The Surprising Amount I Earned Online In 2015.

another great online earning year! i keep good records of all my online earnings and for 2015 i made a grand total of:

$15,339.19

that's $1,278.27 a month

or $42.61 a day

to further break it down:

71% cash/check/paypal:
$10,841.24

29% giftcards(usually walmart or amazon): 
$4,497.95.

granted, this is nothing compared to when i was working full time but it is great income for a homemaker! back then i was paying $460 PER WEEK for childcare, working many nights and weekends and nearly every holiday. also add in the cost of gas, work clothes and meals. now i am making decent money and am always home for my family (but admittedly on my laptop a lot!)

i also looked up my top 15 earners for last year. now keep in mind, i belong to over 100 sites, which includes survey companies, research panels, mobile apps and online communities--some only earning me $20 over the course of a year and others earning nearly $1000. the higher paying focus groups and online communities came about through invites through my regular survey taking sites or filling out an endless amount of screeners. here are my top survey site earners for the year:

Easy $5 Survey If You Have Purchased a New Vehicle in the Past 2 yrs.

UPDATE! SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED.

easy $5 survey if you have purchased a new vehicle in the past 2 yrs.

have you purchased a new vehicle in the past 2 yrs? if so take this survey and surveysavvy will mail you a check for $5! it says the survey is 40 minutes but it took me under 20 minutes. easy-peasy!

here is the link:

http://media.surveysavvy.com/cars.php?

you're welcome :)

Focus Groups to Join: Round 5.

there is simply no end to the number of online focus groups out there! with so many people nowadays vying for just a handful of slots you really need to go for every single opportunity.  some registrations are more involved than others and some screeners are simply obscene in their length. but the truth is scoring just a handful of online focus groups a year will easily net you several hundred dollars so the hope of that payoff just needs to be what keeps you going.

here are 3 more to sign up with:

http://www.chasenresearch.com/sign-up-now.html

http://www.eurekafacts.com/research-participant.html

https://www.researchmatch.org/volunteers/

findparticipants.com/bit.ly

best of luck everyone!

ResearchMatch: Pairing Up Researchers with Participants.

ResearchMatch is a site that helps researchers pair up with participants for research studies. simply fill out the registration and wait for a researcher to contact you for a potential study. Anyone living in the US can sign up--all ages and backgrounds are welcome.

although most of the studies seem medical based you do not need to have a medical condition to be selected for studies. in fact, i was just contacted for my first study through them and the only prerequisite was being a married couple with children.

since this site is only available for non-profit organizations (think university research departments), they may not be the highest paying studies but it is still worth signing up for since you can always decline any study. 

here is the link to join. even though they describe participants as 'volunteers' i believe the majority of studies are in fact paying ones--my current study pays $90.

here is a snapshot ResearchMatch's current stats. nearly 500 current studies!

SurveyPolice: An Invaluable Resource.

https://www.surveypolice.com

anyone serious about making money online through surveys, product testing and focus groups definitely needs to register with surveypolice. it is often my go-to place to read reviews on sites i may be unfamiliar with. it also allows you to input what criteria you want from a site (paypal only, country etc.) and it will give you a list of sites that meet your filters. this is especially great for folks outside the US and are looking for sites they can join or people only interested in cold hard cash and not gift cards.

they continually list and update the current top rated sites along with links to join:

i also subscribe to their blog/newsletter so i am always in the know for new sites to join.
they even have an entire section devoted to GPT sites (get paid to sites) and rank those as well which i appreciate since i feel they can be more 'scammy' and 'spammy' and more difficult to discern the best companies.

if you are new to survey taking i highly recommend you start on their section called "online surveys 101"

https://www.surveypolice.com/surveys101

there's lots to love about survey police. go check them out and explore the site!

