All Those Gas Station Mystery Shops Make Sense Now

Last week I had nearly 80 gallons of gas stored in the shed.  It feels so good to use it up, and the free gas has kept my driving costs down.  This is one way I will make driving for Uber just a little more profitable.  Unfortunately, I just ran out of reserves and will have to start paying for gas once again.  At the end of this month I have enough shops lined up to fill up my tank twice, so I do have that to look forward to.

Mystery shopping has taken a backseat to Uber, but that's fine by me.  I needed a break.  Besides, the biggest advantage I see with Uber versus mystery shopping is that the job comes to me.  With mystery shopping, I have to search several job boards looking for work.  Then I have to prepare for the job, whether that be reviewing guidelines, printing paperwork, or creating cheat sheets on my phone.  Plus there is all the reporting done afterwards, including uploading photos and writing narratives.  With Uber, if I want to work, all I do is turn on the app and wait for a ping.  When I am done for the day, there's nothing left to do but review my pay statement and update my mileage log.

Our cabinets are being delivered today, and we are itching to get the kitchen back together.  We still won't have countertops.  That is a custom job that I am hiring out and the installers won't take the measurements until I have the cabinets in place.

Next Friday I have an overnight security job through one of my hospitality companies.  Then on Sunday we begin a 3 day meeting in Orlando.  On our return, I have those gas station shops to complete, then we fly to Virginia the following Friday to shop a timeshare.  We'll be gone a week, so it should feel like a real vacation (the shop won't take but 2-3 hours of my time).

I'm in a happy spot right now.  I'm glad I found Uber, even if the pay is less than I thought it would be.

Taking a Quick, Free Getaway (Courtesy of Mystery Shopping)

Lifestyle mystery shopping refers to the shops you take to enhance your way of living.  Being a frugal miser, I look for ways to save money on entertainment and travel.  Today is one of those days:  we're taking an overnight trip to Sarasota.

We'll start with a quick stop in Tampa's Ybor City for lunch.  There's a $10 bonus (total fee:  $15, plus reimbursement) on a simple chicken restaurant.  Then in Bradenton I am being paid $25 to see if an associate at an electronics store offers me a credit card.  That doesn't necessarily enhance my life, but the shop is on our way and will only take 5 minutes.

We'll start off with a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.  Our membership at the Sunken Gardens (bought with a Groupon) includes reciprocal membership at other gardens, making admission free.  Then we will check into the hotel.  It is a business-class limited service property, which I like to shop because of the limited interactions (no valet, no bellman, no midnight-security interactions).  The hotel includes dinner with wine as well as complimentary breakfast, taking care of our food needs.  Finally, we'll spend a little time at the Ringling Museum (the circus family, of course, which is free on Mondays).  We can walk to it from the hotel.

On the way home tomorrow I am being paid $18 to cash a check and another $24 to make a deposit at a nearby bank.  Those two 5 minute shops were thrown in to supplement our budget.  I won't be getting rich doing this work:  the hotel includes a $45 fee, and the other 4 shops will pay $82, for a total of $127.  I have plenty of free gas for the car as well.

I've had a fair amount of success putting together cheap or free getaways.  Normally I start by finding a hotel, which determines our destination.  It's usually fairly easy to build the trip around the hotel.  We look for free places to explore and I'll find restaurant or other shops to justify our travel.

Farewell, San Juan

Our flight leaves at 12:55 PM.  We spent yesterday once again walking through Old San Juan.  We walked along Paseo del Morro trail, which follows the masonry walls protecting San Juan, to the San Juan gate, which was the entrance used by Spanish dignitaries when they arrived at the island hundreds of years ago.

There were many statues along the water.  I took a liking to this one of Felisa Rincon de Gautier.  After I Google search I learned she was the first woman to be mayor of San Juan.  The statue was surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Afterwards, we ate at Raices.  It's in the tourist area of Old San Juan, but the food was authentic.  My partner had a beef mofongo; I had a chicken stuffed with cassava and a side of tostones, which are fried green plantains.

