Black Friday is over and done with, but that doesn't mean there aren't still ways to save a bundle this holiday season! I thought I'd share two of my favorite money saving/money making tools with you. I would like to add that I
never endorse anything on this blog that I have not tried or would not be willing to try, and if I say I've tried it- I'm telling the truth! And
if I'm endorsing it, I really believe in it and I enthusiastically recommend it to my friends (like you!) whether you sign up for/buy it through my blog or not (though it's awfully nice when you do sign up through my blog ;-)).
This is a company that I really like because there are so many ways to both earn money and save money. I signed up for
Inbox Dollars earlier this year, and I have gotten one check from them. Basically, the way it works is that once you sign up, they start sending you e-mails with advertising in them. All you have to do is to click the link in the e-mail that says, "Click here to confirm reading this paid e-mail", and you receive a few cents for each e-mail you read. I'm always checking my e-mail throughout the day anyway, and it only takes a few seconds for each one, so I don't mind doing it and getting paid.
Every now and then you'll get an e-mail that will contain a special offer by a company, and if you take advantage of the offer and sign up with the company or purchase the product,
Inbox Dollars will reward you with more cash. For example, I purchased some business cards through one of the e-mails I got, and only paid a few dollars for a few hundred business cards and got $4 through
Inbox Dollars for doing it. So really, with the promotion, the cards cost me very little (I wish I could remember the exact numbers, but I can't). Right now there is a deal for Snapfish that is a good example of the type of thing I'm talking about- sign up and get $4 from
Inbox Dollars plus 50 free prints. Not bad!
Another cool thing about
Inbox Dollars is that if you do your online shopping through their site you can earn a percentage back on everything you spend. You can shop at all your usual spots- for me it's eBay, Amazon, Target, and Wal-Mart- but you get back anywhere from 1% to 15%, depending on the store.
The other two ways to save with
Inbox Dollars are cash surveys ($0.50-$1 apiece) and cash games (I have never done those). I like the surveys because sometimes I have a few minutes to kill (on hold, watching tv, etc.) and you might as well make a little money while you're not otherwise occupied.
Like I said, I signed up earlier this year, and I reached the point where I could request a check- I think it was $30- and I had to pay a "processing fee" of $5, which wasn't a big deal because I was still getting $25. But it's just a nice way to "unconsciously" make a few extra bucks without a lot of work and hassle. And, as with most of these kinds of companies, you can increase your earnings by getting your friends to sign up.
If it sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can
sign up here. It's free to sign up, and you can start making money and shopping right away. It works for me!
My second recommendation would have to be the
Entertainment Book (this is a great deal they're offering now, by the way):
It's a coupon book, and the name of it is somewhat misleading because it has coupons for everything from restaurants to movies to all the major retail stores. This year is the second year in a row I've purchased one (last year was when I discovered it- through Inbox Dollars, actually!) and it has already paid for itself and I've only had it for a month.
Just for fun, I decided to make a brief list of some of the great places other than restaurants (because I think they have nearly every restaurant in here- from McDonald's to a Japanese Steakhouse) included in my
Entertainment Book this year:
- Linens-n-Things
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Shoe Carnival
- Wet Seal
- S&K
- Sharper Image
- Brookstone
- Radio Shack
- Barnes & Noble
- Florists of every kind
- Car & Truck rental
- Automotive services
- Zoo
- Symphony
- Movie Theater
- Bowling
- Theme Parks
- Hotels
- Lawn Care
And the list goes on and on! I don't know about you, but chances are I'll be going to at least two restaurants this year, and if the restaurant coupons are Buy One Entree, Get One Free (most of them are) then I've just paid for my book.
Another great feature of the
Entertainment Book is that you get an online membership as well, which allows you to access additional savings through the website.
You can order the book today (order today and get
Free Shipping!) and have it in time for some last-minute Christmas shopping, not to mention that they also make great gifts for your money-saving family and friends. Why pay full price for anything ever again?? ;-)
I wish you all the best bargain hunting this Christmas, and I encourage you to expand your money-saving minds and try something new. You never know- you might just hit a gold mine!
Posts
The last time I posted I mentioned going to the Goodwill outlet where I picked up a very fine crock. I also snagged this super cute fall jacket- don't you just love the red color and the gorgeous pattern in the lining? Because the Goodwill outlet is pay-by-the-pound, I am pretty sure I paid less than a dollar for this jacket (I bought ten items and paid $7 total...you will see more of those items in future posts!). The only problem was that it had two buttons missing!
, then I went to Home Depot and bought some plain ceramic pots and potting soil (turns out you can also just use river rocks and water). I painted the pots to dress them up a bit, and then I planted the bulbs shortly before Christmas. By Christmas Day they were just sprouts a few inches tall. I wrapped a ribbon around each pot and gave them to my mom, stepmom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law (and I kept one for myself). After about 2 more weeks they came into bloom, with lovely fragrant white flowers. Whenever I spoke with one of my "moms" or my sister-in-law, they would always mention their flower and tell me how it was doing, and we would compare notes. 
