• Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (October Update)

    Creative Cash - Living on a Budget

    October was a super busy month with me being gone for part of the month and out of commission with neck and back issues for several weeks.   Thankful for my husband who pitched extra hours to take care of the kids while I was out helping my family in Kansas and out of commission health wise.  It is nice to be back home and with Jake and the girls once again.   Now that October is behind us it is time to give you an update on my Creative Cash and our special highlight.

    What is Creative Cash?  My definition of Creative Cash means finding a variety of ways to make extra cash each month to put towards my family’s current financial goal as well as having a little extra to share with others.

    Why do it?  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is not only important to save money for my family by using coupons and buying items on sale, but to earn a little money to help with the family finances and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of work is what I call “Creative Cash” and it is made by finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  As I continue to challenge myself to make my life more simplified as well as find ways to bless others I have made it my goal to remain accountable for the Creative Cash I bring in month to month.  My family has faced many obstacles over the years, however, we are blessed and have a multitude of reasons to be grateful.

    How it Works: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire calendar month through various endeavors.  As Creative Cash arrives the money, gift cards, and other extras are entered into my Creative Cash worksheet. The cash, gift cards, and other items are stored in a specific Creative Cash folder or marked in the account as Creative Cash.  At the end of the month the money will be split with part of it going towards the current financial goal my family is working on and the other part will be donated to  someone or a group of people such as a charity.  It is important for me to find ways to be a blessing to people outside of our immediate family.  In order to keep me accountable I will be reporting my monthly total and who I will be sharing the Creative Cash with that month.  If it is a specific family or cause I may or may not be able to give all the details due to the amount of privacy they may want, but I promise share any details I can.

    Monthly Goal:  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra Creative Cash a month to help with my family goals as well as share with others.

    Despite being gone and not feeling well the month October was still a wonderful month.  I was able to accumulate more than anticipated during the time I was at home!  I will share with you the ways I did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully it will be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $100.00 –  20|20 Research for doing a Panel Discussion
    • $24.32 – Credit Card Bonus Rewards (if you are looking to earn interest both on your savings and checking accounts as well as rewards I recommend checking out  Capital One 360)
    • $5.00 – Amazon Gift Card earned through Swagbucks
    • $5.00 – Survey Cash
    • $15.00 – Walmart Gift Card from SheSpeaks

    October Creative Cash Total:  $149.32

    Our October Creative Cash Highlight:  Our Creative Cash Highlight this month will be Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child!

    Every year during this time we try to set aside money and special items to put together some Operation Christmas Child boxes.  The boxes need to be ready by  mid-November so October is the perfect month to focus on this ministry.  Our whole family looks forward to doing this every year.  We feel that it is important to share what we have been given with others and Operation Christmas Child is a great ministry.  The kids get really excited about picking out special treats and goodies to go into their boxes.   We pray specifically for the kids who will be receiving our boxes.  We want to make sure that our boxes are filled with items that are perfect for each child and a blessing to those that receive them.  There is so much joy in giving and sharing with others.  In October I was able to earn extra creative cash along with some gift cards that will come in very handy when purchasing items for Operation Christmas Child.   Your family can get involved too, check out the Samaritan’s Purse website for more information about Operation Christmas Child!

    Current Family Goal: We are currently working to stay within our written budget and pay down debt!  We recently had to purchase a new microwave and refrigerator.  Plus, we had some additional expenses and emergencies that have caused us to have a little extra debt that we would like to get paid off!

    • $24.32 Credit Card Bonus was applied towards a debt on a credit card.
    • Any remaining money that is not going to our Creative Cash Highlight that’s listed above will be applied towards paying down additional debt!

    It was exciting to go past the $100 goal!!!  I know this will help us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way!  A hundred dollars extra a month may not seem like a lot to some people, but every little bit helps!  If I find that I am going over my goal every month (which would be awesome) I will make an adjustment.  I have plan of action on ways to earn creative cash next month so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another  great month of sharing.  Each month I will do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically this month.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help my family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to me.  I hope that I have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  If you know of another way to earn creative cash I would love to hear it!  Feel free to comment on how you earned creative cash this month or post a picture or link to what you did!

