if you need a winning dessert---go with this- CHEESEBURGER CUPCAKES!

my son needed an entry for his cub scout annual dessert contest. the good part is i knew about this two months out. immediately i began searching online to find 'the one'. i had snickers race cars, aquarium jello molds, and campfire cakes all on the 'maybe' list until i stumbled upon cheeseburger cupcakes! these were the cutest things and upon further searching i discovered they are everywhere--just google cheeseburger cupcakes. i probably looked at 20 different versions and then just customized my own.

here's another to register for! mysoapbox survey site

mysoapbox--sends you a good amount of surveys--click link to sign up!
while mysoapbox would not be on top of my list it is still a decent one to have because they send out lots of surveys and you get 10 pts credit even if you are disqualified. i have received product tests and online community invites through them.
it takes FOREVER for that first redemption (they require 25,000 pts) but after that hurdle you can redeem even 1000 pts at a time. also they are global and you ONLY NEED TO BE AT LEAST 13YRS OLD TO JOIN! they have amazon gift cards too--my favorite incentive next to cash!
here is the link to join
https://www.mysoapbox.com/survey/html

the best mobile survey sites

i also have tried many, many survey apps for my iPhone and there are a few that i make decent money with. here are my top 3:

who knew?

today it was a blistering 50 degrees in st louis so it was time to head outdoors to play! it was way too muddy to play in the actual yard from all the snow melting so i had to keep the entertainment confined to the driveway. i decided to just bring out the chalk and randomly write the alphabet and numbers all over the driveway and have a scavenger hunt. i could not believe how engaged my 2 1/2 yr. old was!

this kept him busy for AN HOUR! i went through the entire alphabet and he had to jump on the letter i said. then i did random numbers and he loved searching the ground trying to locate them and then pounce on said number. sometimes its the simplest things that keep your kid captivated!

join mintvine today!

a newer site i recently joined--mintvine--click to join!
http://www.mintvine.com/user/join/

pays out at just $10 (amazon) and offers daily polls that give you 5 pts. plus every dnq gives you 5 pts. i don't get a lot of activity from them but its an easy $10 a month (and it all adds up!)

UPDATE!

mintvine is becoming one of my favs. i have scored many invoke sessions (a later date online focus group that typically pays $30 for 90 minutes and is super easy) and the 5 pt. daily polls coupled with 5 pts for every dnq quickly adds up.

the only thing i am starting to dislike with mintvine is that i think their popularity is growing but now A LOT of the surveys i receive say 'sorry, that survey is no longer available' and then i don't even get the 5 pts. for a disqualification :(

so now i know you can't sit on mintvine survey emails---jump on them!!

definitely worth signing up for!

http://mintvine.com/users/register

another mainstay---globaltestmarket.com

globaltestmarket is probably one of the first sites i joined when i began this side job. i probably make $50 every 6-8 wks from them. the good things about gtm (for short) is they will send you A LOT of surveys and you also can just visit your homepage and find a list of available surveys as well. i have gotten several product trials and focus groups from them as well.

organization station!

i just reorganized my 'organization station'---basically ground zero for planning and plotting out our families activities. i have 2 ikea magnetic boards for my son's school things--upcoming events, reminders etc... and then i have a bulletin board designated to all the product tests i am currently involved with. i use my family organizer calendar to just down all family events, deadlines, survey stuff.

i have tried to go the technological route and utilize my iPhones notes and calendar for this but i simply prefer to write it all down where the whole family can easily see whats going on that week.

i highly suggest amy knapps family organizer--it comes with sheets of stickers (sports practice, vet, dentist, no school etc..) and the boxes for each day are large enough to fit in several event

here is the link for the calendar from amazon.
My favorite wall calendar

Join this site--good for product testing!

one of the best sites for product testing!

this site is a decent one. not a whole lot of invites but of many of the ones you do get lead to good product tests.

i get a great deal of product tests from them---mostly cat litter, makeup and personal care products.

click link to sign up!

http://us.myopinionnow.com/Join/

most surveys pay 1000 pts. and if you score a product test that adds up to 2000 pts. (1000 for the qualifying screener and then 1000 for the follow up survey). when you hit 20,000 pts, or typically 20 surveys, you can request a $20 check.

don't miss signing up with this one!

my favorite survey site

if i had to choose one survey site it would be opinion outpost. https://www.opinionoutpost.com
i average about $60 a month from them, all paypal. its a good starting point if you want to test the waters. i highly advise going directly to the site daily and looking for surveys because if you just wait for them to email surveys to you you will only see a couple a week. also be careful to not rush through them because they do monitor time and will disqualify your survey and rewards at the very end (after you did all the work!) if they suspect any violation (speeding through questions, contradictory answers etc...) i have had a few of those and had no clue as to why i received the dreaded "unable to record participation" screen. occasionally i have protested and have been awarded back the points.

my 'new job' as a homemaker

i was a retail manager for 20+ years. after having our 2nd son, life became too hectic with both me and my husband's jobs heavily scheduled on holidays, weekends and nights. we decided we would try living on one income and that i would become a stay at home mom.

well, i quickly discovered i needed a way to earn some extra income (gotta have my monthly target fix!) from the comforts of my home and so i started doing surveys. my first month i think i made $159. well now i make pretty decent money and thought i could also use my blog as a platform for sharing my best sites and overall tips.

so---stay tuned for more about my life as a homemaker/surveytaker.

Display your kids art!

here is what i did this morning---i found these great peel and stick frames on amazon and put my sons art inside them---the refrigerator was becoming overloaded!

i like the outcome and think i will order more and make our entire hallway a living exhibit that i will rotate throughout the year.

and so it begins....

well i felt it was time to start my own blog---and here i go.