Available again for August! Mobile Xpressions has relaunched their incentive program and if you download their App, they will send you at LEAST a FREE $5 Amazon gift card. You could get more!
Note: This one can only be downloaded on Android 5.0 or below
Here's how to do it...
1. Sign up at MobileXpressions here – You’ll need to share a little bit of information about your demographic, similarly to signing up as a Nielsen household. You’ll also need to tell them what kind of cell phone you have.
2. Download their software – It seems to be pretty easy and it runs in the background of your phone just like any other cell phone app. The site says it will have no affect on your mobile phone performance.
3. Send your data – This step doesn’t really require any work from you as the software automatically send the relevant data to MobileXpression. They don’t monitor your phone calls or personal information but they do check out the web pages you view, the links you access, and the usage times for certain device activities (e.g., text messaging, call lengths, and web browsing).
4. Collect your rewards – Once you've left the App on your phone for 2 weeks, MobileXpressions will send you at least a $5 virtual Amazon gift card just for signing up and downloading the software. They also reward members with weekly contests and will have a drawing for $100,000 jackpot at the end of the year.
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
The following is a guest post from SB, who blogs at One Cent at a Time, where he teaches about getting ahead in life, encompassing personal finance and productivity related topics.
I am fan of Kyle's innovative ways to earn extra money, so I though I'd share one of my own. Did you know that you can make extra money by renting out your personal WiFi? Crazy, right?
We all know that demand for internet access has increased a lot thanks to the reliance on the internet for daily life. Our smart phones, tablets or eReaders all require internet, wherever we go….
You can go at it on your own - privately dealing with your neighbors who can help share your internet costs. But with this route you are limited to renting your Wi-Fi to only your surrounding neighbors.
The alternative is to rent out your Wi-Fi via an intermediary company. With this method you can not only sell your Wi-Fi to your neighbors, but you can also rent it out to on-demand users. This is especially effective if you live close to public areas like train stations, bus stops, etc. (most W-fi routers have a range of 150 yards in each direction). Hypothetically, you could rent to paying users around the clock.
To get started, you'll need a high speed internet connection and a wireless router. Then, pick one of these companies to act as your intermediary...
RentMyHotSpot.com – Lets you rent out to their customers for $9.95 per month. You’ll get paid via PayPal on a monthly basis.
Fon – Fon has been in the business since 2005 and they've successfully created millions of free Wi-Fi spots all over the world by getting their users to share their connections with each other.
With Fon, you can also rent out your Wi-Fi to non-users for an hourly fee. To help your signal reach the public, they also offer Fontennas for sale, which can help boost your WiFi signal by up to 200 meters.
A couple of challenges to sharing...
- It might reduce your broadband quality, especially if you have several customers renting from you at once. However, Fon reports that most internet users only use 2-10% of their available bandwith, leaving plenty to rent out.
- Agreement with your internet service provider may prevent you from doing business with the internet connection, so be sure you check with them first.
Renting out your WiFi will definitely not make you rich, but I'm not one to turn down some extra cash. What do you think? Would you rent out your Wi-Fi?
Bay Area Mommy has hit 16k fans on Facebook and is celebrating this milestone by giving away the 3 Coach items pictured above! Thanks to our awesome cohosts -- The Penny Hoarder, Mom To Bed By 8, Freebie Spot, Kangaroo Mama and Mommy Samples -- for helping make this giveaway possible!
THE PRIZES. Click here to see the complete description with photos of each.
1st - Coach Gallery 3 Color Signature Tote ($298)
2nd - Coach Heritage Duffle ($278)
3rd - Coach Ashley Signature Sateen Zippy Wallet ($158)
Giveaway will run until July 5, 11:59pm EST. Open to US & Canada residents, 18 years & up. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for prize shipment. For questions regarding the prize, please email Bay Area Mommy at [email protected].
You have two choices in this life: grow your own food or head to the grocery store. It turns out that food is one of those things you have to spend money on, because you can’t live without it. So if you are like me and many millions of other Americans who don’t farm, you are going to spend a few hours every week shopping at the grocery store. Since you have to be there, why not use the time as an opportunity to make money?
