I’ve been unemployed since February 2009, aside from a few short temp gigs. I earned too little from my past job to qualify for state unemployment, but I made too much to qualify for welfare. I found out about Mechanical Turk last fall, while I was still employed. I couldn’t make ends meet each month so I began in earnest, seeing if I could make enough to help pay some bills. Amazingly, with persistence and an almost obsessive determination, I was able to rack up enough HITs to get me through some very lean weeks. I made a couple hundred dollars last year. Since then, in between sending out resumes, signing on with temp agencies and filling out applications, I continue my Turking. In the past month I have made over $100. Sometimes I sit for hours, refreshing the available HITs page, hoping to snag some of my “favorite” tasks. I have learned which HITs to avoid (e.g. too much work/time involved for too little money, or tasks that could be easily rejected), and usually stick to items that are quick and easy. I do get annoyed that some requesters take their sweet time in approving HITs. Also, when I work on a HIT from someone I’ve never worked for before, I usually only do a few at first, to judge the review & approval rate. But overall, requesters are fairly quick to review and approve. I love it when my balance hits the $10 mark and I can cash out!