The East Stroudsburg Comprehensive Plan update team now has a vision of what the borough could look like in the next 10 years.The comprehensive plan update for 2025, a collaborative effort between hired consultants, borough officials and local business owners and residents, spent the past eight months accumulating input from the community. Plans have now reached a phase where projections are feasible. In a press release from the team this week, the borough is [...]
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الجمعة، 7 أكتوبر 2016
41 Proven Ways to Make Extra Money at Home Without Getting a Regular Job
Want to make some extra money from home?
We’ve got more than 40 ways you can boost your bottom line — most of them you can do without even leaving your couch.
DISCLAIMER: This post is LONG — so we recommend you bookmark it and tackle a few things each day and watch it add up.
How much do you want to earn this week? This month? This year?
Get started with small steps today. You may be surprised how much you can make!
1. Get Rid of Your Unnecessary Clutter by Selling It
Lucky mom!
Have a bunch of movies or CDs collecting dust on a shelf? Clear some space to help you breathe, and put that old stuff to work for you.
Decluttr will pay you for these items — plus your Blu-rays, video games and other electronics like cell phones, tablets, game consoles and iPods.
For virtually anything, you can also use letgo. This intuitive app lets you snap a photo and upload your item in less than 30 seconds. Not only does it remove a lot of the hassle of selling things online, it’s also 100% free to use.
Seriously, it’s time to let “Jagged Little Pill” go. Or at least sign up for Spotify.
2. Get Paid to Share Your Opinions
Hard to argue with her…
OK, we’re probably not the first to admit surveys aren’t the best way to make extra money. But if you’re just lounging, why not put that time to use?
You can just click a few buttons — no one has to know you got paid without even getting dressed today.
Vip Voice and Ipsos Panel are legitimate paid survey companies (both with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau). You might recognize the name Ipsos from the news, because they conduct a lot of presidential polling.
Some top-end surveys can pay up to $95, but those are going to take some time, and they don’t come around often. Most will pay $1-$2 and take about 10 minutes to complete.
You could earn $100 or more a month just doing surveys during commercial — or bathroom — breaks!
3. Be an Image Reviewer for Shutterstock
Um, we call that winning, Alice.
Like looking at photos?
Mountain landscapes? Cats? Food? Funky illustrations? Your own face?
If you have some professional photography experience, but want a break from the field, a work-from-home job with Shutterstock could be perfect for you.
Shutterstock offers millions of royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos and has openings for work-from-home editorial image and illustration reviewers.
As a reviewer, you’ll check images to be sure they meet Shutterstock’s guidelines before hitting the online stock image or illustration catalog. You’ll work from home on a freelance basis for about 25-30 hours per week.
Interested? Apply here to review editorial images and here to review illustrations.
4. Get a $5 Bonus When You Download Stash
No more excuses. It’s time to start adulting.
We’re kind of obsessed with Stash around here (and not just because it gives you $5).
We love that anyone can use Stash to start investing. You don’t have to have an MBA or even make it all the way through “The Big Short” to understand how to invest with this app.
You just choose from a set of simple portfolios reflecting your beliefs, interests and goals, and it does the rest.
To get the $5 bonus:
- Download the Stash app on your smartphone, and set up your account with the same email address. Within two business days, you’ll see the bonus added to your account.
For what it’s worth, though, “The Big Short” is worth your time. It has Ryan Gosling in a tailored suit and Margot Robbie in a bubble bath.
5. Psoriasis Psucks. But It Could Get You Up to $100
And they can make bank, too!
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for psoriasis, and as many as 7.5 million Americans live with the disease. That’s about 2.5% of us — so if you’ve got it, you’re not alone.
Here’s a way for you to get a little payback for your suffering — and help others while you’re at it.
You can earn $5-$100 taking online surveys and contribute to advancements in medical treatment — without even leaving your couch!
6. If You Live With Arthritis, You Owe Yourself This Reward
You can’t win, can you?
Arthritis is a neverending pain in the neck… or, more literally, in the hands, wrists and fingers.
If you’re dealing with it everyday, why not enjoy this little silver lining? Local research studies could provide study-related medication and care for your arthritis, plus compensation for participating.
Osteoarthritis: If you’re suffering from osteoarthritis and qualify, you may earn up to $1,000 for participating in this study.
Rheumatoid arthritis: If you have rheumatoid arthritis in the knee and/or hip and are otherwise healthy, you could qualify for a study that offers up to $625 compensation for sharing your thoughts and opinions.
Oh, and can you let us know if it’s going to rain this afternoon?
7. Promote Stuff on Social Media
You ought to get paid for this kind of praise!
Take a look at your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feed. How many times do you mention products or brands you love?
If you’ve built a sizable following, you could be getting paid for those plugs.
It’s as simple as using the right link.
Many shopping sites like Swagbucks, Ebates, Groupono and Zulily will give you cash or store credit for referring your family and friends to each service. It’s a great way to earn money for recommending things you’re sharing anyway.
8. Earn Rewards for Watching Movie Previews
Cha ching!