Traditionally, making money shopping has meant mystery shopping. However, we are now into the second decade of the 21st century. We have iphones and data plans. Surely there is an app for making money at the grocery store? As it turns out, there is such an app and it’s called EasyShift.
Why is EasyShift Paying Users?
As the consumer, you are a very important person for manufacturers. Companies spend billions researching you and learning what displays will get your attention and for what price so that you’ll make a purchase at the store. However, all that money spending is useless if the retailers overprice products or have poor product displays.
EasyShift allows manufacturers and distributors to hire consumers to conduct an audit of retail outlets for them. They are looking for you to verify price and prices of competing items. They may need you to count the number of items in a display or verify the construction of a display.
It’s a win-win proposition. You get a little extra money and retailers don’t have to send a salesman earning $30/hour to verify product promotions.
How Does EasyShift Works?
After downloading the app, you’ll have access to a dashboard that shows you a number of potential jobs. These jobs involve finding certain products at a particular store location. You then report on how the product is displayed by survey or by taking a photo. Once you’ve completed the instructions you get paid.
How Much Do They Pay?
Each job is priced differently depending on the wholesaler paying the commission. In general, jobs range from $2 to $20. However, you don’t have to make any purchases at the store. If you live in a major city it’s easy to find multiple locations to audit. Payments arrive on the same day to your Paypal account.
Get Rated and Earn More...
Easy Shift also has its own rating system. With each job you complete you are given points towards your rating. The higher you rate, the more benefits you can get. Those with high ratings can reserve jobs in a work queue, get first crack at new jobs and expand their work assignments.
If you’ve ever wanted to make money while you shop. Here’s your chance Penny Hoarders.
p>As a collective continent, our money is burning a proverbial hole in our pockets. Except, it’s not quite our money. It’s our credit cards. And maybe they’re not burning a hole in our pockets so much as they’re burning a hole in our credit scores. And maybe this old adage doesn’t aptly apply at all...
Perhaps it would just be better to say that North America has the most credit card debt than any other continent on the entire planet. The United States alone has $800 billion in credit card debt and the most credit cards reported per capita, with six of them for each person in the country. On a yearly basis, each of those people charges an average of $4,000 on their cards.
North of the border, these figures don’t get much better. Canadians may hold only half as many credit cards per person as Americans, but they definitely put theirs to use more often. The average Canadian consumer charges $7,400 to his or her credit cards each year.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="483"]
Credit Card Debt Chart[/caption]
While these numbers may seem shocking on their own, you don’t really get the full picture until you put them into context. Australia, though they charge even more than Canadians on their credit cards per year (nearly $7,900 on average), only hold one credit card each. And that’s really the only continent that can go head-to-head with us on spending.
Most other countries tend to be more cautious with their credit, opting instead to use debit cards (like in the UK and France) or online bank transfers (like in Germany) rather than to charge up a card. And when it comes to charges calculated per year, Europe makes us look like we spend with abandon; French people charge less than $300 each on their credit cards each year, on average. And Germans seem to eschew the “buy now, pay later” mentality as well, only charging an average of $158 per person per year to their credit cards.
But does charging your purchases to a credit card mean that you lack financial restraint? Not always. The primary reason cited for the overwhelming use of the credit card in North America was convenience. When consumers take into account that credit cards are considered a secure way to pay, no matter where you shop, it makes it easier for them to wield their purchasing power without worry. And, whereas cash is most times irretrievably lost when misplaced or stolen, a credit card can be easily replaced.
But we could learn a thing or two from how citizens of other nations manage their credit card use. The Chinese use theirs primarily for large purchases, and Australians use theirs for paying monthly bills. Using a credit card in this way is helpful because it makes it easier to know exactly what your balance is at all times. And if you limit your credit card usage to only specific areas of your budget, you’ll be more likely to pay off the balance within a certain amount of time, rather than become a revolver who is constantly working to chip away at not only the principal but also the interest charges.
Whether we North Americans are more likely to adapt a more conservative view on credit card spending or whether the rest of the world is destined to lean more toward our credit card behaviors remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the amount that you charge to your card on a daily, monthly, or even yearly basis comes secondary to how you pay it off. When you spend big, and even when you spend small, fiscal planning and responsibility is the key.