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff!  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, wear clothes we find at garage sales, etc…however, if our family is taken care of and has love in our hearts for others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (September Update)

    Creative Cash - Living on a Budget

    It’s been awhile since I have shared the Creative Cash report with everyone, but I made it happen this month!  Honestly, I have not been as consistent these last couple months in finding creative ways to earn a little extra cash.  It’s been busy, but that really isn’t a good excuse.  It was brought to my attention recently that when I make a point to share this information with you it:

    • Helps keep me accountable
    • Gives me extra motivation to be creative
    • Keeps me on track
    • Reminds me of the goals we are trying to accomplish as a family
    • Refreshes my memory on the importance of sharing with others

    When you have the ability to share a piece of what you earn with others not only are you blessing their lives it makes your life richer and fuller too!  I have made a few adjustments regarding my Creative Cash goals, but otherwise it is pretty similar to the report that I have shared with you in the past.

    What is Creative Cash?  My definition of Creative Cash means finding a variety of ways to make extra cash each month to put towards my family’s current financial goal as well as having a little extra to share with others.

    Why do it?  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is not only important to save money for my family by using coupons and buying items on sale, but to earn a little money to help with the family finances and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of work is what I call “Creative Cash” and it is made by finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  As I continue to challenge myself to make my life more simplified as well as find ways to bless others I have made it my goal to remain accountable for the Creative Cash I bring in month to month.  My family has faced many obstacles over the years, however, we are blessed and have a multitude of reasons to be grateful.

    Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire calendar month through various endeavors.  As Creative Cash arrives the money, gift cards, and other extras are entered into my Creative Cash worksheet. The cash, gift cards, and other items are stored in a specific Creative Cash folder or marked in the account as Creative Cash.  At the end of the month the money will be split with part of it going towards the current financial goal my family is working on and the other part will be donated to  someone or a group of people such as a charity.  It is important for me to find ways to be a blessing to people outside of our immediate family.

    In the past the donated amount has only gone to charity and was always 50% of whatever Creative Cash was made that month.  After much thought and prayer I decided to change this part of my goal.  I don’t want to limit myself to giving only 50% or only giving it to charity.  There may be some months I feel led to give more than 50% and it may be to a specific cause, purpose,  family, or charity.  In order to keep me accountable I will be reporting my monthly total and who I will be sharing the Creative Cash with that month.  If it is a specific family or cause I may or may not be able to give all the details due to the amount of privacy they may want, but I promise share any details I can.

    Monthly Goal:  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra Creative Cash a month to help with my family goals as well as share with others.

    September was a wonderful month and I was able to accumulate more than anticipated!  I will share with you the ways I did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully it will be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $50.00 – Credit Card Bonus Rewards (if you are looking to earn interest both on your savings and checking accounts as well as rewards I recommend checking out  Capital One 360)
    • $116.68 – Google Ads payment
    • $50.00 – Writing a review for a company
    • $15.00 – Walmart Gift Card from SheSpeaks for sharing about the Febreze Fall Home Harvest Collection

    September Creative Cash Total:  $231.68

    Current Family Goal: We are currently working to stay within our written budget and pay down debt (yes, exciting I know)!  A couple months ago both our microwave and fridge bit the dust.  Plus, we had some additional expenses and emergencies that have caused us to have a little extra debt that we would like to get paid off!

    • $15 Walmart Gift Card is not cash nor could we pay down debt with it so we used it towards the vehicle maintenance budget.  It was used to purchase oil change supplies for my car which came in handy this month after many miles of driving this summer.   Thankful for a husband who can service the vehicles!
    • $50 credit card bonus was put towards a debt we currently have on our credit card.
    • Any remaining money that is not going to our Creative Cash Blessing Highlight that’s listed below will be applied towards paying down debt!

