HCD Surveys

HCD is currently looking to expand their MediaCurves panel. As a special promotion this week they are offering a 75 point reward ( 75 cents) for each person you’re able to have sign up and complete their profile. As a bonus your friend will receive 100 points for signing up ($1).

I’ve been a member of HCD for a few months now. I have not reached the 1000 ($10) point cash out level yet but have read on volition that people have received payment from them. They also have good reviews on surveypolice.com

The membership is free and the surveys are surprisingly interesting. Most of the surveys that I have received have been concerning political issues and involve watching a short TV or news clip and having your responses recorded. HCD also works closely with companies such as GE and Pfizer. It’s not uncommon to see results from their surveys or polls featured on MSNBC, Fox News, or in the Wall Street Journal.

Sign up with HCD here

WomenFreebies.com Monthly Contest

Last month I wrote a post about various Freebie Resources. The post included several links to sites that included forums, groups, and newsletters. I wanted to offer an update on one of those sites.

WomenFreebies.com - Each month they offer a contest for their new newsletter subscribers. This months prize is Catalyst Perfume by Halston. To enter the monthly contest all you have to do is sign up for their free newsletter and click on the activation link that will be sent directly to your email account. This contest is only open to US residents.

Save Money and Energy

Batteries
After you take a dying battery out of a digital camera, try to use it in a low-energy appliance, such as an alarm clock, or remote control.

If you have kids with lots of electronics consider investing in rechargeable batteries. It’s not uncommon for a good brand of rechargeable batteries to last for 5years. Imagine how much you’d be saving over time.

Electricity
Think about getting a power strip for all of your electronics that are in your living room, and then turn it off when you go to bed.

When you’re not in a room turn the lights off.

When the weather is nice hang your clothes out on a line to dry.

Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. CFL’s use a lot less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs and they also last longer.

SimpleGPT Paid Me.

I joined SimpleGPT at the begining of last month. I haven't discussed it until now because I didn't want to recommend it until I had received a payment. Tonight I cashed out instantly and within a matter of seconds I had $50.00 credited to my paypal account.




I've tried other GPT (get paid to) sites in the past but never had much luck at getting the offers to credit. I think what makes SimpleGPT so great is the Admin (Doug) and the various Mods. They are always willing to help members and answer any questions they may have whether you speak to them in the chatbox .. through an email..or a support ticket. The members FAQ section is also very helpful it has tons of great tips to help you ensure that the offers you complete credit.

By far the thing I like the most about SimpleGPT is that it offers INSTANT paypal payments once your account balance has reached $5.00. This is a new feature on the site that went live yesterday. I like that you don't have to wait for your payment. Another great thing is there are always contests going on either for referrals or completing offers. I won $10 for completing the most offers June 28th - June 30th

Membership is free and it only takes a second or two to sign up. Currently they are only allowing those living in the USA to join.

Deal me in

Sometimes saving money is as simple as finding a good deal. I recently stumbled upon a pretty cool site DODTracker.com. DODTracker tracks numerous "deal of the day" websites in real time as well as regular retailers who have special daily deals. What I really like about DODTracker is you can customize your experiance by sorting through, retailers, discount offered,how much time is left, or age.

Another one of the sites I will browse when looking for a good deal is Dealio.com. You can search for the deals they have listed directly on their site or use some of their FREE deal hunting tools. You're also able to compare prices and find online store coupons and view some of the best daily online deals.

If you want to keep it simple you can also check out Woot. Woot is a pretty simple concept. They offer one deal a day until it's sold out or the day has ended. Each new product is posted at 12am central standard time, 7 days a week.



Free money at FusionCash - No catch. Just cash.

Save Money - Homemade Cleaners

A great way to save extra money is by making your own household cleaners. If you have kids or a large family you've likely invested a small fortune into household cleaning products. An added benefit to making your own cleaners is you're being kind to the environment as all of the ingredients are safe and natural.

An added benefit to making your own cleaners is you're being kind to the environment as all of the ingredients are safe and natural. Some of the ingredients you'll use most often when making your own cleaners are baking soda, vinegar, borax, and club soda. Going green is a huge deal right now. Companies are making products they claim to be "green" and "earth friendly" but charging a fortune for them. Ounce for ounce homemade cleaning formulas will cost about 1/10th of the price of commercial products.

If you want to get started saving money and helping the environment by making your own household cleaners here are a few websites I have found to be helpful.

1. MakeYourOwnCleaners.com - offers free cleaner recipes and general cleaning tips.

2. EarthEasy.com - a list of easy to use natural alternatives for several cleaning products as well as recipes for homemade cleaners.

