Save Money! Make Money! Have Fun!

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I have a lot of experience with adding a little to my operating budget in all sorts of neat ways - and I want to share them with you! I learned some of this information from my parents and extended family, and some I picked up on my own. Please let me know what you think of this lens by using the "Contact the Lensmaster" button at right - and if you like it, please give me a good rating!

Save your money!

Shopping, rebates, coupons, and actual financial savings options

Whether to spend in the first place:I keep a business card in the viewable section of my wallet that reminds me of what I should consider before I buy anything: "Do you need it? Can you live without it? Is it worth __ hours of labor?" (I fill in the blank in my mind with how many hours I'd have to work to earn the money that whatever I'm considering will cost me.) It will help you feel a lot better about what you do purchase if you consider those questions first.
How to save with coupons:Subscribe to the newspaper - at least the Sunday edition - and clip out the coupons for the products that your family uses while watching TV or a movie or talking on the phone or something. Then develop a way to sort them that works for you and your family. My parents sort them by product type, but then they have to go through and weed out all of the expired ones every now and then. I sort them by expiration date, organized by month (with a thirteenth section for those expiring during this month next year or later). That way I know which coupons to look through first when I'm preparing to go to the grocery store, and I don't have to waste time on expired coupons because, after the end of the month, I can just throw whatever's left in that section into the trash (or the recycling bin, if you have that luxury). If you save $10 a week at the store - a task easily accomplished, I assure you - you've just made your time worthwhile.
How to save with sales:Read the ads in that paper too, especially when you're planning a big shopping trip and could easily visit one or two of a number of different stores. A lot of times the stuff on sale will correspond with the coupons distributed in the same issue as well, so you can double up the savings (that is, get the coupon amount deducted off the already reduced sale price).
Other places to save with coupons:Look at those coupons that you get in the mail too! Sometimes they have really great deals in them for places that you may already frequent, such as movie rental stores, restaurants, and even gas stations. For maximum accessibility, I keep the car repair/car wash/gas station coupons right in my car. I keep the other ones in an envelope in my purse, sorted by expiration date - just like the grocery coupons.
How to save with rebates:Look for rebates too: Coupons that you can mail in with UPCs and/or receipts to get a check in the mail in return. Sometimes you can even pair those with a coupon and/or sale and get the company to pay YOU to use their product! Or you could get something for just the cost of tax. Drugstores and office supply stores advertise those types of rebates all the time. Don't waste your time on rebates for stuff that you don't need and/or won't use, though. You still have to pay for the stamp too - not to mention store the stuff somewhere in your house. And you have to keep a copy of every rebate submission that you send in case something goes wrong along the way; then you could contact the company to rectify the problem - which means that you have to keep on top of your outstanding rebates too. I use my scanner to keep copies, and then I can organize them by date created in a folder so that it's easy to see which items are the oldest; I just delete them once I get the rebate in the mail. My dad keeps them but marks them received or moves them to another folder or something. Again, do what works for you.
Other mail-in offers:I'd also advise you to go ahead and send away for whatever stuff you can get for free or nearly free with those proofs-of-purchase as well, especially if they're things like DVDs, which you can easily sell on Half.com - especially if they're still shrink-wrapped. In fact, whenever you're getting rid of any books, movies, or CDs, you should always list them on Half.com - and it's often worthwhile to list other kinds of things on its parent site eBay.com. Don't ever sell to folks out of the country on eBay though. That way you won't get screwed.
How to save on gifts:Another good thing to do with the free stuff that you can get in the mail is start a gift box to go to when you have to give someone a present. This is especially a good approach with kids, since sometimes parents don't give you much notice before birthday parties - and buying kids' stuff without getting to look for it on sale first can be pricey. That's another good way to use the sale ads too: When you see things that are on sale that you know that you will use at some point in the future, such as good generic gifts, buy them! You'll appreciate the time and stress AND money that you save yourself later.
