Not just another deal blogger, but a super cool, crazy, busy, trustworthy, mom of 4, who stands behind and uses all that I feel is worthy on blogging about!!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saving Star I love this Site!!
Just get your shopper cards out, CVS, Rite Aid, Weis Markets, and many more!
Enter your zip code to see which local stores qualify!
All you need to do is log in, start an account, enter your shopper card numbers, and clip the coupons you want to use.
When you go shopping, you will not see the instant savings, however, you can use coupons at the store, and still get the amount from Saving Star, in your account!!
You can earn $36 this week from Saving Star, and most importantly, you can use other coupons!!
Food stamps and WIC items, are also eligible, as long as there are coupons available on Saving Star, and as long as you swipe your shopper card before your purchase!!
Sign up for Free With Totsy!! Up to 80% off Name Brands!
Click here to sign up with Totsy!
They have tons of deals each day, up to 80% off name brand prices!!
Clothing, toys, educational materials and more!
Plus it's free to sign up!!
They have tons of deals each day, up to 80% off name brand prices!!
Clothing, toys, educational materials and more!
Plus it's free to sign up!!
PC Games $4.99 - $9.99!!
This store also offers free shipping, and monthly promos!!
Sign up with Zuuzs to get cash back on your purchases too!!
LG BD640 Blu Ray Disc Player for $89.99!! $210.00 off!!
Sign up for Zuuzs for cash back shopping, awesome deals and much more!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Scrubs & Beyond Uniform Scrubs $9.99 or Less!
Scrubs $9.99 or less!
Sign up with Zuuzs to get great deals like this every day!!
GAP 60% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! PLUS GET 2.4% CASH BACK!!
I love this site!
Gap is having a sale on EVERYTHING!! 60% off everything!! YAY!!;p
If you sign up with Zuuzs, you will also have 2.4% cash back on your Gap purchase!!
**This just in!!! Today Only!! Get an extra 20% off your order with code; GAPSHOP **
The Body Shop $20 off a $60 Order!!!!
This is amazing;p
$20 off a $60 Order when you use code PICKME3 at checkout!
Sign up with Zuuzs for deals like this and cash back shopping every day!!
Walgreens Deal!! $10 off $20 Photo Orders (Expires 11/26)
Click here to get this deal!
Use code; ORDER10, to get $10 off of a $20 photo purchase!!
Sign up with Zuuzs to get this great deal and tons more! Zuuzs is free to join, and offers cash back shopping, daily deals, discount codes, promos and lots more!!!
Earn Cash Back at Old Navy & Kmart!
**Double Cash back TODAY!!!!**.
Advance Auto Parts Save up to $30 Instantly
Sign up with Zuuzs to get this awesome deal, and check out their other discounts and cash back offers!!
Hello Kitty Tee and Plush only $15 from Hot Topic
Hello Kitty Tee and Plush only $15!!
This is an amazing deal, and definately one you have to grab if you or your little girl, loves Hello Kitty!!
Sign up with Zuuzs, and grab this deals asap before it's gone!!
This is an amazing deal, and definately one you have to grab if you or your little girl, loves Hello Kitty!!
Sign up with Zuuzs, and grab this deals asap before it's gone!!
iPhone4 Leopard Case $4.99 and 99 cents shipping! (ends Sunday 11/27 at midnight(
iPhone case for just $4.99 and 99 cents shipping! Woohoo!
Hurry! This offer ends Sunday, November 27th at midnight!!
Hurry! This offer ends Sunday, November 27th at midnight!!
Elle Decor Magazine 1 Year $5.99!!
Grab this deal before this is over! (ends midnight 11/25)
Elle Decor Magazine for $5.99. Click here to sign up!!
Elle Decor Magazine for $5.99. Click here to sign up!!
American Girl Magazine Half Off!!! Only $15.99
This is an awesome deal!! Half off American Girl Magazine!
Hurry! Click here for this deal!
Ends 11/29
Black Friday Deals!! $5.99 Each Plus FREE Shipping!! (ends at midnight 11/25)
There are a few real awesome deals you can grab, all of these are only $5.99 and they all include FREE shipping!!
Deal #1) Eiffel Tower Pocketwatch Necklace
Deal #2) Pandora's Box Necklace
Deal #3) Genuine Fresh Water Pearl Earrings
Deal #4) Gameboy Style iPhone 4 Case
Deal #5) Mini Car Charger Adaptor
Deal #6) White Silicone Band Watch
Check out these deals before they are gone!! Grab just one or grab them all! They are all only $5.99 and include free shipping!!
Deal #1) Eiffel Tower Pocketwatch Necklace
Deal #2) Pandora's Box Necklace
Monday, November 21, 2011
CafeWell Race to the Moon
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cafe Well for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Currently, you’re not involved in any challenges or goals. This is not a middle school dance. Participate.
I was very interested in learning more about this program, and even more excited about it when I visited the website to see what it was about this program that has already been successful.
I signed up with Cafewell's Race to the Moon, which I have to say was super easy and quick! You can sign up much quicker through your Facebook account!
I love the program ideas, challenges, and ease of navigation through their social network. Plus the blogs, and challenges are informative and have witty and funny sayings, for instance, the first one I read and had to laugh at;
"Currently, you’re not involved in any challenges or goals. This is not a middle school dance. Participate.
That was funny, and how true. What is stopping anybody from taking a few challenges? A few ways to get into shape whether it's walking, eating healthier, or joining a gym?
There are so many benefits to eating healthier and walking each day. You would be leading your children on the right track by being a healthy role model to them! You could take the kids out after dinner for a peaceful walk, and talk about their day at school, while getting into shape. The lessons instilled in them would last a lifetime, and they would carry this on to their children!
Race to the Moon is there for anybody to sign up with, unfortunately, I am not a member of HealthAmerica, otherwise, I would be entitled to a free electric pedometer, AND the chance to win awesome prizes!
But I can still sign up with Cafewell's social network, and take challenges, read the blogs, and learn about how I can get more involved in the quality of my health. There are several communities, complete with coaches, support, help, and information. You can read the blogs, or start your own! You can even start your own challenges, and invite friends, family, and coworkers to join.
Cafe Well
One of my favorite features is the "Symptom Checker", and the "Health Encyclopedia". I don't know about you, but I am constantly online looking for reputable information about all kinds of health issues and concerns, especially for my children! So, I was delighted to see this on my personal home page!
You can join as many communities as you wish, and they have practically every health concern listed, so if you are concerned or have been diagnosed with anything from cancer, to diabetes, to pain management. (If you know me, or read my blogs, you know pain management is an important one for me, so I am signing up with this one first!)
It is free, and easy to use, and you are in complete control of what you take on for challenges, what communities you would like to join, and you can be on your way to a much healthier lifestyle right away!
I love the idea of starting your own challenges and blog and inviting your friends, family and coworkers, to join you in your own community!
I am working on starting a walking for your health challenge for my family members, and I would also like to start a "Food Pyramid" challenge for my family. Although I may wait until after the holidays for the food challenge, lol!
This is a very important part of life, especially if you want to keep fit, active, healthy, and live longer! What better gift to give this holiday season? Sign up for free today and start a challenge and invite your friends! Plus, if you are a HealthAmerica member, you can order the free electronic pedometer, and have a chance to win great prizes! I wish I was a member, what a cool incentive for something that benefits me and my family! But I am grateful enough for Cafewell's social network, and the information I already have found!
Currently, you’re not involved in any challenges or goals. This is not a middle school dance. Participate.
I was very interested in learning more about this program, and even more excited about it when I visited the website to see what it was about this program that has already been successful.
I signed up with Cafewell's Race to the Moon, which I have to say was super easy and quick! You can sign up much quicker through your Facebook account!
