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Last call for a chance at a $50 gift card.

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thJust a reminder: My favorite rewards program, Swagbucks, has offered a special signup code for new referrals (see below) plus a chance for both new and old referrals to win a $50 gift card.If you want in, keep in mind the rapidly approaching deadline: Oct. 30.

This contest is pretty easy to enter; in fact, it’s automatic. Anyone I’ve ever referred to Swagbucks will be entered into a drawing for a $50 card if they earn at least 50 Swagbucks before the deadline. (For a glimpse of the card offerings, click here.)

That’s 50 SBs from any combination of the Shop, Search, Watch, Play, Answer or Discover categories. Keep an eye on the Swagbucks Facebook page for Swag Code announcements, too.

Extra points for newbies

If you’re not already a member, you can get a better-than-usual bonus for signing up. Here’s how:

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The frugal heating pad.

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th-1Recently our heater went on the blink. The heating company that DF prefers wasn’t able to give us an appointment for almost two weeks – unless, that is, we wanted to pay extra for an after-hours visit.

Nope, we didn’t, even though temperatures dropped into the mid-20s at night and only into the high 40s during the day. We had plenty of split wood so we kept the fireplace insert stoked.

Nothing froze. In fact, the living room got a little too warm from time to time. However, the home office is farthest away from the heat source and it wasn’t exactly toasty. Most days I was plenty comfortable with a bathrobe over my sweats and T-shirt.

And when I wasn’t? I used the perfect frugal chill-chaser.

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Giveaway: Return of the large flat-rate box of Alaska.

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MedLetThemSpeakA giveaway from last March, “The large flat-rate box of Alaska,” drew 122 entries. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since a lot of people are interested in the Last Frontier and a lot of people like big boxes full of little things.

It’s an odd mix this time around. Then again, Alaska is a pretty odd state.

Among the offerings:

Music: “Icy Grooves,” a CD from local jazz favorite Rick Zelinsky. (He was the guy we were listening to when those people decided to yammer through jazz night.)

Video: “Big Wild Anchorage,” hosted by Mr. Whitekeys (of the late, lamented Fly By Night Club). This particular video is a family-friendly look at Alaska’s largest city, from float planes to glaciers to sled-dog races that begin downtown (where they put snow on the streets).

Bags: A large, reusable shopping bag imprinted with “MTA: Celebrating 60 Years” (that’s the Matanuska Telephone Association, for all you cheechakos), plus another large bag with the logo of “The Vampire Assassins League,” a paranormal romance series (yep, that’s an actual genre) written by Alaska author Jackie Ivie. 

More Jackie Ivie stuff: A Vampire Assassins League coffee mug and two VAL temporary tattoos, plus a copy of “Knight Everlasting,” a novel from her historical romance series about a stalwart clansman in the Scottish highlands. (Och! What does he wear under the kilt, is what I want to know.)

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9 frugal mood enhancers.

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9 frugal mood enhancers.Autumn is coming, sooner than I’d like to acknowledge. Although the days are still mild (50 to 60 degrees) the angle of the sun has changed, making its rays seem tentative and transitory. That is, when the sun can be seen – it’s been raining a lot, too.

Where you live might still feel summery right now, but you know the change in seasons is coming. Those of you who live in places where the seasons don’t alter that much can go ahead and feel supremely lucky, or downright smug if you like. The rest of us will come up with such coping mechanisms as are necessary to get us through the transition.

Or through the season itself: Winter can be challenging both physically and emotionally. I’ll be pulling out the seasonal affective disorder light box eventually. Right now we’re leaning on a handful of things that make us feel better and don’t cost very much. In fact, some of them cost nothing at all.

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The Coffeehouse Cliche giveaway.

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51HixOXuQXL._AA200_As summer slips away we prepare to move more of our lives indoors. That is, unless we’re clever enough to live somewhere that’s temperate year-round.

Warm interiors. Hot drinks. Burning inspiration.

If you were ever going to write poetry, plays, short stories or the Great American Novel, you’re a lot less likely to do it when the weather is fine. No, fall and winter is when we head indoors and think deep thoughts.

(Or watch televised sports or “The Walking Dead,” or indulge in whatever nerdy pastimes make us happy.)

This week’s giveaway will give you two tools of the trade, or rather the accoutrements of the affected: a notebook and some coffeehouse scrip.

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Sucre shock: Sweet treats from New Orleans.

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choc_nola15_9Remember those gorgeous French macarons I gave away a few months ago? The sponsor of that offer, the Sucré Sweet Boutiques and Confection Studio of New Orleans, is at it again.

No, it’s not a king cake (even though that’s a specialty confection often associated with New Orleans). This time around the giveaway is in the universal language: chocolate.

Not just any chocolate, either: Sucré is giving away a 15-piece New Orleans Chocolate Collection.  

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Swagcode alert! The end of “Five for Five.”

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card129It’s the final day of the “Five for Five” Swagbucks promotion. You’ve got until 2 p.m. Pacific to head over to Swagbucks and enter the code PunnyAnimal.

The case-sensitive code is available in all countries where Swagbucks is played.

Not sure exactly what I’m talking about? All will be revealed if you read “Swagcode alert! (And four more to come.)” Feel free to click on the link in that article to join the program.

(Note: If you do, I will receive a referral bonus. If you don’t want to do it that way, then just go to www.swagbucks.com and sign up for a new account.)

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Giveaway: “How I Make Money Blogging.”

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https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=132158&c=ib&aff=219310We’re heading toward September and you know what that means: Christmas shopping!

Or at least the stores seem to think so, given how early they sneak the red-and-green into the inventory. Can’t we have Halloween first?

Some of us shop year-round and then have to fill in with only a few items come the Black Friday madness.  Some realize around mid-December that they haven’t even started.

It all takes money — and one way to earn money is through blogging. Stop laughing. Some people actually do bring in a little extra cash, or a lot. Crystal Stemberger is one of those people. I’m giving away a copy of her e-book, “How I Make Money Blogging: The Beginner’s Guide to Building a Money-Making Blog,” in case you want to be one of those people, too. (There’s a discount code for those who want to buy the book outright; see below.)

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