How Much Would you Pay to Make More Money?

Howdy readers! I am about to give some links to freebies that I found but I also wanted to share a thought with my readers. Those that have been reading my blog for a few months know that I share little stories about my shops and include a link for readers to be able to sign themselves up. I hope this has given a lot of people searching for ways to make money an opportunity that they wouldn't have had otherwise.

I have recently created a book that lists many of my shopping experiences with links, along with all of the tips that I use to maximize profits on my shops. I haven't shared these tips anywhere else but I use them myself to get the most money that I can when I sign up for a shop. Here is where my initial title question comes in though. How much would you pay to make money? If you could pay less than $20 and in return with a little extra work earn back $400-$3000 a month as a mystery shopper is it worth it?

I think anyone with an ability to reason would be able to say YES. Of course there are shoppers that make much more but I want to be on the safe side. My book is all about helping out individuals who want to make money from home working as a mystery shopper. Many people have no idea what mystery shopping is but are intrigued by the idea that they can get paid to shop, eat out, go to the movies, or even do things that they have to do any way like get an oil change. If this describes you than my book is for you. I just finished my book and my subscribers are the only ones who have the opportunity to purchase the book right now for $10!

If you have not subscribed yet then you are missing out. I am only sending out the link to the book to my subscribers and when I think all my subscribers have had ample opportunity to make a purchasing decision the price of the book will go up closer to twenty bucks. In fact, if you want to start making money now and get the book at this special price, then you have to subscribe to get the link to this book because I haven't advertised this low price anywhere else. Plus when you subscribe you have access to bimonthly newsletters that offer tips for making money as a mystery shopper as well as other opportunities for those who want to make money at home. The next edition of the newsletter (coming out in March) will include tips on how to make money on Ebay and I will go into detail on how mystery shoppers can stand apart from other mystery shoppers. Past newsletters have discussed ways to make money online with surveys and cash back shopping. Plus I post free samples on my blog regularly and if you subscribe you are likely to be able to grab these samples quickly before supplies run out or the offer ends.

What more could you ask for in a subscription? What? Are you worried that I'm going to sell your information or email you seventy times a month? No, to both of those worries. I hate getting spam emails so I won't sell your email address or load your email up with spam. I usually only email once or twice a month. In fact I'm trying to remember a time when I've emailed my subscribers more than twice in a month and I'm drawing a blank.

To subscribe all you have to do is put in your email address and verify that you want to receive updates by checking your email and clicking the confirm link. You don't give out any more personal information than that and- Voila'! You're signed up. You won't get this combination of information anywhere else. I'm always updating my blog to keep subscribers up to date.

And, as I promised earlier, here are some free samples that I came across:

1. Click here to get a free sample of an energy bar.

2. Free sample of Scoop perfume.

3. Here is a great free sample of Just Like Sugar, a sugar substitute. I can't wait to try this one. This form has different categories for people from other countries to be able to order a sample.

4. I found this free scented bookmark. The only catch is that you are signing up for free catalogs. If it irritates you to get catalogs in the mail then skip this sample.

5. I came across another sample that is accessible from other countries as well. It is for O.B. tampons. Sorry guys, you might have to pass on this one! Or...you could get it for a wife or girlfriend...not the most romatic thing though.

If you haven't signed up yet you know you should. See you on the subscriber list!

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Keep up with your requirements

Well I'll keep this post short but I just wanted to share an idea with you. Have you ever been doing a shop and trying to keep up with all of the things you are supposed to be checking for and started to panic that you would forget something important and not get paid??? Or are you a new shopper who is nervous that you will forget what you need to be looking for when you perform your first shop?

Well I have so I came up with a remedy for that. It's simple but works for me when I have one of those shops that pays well but has more than 15 questions or things that I need to look for.What I usually do if I have a lot to remember for a shop is to take a teenie weensie piece of paper and write the information down that I need. Then I make sure that wherever I sit, my writing arm is facing the inside of the booth (Oh yeah, I always get a booth or else I guess I'd be writing in a gross bathroom or something).

So when the time is convenient I take out my little scrap of paper and write down what I need to keep track of. Then I'm super careful not to throw away my little scrap of paper. I would definitely read over the requirements of the shop super carefully whether I'm going with a reminder note or not. In other words, don't just print out the shop requirements and lug that with you to the shop without reviewing it first. You might miss out on something crucial and/or give away your identity as the secret shopper.

My strategy with the note paper just kind of helps me to feel secure with my shop. I hate second guessing myself worrying that I have forgotten something crucial. I don't write down every question, just the ones that I think I might forget. I will warn you though, you can mess up your shop if you are not careful to be discreet. It kind of gives it away when you have a big sheet of paper on the table and are looking around and furiously writing things down- so keep it on the d.l. (do people still use that phrase anymore? I'm so hopelessly uncool so I don't know...not that I ever even used it when it was cool! ). So if you are worried that you might be noticed, I would go into a bathroom stall, as gross as it could be. Hey most bathroom stalls aren't gross...and if you're lucky there will be no one else in the bathroom and you can scribble quick notes without going into a stall.

