Sometimes it DOES Pay to be on Time

I have been participating in food taste tests since my oldest was in kindergarten. I know this because I signed up to participate under her school (which she no longer goes to). But since we do still go to church there, I still keep the extra money going to the school there.

But to get back on track. I went for a taste test yesterday. I was the second person to show up to sign in. Well, they over booked the taste test and could only test 30 people, and 34 people showed up. The first four people had the option of just receiving the check without even having to do the taste test. Well why wouldn't I do that!

So I basically got paid to sit for half and hour and read my Cosmo magazine (the one I got for free here).

Here is how I earn a little extra cash doing this. In the Twin Cities area there is a company named Food Perspectives. You can also sign up here to participate. You do not need a non-profit group to sign up with. If you are doing it through a non-profit, they just receive $9 of every test you take. No non-profit, you get the whole amount.

You receive a number and password when you sign up. Make sure to write it down. At one point I received a magnet where you could write your number and passwords on, so I keep mine & Jeff's on the side of the fridge. You will receive a phone call one of two ways to see if you qualify for a taste test. Either a live caller will call you and ask you a ton of questions, or a computer generated call will come through with the same questions. If you qualify, you pick an available time, and show up that day. They normally pay you anywhere from $26-$36 per test.

You can take one test every two months. So it is not a huge money maker. But it is fun and different. I took a few tests with the older kids once. They got paid too, plus they enjoyed waiting for the test food to come to market. Whenever we see them on the shelves for the first time, we always buy one, coupon or not. Every time we go past a certain cereal, the kids always say "Remember when we tested that one?"

I know this company is just for the Twin Cities area, but I am sure there are companies all over the country that do this. I would suggest asking friends if they have heard of this, or Google food taste testers in you local area. Food Perspectives is a totally legit company, and I am not being paid to tell you about them. I do however get paid by them to test foods :)

You can read more about Food Perspectives here, and be sure to sign up if you would like to try it out. Both my husband and I have done at least 10 different food products, and enjoy everyone of the tests.

Let me know if there are any taste tests in your neck of the woods. Leave a comment to let others know.