I've only been REALLY hard-core mystery shopping for about 3 months. But this forum has been SO valuable to me!
Thank you for the spreadsheet to help me keep track of everything... The one posted in the new shopper section is so much better than the one I had made!
Thank you for teaching me the importance of tracking mileage, and the value of reimbursement on items I would buy anyways!
And thank you most of all for teaching me to truly value my time and my skills! I started getting serious about shopping because I felt desperate seeing our current income vs. expenses... I grabbed every shop I could, and forfeited countless hours of time with my family, or time I could've been studying. But now I've learned to wait. With finals approaching, I'm basically only taking grocery shops at base rate, since they go fast and I'll still be going to the store anyways. Everything else I've decided to wait for bonuses. I've also become better at routing... Only going to one area of town one day a week rather than several.
I've taken back tons of time to use for family and studying by eliminating excess drive time alone. Additionally, I'm completing less shops, but at a higher rate so it really hasn't affected my income.
I was even able to score an Arby's shop for $75+ reimbursement thanks to you guys! It was a good 40 min away, the day before Easter, so rather than take the $35 originally offered, I decided what was it really worth to me, and that price was approved! It eliminated my bitterness towards giving up that time!
Thank you all for all of your posts and help!