Earn money using Swagbucks!

Early last year we posted a feature on using Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a great way to earn money simply by searching, which we all do every day anyway. The basic premise is that every search you do has the potential to earn you Swagbucks. 45 swagbucks can get you $5 in Amazon cash. You can also get swagbucks for shopping through the swagbucks site as well, but Ebates is a better site for that in my opinion.

Last year's post is here for those interested. It contains a technical guide for setting Swagbucks as your default search engine in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work in Safari.

How was everyone's new year?

Katharine

If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -
Also you can subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Cash back for shopping, searching

There are a few websites that give you cash back or points for shopping, and some that give you points for searching. One of my personal favorites is Ebates(referral link). I got my first check from Ebates yesterday for $39.41... the best thing about it is that I got money back on things I would have bought anyway! You get $5 for each referral, and % cash back on many online stores (ie Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, Sears, Home Depot, Zappos). If you do any shopping online, its worth a look into.

There's also been a bit of a to-do about SwagBucks lately(referral link). Swagbucks has a similar shop for rewards strategy, but payment is in Gift Cards and such. You can also get exclusive swag codes to earn swagbucks for nothing! What really makes swagbucks appealing to me is the search for swagbucks functionality. To make it easier to search and earn, swagbucks has toolbars for internet explorer, firefox, and safari.

You can also change your default search engine on your internet browser to earn swagbucks without installing the toolbar. I'm including instructions below for IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari.

Internet Explorer - Navigate to Tools, Options. On the General Tab, click the Settings button under the Search header. Click on the link entitled "Find more providers..." which will take you here. For the URL, enter the following: http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?t=w&p=1&q=TEST and for the Name enter Swagbucks. Click Install. You should get a popup window. Select the checkbox for Make Default Provider and click "Add Provider". You are all set! If you don't get the popup window, make sure you are visiting the link in Internet Explorer. When you Navigate to the link via Tools > Options, it opens in your default browser.

Firefox - I recommend installing the toolbar . I can't figure this one out... and I'm pretty tech savvy.

Opera - Navigate to Tools > Preferences, and click on the Search tab. Click Add and fill in a Name and Keyword. In the Address field enter the following: http://swagbucks.com/?t=w&p=1&q=%s and select the Use as Default Search. And you are all set :)

Chrome - Click on the wrench in the upper right hand corner and select Options. On the Basics tab, under Default Search, click the Manage button. Click add and specify a name and keyword for this search engine (swag, swagbucks, sb, etc). In the URL field enter this url: http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?t=w&p=1&q=%s Hit OK. Scroll down to the bottom of the search list, and click on your new search engine. Click the Make Default button, and you are all set! Now anytime you search from the awesome bar you'll have the change to earn swagbucks!

Safari - I recommend using the toolbar.. Changing search engines in Safari for windows is kind of a hack .


So sign up for swagbucks, set up your browser, and earn yourselves some cash! If you have any problems setting up, comment here and I'll help you out. I can also be reached at gchat or aim as thefemmesfrugal.


If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Frugal Lessons: Don't buy what you don't need

On Saturday I went to Stop and Shop. Now, that in itself was a mistake, because shopping on the weekends is pretty much hell, but what can you do.  Anyway, the best deals I saw in the flyer were for lean cuisine (half price), Prince Pasta (I have so much pasta already), Thomas' English Muffins (I'm all set on breakfast food for months), etc.  Basically, instead of shopping we grabbed the few things we needed: Ground Beef, Pork Chops, Paper Napkins, Eggs, and Coconut Milk.  Now, the meat was on sale, so it was as good a deal as you can get at Stop and Shop, but we could have gotten a better deal on Napkins and Coconut Milk.  On the other hand, we didn't notice we were out of napkins until we were out, so we really needed them, and we use coconut milk so infrequently that buying it when we don't explicitly need it isn't the best idea.  I think the only thing we got that wasn't on our list was Cambell's tomato soup, but it was on sale and we had thought about buying it anyway.

