- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 595
- Points
- 138
April 2014:
I thought it was about time I started keeping a record of my online earnings in the hope it might encourage others to dip a toe.
BTW, my rather obscure username is inspired by a chemical, Coomassie blue, that is used in laboratories as a dye marker to show the presence of proteins. In reality it's a tricky substance to work with but that's another story! Jon cheekily nicknamed me Funky Blue Dog in an earlier post and it has kind of stuck!
I joined The Money Shed in mid-January 2014 having never tried to earn online, other than a couple of cashback transactions through Quidco and TopCashback. With the help and advice offered on here I have gone from pretty much zero to a very welcome online revenue that is not to be sniffed at.
I should point out that I am self-employed in a role that takes me away from home a fair bit, so my online earning activities are intended as a supplement while I establish my new business. Some days I can't spend more than a few minutes online, and if I am at my desk I'm often multi-tasking.
I'm very much in the "look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves" camp. It doesn't bother me whether or not I'm earning a minimum wage from my online earning activities - any income at all is appreciated. I've always lived frugally, so any extra earnings can go a long way in my house.
I'm coming up to a busy time of year and won't get online so much for a while, so I decided it might be best to work on a quarterly basis, rather than the monthly version some of our other Shedders have gone for.
All amounts shown have been successfully redeemed:
Selling on eBay
April 2014: In the traditional decluttering sense - the profit from a good old clearout (after listing/final value fees, postage, PayPal fees) = £417.67
Mid-year update: I've not listed for a while, but aim to list 20 items a month as that's how many eBay grants with no listing fees these days. I'll also take advantage of the free scheduling for these so that I can upload items at my leisure - when I'm in the mood!
End of year update: I didn't get round to listing any more items in 2014
Completing online surveys
I've limited myself to a select few survey sites to avoid burnout:
Valued Opinions = April 2014: £40 (3 x £10 Argos vouchers, 1 x £10 Flexecode) | Mid-year update: £70 (5 x £10 Argos vouchers, 1 x £10 Flexecode, 1 x £10 M&S) | End of year update 2014: £100 in total
GlobalTestMarket = April 2014: £30 PayPal | Mid-year update: £60 PayPal | End of year update 2014: £90 in total
Pinecone Research = April 2014: £3 luncheon vouchers | Mid-year update: £15 (PayPal these days!) | End of year update 2014: £36 in total
Populus Live surveys through TopCashback at 89p each = Mid-year update: £6.23 | End of year update 2014: £18.69 in total
YouGov = April 2014: working towards 5000 points for £50 payout threshold | Mid-year update: 2500 points | End of year update 2014: £50 in total
"Get Paid To" (GPT) sites/plugins
GiftHulk = April 2014: £14.59 (have now reached Platinum level) | Mid-year update: £55.47 (have reached top Diamond level) | End of year update 2014: £69 in total
Qmee = April 2014: £3.12 | Mid-year update: £4.12 | End of year update 2014: £6.47 in total
SwagBucks = April 2014: haven't redeemed any ££ as yet but won a Kindle Fire HDX in a Swagstakes | Mid-year update: £36 (£21 Amazon vouchers, £15 iTunes vouchers) | End of year update 2014: £56 in total
Cashback sites
Quidco = April 2014: £29.26 (bingo profit after deduction for deposit, ClickSnap) | Mid-year update: lots pending but taking ages! | End of year update 2014: £264 in total
TopCashback = April 2014: £11.26 M&S voucher (printer ink, dog food, Snap & Save) | Mid-year update: £16.55 but lots pending and taking ages! | End of year update 2014: £212.30 in total
Amazon Local = April 2014: £8.00 off a train ticket
April 2014 summary: I'll update again for the second quarter, but won't set any targets as such. My main focus will probably be the cashback site opportunities (bingo, credit checks), as well as keeping the surveys and GPT sites ticking along. I will also look at upgrading to a decent smartphone (Android/iPhone) so I can explore Roamler type opportunities.
It's pleasing seeing it all written down
Mid-year update:
I addition to the above I've:
- had a go at mystery shopping (see separate thread) which has brought in some extra income and goodies. I started out with Market Force, but have recently signed up to eDigital and ESA
- bought a new laptop and like others on here I've registered with iSoftStone as a Search Engine Evaluator and am awaiting training and qualification tests
- started a new mobile phone contract and acquired an Android handset at last to replace the hopeless Windows effort I had before. It is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and a thing of sheer beauty! I love it - but it's taking me a while to get used to it. I have downloaded the Streetspotr, Roamler, and Clic and Walk apps - such fun! (Clic and Walk has earned me £27.55 so far)
- started the online website beginners course kindly arranged for me by TheRewardGuy (cheers Kristian) and intend to set up a website promoting a neighbour's handmade craft business
- thought about starting a blog but I'm still mulling over ideas
I'm very happy with how things have gone so far this year. Thanks again to all Shedders for your advice and support
***End of year update for 2014***
It's been a fantastic year - I've summarised it in a new post below (8th January 2015) along with ideas for the year ahead
I thought it was about time I started keeping a record of my online earnings in the hope it might encourage others to dip a toe.
