Frugal and Fun

Hey everyone.
As you can se it has been quite some time since I have updated this. Honestly it is because I forgot what this site was. Haha. Anyway I am back and ready to share and learn with the rest of you.



Today, I am going to be talking about how to earn a little extra money with the holidays being right around the corner. There are a million ways you can save for the holidays, but I am going to be focusing on the ways to earn online. Here is a list of sites I use to earn a bit of side money for the holidays.

1. http://bit.ly/R8eQTH

2.

[IMG]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-173...

3. https://www.recyclebank.com/referafriend/?___store=us&bl=TDk1ODIwOTA=&cm_mmc=Refer-a-friend-_-direct%20link-_-L9582090-_-referral


Will update this later if I get time. Colleges decided to call me as I was writing this. So Just posted the links, check them out if you want. Also Let me know of sites you use to earn money online. Always love to hear your comments.

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been ages since I posted. I have been crazy busy. I just wanted to share some insight in a book I have been reading and get your adivce on how to stop this.

I have been reading "Shoptism: Why the consumer will keep on buying no matter what." It is a great read, and goes into a lot of details about how the "sell side" keeps trying to trick us using psychology to get us to keep on buying things, even though we don't need them.

The main thing though is ease of everything. We no longer make things for ourselves instead we rather buy it all out of convenience. While the convenience is great, it leads to a lot of Americans no longer knowing how to do simple tasks such as knowing how to fix a rip in your shirt, or even how to cook raw hamburger. There is too much convenience in America, and its to the point of if we ever were stranding on an island, even if it was full of friendly animals, (bunnies, birds, and trout) warm weather, plenty of fresh food ect, we would still all die. Because we don't know how to do anything for ourselves.

So today, I would like if everyone could post a comment about a simple diy idea that makes you more self sufficient.

Coupons are now the craze in today's frugal world. And with all the information available you can get lots of things for free.This leads to consumers "stockpiling" items in their homes. This can be a good thing to have some extra on hand, But shows like "extreme couponing" take things to a whole different level.
Will I really use 300 tubes of toothpaste this year? Or even 5 years? People need to limit themselves on when there actually getting a "good deal" or just wasting money. Buying 20 newspapers a week and spending 3 cents per toothpaste for 200 of them is not a good deal. If you buy 20 newspapers to get a few free items your still spending that initial $30 dollars for those items. Same with toothpaste, even if your only spending 3¢ per tube, if your only going to use x amount before it expires your wasting that money. Follow these tips to keep your stockpiling under control.

1.Follow a 6-12 month rule:
Try to only keep enough on hand for a 6-12 month period. If its a great deal, sure stock up on an item, but your house doesn't need to be overridden with items you might have to throw away before they expire.

2. Get it if it's free, but give it away.
I simply cannot pass up free. If I see a deal that I can get for free, you bet I am going to grab it. I may not need the item, or even use that item, but someone else may. I have a small box that I toss free items in that I know I may never use. This box is then donated to my local shelter or family members who also might be strapped for cash. I can give back to my community but not spending a dime, and without cluttering my house with items i wont need.

3. Don't get more than you can handle.
This is concerning newspapers. I find it a waste to buy 20 + papers a week. 1. If you don't recycle all that extra newspaper and coupon paper is going going right to a landfill. And again do you really need 200 body washes that would be free this week? I get 3 copies of the paper. I buy one, and am giving one by each my grandparents and my 1 uncle. This is more than enough for me. If I can get something free that week, I can get 3, which builds my small stockpile.

4. Don't buy it just cause it is a good deal.
Sure that bottle of pickle smelling lotion only cost 3¢, but am I ever going to want to use pickle lotion? I know my name isn't snookie, and quite frankly smelling like a pickle all day isn't my idea of fun, so why did I buy it? We tend to buy things, even if we dont use it, because it was such a great deal. But it really isn't if it is just collecting dust. So when you see that deal, think realistically. "Am I ever going to use this item?" or "Do I plan to give this item to someone else?" If you answered no, save yourself that 3¢. And save yourself the space at home.




Got any opinions or comments to share on stockpiling or couponing? Would love to hear from you below.

http://buzz.teenfreeway.com/z/35/CD33746

Thought this was cute so decided to share. This is more for preteens and teenagers, but if your a kid at heart, or have kids at home, you should sign up for them.

