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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 12, 2010 21:13:37 GMT -5
Tanya - Thanks for the suggestion - that was my next plan of attack. However, I have discovered that there are so many out there! (and I never knew about them until a few weeks ago!). What ones do you do that you think are worth doing, and about how much do you think you would average an hour? I know Kristin posted not too long ago about her surveys and in her scenario, she was at just a little over $6.00 an hour. Sounded reasonable because it could be something that I do while doing something else...
Thanks so much Tanya, you are a real inspiration! When are you going to Disney?
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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 12, 2010 21:19:12 GMT -5
Good Luck! I'm wanting to do a craft fair, but I don't know if it's worth it. I would also be doing papercraft items to sell. Do you do well? craft fairs are kind of hard. I spent thousands of dollars to get ready for the first fair. I had no idea what to expect, and made way too much! I use Stampin' Up! paper, and it can get very expensive!! Then, there is the cost of the glue, etc. I mainly did it to expand my regular business. I had a few leads, but not enough to compensate for the expense I incurred to get started. However, I premade so many cards, tags, etc., that there was no way I could have come out ahead!  To do it over, I would use a craft fair to try to expand a paper crafting business, not so much to sell what I have made. (right now, I'm still using previous stock of what I made to try to sell.) I did sell some things, and had lots of interest. HTH! |
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Post by tanya on Oct 13, 2010 9:37:37 GMT -5
I tend to make around $4 an hour. I like I-Say alot because they will give you points even if you don't qualify for the survey. They just don't send alot out. I also do Lightspeed. They are sporadic about send invitations. Some weeks I may get one or two and then the next week I get two or three a day. I just started Pinecone. I also downloaded the Swag Bucks tool bar and cash out when I have enough for a $5 paypal.
We are leaving for Disney December 19th and will be coming home on January 1st!!! We have never been for 2 weeks and my kids have never been during the holidays! Hubby and I have been in late November for our anniversary. I can't wait to see their faces!!! I am more than excited!
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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 25, 2010 8:01:50 GMT -5
Whoo! Hoo! A very close friend of mine has been borrowing my Cricut and using a few pieces of my "on stock" paper for a few years to make decorations for her daughter's school lockers for band competitions. Yesterday, she brought over $100 and told me to add it to my Disney fund for all the use of my items! I tried to tell her to keep it, because, after all, she is an exceptionally close friend, but she insisted! Guess I'll make the deposit! Yeah! (This friend set me up on a blind date almost 12 years ago to the man I married!)
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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 25, 2010 8:03:06 GMT -5
We are leaving for Disney December 19th and will be coming home on January 1st!!! We have never been for 2 weeks and my kids have never been during the holidays! Hubby and I have been in late November for our anniversary. I can't wait to see their faces!!! I am more than excited! Tanya - a good friend of mine just went to Disney. Since she was going, she offered to send postcards to my children while she was there and sign the cards as the character! If you know anyone going that can do that for your kids, that was a fabulous treat for my kids! My kids each received a postcard from their favorite character! For example, my oldest loves Tinkerbell, so my friend signed that the fairies are all spreading pixie dust and preparing for our arrival. My youngest dd got a card from Cinderella saying that Cinderella was polishing the castle so it would look beautiful when my daughter arrived. My ds got a card from "the gang" saying that Pluto and Chip were so excited they were chasing each other around the castle and can't wait to play with him! My friend did such a great job with the cards!! So cute! and just that much more excitement to add! |
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Post by tanya on Oct 25, 2010 9:43:47 GMT -5
I wish we had someone going before us that could do that. We have friends going the day before and another set coming the next week! It gives me an idea to be able to do something like that for Sammy and Caleb before they get there! Thanks!!!!!!
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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 29, 2010 19:40:36 GMT -5
Did a quick count of where we stand to date and how much more we need. I'm scared!!!
Total saved to date:
$128.00 in miscellaneous cash
$417.25 in quarters
$200.00 paid already
$563.00 in Disney Dollars
Total saved: $1,308.25
Total Needed:
$3,073.73 package cost
$1,000.00 flight
$175.00 for pre-departure hotel, food, gas, parking fees for while we are gone
$750.00 Disney clothes, sunscreen, miscellaneous items in preparation for leaving, money for my husband and son to eat while we are gone, etc.