As if it weren’t enough that InboxDollars rewards you for grocery shopping, the company will also pay you to watch TV.
You can earn rewards through InboxDollars when you watch movie previews, celebrity videos, the latest news and dozens of other videos.
Plus, you earn $5 just for signing up.
When you’re ready to watch, InboxDollars will let you know how long a playlist runs, ranging from a few minutes to about half an hour. You’ll need to watch all the shows in that playlist to earn your bucks.
It’s possible to earn up to $225 a month just watching videos!
9. Offer a Weird Service to Friends for Donations
This ain’t your grandma’s crowdfunding campaign.
When you need a little bit of cash fast, maybe don’t launch a crowdfunding campaign or simply solicit donations. What can you offer in return to brighten someone’s day and thank them for their generosity?
Maybe you can record a song, paint a picture, offer a quick edit or proofread of something they’ve written, review resumes, create a design, write a joke, make a silly video or complete a dare.
Think of it like busking, but on the internet. Get creative — the more fun you make it, the more friends will want to participate!
If you don’t want to solicit donations from friends directly, consider offering your services on Fiverr. You could make money doing everything from creating jingles to wearing a sandwich board to a major event — the more unique, the better!
10. Get a Free $10 Gift Card When You Shop Through MyPoints
Got something to say?
You’re not going to believe us when we tell you you can get paid for shopping and sharing your opinions, but it’s true.
Have you heard of MyPoints? It’s a cash-back site that lets you earn rewards by shopping online, printing coupons and taking paid surveys.
MyPoints’ shopping portal is an instant way to save on everything you buy at thousands of retailers. For example, you’ll get up to 5% cash back on purchases in some categories on Amazon.
Plus you’ll get a free $10 gift card just for signing up. Here’s how to get it:
- Sign up for MyPoints here using your email or Facebook account (it’s free).
- Use the MyPoints portal the next time you need to shop online. You can shop thousands of stores, including major retailers like Walmart, Amazon and Target.
- Make a purchase of $20 or more within 30 days, and MyPoints will reward you with 1,750 bonus points, which you can redeem for a $10 gift card to a retailer of your choice.
You’ll also receive invitations to surveys you may qualify for, and you’ll earn extra points for completing those.
11. Get Out of the House, and Drive With Uber
This could be us…
If you want to work for yourself without sacrificing human interaction, Uber is a great way to do it! Get out of the house and meet new people every day.
As an Uber driver partner, you set your own schedule and decide when and how long you want to work each day. So how much you can earn is up to you.
You get 80% of everything you earn as a driver (Uber keeps 20%).
If you want to give it a try there’s a few things to keep in mind:
- Must be at least 21 years old
- Have three years’ driving experience
- Have an in-state driver’s license and a clean driving record
- Be able to pass a criminal background check
- You car must be a four-door and seat at least four passengers
- Your car must be registered in state and covered by in-state insurance
Here’s a link to apply with Uber.
12. Start Investing With $1 Today
Our pleasure!
Do you ignore opportunities to start investing because you don’t think you have enough money? You could be missing out.
We found an app called Clink that lets you invest in the stock market with just $1 a day. Plus, you’ll get a free $5 bonus to invest just for downloading the app.
And you don’t have to be a financial genius to get started. (We even have writers who figured out how to invest with this app…)
Clink does the heavy-lifting for you. You’ll link your bank account and decide how much you want to invest and how often — daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, and it’ll handle the rest.
To get the $5 bonus:
- Set up your account with the same email address. Use the promo code: PH2016
13. Download These Apps
Why not make it every day?
Did you know you could earn money just for having certain apps on your smartphone? It’s one of the simplest ways we can think of to set up a passive income stream!
Companies want to know how people are using their phones, and they’re willing to pay for the information.
These apps collect data from your phone and help them better understand web and mobile usage — like when you’re browsing, how long you stay on sites or use apps, and what types of sites and apps are popular (or not).
So, you get paid to use your phone like you normally would: to ignore the people around you.
And the data is reported anonymously, so don’t worry; no one will tell your boss how much time you’re spending on Facebook!
Install these apps, and you could earn $400 a year or more:
- SavvyConnect – You can earn $5 per device (phone, tablet, computer) for each month SavvyConnect is installed. That is a total of up to $180 per year. Make sure you keep installed at least a month to get your first $5 per device.
- MobileExpressions for Android – After you’ve installed this app for one week, you get to play an instant rewards game for a prize (everyone wins something). We know one Penny Hoarder who won a $25 Amazon gift card, but some of the other prizes include iPads and Samsung TVs.
- Media Insiders Panel – If you’re male or 44 years or older and enjoy watching television programs, this company will pay you $5 a month to keep its app on your Android smartphone or tablet. Plus, you’ll be able to additional rewards for participating in simple surveys about those shows you stream, DVR or watch live.
- Smart Panel – This panel is open to everyone and once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll get $5. If you keep it installed for at least two weeks, you’ll earn another $10. For every month you keep the Smart App installed, you’ll get another $5. All total, you can earn up to $75 for the first year!
14. Provide Customer Service — in Your PJs
This guy takes casual Friday to a whole new level.