In search of a public restroom later, we dipped into the casino at the Sheraton, where I quickly lost the money I had won earlier in the week at the Wyndham.

We checked into the nicest Hampton Inn I have visited.  The hotel featured a sizable pool with swim-up bar.  We were upgraded to a large suite with two separate rooms (similar to an Embassy Suites).  What I liked was the complimentary Happy Hour and Crepes Bar.  Free massages were offered poolside, but we passed on that.  The hotel was a shop so the $243 will be completely reimbursed and I will earn HIlton Honors points, too.

We've spent five nights in Puerto Rico, but I only had to pay for one.  We splurged more than normal on food (under $200), which I justified since most everything else is going to be reimbursed.

Most importantly, this last week has given me the chance to reflect on my priorities.  Urged along by a timely post on Mr. Money Mustache, I've decided to push myself even harder to focus on the things that make me happy and less on earning money any way possible.  More to come...

Leaving Rio Grande, PR for San Juan

This morning we are checking out of the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar and headed to San Juan.  Whoever says mystery shopping isn't worth the trouble needs to try harder.  I was asked how much I am being reimbursed for doing this job, so here goes:

Round Trip Flight for 2:  $527
3 nights hotel, including resort fees and parking:  $844
Rental Car:  $120
Airport Parking for my car back home:  $36
Total:  $1,527

I also received a $50 AMEX gift card for attending the presentation and breakfast and lunch for two.  To top it off, Lady Luck was on my side, as a quick visit to the Blackjack table at the resort's casino resulted in a $100 win.  I should also point out that I am receiving points and miles for the flight and hotel stay.  I'll earn enough Wyndham Rewards points for another free night at a lower-tier hotel.

The effort required for all this?  Our presentation lasted a little more than 3 hours (we were promised 90 minutes, but I didn't do a good job keeping the salesman on track).  Entering the report literally took less than 15 minutes.  Now all that is left is dropping off the recorder at UPS.

This job falls under the "Lifestyle Shops" category, as I'm not out earning income but rather enjoying an almost free vacation.  I'll take it!

Making Money By Opening Bank Accounts

As an extension to applying for new credit cards for the opening bonus, I've decided to make extra money by opening bank accounts, too.  I've hesitated in the past about complicating my financial picture, but plan to combat the complexity by tracking everything in Google Sheets.

There are a couple of ways I can make money by opening new bank accounts.  First, some banks pay you to open an account.  TD Bank is offering a Fitbit Flex if you open a new checking and savings account, and I've had the Fitbit on my wish list for a while.  Chase has been offering regular incentives for opening an account, some up to $250 depending on how much money I am willing to tie up.

Second, having a bank account can bring me more mystery shopping opportunities.  Last month I earned $125 by applying for a business savings account at Bank of America.  There was no interaction with a banker required - all I did was let the mystery shop company record the online process and submit follow-up emails I received.  I'll promptly be closing that account.  Another company does teller mystery shops at TD Bank.  After receiving my Fitbit, I can earn steady income by making deposits into my account and rating my teller experience.

Earning money from alternative sources is an easy way to supplement my income.  The only ingredient I've been missing is tracking my activity so that I don't get overwhelmed by what I do.  The solution was really simple, as all it took was creating a spreadsheet where I can track when I open an account, the incentive I expect to receive, and any hurdles I need to be aware of while taking advantage of these offers.

The Week Ahead

We decided to take a day off from the house project.  We've basically worked on it every day since I bought it last month and my partner is getting burned out.  I have a movie theater mystery shop that we will do this afternoon.  Then we plan to visit the library before stopping at Lowe's to buy a few supplies for the house.

