Can I make money at home?
This is a question that I have received quite a few emails about. What are legitimate ways to make money at home?
I will be honest, there are not many legitimate opportunities that will provide a full time steady income from home. Most of these types of opportunities come from relationships built in your communities and workplace. You will be hard pressed to find them online. However, there are many great ways to make extra spending money from home via the Internet. This income can range from a few dollars a week to a few hundred per month. Here are several tips to follow when looking for online money making opportunities.
1. Never, ever pay to earn money: I mean NEVER. If someone is asking you to pay them to make money, don’t do it. These “opportunities” usually end up as scams.
2. If it sounds to good to be true, it is: If you are promised to make a ton of money for reading emails or a brand new plasma tv for opening mail, I promise you it is too good to be true.
3. Be realistic with what money you will make: You probably aren’t going to get paid very much for most of the offers that are legitimate. You have to decide is it worth your time for the compensation that you are going to receive.
4. If you are uncomfortable with the offer, don’t do it: Even if it is from a legitimate company, if you feel uneasy about it, don’t risk it. It is quite simple, sometimes you just have to go with your gut. If you feel uneasy, there may be a reason for it. It isn’t worth it for you to lose sleep over a few dollars.
5. Be careful with your personal information – These companies are required by law to report income over $600.00 a year to the government. Many of the companies will not allow you to earn more than $600.00, so they never request your tax information. However, there are some companies that you can earn well over $600.00 and will ask for your tax information. Apply tips 1-4 when you are asking yourself if you should give your tax id #, otherwise known as your social security number. I have only given my social security to 2 companies out of the many I participate with.
6. Set up a separate email – It is not that you don’t want to read the emails, but read them on your own time. If you have an email address mary@gmail.com just create marysurveys@gmail.com to collect your survey emails.
Over the next few days I will review a few companies that I have personally tried in some capacity. I will be rating them based on my opinion of how well they work and what I have personally seen through them.
MyPoints: MyPoints doesn’t pay in cash, but it’s name is exactly what it is. You earn points to redeem for gift cards by shopping, surveys and other items. You can think of MyPoints like a Mr. Rebates that you get points instead of cash. You can also use your points to redeem for coupons. You can get more information HERE.
This is a double opt in, so you must confirm the email that they send to you to be active.
Rating: A- I highly recommend just for the extra coupons!
Jennifer says
You receive points for using the coupons printed off of their website. I think you can get 25 points for using so many coupons in one months time. I have used them for years and by only opening e-mails I usually get one or two $25 gift card to use for Christmas gifts every year. It sometimes takes a month or so for points to show up. Keep an eye on it and e-mail them if you don’t see them after about 30 days.
Sherry says
I also love MyPoints. I have been using it for years and have earned alot of gift cards to CVS, Movies and Dinner. I’m currently saving my points to get Amazon Gift Cards to help put towards the Kindle I want to get.
Felicia says
Just a tip, I am not sure if Lydia knows this already… I believe you have to send in your receipt after purchasing the product w/ the coupon you printed through MyPoints (kind of like a rebate) and then you get the points.
Lydia says
One question about the coupons…I thought that they were the same as the coupons.com coupons. So if you print them at MyPoints, you can’t print them at Coupons.com then. So really, are you gaining extra coupons or not?
I DO love MyPoints and have earned quite a few gift cards with them over the past number of years. However, the coupons have not been worth it for me. In fact, the few times I have used them I never got credited my points. That is why I am wondering about your high praise for that area of MyPoints.
Shannon says
Lydia,
Sorry that you have not had a good experience, I guess its all relative. When I say coupons, I don’t mean coupons.com, I mean coupons for online shopping etc.
Celia emmons says
I have had a wonderful experience with mypoints! I also do bzz agent, which awards you with mypoints points when you complete surveys and such! Last year, I did mypoints for about 6 months and got 3 gift cards. This year, we are saving up our points to help bring down costs at Christmas! We are doing the same w/ swagbucks and other reward sites!
Sarah says
Just want to “second” the MyPoints info– I’ve been using it for a long time, and have gotten a fair number of Walmart gift cards, and a few to restaurants as a “treat” for my husband and I. And I rarely take advantage of the “offers” they email me– I’ve earned most of my points through clicking emails and taking surveys. MyPoints offers a “daily deals” email you can set up to receive with 5 or 6 online deals, and you can earn points for shopping online similar to Shop At Home. The extra coupons are nice, too, plus you can earn points for using them (although I haven’t yet)! Enjoy!