Ways to make money - Part 1

With Michigan having such an awful economy and so many people I know and love losing their jobs, I thought it might be a good idea to share some ways to make money. This will involve several different avenues that will hopefully fit most people, situations and personalities. I'm going to break it up in a series so be on the look out for upcoming posts.

I'd like to start by highlighting some places online where you can make small amounts of money or earn gift cards as payment.

1. cash4books.net
-Last night I spent some time going through my huge pile of books I've been trying to unload. I went to this site and entered each ISBN # to see if they would like to buy any of them. I had a lot of books and some were pretty new. But I sold less than 10. The good news is that I did it in my pajamas sitting on my bed watching TV and I still made $6. They give you a 3% bonus if you allow them to pay you through paypal. So today I get to print off the FREE shipping label and take them in to the post office or Fed Ex shop. It didn't cost me anything but some time watching TV.

2. http://www.inboxdollars.com
-This is a slow coming check that really doesn't take much of my time. First you have to register with the site and give them your e-mail address (I suggest setting up a special one just for things like these so your personal one doesn't get clogged). Once you're set up they'll start sending you e-mails to look at certain product webpages or take a survey. All you have to do is make sure you hit the button that says confirm this paid e-mail message or one that's similar. You will get a $5 sign on bonus but you must reach $30 before you can get paid. This one will take time to get the paycheck but you'll still get a check at some point.

3. http://www.sendearnings.com
-This one is exactly the same as inboxdollars.com. You'll even get the same e-mails but you're making money off a different company. Their websites are almost identical. And it still takes a $30 credit in your account before you can get paid.

4. http://www.globaltestmarket.com
-I'm just starting this one so we'll learn together. The basics are this: You sign up to receive e-mails to take surveys. You get paid in Market Points to take them (if you qualify) and when you reach 1,000 you can redeem them for cash. This is an international company so the market points works better across the board for them. Each market point is worth roughly a nickel. So again, it will take some time to get the check but you can do it while watching TV.

5. https://www.mysurvey.com
-Another e-mail survey company. This one gives you points per survey that you can redeem for things like cash or merchandise. It takes at least 1000 points to be able to redeem anything.

6. https://www.your2cents.com
-E-mail surveys once again. They also go by points. I think they may take even longer to get a check but if you're sitting at home doing nothing I suppose it ain't going to hurt you.

7. http://swagbucks.com
-You can earn swag bucks through this site when you use their search engine, shop online through their site, recycle old electronics like cell phons and mps players, invite your friends to join, interact on their facebook page, submit a polling idea or comment on their blog. This bucks can be redeemed for gift cards and merchandise. I just looked at their redeeming bucks page and you can get a $10 gift card to Barne's n' Noble for 115 swag bucks. There's potential in this one.

8. http://www.cashcrate.com/
-I signed up for this one last night and I'm still working on getting the maximum first payout. They have a great little video tutorial that explains everything. But beware of the offers that want you to "complete two or more offers..." I wouldn't waste my time on those. Just look for ones that will be completely free. You get a certain amount of money for doing surveys and the like. Once you have $20 in your account they will cut you a check.

9. http://www.mypoints.com
- I have been a long time fan of mypoints. Here's the skinny on this one. You sign up for free and give them your e-mail. They will send you e-mails asking you to look at a certain website. If you click on the button that says "get points" you gain 5 mypoints. They send a bunch of these e-mails so it'll happen faster than you think. You can also get points for shopping online through their site, referring friends and doing profile surveys about yourself. Checking the website regularly is good idea also because they sometimes have ways to earn extra points by doing mini surveys on the right side of the screen. It will say "Tell us & earn points". I never do offers that require me to spend money unless I was already going to spend it on that site. I like to order my printer ink through them, make travel plans through them and get coupons as well. All of which get me points. Once you reach 1,500 points you can redeem them for a $10 gift card to places like Subway, BP or even Old Navy. I've gotten so many gifts by using this site. Most of my family and some of my friends have benefitted.

10. https://www.pineconeresearch.com
- This one is also new for me. It is another survey company that pays you $3 per survey. To my understanding your account gets linked with your paypal account so you see the money faster since they pay you per survey. I'm excited to try this one. It may not be much but I like the idea of quickness.

So there's 10 online sources to get you started. I will also be addressing work at home options as well as places to make an extra buck around Grand Rapids.

Saturday Savings!

Thanks to a local reader I have good news for some of the South end GR natives. This reader passed on some info that I thought you'd like to see - "Nice Twice on 28th St.SW in Wyoming/Grandville is having a 50% off of everything sale through Saturday!Here's the link to the Sudden Values page: http://grandrapids.suddenvalues.com/sudden/businesses/offers.cfm?websiteid=3666There is also a coupon for $5 off a $15 dollar purchase as well, but I don't know if you can use it in conjunction with the 50% off sale."