3. EcoCycle.org - a list of cleaner recipes as well as tips on how and where to use these products.

I hope you find these sites to be of help to you if you are interested in making your own cleaning products and being a little kinder to our environment. If you have your own recipes or tips feel free to post them.

Survey Strategy - Free survey database

Survey Strategy is a completely FREE online survey database. They provide you with the newest and highest paying survey offers from over 300 market research companies.

I love free databases such as Survey Strategy because they have already done the work for you. You don't have to spend hours searching for the best companies to take surveys with. A database is a handy tool for those just starting out with paid online survey opportunities.

To get started with Survey Strategy you will need to register for a FREE membership. After you've filled out their membership form you will then be directed to the demographics form. They use this information to match you with the best and highest paying survey offers. After the demographics form you will go through 3 more steps that consist of promotional offers. Only select these if you're interested. Finally, remember to check your email (if it's not in your inbox check your spam folder) to activate your free membership. Once your account is activated you will have full access to the hundreds of survey companies they have listed.


Survey Strategy - No risk. Lots of reward.

Vindale Research

Vindale Research is a GPT (get paid to) / survey/ product testing and evaluation site. Membership is FREE. Once you are a member you get compensated for evaluating different products and services. After signing up remember to fill out the member profile surveys so that you can be matched with the right earning opportunities.

The downside to this site is a lot of the offers require a credit card. I recommend using a pre-payed credit card when signing up for these offers just in case you forget to cancel the trial period. They do have some free offers that do not require a payment and those are the ones I choose to complete.
The upside to being a Vindale Research member is their referral program. They will pay you $5 for every person you refer. So if you can refer 2 people a week that's an extra $40 a month just for telling your friends and family to sign up.

Freebie Resources

Let's face it, everyone loves free stuff. But not everyone knows where to go online to aquire free things.
Here are my 7 favorite resources for finding free samples, magazines, music etc. Most of these sites offer a completely free newsletter which can be sent directly to your email. Signing up for the news letters is a good idea because that way you don't have to remember to visit each site daily. If you have a blog you can also consider using the links in the newsletters to offer your readers freebies they might enjoy.

1. FreeCycle.org - a great resource and a wonderful place to get you started on your trek to find free things. FreeCycle is an online network of over 4,000 groups and millions of members. Membership is free, just as all of the items listed in the groups are free. You are allowed to make requests for specific items you may need or want as well. It's also a great place to get rid of things you may no longer want.

2. WomenFreebies.com - Each month they have a contest for their news letter subscribers. This months prize is Bora Bora Perfume by Liz Claiborne. To participate just select the free news letters that interest you. I of course enjoy the "free stuff" news letter.



3. Volition.com's Stuff I Found Forum - A forum that is updated daily by members that post free things they have found online. Volition also has another great section to their forums called "Earning Opportunities". I love this site.

4. JustFreeStuff.com - A site that has a comprehensive list of freebies, contests and other "cool" stuff. Sign up for their newsletter and have a list sent to you daily that will include the newest online freebie finds. What's also cool is that once you sign up for their newsletter you are entered in a contest to win a $50 Amazon gift card.


5. FreeStuffTimes - A list of Freebies that is updated daily. Also offers a section on current online contests, coupons and rebates. I check this site daily.

6. 2000Freebies.com - Their site has tons of free offers. Sign up for their news letter and have the newest freebies sent directly to your email address.


7. FreeFlys - Offers FREE samples of brand name products as well as coupons with membership which is also free. This site has been featured on a couple of local TV news programs.

Trade in your old electronics for cash

Gazelle is a way for you to earn extra money off of the electronics you're no longer using. In other words you can turn your old MP3 players, laptops, cell phones or many other old gadgets into cold hard cash that is sent directly to your paypal account, or if you prefer a check, or even an Amazon gift certificate.





When selling your old electronics to Gazelle you will be asked a couple of questions to determine that value of the gadget you wish to sell. After you tell them about the condition, and any accessories that go along with the gadget they will make you an offer. You can of course accept or decline the offer.


If you decide to accept an offer Gazelle will send you a pre-paid box. You will then package the item in the box and drop it off at the post office. Once they receive your gadget it will be inspected to confirm it's in the condition you described. If something comes up during the inspection process, you will receive an email with the new value and the reason for any changes. You can either accept the offer or ask that they return the item to you. Once an offer has been accepted you can expect to be payed within 10 business days.





Get Cash For Your Gadgets at gazelle.com!