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Survey companies: Can you use to make money as an RVer

Last updated on June 3rd, 2018 at 04:25 pm

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can RVers make money using survey companies
can RVers make money using survey companies

RVers seem to always be looking for sidegigs. That is why you hear about workkamping and the many odd jobs, seasonal jobs, and can even find sites dedicated to making a little extra cash.

So I set out to find some ways to make extra cash. I did my do diligence in research or so I thought.

Retired these days does not mean we get to sit on an island some where and money just falls out of the sky. Well for some it might but for the majority a little extra cash is extremely helpful.

Plus making a little income means staying “plugged in”, staying relevant, and keeping your mind young.

One topic that often comes up is the idea of taking surveys to make a little extra cash.

I searched and read the information about survey taking to make money.

These survey taking money making schemes are  companies that compile data, stats and vital info for companies to be able to sell, test and market products.

You sign up to them by giving them your email and address (to send checks – Ha!) along with some demographic data about yourself.

Then you are sent surveys that you can take and you make $1, $2, $5, and other rewards for taking the surveys.

Here is what I learned.

The survey companies ask for a ridiculous amount of PERSONAL information to find out how we tick.

To be completely honest, as I continued following all the steps and jumping through all the data hoops, I began to feel real uncomfortable about them having so much information about me.

Worse, they progressively ask for more data. By the time you are on your 5th survey, you would give out WAY more info than you would have normally if that was the first survey.

Additionally, the information became increasingly obtrusive.

Red flags and alarms were going off in my brain at increasing volume.

So I decided it might not be a good fit for me and maybe I should won’t go any further in the process. I unsubscribed and thought that is that.

But wait there’s more…..

Possible fraud

A week or so after I have unsubscribed (from several services), I receive a mystery text on my phone which says:

“Hi, this is David Swillo. Your mystery survey coordinator. Your survey packet’s been delivered. Provide an update on delivery, deposit and assignment completion”

So I am thinking hmmmm I wonder what my assignment could be….. Well I check the mail and I have a priority mail envelope with a $3000 check and instructions on how to complete the “assignment”

See the attached check and letter at the bottom. The reason I am writing and sharing my experience is because this is scary and very dangerous.

I called and the check is NO GOOD. It was a fraud.

My big concern

My mom is elderly and lives on a fixed income, and struggles to really understand things sometimes. Her generation is also one that just follows rules/laws and just does what she thinks is right without really bothering to ask to many questions about things. “ I don’t want to bother people about things era”

So I shutter to think if an elderly person or someone that could really use the money and thought they were really helping went to the bank and deposited the check and headed walmart to do what they ask.

I can not say for sure that this had anything to do with survey companies for sure, but the timing is awful suspicious, just sayin……

Taking survey’s to make money for RVers is clearly a thumbs down from RV52.com

Bark Box Review

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Coco looking at her Barkbox
Coco looking at her Barkbox

My youngest son has a dog that he and his wife treat like a child. The dog is treated like a little human. So one day my son decides to sign up for BarkBox.

He calls his dog Chocs (short for chocolate). When you love your dog, you give it nicknames. Usually more than one.

The day when the BarkBox showed up, its like Chocs knew the box was for him. The excitement Chocs had was beyond excited and began to dig into the box.

My son helped him a little but Chocs started dragging out all the toys and was begging to have the bag of treats opened.

As my son was describing the BarkBox to me and Chocs reaction, I was thinking to myself “I want some of that for Coco”.

Fast forward to a few months later and Marlan and I decided we needed to sign our precious Coco up to BarkBox.

You may not know it, but we are empty nesters and so our border collie Coco is the main attraction in our home. She thinks see is a princess and we don’t have the heart to tell her different.

Signing up for BarkBox is really simple: fill out a little information and choose what size box you want, how often and how long do you want to receive the BarkBox.

I signed up for a year and got the discount offered. BarkBox has different lengths like month to month, six or 12 months. Customer service is friendly and will answer any questions you have. They love fur babies, it is their speciality.

Well the day came when Mr. Mailman delivered the bark box. I am not sure how the dogs know that the box is for them, but they do. Marlan and I sat in the floor with the box, Miss Coco preceded to start sniffing and pulling out the toys. Then she waited for us to open the treats, she gobbled them up.

Needless to say, the BarkBox is a big hit and makes for one happy dog…..

BarkBox is RV52.com approved!

5 Events in Texas You Don’t Want to Miss

Last updated on June 3rd, 2018 at 04:34 pm

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5 bucket list events to do in Texas
5 bucket list events to do in Texas

Bucket lists have become part of the overall conversation simply because they denote what tends to be the things we want to do most in life. Of course, you want your list to “go big”, which naturally means the Lone Star State and Texas festivals. With a state as large as Texas, you are certain to come across some of the most unique festivals anywhere.

