October 2015

October No-Spend Monthly Challenge Day 29: Make Money Online Taking Surveys!

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, and ready for a new daily challenge! So, for today I want to focus a way you can earn money in your spare time, with online survey sites!

Why Survey Sites: Last year I earned $420.00 taking online surveys. Here’s how:

The average survey takes 20 minutes, so one could realistically complete 3 online surveys in an hour, and have generated $9.00.
Though is not a great sum of money, the earned survey funds could potentially add up to a $36.00 a month, or $420.00 savings annually.
This is only an average of 3 surveys are taken weekly. based on qualification and availability.

I used those funds to pay for holiday gifts, birthday gifts, as well as earned Amazon gift cards which paid for my entire years worth of Amazon Subscribe & Save and Amazon Pantry items! Awesome, huh?

Here are my favorites:

1) Harris Polls: Harris Polls is the Boss of survey sites. Their research is well-respected and frequently cited; the number of points awarded per survey is generous; and there are lots of rewards to choose from – gift cards, prizes and sweepstakes entries. You can make up to $45 per survey in 20 min the #1 paying survey site today!

2) ZoomPanel: If you’re looking to earn rewards quickly, ZoomPanel is the survey site to join. They typically send out several survey invitations each week, and have a great collection of rewards to choose from – the latest books and movies, electronics, appliances, jewelry, home decor, charitable donations and more; you can earn up to $20.00 an hour with this site.

3) CVS Advisor: CVS Advisor is a must-join site. You’ll probably only get a few survey invitations a year, but you’ll want to respond to those invitations when they come. They reward participants with Extra Care Bucks, and it’s not uncommon to receive $10 in ECBs for participating in a single survey.

4) Swagbucks: Join swagbucks; answer surveys; and earn points that you can redeem for gift cards to popular stores and restaurants. Earn additional points by shopping through the site, using their search engine and watching videos. I have earned upwards of $40.00 a month with this site!

5) Ipsos I-Say: Ipsos is a global survey-based market research company that serves more than 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. As an Ipsos I-Say community member, you’ll have the opportunity to take surveys and earn rewards that can be redeemed for money, Amazon.com gift cards, donations such as the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, and prepaid American Express cards. Most members receive surveys at least once each month with an average of about four per month, and the more surveys you take, the more points you earn. In addition, many Ipsos members also have the chance to test new products and services before the general public. I personally use this site weekly, and since joining last year, taking an average of 10 surveys a week, have thus far earned $130.00; $90.00 of this was used on Amazon to help offset my holiday stocking stuffer costs! If you’re interested in joining Ipsos, click here.

6) KidzEyes: KidzEyes is a website that conducts market research among 6-12 year old kids, and is in full compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. KidzEyes conducts surveys for children’s companies, and wishes to have kids fill out surveys, in order to provide better products and services for children and sometimes they are interested in hearing parents’ opinions too, in which case, you will help earn your child(ren) additional KidzPoints. When kids complete the surveys that they receive from KidzEyes via email, and surveys completed earn KidzPoints that can be turned in for cash or prizes’ points can be withdrawn and deposited into your checking account and given directly to your child.

7) Funovation Panel: If you like the idea of influencing the future trends in toys, holiday purchases, and children’s clothing, than the Funovation survey Panel is for you! This is a free survey site, which enters your information into drawings and sweepstakes, often for large ticket toy items, in exchange for short surveys! I have been a member of this site for a little over a year, and have found the surveys fun; its a great way to get sneak-peeks into the upcoming seasons toys and holiday gift ideas! Click here to check the site out and to get more information!

8) PineCone Research: One of my favorite survey companies is Pinecone Research, who is currently accepting new members to their online research panel. This research firm gives points away at the end of each survey, which have a cash out value of $3.00, which can be transferred to an existing PayPal account, to a pre-paid card, a mailed paper check, which you can set aside to be directed to your savings account! The average survey takes 20 minutes, so one could realistically complete 3 online surveys in an hour, and have generated $9.00, and though is not a great sum of money, the earned survey funds could potentially add up to a $36.00 a month, or $420.00 savings annually, if 3 surveys are taken weekly. based on qualification and availability.

So today I challenge you to check out the above survey sites, and see if you can start saving today! Be sure to check back tomorrow morning, and see tomorrow’s Daily Challenge!