Have you ever considered doing customer service from the comfort of your home? An increasing number of companies are hiring work-from-home customer service reps, instead of running call centers.
These jobs can be full– or part-time and offer a variety of schedules, including daytime, evening and weekend shifts with a range of pay depending on the position and location.
Your job is usually to answer customer questions over the phone or via online chat. You may find sales positions that include higher pay and performance incentives; or technical support positions, which are best if you’re tech-savvy and have an interest in helping people understand technology.
You should enjoy helping people, though! You know how a bad customer service call can totally ruin your day? You don’t want to be the bad rep on the other end of that call.
If you don’t like working with customers, keep an eye out for other work-from-home jobs at these job sites.
15. Tell This Company What Consumers Want
It’s this good.
You know Nielsen, right?
It’s the company that’s been tracking TV ratings since the 1950s — the one responsible for making or breaking your new shows. Well, for the information that makes or breaks them… don’t shoot the messenger.
For decades Nielsen families have been paid to report what TV shows they’re watching.
Now Nielsen has followed us into the 21st century.
The company has a variety of new panels that track things like the websites we visit most and what consumers are buying at the grocery store — and it’s still paying for the information.
You can join these new panels by downloading one of these apps to your smartphone:
- Nielsen Mobile Panel for Ages 45+ – If you have a smartphone and you are 45 years of age or older, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50 a year to keep the app on your smartphone.
- Nielsen Mobile for iPhone Users – If you have an iPhone, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50 a year to keep this app on your smartphone.
16. Empty Your Closet — and Cash in — With Poshmark
That has to be the sweetest way to clean your closet.
Does your closet still hold your prom outfit from 10 years ago? Be real: It’s never going to fit again. And even if it did, where would you wear it?
If you’re afraid to see your old clothes wallow on the Goodwill rack, consider selling them. You can take them to a nearby consignment shop like Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange.
Or you can sell them online, so you don’t even have to leave home. Our favorite platform is Poshmark — the app is super easy to use!
Shoppers love Poshmark because it’s a way to get quality brand-name clothes for up to 70% off retail. And as a buyer, it’s an easy way to make money and declutter your closet… to make room for new clothes, maybe?
17. Apply for a Job With One of These Companies
‘Nuff said.
Work-from-home companies can get a bad reputation. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams out there that take advantage of your desire to make money online.
It’s not fair.
So we did some research and put together a list of 16 legitimate companies that let you work from home and set your own schedule.
These all have a B+ or higher Better Business Bureau rating — and they span a variety of interests, so you should be able to find something to fit your skills and lifestyle.
18. Sell Your College Textbooks
You go, girl!
You’re not really going to revisit those lessons on the history of Freudian psychology, are you?
And those textbooks probably cost you a fortune in the first place. You might as well make a little money back, now that you’ve put college behind you.
You can sell used textbooks through an online textbook buyback company. To find the best price, we recommend Direct Textbook.
At Direct Textbook, just search using your book’s ISBN, and the site will connect you with more than 25 of the best-paying and most reputable buyback companies online.
19. Hang Out With Cats and Dogs
Not a bad way to make new friends!
Do you want to make extra money spending time with cats and dogs? Pet-sitting could be a great side gig.
Take a dog for a walk — or just stop by to keep them company while friends or family are out of town — and you could earn about $40. It’s a fun way to make some bank and get your Fido fix, especially if you can’t have a pet of your own.
Get an even closer connection — and more cash — by offering to watch pets overnight while their owners are out of town.
20. Sell Stuff Through Fulfillment by Amazon
I think it’s time to downsize…
We all knew those Beanie Babies and Furbies would be worth something one day, right?
Well, maybe they’re not the cash cows we hoped, but if you have a stock of toys or other items like this, you could make some money selling them through Fulfillment by Amazon. You provide the goods, and FBA handles the rest, from storage and shipping to customer satisfaction.
It’s one of the simplest ways to run an online business from home.
Choose from Amazon’s categories to sell anything you want, ideally something you know well.
The Penny Hoarder founder Kyle Taylor used to buy and resell toys, and he made $10,000 through FBA in November and December 2014!
FBA offers a great opportunity to do a little bit of work around other daily tasks. It’s perfect if you want to make extra money around raising kids, doing housework or even a day job — or just clear your basement and clear out those old collections.
21. Get Paid for Staying Healthy
That’s quite a road trip.
Is your fitness tracker not offering quite the boost you thought it would to get you off the couch for daily exercise? Maybe money will do the trick.
The health app Achievemint lets you earn money for completing healthy activities.
Connect Achievemint to workout apps like Apple’s Healthkit, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper, Rundouble C25K, Twitter or any other app you already use to track your health and fitness goals.
You’ll choose which data to securely share with Achievemint to earn cash for your activities. For example, you can earn points for logging your weight with MyFitnessPal or hitting step goals with Fitbit.
You can earn cash in $10 increments or an Amazon gift card when you reach 10,000 points, and there’s no limit on how much you can earn.
Plus, you’ll earn 10 points just for signing up with Achievemint and connecting an app today!
