My moneymaking journey...

Queen Jess

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Managed to list 3 items on eBay and will see how they do. Currently have to work through a load of life admin this next week and overhauling the little ones bedtime routine now he is all well, so trying to give myself a break and not be too hard on myself!
 

Queen Jess

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A bit of progress in "sorting out my life", but not much with relation to money making per se. Making progress with toddler sleeping (was the first night last night of the new regime) after giving in and hiring a sleep expert for the sake of my sanity. On the plus side, should mean I have more time in the evenings for money making in a few weeks.

Sorted out which slow cooker I want and convincing husband to order it (he is paying for half of it from the joint account). Looking forward to trying out recipes and cooking from scratch more.

Finally I got accepted by Usertesting and have set up my account ready. Can't wait to start earning!
 

Queen Jess

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Small progress today... I have £15 now in Branded Surveys that I have to wait to be approved (2 weeks) and suddenly seem to have gold status which apparently means I get more points for answering polls etc. Not entirely sure how that happened!

I also completed my first user testing item and waiting for it to be approved (hopefully), so I can then get access to more work with it. Also got £10 already sat in Prolific Academic. Means I have definitely got £25 out of my targeted £100 of surveys which will be cashed out in September!

Still waiting on utest to send me the invite so I can start working on there.
 
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Queen Jess

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Small progress today... I have £15 now in Branded Surveys that I have to wait to be approved (2 weeks) and suddenly seem to have gold status which apparently means I get more points for answering polls etc. Not entirely sure how that happened!

I also completed my first user testing item and waiting for it to be approved (hopefully), so I can then get access to more work with it. Also got £10 already sat in Prolific Academic. Means I have definitely got £35 out of my targeted £100 of surveys which will be cashed out in September!

Still waiting on utest to send me the invite so I can start working on there.

I can't believe I never realised that you can go onto the Newvista site and take some partner surveys for points... they only credit at the end of the month, but there is only a few days left of August anyway. As I'm on £47.25 with Newvista, I am going to try to get the other few quid in partner surveys over the next couple of days so I can cash out and close out my account!
 
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Queen Jess

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Yesterday was hideous and I want to forget it ever happened.... Today I have done most of my utest test case for computers and just have a bit of admin to publish it later this evening. I have also had my first usertesting item approved and requested to cash out on Branded Surveys and Enlightly.

Small steps!
 

Queen Jess

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Right so new month and for some reason I totally forgot how busy work would be! Might make my targets a bit tricky (£100 surveys, £100 matched betting and £50 other), but will see how it goes.

Almost at £15 for prolific, so hopefully can cash out this week. I also got my first utest test case completed and approved and am now joining a mobile one for this week. Hopefully I will start getting some paid ones soon...
 
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Queen Jess

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Not achieved too much this week as work is really busy. I need to figure out a money making routine for myself, but I also need a routine generally for my life so still figuring all that out slowly.

On the plus side I trialled my slow cooker and it is awesome... I made a lovely lamb curry and have extra in my freezer :) I even braved making bread without my breadmaker today and it turned out really nice. Although I like that I can dump the ingredients in the breadmaker and know how it will turn out, I always find the bread a bit dense despite following the recipe that comes with it. It is actually quicker to make without the breadmaker so maybe I don't need one anymore and can claw back a bit more space!

I did manage to submit another test case for utest (mobile this time), so fingers crossed I pass that one and start getting some paid ones coming through. I have a vague aim to try and get through one a week at the moment.

Will get back to doing some surveys this evening whilst I am knackered and thinking of setting myself an aim to do for my website each week. This week will be updating the product descriptions, images and pricing, then I can work on the advertising bit for next week.

I did have an invite for some advertising to go onto my site, but in two minds about whether to have any on there or not at the moment, or whether to just stick with the paid listings... decisions, decisions..
 
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Jon

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Not achieved too much this week as work is really busy. I need to figure out a money making routine for myself, but I also need a routine generally for my life so still figuring all that out slowly.

