Don't you hate it when you just sit down for dinner and the phone rings? You make your way over to the phone, only to find that some telemarketer is waiting on the other end of the line either trying to sell you some new product, or wanting a few minutes of your time for a survey.

Most of us will take the time to answer a quick survey, even though we're providing valuable information and receiving nothing in return. But did you know you can pick up extra cash participating in paid surveys online?

Now, you might be asking, "Who would be willing to pay me for taking a survey?" The simple answer is: large corporations. Most of the large retail chains like Wal*Mart and Target are anxious to find out what consumers, like you, think about the products or services that they offer.

If they find that a large segment of the population is interested in a certain product, they can budget more money to promote that product. If they find out that most people aren't interested in a particular line of products, they either stop promoting them, or discontinue the product line completely.

In order for these companies to obtain such valuable information, they hire a market research company to send out surveys to a large database of users. Many of these market research companies know that people are becoming more and more concerned about privacy, and won't fill out a survey just out of the goodness of their hearts. So they generate interest by offering paid online surveys. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. The large conglomerates get their valuable market data, and you receive cash for simply filling out a survey.

The first challenge you'll encounter will be finding the site that will give you the best return for your time. An ideal site will send you new surveys regularly and provide you a better opportunity to earn extra money. Please see our paid surveys page for our recommended survey sites.

You'll also want to consider their payout threshold. Different companies offer different terms. Some companies will allow you to "cash out" as little as $5 within minutes of taking a survey, and others will hold funds for up to four weeks before you can get paid.

You can't rely on one website to provide you with all your survey earnings. Look at four to six different sites and find a happy balance that works for you. If you participate in too many surveys, you might be wasting your time on surveys that pay too little to be worth your time. If you participate in too few surveys, you could be losing money.

After finding the right combination of sites and surveys, you'll find it quite easy to make extra money participating in paid online surveys. Why not get started right now.