Extra Income: Legitimate Research Studies or Focus Groups

Being resourceful is very important to me as a stay-at-home mother. Living on one income has made us re-evaluate what's important in our life. Of course our faith in God and Christ is of utmost importance. Putting God first in our lives has it's blessings. He will provide you with what you need to get through. It amazes me to see God working in our lives. Just when we weren't sure how we were going to pay for a bill, I received a call from a friend about participating in a focus group.

Which brings me to getting paid for legitimate research studies or focus groups. I have been involved with focus groups for about three years now. One of the reasons I like focus groups is the range of clientele they are looking for. If you don't qualify for a survey or discussion, you can offer to give them the name and number of a friend who might qualify. Here in Atlanta there are a couple of great ones that I would recommend checking into:

Focus Point Global - They are located in Atlanta, Bala Cynwyd (PA), Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. They send email notifications of upcoming groups to which you fill out the survey to see if you qualify for a phone call interview. If you qualify, a representative will call you and discuss your survey questions and ask a couple of extra questions to see if you qualify for the focus group discussion. The representative will give you the date and time of the discussion and of course how much you will receive for compensation. I have been compensated for my time and opinion on subjects ranging from Local Phone Carrier to Birth Control. You can be paid up to $300 for some studies. Focus Point will also send email surveys you can participate in immediately online and be paid $1 - 3 for. Once you receive $20 in your account, they will send you a check.

Atlanta Outloud - They are located in Atlanta. My friend Alecia told me about this company. At the time they were looking for someone who had a child in diapers. So she texted me their number and I called them. I qualified for the study and I gave another friend the number and she qualified too. We were each compensated $100 for the diaper wipe study. I personally have never received emails from this company, but I do receive phone calls about once a month or so.

Plaza Research - They are located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and Tampa. I have never been eligible to participate in one of their discussions. However, I am in their database and receive emails frequently for studies they are recruiting for.

Delve - They are located in Appleton (WI), Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix and St. Louis. I am rather new to this company and again was referred by a friend. I recently completed a diaper study for this company to which I was compensated $120.

There are hundreds of companies who are involved in market research. I would not get involved with a company if you are required to pay anything to them. The purpose of these studies is for the manufacturer to find out what the consumer has on their mind. They compensate you for this. If you are concerned about a company, utilize the BBB website. It's free and you can find out enough information to know whether or not you should get involved with them.

Whether it be with your groceries and meal planning or your household income, being resourceful is a quality everyone can develop. We should always be thankful to God who provides us with what we need each and every day.

Enjoy!