Bacon

A lot of you knew that Daniel worked for AOL for quite a while. Some of you may know that Dec of 2006 half of his department (along with all the call centers) were let go. Shortly after that the rest of his department was disolved. This means that on Dec 16, my husband went to work only to be told that he could go home again, permanantly. We were living in Tucson at the time.

Some of you know that Dan wasn't fond of the time he spent living in Albuquerque and doesn't really like the city. Imagine his confusion when he couldn't get it out of his mind that we should look into moving there. It started round about June of 2006. After consideration Dan spoke with his supervisor about possibly working out of the call center in Albuquerque. She had one primary objection: Though it was still on the hush-hush, the call center was going to be closing. There would be no job for Dan in Albuquerque after that so we figured that our impressions couldn't possibly be right. It turned out that there was no job for Dan anyway and when he was let go the impressions to move got stronger than ever (even with me 5 months pregnant). He started up the job searching, looking both in Tucson and in Albuquerque, but found that there wasn't anything in Tucson and he wasn't getting any interest from Albuquerque because we weren't living there. It was time for a leap of faith.

In February of 2007 we packed up a truck and drove to Albuquerque. We were moving into a house sight-unseen (courtesy of my mother-in-law who was willing to do some leg work on our behalf) and we would be living off Dan's severence package while Dan did some searching. With a brief stop at my sister's house we moved into the new place in March. It wasn't until May that Dan finally found something at a company called Thomson (now Thomson Reuters). He was hired to be a technical analyst. The company produces and maintains database software for use in law firms (really big law firms) to keep track of financial transactions and time clocks. If the database doesn't function for whatever reason (technical issues to a bottom line that doesn't add up), it's Dan's job to find out why. Unfortunately it was a lot lower pay than we were accustomed to. I already had a rudimentary Melaleuca business, but it wasn't active and it definately wasn't going to help us pay all the bills. After struggling financially with a rent payment (money down the drain) and various bills we made the decision (with the help of my father) to buy a house and at least build up equity in a place that we could stay in for a while.

Finances are still tight. We are working on cutting costs (from grocery to utility and more), but I'm still doing small things to help suppliment our income. The purpose of this post is to bring you up to speed on our job situation, give you an idea for the poll that you may or may not have participated in, and offer you ways to bring in a little more yourselves. I only ask that if you are interested in it for yourself to let me know since many of these methods have a referral service that benefits me as well as you.

There are two primary things I am doing: online surveys and miscelaneous jobs. I want to address the online stuff first since it is the easiest to get into. For each site I will list the site name, method of income (points for products versus money) and a basic description. Keep in mind as you review these, that whenever you're dealing with a survey you must qualify for the survey before the incentive becomes available. A few screener questions will either give you a go ahead or kick you out.

InboxDollars money - The site sends out email ads that you get 3-10 cents for every click. It also has trial offers for additional money. The basic premise is that companies pay InboxDollars money to advertise and offer a cash incentive to try out their product or service. Since you can get from 1-5 emails a day and the cash offers are continually added to, this isn't a bad thing to try out. You can request payment in a couple of different ways. You can use it to advertise on the site for yourself, or you can request a check for any amount over $30 (with a $3 processing fee deducted).

Greenfield Online money/sweepstakes - This survey site sends out emails (though you can also access surveys via their site) asking you to take a few minutes out of your day to give your opinion. Some of the surveys offer a cash incentive, while others offer an entry into a sweepstakes (again for money). When you want, you are able to request a check for the balance of your account.

American Consumer Opinion money/sweepstakes - This survey site sends out emails (not very often) with links to screener questions. You receive a sweepstakes entry regardless of qualification, but if you do take the survey it is usually for $4-$5 and you don't even have to request the check. It will be sent automatically to you after the survey is completed. Admittedly the convenience of not having to keep track of yet another account is nice, but receiving a small $4 check every 6-9 months is a little frustrating when you have a bill to pay.