I love the program ideas, challenges, and ease of navigation through their social network. Plus the blogs, and challenges are informative and have witty and funny sayings, for instance, the first one I read and had to laugh at;
"Currently, you’re not involved in any challenges or goals. This is not a middle school dance. Participate.
That was funny, and how true. What is stopping anybody from taking a few challenges? A few ways to get into shape whether it's walking, eating healthier, or joining a gym?
There are so many benefits to eating healthier and walking each day. You would be leading your children on the right track by being a healthy role model to them! You could take the kids out after dinner for a peaceful walk, and talk about their day at school, while getting into shape. The lessons instilled in them would last a lifetime, and they would carry this on to their children!
Race to the Moon is there for anybody to sign up with, unfortunately, I am not a member of HealthAmerica, otherwise, I would be entitled to a free electric pedometer, AND the chance to win awesome prizes!
But I can still sign up with Cafewell's social network, and take challenges, read the blogs, and learn about how I can get more involved in the quality of my health. There are several communities, complete with coaches, support, help, and information. You can read the blogs, or start your own! You can even start your own challenges, and invite friends, family, and coworkers to join.
Cafe Well
One of my favorite features is the "Symptom Checker", and the "Health Encyclopedia". I don't know about you, but I am constantly online looking for reputable information about all kinds of health issues and concerns, especially for my children! So, I was delighted to see this on my personal home page!
You can join as many communities as you wish, and they have practically every health concern listed, so if you are concerned or have been diagnosed with anything from cancer, to diabetes, to pain management. (If you know me, or read my blogs, you know pain management is an important one for me, so I am signing up with this one first!)
It is free, and easy to use, and you are in complete control of what you take on for challenges, what communities you would like to join, and you can be on your way to a much healthier lifestyle right away!
I love the idea of starting your own challenges and blog and inviting your friends, family and coworkers, to join you in your own community!
I am working on starting a walking for your health challenge for my family members, and I would also like to start a "Food Pyramid" challenge for my family. Although I may wait until after the holidays for the food challenge, lol!
This is a very important part of life, especially if you want to keep fit, active, healthy, and live longer! What better gift to give this holiday season? Sign up for free today and start a challenge and invite your friends! Plus, if you are a HealthAmerica member, you can order the free electronic pedometer, and have a chance to win great prizes! I wish I was a member, what a cool incentive for something that benefits me and my family! But I am grateful enough for Cafewell's social network, and the information I already have found!
Who do you Find More Adorable? Puppies or Babies?
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I may have seen some mighty cute puppies out there, but I would definitely vote for babies all the way!
Although there are many similarities, for instance, they are both quite messy, slobber, demand tons of attention, and honestly, I don't know at times which can actually smell the worst, lol.
Of course I would say my babies are the cutest! Don't we all think this way? I have heard people argue about their puppies and which one was the cutest and most cuddly, and sometimes the puppy owners can get more vicious then a mom about her baby!
I first read about this contest on Twitter. Puppies vs. Babies online contest and I was anxious to see who would win, given the fact that these are the two little loveable creatures, that seem to be in the middle of lots of smack talk, and friendly arguments.
I am hoping and planning on finding out that babies win, but with the group of people I personally know, it would either be a tie, or puppies would win. Puppies vs. Babies
I do know that my babies would beat any puppy, I mean, they can giggle, hug, cuddle, say "mommy", and they can learn how to eat with a fork and spoon, lol! I have 4 children, their ages range from 1 to 19, so I guess I only have one actual baby left, but I know for sure, had I entered him in this contest, the puppies would never ever stand a chance!
Please post in the comments below, who you would vote for! Would you vote for precious, little babies? Especially when they have their first tooth or two! Or, would you choose a cute cuddly, huggable puppy?
This is my youngest son, Deegan, so, now try and tell me you can find a cuter puppy then this little guy!
Here are my 3 smallest babies, looking their best! Any of them will beat ANY puppy you can find! I'll bet you on that!
Here are my 2 um, princesses, even they look so adorable with the ridiculous faces they are making, and I will bet on this photo beating any puppy pictures, and day!
** Submission time for this contest is over. They are now in the voting phase!**
Friday, November 18, 2011
Free Meal Planning!
I always wanted to start a site, or program, where I would have meal planning help, complete from the sales, coupons, and actual menu, all the way to the recipe!
I have been doing it this way at our house for a long time, and it is terribly time consuming! I know there are lots of moms who do not have the time for this every week or even every month! But you would be surprised at how much money you save at the grocery store when you have your whole menu planned out, (I normally do ours by the week, but I usually have the meat and actual menu written out for the month).
I love buying those magnetized weekly menu tablets, I am almost out, so if anybody can help me find them again, please leave the links in the comment section! lol! I used to find them at the grocery store, but now I don't see them anymore. (Thank God for half price sales at the grocery store! I bought the last 5 they had almost a year ago)
Even I have fallen off course, plenty of times, which is the main reason I never did bother trying to start an actual website for this! I rarely have time to even take a 5 minute shower, much less plan a menu! I am sure most of you know exactly what I mean!
I just saw this website and thought, "Wow! What a lifesaver!" Plus, it is free to sign up! (They will charge $5 per month if you plan on doing more then what the free membership includes), but, that is nothing when you think about how many times per month you will save that $5 by sticking to a structured menu plan!
The kids love when I post the menu on the fridge, and I feel a lot less stressed, knowing I won't have to run around like a maniac last minute, trying to figure out, "Just what are we having for dinner?". I don't think there is anything I hate more then finding out last minute that I forgot to pick up that green pepper....
I don't live very near any grocery store, so even though I am there every week, and usually more then once per week, I love having a shopping list right next to my menu. That way, I can write out the menu, week by week, and then write all the items I will need, right next to it. I do go as far as either writing the list on a seperate piece of paper, and then organizing it by aisle at the store, (because if I don't do it that way, I WILL forget items!). Or, I will try and do it that way from the start. This works out well, when your menu isn't to elaborate, and you probably already have most of the items at home.
I always plan according to my favorite grocery store's deals, Boyers. They have the best meat deals around! Not only can I afford the best cuts of meat, but I can plan our whole month around what they offer in their $49 meat pack! Believe it or not, you can make this $49 pack last a whole month for a family of 6! I have done it! However, Boyers also has a weekly deal, 5 for $19.99! This is like getting 1 pack of meat free, and still saving a few bucks on top of it! (more about meat deals and Boyers and planning meat and meatless meals, in another post lol)
You should at least check this program out! It is free to use and sign up, and if you really find that it works for you, it really doesn't cost much at all! $5 a month for a bit more time to do something else, maybe take a shower? Lol!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
How to NOT Spend Your Money on Christmas Gifts (Pt 3)
I apologize for the, much longer then expected break, between these posts, I have been down with the flu since last Thursday. (I am still pretty sick, but I seem to finally be able to sit at the computer without feeling dizzy!)
I wrote this part up for bloggers, newbies, anybody who has a Twitter page, any kind of social networking page, that enables them to post links, sponsored articles, tweets, etc.
I am very new myself, so I am in no way attempting to be a pro, or even a seasoned blogger. However, I have learned from other bloggers, and from research, a few good tips and companies, who will pay you to write, post, link, and even tweet for them. I will simply share the links and short summaries for what these are all about.
I would also love for anybody to share any info they have, and companies they have written for, worked for, anything that pertains to this post, in the comment section! Please always feel free to share your pages, links, blogs, sites, name, business, here in the comment section as well! After all, we are all in this together and if we help each other out and support each other, we can definately succeed!
I will be perfectly honest with you, I make next to nothing doing this. I do have goals, and those goals do indeed include earning a decent pt income through affiliates, and sponsored articles. But I must first reach my most important goal, which is, gaining fans, followers, and friends! So, I have not been doing nearly as much with these accounts and companies as I would like too. I have been concentrating on networking and plan to have a substantial amount by early next summer.
