Video Games, Blogging and Mystery Shopping

We don't play video games in our house. Well, that is the official party line anyway. However, Tim does occasionally play a computer game, but our vice is our "made up" video games.

Tim has had his own video game for quite some time. He spends several hours a day on the USAA Web site. USAA is our bank that we use for everything -- loans, insurance, credit cards, investments, retirement accounts -- Everything. Tim loves to move our money around, create new budgets, accounts and future plans. He's a bit crazy about it. This is his video game. He sees every penny I spend from "my" accounts, and I actually love it, because since I started let him watch my money, I have not overdrawn once. (That is my vice.)

My video game has always been blogging. I have several blogs. This one for me. One for McKenna. A recipe blog. A blog for DJ's recipes. A blog to record answers to big questions. A blog to help infertile women, and a blog to help me learn about essential oils. I love writing, and so blogging is my video game.

Until now ...

For the last few weeks the laundry doesn't get folded, the bread can't get baked, and the papers can't get graded because my new video game is mystery shopping. This would really be a fun video game if I was actually out shopping and getting paid for it. However, what I am doing is spending hours a day applying to mystery shopping companies in hopes of finding the jackpot.

A friend told me about a company she shops for. She goes out to dinner with her husband once a month. Then she fills out a survey, and they give her a gift card for the next visit. Sounded great. So I signed up. On the first shop I accepted, they gave me $20 to spend at the Disney Store. It rocked. Then we started going out to dinner, and I got hooked.

So, I searched for another company to join. I had no idea that there are hundreds of these companies out there. The second one I found is basically the coolest one there is. This company reviews hospitality for really high end hotels and restaurants. They pay you and reimburse you 100% of your costs. (We've got a dinner scheduled this weekend that reimburses up to to $160 for one meal.)

I figured I could sign up for a few more of these awesome companies that then start shopping and eating for free.

Not so fast. The next several companies didn't have anything available in Utah. Then I found a bunch, and after the application process, I realized they only review crappy places and don't reimburse you. I am not in this for a job, so I am not going to sign up to earn $5 to drive up to Sandy, buy a shirt at Wal-mart and return it. Please.

But I know that there are awesome companies out there that pay a ton and let you keep the stuff you buy. I have found a few. The trick is to find the best companies that have the best clients that have shops available in Utah that don't make you work so hard that it is not worth it. Some companies recommend spending 5 hours to write your shopping report. (I couldn't make a lot of money if I just went to my job for 5 hours.)

So, I have this massive document with all these companies, hundreds of logins, passwords and notes. My video game has me hooked. It kills me. I can't stop.

It all comes down to my passion for free stuff. I can't resist it. I just can't. I love it. Free stuff rocks. Companies have their logos printed on crappy toys and office supply items because of people like me.

I have made a lot of head way in my game over the last few days that I have been home sick. I would a list of companies that have clients in Utah. And I found the company that mystery shops for Ikea. That was like finding a warp. (All hail to the original 8 bit Nintendo.)

I guess my goal is to finally apply to a company, log in, and see a big sign that says, "Available -- Shop Gap in Orem Utah!) Ahh, saving the princess. There is nothing like it.

Until then I will just sit here with laundry piling up and dishes starting to stink.