    September Creative Cash Highlight:  Our extra Creative Cash this month will be going to a very sweet family who is in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl named Annalise.  We have known this family for many years and we are blessed to call these amazing people friends.  As you may already know adoption can be a very long and expensive process.  You can read more about their adoption story or give as they go through this awesome journey!

    It was exciting to surge past the $100 goal!!!  I know this will help us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way!  A hundred dollars extra a month may not seem like a lot to some people, but every little bit helps!  If I find that I am going over my goal every month (which would be awesome) I will make an adjustment.  I have plan of action on ways to earn creative cash next month so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another  great month of sharing.  Each month I will do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically this month.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help my family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to me.  I hope that I have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  If you know of another way to earn creative cash I would love to hear it!  Feel free to comment on how you earned creative cash this month or post a picture or link to what you did!

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff!  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, wear clothes we find at garage sales, etc…however, if our family is taken care of and has love in our hearts for others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Kmart / Sears Gift Card Winner!

    The name has been drawn for the giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to

    Andrea

    for winning a

    Kmart / Sears Gift Card!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!

    An email has been sent to you with more information*

    Enjoy your next shopping trip to Kmart / Sears!

    Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this morning)!

    *Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced.  Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.  The actual gift card may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.

  • Giveaway: $10 Kmart / Sears Gift Card

    I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Kmart / Sears Gift Card!  The best part about this card is you can use it either at your local KMart or Sears (or a little at both).  If you need to pick up a  gift, looking to score some bargains, or just need to restock your household items after house guests this is the perfect card for you.    The stores offer everything from clothing, toys, household supplies, jewelry, health & beauty, toys and more!  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    Enter the Giveaway (up to 4 entries per person)!

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  Put a separate comment for each way you follow Blessings Multiplied (Email, Twitter, or Facebook) plus an extra entry for your bonus answer!   Each comment counts as an entry into the giveaway.

    All comments must be made by December 31, 2012 at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.  Good Luck!

    The actual gift card may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Toys R Us Gift Card Winner!

    The name has been drawn for the giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to

    Abby S

    for winning a

    Toys R Us Gift Card!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!

    An email has been sent to you with more information*

    Enjoy your next shopping trip to Toys R Us!

    Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this morning)!

    *Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced.  Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.  The actual gift card may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.

  • Giveaway: CVS Gift Card

    I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 CVS Gift Card!  As a parent August is the month we are wrapping up our final days of summer break, gearing up for the new school year, and preparing ourselves for the first time we have to take our little ones to the doctor.  Thankfully as the kids get older they are getting healthier but it is always good to have a good stock of Kleenex’s, Vitamins, and other essentials items you can find in your local CVS.  Shop the deals and you can really make this gift card stretch.  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email or like on Facebook.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your best tip on keeping your kids and yourself healthy through the school year.

    All comments must be made by August 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.

  • Swagbucks: NEW Gift Cards!!!

    GOOD NEWS for those who are currently participating in Swagbucks or who are just getting started!  Swagbucks has added a lot of New Gift Cards that you can choose from when you redeem swagbucks!   Before these additional gift cards I would usually work towards getting Amazon Cards, Starbucks, Paypal Cash, or other gift cards that I our family enjoys. Now that they have extra Gift Cards available it may be fun to get some additional ones and see if we can make our budget stretch even further!

    You can now choose from a larger variety of Gift Cards (here are a few of the extra ones added):

    • $10 CVS Gift Card – 1,249 Swagbucks (use this in addition to your Extra Rewards Bucks to make your budget stretch even further)
    • $10 Home Depot Gift Card – 1,249 Swagbucks
    • $10 O’Charley’s Gift Card – 1,145 Swagbucks
    • $10 Macaroni Grill, On The Border, & Maggiano’s Restaurants Gift Card – 1,195 Swagbucks
    • $10 Fandango Gift Card – 1,175 Swagbucks
    • $25 Land’s End Gift Card – 2,865 Swagbucks
    • $25 Cabela’s Gift Card – 2,975 Swagbucks
    • $25 Tiger Direct Gift Card – 2,995 Swagbucks
    • And MORE!!!!