I am sure most of you are aware of the Google Adsense accounts. I haven't had any real awesome luck with this account, as you get paid per click. However, I also don't mind if I get 1 $50 check per year from this, as it is still $50 I didn't have.
Google Adsense does pay per click, and you do have control of your ads, you can pick and choose, and the best part is that it is free to start an account! (these are the little pop up ads placed all over blogs and sites and you can even set this up to be in your email newsletters!)
On top of Google Adsense, there are several real cool affiliate accounts you can apply for, and you are in full control of where you place the ads, when, which ads to choose from, and these also have much higher pay rates!
You have to apply first, and I have been turned down by several, mainly due to being new and not having a giant following. But I can reapply later on when I am a bit more experienced.
After you get the confirmation email that says you are accepted, YAY!, you can log into your account, and begin to learn how to get your links, banners, ads, and start to get a feel for how this all works. Some companies will only allow certain posts, certain ways to advertise for them, and it is extremely important that you look and read all of the instructions. You don't want to lose your status with them, because if you do not follow the rules, companies can pull from you, and the actual site you work through, may just do the same. So, it is very important that you study and read and understand and ask questions, if you get stuck somewhere.
Most of these places have a daily email sent to you each day, or every other day, with new ads, info on ads that will expire, pay rate changes, and so on. These are very helpful, and I have had nothing but very courteous account managers so far, who will answer my questions, even answer phone calls, and help you in any way they can!
These, as I mentioned, do have a much higher pay rate then accounts such as Google Adsense. The pay is clearly stated for you on each ad, so you can decide which you think your readers and friends will like, and use. You also have to understand that some of these do not pay, even if they are clicked. They may only pay if there are sign ups, or leads, or purchases. There are very good paying ads that do require that your readers actually sign up, and make a purchase. Even if it is for a free product, and they have to pay shipping, you may earn $8 for that 1 signup! Then there are ads and banners that only pay 15 cents, however, these may be for a free magazine subscription, and you may have several sign ups, and it adds up fast!
There are also printable coupons!!! You can add a coupon widget, which is what I suggest, since you pick the colors, and place this on your blogs, and they update the coupons each week! Now, you may only earn a few cents per coupon clicked and printed, but this adds up as well!
There are so many options for these ads, and I really wish I had the time to sit here and place them and post them each day! I have earned a little bit of money through this, not a ton, but some, and I plan on making these work effectively for me, as I will be spending a lot of time with these in the near future.
All of these types of earning opportunities, are all simply what you make of them. If you spend the time, you can earn more. You are in charge of your income when blogging, and you can succeed with these accounts if you work at it. (I personally am pondering "hiring" an assistant to help me, since I continue to do my points sites, survey sites, etc, because that is how I get paid online and how I earn the money for some of my giveaways. This was all explained in previous parts of this series).
The next way to earn that I have found, is my favorite! I only have 2 companies that I work for, and I have been pretty happy with the amount of leads and offers. Especially since, again, I am newer, and they have put faith in me, and continue to give me offers from advertisers. Just like everything else, once you are bigger, the more money you can earn. You will get many more leads, many more offers, and companies will even pay you much more per article.
You can set what you want paid, and you can negotiate with any of the offers or leads you receive. I would suggest being honest with yourself, and asking for an amount that goes along with your blog following, and experience. For instance, I can not expect to get paid $100 per article to be read by not even 100 readers! But I will accept $15 per article for now, as to get my ratings up within these companies, and because reality does prove that i am newer and I am not a famous blogger, yet, lol.
I have had a lot of fun writing these articles, and when you receive good ratings from the advertiser, it really gets your morale up and if you keep your head up, and work on your writing skills, the offers will start coming in much faster!
These companies who "hire" you to write sponsored articles, will pay you within 30 days of your actual post. They email you or you can check in each day, and see your leads and offers, and once you are offered a job, you will have normally, 3 days to submit your article. They will then submit this to the advertiser, and the advertiser will either approve it, or send it back to you for whatever they would like fixed. Most of these will require that you add certain links, maybe even a picture or a video, and all of the articles will have a statement before and after the article, explaining that this is a paid advertisement, etc etc. So, you can share your honest views and opinions.
Sponsored Tweets are another fun way to earn extra money. You just have to apply, and check in as often as you like to see your offers and requests!
Just like the sponsored posts, these tweets will have your choice of wording, sponsored, advertisement, etc. These are neat because if you are like me, you can always use practice and challenges with your writing. Tweets have a maximum of 140 characters, just like a standard text message, so this can get a litle hard and you may have to get extra creative!
Sponsored tweets may pay anywhere from a couple cents per click up to 99 cents, at least in my spectrum;p I have heard they do at times go higher, again, this is based on the amount of followers you have. Plus, there is always room for negotiation. I personally do not take advantage of negotiating, for the same reasons I explained above.
One main rule, that I like to stick with here with all of these optional ways of earning extra money, is to always research the links, brands, products, services, sites, companies, BEFORE you decide to advertise, or write for them and link them to your blogs or pages. I like t stay with decent companies, ones that I personally would consider doing business with, or any that I already do. I will never write a post or even a tweet, for a product or company that I have a poor opinion of. I also would not place links and ads and try to promote a service, newsletter, freebies, etc, that have a catch to them, or require sneaky purchases, those goofy program requirements and trials, things that will usually end up costing you much more then what the "free" gift card or money they say you will receive.
Please be cautious, you would not want your readers to leave, or have a bad experience with a service or product that you advertise, if you can help it. Of course there are products and companies I stand behind and love, that the next person dislikes. But a good rule to follow would be, If you wouldn't use that site, product, service, or you do not trust it, do not expect your readers too.
Another quick and simple money making opportunity for you, are affiliates, like Amazon, Target, Walmart, any site or company that fits you and your blog.
These types of opportunities will pay you on commission scales for any sales generated by clicking through your own personal ads. CAUTION!! Do not attemp to cheat these companies by clicking on your own ads to make a purchase! They will in fact, find out and forfeit your contract!
You can usually find affiliate information and applications at the bottom of the websites home page. You will typically need to fill out an application, and they seem to get back to you in a fairly reasonable amount of time.
Always remember that you are going to have to spend time on these reviews, posts, ads, links, affiliates, tweets, etc, if you want to earn money! The harder you work at it, the more you can earn!
You should also keep a log book of your earnings and your deductions, as you will be required to claim this income for taxes. Most of these companies will not even pay you or accept you, until you fill out a W2.
Here are a few links for some money making opportunities for you to look into;
Sponsored Reviews *
Coupon Gravy *
CPADNA
Link Vehicle
Sponsored Tweets *
Social Spark *
Shareasale *
Revenue Curve
Escalate Network *
MySavingsMedia *
Weusecoupons *
Logical Media
Link Worth
TwtMob *
Broadcast Bloggers *
Unique Leads *
I will add to these as I apply for more, and please feel free to share any of your favorite programs that you use!
The links above that have a star after them, are accounts that I personally have. Once I finally start making more time to work on these accounts, I plan on posting monthly income.
I wrote this part up for bloggers, newbies, anybody who has a Twitter page, any kind of social networking page, that enables them to post links, sponsored articles, tweets, etc.
I am very new myself, so I am in no way attempting to be a pro, or even a seasoned blogger. However, I have learned from other bloggers, and from research, a few good tips and companies, who will pay you to write, post, link, and even tweet for them. I will simply share the links and short summaries for what these are all about.
I would also love for anybody to share any info they have, and companies they have written for, worked for, anything that pertains to this post, in the comment section! Please always feel free to share your pages, links, blogs, sites, name, business, here in the comment section as well! After all, we are all in this together and if we help each other out and support each other, we can definately succeed!