I could have gotten more free pasta-roni, but I haven't eaten all the rest of the pasta-roni I got for free.  I could have gotten some relatively cheap pasta but I still have a ton from when it went on sale at Shaws.  I could have grabbed some English Muffins, which I love, but If I don't drastically reduce the number of cereal boxes in the top of our coat closet my roommate might kill me.  Sometimes the best thing to do is not to buy it, even if its a great deal.


What really good deals have you resisted lately?
~Katharine


If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can  subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Frugal Shopping Makes a Comeback!

Yes! After a seriously long vacation from shopping due to work related issues, I have been long overdue for a shopping trip. The first stop was Xpect Discounts. If anyone lives in Connecticut or Massachusetts, you know this store can be difficult when it comes to coupons. They don't accept coupons printed from online, so that is extremely limiting. Fortunately, they redeemed themselves this time with trial-size products! I found De-Frizz Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner in that size for $0.99 each. And, since I had 3 $1off coupons, that translated to two conditioners and one shampoo. I plan to send one set to my cousin who is starting her first year at college in Vermont. Anyone who's recently out of college or has a child in college knows that somehow within the first month things kept in the bathroom either disappear or are used up unexpectedly.

This mildly successful couponing trip, I headed over to Shop Rite. Now this is one of my favorite grocery stores. They take all coupons that you have and have the best variety of all the grocery stores in my area. For me, today, this translated into a bill that would have been $15.84 being only $5.23! Now that's what I call a good shopping trip. It broke down to this:

1 jar CoffeeMate, $4.39, Free with coupon
3 cans Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce, $0.99each, Free w/3 $1off coupons
1 Zone Perfect Meal Bar, $1.20, $0.20 w/$1off coupon
1 Half Gallon Silk Soy Milk, $3, $0.75 w/$2.25off coupon
1 5lb bag Gold Medal unbleached flour, $2.79
1 2lb bag ShopRite powdered sugar, $1.49

Total: $5.23

This is just the start everyone! I'm really excited that they're going to be putting in an Aldi's in my area, which should lead to some really good deals to be shared.

Alison


If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can  subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Another Frugal Failure

Having spent the last 2 weeks at my parents house, I cam back to my apartment on Saturday afternoon.  Having no wish to immediately go shopping, I missed my chance to go to Haymarket (the farmer's market in Boston) this week.  Instead I just got back from a run to Stop and Shop, where I had to go to buy produce this week.

Item                          S&S      Haymarket
Romaine Lettuce       $1.79     $1.00
1lb Strawberries        $2.88     $1.00
1 Sweet Onion          $1.08     $0.20 (maybe)
Bananas                    $1.50     $1.00
-----------------------------------------
Total                         $7.25     $3.20

Now, a difference of $4.05 may not be large amount, but the cost of my produce is more than double at Stop and Shop! Next week maybe I'll get off my lazy bum and go to Haymarket...

See you later!
Katharine

If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can  subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Frugal Living in the Pioneer Valley (Part II)

Alright, so in the first part I fed you, exhausted you, and probably got you drunk. This time around I'm going to hit on a few more ::ahem:: cultured and low-key options, which I'm sure will be much appreciated as you deal with any food-induced/head-banging headache that I may or may not be partially responsible for.

Scenery / Outdoorsy
Once again, let's start at my Alma Mater: Smith College. For those of you outdoorsy types, direct your attention to Paradise Pond. Directly behind the Admissions office there is a lovely pond with an island in the middle. By the edge, there is a dock, which makes a lovely place to picnic and tumble around. Also think about going for a hike or a jog around the nature trail that circles the pond and goes into the woods. If you made it to the pond, at this point you're tantilizingly close to the Smith College Lyman Plant House, home to a fantastic indoor garden. This botanical oasis was a favorite escape of mine and is open all year round.

Libraries
Also, if you're bookish at all, make sure to check out some of the libraries. I used to work in the Sophia Smith and College Archives in the Alumnae Gym--if you've ever wanted to see an Oscar statue, a gold album, or other great stuff, thats the place to go! Hitting the Mortimer Rare Book Room is a must if you want to do the most educational thing possible. The curators there are amazing and will let you touch/look at pretty much any historical book you want. When I brought my family there we all got to handle Cuniform tablets, a Rennaisance prayer book, and rare original children's books!