Buying and selling used:It's also a great idea to buy from Half.com (see the Link List below for more detailed information) and, when you can, local used book and clothing stores too. You can get a great deal on children's clothes and toys in particular that way, since kids grow out of stuff very quickly - and likewise, if you have kids, you can sell their stuff there for extra cash. You can make more money by selling in consignment shops as opposed to just getting cash, but you need to put more time and effort into that as well, I believe. At any rate, be prepared for them to be VERY fussy about what they accept. It does make them good stores to shop in anyway....
Questions of quantity and brand name:Do buy in bulk when you can too. The bigger the container, the less that you're paying for packaging compared to how much you're paying for the product. Check out the small print on the tags on the grocery store shelves for yourself. Very often they list the price per ounce or something like that - and almost always you will see that the bigger the package you buy, the less you'll be paying for what you'll actually get out of it. Likewise, consciously think about whether brand will make a difference in what you buy. I acknowledge that foods like pudding, for instance, really vary by brand - but most cereal, yogurt, jam, milk, juice, spices, and things like that just don't. Buy the cheaper kind. You'll be able to get more out of your money.
When and where to buy gas:Buy gas on Tuesdays, when you can help it. It's long enough after the weekend's over for those higher prices to come down but far enough from the next one so that they won't've gone back up again. And that saves you the trouble of really having to watch the gas prices all the time. You can also make a point of finding the station that generally has the lowest price around and just always go there. If occasionally it's a little higher, it's not too big a deal, and you do save on the time and energy that you'd spend constantly looking (plus you might reduce the risk of getting into an accident and increasing your insurance rates while craning your neck to see the gas prices everywhere you go). And if you know that that place is usually cheaper than everywhere else, you are less likely to get sucked into paying what looks like a good rate somewhere else but still turns out to be high in the end.
Other comparison shopping:Use price comparison sites! Look at the relevant Link List below for some options.
How to save money in the process of saving for your retirement:(Caveat about the following suggestions: I am not trained to give financial advice; as such disclaimers always say, you should really just consult a financial advisor.) Always put away as much retirement money as you can get financial benefits for each year! That means put as much into an IRA as you're eligible for. The limits have risen the last couple of years, and they're even higher the older you get. The only reason that you might not be able to take advantage of them is if you didn't have as much earned income as your investment limit; then your limit is how much you earned. What kind of IRA you want to invest in then depends on your tax bracket. If you're paying low taxes right now, it's probably in your best interests to get a Roth IRA, which means that you pay taxes on the money now and thus don't have to when you take it out. A Traditional IRA, on the other hand, is a good idea if you're paying at a high tax rate right now. That would enable you to deduct your investment from your income this year for tax purposes and only pay (presumably lower) taxes on it once you take it out during retirement. (You can also take out IRA money for other purposes, such as qualified education expenses, without paying the early withdrawal penalty that you would otherwise get for drawing on them prior to your retirement.)
How to save more money in the process of saving for your retirement:You should also invest however much in your company's 401K that it will match for you. That's basically extra pay - and untaxed pay at that! If it seems hard to part with all of this money, just think about how much it will mean to you later on: If, for instance, I earn enough to invest the full $4000 in my Roth IRA for which I'm eligible this year, that money could amount to $371,112.72 by the time I'm 55. If I wait 15 years to save, though (at which point the limit will be at least $5000, but my tax bracket will hopefully be higher too, so I'd probably just do a Traditional IRA), at the same rate of return, it would only amount to $89,770.72 by age 55. See that difference? Try it yourself with the financial calculators at: http://www.fundadvice.com/tools/calculators/
How and why to track your spending:Use a cash flow template in Microsoft Word or Excel to create your own cash flow worksheet, and then try - at least for a month - to keep track of every cent that comes in or goes out of your hands that month and why. At the end of the month, you'll get a sense of how you spend your money and can then determine whether it's time to change your spending habits or not. I've been doing it for years, and it sure gives me an idea of when I need to cut back and when I deserve a little reward for self-discipline. And when you spend your money carefully, as I suggest here, you can afford to get the things that you really want with it - and then you'll never feel all that deprived either. Give it a try.
See the second bullet in "Get more out of your money!" below for more ideas about actual financial savings options.