BTW, my rather obscure username is inspired by a chemical, Coomassie blue, that is used in laboratories as a dye marker to show the presence of proteins. In reality it's a tricky substance to work with but that's another story! Jon cheekily nicknamed me Funky Blue Dog in an earlier post and it has kind of stuck!
I joined The Money Shed in mid-January 2014 having never tried to earn online, other than a couple of cashback transactions through Quidco and TopCashback. With the help and advice offered on here I have gone from pretty much zero to a very welcome online revenue that is not to be sniffed at.
I should point out that I am self-employed in a role that takes me away from home a fair bit, so my online earning activities are intended as a supplement while I establish my new business. Some days I can't spend more than a few minutes online, and if I am at my desk I'm often multi-tasking.
I'm very much in the "look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves" camp. It doesn't bother me whether or not I'm earning a minimum wage from my online earning activities - any income at all is appreciated. I've always lived frugally, so any extra earnings can go a long way in my house.
I'm coming up to a busy time of year and won't get online so much for a while, so I decided it might be best to work on a quarterly basis, rather than the monthly version some of our other Shedders have gone for.
All amounts shown have been successfully redeemed:
Selling on eBay
April 2014: In the traditional decluttering sense - the profit from a good old clearout (after listing/final value fees, postage, PayPal fees) = £417.67
Mid-year update: I've not listed for a while, but aim to list 20 items a month as that's how many eBay grants with no listing fees these days. I'll also take advantage of the free scheduling for these so that I can upload items at my leisure - when I'm in the mood!
End of year update: I didn't get round to listing any more items in 2014
Completing online surveys
I've limited myself to a select few survey sites to avoid burnout:
Valued Opinions = April 2014: £40 (3 x £10 Argos vouchers, 1 x £10 Flexecode) | Mid-year update: £70 (5 x £10 Argos vouchers, 1 x £10 Flexecode, 1 x £10 M&S) | End of year update 2014: £100 in total
GlobalTestMarket = April 2014: £30 PayPal | Mid-year update: £60 PayPal | End of year update 2014: £90 in total
Pinecone Research = April 2014: £3 luncheon vouchers | Mid-year update: £15 (PayPal these days!) | End of year update 2014: £36 in total
Populus Live surveys through TopCashback at 89p each = Mid-year update: £6.23 | End of year update 2014: £18.69 in total
YouGov = April 2014: working towards 5000 points for £50 payout threshold | Mid-year update: 2500 points | End of year update 2014: £50 in total
"Get Paid To" (GPT) sites/plugins
GiftHulk = April 2014: £14.59 (have now reached Platinum level) | Mid-year update: £55.47 (have reached top Diamond level) | End of year update 2014: £69 in total
Qmee = April 2014: £3.12 | Mid-year update: £4.12 | End of year update 2014: £6.47 in total
SwagBucks = April 2014: haven't redeemed any ££ as yet but won a Kindle Fire HDX in a Swagstakes | Mid-year update: £36 (£21 Amazon vouchers, £15 iTunes vouchers) | End of year update 2014: £56 in total
Cashback sites
Quidco = April 2014: £29.26 (bingo profit after deduction for deposit, ClickSnap) | Mid-year update: lots pending but taking ages! | End of year update 2014: £264 in total
TopCashback = April 2014: £11.26 M&S voucher (printer ink, dog food, Snap & Save) | Mid-year update: £16.55 but lots pending and taking ages! | End of year update 2014: £212.30 in total
Amazon Local = April 2014: £8.00 off a train ticket
April 2014 summary: I'll update again for the second quarter, but won't set any targets as such. My main focus will probably be the cashback site opportunities (bingo, credit checks), as well as keeping the surveys and GPT sites ticking along. I will also look at upgrading to a decent smartphone (Android/iPhone) so I can explore Roamler type opportunities.
It's pleasing seeing it all written down
Mid-year update:
I addition to the above I've:
- had a go at mystery shopping (see separate thread) which has brought in some extra income and goodies. I started out with Market Force, but have recently signed up to eDigital and ESA
- bought a new laptop and like others on here I've registered with iSoftStone as a Search Engine Evaluator and am awaiting training and qualification tests
- started a new mobile phone contract and acquired an Android handset at last to replace the hopeless Windows effort I had before. It is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and a thing of sheer beauty! I love it - but it's taking me a while to get used to it. I have downloaded the Streetspotr, Roamler, and Clic and Walk apps - such fun! (Clic and Walk has earned me £27.55 so far)
- started the online website beginners course kindly arranged for me by TheRewardGuy (cheers Kristian) and intend to set up a website promoting a neighbour's handmade craft business
- thought about starting a blog but I'm still mulling over ideas
I'm very happy with how things have gone so far this year. Thanks again to all Shedders for your advice and support
***End of year update for 2014***
It's been a fantastic year - I've summarised it in a new post below (8th January 2015) along with ideas for the year ahead