I love Mysteries...

I've been doing Mystery Shops on and off for about 10 years.  For a little bit of time, I've gotten to see free movies, had free meals, and just recently, I got my daughter an eye exam and glasses for ALMOST free.  (They reimbursed me about $120.  Really, not too shabby!),   This was so awesome for us, since we don't have eye care insurance.

Everything is independent contracting work, which means taxes are your responsiblity.  Yeah, I know, it sucks, I hate it, but that's the deal.  Also, be aware that sometimes it takes a month or more to see your reimbursement.  I can't vouch for all Mystery Shop companies, but the ones I've worked for, I get my payment eventually.  Sometimes I have to hound them, but I do get it.

http://beyondhello.com/ is the place that I did the eyeglasses shop for.  Now, you aren't just going to waltz in, buy glasses, and BAM, you got $100!  This is a job, you have make sure you get all the details they ask for and keep good notes...oh, and remember, you are incognito.  Acting!!! 

Half.com

This is for you, Lizzie :)

http://www.half.com/, I've used them for about 11 years now. They used to be their own entity, before Ebay bought them out in 2000.  

Let's take one example of a good deal: a recent bestseller turned movie, "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  Right now, the list price is $16; you can get it like new on Half.com for 4.99 (+shipping)!

Like Ebay, there is a seller rating system, so you can see feedback and know how repetable your seller is. 

Sometimes you feel like an auction, sometimes you don't.  With Half.com, you can get great deals without the auction hassle. Oh, and you can sell your books too!   

If you are a huge bookworm like me, Half.com is a must.

Your opinion = points for free stuff!

http://harrispollonline.com/

I've been a member of Harris Poll for about 8 years.  I They send you emails on surveys, you do them, you get points for free stuff. 
No, I'm not talking about crappy little trickets....it's GOOD stuff...like gift cards, cameras, CDs, cookware, techie stuff.  I've got a lot of great stuff, and filling out the surveys are easy and fun.  And ZOOWIE, you get those prizes FAST, usually within 3 days!!!

Trust me, Harris Poll rocks!  

We don't need no stinkin' Sunday paper

Ain't the internet just peachy?  You can print your own coupons! 

http://www.couponsurfer.com/

They have a wide variety and it varies from week to week.  The only downside is: you have to download their software, and once you have it, it's almost impossible to get rid of...if you are really paranoid about Big Brother, this may freak you out too much.  Truthfully, I'm not real comfortable with it, but it hasn't given me any issues.   It's a give and take relationship...I get some extra money in my pocket, they get to creep on me.

Hey, don't judge...after all, most of you have Facebook.  :)

Free Samples

Here's a website for freebies...they send you a daily e-mail of companies who have free samples!   I've received free gum, perfume, cereal, snack bars, dog food, etc, etc, etc!!!  It's like Christmas every time you go to your mailbox.  Well, it's better than more bills, anyway.

http://www.samplestuff.com/. 

YES, sorry... you NEED to give out your e-mail address.  (If you are worried about crazy amounts of junk e-mail being crammed into your inbox, my suggestion is to start up a hotmail or gmail account specifically for all the deals you sign up for.  This way you aren't cluttering your main email account with a bunch of unsolicated crap.)

Amazon Turk-Start work TODAY.

Requirements:  Internet, PC, bank account.  That’s it!

Qualification: Sign up for an Amazon account if you don’t already have one, it’s totally free!  Then go to https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome.  There are two sides, left side is for workers and the right side is for employers.  Click on the left side, it will pull up your “hits”.  In the right hand corner, there is a “sign in” prompt.  It will probably ask for your bank account info to get started.  I didn’t worry about this too much; I’ve never had a security problem with Amazon.   After you get all your info situated, you can start work.  Some hits you can work on with no qualification whatsoever, other hits require a qualification test.

How it works: You are doing very simple tasks, looking up info, looking at pictures and doing different surveys and psych tests.  Caution:  If you don’t read directions carefully, you may not get paid for the task! 

Pay:  The pay for each task will be listed.  You probably won’t get paid for the task right away; it may take a day or so for them to accept the task.  If you don’t do the task to their standards, they may not pay you at all, but I rarely have this problem.

After the requester approves your work, money is deposited into your Amazon Payments account. Minimum Withdrawal Amount: $10.00 minimum withdrawal to a bank account/$1.00 minimum for an Amazon.com Gift Card purchase.  If you like to shop on Amazon (like me!) this job could lead to a sweet discount toward that special book or DVD, or even free stuff!!  Of course, if you just want to grab the cash, that's cool.

Black Mamba says:  I've made $14 here so far, but I don’t work there every day.  The great thing is you can log on any time and work as long as you want!  The downside is, it can get very tedious!  God my eyes...my precious eyes!!  Plus, you aren’t making buckets of money here; you’re lucky to make $2.00 an hr.    My advice: pick your projects wisely.    Sometimes .01 per hit is better than .03 per hit; the .01 hit might take 10 seconds to do, whereas the .03 hit might take 10 minutes. 

Textbroker

http://www.textbroker.com/

Requirements: Internet, PC, fairly good English composition skills, and a Paypal account.  You don't need to be an professional writer, but you do need to have some writing skills and creativity!

Qualification: You will have to submit a sample of your writing, a brief article, to be accepted.  They will rate your article anywhere between 2 and 5 stars.  You will only be able to write articles that correspond to your rating, (If you get a 3 star rating, you can only choose articles that are 3 stars or lower).  HOWEVER, you can improve your rating with subsequent articles.

How it works: After you pass the test, you are free to chose articles (in your qualification range).  There are many different topics, and usually you have to write 150 to 400 words.  The client will give you instructions that you need to follow, but you have a lot of creative breathing room!   After you write the article, you submit it to the client and wait for their response, usually within 1 to 3 days.

Pay:  Yeah, you probably won't get rich doing this.  The average rate per word is 1.5 cents.  You get paid through Paypal, and you need to have a balance of $10 in the Textbroker account before they will pay you.

Black Mamba says:  I've made $30 here so far, and I've done 19 short articles.  Hey, that's not bad!   I suppose you could possibly make a few hundred dollars a month, if you are consistent.  Bottom line, it's a nice little egg to have if you like to write!  I've never had a client not pay me, and Texbroker is usually very prompt with their pay out.

Abe Books-Cheap books, free shipping!

http://www.abebooks.com/
I've saved up to 90% on this site! It's definitely Black Mamba approved!

Many AbeBooks.com booksellers from around the world offer Free Shipping and that means you can search through millions of new, used and out-of-print books and find countless reads at unbelievable value. There’s no minimum purchase – the price you see is the price you pay.

1. If you are in the United States, select the ‘Free USA Shipping’ option and search for books offered with Standard Free Shipping to the US.
2. If you are outside the USA, select ‘Free Worldwide Shipping’ and search for your books

Meet the Internet Guru

You can call me Ms. Guru.
I was surfing the net when Justin Biever was a glint in Mr. Biever's eye.   
I've had a dozen internet jobs, one of which I've held for 9 years. 
I pitch a penny so hard it howls, so I don't buy anything online until I search endlessly for the best deals.
I definitely know the scams.  In other words, if something is rotten in Denmark.com, I can smell it.
I'm going to share my wealth of knowledge with you, dear reader.  Lucky you!
A little about me: I'm a stay-at-home mom of 2 lovely girls, and married to my husband for 12 years...and yes, I met him on the internet! 
I enjoy reading Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and emails from my friends (HINT HINT. Yeah, you know who you are.)
Love: coffee, animals, writing, sci-fi, nature, and Tequlia Sunrises.
Hate: ignorant people, lima beans, and cold weather.