Price Comparison Sites

MySimon Comparison Shopping Site: This site started providing less information than it used to a couple of years ago, but until then it was always my favorite, and it might've come back. The fact that it's lasted so long is definitely a good sign anyway.
Airfare Comparison Site: The nice thing about this site is that the prices that it shows you are usually what you can actually find at the airline websites, as opposed to some other sites that seem to find airfares that are vastly different from the actual ones that you can buy. You can download it as a sidebar too so that it will open the specific airline sites in the main window while you can still see the price comparison on the side - but the sidebar only works with Internet Explorer.
Progressive Auto Insurance: Yeah, they really do give you quotes from other companies, and sometimes others' quotes really are the best price. If you don't shop around for insurance at all, at least start here. They're our auto insurance company.
Moving.com: My latest comparison shopping site: moving expenses! Enter your information once and get quotes from half a dozen different places. This way you don't have to look all over town just to see what's even out there! You can compare self-service or full-service moving costs, vehicle transportation costs, storage facility costs, change your address with the Post Office and all of your magazines and organizations (and frequent flyer clubs!) at the same time, peruse a list of things that you don't want to forget to do....

Coupon sites

And other good places for saving

Half.com: This site is a great place to buy and sell used books, movies, music, and games. However, make sure to be honest about the condition of the stuff that you sell, pack well, and ship on time to keep your feedback rating high. Likewise, try to buy from sellers with a high percentage of positive feedback ratings, and make sure that you're actually willing to accept products that fit the criteria for the listed condition (or even one lower). Keep in mind that sellers with very high quantities of feedback (evident from the number next to their login name) can hide negative feedback that way quite well, so you might want to click on that number to look for negative feedback in their recent history. Also don't forget to compare the final price, with shipping, to that at a site like Amazon.com or bn.com (Barnes & Noble) where you can get free shipping on orders over $25.00. If the price with shipping on the used book is fairly close to the new price at Amazon and you could buy enough to qualify for free shipping, obviously it's best to do so. Don't forget to consider the speed of shipping too. Even the free shipping at Amazon is usually much faster than the Media Mail that Half.com sellers usually use (unless they offer and you pay more for expedited shipping).
Cool Savings: You have to download a small program to print these coupons, and in the past I've had some trouble actually getting it to work, but if you can get past that, it's a good site.
Valpak: These are the folks that send local coupons in the mail all the time. You can get more of those online too.
The Entertainment Book: It seems expensive, but it's really a great deal if you use even just a couple of the quite valuable coupons in the book. Many of them are buy 1 get 1 deals, though, so it might be best for couples or families. As time passes after a new book comes out every November, the books get cheaper and you can get more deals with them, such as free shipping or restaurant gift cards or things like that.
eBay: A friend of mine recommended eBay as a place to get coupons too. Here's what she wrote:

In terms of coupons, one thing I like to do (because I don't get the paper) is buy packs of coupons on ebay. I've been able to purchase over a hundred coupons on ebay for 2.00. While you don't get to know what the coupons are per se, you ultimately save a ton of money regardless.
American Automobile Association: This place is worth the membership fee, especially if you have an older car and/or do much traveling. It includes up to 5 free roadside visits a year, which could include changing a tire, towing you 5 miles, getting you some extra gas, giving you a jump, or whatever you need. It also includes all the maps and tour books that you want (within reason, of course) - and the tour books are great for telling you where to stay, where to eat, where to visit, and where to shop wherever you travel in the world - along with TripTiks, completely plotted flip-maps marked with speed traps and construction zones, and free American Express traveler's cheques (or are they just discounted now?). Your membership card can also get you a nice discount at all sorts of businesses around the country - if you pay attention to the signs and/or remember to ask.
Sam's Club: Another place that's definitely worth the membership fee, especially if you still get 35mm film developed, like fresh fruit or seafood, use batteries regularly, or ever buy in bulk. The locations with gas stations are even better because you actually get a couple of cents off the gas prices too - and their prices are already pretty low! Big locations also have pharmacies and optical and tire departments. Check them out.

Get more out of your money!