On the plus side I trialled my slow cooker and it is awesome... I made a lovely lamb curry and have extra in my freezer :) I even braved making bread without my breadmaker today and it turned out really nice. Although I like that I can dump the ingredients in the breadmaker and know how it will turn out, I always find the bread a bit dense despite following the recipe that comes with it. It is actually quicker to make without the breadmaker so maybe I don't need one anymore and can claw back a bit more space!

I did manage to submit another test case for utest (mobile this time), so fingers crossed I pass that one and start getting some paid ones coming through. I have a vague aim to try and get through one a week at the moment.

Will get back to doing some surveys this evening whilst I am knackered and thinking of setting myself an aim to do for my website each week. This week will be updating the product descriptions, images and pricing, then I can work on the advertising bit for next week.

I did have an invite for some advertising to go onto my site, but in two minds about whether to have any on there or not at the moment, or whether to just stick with the paid listings... decisions, decisions..

which pays the most over the long term? (say a 6 months period)
 

Queen Jess

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which pays the most over the long term? (say a 6 months period)

Um no idea... the advertising is a commission on actual sales through my site. It depends therefore on how many people i would have either clicking on advertising or taking paid subscriptions. I am guessing if I sort out my paid listings that these would pay better.
 

Queen Jess

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Been stupidly busy (as always). I split my targets this month between surveys, "other" and matched betting and it is an interesting example of what makes more money in less time.

So... I am struggling a bit with surveys despite trying relatively hard (£53.35 / £100). "Other" (£53.26 / £50) I got through very easily with my new favourite site usertesting (I really like doing the tests and wish I had time to do more..). Matched betting I have not really got back into and done none until today... after doing 5 free spins and a Bet365 deal I am now on £89.01 / £100 including netting my Oddsmonkey fees for the month!

So clearly surveys do not pay! I am still being screened out of all Newvista surveys so am stuck on £47.75 and still need £2.25 to cash out. So annoying! Really just doing this, Onepoll (on £35 / £40), prolific and branded surveys at the moment. Might do Quickthoughts if they are short and I am bored.

Trying to do what I can whilst I am busy. Going to try and get back into a little bit of matched betting and am attempting to do 1 usertesting item per weekday. Will see where I get to!
 

Queen Jess

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Well somehow I managed to smash my target for this month (mainly thanks to 2 casino deals where I won around £80 and £60). I feel like I am back in the money making game now.

Need to keep it up for next month... may increase my targets a bit for the non-survey stuff as I am struggling to make much on the surveys and they are time consuming (although they are useful to do in the evenings when too tired to do anything else). I think I will go for:

Surveys £75
Matched betting £150
Other £125
Total £350 (increase of £100 on September)

Not had any paid utest projects yet, but am really enjoying the usertesting ones (although keep getting screened out in the past week or so). Really need to get back to my website to get it up and running again. Also I might one day cash out of Newvista (£48.25 in there..) and One Poll (£35.90 in there) - they are both frustratingly close!

Already starting work on the surveys target for next month since they normally take a bit of time to cash out.
 

Ginnybean

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Well somehow I managed to smash my target for this month (mainly thanks to 2 casino deals where I won around £80 and £60). I feel like I am back in the money making game now.

Need to keep it up for next month... may increase my targets a bit for the non-survey stuff as I am struggling to make much on the surveys and they are time consuming (although they are useful to do in the evenings when too tired to do anything else). I think I will go for:

Surveys £75
Matched betting £150
Other £125
Total £350 (increase of £100 on September)

Not had any paid utest projects yet, but am really enjoying the usertesting ones (although keep getting screened out in the past week or so). Really need to get back to my website to get it up and running again. Also I might one day cash out of Newvista (£48.25 in there..) and One Poll (£35.90 in there) - they are both frustratingly close!