Why MintVine Is One Of My Favorite Survey Sites.

https://mintvine.com/users/

i have really grown fond of this site. tons and tons of survey invites, a free points earning poll each weekday, a decent referral program, points even if you don't qualify and opportunities for online focus groups----mintvine offers all of it. easy paypal payout option at only $10 too!

the only negative i find is that i get inundated with emails, sometimes 20+ a day--yet when i click on the link the majority of them are already closed--even when i immediately jumped on the invite. that can be a bit frustrating but i still prefer getting all the opportunities. i also score quite a few Invoke interactive sessions through them which usually payout $35.

just don't forget to visit them daily to see if they are offering an easy one question point paying poll.

https://mintvine.com/users/

Datacoup--Sell Your Personal Data For Cash!

https://datacoup.com

yes, there now is a company that sells your data profile to prospective companies and market researchers for a set price. the site is datacoup and they believe the consumer should actually make a profit from all the information that is collected from us. the price for your data is based on how much you are willing to share--below is a graph of what categories they are currently using:

everyone has a different threshold with what they are comfortable sharing. i have linked up fb, twitter, linkedin, foursquare, google +, instagram, and my debit card. i have not linked my credit card (i haven't used it in years and quite honestly cannot remember my username and password to link it up!) 

right now my data is going for $1.16 a week although it could be higher if i linked up an active credit card.

i have no idea who is purchasing my data or why. most buyers only buy my data for one week though. i average a purchase of my data about once a month.

in the 6 months i have been a member i have not had any security issues or data breaches. payment is made by a credit to a debit card you provide.

i realize this passive money maker is not for everyone but it is free, it is completely passive and so far i have found it to be completely safe. i figure everyone is already accessing my personal info when i am online, i might as well get paid for it!

check them out here: https://datacoup.com and get all the fine print details.

TestAmerica. Take Studies and Taste Tests at your Local Mall.

http://www.crgtestamerica.com

located in over 30 of the country's most popular malls, test america is an easy way to earn extra cash. check out their locations and see if there is a test america near you!

LINK:http://www.crgtestamerica.com

Make Money Online with University Research Departments.

many universities offer nationwide registration with their research departments. i have had success with the ones below:

https://anderson.sona-systems.com/student_new_user.aspx

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ox5H_PpPqGKbMJ5jHcPlci9BgfaLKItWO9DBp_guu68/viewform

https://stanford.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0AjlTv4XONw29Ct

studies are pretty infrequent and just adequate paying (usually amazon). the most confusing part can be figuring out which studies are ONLINE and which are IN PERSON. once i registered for an in person study unknowingly. just really take the time to read the study--the word ONLINE will be somewhere in the description.

you also may have more studies if you proactively go the available studies site rather than just waiting for email invites.

here is an example of a current online study:

best of luck!

Voice of Today's Consumer Panel--Accepting New Members!

THIS SITE HAS CLOSED!

 https://www.voiceoftodaysconsumer.com/join-now-2

here is a small community survey site that anyone in the US, age 18 or over, can apply to join. short and easy surveys are sent about 1-2x a month, most of them dealing with insurance or finances. 

you can redeem for tango cards at the $10 and $20 level. tango does not offer paypal but they do offer just about every gc under the sun, including amazon.

the community also gives out points for responding to a discussion thread or even answering a quick poll. i have been a member for 5 months and have earned $17 with minimal effort.

here is the link to join!

https://www.voiceoftodaysconsumer.com/join-now-2

EOVC: A New Survey Panel

*WELL, THAT WAS SHORT LIVED! RECEIVED AN EMAIL TODAY, 11/13/15,
SAYING THE PANEL WAS CLOSED.*

"The Evolution of Video Community (EOVC) Project has ended. Thank you for your participation! Please email eovc@centris.com with any questions."

http://eovcpanelfacebook.questionpro.com

discovered this new survey site recently. surveys are short and easy and the pay scale is decent. not sure where the 'video community' part fits in because so far i have only received standard survey email invites. they do not have a landing page or user interface so you need to email them for your rewards balance. their fb page seems responsive though to any questions or issues.

you can cash out by check once you hit $20.

here is the link to join:
http://eovcpanelfacebook.questionpro.com

Focus Groups Round 4

i always seem to be discovering more and more focus groups. it only takes 5 minutes to register with each one and just one focus group can easily pay over $100 so this is definitely where i have been shifting my efforts.

good luck everyone!

http://www.mindseyeresearch.com/ConsumerPanel/

this panel is especially for seniors!

http://brooksadamsresearch.com/panel/

http://www.consumerproductdynamics.com

http://www.rmsresults.com/viewpoint