Credit cards, bank accounts, frequent flyer miles, and other rewards programs

How to keep from getting into trouble with credit cards:First of all, you have to use your credit card(s) appropriately. Always pay them off in full every month. That way you'll never pay the exorbitant interest rates - and you'll basically get to enjoy everything that you buy for free for a couple of weeks until your bill becomes due. You can earn interest on that money that gets to keep sitting in your bank account during that time. If you can't keep a handle on your spending when you're not dealing with cash or a debit card, though, this section isn't for you. And never transfer balances! (You shouldn't have any anyway if you follow this first rule!)
Choosing a bank:You've got to have a bank account that earns interest to get anything out of your grace period, though. For brick-and-mortar places, credit unions tend to pay the highest interest with the lowest fees. If you don't write very many checks or make very many payments every month, money market accounts tend to pay even better. And if you keep enough money in your account on a regular basis, you can get the kind of account that comes with free checks and a free safe deposit box and things like that. Again, if you don't keep enough money in your account to avoid getting fees in an account like that, though, that idea isn't for you. Alternatively, if you've got some money that you can put away for a while, depending on the length of time, a CD or a mutual fund with a history of a good long-term rate of return is an even better bet. See the Link Lists below for some online banking and investment sites worth checking out.
Protecting your credit:Also be careful about credit limits. If you are getting too many cards, your limits will start to get pretty low on the new ones - or you'll even get turned down for having too many. That means it's time to cancel some of them - and then you'll have to wait a little while until you can get credit again because they might decline you for having closed too many accounts during a short period of time too. You also don't want to let the automatic increases on your credit lines for good behavior get your total amount of revolving credit up too high, as that could start getting you declined too - but you also don't want to keep them too artificially low because creditors don't like to see you using a high percentage of your available credit. Yes, it's complicated - but suffice it to say that if you cancel a card when it's no longer going to do any good for you and are very careful about which cards to apply for in the first place, you'll be fine. You don't need more than one card that accomplishes exactly the same thing. And you don't need any cards that don't meet the standards that I discuss here.
Choosing a credit card:The key to choosing a credit card is to pick one that will get you rewards for everything that you buy with it. That way you get whatever you pay for - and other stuff too. Cash back rewards are my favorite because you can stick 'em in the bank and immediately start earning that interest on them, but you can also get points that you can use toward gift cards, cash, or airline miles. Make sure that you get a card that doesn't come with an annual fee, though. With this type of card, it's usually not worth it. Also try to get a card that gives you at least a full 1% (or 1 point) for every dollar that you spend with it. The ones that promise up to 1% start each year paying much less, so you won't get as much for your money with them. The ones without annual limits to the rewards that you can earn are nice too if you don't think that you'd be able to stay on top of how much you've received so that you don't keep using the card after it won't earn you anything anymore. See the Link List below for some of the best credit card offers that I've seen lately.
Other kinds of cash back cards:Some cards are a little exceptional: They offer higher percentages back on certain frequent purchases - gas is a popular one these days, for obvious reasons - and then not so good percentages on everything else. If you're cognizant enough of what you're pulling out of your wallet to get the benefits of that, do it. I use little sticky notes to label which cards I want to use for what so that I don't get confused. One card even has certain companies that it contracts with, so for that I printed out the list and keep it wrapped around the card in my wallet.
Store cards:It's also a good idea to sign up for a store credit card when doing so will get you a big discount (i.e. 10%) on what you're already spending that day if you're making a sizable purchase. In fact, that's another rule of thumb that I have with credit cards: The freebies for signing up have to be a lot better than a free T-shirt or baseball cap or candle set to be worth an appearance on my credit report. Usually my minimum is $50 worth of freebies - but that's lower for those store cards, since, once again, you're going to buy the stuff anyway. This way you can just get it for less. (Another good reason to buy a store card is if you can get certain benefits from having it that you know that you'd benefit from because, for instance, you tend to frequent that store.)
Mileage cards:I love frequent flyer miles cards too. They usually come with an annual fee, although many companies are moving away from that now. The only benefits to the ones with annual fees (or, for the companies that charge a fee for everyone, with higher ones) are that you get 2 miles per $1 that you spend with that company and, still, 1 with everyone else. If you think that you'll spend enough to get yourself a free ticket, though, the fee is definitely worth it. The best time to get a frequent flyer mile card, though, is when they're offering a great deal on the number of miles that you get just for opening and/or using the account. Look around to see which deals are the best. You'll also see specials in which you can get the first year's annual fee waived. Get in on those right away, and then put it on your calendar to cancel the card before they charge you the fee for the second year. (I have heard that sometimes you can get out of that fee the second time around just by threatening to cancel the card in the first place too.) Use the card like crazy in the meantime to rack up as many points as you can get (which means that you don't want more than one airline miles card open at the same time so that you can get the full value of each). After you cancel, you'll have to wait a couple of years before you can qualify for those special bonus miles upon opening the account again, but there are plenty of other companies whose cards you can get in the meantime.
Frequent travel programs:Never fly without joining the frequent flyer program. (Likewise, never stay at a hotel without joining their program, and never gamble in a casino without joining their program either.) These programs are free and only get you chances to get free flights/nights/meals etc. - and often you can't go back and get credit for what you did before you joined them once you realize that you were going to do enough of it to get something for it! Keep an eye on some of the frequent flyer programs though: Your miles can expire if there's no activity on your account for a while. That's when I do something like sign up for a credit card. The annual fee is often worth it to keep from losing the miles that I've already earned; plus I get to earn more to maybe qualify me for a free ticket. And these days, that's worth a lot.
A big way to save on travel expenses:When an airline calls for volunteers to sit off, consider taking it! You get usually $200-300 apiece in vouchers good toward any airfare that you purchase from that company over the next year, and they'll also give you vouchers for meals and hotel stays and extra transportation and anything else that you'll need to make up for the inconvenience. Folks in my family have gotten free tickets while flying on free tickets before - or have even sat off a flight that they were booked onto off of another flight, thus getting two sets of vouchers out of the same trip! If you fly at really busy times of the week/month/year and maintain a little flexibility in your schedule, you're most likely to get this opportunity - so you might even consider planning your trips in such a way as to give you that chance, when the prices are the same.
Online rewards programs:Another way that you can earn rewards is through your use of the Internet. You can get cash/points/free stuff for reading e-mails, visiting websites, filling out surveys, and/or just buying the things that you would be buying online anyway - just first clicking over to the site through the points company so that they can log your purchase. Check out my link lists below to see some examples of these types of sites.
Benefits of gift cards:Consider buying gift cards for restaurants or stores that you use often. Many times such places will offer bonus gift cards along with them so that you'll end up with, say, $30 in gift cards for $25. Once I was buying three $15 gift cards to give away at the holidays, and there was such an offer in place. By spending $5 more, I was able to get twice the value for that extra money by bringing my total purchase to $50 and thus getting two extra $5 cards instead of one.
And a way to save at the movies:Also consider buying movie tickets ahead of time in bulk quantities from discount organizations of which you're a member. They're cheaper than you'd pay at the ticket counter but can be exchanged for the same ticket after the second week of a new movie. For some theaters, they don't even expire!

