Is taking surveys worth it?
This is a question I’ve had quite a lot lately, so I figured why not address it during this edition of my reader’s questions series. Some of you may have the same question since you see me talking about taking surveys here on LAAB and I wanted to give you my two cents on it.
If you’re new here, I try to tackle a reader’s question at least once a month. You, my dear reader, can ask a question several different ways. You can use this Google Form to submit your question (especially if you value privacy), you can submit an email or use my contact form – and last, you can leave a comment.
I’m not going to drag this thang out today, but I want to make a few things clear about taking surveys before I give you the honest truth about whether or not I believe it’s worth it.
- You’re not going to get rich taking surveys. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.
- Surveys can be time-consuming. You have to use some of the better companies to maximize the use of your time. Some of those companies are American Consumer Panel, Pinecone, and Opinion Outpost.
- They can be annoying as hell sometimes, but it’s not like you have to do them every day. Know what I mean?
Now that I’ve said that, let’s address this reader’s question — Is taking surveys worth it?
Related Reading: 7 Free Online Survey Sites to Join for Extra Cash
Is Taking Surveys Worth It?
On the personal finance scene, there are usually two camps of people who like to achieve a particular end goal using one or two different ways.
Some of us like to be frugal as hell, stack those coins and squeeze blood out of a turnip (Google it, I’m from South Carolina). The other group likes to find more ways to earn more money and create as many streams of revenue. Then there’s a few of us who like to do both.
I like to spend money where it’s needed, limit my wants, stack coins, squeeze turnips, side hustle, create revenue streams — all of that good stuff. On my pf journey, there was a particular point in time when I relied heavily on surveys to maximize my budget.
It was about five or six years ago after I had my daughter and I thought our budget was literally going to bust! We had to pay for baby formula, buy diapers, and take care of a kid – all of which was new to me.
My hubby and I had just gotten married, we lacked a sufficient amount of savings, and we were living in a one-bedroom apartment with a tiny human being. We were trying to adjust to the whole adulting thing together and then we ended up with a little honeymoon souvenir that was going to be in our lives forever!
That’s when I discovered coupon and money saving sites.
Those sites taught me how to extreme coupon and take surveys. Then I used those survey rewards to play the drugstore game. With the drugstore game, you researched the weekly circular for the drugstore you were shopping and found coupons.
You planned your purchases based off what was on sale and maximized the store rewards (for example, Extra Care Bucks at CVS). If you did it right, you would pay little to nothing out of pocket. Well, since I try to milk it for everything it’s worth — I would cash out my survey rewards for CVS and Walgreen gift cards and use those to pay for any out of pocket costs.
During those lean years, I had stockpiles of toilet tissue, toothpaste, diapers, wipes, dish detergent, and washing detergent. All of this helped me tremendously at the time because I knew little about side hustling.
What little I did know, I knew that I didn’t have the time to dedicate to building a business at that particular time in my life. I was new to marriage and motherhood and I was exhausted. I wasn’t trying to hustle for anything but sleep back then. So using surveys to stretch my money was WELL WORTH it during this time.
Related Reading: Shop Online Using Ebates and Get Cash Back
Do I still rely heavily on surveys to float my budget?
Nope. Now I have more income and I can devote my time to other side hustles that earn a decent amount in side hustle income. I only take surveys during specific times and use them for very specific purposes such as kid’s gifts, treats for myself, or gifts for others.
At this point, I’m able to write up a 1,200 blog post in a little under an hour. It’s well-worth my time to write more because my clients are willing to pay me a pretty penny for it. Plus, LAAB is building its own income stream too.
Related Reading: 80+ Ways to Make Extra Money
So, should you take surveys?
Taking surveys is not an efficient use of everyone’s time. I share them because some of you would benefit from having a few extra hundred bucks per month.
You might not be able to pay the rent with that little bit of extra income; however, you could use it for a nice date night out. You could even use it to pay for a kid’s birthday party or gift. Heck, I’ve even used my earnings to buy Christmas gifts for my kids before. I encourage you to give your survey taking tasks a specific assignment so they serve a purpose in your life.
No, it’s not fun earning $2 to $3 for a 15-minute survey. However, if you’re watching television or rocking a cranky baby back to sleep at 3 am, you might be able to get a survey in while you’re doing those activities. Those $2 and $3 will eventually add up to a nice size payout. You can use that money for something you might not otherwise have room for in your budget.
In Conclusion
So, I’m saying all of this to say — bump the haters. If someone says you’re wasting your time taking surveys, oh well! The same could be said about creating a meal plan to save money or other frugal activities. Who cares what others think?
Sometimes we have to put our pride aside and do what’s best for us and our families. If taking surveys is going to allow you to have a cheap date night with your man, so be it. If it’s going to purchase that toy that your kid has been drooling over, then stack those coins.
Don’t be quick to knock anyone’s hustle. You never know when you may need to rely on some of these money making methods. Not all side hustles are glorious, but they all will help you reach the same outcome — solid finances. With that said, I’m closing with this — yes, taking surveys is definitely worth it to me.
Have you ever used surveys to float misc. expenses in your budget? If not, what’s holding you back?