Your2Cents money - $1-$5 (rarely I've seen more) placed in your account if you qualify and complete the survey. The offers are few and each offers a range of what you can receive (I always seem to get the smallest amount). I'm not sure if it's still available, but I liked that you get an extra $1 for each profile that you fill out (to be added to your qualified, completed survey). You are able to request your payment at any time though I usually wait until it's over the $20 mark.

GlobalTestMarket points/money - Each survey comes with a 5-?? point incentive. Sometimes you'll get the 5 points even if you don't qualify. If you do and complete the survey you'll usually get the top point amount. The points are collected in your account and each equals about 5 cents. Once your account reaches the 1000 point mark ($50) you are able to request a check in the mail. The surveys come fairly frequently (every 3-5 days or so) and if you qualify for enough your balance can fill quickly, but make sure you click on them when you get them because once a survey is closed you don't even get the 5 points.

Lightspeed points/products/sweepstakes - Each survey nets you points that you can collect to redeem for products. Mini-surveys, profiles, and non-qualifying will get you entries into their sweepstakes.

e-Rewards money/products - Strangely enough, you earn a dollar amount for each survey (even if you don't qualify) but you turn around and redeem that dollar amount for products and services (everything from rentals from Blockbuster to giftcards and discounts). The thing I don't particularly like about this site is it's by invitation only. You have to receive an invitation from one of their sponsor sites and this can determine what rewards are available to you. Dan received an invitation from GameStop, and I received an invitation from Borders. I cannot receive rewards from GameStop because they are not listed in my rewards section. Your account can also expire so, while they have incentives in the higher dollar range, you have to qualify for a lot of surveys to collect enough to reach them.

ZoomPanel points/products - While most of the points you get from completing surveys, you will sometimes receive a small point amount just for trying to qualify. The products come in "portfolios" at different point levels and frequently the points equate to a dollar amount (ie: 3000 points will net you a $30 product). This is not always the case though so do your research before redeeming.

HarrisPollOnline points/products - Standard points for products site (though I've had a better average of qualifying on this one). Sometimes they will ask if you want to be entered into a sweepstakes after a survey, but it doesn't show up for all the surveys so I don't know what the sweepstakes is about. Products are arranged in "portfolios." We used to get (though it isn't available anymore that I've seen) a $5 gift card for BestBuy for 800 points.

SurveySpot money/sweepstakes - Your money balance goes into an account that you can request a check from. Some surveys and those you don't qualify for allow you to play a "chance" game (slots or a scratcher card) to earn from 5-100 sweepstakes entries.

I feel like I'm missing something. If I come across it I'll add it to another blog at a later time. Needless to say that if I don't check my email regularly I can usually end up with 30-80 emails pretty quickly. As for the miscelaneous jobs, there aren't many, but they bring in a bit more and definately more frequently.

House cleaning/Pet sitting - My sister is a Physical Therapist and very active. She's not home much and when she is, she is usually tired. She also takes trips for work and pleasure and needs someone to feed her dogs. Since I moved back to Albuquerque, I've been able to earn a little extra by cleaning her house twice a month and feeding her dogs when she needs it.

Melaleuca - I also have a small Melaleuca business. I don't want to get into details, but Melaleuca is a company that produces products that are environmentally friendly as well as non-toxic (great for when the kids start playing with the bathroom cleaner). The products are also cheaper than what you usually pay at the grocery store. The nice thing about my Melaleuca business is that even when I'm not actively working it I'm still getting residual income each month.

This brings us to the Pampered Chef. This is something I've been considering for a few months, but have been considering more seriously since Thursday. The initial commitment is higher than I'd like, but it can be reduced (with help) and the consultant I was talking to said that she made it back and then some in her first month. This is why the poll is so important to me. It will let me know if I would have a chance at a good start, though it is only one of many factors that I am considering that will help with the final decision.

Final note: It's only a little, but I am trying to do what I can. If you are interested in trying out any of these for yourself, let me know via comment or email and I'll give you specifics as far as sites or links.