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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Money Makers & Savers

If you're a stay at home mom like me I'm sure you've struggled with ideas
on how to bring in some extra cash into the household. It's hard living on one
income and if we could figure out a way to bring in a couple more dollars
while staying at home with our kids, that would be awesome right?

I'm a huge fan of these sites that save or earn you money.
It's usually a couple dollars here and there, but it adds up.
And you don't really have to get off your couch. And most of them give
 referral bonuses for getting your friends on board. (Do you see where this is going?)

If you're interested in any of these following sites, please sign up through my links
so I can get the credit. I'm not ashamed to ask! Lol

I do recommend these though, this post isn't purely for my benefit only.
These are sites that I have legitimately earned or saved some cash from and I
figured you'd probably like to get in on this action!


What it is: Swagbucks is an online reward system where you earn points from doing various tasks. From searching the web to signing up for sites to watching 30-second advertisements, the amount of points earned can be cashed in for rewards.

How its working for me: I have earned a lot from Swagbucks but I've been a member for a while. Last year I earned $75 worth of Amazon gift cards that I used towards my Christmas shopping, and that was all without any referrals under me. If I were to have people sign up under me, I would be collecting points even faster.

How to get the most out of it: To get the most out of Swagbucks, make sure you download the toolbar and use the built in search engine to do your internet searches. You will randomly score SBs in various amounts from searching the web. Commit some time each day to do some Swagbucking (not an official term). There are soo many different ways to earn SBs. My personal favorite is the surveys (be patient, they fill up fast and most will deny you after a couple questions but the ones that let you through are usually high valued!) Also, add this page on Facebook. They offer tips daily for easy SB earnings!

What it is: Ibotta is a free mobile app for grocery shoppers that offers a fun way to get cash back from your every day shopping. Just answer a couple consumer survey type questions to claim your offers on the products you choose. After purchasing those specific products from the grocery store, you can redeem your earnings by scanning your store receipt and scanning the bar code on the product. Once Ibotta verifies the purchase, the money is yours! Link to your PayPal account to cash in. 

How its working for me: I'm still very new to Ibotta. I literally used it for the first time last week but man have I been missing out! I wish I would've known about this earlier! My first grocery trip I was able to cash in $14.50. Well...$10 of that was a bonus for being a new customer but still! That's almost $15 I didn't have before and it took me almost no effort to earn!

How to get the most out of it: You gotta give up the brand loyalty if you're gonna use this app. Only certain products are offered (it changes all the time) and I would take advantage of as much of them as you can. There are also multiple bonuses you can complete for extra earnings! You must sign up through my link to get the $10 Share The Love Bonus! But don't sign up unless you know you're going shopping soon. You get the $10 for redeeming 5 offers within your first 2 weeks.

How to sign up: http://ibotta.com/r/bK6TrA




What it is: Capital One 360 is an FDIC insured online bank. They offer checking, savings, teen and even kid's savings accounts that you can access anytime.

How its working for me: You've heard about all my accounts for different reasons. Well I am excited most about the Capital One 360 account I recently signed up for to save our "fun money". I signed up during a special promotion and if I make 2 more transactions to or from my acct within 45 days of signing up, they'll give me a $100 bonus! Again, $100 towards our Disneyland fund that I didn't have to work for.

How to get the most out of it: Sign up through my link to have a chance at the Refer-a-Friend bonus. Right now they are offering $50 if you open a checking account and $25 for savings, kids or teen account. You must meet the qualifications to get the bonus. So be prepared before you open it. Like I mentioned before, my bonus will come when I've made a total of 5 transactions within my first 45 days. I think for a savings account you'll get your bonus if you open your account with at least $250.





What it is: Zulily is a members-only daily deals type website. New deals are announced every day and are only open for a couple days before they expire. Zulily works directly with different brands to offer us the best deals available. They offer a lot of kids/baby/mom products but also have a section for Home and Women products. Clothes, jewelry, kitchen stuff, home decor, the products they offer always vary so there is something for everyone.

How its working for me: I am an official Zulily addict. It is very very easy to get sucked in to its greatness and even harder to resist taking advantage of their amazing deals. But in the long run, I am saving money. I recently bought part of the Preschool Prep curriculum for my 3 year old son. The package I got goes for $225 retail, I got it for $99.99 on Zulily! This is pretty well-known curriculum too and I have been lusting after it for a while.

How to get the most out of it: Zulily will give you $15 credit for every friend you refer. But since this is mostly a money saver I recommend double checking their "sales" on other sites before you purchase. Sometimes you can get an amazing deal, sometimes not so much. I don't think buying clothes from here is worth it because they're still more pricey than catching sales at Carters or Gymboree. They make it ridiculously easy to buy things off their app so practice self-control! :) But check their sales every day to find the good stuff and get it early before it sells out. I'll be keeping an eye out for Christmas gifts.

How to sign up: http://www.zulily.com/invite/keichelberger981




What it is: Ebates is a way to get cash back from your online purchases. Stores offer Ebates commission for sending consumers their way. Ebates uses that commission to reward us.

How its working for me: I do TONS of online shopping since I'm out here in the middle of nowhere! I've earned almost $18 back from Ebates just from making my usual online purchases.

How to get the most out of it: Not all sites are linked with Ebates so to make sure you get your earnings, download the Ebates Add-on for the toolbar of your browser. If you are at an Ebates-friendly website, it will notify you so you can make sure you get the credit. Its hard to remember Ebates when you're focused on shopping so I've found this to be very helpful! Sign up through my link to get a $5 bonus after your first Ebates-friendly purchase. Ps. Remember that Shakeology I wrote about a few days ago? Get 5% back on your Beachbody purchases!




I'm going to keep track of my earnings from these sites for the month of August.
I'll let you guys know how I do!
If you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask.
Help me help you! :)

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