Anyway, I hope this tip is useful for those of you who like me like to have a little back-up plan and don't want to rely only on memory. And those of you hesistant to do that first shop, take a shot at it. So much for a short posting :) Happy shopping!

Yummy little lunch shop

Hey y'all (said in a Paula Deen Drawl)! I just recently did a yummy little lunch mystery shop. The restaurant was one of those barbeque places that smokes a lot of things. I actually like the place a lot but the only way I can get my husband to eat there is if it is free. My husband and I were able to both eat lunch, get a drink, and leave a 15 percent tip for the waitress. I was going to enlist him to help me with the mystery shop, but then I realized that I wanted to do it on my own so I could blog about how it turned out. I figured that most of my readers will not have a mystery shopper partner. I'm sure that anyone can find someone to treat to a free lunch, but most will have to do all the work alone.

I started off by going to the website of the restaurant that I was shopping to figure out what I wanted to eat. I had my husband pick out what he wanted as well. I do that so when it's time to go into the restaurant I'm not trying to keep track of timing as well as think about what I want to eat. Plus, I wanted us to get a free lunch by coming in under budget.

Well, being a teacher complicates things sometimes. I worry about being spotted by students and getting distracted at an inappropriate time. I've actually run into someone that I knew doing a fast-food shop when I was at the timing portion and so I had to try and politely tell them a quick hello without getting into a conversation. I had my eye on my watch pretty discreetly too though so in the end it turned out to be okay.



Where was I? Oh yes, we had already picked out what we wanted so our mind was free to focus on some of the other things that required attention: cleanliness, comfort, friendliness, timing. The usual suspects for a mystery shop. This shop had an interesting recommendation for keeping track of all of the requirements. One of the requirements was that I visit the restroom and check the cleanliness there. The suggestion was that I go into the bathroom and write down notes. I thought that was a good idea for most people. For me, however, I hate the thought of staying in a bathroom longer than I have to. They are unpleasant...just a personal issue of mine I guess. That is an interesting idea for shoppers starting out.

I went and evaluated the bathroom quickly and returned to the table. The food came and was great as usual. We both cleaned our plates and left. It was a pleasant lunch. It was one that I'd never done before because it had never been an option to. I don't know if the company had just started posting that kind of shop or if they had another shopper who just didn't come through for them. Anyway the way I usually judge things are whether I'd do them again. I would definitely do it again. The fee was enough to cover the food and tip. I would have liked a fee instead of just a reimbursement, but for a first time shopping the place it was acceptable. I guess on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best shop ever and one being the worst, this one falls somewhere around a 31/2 .

You can't really go wrong with free lunch in my book. Here is the link for you to check this company out for yourself. One thing I will tell you from my experience, they don't seem to have a lot of shops. They do, however, have surveys and other offers from time to time. They pay for their shops super quickly too. I got my shops money in less than a week. They did take a long time to pay for the survey though but I figure that was because they had to get paid before they paid me. Here is the link once again. Try it out!

Helpful Shop

Every now and then you will come across a shop that offers a service that you would have to do anyway... For example, you might need to go to the grocery store to pick up two or three things and voila- you find a shop that you can take to do just that. Well, tax season is coming up. This shop pays $70 to do a tax refund shop. It looks like there are alot of them available right now, but I'm sure they won't be around for too much longer once everyone starts having to do their taxes. Click here to see if there is one available in your town.

Have you come across an awesome high paying shop recently or one that offers a service that everyone has to do anyway? Let us know about it.

Beware! Mystery Shopping Scams

As we are getting ready to start the new year I thought this would be an appropriate video to post. I know people are thinking about how they intend on making extra money next year so I wanted to add this video I found about mystery shopping scams. Be careful if you get one of these checks in the mail. It's really sad that people do all that they can to scam someone out of their hard-earned money. Please take a couple of minutes to watch this video because evidently people are falling for this and make sure you subscribe to this blog to get updates on new scams as I come across them.

Free Card Idea

I know that a lot of you will be sending out cards and I came across this site and thought you might enjoy it. You have to add a toolbar and then you can send e-cards which is an economical way to let someone know that you appreciate/love/are thankful for them. Plus this way saves trees. Once you have finished sending all your cards you can uninstall the toolbar. Enjoy!

More free samples

I've noticed that everyone loves to get a free sample of something in the mail. It makes me almost giddy! Here are some new samples I've come across.

1. Are you a fan of truffles? If you've never tried them before you should try this sample of truffle oil. It is to be used as a condiment to enhance the flavor of food. I'm looking forward to getting this one. Click here for your sample while it lasts.

2. Here is a free sample of Bear Naked fruit and nut granola. Scoop it up here. You can even track your samples shipping status! And it's all free. Talk about a great deal.