Free apps, and enter to win novels, and jewelery. I have already won prizes from them before, so I know they give quite a few out and are legitimate. Enter for your chance to win, and get free wallpaper and apps.


Know any good freebies? Share them below.

[img]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-173...

I just had to share with you guys. I use swagbucks
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/wickedlove0617
and I have earned quite a few amazon gift cards and cash. I saved them up just for today's online sales and in store sales. I managed to do all of my black Friday shopping for free.

No money spent except the money I earned from swagbucks. Now that I am done with black friday, time to earn and save them up again for Christmas shopping.

Got any great tips, advice, or share your own christmas/black friday plans? Love to hear them below.

Just a little bit of a rant today everyone.

I will never understand why our credit scores are not free, and even though we get ONE free credit report from each company a year, why cant we check them for free whenever we choose?

We are constantly be judged for these things, but we are never allowed to see them, unless we pay. If the records are about us, and are being used against us, shouldn't we have access to those records? Even in court, if one side comes up with new evidence against the other person, they HAVE to show the other person before using it against them in court.

Also, we should all take measures against identity theft, but if someone steals your info, they could be messing up your credit, without you even knowing. Shouldn't we have access to these records for free to better protect ourselves?

This isn't really about saving money, but then again it is, when you shouldn't be paying for something that is concerning you. You don't pay view your medical files, you don't pay to view your child's grades in school, you don't pay to view your bills, or your bank statement, why should your credit be any different?


I would love to hear you comments on this below.

I'm not posting a picture like I usually do.. Because.. well quite frankly.. Im feeling lazy.

Anyway, today we are talking about goals. I have set 3 goals aside for this week. 1 spend more time with my daughter. 2. Leave my debit card at home, and 3. Keep up with all my money making sites.

Now lets explain
1. I spend lots of time with my daughter, but its normally trips to the store to snag a deal, or making a craft together that serves a purpose. I sometimes forget to enjoy the little things in life, like just watching a spongebob movie with her. (Which is what I did today) So my goal is to relax, and just spend some non-saving money time with her.

2. I work at a grocery store. I don't pack any food because I never work 8 hours. But once your staring at all the food in a store, you get hungry real fast. I always wind up buying a donut, yogurt, or something cheap to snack on. Now I know a donut doesn't cost much, but those pennies add up. So from now on the goal is to bring a snack to work and to leave the debit card at home. This way, even if i do get tempted, i cant buy anything anyway.

3. I have been neglecting the sites I have been using to make money on. I go on a few regularly, but I haven't been getting on all of them. Remember those raindrops into rivers from my earlier post? I'm losing that extra income which defiantly comes in handy later.

Keep this in mind when setting your own goals.

1. Don't take too much on at once.
Set up 3 easy goals and maybe 1 hard goal for you to achieve. Don't overwhelm yourself or you will just wind up frustrated and wont be able to do any of them

2. Do get ready to fail. (its okay)
We are not perfect. That is why we are human. So if I take my debit card to work and buy a donut, or if I dont get to go on my sites that day, you know what, its okay. The purpose of a goal is to TRY. Don't beat yourself up over it and try again tomorrow. You are human after all.

3. Be realistic
Setting up a goal to lose 100lbs in 2 months, isn't exactly realistic. But if you want to lose weight try losing 5lbs a month. You will still feel great that your on the right track, and that you can actually achieve your goal.

Have any goals, or tips on staying on track? Love to hear them below.

Are you constantly cooking? Are you also throwing out leftovers? If you answered yes to either, STOP! Save yourself time, money and your sanity. By saving your leftovers, you can eat them the next day and save yourself a lot of hassle.

I always cook a little more than I know we can eat. This way I have lunch for tomorrow if I am in a hurry, or even tomorrow's dinner. If you don't want to eat the same exact meal twice in a row, check out Allrecipes.com. You can plug in all the ingredients you have on hand to make a new, fun, and exciting meal.

Your saving money by reusing the meals and ingredients you already have on hand. Plus,your saving yourself time. And we all know we don't have enough of that nowadays in our busy schedule.


Questions, comments? Lets hear them below!