Here's some info off their website http://www.nicetwice.org/

Nice Twice
2852 28th St SW Grandville MI 49418
Tel: (616) 249-2020
Hours: Mon-Thur: 10am -7pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat: 10am-4pm

Here's a coupon for women's slacks for .50cents http://www.nicetwice.org/CSS/images/coupon.PNG

You can also find a pretty complete price list on their website so you know ahead of time if it's worth the trip.

I say it's worth checking out! Thanks to our local reader for the heads up!

If you know of a way to save money around GR send me an e-mail and you may see it posted also!

Ethnic Heritage Festival at the Museum on Saturday

I read this in the paper and then Jen with Word on the Street reminded me. Here's what she had to say -
"All day long the Grand Rapids Public Museum is FREE because they are holding their annual Ethnic Heritage Festival and as with all great ethnic festivals there will be dancing, music crafts and displays just check out this list of participants (I didn’t even know most of these organizations existed…. What is a Hiberian?) Edelweiss Club, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Chinese Association of West Michigan, Congress of North American Bosniaks, Finnish American Society of West Central Michigan, Gaelic League, Grand Rapids Scottish Society, Grand Rapids Sister Cities International, Latvian Association of Grand Rapids, Lithuanian American Community, Mexican Heritage Association, Phil ippine Cultural Group of Michigan, Polish Heritage Sons of Norway and the Swedish American Society! There are planetarium shows, free rides on the carousel and a showcase of traditional and modern ethnic fashions at 12:30… in fact if you read the fine print you find out that for a modest price you can sample beer and food from around the world, From 9am to 6pm. Cost: Free (except the food and Beer) Location 272 Pearl Street NW bookmark’em at grmuseum.org. "

Saturday Events

This Saturday you can check out The Home Depot and Michaels with your kids to get in on some creative action.

You can make a trinket box from 9 AM -12 PM at the Home Depot. This is for kids ages 5-12. Call your local store to register. Make sure to be on time since supplies are on a first come, first serve basis.

Michaels is having a free bead make-it take-it by Jolees Jewels from 1-3pm. When I stopped by the Alpine store the other day I picked up a flier that talked about this event so I'm assuming they're a participating store. This one may charge you for supplies.

B1G1 drinks at McD's

I'm not sure how long this will last so I wanted to post it as soon as I heard. McDonald's has a buy-one-get-one-free drink deal every weekday afternoon between 2-5 p.m. Get two for one sodas, McCafe mochas, lattes, cappuccinos and more. Just click on the link to get proof from their website!

More FREE magazines!

I seem to get these all the time. I'll do my best not to repeat any.

Golf Digest: Free Subscription

Elle Magazine. This offer is through Mercury Magazines and you must qualify to receive it.
Elle magazine reports on emerging trends in fashion, beauty and style. Its visual core is surrounded by features, news and analysis of the larger world. Its articles feature information on culture, health, politics, art and relationships.

Baby Talk magazine HERE.

Road & Track magazine brings you all things automotive! Every issue of Road & Track brings you new cars, engineering and design news, pro racing coverage, driving reports, road tests and even personality profiles and automotive history. Go on a wild ride with Road & Track! http://www.mercurymagazines.com/pr1/121/121158

Free One Year Subscription To HallMark Magazine"In each issue of Hallmark Magazine you’ll find helpful information and creative ideas to make your life simpler, better and more satisfying."

FREE Breakfast at Dennys

I just heard about this so I had to pass it on. Congrats to anyone who caught this post in time!

Denny's is offering a FREE Grand Slam breakfast to anyone who goes there between the hours of 6am & 2pm. I thought it might be just specific Denny's restaurants but when I went to http://dennys.com/ it says that it is for all restaurants in the US except one in CA and one in NM. I think I can handle a free breakfast tomorrow.

Winter Garage Sale!

For those of you who live on the North West end of GR this might interest you. Orchard Hill Church on 3 mile rd. is have a Mom-2-Mom sale THIS SATURDAY. This sale will benefit the Orchard Hill Christian Learning Center. Here's some info I took from their website http://mom2momgr.com/

Saturday, February 7
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Doors open at 9:30 AM
Orchard Hill Church
1465 Three Mile Rd NW, 49544
Admission for shoppers is just $1.00!
No strollers for the first hour please!

You can also call 784-4060 for more information.

Extra discount at One Girls Treasure

One of my favorite local second hand stores is One Girls Treasure down town. They sell clothes for girls and women that like the trendier side of fashion. You can find some special discounts right now at the store. They have a special sale on ALL boots and ALL sweaters - 15% off. When I shop at this store I like to take a load of clothes and accessories with me to see if they'd like to purchase them. If they decide they would like to take some of your stuff they'll offer you a certain amount of cash or more than that amount in in-store credit. That should help with your cost as well. And while you're there be sure to give them your e-mail address so you can get extra discounts! I received 20% off my entire purchase just for mentioning an e-mail I received. Happy shopping!

Here's some info. I took from their website:

5 Lyon Street Suite 110
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Go To Map
616-233-9940

Monday - Friday 10:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday 11:00am - 6:00pm