Here’s to saving,

October No-Spend Challenge Day 7: Week 4 Reflections (How We Saved $884.16 Thus Far This Month)

Hello again, savvy savers! For today’s October No-Spend Daily Challenge, as part of the #31DayLWSZ Challenge, I want to discuss my experience this past weeks savings victories, challenges, and learning curves for week three of the challenge.

So, thus far this month I was able to save a total of $738.46, and some of the ways I did this were by:

Pantry Organization
Utilizing On Hand Food Options To Help Make Weekly Menu Ideas Sheets
Learning Home to “Dine Out At Home”
Working on a personal #Choose30 Challenge to be more positive daily.
Rain-Check Shopping for next months needed coupon staples and groceries from this last weekend.
I clean off my Counter-tops to use as workstation areas for donating, sorting, and prepping donations.
I listed and sold items via eBay, Craiglist, Facebook Local Groups, and Craftsy patterns.
Had an in-home spa day and saved $32.00!
Upcycled several new home projects.
Our family ate from our crock-pot for a week!

I did have a few set backs this week though. My husband needed to take the entire $80.00 cushion I set aside for this months produce and incidentals budget for an impromptu school robotics club he is the sponsor of, as well as the funds needed for an oil change (for his car that was suppose to have previously been taken care of). Mind you I was a little taken back to find my home stripped of cash, sodas, and my pre-purchased Halloween candy (candy and sodas to help supplement our family and his 14 students going with him on this trip). My saving grace? Three hours after he left for his day-trip, I received not one, but four ETSY shop orders (that I already had the materials on hand for, score!), which not only reimbursed my budget, but paid for the missing household staples, and set my savings goal ahead by $27.00!

So, all’s well that ends well here is the Roberts household.

As well here are a few ways I have been able to accomplish my no-spend goals this past week:

I woke up at 6:25 daily, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I read three review books.
I finished today’s Day 1-7 No-Spend Challenges!
I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!
I cooked from my pantry, eleven times.
I walked for three miles every other day!
I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
Read my daily devotional.
I cleaned out my coupon cabinet, paper files for my ETSY business, and recycled numerous bins of random scraps of fabric around my craft room, too!

My tally of last weeks savings are:

I was able to procure 16 new rain-checks savings $54.00 in savings.
I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
I eat at home thirteen times, saving our family $77.93.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $1.20, the cost of 6 trash bags.
I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a frozen latte, for free, a savings of $2.99!
I received $32.98 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
My family drank water for one, and saved $7.30, the cost of a five 2-liters of soda.
We made DIY fireplace starters, savings $12.98 over commercial pricing.
We used earned gift card dollars at Sam’s Club to buy gas, saving us $20.04.
We made DIY hand sanitizer bottles, saving our family $7.98.
We made DIY wet dog food, saving out family $19.98 over a case of pet food cans.

So, overall my family saved $138.38

This months savings goal remaining: +$49.62 for this month.

All-in-all, I am pleased with this past weeks progress and will be thinking of new and better ways to save come the next three weeks ahead! Mind you this progress is in part due to my families use of earned and gifted survey cards; I’ve read a lot of people state that they will not be using them on the challenge, but for me and mine, we love them. I legitimize these cards as ALL were earned from taking surveys, using savings apps, or by wining contest, paid affiliate campaigns, and giveaways. Free money is just that, free.

I’m excited to note that these funds will be able to be allocated for last-minute holiday gifts, holiday donations, and Angle Tree presents this holiday season. As well, a fourth of the funds from this challenge went towards my yearly savings goal for acquiring a rental property/tax sale in the year and a half to come. I am proud of myself, and so proud of you all as well.

If you were able to follow along with this past weeks #31DayLWSZ challenge, I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to Saving,

Cardinal Health™ Hospital Quality at Home™ #BringTheCaringHome #ad

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Cardinal Home Health product, and by way of this blog post, Cardinal Home Health donated to a charity of my choice.

With a child at home, a husband who’s a woodworking enthusiast, and my affinity for gardening and DIY projects, bumps, bruises and the general blahs of life are an inevitability for our family. In fact just this past month, I suffered through a severe cut to one of my fingers assembling office organizers. Ouch! So I can more than commiserate with the many families who face the everyday ouchies of life.

As women we have seen it all. Everything from childcare to aged care, to bee stings, to kitchen disasters, the ability to quickly and affordable maintain your home first aid needs is a must for every home! As a busy wife and savvy saver, I can attest to just how much of an inconvenience it is to have to run out in the middle of the night, in search of a twenty-four pharmacy to bridge-gap the small, at-home first aid emergency supplies you need in a pinch between office care visits during impromptu times. And as well all know when you are in a hurry to ease your families discomforts, your only concern is getting home quickly to attend to your family!