Speaking of the house project, it's going well (pictures coming soon), but there is so much left to do.  We are going to move in as soon as the living room is finished.  When we do move in, only two bedrooms and the living room will be completely done.  So much has been going on:  in addition to new floors and painting, I've repaired faulty plumbing, replaced blown fuses, serviced and cleaned the air conditioning unit, replaced interior doors, and done a thorough cleaning.  We've been able to do most of the work ourselves.  I did call an electrician out to replace the main breaker and check the integrity of the electrical system.  I'm also hiring someone to install new entry doors.  One of the largest unexpected expenses will happen in the coming weeks:  we are having the house fumigated to treat an active termite infestation.  I was under the impression when I bought the house that it had been treated already, but apparently not (and I did not require any termite bond or inspection because I really wanted this house).  This alone will cost $1,900 and we can't be in the home for three days.  They are putting a tent over the house to treat it.

Next week I have a few restaurant shops lined up.  On Friday I have a local route of gas station audits.  Saturday we fly to Vegas.  We are working a 6 day hospitality event in Laguna Beach, CA and then will spend five days playing in Vegas.  The work basically pays for a free vacation, plus it gives us a break while the house is being fumigated.

Things are coming together quickly.  My goal is to move everything into the new house in mid-August.  The remaining improvements can be made as my bank account recovers from all this spending I've been doing.

Mystery Shopping Road Trip Update: Big Stone Gap, VA

What a week!  I left home at 2:30 Monday morning for my first stop in Ashburn, GA.  Six days and just over 2,000 miles later I am settled into my hotel in Big Stone Gap, VA.  This week I completed 26 auto dealership service shops (one oil change and 25 tire rotations) and one fast food restaurant.  I earned $2,041 in mystery shopping fees this week.

I did my best to keep costs low.  I only paid for one meal each day and avoided expensive hotels as best as possible (the most expensive hotel was $80 + tax).  I mostly stayed in Choice Hotels properties to take advantage of a sweet promotion:  a $50 retail gift card for every two stays.  After tonight's stay, I've already earned $150 in gift cards!

The route I am on is a shorter one:  on Thursday I finally close on the new house.  I have 3 shops for Monday, 4 on Tuesday and 3 on Wednesday.

Another Mystery Shopping Route

Already June has been a decent month.  Between hospitality work and a couple local routes, it's been good to be busy.  I am heading out at 2:30 AM tomorrow morning.  Rather than pay for a hotel, I'll drive 5 hours to my first stop.  The route I have accepted is just 35 stops, but they are spread out and will take a week and a half to complete.  It is decent money; I think I am averaging $77 per stop.

This route kicks off in southern Georgia.  It includes stops in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.  I am being paid about $1 per mile.  That is a nice amount, but the hotels are more expensive than I would like to spend because most of the towns I am visiting are rural and there is little, if any, competition to hold down rates.  I thought about sleeping in my car but haven't had time to see if that is possible with an Aveo (plus I really prefer a hotel room after spending the day in my car.

In other news, I still haven't closed on the house.  I signed an extension giving Fannie Mae until the end of June to prepare the closing.  I haven't lost any more weight, but am more aware of what I eat since I signed up with Healthy Wage.

Back to the (Mystery Shopping) Grind

We returned from Vegas on Saturday evening.  Wasting no time, I spent Sunday in the Gainesville, FL area doing gas station audits.  Because today is Memorial Day there aren't many shops I am allowed to do, but we are doing a bar integrity audit at lunch.  Then tomorrow morning I leave for two days in Jacksonville for gas station audits.  It sucks that I have to travel so far for work, but my area has so much competition that I have to do this to earn a living.

On Thursday I am finally closing on the new house.  Then on Saturday we leave for Orlando.  We are working a hospitality meeting there for four days, followed by a day in Daytona to audit more gas stations.  When we return to Clearwater I have two days worth of work lined up (more gas stations!) and then the mystery shopping calendar clears up a bit.  This is good because getting the new house in order will be my top priority.  There's so much that needs to be done there.

I'll post more about our Vegas trip later.  The good news is that in two weeks I only lost $100 gambling.

