Bargain Bits-

I have in the past participated in market surveys. They are companies that are commissioned to find specific demographics, have them sample or listen to concepts and ideas and then they pay you for your time and for your opinions. There is always a wide variety of different things they are looking for and a wide range of consumers. Sometimes you need to be within a specific age range and or fall within specific parameters. You might not always qualify but you may know someone who does It is a great way to see what products are up and coming and which ones may be changing marketing strategies.
They also pay you when you are selected. I have been a part of many different ones (due to policy, I won't name product names) including soda, cat food, sour cream, yogurt, insurance, radio stations and crackers. Pretty much anything that could be affected by a wide range of opinions can be polled and sampled. In some cases its opinions on product or labeling and in some its about ideas and opinions on current topics. There are also phone surveys where they call you and ask you a quick series of questions on the phone. Most of the phone surveys will not pay but it does give the recruiter an idea on how willing you are to participate in the survey process. I suggest that you do a search for "Market Research Companies (insert state you live in)". See if there are any that are local to you and then send them a note letting them know your demographic qualifications. They will want your age,sex,income range, marital status and education. Sometimes they need how many children in your family, any pets and if you are a homeowner or renter. Be sure to include your phone numbers where you can be contacted.  Then when a survey comes up they can call you and ask if you are available and interested in participating. You never know what you could qualify for . Im hoping that some day they ask me to sample and rate a vacation! Happy Sampling!