In 2015 I brought in a grand total of $5,702.15 from online endeavors and various other side gigs.
Here is the breakdown by category:
| Category | 2015 |
| Ads | $2039.07 |
| Book Review | $40.00 |
| Book Sales | $210.50 |
| Consignment | $269.59 |
| eBay Sales | $357.19 |
| Focus Group | $125.00 |
| Prizes from Giveaways | $1,085.00 |
| Goods Received | $208.97 |
| Rebates | $189.89 |
| Recovered Expenses | $245.95 |
| Reward Programs | $99.99 |
| Surveys | $660.00 |
| Other | $171.00 |
| TOTAL | $5,702.15 |
The total is $928.33 more than last year, but still nearly $1,000 below the money I earned in 2013.
My advertising revenue was down for the second year in a row. I receive quite a few requests for advertising, but I will not publish content if the rates are too low.
I participated in a few review programs this year, which were a lot of fun. I received a number of free products that were all quite useful. Among the list were two boxes of diapers, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent and a box of brownies.
This year I expanded avenues for earning. I participated in two focus groups. The first one took place online via video conference. The second one was an in person, round table type event that included twenty other women.
My son and I also participated in a psychological study at a local university. An interviewer asked me questions while my son participated in a number of different activities, where he was studied and filmed. He had so much fun he begged me to find another reason to take him back there. I didn’t realize we would be paid for our participation, so that was an added bonus.
I sold quite a bit of baby items, including all of our baby equipment to a local consignment shop. Although I was sad to see some items go I am happy that a good amount of our floor space has been reclaimed. After four trips to the store I am quite certain I could earn more through consignment sales or even another consignment store, (this one pays less because they provide the entire cash value up-front), but I like the idea of getting rid of things as my son outgrows them and getting paid on the spot for them.
I certainly didn’t earn a fortune from my eBay sales. A total of twenty-one sales resulted in only $357.19. Nonetheless I am happy to rid the house of unwanted items. I think of earning money on these as a pure bonus.
I banked $660 from surveys this year and earned enough points via one particular survey site to purchase a one-way ticket on Southwest Airlines.
It’s certainly not a ton of money, but it does go to show that a few dollars here and there really do add up.