Introduction to Swagbucks: How to Earn Gift Cards!

Everyone could use a few extra dollars in their pocket. I am personally always looking for ways that I can help improve my family's finances by earning a few extra dollars. One extremely easy way to earn some extra cash each month is to join Swagbucks.com. I have earned at least $10 in gift cards each month from this site. This may not seem like much, but this amount is with little to no extra effort to what I already do online. Here is a newbie's guide to getting started on Swagbucks and some beginner's tips on earning significant swagbucks each and everyday!

Here are the most popular ways they award points:

• Searching the internet - I already do this, so I figure why not use the Swagbucks Search tool and get around 8-10 swagbucks awarded after a few searches.
• Daily Poll - The poll is usually about a fun topic and takes about 1 second to do. You may only earn 1 Swagbuck per day, but that adds up to 30 over the course of a month.
• Print Coupons - I was already printing coupons online through Coupons.com, so now I just print them directly through the Swagbucks site and earn 10 Swagbucks per coupon. These can really add up if you coupon alot.
• Surveys - I have earned the most Swagbucks from doing surveys. Sometimes it may take a few tries to qualify for a survey, but the payoff is bigger. Just doing a few of these over a month's time can really add up fast. I have tried other survey sites and Swagbucks is definitely the easiest I have found.
• Daily Deals - Do you already purchase through Daily Deal sites such as Groupon, Eversave, Plum District, etc? If you go through the Swagbucks site, you can earn Swagbucks for these deals too. And the awarded amounts are usually a couple hundred Swagbucks per deal.
• NOSO (No obligation special offers) - Just flipping through these every day will earn you another 2 Swagbucks; again these add up fast if you do this everyday.

When you have earned enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them through the website for gift cards to most popular stores, such as Amazon, Land's End, Travelocity, Papa John's, Target, ... the list goes on and on. You can alternatively have the money transferred to your Paypal account.

There are also opportunities to earn extra Swagbucks through Swagbuck codes that they sometimes post on their blog or bonus Swagbucks for reaching certain goals. They make their website really fun. This website is a really great way to earn a few extra dollars that you can use to help out your monthly budget. Best of luck to you!

Cash Back Program: Ebates

Ebates is another great Cash Back program to use both personally and for referrals (passive income).  Just about anything you want to buy online is available.  Before you buy online, check through their list of websites and click on the store's link.  When you make a purchase, the specified percentage will be deposited into your Ebates account within a few days.  Here's some of the big stores that are available and an example of their cash back deals:

Tiger Direct: 2.5% cash back

Kohl's: 6.0% cash back

Staples: 4.0% cash back

Amazon: up to 20% cash back!

Of course, these deals may change depending on different promotions that they are running, but overall, you can save tons shopping through the site.

How it works:

1. Go to Ebates and browse the list of stores to find the one you want to purchase from.
2. Click the Shop Now link to go through to the store's website.
3. Make your purchase.
4. Percent cash back appears in your account within a few days.
5. Payouts are made quarterly if your balance is greater than $5.01.

Referral Program:

Grow your passive income through their Ebates referral program in which you can earn $5 for each qualified referral.  A qualified referral must sign up via your referral link and make at least a $25 purchase.  They are currently running a bonus program where you can earn additional money for adding multiple qualified referrals. 

I will be tracking my own experience with the Ebates program and will keep you updated!

(The links in this post are my referral links and I thank you for using them!)

Extreme Coupon Guide: Where Do I Find Coupons?

So you’ve decided that couponing can save you tons of money (definitely!). So where are you going to get all those coupons? Check out these tips below for ideas:

• Family and Friends – Once your family and friends know that you coupon, you may find them offering you the coupon inserts from their Sunday papers. Don’t be afraid to ask! This is one of the least expensive ways to get lots of coupons without spending a penny. What about fellow parents at your child’s daycare or school? Many would be very happy to give you their inserts or leftover Sunday paper. Do you get a free version of the Sunday paper on your driveway each week? We do. Ask your neighbors if they use their coupon inserts or if you could have them. I wouldn’t go rummaging through your neighbor’s recycling bin though. That’s going a bit too far!
• Local Library – Stop by your local library and ask what they do with the inserts from the newspapers they subscribe to. Ask if you can have them. Some libraries may even sponsor a coupon swap. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
• Local Coffee Shop or Fast Food Restaurant – Stop by the coffee shops or fast food restaurants Sunday afternoons to see if people have left their Sunday papers. This is another good spot to collect inserts.
• Internet Printable–The big coupon websites such as Coupons.com, Couponnetwork.com, SmartSource.com, Redplum.com, etc. have an ongoing supply of printable coupons available. You can print most coupons twice from one computer (if you have multiple computers at home, you can print 2 from each). Also check out SavingStar.com which offers additional coupons that are deposited into your account on their website (your store cards are linked to the account).
• Manufacturer Websites – Most manufacturers from time to time will offer coupons on their website. If you can’t find a coupon, try emailing or calling their customer service and ask about coupons. Sometimes if you call to give feedback on one of their products, you might receive high value coupons through the mail.
• Local Store Coupons or Mailings – Many of my local grocery stores will send out mailings with additional coupons – sometimes they are manufacturer coupons and sometimes they are for store brand products. Food Lion even has an in-store kiosk where you scan your store card for a printout of coupons. Lowes Foods sends out a sheet of store coupons in their weekly circular. Save these! Often you can also stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons at your local grocery stores – check the coupon policy at each store.
• Catalina Coupons – These print out at the register when you are checking out. Save them – don’t throw them away! Many are manufacturer coupons that you can use at any store. You can even search online to find out what Catalina deals are currently going on and target purchases on what will print at the register.

Need more coupons? Here are options for purchasing additional coupons:

• Buy a couple of Sunday papers – I heard somewhere that you should buy one paper per member of your household. This has worked great for me. Just to make sure you’re getting the best value out of your Sunday paper purchase, you can search online a day or two in advance for a listing of coupons that will come out in the Sunday paper so you can make an informed decision on how many papers to buy.
• Ebay (individual coupons or whole inserts) – Ebay is a great resource for purchasing coupons. Most sellers bundle their coupons in groups of 10-20 identical coupons. This saves you the time to clip. Just make sure to watch expiration dates and total price to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Whole inserts are also available.
• Couponsbydede.com – This is a great reliable source of coupons. For just a small fee per coupon, you can purchase the exact coupons that you will need for your weekly shopping list. There is a minimum purchase price, but it is usually easy to meet. Coupons ship out quickly.

Know any other great places to find coupons? Post them below!

Earn Extra Money with Pincredibles

If you like Pininterest, you will love Pincredibles! It is a new website similar to Pininterest in which you can post or "pin" items or products you like on their boards.  The added bonus with Pincredibles is that you earn cash or commissions for using their website.

As a member, you can "pin" the items you like as well as post comments and repin others items that appeal to you.  You can create new boards or post to existing ones.  The easy way to pin items that will earn commission is to browse their list of participating retailers.  Most major online retailers, such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon for example are listed.

Now the website is still in development, so not all the features are fully developed, but the site has already made more than one incentive payout to members, including $1 per comment and $1 per "like"!  I have found the website to be quite fun and if Pincredibles will earn a few extra dollars on the side, even better!

Worth trying out!

Welcome to SimplySmartMom!

Welcome to SimplySmartMom!!

This blog with publish information for anyone looking to save money, live a better and less stressful life.  As a full-time working mother of five, I have gathered many tips and tricks that can help you save time and money.  Looking forward to sharing these with you!