Some of My Favorite Credit Cards

The New Chase Rewards Card: 5% back at grocery stores, drugstores, and gas stations and 1% back everywhere else for up to $300 in rewards per year with no annual fee. Get your rewards in the form of cash or gift cards. This one is currently my primary card.
One from American Express: 1% cash back directly into a high-yield savings account (earning 3.80%APY as of 1/19/06), with no rewards limit and no annual fee for the first year, plus $25 into your savings account after your first purchase. You can also transfer money from your bank or brokerage account to get that interest rate on it too; the savings account has no minimum balance or maintenance fees either. And - great news for folks who don't keep track of their spending all that well - American Express cards have no preset credit limit either. This one is my newest card - but I'll be cancelling it before I pay next year's annual fee.
American Express Blue: 1% back on all purchases with no reward limit and no annual fee. Get your rewards in the form of gift cards. Plus get an additional $50 gift card after your first three purchases within a certain period of time after you're approved. I don't have this card (nor am I even applying for it), but it's a good all-purpose card for people who don't want to have to keep track of which card they're using at which store or how much rewards they've earned.
MBNA WorldPoints: There are a bunch of manifestations of this card; all come with a relevant free gift after your first $100 purchase within a certain period of time after you're approved. (Mine is a University of Michigan Alumni card, so I got a gray fleece blanket with an M embroidered on the corner, and my purchases also support the UM Alumni Association.) All also earn 1 point per $1 toward cash back, gift cards, and/or airline tickets, with no rewards limit and no annual fee. The only downside is that only the airline tickets - which, incidentally, are also good on any airline - are a good value (25,000 points each). The other rewards translate to less than 1% (5,000 points for $25 cash or 13,000 points for a $100 gift card, for instance). Also, points expire after five years. Still, this card is another good one for people who don't want to have to keep track of which card they're using at which store or how much rewards they've earned - and since it's always a MasterCard or a Visa, it's accepted everywhere.
MBNA Rewards: I recently got an offer for this card, which resembles the WorldPoints cards except that you get double points on travel and dining until 1/1/07. That's better than a lot of airline mileage cards simply because you get the double points no matter which company you use.
US Airways Cards: US Airways (which, FYI, is merging with America West) is right now offering 25,000 miles - enough for a free ticket in and of itself - after your first purchase on a new US Airways Visa Signature credit card. It comes with a $90 annual fee, but for a free ticket, that's worth it. It comes with other perks like companion tickets as well. Make sure that you cancel within the first twelve months to keep it to $90 too. Also make sure that you don't accept a similar card that only offers 15,000 miles on your first purchase and the other 10,000 after a balance transfer (which, again, if you're following my rules, you should never have to do). I'm getting one, and I'm recommending that my fiancé do the same.
Citi PremierPass: I recently got an offer (which I'm not accepting, although it is a good one) for the new Citi PremierPass Card, which comes with a $100 gift card (or 5000 miles on this website) and earns you 1 point for every $1 spent on purchases with the card - plus 1 point for every 3 miles flown on flights purchased with the cards in addition to the purchase points - on any airline. You can redeem your points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, statement credits, and more. You are limited to 100,000 points per calendar year - 50,000 from flights. Points never expire as long as you make a purchase with the card once every three years, and there is no annual fee. (The Elite version, on the other hand, does have a $75 annual fee, but it comes with 15,000 miles after your first purchase instead of 5,000, 2 miles per dollar on select purchases, and unlimited companion tickets.)

