How did you end up earning in the earning money online club?

[Jon]

Was talking about this the other day with someone.

How did you end up being part of the club where you are constantly scouring the Internet for new ways to earn a new income or find yet another way to earn money online that will fit in with your lifestyle?


For me it was more to do with amazement!

I remember back when I was at college in the early 2000s there was a guy in our class called Andrew. He was earning money just by clicking on Banners on websites (If you remember late 90s early 2000s websites they were VERY banner heavy). Anyway, he would click on these things with no sell-through needing to take place and he would get a cheque once a month for money. Not a lot mind you, think it was about £20/£30 a month but I was still amazed that you could earn an income online.

Years went by and someone else I went to Uni with said they were doing surveys online to earn money. I took a look and they were getting paid £1/£1.50 for each time they did these surveys, I scoffed at the very thought of having to earn so little however a few years later I contacted him over Facebook and asked which sites were the best to use.

And I remember that rainy Saturday afternoon being the starting block for me as from that I found the green site and then ChaCha and then iPhone Apps and then Appen and 63336 and then Focus groups and here I am now trying to run a site which helps others to find the best ways to earn money online that suits THEIR lifestyle.

Still the amazement is there. I have a mate at work who runs a VERY popular fishing blog which has adsense on it and he earns a good amount from it. Equally I am impressed with how much our friendly YouTube video maker on here can earn from her videos, especially as the platform is laid out entirely for her, all she does is have to upload them and she can earn some money.

I think it is that amazement that keeps driving me to find new and interesting ways that will fit in with my lifestyle.

It's odd in that while I have a successful career in my full time job I still want to earn money this way. I think it is to do with the fact that I work for a VERY large organisation and I work for someone else. With all this I only answer to myself and work when I want and thus have complete control of my Income. I think that is why franchise opportunities like Utility Warehouse and the rest are very popular with stay at home parents as it maybe gives them a real sense of control again along with a good sense of independence.

The opportunities now are ten times what was available back when I first heard of that banner clicking method but it very much seems to be about who/what you know and the circles you frequent online as to if you get to know about these opportunities and that Is something I have always wanted to change.

 

[ted]

I have a job I enjoy and earn enough to get by. I realised the need to budget which led me to the the green site site, which then led me to the 'Boost your income' section of their forum.

I was also amazed to see you could earn online. Initially I only really worked with Swagbucks and a few survey sites before branching out a bit and finding which sites pay better etc. For the moment, my financial situation has improved a bit but its good to know there's options out there to boost income.

 

[The Funky Blue Dog]

I agree with you both Jon and Ted. Starting out with the surveys and Swagbucks-type sites is a fabulous way to dip your toe in the water, and once you see the rewards coming in from those it can give you the confidence to start exploring other opportunities that are out there.

Jon - I really like what you've said about finding the methods that suit your individual lifestyle. Not just your particular circumstances eg stay at home mum, student, part-time worker etc, but your personal ambitions. There are opportunities discussed on The Money Shed to suit all preferences eg those who want something more meaty and regular (your 63336 for example), or a bit of gentle clicking while slobbed in front of the telly (Swagbucks, GiftHulk, ClixSense etc).

There's no right or wrong way to go about it - but how fab is it to bring in an income from that little box of internet magic perched on your knee ;D

 

[Blackpepper1]

Yes I agree too with both Ted and Jon and Coomassie_blu.
Starting with Swagbucks and surveys are the way I got started with earning online and using the green site Forum to find other paying sites.
Now I have a nice steady income and it is rewarding to see it continually growing as I have picked up more helpful info on here and the the green site Forum.
We all have to find what suits us best. It is dependent on how much time you have and what you enjoy doing.

 

[katastrophy]

I think I started off with Beenz - anyone remember them? I loved them! You went to various websites and found and clicked on the little Beenz applet and earned Beenz in your wallet, which when you had enough you could change up for high street vouchers. I was a student so I used to get Wetherspoons vouchers Then I went on to surveys and mystery shoppping, a very heavy spell of comping while I worked part time - loved this, won so many strange things. Then I think I got into focus groups.

Um, then I earned a couple of grand matched betting using the the green site forums which really blew my mind - I couldn't understand it at first but I asked my smartest friend and got him into it, and he has had about £10k over the years - best of all it's winnings so it's tax free. These days I do have a blog but I haven't really monetised it, I am paid to do online forums, in person, I go to Universities and take part in their psychology experiments, I still do some surveys but I have cherrypicked which companies I use. I get freebies to test from Bzzagent and various other places. I also do focus groups which are great.

My motivation is to pay off my mortgage and to travel more these days, in the beginning it was just to survive as a student. People marvel when I tell them about my ways and I try to get people into online earning in a way I think will suit them best because I get a buzz from helping them. I love this forum because it's so full of likeminded people, whereas half my friends think I'm just nuts. I also am amazed at the variety of opportunities out there, hardly a week goes by I don't spot some new scheme or company I think I can make something from!

 

[Jon]

I think I started off with Beenz - anyone remember them? I loved them! You went to various websites and found and clicked on the little Beenz applet and earned Beenz in your wallet, which when you had enough you could change up for high street vouchers. I was a student so I used to get Wetherspoons vouchers Then I went on to surveys and mystery shoppping, a very heavy spell of comping while I worked part time - loved this, won so many strange things. Then I think I got into focus groups.