Fortunately, Cardinal Health™ Hospital Quality at Home™ products make it easier to provide your family with quickly, affordable home health offerings just when you need them. Something else worth sharing, Cardinal Health medical products and services are used by most U.S. hospitals. With this hospital-quality excellence in mind, Cardinal Health recently launched a line of at-home including Advanced Wound Care, First Aid, Personal Care, and Home Healthcare products. These kits are ideal for localized wound care such as blisters, minor cuts, scrapes, first degree burns, minor surgical wounds, and early stage bedsores. I especially like the at-home Wound Care kit, which came in super handy this week during my before mentioned injury. I was patched up and back to my work-at-home position before I knew it!

What I also love about Cardinal Health Advanced Wound Care products is that they offer a wide range of needs that not only offer superior aid in self-healing, but also offer long-lasting, sanitary, yet comfortably moist protection; this protection helps to ultimately speed healing time and promote the regrowth and regeneration of healthy skin cells.
For more product information and indications, visit www.cardinalhealth.com/products.

If you want to find Cardinal Health be sure to check out the Cardinal Health Website, Cardinal Health Twitter page, and Cardinal Health on LinkedIn.

Here’s to healing,

October No-Spend Month Challenge Day 27: Free Online College Courses

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, and a new challenge! Today, I want to switch topics, and discuss a way you can save money, and that is by taking a refresher course from one of America’s best colleges and Universities. As part of today’s No-Spend Challenge, I want to post about an awesome at-home learning tool many users may be interested in using, Coursea.com.

Coursera is a for-profit educational technology company offering massive open online courses founded by computer science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller from Stanford University.
This online course directory offers persons from all walks of life the ability to sample, full-length classes, webinars, refresher courses, or to browse syllabi and test prep, in a full range of Liberal Arts topics, from many of the national top colleges and universities, including Duke University, Yale University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
There are also courses focused on music education, art appreciation, small business management, and anthropological studies.

For those interested in this site, click here.

So, for today’s challenge, I encourage you all to check out this site, and see if you may be interested in taking a new online course on for size! Good luck! Be sure to check back tomorrow morning for the final day of this months No-Spend Challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Meal Plan Monday (10/26-11/1/15)

Happy Monday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a sunny, and not-so humid start here in Dixie. This weeks menu is going to be a little different, as it will consist of consist of not only Cupboard Clearing ideas, but we will be “rolling one meat,” smoked chicken breast, from one meal to the next! Please note, the chicken being “rolled” in this weeks menu is Tyson frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breast 6 lb. packs, purchased at Sam’s Club last month for $3.50 each; this was part of a Plus Members monthly savings program deal. The cost of this weekly menu is only $19.56, and it feeds a family of four.

Here’s what we will be having this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Strawberry, blueberry, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Almonds, celery, carrot sticks, and Crystal Light
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Smoked chicken breast wraps, with Roma mottoes, spinach, feta, and Greek dressing; served with with Diet Cola.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche pudding cups, with strawberries.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken taco roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets; served with crystal light.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Freezer Cooking Chicken and Dumplings (modified using smoked chicken); served with steamed broccoli and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free Brownies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups (chicken substituted for sausage); served with Almond Milk.
Lunch: Chicken salad, with walnuts and grapes; served with diet cola.
Snack: Grapes and string cheese.
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Curry; steamed peas, steamed rice, and crystal light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free brownie sugar-free ice cream sandwhiches.

Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt topped with Strawberries; served with Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken salad, with walnuts and grapes; served with diet cola.
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Stuffed smoked chicken breast sandwiches (breasts split open, stuffed with sliced provolone cheese single, and grilled); served with sweet Potato Fries and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Friday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups (chicken substituted for sausage); served with Almond Milk.
Lunch: Chicken taco roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets; served with crystal light.
Snack: Strawberries and two pieces of Sugar Free Chocolate; candy is used as melted drizzle for berries.
Dinner: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Peas, and crystal light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Chicken mole, served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Sunday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt topped with Strawberries; served with Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Stuffed smoked chicken breast sandwiches; served with sweet Potato Fries and Crystal Light.
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Chicken mole, served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

This weeks Sunday prep:

Again this week week I wanted to make room in my deep freeze for the upcoming cyclical sales and to get us to the no-spending challenge in place in the next few days. With this in mind, set out to make several new crock pot-ready freezer meals, made from stockpiled veggies, pork roast, and chicken breasts already on hand.
I prepped three meals; Chicken Curry, BBQ Chicken, and Cranberry Pork Roast.
Also, prepping a weeks worth of breakfasts and lunches on Sunday’s, can be another way save a half hour of time each day time during the week for yourselves; I also find that this helps with my diet as having prepped snacks, ready and on hand, deters me from reaching for not-so-healthy options.
I checked out this weeks sales ads, and made a shopping list accordingly; this also includes adding, sorting, and organizing coupons too!

