Once I decided to quit my job and stay home with Ethan, that cut down our family's income. I've wanted to continue to contribute positively to our bank account instead of just spending money, :) so I've been thinking of ways to generate income from home. I came across GPT programs a few months ago, and thought other nannies/parents might like to try it out, as well. It's a bit overwhelming at first, so I've written up some information that is nice to know before you jump in.

What's a GPT program?

GPT programs (get-paid-to programs) are websites that pay you money for completing offers. Offers include things like product trials, completing surveys, shopping online, and signing up for trial memberships with companies like Netflix. Most of these offers are free for you, and you can always stay with the freebies if you're not a risk-taker. ;)

How does it work? Is this a scam?
No, it's not a scam. Advertisers pay the GPT sites to find new potential customers for them. The GPT sites pay you to check out the offers, because they (and the advertisers) hope that you'll like them and become a paying customer.

Will this cost me any money?
No, it doesn't have to. You do NOT have to pay any money up front if you don't want to. You can stick to doing "freebies," which are usually as simple as completing a short survey, or entering your zip code or email address.
If you do want to increase your earning potential, you can complete offers that require a small investment. Common fees are for things like shipping charges for a trial sample of a product, or gambling casino sites that ask you to deposit a certain amount of money and play a certain number of games. Some trial offers don't cost anything up front, but require you to have a credit card because they'll bill you after X number of days to continue using the service or product. If you decide after the trial that you want to cancel, your card will not be charged any money.

I believe that in most cases, it's best for children to be cared for during the day by their own parents. Sometimes that's not possible for various reasons, and sometimes the decision to stay home or keep working really isn't an easy one to make. Here are some questions to ask yourselves to help you figure out what will work best for your family:

What's the cost of childcare?
Depending on where you live, childcare costs can be reasonable or outrageous. Call around to various nannies and daycares to get an idea of what you'll be paying. If one of you makes only enough to cancel out the price of paying someone else to watch your child, that might be a reason to think about staying home. If you're lucky enough to have trusted family living nearby, you may be able to cut down the cost of childcare while Junior has a blast playing with Aunt Katie and the cousins.

Can you afford to live on one income?
If it's likely but you're not sure, try putting away the salary of the spouse who is thinking of staying home. Pretend it doesn't exist for 6 months, a year, or the duration of your pregnancy. This way, your money is sitting in savings and you can work on cutting costs in different areas before you really need to.