How I Track the Expense for the Purchase of a Vehicle

At the end of April I purchased a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo from Hertz.  I spent a total, including taxes and fees, of $9,370 on the car.  The car has just short of 60,000 miles on the odometer, and a few years ago I decided my vehicles' useful life would always be 100,000 miles for purposes of this exercise.  Therefore, each month I will post an expense in Quicken the the number of miles I have driven.  The per mile factor I will use is $.23425 (a little more than 23 cents).  All I did to come up with that was divide my purchase price by the 40,000 miles remaining for my vehicle's useful life.

As an example, if I drive 1,000 miles in May, I would deduct $234.25 from Quicken as a vehicle depreciation expense.   I'll keep doing that until I hit 100,000 miles; any mileage after that is "free" since the vehicle will be completely depreciated at that point.

Mystery Shopping for Luxury

A Free Hawaii Vacation?

Such was my reaction when I was offered the chance to audit a timeshare presentation.  On Wednesday we are flying to Hawaii for five nights.  We will be staying in high end properties.  All five nights are free of charge and most of my transportation charges, including airfare, are also covered.  I'm even paid a small fee.  All this for four hours of my time.  I have to covertly audio-record two timeshare sales presentations and fill out a quick survey covering my experience.

Later in April I am flying to New York to attend a shareholder's meeting.  My $426 hotel room is free to me, and I am provided a meal allowance to eat dinner wherever I choose outside the hotel.  Again, I will be paid for my time.

While you won't get rich indulging in high end mystery shopping, the opportunities to experience the finer things - and maybe even offset some costs you had planned to have anyway - are perfect excuses to try your hand at mystery shopping.  Usually, you must start by proving yourself to the mystery shopping companies by performing smaller shops.  You may have to shop restaurants before you are offered hotels, or hotels before cruises.  This is to mitigate everyone's risk:  you get to see whether mystery shopping is right for you, and the company you do the work for has a chance to evaluate your skills.

I have done more than 10,000 mystery shops.  Most of my work is more mundane and certainly not glamorous.  I specialize in gas stations but am willing to try anything if the money is good.  But from time to time I have been afforded the chance to receive expensive products or travel:

• I've eaten at expensive restaurants including The Capital Grille and Fleming's.
• I've taken a charter boat to Key West.
• I've stayed in expensive hotels and resorts in Miami, the Smoky Mountains, Orlando and Atlanta.
• I've been reimbursed for Pandora jewelry, had my carpets cleaned, toured famous attractions, and filled a shopping cart at a major retailer (reimbursed just to see if I was offered a credit card).

As a side income, mystery shopping is a great way to improve your standard of living.  What has been your favorite shopping experience?

Closing Out a Crazy Busy Month

I never guessed I would have so much mystery shopping work this month.  I have worked almost every day.  The pay has been mediocre so I haven't set any records for income this month, but I'm not complaining.  Tomorrow I am staffing an evening meeting, plus I am returning some auto parts (a purchase then return mystery shop), and possibly visiting some bank branches, depending on how much time I have.

February was the first month I have done vehicle negotiation shops.  These are different than the standard car dealership jobs where you go through the sales process.  I am not rating the salesperson; I am strictly there to negotiate the lowest possible price I can on a specific vehicle.   In a way it is nice - no test drive, no sales presentation - and most of the time is spent in the dealership going over numbers.  The pay is better, too, but it does require two visits, which limits my ability to shop out of the area.

In less than a month we leave for my Hawaii mystery shopping trip.

Sleeping in my Chevy

After a long 17 hours of work, I have resigned myself to resting in the S-10 for the night.  Today I completed 23 gas station audits and I have 22 remaining to complete this massive route.   A couple of times this afternoon the truck started hesitating when I would accelerate.  As I headed to my last stop of the day, the engine shut off when I started to accelerate from a red light.  There was some popping sound from beneath the hood, too.  Sounded scary.  I was able to start the vehicle back up and when I made it to my last stop I bought some fuel injection cleaner.  I have no idea if that will help, but I made it one mile further to the Chevrolet dealership.  It was closed, but I found a parking space in front of the service center and am camped here for the night.