Already starting work on the surveys target for next month since they normally take a bit of time to cash out.

Out of interest can I ask what is included in "other"? Thanks :)
 

Queen Jess

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So, it is almost October already and I am thinking about making a start on October earnings.. I actually earnt more in Casinos this month than making sport bets thanks to some free spins, so may be a while before I get a nice positive variance.

I found £35 in old Oyster cards. Waiting for £15 to hit my bank account and the other one I had to contact customer services and so might take a while to get that one through. Hoping it'll come through in October and so already £35 through "other". Had an eBay sale, but they haven't paid yet and I only count them once I have posted and know the postage cost.. only about £2, but everything helps!

Also won £15 in the Casino earlier (more free spins), but not counting that until it is in my account as I haven't withdrawn from them before. It takes a few days, but it'll be a nice start to the week.

Need to hit the surveys this evening to make a nice start on these!
 

Queen Jess

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Wahoo! Finally got a Newvista survey for 150 points taking me to 5025 points... only took 3 years... Now just waiting for it to show up on my account and then to see my shiny cheque in the post :)
 
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Queen Jess

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I don't know where to start with this post really... I've been really ill for a few weeks, then before that having a really hard time at work. Just starting to get back into money making today/yesterday.

I found out that I set up my files slightly wrong on gmail and actually had a bunch of survey emails going straight to archive rather than to the inbox or other folders I would check. I was wondering why I didn't ever get surveys for some places... It means I am now not sure which survey sites work for me and I am starting the process all over again!

Instead of worrying about the long term (or at least trying....), I am going to go for lots of shorter term goals to keep myself motivated and still get to the end goal (part time work and early retirement - both requiring mortgage to be significantly paid down).

So.. as this is nearly the end of the year (yikes!), I am starting with a clean slate. I am thinking of changing up things to see how it goes as follows:
1. Try to reduce outgoings so that my take home pay leaves me with enough savings left over for the extra pension/investments I want to make. I think I am about £300-400 short, so going to need to go through my budget again with a fine toothcomb in the next few weeks. I'll report back.
2. Surveys, tasks etc all to use to pay for those one off big ticket items (which never seem to be that one off!) as well as build up an emergency fund.
3. Matched betting to use for mortgage overpayments (there is something very pleasing to my mind to think "I paid £X off my mortgage this year by matched betting"). I would love to be anywhere from £5k - £10k a year in overpayments, but I am happy with anything!

In January I am expecting to buy a sofa and other bits and pieces, so the first aim will be to save £1,000 from surveys and tasks. I will go for anything on matched betting to get the mortgage down a bit by end of December.
 
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Jon

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I don't know where to start with this post really... I've been really ill for a few weeks, then before that having a really hard time at work. Just starting to get back into money making today/yesterday.

I found out that I set up my files slightly wrong on gmail and actually had a bunch of survey emails going straight to archive rather than to the inbox or other folders I would check. I was wondering why I didn't ever get surveys for some places... It means I am now not sure which survey sites work for me and I am starting the process all over again!

Instead of worrying about the long term (or at least trying....), I am going to go for lots of shorter term goals to keep myself motivated and still get to the end goal (part time work and early retirement - both requiring mortgage to be significantly paid down).

So.. as this is nearly the end of the year (yikes!), I am starting with a clean slate. I am thinking of changing up things to see how it goes as follows:
1. Try to reduce outgoings so that my take home pay leaves me with enough savings left over for the extra pension/investments I want to make. I think I am about £300-400 short, so going to need to go through my budget again with a fine toothcomb in the next few weeks. I'll report back.
2. Surveys, tasks etc all to use to pay for those one off big ticket items (which never seem to be that one off!) as well as build up an emergency fund.
3. Matched betting to use for mortgage overpayments (there is something very pleasing to my mind to think "I paid £X off my mortgage this year by matched betting"). I would love to be anywhere from £5k - £10k a year in overpayments, but I am happy with anything!