I will be perfectly honest with you, I make next to nothing doing this. I do have goals, and those goals do indeed include earning a decent pt income through affiliates, and sponsored articles. But I must first reach my most important goal, which is, gaining fans, followers, and friends! So, I have not been doing nearly as much with these accounts and companies as I would like too. I have been concentrating on networking and plan to have a substantial amount by early next summer.
I am sure most of you are aware of the Google Adsense accounts. I haven't had any real awesome luck with this account, as you get paid per click. However, I also don't mind if I get 1 $50 check per year from this, as it is still $50 I didn't have.
Google Adsense does pay per click, and you do have control of your ads, you can pick and choose, and the best part is that it is free to start an account! (these are the little pop up ads placed all over blogs and sites and you can even set this up to be in your email newsletters!)
On top of Google Adsense, there are several real cool affiliate accounts you can apply for, and you are in full control of where you place the ads, when, which ads to choose from, and these also have much higher pay rates!
You have to apply first, and I have been turned down by several, mainly due to being new and not having a giant following. But I can reapply later on when I am a bit more experienced.
After you get the confirmation email that says you are accepted, YAY!, you can log into your account, and begin to learn how to get your links, banners, ads, and start to get a feel for how this all works. Some companies will only allow certain posts, certain ways to advertise for them, and it is extremely important that you look and read all of the instructions. You don't want to lose your status with them, because if you do not follow the rules, companies can pull from you, and the actual site you work through, may just do the same. So, it is very important that you study and read and understand and ask questions, if you get stuck somewhere.
Most of these places have a daily email sent to you each day, or every other day, with new ads, info on ads that will expire, pay rate changes, and so on. These are very helpful, and I have had nothing but very courteous account managers so far, who will answer my questions, even answer phone calls, and help you in any way they can!
These, as I mentioned, do have a much higher pay rate then accounts such as Google Adsense. The pay is clearly stated for you on each ad, so you can decide which you think your readers and friends will like, and use. You also have to understand that some of these do not pay, even if they are clicked. They may only pay if there are sign ups, or leads, or purchases. There are very good paying ads that do require that your readers actually sign up, and make a purchase. Even if it is for a free product, and they have to pay shipping, you may earn $8 for that 1 signup! Then there are ads and banners that only pay 15 cents, however, these may be for a free magazine subscription, and you may have several sign ups, and it adds up fast!
There are also printable coupons!!! You can add a coupon widget, which is what I suggest, since you pick the colors, and place this on your blogs, and they update the coupons each week! Now, you may only earn a few cents per coupon clicked and printed, but this adds up as well!
There are so many options for these ads, and I really wish I had the time to sit here and place them and post them each day! I have earned a little bit of money through this, not a ton, but some, and I plan on making these work effectively for me, as I will be spending a lot of time with these in the near future.
All of these types of earning opportunities, are all simply what you make of them. If you spend the time, you can earn more. You are in charge of your income when blogging, and you can succeed with these accounts if you work at it. (I personally am pondering "hiring" an assistant to help me, since I continue to do my points sites, survey sites, etc, because that is how I get paid online and how I earn the money for some of my giveaways. This was all explained in previous parts of this series).
The next way to earn that I have found, is my favorite! I only have 2 companies that I work for, and I have been pretty happy with the amount of leads and offers. Especially since, again, I am newer, and they have put faith in me, and continue to give me offers from advertisers. Just like everything else, once you are bigger, the more money you can earn. You will get many more leads, many more offers, and companies will even pay you much more per article.
You can set what you want paid, and you can negotiate with any of the offers or leads you receive. I would suggest being honest with yourself, and asking for an amount that goes along with your blog following, and experience. For instance, I can not expect to get paid $100 per article to be read by not even 100 readers! But I will accept $15 per article for now, as to get my ratings up within these companies, and because reality does prove that i am newer and I am not a famous blogger, yet, lol.
I have had a lot of fun writing these articles, and when you receive good ratings from the advertiser, it really gets your morale up and if you keep your head up, and work on your writing skills, the offers will start coming in much faster!
These companies who "hire" you to write sponsored articles, will pay you within 30 days of your actual post. They email you or you can check in each day, and see your leads and offers, and once you are offered a job, you will have normally, 3 days to submit your article. They will then submit this to the advertiser, and the advertiser will either approve it, or send it back to you for whatever they would like fixed. Most of these will require that you add certain links, maybe even a picture or a video, and all of the articles will have a statement before and after the article, explaining that this is a paid advertisement, etc etc. So, you can share your honest views and opinions.
Sponsored Tweets are another fun way to earn extra money. You just have to apply, and check in as often as you like to see your offers and requests!
Just like the sponsored posts, these tweets will have your choice of wording, sponsored, advertisement, etc. These are neat because if you are like me, you can always use practice and challenges with your writing. Tweets have a maximum of 140 characters, just like a standard text message, so this can get a litle hard and you may have to get extra creative!
Sponsored tweets may pay anywhere from a couple cents per click up to 99 cents, at least in my spectrum;p I have heard they do at times go higher, again, this is based on the amount of followers you have. Plus, there is always room for negotiation. I personally do not take advantage of negotiating, for the same reasons I explained above.
One main rule, that I like to stick with here with all of these optional ways of earning extra money, is to always research the links, brands, products, services, sites, companies, BEFORE you decide to advertise, or write for them and link them to your blogs or pages. I like t stay with decent companies, ones that I personally would consider doing business with, or any that I already do. I will never write a post or even a tweet, for a product or company that I have a poor opinion of. I also would not place links and ads and try to promote a service, newsletter, freebies, etc, that have a catch to them, or require sneaky purchases, those goofy program requirements and trials, things that will usually end up costing you much more then what the "free" gift card or money they say you will receive.
Please be cautious, you would not want your readers to leave, or have a bad experience with a service or product that you advertise, if you can help it. Of course there are products and companies I stand behind and love, that the next person dislikes. But a good rule to follow would be, If you wouldn't use that site, product, service, or you do not trust it, do not expect your readers too.
Another quick and simple money making opportunity for you, are affiliates, like Amazon, Target, Walmart, any site or company that fits you and your blog.
These types of opportunities will pay you on commission scales for any sales generated by clicking through your own personal ads. CAUTION!! Do not attemp to cheat these companies by clicking on your own ads to make a purchase! They will in fact, find out and forfeit your contract!
You can usually find affiliate information and applications at the bottom of the websites home page. You will typically need to fill out an application, and they seem to get back to you in a fairly reasonable amount of time.
Always remember that you are going to have to spend time on these reviews, posts, ads, links, affiliates, tweets, etc, if you want to earn money! The harder you work at it, the more you can earn!
You should also keep a log book of your earnings and your deductions, as you will be required to claim this income for taxes. Most of these companies will not even pay you or accept you, until you fill out a W2.
Here are a few links for some money making opportunities for you to look into;
Sponsored Reviews *
Coupon Gravy *
CPADNA
Link Vehicle
Sponsored Tweets *
Social Spark *
Shareasale *
Revenue Curve
Escalate Network *
MySavingsMedia *
Weusecoupons *
Logical Media
Link Worth
TwtMob *
Broadcast Bloggers *
Unique Leads *
I will add to these as I apply for more, and please feel free to share any of your favorite programs that you use!
The links above that have a star after them, are accounts that I personally have. Once I finally start making more time to work on these accounts, I plan on posting monthly income.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
How to NOT Spend Your Money on Christmas Gifts (Pt 2)
There are a lot more ideas I would like to share, so I will have a 3rd and possibly a 4th part to this "series" as well.
As always, I love comments, and would be more then happy to have any feedback, any ideas, anything you can do or have done, to earn money to help with Christmas. (or of course anything you may need money for, Christmas is just the next big thing most of us are trying to figure out! lol)
Besides what I already posted, there are online ways to earn this "money", in the form of free products, gift cards, Pay Pal payments, and checks.