Art
Artsy types, the Pioneer Valley is your place! The Smith College Art Museum is free to all on the second Friday of the month, 4:00 - 8:00 pm. Check the websites of the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College (amherst.edu), Mount Holyoke (mtholyoke.edu), and Hampshire (hampshire.edu) to find free times for their art museums. These museums are fantastic because they are constantly showing new exhibits since students are taking courses!

Museums
Finally, a bit of history. Northampton Historical Society is absolutely adorable, fun, and nearby. Venture a little further out and find the Emily Dickinson House in Amherst, Historic Deerfield, and the Pratt Museum of Natural History. Really, don't be afraid to go exploring! You'll come across so many neat things--also, Springfield, MA is nearby; stop there for the Basketball Hall of Fame and Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Hopefully this part will make you a little more curious about the area if my last article didn't sit too well with you. And always remember to take plenty of breaks at coffee shops: Haymarket, Starbucks (for you sellouts), the Woodstar Cafe, and the Yellow Couch!

Happy travels!
Ali
If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email

Frugal Living in the Pioneer Valley (Part I)

Kathy asked me to do a couple of articles on the topics of being frugal and green while having fun in the various places that I've lived and we'll all expect her to repay the favor. As you may have noticed, I'm a graduate of Smith College and after spending 4 years in the Northampton area (including summers!), hopefully I'll be able to offer some tips that visitors or even residents will find useful. This post is for the Money Life Network's "Frugal Things To Do In..." series.

Frugal Eating
Well, as a college student I guess I should start with the things that college students do best: eat and party. If you've been to one of the Pioneer Valley towns, you probably noticed that almost 50% of the retail area is populated by restaurants. So many different options and so many of them are budget-friendly! There is an amazing selection: two tacos at La Veracruzana, $3.95; a huge falafel sandwich at Amanouz, $5, an amazing lunch at Taipei and Tokyo complete with soup or egg roll, rice, and entree, only $5. Add to that, the amazing number of street fairs, sampling opportunities, and special events in town and at Smith College open to the public and you will have an amazing time at my home away from home. My best food freebie: the Hotel Northampton on your birthday! Your entree is completely free--any entree. There are a couple of amazing vegetarian choices, like the ravioli, yum, and also so many other non-veggie choices. Fillet mignon on your birthday? Free! The only downside is that the staff doesn't typically sing "Happy Birthday", but according to my experience with a little encouragement it can be done!

Frugal Partying
Partying is also something that Northampton does better than most small cities. Clubs and music venues like Bishops and Divas feature amazing local music for free or a small cover charge ($5 for 21+). This little area tends to attract a lot of big names from the music industry and the Iron Horse music hall is definitely the place to find all of them and get tickets for as little as $15 each! Try to time your trip to take advantage. Also, plug for Smith again, you can find so many musical events on one of the 5 College campuses. This spring Smith brought Fiest to campus and tickets were sold for $10 to the public. Also, Jason Lavasseur is performing Sept. 28th in a free concert at the campus center (he's a really amazing indie-rock type musician/singer).

Frugal Shopping
Besides these youth-oriented activities, there are so many other options! So much shopping, little boutiques, consignment stores, and so much more. Favorite stores of mine are Urban Exchange (consignment store for designer clothes), any store in Thorne's marketplace, and of course, Deals and Steals. Deals and Steals is a super amazing discount organic food store where I have found terrific deals on chai concentrate, gourmet chocolates, etc. and they always have out some samples that you can snack on as you shop! When I go back to the Valley in Auguest that will be one of my first stops. To get around the Valley, I recommend the PVTA--takes you anywhere you could want to go and only costs $1/ride! Sometimes so much easier than driving and a much needed break from walking.

Ok, since I didn't hit on nearly half of the great things to do in the Valley let's consider this Part One. Tune in for Part Two where I'll fill you in on more frugal activities and family fun!

Cheers,
Ali
If you enjoyed this article please considering buzzing it on PF Buzz -

Also you can subscribe to the Femmes Frugal by reader or
subscribe to The Femmes Frugal by Email