There are thousands of adverts saying you can earn up to and over £500 a month yet you often have to pay for them. After researching for a while I found that their money making idea was "I'll sell a money making idea!". You end up entering into a scheme where people pay you for this idea and you pay them. Variations include hiring other people (professional or otherwise) and taking a share of this money and calling it an "investment".

    What about those other schemes? Earn money by doing surveys, reading e-mails, being online etc. After entering into several different schemes varying from Google Adsense, iPoints, Gomez, Pure Profile and Test and Vote. I find that most offer money but have minimal payments. For example: Free Fivers offers £5 free when you join. This can be claimed when you earn the other £20. Other sites like iPoints offer points that can be exchanged for vouchers or gifts. Unless you spend money it will take you a long time to save for the 615 points Amazon Voucher with a poll a day giving you 1 point. Earning money for having your computer online never would pay much. Gomez pay a maximum of $40 a month and most of that is earnt from referrals.

    Test and Vote, while a bit like iPoints (40,000 points for an Amazon voucher) does offer something else as well: A draw to win a product to test from Canon printers to Toothpaste to a USB pen. Plus every entry (1 per product per person) gets you 75 points. Pure Profile is simple: answer surveys and get around £0.40. Claim when you have £20-£30.

    Google Adsense: That advertising scheme from Google. While payout is at $100 (Even if you sign for the UK the total is in $ but you get paid in £) it is a reachable target if you make a successful website. The adverts are indeed intelligent and will work out what your site is about and display relevent ads. You get paid for showing adverts and for referals. Referals ean you $1 and adverts earn you so much depending on the number of visits.

    So the best method to earn free money? Google Adsense with a very good website.I'm documenting my attempt on my website at http://garethfoot.awardspace.co.uk/ where you can see how I'm getting along with these schemes.