Earn extra money online from these legitimate sites!

I don't blog often, and it's not for lack of freebies, it's lack of time! I get a fair amount of time online in between the constant needs of my toddler, but it's usually in small chunks - 5 minutes here, a few more minutes there, a quick glance at my Facebook news feed or checking my email. It makes taking the time to write a blog nearly impossible!

However, I would like to do a (relatively) quick write-up of some of the various ways I do spend online that have been lucrative for me. Doing things you already do, like checking your email, searching the web, or watching videos, can actually pay. Sometimes it's cold hard cash, or gift cards to your favorite stores (when it comes to Target and Amazon - that's as good as cash to me!). As a stay at home mom, it's really easy to do and really helps with my budget! I earn gift cards and checks all year, but I try to save them for December - because not only do I have to deal with Christmas, but my daughter's birthday is in the same month. Last December, I nearly completed paid for both birthday and Christmas presents, not only for my daughter but for my entire family, with my online earnings. So here's how I do it:

The absolute best site I can recommend is Swagbucks (referral link here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/jmn1981). Why is Swagbucks my favorite? Well I earn way more on Swagbucks than any other site, over $1000 since signing up in January 2012. Swagbucks pays in gift cards - I prefer Amazon and Target, but there are tons of other stores (Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, even cash through PayPal). Swagbucks lets you earn a variety of ways, randomly when you use their search engine, for watching videos, taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, signing up for special offers (most of which are free but the high paying ones are usually for signing up with a trial or purchasing a product) and more, including getting a percentage of what your referrals earn (so please, if you sign up, use my link). I absolutely love Swagbucks! No other site I've used pays better.

Another of my favorites doesn't pay out nearly as much, but it's very quick and easy - Bing Rewards (referral link). How does it work? Just do a few searches with Bing every day and you can earn gift cards, sweepstakes entries, Hulu Plus subscriptions and more! Now that I've reached gold status, I earn about $10 a month in Amazon gift cards. It might not seem like a lot, but it only takes a few minutes a day to check into Bing and earn my maximum (which is about 30 credits a day at Gold Level) and that adds up to $120 a year for me! Just remember - $5 at a time might not seem like much but it really adds up especially if you are earning gift cards on multiple sites.

I am also a very big fan of MyPoints (referral link)! This was the first earning site I ever signed up for, and I've been actively using it for about 15 years now!! The amount I earn varies, I last cashed out in the summer for a $50 Old Navy gift card and I'm nearly at enough points for another $50 gift card right now. You earn by checking your email, taking surveys, and shopping online. Be sure to always check between MyPoints and Swagbucks when shopping online, sometimes one site will pay more for a specific store while shopping online, that way you always get the most points for your money.

There's a lot of sites where taking surveys can significantly add to your earnings, but this next site is strictly for surveys - Springboard America (referral link). I find that it pays better for a survey than other sites like Swagbucks or Mypoints for comparable surveys. And it pays exclusively in cash (well, a check or PayPal). I've already cashed out once with them - for a cool $50 check and I can cash out again any time. I would recommend checking your email frequently for survey opportunities - some surveys fill up quickly but if I click on the link in my email within the first day or two of receiving it, I can usually get in.

The next two sites I will discuss together, as they are actually sister sites. They are Send Earnings and Inbox Dollars. The sites look nearly identical and both will give you a $5 sign up bonus. They usually have the exact same offers and send the same emails out. You earn by checking your email, taking surveys, playing games, searching the web, watching videos.. so these sites are very similar to Swagbucks although I never earn as much on these as I do with Swagbucks. However, every little bit adds up! With both of these sites I have cashed out for $30 checks multiple times. I earn faster now that I take the surveys on Inbox Dollars - I used to skip them, but now that's where I get my greatest earnings with these sites! And with Inbox Dollars, every time you take a survey (whether you get disqualified or not) you earn a spin on the wheel that will sometimes give you extra bonus cash! I've earned up to $5 on a spin before.

I also use a few apps on my phone to earn extra money! I have an iPhone and I don't know if these apps are available for other platforms. The first I use is Shopkick, you earn points when you check in to physical stores by having the app open when you first walk in. There's a lot of stores that participate including Target, Walmart, Best Buy and more. You can earn bonus points by scanning items in the store and even with purchases at some stores - I got a huge point bonus with a purchase at Best Buy! I've earned $15 in Target gift cards with Shopkick - not a huge amount but like I've mentioned earlier - every bit helps! Another app I like is Viggle. You use it to check in while you're watching live TV (apparently you can check in to music now as well but I haven't tried it). I've used my points earned with Viggle to purchase iTunes gift cards. And I can't forget to mention Cartwheel. You don't actually earn money/points with Cartwheel - it's a Target store app that has coupons for hundreds of products in the store, but I've saved almost $80 with Cartwheel since adding it to my phone last summer. You can even scan a product you are buying to see if a coupon comes up!

Well, that's my not-so-quick guide to some ways to earn extra cash online! I try to keep tabs on my earnings and since purchasing this computer in October 2013, I've cashed out $325 in gift cards with these sites and I have another $200 that I have earned that I haven't cashed out, because I'm saving it for the holidays. That's $500 in less than six months!

Disney Movie Rewards - Free Movie!

It's been awhile since I have posted. I always have the best intentions with blogging but I quickly fall behind and lose track of time. I suppose that first my pregnancy, then adjusting to life with a newborn, then moving around, and now finally stable but with a one year old has kept me busy over the last nearly two years! But I'm back and with a great deal that I just redeemed and want to share with everyone.

As a frequent buyer of Disney movies, I have long been a member of Disney Movie Rewards. Every Disney movie you buy comes with a magic code you can enter on the Disney Movie Rewards site. You receive 100 points for DVDs and 150 points for Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs. I've also received bonus points for the monthly newsletter, my birthday, and during a Christmas/Pinterest promotion. You can redeem these points for Disney merchandise. However, right now, if you enter three magic codes by 3/31/2014 you can receive a free Disney Blu-Ray/DVD combo back (no use of points needed)! You can choose from Dumbo, Cars, Tron: Legacy, and Secretariat. These sell on Amazon from approximately $12 for the Tron: Legacy combo pack to about $27 for the Cars combo pack. I really debated between Dumbo and Cars, unsure which my daughter might prefer in the future, but in the end, I decided that Dumbo is a classic that needs to be a part of our movie collection. While the movie IS free, there is a small $3.95 shipping and processing fee. To me, the shipping is more than worth the free combo pack promotion! If you have any Disney movies laying around with codes that haven't been entered - now is the time to get them in! Or if you see any Disney movies on sale, now might be a good time to purchase them. If I didn't have codes from two movies I bought on sale a couple months ago (Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh), plus another movie I just received, I would have considered buy more Disney titles just to get this promotion. For more information, please see the official offer details here.

Another note on Disney Movie Rewards; I just redeemed my first prize with points I've collected on the site! I decided to get The Princess & The Frog on Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack. I received it in the mail less than two weeks after ordering it, I was very pleased with the fast shipping! I think I'l hang on to it and give it to Madeline for an upcoming holiday, perhaps Valentine's Day or Easter.