3. If you're like me you never have enough key chains. Get a free Bad Dog keychain to replenish your collection. Click here now.

4. Here's how to get a dollar into your paypal account. Click here and take a survey and you should receive payment within 7 days. Let me know how this opportunity works out.

5. Here's a free sample of Lacoste pink perfume.

6. If you haven't tried these flossers now is a great time to get them for free. Do it now before they are all gone.

6. Here is my absolute favorite find of the day. A sample of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. I have fallen in love with this for my meatloaf. You'll love it to. Here is a coupon for a free bottle.

That should be enough to keep you busy for a little while. Enjoy!

Shopping

It's that time of year again when I am home and have weeks stretching in front of me with nothing specific to do. This is the time of year when I start going on the web and visiting some of my favorite sites. Some have to do with shopping, some with music, and some are just have random awesomeness. Here is a list of some of my favorite sites. Be sure to add yours to the list. I love to find new sites of interest.

5. I like this site because I love music. You can sign up for a free trial and listen to all the music you like for free. What I like to do though is search for the music that I loved when I was in high school. I think that is one of the coolest things of all. I think the years are divided up into quarters and if you can't remember the name of song that you liked in the pass, you can just think of the time of year when it came out and search it out. You'll never miss out on your favorite music again if you sign up for this.

4. Amazon is one of my favorite sites. You can get music and books in one place. Add to that everything else you need for your home and you have one awesome site. Need I say more?

3. Well...I have to admit. I do like ebay sometimes. You get unique things on there and I just really get a kick out of winning something. I'm not good at winning a lot of games in my life. I'm not quick witted or clever so my husband tries to get rid of me as a teammate on every occasion. Don't feel sorry for me though cause on the off chance that I do win I'm not a graceful winner. Where was I? Oh yeah, ebay= fun times.

2. Do you have pets? Well, if you do then this is the place for you to shop for them. They have the neatest pet supplies. You even find things you didn't think you needed for pets. Like that yellow rain slicker and matching booties. Hey, dogs don't like getting rained on either just because they gotta go.


1. Drumroll please...Here is my number one favorite place to buy jewelry and the occasional art piece from: Bidz- the largest online jewelry auction site. Up to 95% off gold jewelry, engagement rings, watches, diamond jewelry, and much more - starting at $1, every 5 seconds. Click and bid today! I have bought a diamond ring, a pair of diamond earrings, a sapphire ring and earrings, even art- a Caroline Young and an Azoulay print. It always comes as described, which is important to me. I love my art! The prices are great and I can tell you from personal experience that sometimes you can get jewelry at super low prices. What is awesome is that there are so many auctions going that you can USUALLY wait. If the piece you really want is getting to be more than you want to pay alot of times it comes back around after 10 minutes or so. Not always but a lot of times that's how it works. Get ready for some addictive jewelry buying fun. You will love it.

Speaking of doing stuff online, if you have not yet signed up for the newsletter you are missing out on learning how to do online mystery shopping. Click here for more information on how to get this valuable info. It is only available until the end of December and then poof- it's gone.

Now I've told you some of my favorite sites, what are yours?

D'oh of the Day

Hello everyone, it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. I've been kinda busy counting down the days until it was time for vacation time to begin. Now I'm back in the saddle again. And since my vacation started officially as of 3:15 this afternoon, I'm wondering whether time will go in super speed mode or whether it will be slooooow. Either way I plan on getting in some more posts. I had a mystery shopping experience today as I do frequently. This one didn't directly involve completing a shop.

Let me start at the beginning. Today at about 1:30 I got a call to my cell phone. It happened to be on vibrate, as I usually put in on that at work so I don't have to take out my cellie in front of all of my students and have a conversation in front of them. First of all it is super distracting. Secondly I am embarrassed about the condition of my phone. I am one of the types that could care less about bells and whistles on phones. I just want it to make and receive phone calls and the rare text message from my sister who continues to text me no matter how many times I ask her not to.

So there I was this afternoon, letting the kids decorate little sun visors and velcroing and hot gluing them together while a swarm of student enclosed my desk reaching their cute little germy hands everywhere. The phone vibrated in my pocket when it was ringing. I knew it had to be a call about a mystery shop because everyone else knows that I'm a teacher and they don't call me during the day. I didn't even pause what I was doing because I figured that I'd just call them back.

Well...at around 4:30 I finally checked my messages and found that I probably should have checked my messages earlier. One of the good shops. It was one of those alchohol shops that I've written about in an earlier post. Click here to read more details about that. I guess this company must have been pretty desperate to get that shop done because they were adding a $20 bonus on top of the shop fee of $10, PLUS reimbursement. Yeah...so I called the scheduler back three hours later only to find that the shop had already been assigned. ARGH

The lesson for me is to be available and to return calls as soon as I can. I mean it's not like I was at home playing video games or something and just didn't feel like calling them back...but I am notorious about procrastination so I guess I got what I deserve this time. Don't be like me and miss out on your valuable shops.