22. Start a Blog
We hear ya…
It’s definitely not a quick way to make money, but starting a blog can eventually help you earn extra money. If you enjoy writing, this is a super fun way to cash in on it.
You can blog about anything you want, so choose something you’re passionate about! Read our step-by-step guide to building an audience and making money from your blog. If you work hard, it could even replace your full-time income.
“As I worked to develop my blog, it began to attract advertisers,” says Cat Alford, blogger and mom of twins, told The Work at Home Woman.
“Now, I field emails (from advertisers) every day, and in the last three months, I’ve made a full-time income from my website after only making pocket change for several years,” Alford explains.
23. Sell Unused Gift Cards
It’s like a surprise gift from yourself!
More than $44 billion dollars in gift cards went unused between 2008-2014, according to the New York Post. We’ve got a much more productive way to put that money to use!
Sure, it’s disappointing to receive a gift you might not want. But if it’s a gift card, quietly thank the aunt (or other distant relative) who gave it to you for not trying too hard to buy something you wouldn’t have liked anyway.
It’s not cash, but a gift card is the next best thing — even if it’s for a store where you don’t usually shop.
That’s because you can sell it to someone who does want to shop at that store.
List your unused — or even partially-used — gift cards on a gift-card exchange site. Buyers use these sites to find a good deal on gift cards, and you get to turn that unwanted present into cash!
24. Invest in Your Interests, and Earn a $100 Bonus
So do we!
Motif Investing is unique among online brokers, because instead of picking individual stocks, you invest in a cluster of stocks (usually 20 to 30) 6from a similar field.
It’s sort of like a mutual fund, but the motifs range from Clean Energy to Republican Companies to Healthy and Tasty to Obamacare. Basically any interest you have or trend you’d like to invest in, you’ll find on Motif.
So you get to earn money while supporting issues you care about. Chalk that up as another good deed, we say!
Even, better Motif is giving away a ton of cash right now. If you open a new account with $1,000 and make one trade, you’ll earn $100.
Motif charges $9.95 for each trade you make, so you’re going to net $90.05 in extra cash with this deal. That’s like getting all of your transaction fees free and earning $100 extra. Sweet!
Read more about it here: How to Make $100 This Week with Motif Investing
25. Get Paid to Lose Weight (Seriously!)
The one time you definitely want to be a real BIG loser.
Picture this: You step on the scale and finally see your goal weight.
Congratulations! But it gets even better.
You’re about to receive a generous check you can spend on a celebratory dress in your new size, use stock up on household necessities or wisely stick into your savings — all just for losing weight!
It’s not a fantasy. If you wager on your own commitment with HealthyWage, this could very well happen for you… as long as you stick to your guns and lose the weight.
Here’s how: Sign up for HealthyWage, and define a goal weight and a timeframe to achieve it. Place a monetary bet on yourself, between $20 to $500 a month.
HealthyWage’s calculator will consider how much weight you have to lose, how much time you give yourself to do it and how much money you wager to determine your reward. You could win up to $10,000!
26. Start a Freelance Business
Freelance life is simply the best.
If you’re dreaming of setting your own schedule, working in sweats most days (or even your underwear, we won’t tell) and letting your facial hair fill out without consequence, freelancing could be perfect for you.
It could be your full-time job or a part-time side gig — the beauty of freelancing is you get to choose your work and how much time to put into it.
You can start a freelance business based on any skill you want, but these are some of the most common areas:
- Writing
- Graphic design
- Social media
- Photography
- Coaching
But don’t just start a business doing what sells!
You’re going to put a lot of time and effort into this, so it should probably be something you love. Find the service that fits what you enjoy doing, what you do best and what people are willing to pay you for.
Once you know the kind of work you want to do, follow our ultimate guide to starting a freelance business to take the next steps.
27. Earn Money Off Your Psychic Abilities From the Comfort of Your Home
I see working from home in your future.
Do you have experience and skill in any of these metaphysical abilities?
- Astrology
- Tarot
- Dream interpretation
- Numerology
- Clairvoyance/clairaudience/clairsentience
- Crystals
- Runes
- Empathy
- Medium or channeling
Psychic Source has openings for advisors for its phone or chat readings. You’ll get to work from home and set your own schedule, anywhere between eight and 40 hours per week.
You’ll receive support and promotion from Psychic Source, and pay is a base rate per call (not specified), plus a per-minute bonus depending on the length of your calls.
To apply, access the application process here. Or just apply telepathically (just kidding, don’t do that).
28. Do Other People’s Grocery Shopping
Cheers!
Some people hate grocery shopping so much they’ll actually pay someone else to do it for them.
That someone else can be you!
If you’re 21 years or older with reliable transportation, you can sign up to be a delivery driver with Instacart.
This app and website lets people who don’t have the time or motivation to battle the crowds for a box of cereal skip the grocery store. And it lets you make money as their personal shopper.
You should be relatively comfortable with common groceries, so this might not be the gig for you if your typical grocery trip is just a beeline to the Pizza Rolls.