In January I am expecting to buy a sofa and other bits and pieces, so the first aim will be to save £1,000 from surveys and tasks. I will go for anything on matched betting to get the mortgage down a bit by end of December.
Sorry to hear things haven’t been great for you health and work wise!!

I agree with you that short term goals may be the way to go so you at least feel you are achieving something for your time. I’m a VERY short term goal orientated person anyway so that’s how I tend to work with lots of different areas of my life so I’m always looking for “quick wins” that I could do!!
 
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Queen Jess

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Small update for this week. Haven't done the budget, but decided to try and stick to £70 a week for all groceries including nappies, washing stuff etc and see if that helps (currently no idea how much we were spending, but it was definitely too much.... I have taken back control of the shopping list and meal planning from hubbie who is useless!). I've done pretty well in using up stuff in my fridge as there is usually something I can't use up somewhere - I have never seen it so empty! Still got a nicely stocked freezer that I am working my way through. Actually managed to hit my budget for a couple of weeks now, although been tough as we have had lots of expensive one off purchases including medicines, washing powder (I buy a bulk lot) and dishwasher tablets. I'm using the Pennies app to track it all easily and I am allowing rollover from week to week.

Done tons of surveys this week and definitely not sustainable as I'll go mad, but I have been writing down the value of what I have done for the week per site. It is definitely worth doing because I can so easily see where I am making most money and I know which ones I find annoying or are not worth it. Hopefully I can start getting into a more sensible routine so less effort with the same return and eject some of the low earners (I'm looking at you Enlightly..).

Also remembered that I really like doing the user testing stuff, so will do more of these as I hopefully spend less time on surveys. Need to pick up the matched betting too at some point. Did a bit this week but only managed to make £2 net!
 
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FYeah

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Small update for this week. Haven't done the budget, but decided to try and stick to £70 a week for all groceries including nappies, washing stuff etc and see if that helps (currently no idea how much we were spending, but it was definitely too much.... I have taken back control of the shopping list and meal planning from hubbie who is useless!). I've done pretty well in using up stuff in my fridge as there is usually something I can't use up somewhere - I have never seen it so empty! Still got a nicely stocked freezer that I am working my way through. Actually managed to hit my budget for a couple of weeks now, although been tough as we have had lots of expensive one off purchases including medicines, washing powder (I buy a bulk lot) and dishwasher tablets. I'm using the Pennies app to track it all easily and I am allowing rollover from week to week.

Done tons of surveys this week and definitely not sustainable as I'll go mad, but I have been writing down the value of what I have done for the week per site. It is definitely worth doing because I can so easily see where I am making most money and I know which ones I find annoying or are not worth it. Hopefully I can start getting into a more sensible routine so less effort with the same return and eject some of the low earners (I'm looking at you Enlightly..).

Also remembered that I really like doing the user testing stuff, so will do more of these as I hopefully spend less time on surveys. Need to pick up the matched betting too at some point. Did a bit this week but only managed to make £2 net!

Which sites are you earning the most, out of interest, on surveys?

Good work! Enjoying reading all these diary’s, very motivational.
 

Queen Jess

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Which sites are you earning the most, out of interest, on surveys?

Good work! Enjoying reading all these diary’s, very motivational.

Thanks! I always have good intentions, but life seems to always get in the way and things change :) Hopefully I can keep this one going for a while and make some good progress.

On surveys it is unsurprising that Prolific is the best (£18.49 this week!) and definitely the least time spent. Then for me I managed to make £11.81 at Global testmarket. The rest tend to be a few quid (Panelbase, Valued opinions, branded surveys, One poll). The valued opinions ones are good as there are lots, but I find lots of the surveys get boring so I don't take very many.

I'll keep the low burners for a while (Newvista and YouGov) and consider if they make sense over a longer time period. I got £1 or so from each of these this week. I actually just put my cheque into the bank for Newvista and already got to £6 online.
 
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