contest - Surviving and Thriving

Back in action, and asking for your vote.

September 22, 2013 by Donna Freedman

The site was down for most of the past three days and is finally fixed. Some days I long to go back to the era of typewriters. But what I really want to talk about is the deadline for voting for the Plutus Awards.

Want to save 50% at the supermarket? Here’s help.

September 30, 2013September 12, 2013 by Donna Freedman

A free webinar on Sept. 26 will teach “realistic” couponing.

Need a reason to save? Here’s a $10,000 reason.

September 5, 2013 by Donna Freedman

September is National Coupon Month, and Valpak and Savings.com are sponsoring a campaign called “10,000 Reasons to Save.”

The idea is to highlight the “tangible, long-term impact” that coupons can have on our lives.

Coupons have made a major difference in my life, especially when I was a broke single mother and a broke middle-aged college student. Maybe they’ve made a big impact in your life, too – and if so, you can share your story for a chance to win up to $10,000.

That would be a pretty big impact, too.

The Reasons to Save website invites readers to contribute short essays (250 to 500 words) about their specific reason to save – buy a house? have a baby? put an existing baby through college one day? – and how smart coupon use could support that long-term goal.

Silliness to be savored.

August 22, 2013 by Donna Freedman

Every so often I get an e-mail about the “Mensa Invitational,” a word game hosted by The Washington Post. It asks readers to make up new words by adding or subtracting a letter from an existing word.

A few examples:

Foreploy: Misrepresenting yourself for the purposes of obtaining sex.

Intaxication: The euphoria that accompanies an income tax rebate (which lasts only until you realize that this was your money to begin with).

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic humor and the person who doesn’t get it.

Glibido: All talk, no action.

Pretty clever, huh? The only problem with the Mensa Invitational is that it doesn’t exist. (Yet another reason to stop blindly forwarding every e-mail you get.)

A get-out-of-town roundup.

June 27, 2013 by Donna Freedman

Very late Monday evening (actually at about 2 a.m. Tuesday) my niece and I will be be at the Anchorage International Airport with her two boys. Our trip will include historical/tourist-y stuff in Philadelphia, a quick trip to New York City, and about a week spent on my dad’s Christmas tree farm in South Jersey.

The kids are really looking forward to the latter because it’s truly Dude Heaven: tractors, power tools, a private gun range and thousands of trees against which to urinate. Tack on a possible one-day trip to the Jersey Shore (the family-friendly part, not the reality-TV zone) and they will be in ecstasy.

I’m still making arrangements for this trip – didn’t book tickets for the Megabus until the other night – and trying to get a little bit ahead on my paid writing chores. Thus no time to devote to fabulous insights for my personal blog. Instead, I’m rounding up a few contests for you to enter.

That is, assuming you could use stuff like a $500 cash prize.

Thursday: Your financial questions answered, for free.

March 22, 2013March 20, 2013 by Donna Freedman

Got a money question? Let the experts answer it. Four financial advisors will host a free live web chat on Kiplinger.com on Thursday, March 21.

They’ll take questions about topics such as insurance, taxes, investing for retirement and saving for college from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Ask your question before or during the chat using the Kiplinger web chat link or the Kiplinger Facebook page, the NAPFA Facebook page, or the #JumpStartRetire hashtag on Twitter.

Can’t stick around for the whole rodeo? You can go back later and view a transcript.

6 reasons spring cleaning can save you money.

January 28, 2018March 11, 2013 by Donna Freedman

Last month several dozen personal finance bloggers collaborated in a Valentine-themed giveaway sponsored by Rather-Be-Shopping.com, a site specializing in online coupon codes. The contest generated so much response that site founder Kyle James decided to do it again.

This time the theme is “spring and saving money.” The prize remains the same: $500 cash via PayPal. [Edited to add: Although the giveaway is over, the information below can help you with your spring cleaning. Read on!]

Voting ends Sunday night. Can you help?

July 28, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Thanks to a lot of support, I am currently poised to make the finals of the PF Olympics, a writing contest that’s part of the Financial Blogger Conference. But I admit it: I’m worried that some other contestants will produce a surge of late votes that knock me out of the running.

That’s where you come in — I hope.

High-stakes self-promotion.

July 17, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Jo Seated on the Old Sofa from © by cliff1066™

For the second year in a row I’m speaking at the Financial Blogger Conference. This year there’s something new going on: the “PF Olympics,” a competition for the best personal finance writing.

The competition is kind of like being on “Dancing With The Stars”: It doesn’t really matter whether your footwork is as good as the other couple’s. As with just about any Internet-based contest, the determining factor is how many votes you get.

An element of skill is involved, if you get to the finals. But I’m not there yet, so once again I’m asking for your help.

Mr. Rebates wants to give you $10,000.

February 7, 2012 by Donna Freedman

If I were you, I’d let him.