Banking and Investment Websites

Paypal: This site is actually used most often for secure and private online transactions, but you can deposit/leave money in it and earn a very healthy rate of interest, and then whenever you need/want it, you can have them deposit however much of it you want directly into your bank account for free, and it will be there within a few days. Right now Paypal is paying 4.33% interest. I get credit for referrals at this site.
ING Direct: A friend recommended this site to me, and I just set up my own account there, as they're currently offering 4.00%APR. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail that they sent me:

If you open this account with an initial deposit of at least $250, you will receive a $25 bonus. To qualify for this bonus, you must use the link in this email.

The Orange Savings Account...

* Great rate - no minimum balance required. Everyone earns the same high yield.
* No fees - every penny you deposit goes to work for you.
* No changing banks - the Orange Savings Account is linked to your checking account.
* 24-hour access to your account - you're always ready for opportunities.
* FDIC-insured - your money is always safe and secure.

Rules of the game: Bonuses are only paid for accounts that are opened with an initial deposit of at least $250. Initial deposit does not include bonus. Bonus only available for new accounts with a new Customer as primary owner. Bonus starts earning interest upon account opening, but is unavailable for withdrawal for 30 days. Valid through 4/18/2006.
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So you may not be able to get the bonus by going directly through their website, but you could get that interest rate. You could also ask me to send you the same referral e-mail that my friend did so that you could get the bonus too. Use the "Contact the Lensmaster" link above or write to me at BartenderChick[at]hotmail[dot]com.
NetBank: I used NetBank when it first became available and had a bad experience, but it does not stand to reason that you necessarily would too. It offers good rates as well anyway.
Motley Fool: A great site for learning all about investing, for everyone from the beginner to the expert. They've taught me some of what I know too, and I stand behind everything that they say. Plus, it's actually entertaining to read.

Points websites

SnapDollars: Points site where you earn cash for quick e-mail click-throughs, shopping, surveys, referrals, and other online activities that you can request once your balance reaches $30 - with a fee of $3 removed. You get $5 right away just for signing up. Please enter my User ID, JessicaB80, at the bottom of the sign-up page so that I get credit for referring you.
InboxDollar$: Points site where you earn cash for quick e-mail click-throughs, shopping, surveys, and other online activities that you can request once your balance reaches $30 - with a fee of $3 removed. I get credit for referrals at this site.
Bointz: This site offers nice rewards for relatively low numbers of points (i.e. a $10 gift card for 100 points when you can get 70 points for filling out a survey), so you can actually get them pretty quickly and easily. You can even get 4 points a day just by correctly answering the two multiple-choice trivia questions on your account page.
MyPoints: Click on e-mails for quick points or click through to stores for points-per-dollar on purchases - which you can earn in addition to the rewards that you are also getting from using your credit card, right? ;) Then trade in the points for gift cards, which arrive VERY quickly in the mail.
e-Rewards: Click on e-mails for quick points or click through to stores for points-per-dollar on purchases - which you can earn in addition to the rewards that you are also getting from using your credit card, right? ;) Then trade in the points for gift cards, airline miles, or other valuable discounts. Rewards expire once a year.
Get Paid To Try: Earn cash or choose gift cards.
Memolink: I had a bad experience with this site, as they never sent the rewards that I requested, and then my (many, many) points expired because I didn't visit the site often enough. That was probably several years ago, though.
Upromise: Register your checkout cards and credit cards at this site to get money towards your, your child(ren)'s, or a loved ones' college education.

Survey websites

I only do surveys for which I get a guaranteed cash payment or guaranteed points toward cash or other rewards. These sites all offer those kinds of surveys.