A lot of people love to obtain new clothes, and get sick of some of their clothes after just a couple months of owning them. A great suggestion is why not through a Clothing Swap party?

A few friends and I, make it a habit to meet up at least twice a year. We all bring clothes we long longer want,that is too big, too small ect. and we swap. I can update my wardrobe and I can do this for free. Plus I can get rid of all those old clothes I no longer want/need.

Have any great tips or tricks to save on clothing? Post it below, I would love to hear your ideas.

There are about a million ways to make money online. It is all about your wiliness to find them and how much effort you put into it. I do not have a lot of free time though, but I still use these great sites and tips to have some spare money always flowing through. Not all of these sites and tips will earn you Amazing incomes but remember, if you have a lot of raindrops those raindrops can turn to oceans. By this I mean, if you have multiple streams of income, no matter how small they can add up big in the long run.

1. http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/wickedlove0617
Swagbucks is a site where search the web and earn cash. Actually you earn points, but these points can be redeemed for cash or other great prizes. You can earn by searching the web, doing daily polls, tasks, and so much more. This site earns me about. $15 a month.

2. Dailyfeats.com
Dailyfeats is all about tasks. You dont earn cash for this one, but you earn giftcards instead. To me this is just about the same as cash. You simply post what you did that day, whether it was reading to a child, or making your bed. Its that easy. I earn 2 $10 gift card a month from them.

3. Fiverr.com
This is pretty basic also. Simply post what your willing to do for $5 and people pay for your service. This could be anything from blogging, to dancing in a video. You can take a picture of your cat, or do someones math homework. Its really up to you. I make I would say $20 a month from this site.


Were you paying attention? From visiting 3 sites a day, and I spend roughly 5 mins a day per site. I make an extra income of $55 a month. Nothing huge, but that extra money really adds up.

Besides these sites keep this in mind when your trying to earn money online.

1. Avoid Pay-to-click sites
Pay to click sites are sites that pay you to click on other sites. Pretty simple, but the time far outweighs the reward. You could spend about an hour earning just 25¢.

2. Always do your research.
Even a simple google search of the site along with the word "review" will reveal if the site is trustworthy and worth your time to join it.

3.Be honest to yourself
Figure out how much spare time you have a day to view these sites. Don't try to take on too much and overwhelm yourself. I do 3 sites a day that earn me a reasonable amount of extra income. Also realize that there are no sites that will give you a massive amount of income in a day. Remember the raindrops into rivers? Each trickle of income from my different sites turn into a river of income a month.

Got any great tips to share? Leave a comment and lets here from you.

Turn the thermostat down

This is the most common answer we get when we ask how to save money on our heating bill. If your like me though, I like my house to be comfortably warm all the time. I am not a person who is a fan of cold weather. So how can we turn the thermostat down AND not be uncomfortably cold all the time?

1.Turn the thermostat down
Turn the thermostat down to a level you are comfortable with. I would even suggest turning it down another degree or two below your comfort level. Now this may seem silly, since I said how to be COMFORTABLY warm, but if you try any of the other steps you will be.

2.Wear socks
When your feet are cold, it makes the rest of your body cold. If your uncomfortable with wearing socks all the time, at least try to wear them when you are walking around your house. Walking on cold tile kitchens can make you feel cold in just a couple seconds.

3.Cook more often
If you have a habit of just throwing food in the microwave, or just making a sandwich try cooking more often. By moving around you warm yourself up, and all the heat generated by your stove/oven helps to warm your home.

4.Leave the door open when you shower
Try to leave your bathroom door open when your taking a shower, and avoid using the vent if you have one. Your warming up your house just by letting the steam from your shower escape to other rooms.

5.Light a candle
If your reading a book, watching a moving, or browsing online, light up a candle or two in the room. Candles give off heat, which can raise the temperature in your room by a few degrees. Another plus, is the room your in will smell pleasant from your candles.

6.Open the blinds
When the sun is out, let it in. Use the natural heat that is already trying to find its way into your home. When the sun rises, open all the blinds in your house and let the sun do the work for you.

7.Drink hot Beverages
Make a habit of drinking hot tea, or other hot beverage throughout the day. You will feel noticeably more warm just for having that hot beverage with you.