For those of you just tuning in, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you will pay for Christmas. I’ve been sharing some ideas on ways you can earn a little extra money before Christmas comes around again.
The final installment in Helping Christmas Cost Less series is a guest post from my friend Nicole over at Nicole’s Nickels. Now, before you dive in, keep in mind this endeavor is only for the very organized and adventurous.
Shellie asked me to share some information with you all about online offers. What is an online offer? It’s something you have all probably seen – an ad saying you can win $500 and when you click to investigate you find out that it involves signing up for things to get your $500. You probably clicked out of the offer at that point thinking it will never work. Well, I am here to tell you it can!
I have successfully completed several of these online offers personally and post about offers each month on my blog, Nicole’s Nickels. It’s not hard to earn a $500 prize, you should expect to pay around $30-$50 out of pocket which is a pretty good return of your investment! Of course, the total amount spent will depend on if you keep items and how many you keep.
The two keys to succesful completion of an online offer is to follow directions and be organized! I have posted (here, here, and here) extensive and detailed directions on how to complete online offers – also read the comments left on those posts (as well as all the posts under the tag “online offers”) as those kind of serve as “frequently asked questions”.
I suggest starting out with a $500 Visa giftcard offer because it’s the most versatile to use. You could do this Top Notch offer or this Bullseye offer. What’s the difference? There isn’t any really. They are each for different sub-companies of Ideal, the umbrella site for these offers. You can only earn $1,000 in prizes per 6 months for each sub-company so keep that in mind if you intend to complete multiple offers. Neither of these offers requires referrals at the time of posting but terms can change so read everything carefully!
You can visit my January Online Offers post to see other current offers. Make sure to carve out enough time to complete all required offers in 1 sitting and do the necessary research to make sure offers aren’t related. With a little time (approximately 2-3 hours), some research, some reading, and some good organization, you’ll be $500 richer in no time!
I researched and read Nicole’s posts over and over for about 6 weeks before I was brave enough to dive in. I was so nervous but carefully followed all of Nicole’s instructions and did a $500 offer with my mother-in-law and her sister last August. I got the $500 gift card but they didn’t because they didn’t do one tiny step.
So I know from personal experience that you must follow the instructions exactly step-by-step. These companies aren’t understanding or helpful and will look for any excuse not to pay you. But if you are on top of things, this is a great way to make a little extra money to help with Christmas.
Amount Saved for Christmas: $900 (2 $500 offers less $50 out of pocket/offer)
You’ll find Nicole Wiseberg blogging every day at Nicole’s Nickels about the best money-savers (like free samples and coupons) and money-makers (like surveys, online offers, and mystery shopping).
Shellie loves to share her frugal living tips as well as deals and bargains to help you get more with less. A spender at heart, she balances her frugal lifestyle with the occassional splurge. 
Hey Shellie,
Do you mind me asking what the tiny step that your mother-in-law missed was? I read through everything last night and completed all of my offers but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask just to ensure that I don’t miss that step as well.
Thanks for posting about this, I’m excited/nervous!
Thanks!
They goofed when they sent it certified mail. Instead of mailing theirs in two separate certified mail envelopes, they mailed them together in one. That disqualified them somehow.
I still totally think these offers are awesome and I have done them, but I think you should mention that you have to claim these on your taxes. So say you are in a bracket where you’ll pay 20% for the next $500 in income. It’s “costing” you an extra $100. Your tax refund will be that much lower. Know what I’m sayin’? =)