One way to stretch your budget on the household items that you use is to become a consumer tester. You’ll get free products and usually a small payment besides.
When my oldest child was our only baby, I did some consumer testing for a couple of companies. Basically, I would receive unmarked products in the mail, test them out and then fill out a survey with my observations and comments. After the survey was submitted, I would receive a small check in the mail for my time. Plus I got to keep the products that I tested and put them to good use.
This was a great opportunity for a non-working stay at home mom. The testing could be incorporated into our normal routine. Plus, it was fun to try new things and feel as though I had a real say into what products would be coming on to the market.
During the time as a home consumer tester, I tested all sorts of products, such as tuna, baby wash, cooking spices, deodorant, diapers, laundry dryer sheets, bras and more. Often, I wouldn’t know the brand name of the products. Most of the time the surveys wanted to know which scent of something I preferred or whether or not laundry detergent made my clothes soft. While there were some products that I liked more than others, there were never any duds or awful products.
If you are looking to become a home consumer tester, check the Internet and forums for opportunities. Make sure that you do your research and ask people if they have ever done testing for a particular company. The companies will pay you, and you should never have to give money or personal information outside of your address and maybe phone number, so you can be contacted with products and opportunities. Companies may ask for certain information to see if you fit into their demographic. For instance, they may want to know if you have children and the ages of the children.
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