Nothing is better than making money from something you already love doing and after two years of writing for this blog, I'm starting to believe it's possible to make money doing just about anything...Yesterday I got an email from a reader who was wondering if there was a way her adult son could turn his love of gaming into a full-time job. I was in a good mood, so I decided to skip the judgement and got straight to the advice.
I turned to our archives & the web for some links to send her and found these 9 ‘ways to make money playing games’ so I thought I’d share them here just in case there are others looking for answers. Enjoy!
1. How to Make Money Playing Computer Games
2. How to Make Money as an Undercover Video Game Auditor
3. How to Make Money Selling Video Game Accounts on Ebay
4. How to Make Money Buying & Selling Virtual Real Estate in Second Life
5. How to Be On a Gameshow: 18 Shows Looking for Contestants
6. Make Money Playing in Monopoly Tournaments
7. This Guy Made $10,000 Playing Scrabble Tournaments
8. How to Make Money Teaching Video Game Lessons
9. How to Make $200+ Hunting for Playstation Games
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
Batter up!
Most baseball enthusiasts are armchair umpires. If you love the sport of baseball and have some free time, there’s no reason you can’t be an umpire for real. There are many little league, high school and college leagues that hire umpires part-time and with a little training, hard work and the right availability, you can be the one calling the shots on the field.
Doesn't that sound like more fun then screaming at the television?
How Much Do Umpires Make?
As with any part-time job, your pay is going to be tied to how much you can work. Generally, umpires are paid per game that they officiate. Thanks to the structure of baseball tournaments, especially for little league, it means that you might be able to call several games in a single day.
The pay scale depends on the level of play that you are umpping. Little league pays between $25 and $50 per game. High school starts at around $50 or more. College ball pays over $100 per game.
Availability is also an essential element to earning more money as a part-time umpire. While little league usually runs concurrent with a normal work schedule, high school and college games can occur in the middle of the day. If you have a flexible schedule, you will likely be called to ref more games.
Requirements for Becoming an Umpire
Rules are going to vary from state to state and league to league. However, at minimum you will need to take a test to demonstrate your knowledge of baseball rules.
Other common requirements include:
- Certification: especially for high school umpires
- Umpire classes and clinics
- Background check
- Registration and fees for membership in a regional or national umpire association
In addition to meeting all the knowledge and background requirements, you also need to be able to meet the physical demands of being an umpire. You must have good vision and quick reflexes. You must be able to make quick decisions and maintain an authoritative presence in public. Often, you need to be able to handle tense situations.
Where to Start
Have I sold you already? If you think you are ready to make a little extra money officiating baseball games, you probably want to know where to start.
Little league is the best place. As you gain experience and network, you’ll find opportunities to expand into high school and college.
Most little leagues run through a local town or county athletic department. You will want to speak with a program director. For high school and college levels, there is usually a head umpire, known as the Umpire in Charge, that handles assigning games.
There are a number of umpire associations that are relatively inexpensive and offer resources for finding jobs. One of the largest is the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). There is also the Amateur Baseball Umpires’ Association (ABUA). These groups offer certifications, trainings and a connection to other umpires in your area.
For saving money on all your umpire gear, check out these Baseball Savings coupons.
Game on! Would you umpire a baseball game for extra money?
Over the last couple of years we've shared some strange ideas about things you should sell online.
From old wine corks to used cooking oil, I thought we had just about covered everything.
But, apparently not....
Some of you have gotten so creative with making extra money, we thought it would be fun to feature some of the weirdest things that have crossed our desk.
You might have heard about a couple of these. Surely you remember the Jesus toast sold on Ebay and later featured on the TV show "Glee", but did you know that a woman sold the rights to name her baby for $15,100?
Or that a man sold his imaginary friend on Ebay for $3,000? LOL!
Check out our full list of The 20 Weirdest Things Ever Sold Online...
Infographic provided by CantonFx.com
Long, long ago, before the turn of the century, before smart phones, there was a TV show called Mystery Science Theater 3000. The show featured three guys (well, two of the guys voiced-over robots) who are forced to watch poorly made movies. The bulk of the show was dedicating to screening those wretched films while the show’s cast shouted out random comments to make viewership laugh.