Your application will include a short online quiz about common grocery store items. You’ll need to identify grocery items like a lemon or an 18-pack of eggs, and you only have two minutes to answer the 21 questions.
After that, your local manager will call you to set up a 15-minute phone interview to learn about your background and experience.
If you’re interested, you can fill out the Instacart application here.
29. Make Music Videos for YouTube
Then you ought to make money doing it!
Want to make money playing music? You can do it without leaving home by putting your music on YouTube.
There are two primary ways to do this. First, simply make and monetize YouTube videos. If you get enough traffic, you can make some serious money.
Second, create YouTube music lessons.
If you’ve been playing a while and know how to explain the basics to beginners, set up some video lessons. Some YouTube music lessons get millions of pageviews. Monetize your videos, and that kind of traffic can translate to serious money.
30. Tell This Company What’s in Your Fridge
Because eating is so overrated.
Believe it or not, Nielsen, the well-known TV ratings company, wants to know what you’re buying at the grocery store.
Once you sign up to be on the Nielsen Consumer Panel, the company will send you a free scanner or you can use your smartphone. Every time you go shopping, you simply scan the barcodes on the back of each product and send your data off to NCP.
As an active participant, you earn gift points you can redeem for different types of merchandise — like electronics, jewelry, household items, even toys for the kids.
The longer you stay on the panel, the more opportunities you have to earn points toward prizes. You also receive entries for the panel’s many sweepstakes for big prizes like vacations and brand new vehicles.
31. Write Songs (and Sell Them)
They’re pretty much always coming to you.
You may have heard the music industry isn’t the best place to make a living these days. That’s not totally wrong — but it’s not totally right, either.
While the move to digital downloads has made record deals less lucrative for artists than in the heyday of rock ‘n’ roll, flexible musicians know there are still smart ways to cash in.
Songwriting is one of them.
Selling songs outright isn’t common, because it’s not a great deal for the writer. If you sell all the rights to a song, you’ll only make a few bucks, even it becomes a huge hit — or, even better, gets played in a movie or TV show.
A better plan is to set up a royalty deal. That way, the amount you earn is based on the song’s success.
Mechanical royalties earn you a statutory rate of 0.091 cents per song, per manufactured unit (such as a CD). If the song you wrote is on an album that sells 10,000 copies, you would make $910.
Performance royalties are a separate deal. To collect royalties for the right to perform your song, join one of these three performing rights organizations:
If you can’t break into the music industry in the usual ways, you can always look for contests to enter. For example, the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) hands out cash, prizes and recognition to 71 winners.
ASCAP maintains a list of songwriting competitions.
32. Add This App to Get Paid for Picking Up Your Phone
Can’t argue with “free” money, can you?
We’re constantly told we have a smartphone addiction in this country. You glance at that tiny screen dozens of times a day to check the weather, answer emails or text the next love of your life (you hope).
And you can actually get paid for it. Take that, technophobes.
Instead of a picture of your dog or some flowers on your lock screen, the Slidejoy app presents ads for various products and services. Like what you see? Swipe left on the ad to go straight to the advertiser’s website, YouTube video or app download page.
If the ad doesn’t resonate with you — or if you’re in a hurry — simply swipe right to go to your phone as normal.
It’s like a dating app for ads, except instead of nonsensical pick-up lines, you get paid for your swipes. You can earn up to $60 a year just by using your phone as you normally would.
Click here to download the app for your Android phone.
33. Earn Cash Back for Shopping Online
Don’t you love cracking open the mailbox to see a package inside?
Yeah, we can come up with a lot of ways to save money when you’re shopping. But isn’t it better to get paid to go shopping?
When you shop through a cash-back site like Ebates, you’ll earn cash-back rewards you can redeem for gift cards.
Even better, it’s giving away $10 gift cards if you sign-up as a new member and earn your first cash-back rebate. You can choose either a $10 Target, Walmart, Macy’s or Kohl’s gift card.
You do have to wait 30 days. But, it’s free money so can you really complain?
34. Do Some Freelance Proofreading
Classic proofreader humor.
If you’ve got a keen eye for grammar and formatting, freelance proofreading could be your next great gig — one that pays about $17 an hour.
Got your attention? Yeah, we thought so.
To get started, sign up for this free seven-day mini-course on ProofreadAnywhere.com to learn how to build your freelance proofreading business.
Typical pay for proofreading is about 35 cents per page, so how much you earn depends on how efficiently you can work. To earn $17 an hour, you’ll have to proof about 49 pages each hour, which you’ll need experience to work up to.
Proofreading is a great gig for Type A personalities — perfecting grammar, punctuation and formatting and getting paid for it? That’s much better than just keeping a pencil in your nightstand to mark up your library books.
35. Help Companies Improve Their Websites
Please spread the word.
Have you ever clicked on a link because it promised valuable information, but bounced off the web page immediately because it was so unpleasant to look at?
Some websites are just so annoying to use or difficult to navigate that users don’t want to hang out on them.
You can help change that — and get paid to do it.
With UserTesting, you’ll help companies determine how customers use their websites.
