How Writing Product Reviews Helps Me Buy Groceries

As a parent of two kids, I spend a great deal of money on groceries each month. This is both because I have four mouths to feed (counting my wife) and because I have to buy extra items for my oldest daughter's school lunches.

Like most people, my wife and I try to save money on groceries by watching for sales and clipping coupons. However, for the past couple of years, I have also managed to pay for at least part of my groceries each month by writing product reviews.

I've been trying to remember exactly when I wrote my first paid product review and how I got started. Unfortunately, I can't. But, in addition to my regular job, I count on money from a variety of different web sites that pay for product reviews. While some of these pay a set upfront payment per review, most of the reviews are written on web sites that pay me based on the number of times the review is read.

As I have described to friends and family members who have asked me about it, I think of the product reviews as being similar to a rebate. When I do my normal grocery shopping, I always look for something that I haven't tried before. Sometimes this is a brand new product. Other times, it's a product I use on a regular basis but I'll buy it from a different brand. After trying it, I'll spend 15-20 minutes writing about what I liked and didn't like and then pick a web site to submit it to (this decision is usually based on the review's length since some sites have a minimum word requirement). Once it is published, I take a few minutes to promote it.

Since most of my reviews are paid based on popularity, what I earn on them varies. Most of the time, I earn the equivalent of what I would have saved using a coupon or buying a cheaper brand. However, I have written some reviews that have actually earned me more money than what I originally paid for the item and, since I now have hundreds of reviews written, that money does add up quickly.

In an average month, I earn between $35 and $50 for grocery product reviews. This is money that can either be used to buy more groceries or pay for some other expense. It might take a bit more work than clipping a coupon or checking the local flyers for a sale but it is definitely worth the effort and I do recommend it to anyone looking for help with their monthly grocery bill.