    All the previous reward options are still available (here a few of our Favorite Rewards):

    • $5 Amazon Gift Card – 450 Swagbucks
    • $5 Paypal Cash – 700 Swagbucks
    • $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card – $1,250 Swagbucks
    • $10 Starbucks Gift Card – 1,300 Swagbucks
    • $20 Target Gift Card – 2,350 Swagbucks

    Get started earning these free Gift Cards and other great rewards today through Swagbucks!

    You can really do a lot with the extra Gift Card options.

    • Restaurant Gift Card & Fandango Gift Card –  Go on a Date Night with your man!
    • CVS Gift Card – Use it with your Extra Care Bucks to purchase Health, Beauty, & Household Items, not to mention diapers, wipes, and other great items!
    • Home Depot Gift Card – Get something for your Home or Yard!
    • And Many More Great Ideas!!!!

    If you haven’t already started using Swagbucks now’s an excellent time to start earning or beef up your current earnings! It is FREE to signup and you can quickly rack up the Swagbucks to earn free Gift Cards as well as thousands of other rewards for your family!  It is possible to earn 1 to several Gift Cards or Rewards a month!  To learn more information on how to get started earning Swagbucks please see my post on Swagbucks: Earning A Little Extra!

    It is a great way to bring in a little extra for yourself, your family, or to share with others every month!  Every little bit helps!

     

     

  • Swagbucks: Earning A Little Extra

    swagbucks-logo

    Swagbucks…..what is it?  That was my thought initially as well.   A couple friends mentioned it several times so I decided to check it out for myself.  Even though I have only been part of Swagbucks for a few weeks I must say I am impressed.  I have been able over the short period of time accumulated quite a few Swagbucks and earn several gifts, including Gift Cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, and more.  Are you looking for ways to get a little bit extra, make your budget stretch, money for gifts, special occasions, gift cards, or just for fun?

    I want to give you a little information on Swagbucks and how you can enjoy the perks as well!  Swagbucks is FREE to join and you can earn many gifts you can use for your family or share with others!

    Starting Out – What is Swagbucks?

    • Swagbucks is a search engine that gives you rewards (like Google).  You earn Swagbucks for searching and bonus ones through various searches and tasks you can do online.  Typically you earn between 5 to 20 Swagbucks for searching each day.  There are many ways to earn additional Swagbucks (I discuss those a little later in this post). 

    What Do I Earn With My Swagbucks? (Below are a few of the items categories, they typically have thousands of prizes to choose from every day)  Always make sure to check out their “On Sale” and “Hot Deals” categories first before cashing in your Swagbucks because they may have an item or gift card you want on sale or at a discount!

    • My Favorite is for Gift Cards – Amazon, Starbucks, Restaurant.com, Barnes & Noble, Target, Macy’s, Bass Pro Shops, Lowe’s, and MORE!
    • Cash – PayPal
    • Apparel & Accessories
    • Books & Magazines
    • Consoles & Video Games
    • Electronics
    • Kid Items
    • Gift & Reward Cards
    • Health & Beauty
    • Jewelry
    • Kitchen Items
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • School Supplies
    • Sports & Collectibles
    • Trading Cards
    • And MUCH MORE……

    How Do I Get Started?

    • It is free to join!  All you have to do is fill out a form to get started!
    • Only 1 account per household is allowed (they will close all your accounts if you try to do more than one per household).

    Are There Really Any Benefits?