Before I start with the online earning, I would like to recommend sites like http://www.etsy.com/, and http://www.ebay.com/, if in fact you have things to sell, you make something you can sell, and if so, think about starting a Facebook page for your "business", to keep customers happy, active, and attract new customers.
I will discuss survey sites and points sites in this post.
Some of the products you purchase may have points on them somewhere inside the package. These points can be redeemed for free toys, dvds, coupons, deals, gift cards, all sorts of things!
I do have my favorite product point deals listed under the "earn" tab above, but I will add the links here as well. Some of these products will also offer free points throughout the year, for new and already established accounts!
Pampers Gifts to Grow, is a very fun one to be a part of! They have great gifts and items to choose from, and they are always adding promo codes for us to rack up our point balances.
Recyclebank is another great way to earn points to exchange for free products, awesome deals on online shopping, and gift cards! This is a great site, and they have lots of partners, Kashi, Ziploc, Kmart, Walmart, Best Buy, and much more! They offer ways to earn points through watching short videos, taking tests on the videos, entering codes from Kashi boxes, and so on. I actually just turned my points in for 3 $2 off any Kashi product printable coupons!!!
I am sorry for the odd typing here, lol, my 1 year old, Deegan, just came and hit a few keys, and now I have no idea where to fix this.....
Hmm, I apologize, the wierd letters are still here. lol.
Anyway, Mycokerewards, is another cool points site, where you can turn in points for gift cards, coupons for free products, or various dvds and gifts. They change the rewards up rather often, so you should check back often!
Huggies, is another site where you redeem the points found on the wipes and diapers you buy, for various items!
These are just a few examples, please share if you have any points programs you belong too! You can also find more info on these under my "earn" tab.
Next in today's post, are survey sites. These are also listed under my "earn" tab above, and I will list some here with links.
Some pay out much better then others, and some pay you for just opening emails, registering at other sites for newsletters, and some pay you to complete tasks. The choice is yours, and you do not have to participate in everything. There are some that I use just for cash back on shopping and opening emails. Then there are some I use just for the surveys and to print out coupons. They normally pay you at least 10 cents, per coupon printed and redeemed!
There are always many, many, ways to use these types of sites to their fullest, and please do not be discouraged if it seems like the few cents you earn from opening an email, does not seem to add up as fast as you would like it too. The more active you are, the quicker it will add up!
Even if you only earn $50 every 3 months, or even every 6 months, with some of these sites, it is still extra money in your pocket that you did not have!
Some rules of caution before I give you the links for the sites I personally have experience with, and trust,
1) If it sounds to good to be true, IT IS!!!! A lot of the time, you will receive an email from the survey sites' affiliates, offering say, a $1000 Walmart card if you complete offers, STAY AWAY!! Go ahead and open the email, to earn the credit, but close it back out right away. I have not had any issues with viruses, I just simply mean, do NOT give any info to these types of affiliates!
2)Open a new email, strictly for your new job, you will receive lots of emails on a daily basis, and you should have an email solely for these types of emails! You will get far behind, and possibly lose your personal emails in the process!
3)Do NOT give your cell phone number to any affiliate sites you may receive through your paid emails! If you read the fine print, they will in fact, send you so many text messages per day or month, BUT charge a subscription fee on your cell phone once a month! Yes, even if you have unlimited text message plans! I have given my number to a few of the original sites that I have the actual account with, and I have never had an issue. Very rarely do they demand your cell number, it is normally an option.
4)NEVER give your bank info!! This includes, savings account, checkings account, debit cards and credit card numbers!! NONE of the legitimate sites will demand these numbers, nor will they ask for them! They will either pay you in the form of a check, a Pay Pal payment, or mail you gift cards.
Of course if you receive an offer that says something like, "Shop at Old Navy! Earn 11% cash back through our link!" Go ahead, and give Old Navy your account information! They are a legitimate site!!
5)Never ever pay for any of these types of sites! A legitimate site will never ask you for any types of monetary investments! You may have to pay a few bucks in fees when you request payments in a check form, but this is normal, and they take the amount out of your earnings.
6) Keep in mind, a lot of product testing is done through these sites! Do not be discouraged if you do not qualify for surveys all the time! Some sites will still pay you a few cents or a few points, just for trying! But please take as many of the surveys as you can! You never know when 1 my pop up and ask you to test and review and keep a product!!
I will list the links for the sites that I presently use, and have seen payments from! With the exception of the last 2, ( I just started these within the last couple months!)
Mypoints This 1 is one of my very favorite sites! I highly recommend this program!
Inbox Dollars I have received monthly checks from this program!
Send Earnings Very similar to Inbox Dollars!
Creation Rewards This one is very cool! Lots of ways to earn here, and the payouts are the fastest of them all! Be sure to check out the home page each day for trivia, emails to open, daily points you can earn, and if you listen to the Electric FM station, through your computer, you can earn tons of points! Just for listening!! I use this site for Amazon cards, which they will send you very quick, through an email!
Opinion Outpost This is a fast payout program as well!
Treasure Trooper A very intersting and very fun site!
Inbox Pays This one sends lots of emails to open and seems to have the highest payout per email!
Cash Crate Check in every day to earn a few cents just for clicking "Check In"!, they offer a lot of ways to earn here!
Zoompanel Tons of survey offers!
Springboard America I normally get a couple surveys per month here
Superpoints This is one I am fairly new with, but this is a very awesome site and program!!
Crowd Tap I am fairly new here to, but very pleased with the way this site is set up, and the amount of offers!
Cash Crate
Treasure Trooper
If I am missing any, I will fill them in later! I do have these listed above, under the "earn" tab!
As with almost everything, things do take time and work. Your only investment here, will be, time. However, if you are pretty active with these sites, there are a few who will pay you fast enough, you should be able to receive some in time for Christmas!
Also, if your husband or wife, bf or gf, lives with you, most of these programs allow 2 accounts per household, as long as you have different email addresses!
Again, if anybody has anything to add, please feel free to comment with your blog or social media page links, and your ideas or advice, or questions!
I will be posting another segment tomorrow, part 3 will be, ways to earn money as a site owner or blogger!
As always, I love comments, and would be more then happy to have any feedback, any ideas, anything you can do or have done, to earn money to help with Christmas. (or of course anything you may need money for, Christmas is just the next big thing most of us are trying to figure out! lol)
Besides what I already posted, there are online ways to earn this "money", in the form of free products, gift cards, Pay Pal payments, and checks.
Before I start with the online earning, I would like to recommend sites like http://www.etsy.com/, and http://www.ebay.com/, if in fact you have things to sell, you make something you can sell, and if so, think about starting a Facebook page for your "business", to keep customers happy, active, and attract new customers.
I will discuss survey sites and points sites in this post.
Some of the products you purchase may have points on them somewhere inside the package. These points can be redeemed for free toys, dvds, coupons, deals, gift cards, all sorts of things!
I do have my favorite product point deals listed under the "earn" tab above, but I will add the links here as well. Some of these products will also offer free points throughout the year, for new and already established accounts!
Pampers Gifts to Grow, is a very fun one to be a part of! They have great gifts and items to choose from, and they are always adding promo codes for us to rack up our point balances.
Recyclebank is another great way to earn points to exchange for free products, awesome deals on online shopping, and gift cards! This is a great site, and they have lots of partners, Kashi, Ziploc, Kmart, Walmart, Best Buy, and much more! They offer ways to earn points through watching short videos, taking tests on the videos, entering codes from Kashi boxes, and so on. I actually just turned my points in for 3 $2 off any Kashi product printable coupons!!!
I am sorry for the odd typing here, lol, my 1 year old, Deegan, just came and hit a few keys, and now I have no idea where to fix this.....
Hmm, I apologize, the wierd letters are still here. lol.
