As promised from last week’s post, yes, you can actually make money by taking surveys.  It isn’t a ton of money and you won’t get rich from it, but it can be a good source of “fun” money.  As I mentioned in the post, I most recently used survey money to help pay for my Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine.

I did most of my “survey taking” before I started blogging and Dan was spending the evenings studying. (He is still studying, but now I have other priorities.)  I researched which companies were legitimate and applied.  The two that I most easily earned money from were Synovate and My Survey.  I think within two months, I had probably earned $60 for what I considered little time.  (I usually did it while watching TV in the evening after the kids were in bed.)

While those two companies produced the most only cash, my best “find” came from a connection with Global Test Market.  Although I never received any payment from them (and even had a few unrewarded surveys), it was through them that I took a survey for the Windows Advisory Forum (as in Microsoft Windows) and was then asked to join.  

This group is by invitation only, so unfortunately, there are no instructions for joining.  And they don’t offer cash, but rather Amazon gift codes as rewards for providing weekly feedback on their surveys.  I have found it quicker than sorting through surveys I am eligible for and actually quite interesting.

Want to Get Started? 
* Open up a new email account.  Depending on how many companies you join, you will get several emails a day.  It is easiest to have them all going to a separate place.
* Never pay money to join a company!  There is no reason a company should ask for an investment from you.  If they do, run.
* Visit the Money Saving Mom’s page on Earning Money with Surveys (why reinvent the wheel!).  She has listed several companies that are legitimate.  She also notifies her readers when certain survey companies are accepting applicants.

Do you take surveys?  Which companies are your favorites?