    • YES!  I have been able to cash in on multiple prizes and gift cards even though I have only been using it a few weeks.
    • If you are already online you can easily begin earning gift cards, prizes, and more just by doing things you already do every day.  You can spend your Swagbucks as you earn them or save them up for gifts (birthday, Holidays, weddings, baby showers, Christmas, anniversary, and more).
    • It is possible to earn a gift card (or several) every month!

    How Do I Earn Additional Swagbucks?

    • Install the Swagbucks Toolbar – when you install the Swagbucks toolbar you will earn Swagbucks for searching online.  If you prefer to not install the toolbar and continuing using your current sofware (Google, etc….) you can still get rewards by going to Swagbucks hompage and searching online directly from their site. Swagbucks will often give you a free code in your toolbar as well which will add free bonus points to your account.
    • Print Swagbucks Coupons – every coupon from Swagbucks that you print and use at a local store earns 10 additional Swagbucks.  Get the coupons by going to Swagbucks homepage, click on the “Earn” tab, then select “Coupons” and it will bring you to the current coupons that you can use.  I go through the coupons once a month and print the items that I buy regularly.  Once you have used the coupon 10 Swagbucks will be added to your account within a few weeks (their website says up to 12 weeks, it usually does not take that long).
    • Swagbucks Blog – follow the Swagbucks Blog to get additional free codes.  They typically have at least one free code a day on their blog.  In additional to that you have a current update on their giveaways and any Swagbucks News.
    • Swagbucks Facebook –follow Swagbucks on Facebook and you will find the latest Swagbuck codes.  Members post to the wall, start discussions, or make comments that will help you find the bonus codes.
    • Swagbucks Twitter – follow Swagbucks on Twitter and you can receive Twitter specific codes.  Several times a week they will randomly award their Twitter followers with an additional 100 free Swagbucks which will be added to your account when they use the hashtag #Swagbucks.
    • Daily Poll – every day you have the opportunity to participate in the Swagbucks poll and receive 1 additional Swagbucks.  While this does not seem to be a lot it takes a matter of seconds to complete the poll and the points really do add up over time.
    • Swagbucks TV – this is an easy one to do if you are working on the computer throughout the day.  When you are on Swagbucks homepage, click on the “Earn” tab, select “Swagbucks TV” and chose from a variety of items to watch.  The length of the videos are typically from 30 seconds up to 5 minutes.  Every 10 videos you watch you earn 3 Swagbucks.  The reason why this one is easy to do is you can click on a video and have it running while you continue working, cleaning, or other tasks throughout your day.  Swagbucks will allow you to earn up to 25 three point rewards within a 24-hour period, which means you can get up to 75 additional points by multi-tasking throughout your day.
    • Games – if you enjoy playing various games on your computer this may be a great way to earn additional Swagbucks.  I have tried several games and tend to stick to the ones that I do well at.  Please Note:  There are a lot of free games available to play and earn bonus Swagbucks, however, they do have some you have to pay Swagbucks to play.  I stick to only the free games so I don’t have to use my Swagbucks on games.
    • Special Offers – you can earn an additional Swagbucks when you complete special offers.  Click on the “Earn” tab and select “Special Offers” to see of list of ones you can choose from and complete.  Many of the offers require no credit cards or payment to earn the additional Swagbucks.  Please Note:  You will only receive the specified listed Swagbucks if you complete the special offer, if you stop in the middle or don’t complete it for whatever reason you will not receive any credit for the special offer.  There are some free trials that you can sign up for then cancel later, I would recommend only participating in these offers if you are already considering the product.  If you do cancel make sure to keep track of the information and dates so you will not be charged for it.
    • Groupon Swagbucks – you can earn additional Swagbucks by purchasing a Groupon deal through the Swagbucks website.  Click on the “Earn” tab and select “Daily Deals”.   You can earn an addtional 150 to 450 in Swagbucks by purchasing a Groupon you were already going to get through Swagbucks.  (Note:  450 Swagbucks can earn you hundreds of prizes, including, a $5 Amazon gift Card). If you are already planning on purchasing a Groupon deal consider going through Swagbucks so you can earn a little extra.
    • Bonus Video’s & Offers – on the Swagbucks Homepage you will often find a bonus video or offer than takes on you only moments to watch or complete and you will earn additional points.  Many times 1 video will be worth 2 points or more.
    • Surveys – you can earn additional Swagbucks by taking surveys.  This is a great opportunity to earn bonus Swagbucks if you enjoy filling out surveys especially if you qualify for a bunch of the ones they are offering.  They do pre-qualify the surveys so you’ll have to meet their qualifications to participate in each individual survey.  They give you the amount you will earn as well as the estimated time to complete the survey up front.  You have to finish the pre-qualification and survey prior to receiving the additional Swagbucks.
    • Trade In – You can earn additional Swagbucks by trading in old electronics, books, phones, MP3 players, games, consoles, and more.  If you are not using it or considering donating the items anyway check out how much you can earn in Swagbucks by trading it in.  Go to the “Earn” tab and click on “Trade In”.  You can look up the items you are wanting to get rid of and find out how much you can get for them by searching for that specific item in the Trade In section.  How to do it – Look up the item, print out the pre-paid shipping label, save your receipt, and mail it in.  You will receive the amount in your account once they have processed your item.  Please Note: you must have at least 600 Swagbucks in your account to qualify for free shipping.  It doesn’t take too long to earn those points and by trading in your receive even more Swagbucks.
    • Bookmark Regular Pages – bookmark the websites you visit daily (such as Facebook, Twitter, etc…) and search for them using Swagbucks.  Go directly to the bookmarked page through Swagbucks instead of directly to the site and you will earn a decent number of Swagbucks each week.  Make sure when you are search for the same sites you use a variety of search terms because your account could be flagged if you search the same thing (aka “robotic”) every day.
    • Tasks – under the “Earn” tab if you select “Tasks” you will be able to see a list of variety of different tasks you can do to earn Swagbucks.  Every task is different and you earn a variety of different amounts based on the task you chose.  They do tell you when you start the task how many minutes they anticipate it to take for you to complete.  Please Note:  Although, you can earn more Swagbucks doing these tasks they typically take a little more time.  Make sure you have enough time to complete the task so you receive your additional Swagbucks.
    • No Obligation Special Offers – you can go through the “No Obligation Special Offers” every day and earn additional Swagbucks.  You don’t have to sign up for the offers and can choose to skip through all the ones they show you (unless you prefer to sign up).   You will earn 2 Swagbucks from doing this additional offer.  It typically only takes a few seconds to complete.