Anyway, Mycokerewards, is another cool points site, where you can turn in points for gift cards, coupons for free products, or various dvds and gifts. They change the rewards up rather often, so you should check back often!
Huggies, is another site where you redeem the points found on the wipes and diapers you buy, for various items!
These are just a few examples, please share if you have any points programs you belong too! You can also find more info on these under my "earn" tab.
Next in today's post, are survey sites. These are also listed under my "earn" tab above, and I will list some here with links.
Some pay out much better then others, and some pay you for just opening emails, registering at other sites for newsletters, and some pay you to complete tasks. The choice is yours, and you do not have to participate in everything. There are some that I use just for cash back on shopping and opening emails. Then there are some I use just for the surveys and to print out coupons. They normally pay you at least 10 cents, per coupon printed and redeemed!
There are always many, many, ways to use these types of sites to their fullest, and please do not be discouraged if it seems like the few cents you earn from opening an email, does not seem to add up as fast as you would like it too. The more active you are, the quicker it will add up!
Even if you only earn $50 every 3 months, or even every 6 months, with some of these sites, it is still extra money in your pocket that you did not have!
Some rules of caution before I give you the links for the sites I personally have experience with, and trust,
1) If it sounds to good to be true, IT IS!!!! A lot of the time, you will receive an email from the survey sites' affiliates, offering say, a $1000 Walmart card if you complete offers, STAY AWAY!! Go ahead and open the email, to earn the credit, but close it back out right away. I have not had any issues with viruses, I just simply mean, do NOT give any info to these types of affiliates!
2)Open a new email, strictly for your new job, you will receive lots of emails on a daily basis, and you should have an email solely for these types of emails! You will get far behind, and possibly lose your personal emails in the process!
3)Do NOT give your cell phone number to any affiliate sites you may receive through your paid emails! If you read the fine print, they will in fact, send you so many text messages per day or month, BUT charge a subscription fee on your cell phone once a month! Yes, even if you have unlimited text message plans! I have given my number to a few of the original sites that I have the actual account with, and I have never had an issue. Very rarely do they demand your cell number, it is normally an option.
4)NEVER give your bank info!! This includes, savings account, checkings account, debit cards and credit card numbers!! NONE of the legitimate sites will demand these numbers, nor will they ask for them! They will either pay you in the form of a check, a Pay Pal payment, or mail you gift cards.
Of course if you receive an offer that says something like, "Shop at Old Navy! Earn 11% cash back through our link!" Go ahead, and give Old Navy your account information! They are a legitimate site!!
5)Never ever pay for any of these types of sites! A legitimate site will never ask you for any types of monetary investments! You may have to pay a few bucks in fees when you request payments in a check form, but this is normal, and they take the amount out of your earnings.
6) Keep in mind, a lot of product testing is done through these sites! Do not be discouraged if you do not qualify for surveys all the time! Some sites will still pay you a few cents or a few points, just for trying! But please take as many of the surveys as you can! You never know when 1 my pop up and ask you to test and review and keep a product!!
I will list the links for the sites that I presently use, and have seen payments from! With the exception of the last 2, ( I just started these within the last couple months!)
Mypoints This 1 is one of my very favorite sites! I highly recommend this program!
Inbox Dollars I have received monthly checks from this program!
Send Earnings Very similar to Inbox Dollars!
Creation Rewards This one is very cool! Lots of ways to earn here, and the payouts are the fastest of them all! Be sure to check out the home page each day for trivia, emails to open, daily points you can earn, and if you listen to the Electric FM station, through your computer, you can earn tons of points! Just for listening!! I use this site for Amazon cards, which they will send you very quick, through an email!
Opinion Outpost This is a fast payout program as well!
Treasure Trooper A very intersting and very fun site!
Inbox Pays This one sends lots of emails to open and seems to have the highest payout per email!
Cash Crate Check in every day to earn a few cents just for clicking "Check In"!, they offer a lot of ways to earn here!
Zoompanel Tons of survey offers!
Springboard America I normally get a couple surveys per month here
Superpoints This is one I am fairly new with, but this is a very awesome site and program!!
Crowd Tap I am fairly new here to, but very pleased with the way this site is set up, and the amount of offers!
Cash Crate
Treasure Trooper
If I am missing any, I will fill them in later! I do have these listed above, under the "earn" tab!
As with almost everything, things do take time and work. Your only investment here, will be, time. However, if you are pretty active with these sites, there are a few who will pay you fast enough, you should be able to receive some in time for Christmas!
Also, if your husband or wife, bf or gf, lives with you, most of these programs allow 2 accounts per household, as long as you have different email addresses!
Again, if anybody has anything to add, please feel free to comment with your blog or social media page links, and your ideas or advice, or questions!
I will be posting another segment tomorrow, part 3 will be, ways to earn money as a site owner or blogger!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
How to NOT Spend Your Money on Christmas Gifts (Pt 1)
With the economy the way it has been, and more and more people out of work, and the prices keep rising on everything we buy, it's very hard to think about how we are going to make it this Christmas.
It's already November, and I haven't started for one, lol, but I am going to make sure I don't spend a single cent on Christmas gifts again this year!
There is actually still plenty of time to get some free deals before Christmas, and earn something quick, in order to help cover your expenses this Christmas.
I will list several ways to do this, and I would be very happy to get any feedback, and ideas from all of you!!
There are some ways you can also do with up front investments, although some will return your money if you sell so much product in your first month or so. Direct selling, Mary Kay, Avon, Gold Canyon Candles, Pampered Chef, there are tons of direct selling opportunities around!
If you know somebody who sells these products, you can always ask to be the host of a party! Party hosts always receive free gifts, generous discounts, and free products, all depending on how much is sold at your party, or how many orders you get.
Another option would be to trade and barter. Do you crochet? Bake amazing cookies? You can put ads up on your community bulletin boards, advertise on Craigs List, etc, and either sell, or take trades from other crafters! Or you could also make your Christmas gifts!
Of course there are always the giveaways that are all over blogs and Facebook and Twitter. You will have to do what is required for the giveaways, normally, liking pages, following blogs, commenting, etc, but there are prizes to be won! Especially on Facebook!
Are you good with coupons? Walmart will pay overages back in cash on your coupons, not to mention, they have a very nice price match policy, and you can take advantage of that and use your coupons, and make a few bucks towards something for Christmas! If you are an avid couponer, you know you can either take numerous coupons of the same, on 1 trip, several trips, buy your coupons by the lot on http://www.ebay.com/, or various coupon clipping sites, and maybe get lots of the same coupon, take them to Walmart, price match if needed, and get the overages back in cash.
The above does require some work, and yes, I have gotten paid for coupons at Walmart, quite a few times. Most recently, I had several P&G $8 off 2 Cover Girl product coupons, (about 40). I did use almost all of them, (after I gave some away), and got several blushes, and compacts, along with about $100 in cash to use towards other items in the store. I do not recommend this for beginners, nor is it something that is a whole lot of fun, lol, well it is when you end up taking $ from the cashier and walking out with a cart full of products! But it is definitely something that can be done if you want to take the time to do so.
CVS and Rite Aid, Walgreens, Target, all offer Extra Bucks, Up Rewards, Register Rewards, Gift Cards, etc, if you buy so much in product, or specific products, and with your receipt, you can "earn" "money" that can be used on practically anything in the store! (usually milk, postage, cigarettes, are not acceptable).
CVS is by far, my favorite store, and the one I do best at. I can go in the store, buy $40 worth of whatever I picked to buy that is on sale, use $25 in coupons, pay $15, and maybe get $20 back in Extra Bucks, plus they now have The Beauty Club, (I love this!!).All of your "beauty" purchases, before coupons, are added up and for every $50 you spend, (again, the best part is BEFORE coupons!!), you will earn $5 in Extra Bucks!! Yes, this is also on top of any Extra Bucks promos they are doing that week. Then they have the regular quarterly Extra Bucks you receive. This is always 2% of what you spend, before coupons as well. So, these really add up!