SurveySavvy: Survey site where you earn cash that you can request at any time. I get credit for referrals at this site.
GoZing: Survey site where you can earn cash that gets automatically and immediately deposited to your Paypal account. A very reliable company.
Your2Cents: Earn cash for taking surveys; redeem once your balance reaches $5.00.
Mindfield Online: Survey site where you earn cash that you can request once your balance reaches $10.
Opinion Outpost: Survey site where you earn points that you can exchange for cash once you've accumulated 50; I've just requested my first check.
Viewpoint Forum: Survey site where you earn points that you can redeem for cash once you've accumulated 375; I've just requested my first check.
MySurvey: Survey site where you earn points that you can redeem for cash or rewards once you've accumulated 1000.
Global Test Market: Survey site where you earn points that you can redeem for cash once you've accumulated 1000; I've just requested my first check.
ClickIQ: Survey site where you earn cash that you can request in increments of $25.
Lightspeed Panel: Survey site where you can earn points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards once you've accumulated at least 550.
American Consumer Opinion Panel: Survey site where you can earn cash.
E-poll: Survey site where you earn points that you can redeem for gift cards once you've accumulated at least 2500.
Datatelligence: Survey site where you earn points that you can redeem for gift cards or other rewards once you've accumulated at least 1000.
Harris Poll Online: Survey site where you can earn gifts and gift cards.
Greenfield Online: Survey site where you can earn cash that you can request at any time. Most of their surveys don't guarantee cash, though; I ignore those invitations. Their customer service is terrible, however; I have numerous times been unable to get payment for guaranteed cash surveys that I legitimately completed.

Paying for College

You can get into special college savings accounts with tax benefits, particularly during the first tax year of a child's life. You can get special tax benefits for education expenses, both the first time that you pay them and every year thereafter. But why pay them in the first place when you can get someone else to pay them instead?

FAFSA on the Web: Absolutely essential, as it's the only way to qualify for financial aid at most colleges and universities. Even if you're unlikely to qualify for need-based aid, often you must fill it out to indicate that you want any money at all - merit-based included. Make sure that you do it as soon as possible too. Often it must be submitted as early as Feb. 15 to qualify for all of the aid that you possibly can. For most people, that means that you need to estimate what you will file on your taxes later. I usually file early myself to make the whole process easier and to get my refund into my bank account as soon as possible (and thus earning interest, of course).
FastWeb: A free scholarship search service. It was through this site that I learned about the twenty or so scholarships that I applied for as a high school student; I actually got a couple of them, which contributed to my full ride at the University of Michigan. Then just make sure that you keep track of your educational expenses, such as tuition, fees, books, and even housing. You can deduct certain "qualified" expenses from your grants and scholarships when you file your taxes so that you won't have to pay on those parts as income.

Mystery Shopping: Make Money! Get Free Stuff!

Mystery shopping is basically being extra observant while you're shopping so that you can get reimbursed for what you spend and, if the reimbursement is not too much incentive in and of itself, get paid a little extra for your time and effort too. Some shops don't even require you to spend anything to do them, and some don't require you to pretend that you're not a mystery shopper either. Never pay to join a mystery shopping program, though: That's a scam.