So, that’s what we will be having this week. I’d love to hear what’s on your menu as well!

Here’s to Monday meals,

DIY Halloween Lamp Shade Silhouettes!

Hello again, spooktacular savers! To end my posts today I wanted to share a fun craft the family and I make yearly at Halloween. Today’s post features my favorite Halloween Lamp Shade Silhouettes! This year I chose bats. Call it a preference, perhaps its that Periscope new bat heart inundation, but to me they seemed the cutest. Mind you, any shape can be used. My family loves the silhouettes, and the best part? Aside from ink, paper, tape, and time this project is free!

To begin I used:

A Standard lamp shade
3/4″ Scotch Double Sided Transaprent Tape
Scissors
40 watt light bulb
Bat Silhouette print outs; I used bats from First Palette!

To make this shade project:

Print out silhouettes; I used 16 for my medium sized shade.
Remove, dust, and clean your lamp shade and finial.
Take an inch piece of tape, doubled over, and placed on the front of the bats.
Place the bats, silhouette side facing out, on the inside of the shade.
The tape will extend the bat slightly above the shade, creating a more 3-D look.
Replace existing light bulbs with 40 watt bulbs, to ensure safety.
Replace your lampshade and finial.
Turn your lamp on, and voila… Halloween pizzazz on a dime!

I always love the look of these bats, and after Halloween, I save the bats in the inside of a folding manila envelope, store on the bottom of my Halloween decor storage bins, for use next year. The bats make an awesome backdrop for reading holiday stories the week before Halloween too!

So, if you all have any other battastic Halloween ideas, I’d love to hear about them!

October No-Spend Month Challenge Day 23: Earn Money With Apps!

Good morning, savvy savers! If you are anything like me, you are always looking for new ways to pad your monthly budget. Whether you need extra cash, are creating a splurge day fund, or are looking to pay for holiday expenses there is money to be made in the area of mobile apps and surveys. So, for day 23 of this month’s #31DayLWSZ October No-Spend Challenge, I wanted to discuss a few ways that I have found to use mobile apps to make extra money.

So, as we are all aware that with the popularity of mobile payment methods, smartphones can also be useful for earning money. While apps will not make it possible for you to party like a rock star, they can help you pay for your next latte, or even get a free lunch every now and then. For these reasons alone, these apps are worth checking out.

A word of caution, however. Safety first. Always read the fine print when downloading apps that claim to help you make money. Download apps from the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store because of Apple and Google’s security measures, but die to the nature of the internet please read, and then re-read the fine print on these apps, as some of these apps will give you money in exchange for information you didn’t know you would be sharing.

For instance, an app can access your phone’s GPS to find your location, download files without telling you, take pictures and record video and audio, send messages without your permission, or even modify or delete the contents of your phone. Just take the necessary precautions to allow you to securely safe. Okay, PSA over.

So here is a list of several legitimate, money-making apps worth checking out that I personally use:

i-Say Mobile (iOS, Android): i-Say Mobile is an app developed by Ipsos, the survey company that is very popular because they are always seen taking surveys during presidential elections. i-Say invites its members to take surveys, the highest-paying and also rarest of which cost as much as $100. You need to sign up at the i-Say website to become a member.

Swagbucks (iOS, Android): There are nine ways to make money on Swagbucks. You can browse the web, take surveys, shop in the Swagbucks mall, vote on daily polls, play games, watch videos, find swap codes, complete special offers, and bring in your friends to sign up. Swagbucks earnings come in the form of virtual money that can be redeemed as gift cards, coupons, and sweepstakes entries. Sawgbucks is one of my favorite go-to’s!

SlideJoy (Android): SlideJoy puts product ads on your phone’s lockscreen and pays you a fixed amount every time you unlock your phone, whether you look at the ad or not. Users say they earn $5 to $15 on average with SlideJoy. Before making the switch to Android, this was my app du jour!