Now, with that $20 in Extra Bucks I received, i can continue to take advantage of deals, extra Bucks promos, and use more coupons, and either save half or all, and at some point, if you do your homework, you will indeed have transactions where you pay a few cents up front and get more Extra Bucks! This again, takes time to master, but it is so easy to figure out! All you need is some coupons, and CVS flyers! Keep in mind, if they are out of a sale item, you can always ask for a rain check.
If you want to end up walking out of CVS without paying a dime, you will have to do separate transactions, with the first one being the one you may have to spend a few dollars on. Then you can plan your trip accordingly, and use the Extra Bucks from the first transaction, to pay, along with your coupons, for the next and the next etc. I have done this in one trip before, when I had $4 to spend, and lots of coupons, but needed Pull Ups, Diapers, prescriptions, etc. I actually that day, got $174 worth of items, for $3. However, it took a while, and a lot of walking back and forth lol.
I do not want to bore my readers as I write and write here, so I will be doing these in parts. You can read them at your leisure, and share with your friends1
All of the ideas I will give you are some I have tried, done, and do presently, to earn free deals, money and gift cards. Hence, paying for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, school clothes, school supplies, groceries, things my family needs like towels, pots and pans, etc.
One thing my family ALWAYS does, and we are firm believers, in donating. For example, the Cover Girl makeup I spoke of, that I actually earned money from, has already been given away, and donated to a local church to give to moms, grandmas, teens, anybody who could use them, and can't afford them on their own.
One more thing I would like to share here about an idea of earning money in time for Christmas.
Do you babysit? Do you clean houses? Can you offer transportation for elderly or people who can not drive? Can you type well? Can you write resumes? These are all options for you to advertise, spread the word about, and maybe earn some extra cash, or do the trade/bartering thing I always add in these types of posts. You can maybe babysit for somebody who works, wants to run errands, go out for a night, and since that money was not expected, you could use that for Christmas as well! Or of course, this can be used to supplement your income where needed!
It's already November, and I haven't started for one, lol, but I am going to make sure I don't spend a single cent on Christmas gifts again this year!
There is actually still plenty of time to get some free deals before Christmas, and earn something quick, in order to help cover your expenses this Christmas.
I will list several ways to do this, and I would be very happy to get any feedback, and ideas from all of you!!
There are some ways you can also do with up front investments, although some will return your money if you sell so much product in your first month or so. Direct selling, Mary Kay, Avon, Gold Canyon Candles, Pampered Chef, there are tons of direct selling opportunities around!
If you know somebody who sells these products, you can always ask to be the host of a party! Party hosts always receive free gifts, generous discounts, and free products, all depending on how much is sold at your party, or how many orders you get.
Another option would be to trade and barter. Do you crochet? Bake amazing cookies? You can put ads up on your community bulletin boards, advertise on Craigs List, etc, and either sell, or take trades from other crafters! Or you could also make your Christmas gifts!
Of course there are always the giveaways that are all over blogs and Facebook and Twitter. You will have to do what is required for the giveaways, normally, liking pages, following blogs, commenting, etc, but there are prizes to be won! Especially on Facebook!
Are you good with coupons? Walmart will pay overages back in cash on your coupons, not to mention, they have a very nice price match policy, and you can take advantage of that and use your coupons, and make a few bucks towards something for Christmas! If you are an avid couponer, you know you can either take numerous coupons of the same, on 1 trip, several trips, buy your coupons by the lot on http://www.ebay.com/, or various coupon clipping sites, and maybe get lots of the same coupon, take them to Walmart, price match if needed, and get the overages back in cash.
The above does require some work, and yes, I have gotten paid for coupons at Walmart, quite a few times. Most recently, I had several P&G $8 off 2 Cover Girl product coupons, (about 40). I did use almost all of them, (after I gave some away), and got several blushes, and compacts, along with about $100 in cash to use towards other items in the store. I do not recommend this for beginners, nor is it something that is a whole lot of fun, lol, well it is when you end up taking $ from the cashier and walking out with a cart full of products! But it is definitely something that can be done if you want to take the time to do so.
CVS and Rite Aid, Walgreens, Target, all offer Extra Bucks, Up Rewards, Register Rewards, Gift Cards, etc, if you buy so much in product, or specific products, and with your receipt, you can "earn" "money" that can be used on practically anything in the store! (usually milk, postage, cigarettes, are not acceptable).
CVS is by far, my favorite store, and the one I do best at. I can go in the store, buy $40 worth of whatever I picked to buy that is on sale, use $25 in coupons, pay $15, and maybe get $20 back in Extra Bucks, plus they now have The Beauty Club, (I love this!!).All of your "beauty" purchases, before coupons, are added up and for every $50 you spend, (again, the best part is BEFORE coupons!!), you will earn $5 in Extra Bucks!! Yes, this is also on top of any Extra Bucks promos they are doing that week. Then they have the regular quarterly Extra Bucks you receive. This is always 2% of what you spend, before coupons as well. So, these really add up!
Now, with that $20 in Extra Bucks I received, i can continue to take advantage of deals, extra Bucks promos, and use more coupons, and either save half or all, and at some point, if you do your homework, you will indeed have transactions where you pay a few cents up front and get more Extra Bucks! This again, takes time to master, but it is so easy to figure out! All you need is some coupons, and CVS flyers! Keep in mind, if they are out of a sale item, you can always ask for a rain check.
If you want to end up walking out of CVS without paying a dime, you will have to do separate transactions, with the first one being the one you may have to spend a few dollars on. Then you can plan your trip accordingly, and use the Extra Bucks from the first transaction, to pay, along with your coupons, for the next and the next etc. I have done this in one trip before, when I had $4 to spend, and lots of coupons, but needed Pull Ups, Diapers, prescriptions, etc. I actually that day, got $174 worth of items, for $3. However, it took a while, and a lot of walking back and forth lol.
I do not want to bore my readers as I write and write here, so I will be doing these in parts. You can read them at your leisure, and share with your friends1
All of the ideas I will give you are some I have tried, done, and do presently, to earn free deals, money and gift cards. Hence, paying for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, school clothes, school supplies, groceries, things my family needs like towels, pots and pans, etc.
One thing my family ALWAYS does, and we are firm believers, in donating. For example, the Cover Girl makeup I spoke of, that I actually earned money from, has already been given away, and donated to a local church to give to moms, grandmas, teens, anybody who could use them, and can't afford them on their own.
One more thing I would like to share here about an idea of earning money in time for Christmas.
Do you babysit? Do you clean houses? Can you offer transportation for elderly or people who can not drive? Can you type well? Can you write resumes? These are all options for you to advertise, spread the word about, and maybe earn some extra cash, or do the trade/bartering thing I always add in these types of posts. You can maybe babysit for somebody who works, wants to run errands, go out for a night, and since that money was not expected, you could use that for Christmas as well! Or of course, this can be used to supplement your income where needed!
How Do You Save With WIC and/or Food Stamps
There have been a few emails from my readers, and Facebook fans/friends, with questions like this.
I am hoping to have some input from readers, as to how they used to save, or do save, or any ideas they have on saving and maybe earning a few bucks for toiletries and things that are not covered with WIC or food stamps.
I will also be starting a weekly series, with ways to earn extra money, or gift cards, and I will only be posting with the ways I personally have earned money or gift cards. There are also ways to earn money crafting, or baking, doing anything that you can do in your community, online, with friends and relatives, etc, in order to earn a few extra dollars.
I would also appreciate if anybody has links or info on any state and government programs, that will help people during hardship, with bills, Christmas gifts, food, and help with clothing and shelter. I know these vary by state, so it may be hard to post all the states, but maybe a general idea would help for people to search online!