You’ll make about $10 for spending 20 minutes evaluating websites or testing apps. The best part? You’ll be paid via PayPal within seven days.
This opportunity is available in the U.S., and we’re hearing there are a also ton of jobs in the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia right now!
36. Rent Your Designer Clothes
Can’t get enough!
Have a pricy dress you bought and only wore once wasting away in your closet? Earn your money back — and more — renting it to others looking for a good deal.
You can make money renting clothing through sites like Loanables or Style Lend.
If you’ve got lots of special-occasion or high-end clothes, you could practically be running your own Rent the Runway from your closet!
Rent the Runway is popular with frugal fashionistas, especially around the busy wedding season. People can rent your designer dresses for just a few days to save on cost of buying a new one.
You get to cash in on the demand. Plus, it takes the sting out of splurging on that designer dress for your friend’s wedding last summer you’ll never wear again — it’s just an investment!
37. Test Drive Cars as a Mystery Shopper
Here’s your chance!
Working through a mystery shopping company like BestMark, you can go to car lots and pose as a potential buyer.
So you get to test drive a car, which is pretty cool.
It also means you listen to the sales pitch, which is less exciting. But then you report back on your experience and get paid. Joke’s on them…
The Penny Hoarder founder, Kyle Taylor, used to do automotive mystery shopping, and reports earning $60 for each dealership he visited. Not too bad for less than an hour’s work acting like a P.I., not to mention the chance to drive a new car!
38. Work From Home as a Bookkeeper
We don’t hear that too often. This is a perfect job for you, Ashlee.
Does earning $60 an hour sound appealing? Duh, of course it does. How about the freedom to work remotely with small business owners?
Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a certified public accountant and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers.
And no, you don’t have be a CPA to be successful in this business. In fact, all you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems.
It’s a great opportunity for moms who want to work part time, millennials who are just out of college and anyone who wants to bring in real money while working from home.
39. Get Paid to Stay in the Know About Popular TV Shows
So do we, Jessica. So do we.
OK, just hear us out on this one. It’s definitely possible to get paid to watch TV shows you love. RewardTV pays you to answer trivia questions about last night’s TV shows.
Do you know who they killed off on “Game of Thrones” last night? Tell RewardTV about it and you’ll get paid.
Do you know which contestant got kicked off “The Voice” this week? You could get paid.
Just don’t tell your friends, who DVR’d the show!
You’re not going to get rich doing this, but it’s a fun way to make an extra $15 to $20 a month for the shows you already enjoy watching.
40. Sell Your Weirdest Stuff
And, oh, those summer nights… selling them online.
If you want to work directly with buyers, you can list your most unique treasures to sell on Ebay.
Seriously, when we say “unique,” we mean it. Did you know you could sell dentures on Ebay? What about old — sorry, vintage — panties?
If you’ve lived in one place for a while, you’re bound to have a few odd items stuck in the back of your closet. Those could be valuable to someone.
You can also cash in on your location through Ebay. If you live by the beach, collect bunches of seashells and driftwood to sell to crafters. If you live near the woods, collect pine cones. Don’t underestimate the value of those things you see everyday!
41. Take Care of Someone Else’s House
#lifehacks
House-sitting is a killer way to make money for introverts, travelers and anyone who just wants to make a little extra money in their free time.
It’s like a sleepover you get paid for. Just water some plants, mind the temperature and keep the lights on at intervals that alert potential ne’er-do-wells that the place is occupied.
When you’re traveling, house-sitting could mean free lodging — and it’s usually cushier than a cheap hotel and more private than couch surfing.
House-sitting in your own town is a way to make money just for stopping by a couple times a day, or even spending the night in a place that’s probably a step up from your own.
Read our guide on how to find house-sitting gigs to get started.
Your Turn: Will you try any of these ways to make extra money?
Advertiser Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.
The post 41 Proven Ways to Make Extra Money at Home Without Getting a Regular Job appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Taco Bell is Throwing a Sleepover Party for Four Lucky Canadians
The Steak Doubledilla has arrived at Canadian Taco Bell locations, and the chain’s celebration is perhaps the wackiest one we’ve ever seen.
Most restaurants celebrate new dishes with an introductory coupon or maybe a sweepstakes for cash and prizes. But when’s the last time a fast-food chain invited you to a sleepover?
“We want to have you over to our place for an epic one-night-only SteakCation!” Taco Bell’s Canadian website proclaims.
“Enter now for your chance to spend the night enjoying steak-stuffed, 3-cheese filled, creamy jalapeño sauce-smothered Steak Doubledillas.”
Yum?
Your Chance to Snooze at a Taco Bell Without Getting Kicked Out By Management
The location for this cheesy sleepover? A real Taco Bell in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, just across the border from Detroit.
The restaurant will get dressed up with two sets of bunk beds (choose your three friends wisely), lounge chairs, and a big-screen TV for the one-night-only party on Oct. 17.
You’ll get plenty of entertainment options as well as a Taco Bell butler to bring you round after round of Taco Bell delights. You’ll enjoy a continental breakfast before checkout at 8 a.m., the rudest checkout time ever. But we get it. The restaurant’s got to open for regular paying customers.