I am debating whether I should try to finish my route tomorrow and try to drive home, or if I should have the mechanics evaluate the vehicle.  The safe thing to do would be the latter - I'm already in the parking lot so no risk of breaking down.  But I am sure they will charge a diagnostic fee of nearly $100 just to tell me what the problem is.  I could take my chances and hope the fuel injection cleaner did the trick.  My route is in a dense area spanning from West Palm Beach to just north of Fort Lauderdale.  That's good since help will always be near; not so good that I will be navigating traffic in a truck that is acting up.

Ever the frugal miser, I am sleeping in the truck tonight .  It isn't the perfect setup - I can't lie flat so I won't sleep very well.  But when I looked at hotels, the cost of one night was going to be almost as much as I earned today.  Truth be told, I was already debating sleeping in the truck before it started acting funny, which is why I did not book a hotel room.

Feeble Minded Mystery Shoppers Bring Everyone Down (Part 2)

Scale Used by the Pennhurst School in the early 1900's

Do you accurately value the cost of your time and the overhead of running your mystery shopping business?

Most shoppers do not.  On the whole we have little experience running a business, so we tend to compare the pay we are offered for a doing a shop to the hourly pay we would get at a regular job.

The problem with this is that 1099 (independent contractor) work is not an apples-to-apples comparison to the traditional W-2 employment arrangement.

Let's take a look at what one might expect as an employee for a convenience store.  I looked at Glassdoor.com to find out what an average store employee earns and then checked out the benefits section for a couple of different C-store brands:

Average Hourly Rate:  $8.23/hour (it's important to note that a revealed auditor would likely be equivalent to a more senior position than this "cashier" position.  For perspective, the average pay for an assistant store manager is $10.17).

Benefits:  Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays, 401(K) matching retirement plan.

As an employee, the company you are employed by also pays 6.2% of your pay in FICA (the employee pays 6.2% as well, so 12.4% of your compensation goes to this government program).  The employer pays for unemployment insurance, too.  The employee does not see this, but it is a real cost for a program that will compensate the employee if they lose their job through no fault of their own.  Additionally, most employers pay mileage if an employee is asked to work at a location different than their home store.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm), in the private sector "Wages and Salaries" average 70.3% of total compensation; "Benefits" average 29.7%.  So, in reality, that clerk who is paid $8.23/hour is actually receiving close to $11.71/hour in real compensation including benefits.  The assistant manager earning $10.17 is receiving $14.47/hour.

But we can't stop here.  Before the mystery shopper can even consider his fee as compensation, he must first deduct his business expenses from the fee.  Remember, as an employee, your employer pays you when you are training.  Once you arrive at your job, your vehicle is no longer costing you anything to operate.  If paperwork has to be generated or computers and office equipment consumed, the employer is paying those expenses.  As contractors, we are paid by the job.  Training, getting there, supplies (for printing paperwork, entering reports, etc.), the risk of non-payment, time spent searching for new jobs, downtime, insurance, etc. are all our responsibility.

Real Life Example

I was recently offered a route of 70 gas station audits.  The mystery shopping company limits the work on these routes to 20 jobs per day.  The jobs were spread out, some as far as 170 miles from home.  I could either complete 20 jobs and return home, thus adding mileage to the route, or pay for a hotel for three nights (which assumes I completed the job over 4 days, the minimum required by the company).  Forget the hotel, let's go with mileage:  I estimated I would have driven 900 miles to complete the route.  At $.56 per mile, my vehicle would cost me $504.  This includes gas as well as a portion for future repairs, the wear and tear on my vehicle, and insurance.  Other expenses I would be responsible for include tolls and providing my personal camera, an SD card, a computer, Internet access, and electricity.  I am also required to wear business casual clothing.  I will assume I work 12.5 hours the first three days and 7.5 hours on day four (includes travel, time at store and time entering reports at the end of the day).  As if that weren't enough, the company requires me to make a purchase at each location (to generate a receipt) which would not be reimbursed.

