I am a survey queen!

If you know me personally, you know I am always testing products.  Our apartment is filled with plain white bottles of shampoo or plain boxes of crackers.  I love getting to try new products before they hit the market.  My old mailman/UPS lady were used to the amount of boxes I receive (who doesn't love mail?!), but I have to break in my new carriers. 

What do you get to sample?  Anything!  I have gotten diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, crackers, household cleaner, razors, face wash... the list could go on and on.  Most are full size bottles, although they do not always have labels on them.  I have been doing this for years and I have tested out many different survey companies.  Some are definitely better than others, especially with their incentives.  I have gotten cash, gift cards, e-cards and many other great prizes from my surveys- I even won an iPod touch! 

Some companies require you to invest a lot of time for a little incentive, which I obviously stay away from.  Most surveys are 20 minutes or less and it usually takes about a month of surveys for a prize, although I usually qualify for about 5-7 test products a week. 

Once you get the hang of taking surveys, you will be able to fish out the "good" surveys. Here is a list of my top 5.  Although I am a member of more than 5 companies, these are the best.



**Remember: you should NEVER have to pay to join a survey company!  There are some scam sites out there.

1. My survey (formerly Lightspeed Panel).  I like this site for great full sized samples and I use points for gift cards.  Points accumulate rather quickly.  I love the Gap/Old Navy or the Macaroni Grill gift card options.  Note: Most surveys that are 15 minutes and under lead to a product sample. 
2. Viewpoint Forum.  This is probably my favorite.  They send out their checks very quickly and I just got a $45 check for a product sample. 
3. Mindfield.  My second favorite.  Quick surveys and money adds up quickly!
4. Survey Spot.  This is the first survey site I joined.  Although points don't accumulate fast, they do offer PayPal and a lot of sampling.
5. e-Rewards.  Points add up quickly for magazine subscriptions and Macy's gift cards.  Not the best selection of prizes, but I always find something.
6.  UPDATE: I had to add one more.  Opinion Outpost offers quick surveys and fast results.  I love the ability to change points into Amazon gift cards. 

Honorable mentions:

1. Pinecone Research.  They don't always accept new members, but this is a great site.  They offer PayPal and very prompt payments.  Most surveys are under 10 minutes. If you want to join, message me and I can send you the sign-up email!
2. ZoomPanel.  I am still new to this one, but I think it has potential. 

Quick notes:

• You may want to sign up for these on a "junk" email because you may get a lot more surveys than you have time to take
• When do I have time to take surveys?  During my "shows".  It drives Ricky nuts, but if I can make money while wasting time watching TV, why not?!

Let me know what you think!

Xoxo!