Well to sum up my rebating efforts in 2011 were, to use a kind term, Half Assed!lol
In 2011 I received $433.22 in rebates. This is way down from my previous year's total of $1160+. HERE is my post from last year on my 2010 Rebating Totals.
Keep in mind that I do NOT live in a NBPR state(that's No Beer Purchase Required)so I don't do those awesome alcoholic rebates that net you free or close-to-free food. If I tried to do the NBPR rebates, I would be required to spend money on booze and appear to be an alcoholic. The former would make me go insane and the latter would make me not care about being frugal, now would it?lolol
Even $433.22 is pathetic in Rebating circles.
In my defense, the rebating opportunities outside of NBPRs tightened up even more in 2011 from 2010. Add in that Rite-Aid didn't have nearly as many good SCR opportunities last year.
And the primary reason I sucked at rebating last year?....I just didn't make much of an effort.
My side income did much better however.
* I netted $48 in Pinecone payments. I didn't do all the surveys offered however. Yes I was a slacker there too.
* After a rather slow start, I cashed in for $60 in checks with Toluna and I am halfway to another $20 check. I need to give a thank you! shout out to SonyaAnn for turning me on(oh, don't go there!lol)to them. While my demographic gets dumped out of most of the surveys, I kept persevering and actually got some cash monies....ka-ching! ;-) I do find that on occasion surveys would freeze up and not be recorded as complete, thus I would go through all that effort for NOTHING(and I have let them know just How I Feel on that score.lol) and then other surveys are so damned looooong and booooring and if I think it's boring, well, it's a doozy! 8-)
* The big winner for me in 2011 income was Focus Forward, where I earned $880. I did some surveys with them but their main thing is focus group work. Some of it is short term and some can take weeks but you pick and choose what you want to do, once you qualify, that is.
If anyone wants to join their team please use my referral link HERE. Thanks if you do!
* As for making money advertising on my blog.....I made nothing in 2011. That's not quite right....I made something but not enough for anyone to cut me a check. I should be seeing a check within the next 3 months or so unless everyone stops coming by here to say "Hey!" tomorrow.
All side income came to $988. Too bad that's all reportable income and the $433.22 in rebates isn't. The other way around works better for me.lol
* Gift cards came to $76. That includes gift card rebates, gift cards sent to me for reviews/promotions/marketing purposes and gift cards I won in other people's giveaways.
In 2010 I received over $500 in free gift cards. 2011 wasn't a very good year for me but something is better than nothing, right?lol
* I received 45 Free Items, mostly in the form of Free Item Coupons that I redeemed, rather than actual free products mailed to me. The previous year I received many more Free Items, mostly from companies jumping onto the Facebook promotion bandwagon. Not as many or as lucrative Facebook offers in 2011. I see 2012 being even more of a Freebie desert on Facebook(with the exception of a company launching a new product).
So did you do any rebating or survey/focus group work in 2011?
What are your totals looking like for the year?
How do you feel about continuing to rebate and/or do internet side work in 2012?
Leave a comment and let us know!
Sluggy
I do plan to do more this year for that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteI worked out our budget for every paycheck this next year, not counting bonuses and we'll be out of debt in 3 years if we stick to it and don't send Maddy to college in 1.5 years... But she probably won't sit for that.
Proud to live in a NBPR state! I LOVE NY!
ReplyDeleteWow, if your $433 is pathetic, my $89 or so must be.... I'm not sure there are even words for how bad that is ;) I didn't do any rebates at RA in 2011, so that was a big loss for me from the previous year. I stuck to mostly stuff I wanted to buy anyway, like cat litter and cat food, oh yeah, and alcohol. LOL! My best sideline money opportunities for 2011 were definitely mystery shopping. A good friend and I who do a lot of m-shopping in the area have already noted that the best "shops" seem to have dried up already in 2012. Boooo....
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