My Overhead and Salary

$504 Vehicle Cost
$70 Unreimbursed but Required Purchases
$20 for Miscellaneous (a nominal figure for tolls and use of my personal equipment and utilities)
$527 Salary ($11.71/hour, 45 hours)

Total Overhead and Salary Cost:  $1,121 ($16 per location)

Actual Compensation:  $490 ($7 per location)

Were I to accept this route, I would undoubtedly lose money.  There were four routes offered in Central and South Florida; all were assigned within 24 hours of being offered.

Feeble Minded Mystery Shoppers Bring Everyone Down (Part 1)

Scale Used by the Pennhurst School in the early 1900's

Question:  Will higher pay deliver higher quality work?  If I offer $20/hour to fill positions at Home Depot, will I attract better employees than if I offered $8/hour?  Of course I will!

Recently I have been frustrated by the decrease in compensation for some mystery shopping projects.  This deflation in the fees offered for work is troubling for several reasons.

Most of the time I am an advocate for supply and demand, even when it doesn't benefit me.  If someone else is willing to accept work for a lower fee than I will, let them have the job.   The caveat to that is that normally, someone accepting a lower fee will provide lower-quality work.  Over time this causes clients to doubt the veracity of the work performed.  Inevitably, the value of mystery shopping declines, leading to even lower fees or in some cases, clients cancel their mystery shopping program altogether.

Last month a major gas station brand moved to a new mystery shopping company.  The brand has a revealed mystery shopping program.  This is where, after covertly evaluating the customer service that was provided, the shopper reveals her identity to the employee and proceeds to evaluate the location and take several photos of infractions.  Having completed over 10,000 gas station audits, I think I am qualified to speak to the level of difficulty these jobs entail and the potential for inaccurate reports.  For an average shopper, a well-run gas station which receives a perfect score might take 15-20 minutes onsite and 10 minutes to report.  A poor-performing location takes much longer, probably twice as long, to properly cite all the infractions.  The greatest downside to underpaying shoppers is the likelihood for positive bias.  In other words, if you pay a shopper $7 to do a $20 job, they will either quit after realizing they are doing a $20 job for $7, or they will adjust their efforts to make it a $7 job (if that's even possible).  The shopper will speed through the evaluation, overlooking those things that they can overlook.  The client misses opportunities to improve its operations.  What happens then?  Eventually, customers migrate to competitors who have cleaner, friendlier establishments.

I don't think most shoppers take these low-paying jobs realizing just how bad the compensation is.  They fail to understand the true cost of their overhead and don't place appropriate value on their time.  My next post will focus on the true cost of doing mystery shopping work.

Mystery Shopping and Landlording

This week I've done over 100 mystery shops.  I spent two days in Jacksonville working on a statewide route I accepted for 2014.  That route is 150+ gas station audits.  They are very simple audits (ten minutes onsite, about 6 minutes reporting) but they only pay $10 + $1 reimbursement.  I do receive a small route bonus once the route is completed.

I have had a handful of other shops this week, including shopping for health insurance, a hotel shop for my Jacksonville trip, and a couple of restaurants.

Next week is looking to be a slow one, but hopefully the companies will begin offering bonuses on January shops.

All in all, the month of January isn't looking too bad.  One tenant had fallen behind on their December rent but ended up paying that with late fees as well as the January rent (a day early!) all at once.  My tenant at Townhouse #3 gave me a partial payment but he is still way behind.  This is the tenant I began to evict last month.  The drama continues with the two townhouses that just became occupied.  These are the two I hired a management company for.  There have been a number of repairs I have been billed for in the last three weeks, with no clear explanation for what needed to be repaired.  I am quickly losing confidence in this management company.

Mystery Shopping Hawaii

Dreams really do come true.  I've posted before about the timeshare mystery shops I do from time to time.  In 2014 I have been assigned the crème de la crème.  I'm shopping Hawaii.