The biggest problem folks in Texas or visitors from out of town face is knowing what festivals are worth checking out. First and foremost, it’s important to establish that they’re all awesome.

However, if you’re looking for some bonafide Texas festivals that merit inclusion in your bucket list, you want to be sure the festivals you attend give you a bit of all that Texas has to offer.

Here are five Texas festivals you just have to check out:

South By Southwest (SXSW) – While the beginnings for this music festival were humble, SXSW has become a massive cultural phenomenon that essentially changes the landscape & population of Austin, TX during its run. If you’re a music lover, and said love of music has eclectic leanings, SXSW is a no-brainer because you are privy to the greatest variety of music styles in one space.

Charro Days – Though most folks tend to identify south Texas somewhere near San Antonio, it turns out there is still a few hundred miles further you can go toward an area of Texas known as the Rio Grand Valley. Go to its southmost point, and you’ll find the city of Brownsville, home of Charro Days, billed by some as possibly one of the oldest cultural celebrations in Texas. Born from a need to lift spirits during the Great Depression, Charro Days celebrates the cultural & geographical impact of the town’s kinship between Texas & Mexico.

Brenham Friendship Quilt Guild “Quilt Show” – Starting in 1993 in Brenham, TX, the guild has steadily grown, and then in 1995, the guild hosted their first quilt show with a few hundred attendees. Now, the show spans two days & welcomes nearly 1,000 people.

H-E-B “Fireworks on the Brazos” – It’s the perfect combination of Texas Independence roots & the birth of the U.S. all in one. Taking place at Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site, known also as the place “Where Texas Became Texas” in 1836. Patriotic music to accompany the fireworks display as it dazzles visitors.

Chappell Hill Christmas Fayre – Small-town charm during the holidays is what warm, fuzzy movies are made of. Head to historic downtown Chappell Hill, TX for their annual Christmas Fayre. Enjoy a teddy bear parade, visiting with Santa, caroling, nativity scenes, train rides, downtown lighting, as well as live reindeer! It’s as though a Christmas card came to life!

Sure, bucket lists can be a little morose, but think of them more as guides to the fun & exciting things in life we want to experience. As such, these Texas festivals are a sure-fire way to make you & your loved ones smile.

A new RV52.com tool! The RV Air Conditioner Selection Guide

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One thing I (/about) like to do is to try to make SW or web tools that help make RVing simpler, more fun, or easier.

Before I tell you about the new tool and why I created it, I’ll review a few of the other tools I’ve made over the years:

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The NEW TOOL I’ve created is called the RV Air Conditioner Selection Guide.

I created it because simply understanding the manufacturers web pages to understand their offerings was nearly impossible.

So I spent some time going through their websites, their model numbers, and their specifications and put together a selection guide that helps you narrow down the the choices to just a few air conditioners that have the specifications you want.

I don’t try to tell you which ones are good and which ones are bad because I can’t possibly rate and rank them individually. The best ways to do this for yourself would be to read the Amazon ratings carefully.

(Editor side note: The way to examine Amazon ratings is the following. First, if there are less than 10 ratings you simply cannot use the Amazon rating at all. So a 5-star rating with only 4 entries is useless. Likewise a 1-star or 2-star rating with only 4 entries is useless too. If something on Amazon has 50 ratings and you look at the 1-star ratings try to ignore ignorant people who give 1-star for bad packaging and see what is going on.)

It takes 2-3 clicks to go through my air conditioner selection guide. You’ll get to a chart that lets you see maybe 5-10 air conditioners that are extremely similar. From there, you can go to Walmart, eBay, Amazon, or Camping World to determine pricing, ratings, rankings and see what you want to buy.

Please provide as much feedback as you want to me so that I can make these selection guides even better. All reasonable inputs will be considered!

Good luck!

Power Converter Size Calculator

Last updated on March 1st, 2019 at 12:57 pm

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RV52.com has created an RV Power Converter Size Calculator. I just didn’t see many of these around the interwebs so I thought, “what the heck?”… I’ll just make one.

I had to make quite a few approximations, but after some fun programming, I have something that can let you get a pretty good idea about your converter size.

I also put in an additional easter egg where I give you an extra indication of how long your item – when in an average usage mode – will run on the battery. I make an assumption on the battery size since batteries vary quite widely.

Here is the RV power converter and battery usage calculator.

There are several other nice power converter articles and comparisons that can help you with hunting down the converter you need.