I have quite a few ways to make extra cash or stretch your food stamps, and even WIC, (another program I believe is under a different name in other states)
Please, again, if you have anything to add, comment!!
Ideas for WIC
I know there are limits on types of foods you can get wih WIC, and I know that in PA, you are allowed to use any coupons (for instance, buy 1 get 1 free), although, these are kind of rare.
You can also take advantage of buy 1 get 1 free sales, and I have seen cheese blocks as buy 1 get 1 free, at WIC approved stores, (in PA, Boyers, Giants, Weis). Walmart in PA also accepts WIC, and will price match! (you will have to have the sale flyer, it must be in date, and if it is to match a buy 1 get 1 free, it must specify the total price on the ad!)
There are also some pretty awesome mail in rebates, deals, and promos, with cereal! Not only do some of the WIC cereals offer prizes and upc deals, but Kelloggs is offering a $10 prepaid card for every 10 upc's submitted! You are allowed to send in for 5! That would be $50 in prepaid cards, and this expires on 12/31/011.
Crispix, Rice Krispies, which are approved WIC cereals in PA, are part of this promotion.
Crispix is one of my kids favorite cereals, so are Rice Krispies! But there are recipes you can use both for, Rice Krispie Treats of course! Yum!! Crispix mix is a fun to make, and very tasty snack! You can find that recipe here!
Another way to save with WIC, would be to make sure you take advantage of frequent shopper cards! They will usually offer so much for gas rewards, or even free turkeys, or 5-20% discounts on future grocery orders.
I know in PA that we have Weis Markets, who does the gas offers through Sheetz, and Giants Food Stores, who do this through the Giants gas stations.
The cashier can swipe your shopper card before your WIC transactions, and the total will be added to your gas rewards!
Food stamps, would have all the above included in ways to make your food stamps stretch, plus more, since you are not limited as much in what you can purchase.
You can in fact take advantage of buy 1 get 1 frees, and coupons, and the gas points or discounts on future grocery orders, and the mail in rebates for companies like Kelloggs.
I have noticed that, in PA, CVS and Rite Aid also accept food stamps. With that being said, there are often deals where you can earn extra bucks with food purchase items.
Most recently, CVS has been doing the weekly deal where you must spend $30, BEFORE YOUR COUPONS!!, and you will receive a coupon on your receipt, for a $10 gift card! You are also able to do this promotion 3 times each week!
I would not normally suggest purchasing your groceries at a CVS or any drugstore, however, when they have deals and sales, they end up being much cheaper then a grocery store! Especially with the Extra Bucks programs, and Up Rewards, and CVS gift card deals. The food items that I have seen in the CVS flyers, that are included in the gift card deals, have been very reasonably priced. I would definately suggest checking out your local CVS and Rite Aid flyers, each week.
I am not a frequent Target or Walgreens shopper, at least not in store. Because there aren't any around me. So, I will be checking into them to see if maybe they also accept food stamps and WIC.
I would like to continue adding to this article, and I would be super happy to receive any input on your ideas, as well!!
I am hoping to have some input from readers, as to how they used to save, or do save, or any ideas they have on saving and maybe earning a few bucks for toiletries and things that are not covered with WIC or food stamps.
I will also be starting a weekly series, with ways to earn extra money, or gift cards, and I will only be posting with the ways I personally have earned money or gift cards. There are also ways to earn money crafting, or baking, doing anything that you can do in your community, online, with friends and relatives, etc, in order to earn a few extra dollars.
I would also appreciate if anybody has links or info on any state and government programs, that will help people during hardship, with bills, Christmas gifts, food, and help with clothing and shelter. I know these vary by state, so it may be hard to post all the states, but maybe a general idea would help for people to search online!
I have quite a few ways to make extra cash or stretch your food stamps, and even WIC, (another program I believe is under a different name in other states)
Please, again, if you have anything to add, comment!!
Ideas for WIC
I know there are limits on types of foods you can get wih WIC, and I know that in PA, you are allowed to use any coupons (for instance, buy 1 get 1 free), although, these are kind of rare.
You can also take advantage of buy 1 get 1 free sales, and I have seen cheese blocks as buy 1 get 1 free, at WIC approved stores, (in PA, Boyers, Giants, Weis). Walmart in PA also accepts WIC, and will price match! (you will have to have the sale flyer, it must be in date, and if it is to match a buy 1 get 1 free, it must specify the total price on the ad!)
There are also some pretty awesome mail in rebates, deals, and promos, with cereal! Not only do some of the WIC cereals offer prizes and upc deals, but Kelloggs is offering a $10 prepaid card for every 10 upc's submitted! You are allowed to send in for 5! That would be $50 in prepaid cards, and this expires on 12/31/011.
Crispix, Rice Krispies, which are approved WIC cereals in PA, are part of this promotion.
Crispix is one of my kids favorite cereals, so are Rice Krispies! But there are recipes you can use both for, Rice Krispie Treats of course! Yum!! Crispix mix is a fun to make, and very tasty snack! You can find that recipe here!
Another way to save with WIC, would be to make sure you take advantage of frequent shopper cards! They will usually offer so much for gas rewards, or even free turkeys, or 5-20% discounts on future grocery orders.
I know in PA that we have Weis Markets, who does the gas offers through Sheetz, and Giants Food Stores, who do this through the Giants gas stations.
The cashier can swipe your shopper card before your WIC transactions, and the total will be added to your gas rewards!
Food stamps, would have all the above included in ways to make your food stamps stretch, plus more, since you are not limited as much in what you can purchase.
You can in fact take advantage of buy 1 get 1 frees, and coupons, and the gas points or discounts on future grocery orders, and the mail in rebates for companies like Kelloggs.
I have noticed that, in PA, CVS and Rite Aid also accept food stamps. With that being said, there are often deals where you can earn extra bucks with food purchase items.
Most recently, CVS has been doing the weekly deal where you must spend $30, BEFORE YOUR COUPONS!!, and you will receive a coupon on your receipt, for a $10 gift card! You are also able to do this promotion 3 times each week!
I would not normally suggest purchasing your groceries at a CVS or any drugstore, however, when they have deals and sales, they end up being much cheaper then a grocery store! Especially with the Extra Bucks programs, and Up Rewards, and CVS gift card deals. The food items that I have seen in the CVS flyers, that are included in the gift card deals, have been very reasonably priced. I would definately suggest checking out your local CVS and Rite Aid flyers, each week.
I am not a frequent Target or Walgreens shopper, at least not in store. Because there aren't any around me. So, I will be checking into them to see if maybe they also accept food stamps and WIC.
I would like to continue adding to this article, and I would be super happy to receive any input on your ideas, as well!!
CONNIE WON THE MYMEMORIES SUITE SCRAPBOOK SOFTWARE
Please, if you are Connie, know Connie, or anything, lol, let me know!
I have 1 entrant, that did exactly what they were supposed to, which was Connie, and I have given her a week to claim her prize!
I have yet to hear anything, and I will give you/her until tomorrow at 12 noon, est time, to either comment here, or email me at busymommylist@yahoo.com.
Otherwise, we will do a 24 hr giveaway via Facebook and Twitter, and as long as you comment on the posts I make up on those networks, with your favorite design from http://www.mymemories.com/, you will be entered with a chance to win the free download!
I have 1 entrant, that did exactly what they were supposed to, which was Connie, and I have given her a week to claim her prize!
I have yet to hear anything, and I will give you/her until tomorrow at 12 noon, est time, to either comment here, or email me at busymommylist@yahoo.com.
Otherwise, we will do a 24 hr giveaway via Facebook and Twitter, and as long as you comment on the posts I make up on those networks, with your favorite design from http://www.mymemories.com/, you will be entered with a chance to win the free download!
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