Mystery Shopping Providers Association: Find out about other shopping programs (besides those listed below), get advice from experienced shoppers, and get certified to get better shops. The certification process does cost a little bit of money; you should never have to spend a cent anywhere else, though.
ICC Decision Services: The first mystery shopping program that I ever joined, it mostly offers clothing shops where you have to make a small purchase ($5-$8) for which you'll be reimbursed in addition to given a small payment ($8-12). It's a good place to start, and it's definitely nice if you already shop at the stores that this company deals with.
Shop'n Chek: The site that gets me the most work - but that also requires the most vigilance to get shops in the first place. (Try first thing in the morning around the end of the month.) The website is easily navigable, the company is responsive to e-mail, and the pay comes regularly around the beginning of the second week of every month. I get some really great shops here.
Informa: A great company that offers some lucrative shops (i.e., the kind that don't require you to spend any money in order to get paid). If you join because of my referral, please let me know by clicking the "Contact the Lensmaster" link above or by e-mail at BartenderChick[at]hotmail[dot]com so that I can let them know and get credit for referring you.
Nationwide Services Group: Another great company: easy shops with little to no up-front expense, minimal reporting, and nice perks. If you are age 21-27, register here and then let me know by clicking the "Contact the Lensmaster" link above or by e-mail at BartenderChick[at]hotmail[dot]com as soon as you're signed up for your first shop so that I can get credit for referring you. This is one of the companies that uses the common SassieShop website to assign and report shops.
Shadow Shopper: This site is a little like the MSPA in that you can apply to other mystery shopping companies identified there, and you can learn a lot about mystery shopping. However, you can't sign up for posted jobs without either paying for a membership or earning one through referrals. (If you'd like to help me do that, contact me at the "Contact the Lensmaster" link above or e-mail me at BartenderChick[at]hotmail[dot]com, and I'll invite you by e-mail.) While it's entirely unnecessary to pay in order to get these jobs, in theory this site could save you time. It's another option anyway.
Vindale Research: Online mystery shopping. Very quick and easy money, although you can only get paid in $50 increments; I've received two checks so far.
Mystique Shopper: Another good mystery shopping company that uses SassieShop. They almost never give you a 10/10 rating for your shop, but they don't look for something to criticize when there really isn't anything like another company that I've encountered.
GfK Mystery Shopping: Another good mystery shopping company. I've gotten some very lucrative shops here too.
Kern Scheduling: A great company with some very cool shopping opportunities. Do a good job for these folks, and the people that hire them might then add you to their own contact lists to use you again. That's happened to me twice already, and now I'm doing a lot of restaurant and entertainment shops, which are great fun.
Marketing Endeavors: I did a couple of shops for ME, another company that uses SassieShop, and both times the editors made comments on my shops that were inappropriate, i.e. "grammar/spelling errors" when there were none and insinuations of careless reporting when I was being more careful than ever. When I replied as such, they replied back quite condescendingly, so when I responded in turn the last time, they deactivated my account. I posted about it on the MSPA website (above), and here's the response that I got from another shopper:

I have not signed up with this particular MS company.
With, literally, hundreds of other companies out there, I would not worry about one that does not treat their contractors with respect and dignity. There are many more out there that will appreciate your desire to be the best. Even if they did not deactivate you, would you still want to work under that much pressure?
Based on your letter, you seem very articulate. I am sure you will have no problem finding work with other companies.
Good Luck!

Get Free Stuff!

BzzAgent and other sites

BzzAgent allows you sign up for campaigns that enable you to try new products for free or at a well-discounted price. When it feels right, you Bzz the products to other people - that just means that you talk about them - and then you report your Bzz to get points which you can use for all sorts of really fabulous rewards.

Two points to keep in mind:
- Sign up for new campaigns fast! The cooler they are, the faster they'll fill up.
- Be incredibly detailed in your reports, especially when it comes to others' responses to what you share with them. That way you'll get as many rewards points as you can.

Have fun!

The OFFICIAL BzzAgent Website: Want to sign up?
WOMMA: The Word of Mouth Marketing Associations website about all things word-of-mouth
To Tell Or Not To Tell?: This is a research report by Dr. Walter Carl of Northeastern University on disclosure and organized word-of-mouth.
StartSampling: A site for getting free samples.

BzzAgent On Google News

Just keeping an eye on things.

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Relevant books

Grapevine: The New Art of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

by: Dave Balter, John Butman

I read part of this book during production as part of a BzzCampaign on the BzzAgent site and then got a free copy once it was published. It's an easy read and quite interesting.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2009)

Your Big Break

by: Johanna Edwards

One of the first new books that I got to preview; I actually bought and finished this one. Check out my blog at MySpace (in Link List below) for my review.

Amazon Price: $11.90 (as of 12/01/2009)

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter

by: Steven Johnson

Another new book that I got to preview. Check out my blog at MySpace (in Link List below) for my review.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2009)

Killing Rain

by: Barry Eisler

Another new book that I got to preview; I actually bought this one. Check out my blog at MySpace (in Link List below) for my review.

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/01/2009)

The Cloudspotter's Guide

by: Gavin Pretor-Pinney

Another new book that I got to preview; I actually bought this one. Check out my blog at MySpace (in Link List below) for my review.

Amazon Price: $16.27 (as of 12/01/2009)

My other sites

MySpace: MySpace, where I do most of my blogging now
My Blog: My blog on MSN Spaces, where I have a lot of blog posts and where I usually post photos
My personal website: A Geocities site that I started in 1997
My professional website: My academic site

JessicaB80

by JessicaB80

I just completed an M.A. in English at the University of Florida. I
am also a mom to a 4-year-old boy whom until recently I've raised on my own since...

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