$200.00 stroller purchase
$250.00 for Not-so-scary Halloween tickets
$150.00 photo pass
$1,000.00 spending money
Total needed: $6,598.73
Wow!! this seems extremely high, but I'm estimating on the high side so there aren't any suprise expenses. I have to figure out ways to cut down the cost, and ways to increase my savings!!!! Yikes!!!!
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Post by cutekids4 on Oct 31, 2010 7:37:26 GMT -5
Took an inventory of where I stand on surveys. I started swagbucks in July, all other survey companies I started this month, about mid-month:
Swagbucks: earned $35.00 in Amazon gift cards to date;
Lightspeed: cashed in for $15.00 in paypal (not received yet), and have 100 pts;
Opinion Outpost: nothing;
Inbox Dollars: Have $6.86, need $30.00 to cash out;
MyPoints: have 290 pts, need 3,550 pts to cash out for restaurant gift certificate;
Valued Opinions: have $1.00, need $20.00 to cash out for Amazon gift cert.;
I-Say: have 135 pts, need 1000 pts to cash out for $10.00 cash;
quick rewards: Have $0.50; need $25.00 to cash out for Disney gift cert;
Surveyhead: have $6.25, need $10.00 to cash out;
Dollar Surveys: have yet to qualify for a survey.
So, Lightspeed is my best company, even though about 1/2 of the surveys they are requesting my 16yo to complete, and he does complete them.
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Post by cindyrella on Oct 31, 2010 21:41:11 GMT -5
Keep up all your hard work and you'll make it. I know I can't wait to have a discount applied to my package! It may be some time, but maybe your package will get lowered too!
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Post by tanya on Nov 1, 2010 7:17:16 GMT -5
That does seem to be alot but I think it is awesome that you over estimate. That is what I have done for our trip. I know you can do it!!!! Keep up the good work!!
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Post by cutekids4 on Nov 1, 2010 21:33:06 GMT -5
Tanya and Cindyrella, Thanks for the much needed encouragement!  Hope you ladies are doing well preparing for your trips, too! Tanya - you are now down to less than two months! Whoo hoo!!! I hope you post about how the Kingdoms are decorated! I asked my husband yesterday, after I saw the math of my own vacation, & got "dead set" to bring the total down plus get all the money outside the budget, if he cared if the 3 kids and I go again the following year! So, if I can really pull this trip off without costing anything in our budget, I'm going to plan to return 14 months after this coming trip in September, 2011. (which will make my next trip in early December, 2012) Whew, i think i'll be totally worn out by then! It was really pathetic when I got excited this morning because I earned $1.50 from surveys! LOL. |
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Post by cutekids4 on Nov 2, 2010 18:03:16 GMT -5
Oh, My, Word!!! I am so stinkin' excited!!! I got my first payout from a survey company today!!! Ok, it was only $5.00, but I am considering it a motivation! (I'd almost day it was a free $5.00, but I have spent a lot of time to make that $5.00!!! |
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Post by cutekids4 on Nov 5, 2010 5:53:25 GMT -5
Making a deposit into my fund:
$5.00 from my surveys
$15.95 from recycling aluminum cans
$16.00 from selling a punch I had sitting in the basement
$16.00 from selling another punch
$60.00: My kids each received $20 for Halloween from a grandparent. they decided to put the money into their WDW spending money piggy banks. I'm subtracting those kind of deposits off our spending money goal!
Total deposit: $112.95
Total Saved: $1421.20
Remaining Needed: $5,177.53 Sheesh.
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Post by tanya on Nov 5, 2010 13:26:41 GMT -5
Great deposit!! Keep it up and you will be there before you know it!!!!
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Post by cindyrella on Nov 7, 2010 18:48:24 GMT -5
I know the feeling about the small deposits. I got a rebate check for $1.50 from Rite Aid and couldn't wait to get it into my fund!! Every little bit adds up!
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Hope you ladies are doing well preparing for your trips, too!