“Paying for oil changes is my favorite!” Said no one. Ever.
“Wow, it was really inexpensive to take the whole family out to dinner!” You think that every time you go out, right?
“I’m so glad it only cost a paycheck to check out this amusement park!” You get the idea.
Doing anything, with or without kids, is EXPENSIVE!
I haven’t paid for an oil change, in my husband’s truck or my car, in 2 years. Most of my meals with the family are completely reimbursed. Trips with the kids? Nights out with the husband? All taken care of. So, how do I get my meals paid for, my family outings compensated, and free oil changes?
Mystery Shopping.
A lot of people think that if they sign up to be a mystery shopper, they’re obligated to do every job in their area. If that was the case, they’d just take on another job, right? Of their own choosing! Instead, signing up for a mystery shopping company is an invitation for that company to email you ‘job’ opportunities. You only pick the ones that you want to do, and then you schedule tasks within the time frame they give you, when it’s most convenient for you.
It is the perfect fit for a stay at home parent that wants some of the extras of life, but doesn’t want to take out a second mortgage. Or the working parent who has a busy schedule, but wants to bring some extra cash in on the side. Now that I have your attention, whats involved?
The first thing to look for when looking for a mystery shopping company, is that they don’t ask you to PAY for anything. There doesn’t need to be ANY startup costs for mystery shopping. When you are applying to be a shopper, it might be a good idea to get an email devoted only to that. Most companies send you weekly, monthly, or daily emails with local jobs – each listing is typically a separate email. This can bog down your regular email account, but it’s a simple fix of getting one devoted to the cause.
The second thing you want to look for is how a company pays you. Some send a check, some send PayPal. A limited few may do direct deposit. Pay careful attention to when they pay you. Most jobs will not have the option of immediate reimbursement. So it might be the next week, the end of the month, or a certain date on the following month that they process payments.
This has gotten terribly dull, hasn’t it? Just bear with me a few more moments!
“So,” you ask, “if I’m not going to be compensated right away, there ARE startup costs!” Well, there doesn’t have to be. I’ll explain what I mean.
Many ‘jobs’ can be done right from home, and are more pay than reimbursement. These may not pay the best, but they are convenient! For example, my personal favorite company to start with is BestMark.
BestMark is unique in that it often has phone opportunities. You call a company from home to judge their customer service, and fill out a form to hand in that night. Next week you will have a check in the mail! What I did to start off was do a bunch of these. They only pay $3 - $5 typically, but they only take a few minutes and I could do them when the baby was asleep! Once I had a few of them, I cashed them into a separate account. I now had money to go out to eat, which would then be reimbursed! BestMark also has car shops, electronic store evaluations, and more. I have received many car services courtesy of this company! They ask for specific makes for each shop, but they’re pretty frequent.
Intelli-shop is my go-to for oil-changes and pizza delivery! They pay you directly to PayPal (my favorite!). You choose your shops based on a map of where they are. You can go out of your area for all of these companies, and usually they will pay your mileage. Think: VACATION?!
Presto-map is a fantastic starter for a few different reasons. One, they have a great mobile interface. An interactive map shows you where you are and where the jobs are. Jobs in blue… wait for it … you get reimbursed IMMEDIATELY for once they receive your survey. A survey is the form you fill out answering all the questions they have on the company you’re doing the shop for. This is super convenient – one time, I was tight on cash. My bank card had been stolen, and I hated not having anything for an emergency. So I went around, and saw that they needed pictures of drive through menu boards. SO EASY! I took pictures of every McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts for 10 miles, and made a cool $50 directly in my PayPal account.
Gigspot is a hub for many different shopping companies. I’ve used them to get 20% off my groceries for a year! I just rotated between the different local Price Choppers, and Wa-La! Reimbursed every single week, sometimes multiple times, for anywhere from $15-$35. I used that for kids’ splurges or treating myself. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can really help! They often have shops for local gas stations and a lot of phone and web shops as well.
Amusement Advantage (I can refer you if you'd like, just let me know) is a mystery shopping company with a VERY specific focus. You’re gonna love this. They only do entertainment! What I mean by that, is you’ll have to go bowling, or check out WonderWorks, or the Kalahari Resort. I know – the WORST, RIGHT?!?!? And you will get paid. To play with your own children. It’s kind of the holy mecca of mystery shopping companies!
There are a few considerations if you want to do this. First, if you want to continue on with a company, you have to only sign up for jobs you are completely willing and able to do. Second, you have to pay attention to deadlines for the surveys. For these, you will have to remember a clerks name, how long they took to greet you, how friendly they were, if they were in uniform, etc. You will have to notice how neat and tidy the place is, if there is debris and dirt everywhere. So take covert notes on your phone if you need to. Do not. DO NOT. Inform the store that you are mystery shopping. (Where would the mystery be in that?!)
So there it is. Ways that you can get paid to play with your kids. Get paid to eat at nice restaurants. Free car service, and a serious grocery discount. Some companies even compensate you for visiting a certain doctor!
There are a million different mystery shopping companies. You will have to fill out a form for any that you work for. It can get tedious to fill out all the forms and surveys. But for me, and for a lot of other parents out there that find themselves needing the activity, extra income, or opportunities afforded by such a non-constricting side gig, mystery shopping is the perfect answer.
Your turn: Have you mystery shopped? What’s your favorite company?
* Please note, some of the links in this article are referrals *
Interested in other ways to make or save some cash? Check out these articles:
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