Taco Bell’s entry page is actually an AirBnB listing, although I’ll be the first to admit I refuse to book anything that has fewer than five glowing reviews.
You must be a legal resident of Canada (but not Quebec, sorry) and 18 or older to enter. Entering requires a free Airbnb account and an answer to this burning question:
“Why do you want to take a SteakCation? Tell us why you think it would be awesome to spend the night at a Taco Bell.” It’s short — just 50 to 550 characters.
Our founder and No. 1 Taco Bell fan, Kyle Taylor, was already halfway through his essay before he found out he was ineligible. He is devastated.
Your Turn: Is this the weirdest contest prize you’ve ever seen? If Taco Bell runs this contest in the U.S., will you enter?
Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.
The post Taco Bell is Throwing a Sleepover Party for Four Lucky Canadians appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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The Psychology of Search Engine Optimization: 10 Things You Need to Know
Think you know SEO? It’s all about keywords, content, and optimization, right?
Not quite.
Despite what you may think you know, search engine optimization has far less to do with content, coding, or site architecture than with psychology.
The reason why people search for things in the first place is what matters. That’s especially true when it comes to effective SEO.
I know, I know. You’ve been told time and time again to use specific keyword densities and to otherwise tweak the way in which words are arranged on the screen.
What does psychology have to do with any of it?
As today’s most effective SEOs know, understanding the psychology behind why people behave the way they do plays a crucial role in establishing an effective online marketing strategy.
That applies to SEO just as much as it does to any other digital marketing channel.
I’m not telling you to get a psychology degree. All of the answers you need are available to you through effective market research and a carefully developed SEO strategy.
In the meantime, here’s a quick primer on understanding the relationship between effective SEO and the psychology behind those who search for information online.
1. Know your customers
Without knowing what makes your customers tick, any marketing technique you employ is sure to fail.
As a business owner, you need to understand the people who need or who will benefit from your products and services.
If you haven’t done so already, develop detailed personas for the different types of people who are likely to use your products or services.
Get the ball rolling by speaking extensively with your existing customers. What attracted them to your company? What are their pain points?
But don’t stop there. Engage in market research to identify other types of people who may be viable prospects.
You will start to see patterns and similarities in people’s backgrounds and motivations. Sort different types of customers into different personas.
With fully developed personas, you can paint a vivid picture of what your ideal customer looks like. This understanding will allow you to gear your content and optimization toward guiding them through to conversion.
2. Identify customer intent
In the old days, SEO revolved around identifying the words people used to query search engines and sprinkling content with the resulting keywords.
Things didn’t go much deeper than that, so search engine results were clunky at best.
Today’s search engine algorithms are incredibly sophisticated. Nowadays, they can assess user intent with incredible accuracy. By understanding the intent of your ideal customer, you can make major strides while engaging in SEO.
Most customers are in one of four phases: awareness, research, decision, or purchase. Their search queries will reflect that intent.
How are you supposed to know the intent of your customers? The answers lie in the personas you’ve developed (I hope you did).
Everyone loves options. Each persona may have a different intent, which is why it’s important to produce specific types of content for specific personas.
For example, one of your personas may be mostly concerned with getting a great deal. Another’s top priority may be to get their hands on what they need as quickly as possible.
Once you figure out what your customers are after, give it to them with engaging, informative content, optimized to attract their attention.
3. Address specific pain points
Giving customers the information they need increases the odds of their conversion. It is crucial to understand the issues they are trying to solve and ways your products and services can help them.
SEO is no longer about cramming content with as many keywords as possible. To be effective, your content must be useful to actual people.
Useful content concisely and effectively addresses customers’ pain points, and those pain points may vary from one type of customer to the next.
During the course of your market research and through communications with existing customers, you will learn a lot about the problems your ideal customers face.
Using this information to inform your content and SEO strategy will put you ahead of the game.
For example, let’s say you run a fitness supplement website.
Your research reveals that some customers’ main issue involves losing weight quickly. Another large group is more concerned with building muscle.
Needless to say, producing content strictly for one or the other won’t get you too far.
Therefore, the psychology of SEO demands that different types of content must be developed to address different pain points.
4. Use search engine queries
Much of the psychology of SEO is reflected in the way in which people query search engines.
Before algorithms progressed to their present level of sophistication, the best way to do so was by using a handful of short, concise search terms, which is exactly why keywords were once so crucial.
Now that algorithms consider the semantic and thematic meaning and intent of users, the way in which users query search engines has evolved. People are more conversational with their queries—they ask actual questions much of the time.
Rather than searching for “shoes for sale San Jose,” for example, someone searching Google today is likelier to type, “Where can I find shoes for sale in San Jose?”
Increasingly, they might actually ask the question out loud by querying Siri or another mobile app.
When developing your SEO strategy, consider how people will ask Google to find the products and services you provide.
Gear your content toward answering those questions. When it makes sense to do so, include long-tail keywords and key phrases that mirror how people query the search engines. Using longtail keywords in your search strategy is the only way you can gain more organic traffic.