While the show has been off the air for over a decade, the cast is still making fun of movies and amusing viewing audiences. These days they offer a site called Rifftrax, where they sell MP3s that you can play along with your own DVDs. I’m a big fan of their show and Rifftrax MP3s (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is one of my personal favorites), but the best part of the site is that you too can make money by making fun of movies.
What is a Riff, Exactly?
Have you ever watched a bad movie with your friends? Since the movie doesn’t grab your attention, you talk throughout the movie, you make fun of the cheesy parts and crack jokes with your friends.
Now create an audio recording of that very experience and you have a riff...
How Does iRiffs Work?
The idea is pretty straight forward. The former Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast has a library of MP3s that are to be played while viewing your DVDs. Those files, riffs, are sold on their website rifftrax.com. Given the cult nature of the show, the site gets thousands of hits from potential riff shoppers.
Since the three-man group can only cover so many movies, they decided to let fans upload their own riffs and sell them on a segment of their site called iRiffs. All you need to do is make an MP3 of yourself making fun of a movie as the movie plays, upload it and set your own price. You are paid for every purchase of your MP3 library and the rifftrax owners take a percentage of the sale.
Recording & Selling Your Riff
The good news is that it is simple to record a riff. All you need is a computer microphone and an audio recording program. Creating a riff is a lot of fun, but it is also time consuming.
Any movie is going to be a few hours long. If you want to sell your audio files, you need to be good at making fun of movies. It may even take a couple of movie views to write up a script. Also, your audio recording needs to sync up and correspond with the action going on in the movie. It doesn’t make for easy editing, if editing is even possible.
Riffs are usually sold for $1 - $2 on the site and you'll continuously earn money every time one of your riffs is sold.
Having tried to make my own riff, I speak from experience that the work is hard, but enjoyable. If you are good at making fun of movies, this is an opportunity for you to make some money from it.
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
Last week I shared with you a story about a stay-at-home mom who recently found a $20,000 meteorite while walking the dog.
But, did you know that there are people who hunt for meteorites for a living? And that they're making thousands of dollars every year by reselling them to collectors?
Yes, meteorite hunting is a real thing...
It's sort of like a modern-day treasure hunt and estimates vary, but there are likely more than a few hundred professional and semi-professional meteorite hunters that travel the globe in search of the the hidden gems.
The profession has taken on even more attentions with recent TV shows like Meteorite Men on the Science Channel and Galatic Collissions on the Discovery Channel. But you don't need to be a professional to partake...
Keep your eyes peeled, because just like the stay-at-home mom in Lotus, California, anyone can find a meteorite. And if you find one, it could easily be worth $20,000 or more!
I'm in....what should I be looking for?
Meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere at speeds ranging from 31,000 to 100,000 miles per hour, so it's no wonder that after entering our atmosphere they split into thousands of pieces and scatter all over the world.
Meteorites can be literally be found anywhere - the country, city, underwater, etc. (As I frantically try to remember where I stored my childhood rock collection…)
Most meteorites will contain a thin layer of black, green, brown or clear fusion crust, which can resemble the glaze you find on ceramic ware. It will usually have small cracks and a texture similar to leather.
About 90% of meteorites will attract a magnet so break out your refrigerator magnets and it give it a try. Meteorites are also much denser than ordinary rocks, so if you pick up a rock and it feels heavier than it should, there's a chance you've found one.
A few other things to keep is mind...
Meteorites almost never have quartz.
Meteorites don't look like river cobbles.
Meteorites almost never have bubbles.
I think I've found a meteorite, now what?
If your meteorite has passed the home inspection test, the next step is to have an expert take a look at it. Try taking it to a local geologist or a university professor for further inspection. Some professional hunters even recommending cutting off a piece with a hacksaw and sending it to one of the following institutions for classification.
As is the case with most collectibles, the value of a meteorite can vary greatly depending on the rarity of type and overall aesthetic appeal. A highly sought after meteorite can auction off for $50/gram, while rare examples of lunar and Martian meteorites may sell for $1,000/gram or more — almost twenty times the current price of gold!
