Friday, February 13, 2009

Saving my online earnings at Gather-making and keeping resolutions update.

Well, we are almost done with February and I am happy to say that so far I have been successful! This is an update on one of my favorite sites, Gather. Gather is a social site for grownups that caters to everyone.
This is a site for the serious or casual writer who is looking to share their work or get feedback. It's for the artist- the photographer, painter, the videographer and everything in between. It's for the mom or dad who wants to interact with other parents. It's for people who like to play games. It's for the people who love a good deal, want to find the best coupons and bargains and enjoy freebies. It's for people who want to find others like them.
Gather is a place to publish in writing, in pictures and in video. You create a profile page where people can write you a message, where you can share what's on your mind and tell everyone about yourself (all of this is optional). You can make friends, start and join groups, comment and more. Gather rewards your activity with points which can be redeemed for various gift cards and/or Paypal payments. For many people, the friendships and fun you have on Gather can outweigh the benefit of the points.

At Gather I have earned 1,399 points (since December 15, 2008. I have redeemed $130 in gift cards and donations since June 2008). I can cash out for a few different $10 gift cards (Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, CVS and others) there for 625 points. I need 1,565 to get to the next cashout level, $25- under 500 points to go. When I reach that level I have the option of getting Paypal and even more gift cards for stores like Target, Home Depot, Amazon.com, Macy's and others. You can also redeem your points at 3,125 ($50) and 6,250 ($100- though you can only do Paypal at this level).

I actually have decided that it would be best for me to opt for Paypal because I signed up for the Paypal debit card with the % cashback when you shop, which means getting even more out of my free money. I haven't read all of the details about the debit card and what purchases are eligible but I think all purchases made get the cashback. Then, if I want to earn more on my purchases I can use sites like MyPoints, Big Crumbs, Swagbucks and others to get even MORE cash (or points) out of my purchases.


Pretty cool, huh?