frugal hacks

Swagcode alert! (Three-fifths of the way done.)

by

Good morning, everyone. (It’s way too early to be a great morning, i.e., it’s still 5 a.m. in Alaska.) You’ve got just under an hour to snare five Swagbucks. From now until 7 a.m. Pacific, go to the Swagbucks site and enter the code Shop4School. This case-sensitive code is good in all Swagbucks-playin’ countries except … Read more

9 cheap (and non-toxic!) “convenience” foods.

by

groceriesNobody ever went broke underestimating consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for convenience. Spending extra to get on the plane before everyone else.

Picking up milk and bread at the 7-Eleven to dodge the supermarket hordes. Ordering takeout because they’re too tired to cook. Buying a one-ounce “toddler pack” of Cheerios to carry in the diaper bag.

Really? That grab-and-go pack of cereal works out to as much as $27.50 a pound! Fill up your own container, already.

Convenience food does have its place, especially if a $5.99 rotisserie chicken keeps you from ordering $40 worth of Thai food. (Or if ordering a strategic pizza allows you to spend time with family and/or taking better care of yourself.)

But if you keep certain frugal convenience foods on hand, you won’t have to resort to takeout as often (if ever).

Read more

Swagcode alert! (The second of five.)

by

card129You’ve got about two hours to earn five easy Swagbucks points. From now until 2 p.m. Pacific, go to the Swagbucks site and enter the code SchoolStarts.

This case-sensitive code is good in all countries where Swagbucks is offered.

Not sure what I’m talking about? You can get the basics by reading “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 that, then just go to www.swagbucks.com and sign up that way.)

Short form: Swagbucks is a simple-to-use rewards site that lets you cash in for products, gift cards or even PayPal payments.

Read more

Swagcode alert! (And four more to come.)

by

card129The Swagbucks rewards site has a “Five for Five” promotion going on starting, well, right now. Before I explain, let me give you the first code:

Zoom over to Swagbucks and enter the code BloggerTips, which is good from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Pacific today. The case-sensitive code is valid in the United States, Australia and Canada.

Go ahead. I’ll wait. But then come back to find out what a “Five for Five” promotion is.

Now that you’re back, here’s the scoop: Swagbucks has asked bloggers to put out posts touting the latest code. I’ll be doing this four more times between Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 17. Each code is worth five points. (Hence, “Five for Five.”)

Read more

A brief Swagbucks heads-up.

by

thA shout-out to anyone who uses the Swagbucks rewards site: Another set of five “Collector’s Bills” starts on Monday, July 1.

Every time a new batch of Collector’s Bills comes along I get absurdly focused on earning all five. Guess I really am an American: I like to collect the whole set.

This time the theme is “Swagbucks Around the World,” with images of famous sites. Together they add up to 54 SBs and you’ll get a bonus of 20 SBs if you collect all five bills, which are awarded at random when you search the Internet.

Since you can earn the same image more than once it can be a little confusing. To check how many of the five you’ve stashed, go to the landing page and click on “My Swag Bucks,” then on the “Collector’s Bills” tab. The deadline to catch ’em all is July 8.

A second shout-out to those who don’t use Swagbucks: Give it a try. I cash my SBs in solely for Amazon gift cards, which I use for holiday and birthday presents, specialty items for myself (everything from olive oil to wool socks), and get-well or “just because” gifts for friends. But you can choose from other gift cards, electronics, housewares, health and beauty items, jewelry, daily deals and more.

Read more

It’s National Splurge Day! Do it frugally.

by

thYep, another made-up-just-for-fun holiday. This one came about in 1994 and was invented by a publicist who suggested that people treat themselves and also those around them.

Your definition of “splurge” may vary. Here’s what I think: Whether they’re experiences or lasting treats, a splurge can not only brighten your day but help keep you on the frugal path.

Utter, slavish denial of self can lead to falling off the wagon in a big, big way, which will undermine – or undo – the progress you’ve made toward meeting your financial goals.

But there’s no reason to overpay for a splurge, be it a trip abroad or a really good cupcake. That’s why I’m suggesting eight ways to do it up without overdoing it.

Read more

A satisfied life.

by

On Sunday we went to lunch with DF’s mother and her longtime companion. The most exciting part of the meal was the very large black bear that ran around in a field behind the restaurant until employees chased it away. The most interesting part was what his mother said about flowers.

She’d gone to a local nursery and was so taken by the blooms that she bought more than she needed. In fact, it’s been a long time since she bought anything she didn’t specifically need.

“It was nice to want something,” she said. “I haven’t wanted anything in a long time.”

That’s not because she’s clinically depressed or too impoverished to dream. It’s because she’s satisfied.

 

Read more

Adventures in frugal hacking.

by

Recently I declared that I hate shopping. Today’s kind of shopping was both fun and profitable.

This morning I noticed that the Shop and Earn feature on the Swagbucks rewards points site is offering double the points through Memorial Day weekend.

Although not much of an online shopper I took a quick look anyway – and found yet another Swagbucks hack, which morphed into several other money-savers.

 

Read more

Chowder: It’s not just for breakfast anymore.

by

thI smelled burning bread when I woke up, a clear sign that DF was fixing himself some breakfast. When I got to the kitchen I found he’d split and toasted two homemade rolls in the same frying pan used to cook a salmon burger and some onions.

By “toasted,” I mean that one half-roll was as black as the inside of a brunette cow. The other three halves were brown with cinderized rims. DF’s motto for his own food prep is simple: If it’s smoking, it’s cooking; if it’s charred, it’s done. Then again, he used to eat burnt match-heads when he was a little boy.

Burned bread, sizzled onions and a salmon patty: The breakfast of champions. It could just as easily have been leftover fish chowder, or leftover chili with rice. Or oatmeal with flax seed but no milk. Or nothing but coffee, if he’s fasting for religious reasons. His idea of breakfast is much more flexible than mine.

I almost always have oatmeal, although yesterday it was toast and fruit and homemade yogurt because we were out of milk. (I like a looser oat than DF does.) Neither way is necessarily better: Breakfast is, or should be, whatever works for you. If more people felt that way, they could save a lot of money.

Read more