In March we will be spending five nights across two resorts in Hawaii.  My work requirement:  attending two timeshare presentations, which usually last about two hours, and filling out a quick report on each.  In exchange for that, most of our expenses are covered.  I am receiving a substantial reimbursement for our flights, rental car/ground transportation, airport parking and any resort fees.  I will also be paid a nominal fee for completing the jobs.

Visiting Hawaii has been a dream of mine.  Visiting Hawaii - and not having to pay for it - that's like winning a prize on a game show, minus the taxes!

Mystery Shopping: 2013 Year in Review

2013 was my best year yet for mystery shopping.  I thought it would be harder to earn a living with all the competition I have in Florida; I dealt with that by taking on more and more out of state routes.

2013 Mystery Shopping Income:  $32,453
2013 Meaningful Reimbursements:  $6,952
Total Miles Driven in 2013:  38,429

In addition to the reimbursements I can report, I received value that I never had to be reimbursed for.  Many of the hotel charges, including all my timeshare vacations, never show up on my credit card (or are quickly reversed).  The most mundane work I did was either the Dollar General DVD route in Alabama, which I have given up, or the 10 days I spent parked in front of Sam Ash counting customers.  Easily the most exciting would be the timeshares and resort hotels.  I like these "lifestyle shops" even if the pay is low.

Next year I am concentrating on routes and experiences.  I will do fewer "one-off" shops around town because they don't move the needle enough to be worth their time.  The goal here is to value my time more appropriately and increase my overall hourly income or, since I love to travel, partake in shops that offset vacation expenses.

Happily Shopping

I woke up at 4 AM this morning in Guntersville, AL.  Unfortunately, my first dealership doesn't open until 7 AM.  With so much opportunity this week I am finding it hard to sleep.  Sort of like a kid on Christmas morning... except every morning I wake up with the gift of more shops to do.

Yesterday I set a new record.  I earned over $600 from mystery shopping in a single day.  Does that help explain my inability to sleep?  I'm ready for more!  I am picking up random shops along my route since there are some good bonus opportunities.  Yesterday I did a gas station audit for $50 and a Lowe's for $30.  These were early morning and evening shops when the dealerships were closed (the dealerships pay more than that; I don't want anything to slow my down from getting to those!).

I'm keeping it frugal on this trip.  I was able to book a Hampton Inn for tonight for 5,000 points.  There are very few Hilton properties available for 5,000 points - these are special "opportunity" level redemptions.  I don't think they have a single property in Florida for that level.  What's even better is that I am spending even less than 5,000 points on my hotel.  Even on free stays I earn 500 points for reserving with my AMEX card and 250 points for being a Diamond member.  This is a cheap stay!

Last night I stayed in a Super 8, as it was the cheapest hotel in the area.  I have only paid for one meal so far this week.  Mystery shopping has fed me the rest of the time.  This is an amazing week!

Crumbs

November is turning out to be a crappy month for mystery shopping work.  I had a small gas station route that I wrapped up on the 1st.  I also had 16 gas station mystery shops.  That provided me a huge reserve of extra gas - I have over 30 gallons stored in the shed - but the pay on these simple shops is just $6, so they don't move the needle.  After that, I've been picking up the crumbs in one or two shop increments.

The months of November and December are unique in the mystery shopping world.  Companies put more effort into scheduling shops earlier in the month because of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The nice thing about this is that you can usually find decent bonuses on shops early on; the downside is that if you don't scoop up the jobs when offered, the second half of the month is going to be slow.  For example, I don't normally shop McDonald's, as the fee hardly goes over $7.50 in my area.  But this month I already found a shop paying $15, so I took it.  Another walk-in only location that I biked to was paying $10.  In fact, the vast majority of my work the past several days has been restaurant shops.

This week is no different.  Monday I have two restaurants to shop.  Wednesday and Thursday I have one each.  I am attending a conference this weekend and Sunday night I am shopping a hotel in the Orlando area.  On one hand, I hope I find more work.  I like being able to pay down my debts (plus these deadbeat tenants aren't helping things).  On the other hand, I have so many projects around the house that I want to tackle that it isn't so bad if I have some free time in my schedule.