However, there is a huge difference in the selling price between meteorites that have been classified and meteorites that have not (unclassified can sell for as little as .07 a gram!). If you've had your meteorite verified by an expert, the next step is to submit it to The Meteoritical Society for registration and classification.
Lastly, you need to find a place to sell your meteorite. My advice - stay away from Ebay! In addition to the costly listing/selling fees, you're dealing with a group of buyers who might not fully appreciate the value of what you're selling. Instead look for a high-profile auction house like Sotheby's or Bonham. Sure, the commission fees are usually around 20%, but you'll end up making a lot more in the long run.
Your turn: Have you ever found a meteorite? Do you think you'll keep a look out now?
Bonus Question: I thought this was cool, so I wanted to pass it along. Do you know what the difference between a meteor, meteorite, and meteoroid is? Look in the comments below for the answer. :)
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
Welcome to the Wii Super Mario Bros Party Pack Giveaway!
Special thanks to Mommy & Baby Reviews & Giveaways, Powered by Mom and Mom Does Reviews for helping to put this giveaway together.
What's in the box:
Black Nintendo Wii Console Black Remote Plus & Nunchuck New Super Mario Bros. Wii Super Mario Galaxy 2 Soundtrack CD
Plus 4 Wii Games
Valued at over $250 !
This giveaway is open until June 15, 2012 for U.S. residents 18+. Good luck Penny Hoarders!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Our thanks to all of the following hosts who helped make this giveaway possible. If you get a chance please visit their sites, you won't be disappointed...
Kathleen's Blog Spot, Couponista Queen, Fragrances 123, Coupons with Q, Single Mom Inspirations, Lil' Daily Deals, Mommy's Memorandum, Sweet Deals 4 Moms, Linda's Angels, Life as Leels, Making Memories With Your Kids, Mom Of One and Having Fun, Couponing4you, Mom to Bed by 8, Comic Book Mom, Frugal Diva Frenzy, Frugal 4 Four, Mommy Coupon Swappers, My Photopage, Health, Beauty, Children and Family, The Penny Hoarder, Angie's Wraps, DonnasDealsAndMore, I Love My Kids, NowandZen4u, Kat's Cafe, Emptynester Reviews & Giveaways, Capri's Coupons, In The Kitchen With KP, Building Carpenters, Making of a Mom, Ohayo Okasan, Giveaway Bandit, Jenny at Dapperhouse, Cha Ching Queen, Nana Roberta, Sister's Saving Cents, Heavenly Savings, PR Mom Ambassador, Freebie Spot, Bear Haven Mama's Tales, I'm A Silly Mami, Christina Serrano Ind Avon Sales Rep, Wraps With Wendy, Crazed Mind, Cajun Couponer, Family, Love and Other Stuff, Freebies 4 Real, Simple Savings For ATL Moms, The Shopping Duck, Tatum's Family Reviews, Chant3llo's Blog, Random Deals, 2 Dorks in Love, Views From the 'Ville, Miki's Hope, HomeGrownFamilies.net, ACE Is Healthy Weight loss, One House Schoolroom, Helping Moms Connect & Camp Wags
Oh, brother...
A new study at Washington University in St. Louis is looking for participants who would be willing to eat only fast food for 3 months! And they're paying folks $3,500 to do it!
The researchers want to study obesity and why some overweight people develop certain diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular conditions.
This seems like a really bad idea, but if you're interested, I've got all the details:
You've got to be between 18 and 65 years old, a non-smoker, and non-diabetic. Lastly, you must already be at least 30 pounds overweight.
During the study, the participants can only eat at McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell and Burger King. Plus, you have to gain at least 5% of your body weight during the study.
I think I could live off of those 7-layer burritos at Taco Bell for a few days, but after that I'd be screwed.
I suppose the one positive aspect of the study is that they will enroll you in a weight loss program after the study has been completed.
You can apply to participate in the study here.
Between this and the NASA study that is paying people $5,000/month to not get out of bed for 90 days, we think the "Wall-E" version of the human race's future might not be that far off....
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
