailers $22
6. prizerebel $20-----review HERE.
obviously i left a lot on the table with these sites. these netted me $514 for the year. actually, much lower than i was hoping. these are primarily passive earners though--some babysitting on my spare phone and computer and i just let them run. but i clearly didn't maximize my potential and hope to step up my GPT game next year.
i also used A LOT of grocery/shopping apps. my grand total for them was almost $400 and here are the apps i used:
1. walmart savings catcher $88--new rules for 2018--hopefully the earnings stay the same!
2. ibotta $67-----use my code EZL4Q and earn a bonus!
3. fetch rewards $50 (use code FF2KR for a bonus $1.50!) review HERE.
4. gambeal $50-----review HERE.
5. checkout51 $47
6. ebates $41-----review HERE.
7. receipt hog $30-----use my code TROST892 and earn free spins!
8. receiptpal $25-----HERE.
these 8 shopping apps earned me a total of $398! and this is primarily just snapping pics of my receipts! sure, it can be a pain sometimes but every receipt adds up!
i still spend a lot of time on my computer and phone--probably a solid 8 hrs a day--but i spread it out to fit my schedule so it's not bad at all---an hour in the morning before my boys wake up, 2 hrs after working out, 2 hrs in the afternoon and 2 more hours in the evening after dinner and the boys are sleeping. i also do pretty much the same thing on the weekends so i never truly take a day off. still, it is amazing to always have the flexibility of working from home and to be able to pick and choose exactly what projects i want.
so i have outlined in detail about $8500 of my earnings for the year, not even half of my grand total--so where does the rest come from? mostly focus groups, mobile apps and other survey sites. i made $5200 from in-person and online focus groups, taste tests, and usability sessions. the rest is from all my smaller earners--in total i had 142 companies pay me in 2017!
my goal for 2018 is to continue to gig it out and hit over $20k. every year i get a bit closer so hopefully this year i will cross that threshold!
if this is something you want to start doing---do it!!! start out with my top sites and start developing your own routine. you will start out slow---my first few months i only made a few hundred dollars and felt i was giving it everything i had! in '13 i made $8k, in '14 i cranked out $10k, in '15 i made $15k and last year i hit $17k---and i am not working more, i am working smarter and learning the ropes and what works for me. there is a huge learning curve and don't kid yourself--this takes several hours every single day to stay on top of it. but you can decide how much time you want to devote and you can choose when to devote that time! anyone with a computer, phone and internet can do this!
happy earnings in 2018!!!!
Thank you for sharing! I am new to this, and am looking through a lot of sites and reviews before I really put my toes in. This was encouraging! :)
ReplyDeleteyay! it is a long process initially but you will earn more every month if you stick with it!
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