Online surveys and mystery shopping get a bad rap. Many people think that they are just scams but there are really some great (and legitimate) companies out there that will pay you for your time and effort. And to prove it, here’s what I earned from online surveys and mystery shopping last month, among other endeavors. I completed these mystery shops and surveys in the previous month (or earlier) and received the payment this month. Some of these mystery shops required me to pay something out of pocket to purchase a good or service (which I get to keep) but I was reimbursed for my purchase and was usually paid an additional fee.

November 2013
Ibotta– $6.75
Saving Star– $5.20
Shopkick– $10 Target e-gift card
Elance– $18.25
Gigwalk– $15.00
Twice– $7.50
Ad Revenue- $15.00
Marketforce– $220.03
Trendsource– $57.85

Total Earned: $355.58

What did I do with this money?

Most of it went towards Christmas shopping, honestly. The rest went into my online savings account at Capital One 360, which is awesome, free, earns interest, and allows you to make tons of separate accounts for separate savings goals. I am using it to save for traveling to England this summer for my sister’s wedding. That way the money is there but not too accessible since a transfer to my checking account takes a couple of days so it is hard to spend the money before I meet my savings goal.

Most of these companies pay via PayPal or via direct deposit to your checking account. With Paypal you can transfer the money easily to your Capital One 360 account or regular checking account. Easy Peasy. If you don’t have a PayPal account or a Capital One 360 account I would highly recommend them. They are free and help you earn and save, how can you go wrong with that?

Did you make any extra money last month? What are your savings goals?