Um, then I earned a couple of grand matched betting using the the green site forums which really blew my mind - I couldn't understand it at first but I asked my smartest friend and got him into it, and he has had about £10k over the years - best of all it's winnings so it's tax free. These days I do have a blog but I haven't really monetised it, I am paid to do online forums, in person, I go to Universities and take part in their psychology experiments, I still do some surveys but I have cherrypicked which companies I use. I get freebies to test from Bzzagent and various other places. I also do focus groups which are great.

My motivation is to pay off my mortgage and to travel more these days, in the beginning it was just to survive as a student. People marvel when I tell them about my ways and I try to get people into online earning in a way I think will suit them best because I get a buzz from helping them. I love this forum because it's so full of likeminded people, whereas half my friends think I'm just nuts. I also am amazed at the variety of opportunities out there, hardly a week goes by I don't spot some new scheme or company I think I can make something from!

I have bolded the bits where I would love to know more.. Sounds fascinating - especially the experiments.

 

[Jon]

I agree with you both Jon and Ted. Starting out with the surveys and Swagbucks-type sites is a fabulous way to dip your toe in the water, and once you see the rewards coming in from those it can give you the confidence to start exploring other opportunities that are out there.

Jon - I really like what you've said about finding the methods that suit your individual lifestyle. Not just your particular circumstances eg stay at home mum, student, part-time worker etc, but your personal ambitions. There are opportunities discussed on The Money Shed to suit all preferences eg those who want something more meaty and regular (your 63336 for example), or a bit of gentle clicking while slobbed in front of the telly (Swagbucks, GiftHulk, ClixSense etc).

There's no right or wrong way to go about it - but how fab is it to bring in an income from that little box of internet magic perched on your knee ;D

I really think that there are only two real aspects that would change how you go about earning money online

Individual Lifestyle
and
Personal Ambition

They are both quite inter-related if you think about it. If I only wanted to earn say £20 a month I could do that VERY easily just by doing a few surveys. If I just want that £20 to pay for my Netflix and Spotify subscription then I am happy.

This month I am personally trying to reach £900. I am lucky that my lifestyle allows me to do 2 hours a day this month to hit that target, without that lifestyle I wouldn't be able to do it so it really is swings and roundabouts.

When I first started earning even just earning £100 a month seems like some kind of crazy dream. It wasn't really until I was introduced to Mystery Shopping that I realised I could easily earn £50-£70 a month from that. The only reason I really stopping doing MSing was the upfront fees were getting more and the fees were getting less but the whole thing gave me a real sense of understanding what sort of money could be earned (and it also showed me just how fiercely competitive people are in getting these jobs).

I think in the long run you have to do what works for you at this time. Be it £10 or £900 a month, each is achievable if it fits into your lifestyle.

 

[Tuliplady]

I started off really with mystery shopping, at a time when I needed to find a way of making money. To begin with it was quite lucrative however I now just do a few ms jobs a month, again because of the hourly rate when you bring into consideration traveling and report time too. Oh and those reports, I used to want to bash my head against a wall! However it brought me into surveys and then merchandising and auditing work. This I enjoy, a fairly good hourly rate plus often travel paid too. So now I'm trying to manage my time efficiently with a more organised working day, so I can do my surveys, as well as exploring other avenues. In the last two weeks, I seem to be spending less time on the computer yet I have already earned an extra £50 through surveys, field agent and Voxpop. I have also deactivated my facebook account which really has given me more time in the day I'm really enjoying this forum as its straightforward and helpful.

 

[Jon]

I started off really with mystery shopping, at a time when I needed to find a way of making money. To begin with it was quite lucrative however I now just do a few ms jobs a month, again because of the hourly rate when you bring into consideration traveling and report time too. Oh and those reports, I used to want to bash my head against a wall! However it brought me into surveys and then merchandising and auditing work. This I enjoy, a fairly good hourly rate plus often travel paid too. So now I'm trying to manage my time efficiently with a more organised working day, so I can do my surveys, as well as exploring other avenues. In the last two weeks, I seem to be spending less time on the computer yet I have already earned an extra £50 through surveys, field agent and Voxpop. I have also deactivated my facebook account which really has given me more time in the day I'm really enjoying this forum as its straightforward and helpful.

Compliments get you everywhere

 

[Topaz]

For me, it all started back in the 80's. I've always loved a mental challenge, so when I left work to look after my differently abled children, I started entering competitions in my spare time. I used to do very well, as there were far less people entering back then. Ah, the memories of happy hours spent penning a witty slogan in 20 words or less, clipping coupons and trying to write my details in biro on shiny paper.

Anyway, the years went by and we got our first computer. Wow, I discovered the world of online comping. I spent around half an hour a day entering the few comps that were around in those days. A few years on, and I won a laptop! There was no stopping me now as I didn't have to share the family computer.

I then discovered online surveys. I started slowly, building up over the years. Then I began to get invites to think tanks, communispaces and communities, which are good money at the time, but don't tend to run for very long. I now spend a few hours a day doing these and bring in around £30-50 a week. Not much, but it helps with the weekly food shop.

Now that my children are older and I have more time, I'm looking for something different to do to keep my mind active. Hence landing here, via the green site.