    One other quick note I want to make so you will be informed about Swagbucks – you can earn as much or as little as you want to on your account.  However, you are only allowed to purchase 5 of the same item per month.  For example, if you want to purchase $5 Amazon Gift Cards at 450 each (which are stackable when purchasing on Amazon) the maximum amount you can order in a month would be 5 – $5 Amazon Gift Cards (2250 Swagbucks).  If you want more Amazon Gift Cards you will have to purchase a higher amount or wait until the following month to purchase more at $5 increments.  Or you can chose a wide variety of other prizes with your Swagbucks.  It is your choice so pick the ones that best fit your family.

    You can earn many neat prizes by using Swagbucks during you daily tasks online.  I don’t have the time to do every single activity that they offer, but even if I do a few the points add up pretty quickly over the course of a week.  Like I said before I have only been doing this for a few weeks and have already earned gift cards to purchase items for my family.  Pick the handful of activities that work well for you and do them regularly.  You can choose to save your Swagbucks or use them as soon as you can.  I have done it a variety of different ways.  Right now I am choosing to save up my Swagbucks to get something for a gift.

    I would love to learn more about how you earn Swagbucks.  Congratulations if you have earned some great prizes already using Swagbucks!  Please share in the comments below some of the prizes you have purchased using Swagbucks so the readers can see how it has benefited your family!