Money is in the Mail

There are so many things that I do for money these days:

The main thing I am concentrating on is doing Mary Kay. This can be a hurdle at times. But, luckily I have had friends support. I have several that are going to hold parties for me in the near future. Until, I have this in full swing I rely on a couple other things to keep me a float.

I started doing focus groups a couple of years ago. They normally pay $100.00 for 1-2 hours, but sometimes I make more. They normally ask what you think about a product, service, place, company.... The first one I ever did paid $125.00 for 1 hour and a half. It was for AAA. They showed us several ad layout and had the group choose what ads we liked the best. The best thing about doing focus groups is the pay is so good and its really about what you like as a consumer. My opinion really does matter. It matters so much they pay me for it. I have done a groups for toys, coffee and even Burlington Coat Factory...I wish they were more frequent but, I normally get called every 2-3 months.


Another activity (job) I do is belong to a community of women who give their opinions on a Stress Relief Community. I was given special stress-relief products to try and a website that that has individual tools and programs designed for me. The products consist of bath wash, face wash, spritz, linen spray and lotion. All of them have a soothing scent that helps relieve stress. My favorite products are the bath wash (that make my skin feel extremely soft) and the linen spray ( I use this before bed for a good nice sleep). The website I sign on to to get tools to deal with stress and stress related symptoms. I also have to go on to a community site that the whole groups communicates on. I answer questions about the products, the site and day to day things. One time they asked to try bubble bath. I received a whole bottle of bubble bath and also received a bonus for being a participant. This last month I received 60 dollars in Amazon gift certificates. Mainly, I received so much was because of the bubble bath and completing extra activities on the community board (live chats). But, normally if I do not have any raffle winning or they didn't offer extra activities I receive 10 dollars a month of Amazon GC. They add up and I have been doing this community for almost a year. Let me tell you Christmas presents were bought with the time I spent doing this. Plus, I really enjoy learning about new products and they give really good tools to use when I am stressing out!!!

One other thing I do is surveys on-line. They can be time consuming but I manage to get points for every survey and then I qualify for gift cards with points that I earn. Most of the survey are 10-20 mins long and I get any where from 10 point to 90 points. The longer the survey the more points. Each point seems to be worth about a penny. So, as you can tell they really are not worth much. But, the companies also give bonus points for raffles. I can take these extra points and put them into a raffle to win money and prizes. So, far I think I have about 35 dollars waiting to be cashed in. And I have NOT won a raffle yet.

The other night about a week ago. I was on the computer playing around, doing a survey or playing an on-line game. I receive a phone call and is was a gal wanting to know if I would help her out and answer a couple of questions. She called the right phone number. The questions were about my TV viewing and my radio listen. I think we spent about 10-15 mins on the phone. She asked if she could send me follow-up questionnaires. I of course agreed and for my time she informed me that 10 dollars would be sent in the mail along with the questionnaire. On Saturday before going out, I checked the mail and there was my big questionnaire envelope and inside a 10 dollar bill. The money is in the mail...you just have to look for it and participate.

My new blog

I decided to call my blog The Scrat Pack. I feel like I am a woman that is just like the saber-toothed squirrel that is always chasing after his (or in my case, her) acorn (or in my case everything that has to be done).

I have 3 children, A daughter who is 21 years old, another daughter who turned 4 in December and my Lil boy who will be 3 in less than a week. My husband works full-time as a customer service/supervisor for a bus company and I started my own adventure as a Mary Kay Consultant. I have a lot on my plate with day to day life, but also starting a business to supplement my husbands income is an added pain or pleasure depending on what day it is.

I quit my full-time job almost a year ago as a merchandiser. I drove to numerous stores and supplied them with products. The driving and paperwork was endless and I became too stressed and grouchy. My life needed a re-newel and staying home with the kids was exactly what I needed and wanted. We have managed to keep everything a float, but by skin of our teeth. So, in November of 2009 I started my new adventure as a Mary Kay consultant. I didnt take the idea too seriouly at first. But, now that I am in my 6th month of this adventure I see the complete picture and potential for a great income and life.