A year or two ago, I used survey sites constantly to make extra money.
At the time, I was pregnant, had just started a blog (read: the blog was making nothing)
Also, I did surveys at work when I was bored….So there’s that.
Maybe you’re in my (previous) shoes, taking surveys for peanuts and you’re ok with that. Or maybe you’re still doing surveys but you’re not really sure how much they’re actually worth it to you. Or maybe you’ve given up taking surveys.
No matter where you’re at, it’s ok. What I would like to do is explain is my reasoning behind not doing surveys for money anymore, in hopes that if you find yourself in the situation I found myself in, you’ll reconsider how you spend your time just like I did.
Why I used to do Survey Sites –
Like I said above, I started doing surveys for money when I found out I was pregnant, as a way to create a little bit of extra money before the baby came. And it worked. I made a few hundred dollars that we were able to stash away for my unpaid maternity leave, as well as some unexpected (but necessary) baby supplies.
I did them while I was at work, bored, so it was very worth my time. If I took just what I made from surveys, though, it would have been about $6.00 and hour. But when I stacked that $6.00 and hour with the $17.00 I was already making for being at work, it was totally worth it.
About the same time, I learned that if we worked out butts off, we could retire by 40, so I started a blog. This blog started as a way to hold myself accountable during a 3-year debt repayment journey, but shortly after it’s launch I started reading about bloggers who were making thousands of dollars online every single month.
So, in February, after the baby was born, I self-hosted my blog and thew up some Adsense code. And by threw up, I mean I literally put it up and hand no idea what I was doing. The ads looked terrible and earned next to nothing.
Then I stopped doing surveys –
Yes, the blog was earning peanuts, but I kept reading, I kept learning, and I kept using what was working.
And my income grew, and grew, and grew! Last month I actually made $1,300, which when you divide that by the hours I invested in the blog, means that I made slightly less than $13.00 and hour, which wasn’t too shabby for a part-time income!
What I realized, about 2 months after I self-hosted my blog, was that I needed efficiency – and a lot of it!
I was exclusively pumping for my daughter (which if you’ve ever done that, you know it’s a ridiculous amount of work), I was working 50 hours weeks, every single week, and I was stressed out.
But I really loved blogging.
Then I had a moment, when I realized that it came down to efficiency. I realized that I could make more money per hour of blogging (and be happier) than I could doing surveys!
Not only was the straight hourly rate greater, but the earnings potential was unlimited. Blogging, while I love it, is just a platform to let your voice be heard. It’s all about helping people, and in that spirit there are so many other “helping people” platforms that can come from a blog, which can generate income for years to come!
And so I stopped, and all of that time I was spending making $6.00 and hour when I was bored at work I pored into blogging. I read everything I could get my hands on from other, more successful bloggers. I studied “the greats” of blogging, learning their methods, their formulas for success, and I applied those lessons to my blog.
I still have a long way to go in this blogging success thing, but I’ve never looked back. I’ve never gotten so scared of this crazy thing called blogging that I ran back to surveys because they were “safe.”
I want to encourage you, today –
Maybe you’re where I was: stressed out, overworked, and desperately needing efficiency in your life. Maybe you’re afraid of dropping one of the dozens of plates that you’re juggling. Afraid that if you do, your world will fall apart.
Guess what?
When you drop that plate, you world WILL come crashing down.
But it will be awesome! When you decide to choose efficiency, simplicity, and the life that you want, life as you know it now will cease to exist. But the new life that comes out of it will be happier, more fulfilling, and enable you to do what you want with your life – not what others have dictated for you.
When you focus on efficiency – dropping those things that are a waste of your time, and that don’t make you happy – and focusing only on those that will simplify your life, and make you feel fulfilled.
For everyone, this feeling of fulfillment comes from different things, and that is as it should be. No two people are alike. My challenge to you is this: find that thing that fulfills you and drop all of the other unnecessary things crowding that fulfilling thing out. You’ll become more efficient, happier, and satisfied.
What will you cut out of your life today? What will you focus all of your energy on instead?
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Makes sense to me! I definitely think it’s wise to put your effort into projects you truly enjoy and that can yield long-term benefits (like a blog). There’s just not enough time to do everything (as I keep reminding myself) :)!
Ha – it’s hard to remember we can’t do it all, isn’t it! But, you’re totally right….
I stopped during surveys a couple years ago. I realized that I was spending a lot of time not qualifying for them and was making very little money. It just wasn’t a good use of my time. I make very little with my blog right now but I also have an Etsy shop. The shop brings in far more than surveys ever did and both it and the blog are more enjoyable to me. There is definitely something to be said for efficiency and simplicity. :)
(visiting from the Thrifty Thursday link-up)
Exactly – it’s frustrating! Your blog and Etsy shop have great potential, though, and probably a better use of your time :-)
I also stopped doing surveys a few years ago. For others, it might be a good use of time, but for me it was a time drain.
Exactly, for some it might be totally worth it, but I have to think: “Would I rather make $6.00 an hour doing surveys, or $16 blogging?”
I did a few surveys and my payout was $25 to American Eagle. It was nice to have but I realized I worked far too hard for that $25. I am devoting my time to my blog instead!
Great plan!
Just signed up for a survey site. Won’t do anything spectacular with it, just want to try it out and get some conclusions and experience from it. I do know it’s a very small ‘hourly rate’, so I’m just curious to see how this works. My main business is web design and blogging.
It’s definitely worth exploring – but everyone’s situation is different :-)
I’m definitely trying to make my blogging more efficient. It seems like there’s so much to learn and do that it can get pretty overwhelming fast. Thanks for the push to keep simplifying my blogging and focus on what I really want to get out of it.
Isn’t life so crazy busy?? This push towards efficiency has really, been helping me, and hopefully it will help you too!
I have been really trying to bring my blog to a whole new level but it is not going as well as I thought. Thank you for the encouragement for I am not going to give up. Once day I’m gonna get it right.
Don’t give up! If you can’t afford Elite Blog Academy, spend $14.99 on Ruth Sokup’s book, How to Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul” It gives basically the same information as the course, but you don’t have all of the handy worksheets and stuff!
My situation was very similar to yours. There was a period in my life that surveys helped us eek by. But since then, I’ve found other things that are much more profitable. I do still do Pinecone Research surveys. Don’t know if you heard of the or not, but they are kind of the Cadillac of surveys. They pay $3 for every survey and you qualify for every single one. They typically take me about 10 min. to do, so I feel like it’s worth it still.
I will say that survey companies vary greatly. Some I worked with were so much more worth it than others. So if you are going to do surveys, do a bit of research to find out if it is worth it before signing up.
Exactly – surveys are right for some people and can sometimes provide vital financial support, but at this point in my life, they just don’t make sense.
This was really good for me to read! I was just starting to sign-up for various surveys to make a little additional money but kept wondering if it was really worth my time. Thank you!
It may or not be worth it – everyone’s situation is different, you just have to determine if it’s right for your :-)
But it will be awesome! When you decide to choose efficiency, simplicity, and the life that you want, life as you know it now will cease to exist. But the new life that comes out of it will be happier, more fulfilling, and enable you to do what you want with your life – not what others have dictated for you. LOVE this! Thank you :) I am working towards that new life now.
Exactly – so glad that you see what I means! It is so hard to let go of things sometimes, but I never found that I miss what I cut out!