Longtail keywords are, by far, the most commonly-used search method.
Ultimately, though, if your content is truly useful, informative, and relevant to your users, it will naturally pose and answer the proper questions.
5. Get media-rich with images and videos
An important thing to remember about user psychology is that humans are highly visual.
To really connect and resonate with your audience, your SEO strategy should incorporate images and videos whenever it makes sense.
According to studies, people process information presented in images around 60,000 times faster than text. To connect with customers quickly, which is hugely important on the Internet, it pays to include relevant images and videos.
Not just any videos or images will do, however.
For example, loading your posts with generic clipart and stock photos won’t work nearly as effectively as including images and videos of actual customers or employees.
Images and videos make your SEO more effective and your content more relatable and approachable. Thanks to today’s technology, they’re also easy to produce.
6. User experience
In the world of SEO, a lot of attention is paid to site architecture and the way in which it affects the user experience. The two have a lot of overlap:
From an SEO standpoint, using appropriate title tags and the like and organizing content so that it flows logically helps a great deal.
By designing the layout of your site according to the psychology of your personas, you will increase the odds of converting them into actual customers.
After all, you need to make sure they interact with your site instead of merely landing on it and bouncing away.
The goal here is to ensure that the right content gets in front of the right persona at the right time.
Understanding your customers’ motivations and backgrounds will make it much easier to lay out your content appropriately.
Well-optimized landing pages help guide the on-site user experience. A good landing page should target specific personas, which you can then guide according to their pain points and desires.
7. Sharing
You don’t want people to merely read and digest the content you provide.
You want them to share it too. When someone shares your content, they are essentially vouching for your brand. The very act of sharing it proves they are actively engaged.
The question, though, is: what prompts people to share content in the first place?
The New York Times Customer Insight Group conducted a survey regarding this very thing, and their findings are incredibly insightful:
- 84 percent share content that supports a cause they care about
- 78 percent share content to stay connected to friends
- 69 percent share content to feel more involved in the world
- 68 percent share content to define themselves
- 49 percent share content as a form of entertainment
From this, we can conclude that the best content helps customers define themselves and their relationships to the world.
It also delivers value people want to share with others.
Shareable content is informative, interesting, and helpful. It also reflects customers’ ideals.
Keep the above survey results in mind while working on SEO and content creation to increase the odds of having your content spread far and wide.
8. Keep the conversation flowing
An effective SEO strategy also considers how and why conversions happen.
A conversion doesn’t always mean a sale. It can mean opting in for an email newsletter or participating in a quick survey.
What compels someone to switch from a passive website visitor to an actual customer? A huge amount of information is available online regarding how and why people convert.
Educate yourself about conversion psychology to boost the overall effectiveness of your SEO efforts and conversion optimization.
When it comes to understanding the psychology behind conversion, having a clear understanding of the sales funnel is an absolute must.
You should have content matching every stage of the funnel as well as every persona type.
Yes, this means you need a lot of content. And yes, that content must be of the highest quality.
You may have your work cut out for you, but the good news is that it will pay off in spades down the road.
9. Guidance
As much as we dislike admitting it, people are followers.
They look to each other to decide how to behave. This is just as true online as it is in person.
To motivate visitors to your site to do what you want, you must guide them. Expecting them to take the initiative is unrealistic.
I’m not saying you should “bark orders” at them through your content; rather, you should subtly guide them.
Calls to action are a prime example of guiding visitors through your site. They’re definitely the most dramatic example as well.
Beyond that, it helps to consider the path your ideal customer may follow through to conversion.
For example, someone who freshly arrives on your site may be doing very initial research. Content that provides a clear but effective overview works well here.
At the end of the content, there should be additional resources to help them progress to the next stage. Every step of the way, use action words to guide users along.
Never assume they will know where to go, and don’t be afraid of coming across as a little bossy.
10. Value versus cost
Humans are mostly concerned with two things when considering a solution. They ask themselves:
(1) What’s in it for me?
(2) How much will it cost?
That’s human psychology 101, really, and it proves to be quite useful for crafting an SEO strategy.
For the value end of things, your content must provide something your audience truly needs. This typically means providing answers, information, and guidance, so fluffy, meaningless content is absolutely useless.
As for the cost, well, most of the content on your page will be free for the taking.
However, cost involves more than money. What kinds of hoops will your customers have to jump through to get the information they need?
Ideally, content should be readily accessible. Since you can also gather crucial data about customers by having them opt in from time to time, make the barrier to entry as low as possible by asking only for a small amount of information.
If you ask them to complete a lengthy form, it’s unlikely many will comply.
Conclusion
Before developing a new SEO strategy, you need to get inside your customers’ heads as much as possible.
More importantly, remember that the content you create shouldn’t just be geared to appeal to search engine algorithms; it should be geared toward actual humans—paying customers who want what you have to offer.
None of the above tips will get you anywhere until you invest considerable amounts of time and effort into understanding what makes your ideal customer click.
Do it now, and then craft your strategy based on what you learn.
Have you developed personas of your ideal customers yet?
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