App Trailers (iOS, Android): App junkies, this apps for you. App Trailer shows its users 30-second video trailers of new apps to download and install. For every app trailer you watch, you earn money. For every app you download and engage with, you earn even more. The more trailers you watch, the more points you earn, which can then be converted into gift cards or redeemed via PayPal weekly.

InboxDollars (iOS, Android): More than $30 million have been paid out to InboxDollars users since the long time it has been around. You get $5 alone just upon signing up. InboxDollars’ main attraction is it pays you money to surf web, play games, and take surveys. Users can cash out by requesting payment via check once they earn $30, which is completely possible in a couple of hours. I’ve earned four checks in two years. While this inst a cash cow, this is a slow-but-steady way to earn a free lunch every other season!

Viggle (iOS, Android): Viggle syncs in wirelessly to know what songs you listen to and what TV shows you watch, in exchange of course, for points that can be redeemed as gifts cards, digital downloads, electronic goods, and trips. Tv to earn gift cards to Burger King, Starbucks, and Lowe’s is a win-win for me!

Mobee (iOS, Android): Interested in mystery shopping? Mobee’s partners with stores to earn points that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards, or even event tickets based on the quality of your evaluations. You can download the app for free to check out what missions are available in your area. Each mission earns you anywhere between 150 points ($1.5) and 3,000 points ($30).

Receipt Hog (iOS, Android): Receipt Hog lets you take pictures of your receipts in exchange for coins. Each 1,000 coins can be redeemed as Amazon gift cards or as cash via PayPal. As you upload more receipts, you unlock more ways to earn money, such as taking surveys.

Perk (iOS, Android): The Perk app offers a variety of ways to make money. For everything you do in one of the Perk services, such as when you search, browse the web, or watch TV, you earn a small number of points. If you buy something off Perk Shopping, you earn a massive amount of points that can be converted into gift cards. Minimum payout for Perk is $5.00, weekly.

Field Agent (iOS, Android): Instead of having you browse the Internet or take surveys, Field Agent pays you to do small tasks for its clients. For instance, you can earn $9 taking four different photos of toothbrushes at Wal-Mart or $5.00 checking out the price of certain dolls at Toys “R” Us. Taking into account the time and gas it takes to drive out and accomplish those tasks, you’ll still be able to make up to $20 as a field agent.

TaskRabbit (iOS, Android): Another task app! TaskRabbit pays you more than double the minimum wage to complete simple tasks for people than many other apps, such as putting together IKEA furniture or walking the dogs. However, you’ll have to apply to become a Tasker, within the app community.

Bookscouter (iOS, Android): Calling all bibliophiles! If you have a lot of books gathering dust on your shelves,, or aren’t planning to Kon’Mari them, Bookscouter can help! This app looks for buyers offering the highest amounts. Simply scan the bar-code of your book and the app will give you a list of buyback companies and their prices. Once you choose your seller, give them your payment details and ship the book to them.

Pact (iOS, Android): Calling all my fellow Weight Loss Wednesday Divas! Want a way to get paid for healthy living? This is the app for you! With Pact, which pays users $5 every week for accomplishing certain tasks, such as eating a certain number of healthy meals or exercising a certain number of hours for the week. Is it effective? Pact says 92 percent of its users are motivated to lose weight, not just because of the $5.00 weekly reward but also because of the $5.00 penalty if they fail to complete their tasks for the week.

So that’s it! There’s my list. Now, many readers may say? What about sites like Crowdtap, Recyclebank, or Walmart Savings Cather App? Well, Crowdtap has changed self-regulating rewards system to a randomized raffle system, where participation does not guarantee a monthly gift card (so I did not include it on this list, though it’s still a fun way to pass time), Recyclebank has changed its settings making its perfunctory seasonal rewards harder to obtain (this site is still one of my secret tools in for giving high-quality, free magazine subscriptions to friends and family over the holidays), and I group Walmart’s Savings App under my grocery savings tools.

For me, time is money. If I do not have a guaranteed guarantee on my time, its not just worth it for me. Some spend not saving is time not being vested in my husband, family, business, myself, or my faith. That’s just how I roll!

Yes, I am aware this sounds like a lot, but I can usually accomplish all of these things in 30 minutes daily while relaxing and watching tv. These apps have helped me earn an average of $400.00 annually over the past half decade, and this year my app savings will help fund my debt-free holiday spending goal this upcoming holiday season!

So, do you all have an other apps you use to earn extra money? I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to saving!

Older Posts

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is Caring:

search