Today’s thrifty tip is cut old towels into new rags. I like to use them for cleaning the house and cars. This way I don’t have to spend money on new wash cloths. Old t-shirts also make great rags. I even use old socks as dust cloths.
Today’s thrifty tip is buy an aloe vera plant. This is a wonderful plant that you can use for many first-aid remedies.
Aloe vera is great to use on: scrapes, insect bites, stings, cuts, burns and especially a sunburn. You can also use it for acne and patches of eczema.
All you have to do is cut off a small piece and squeeze out the gel to apply on the affected area. If you know someone that already has a plant, then ask for a couple of shoots. I have mine in a pot on a sunny windowsill inside my house. They are very easy to grow, and require little water since it’s part of the cactus family.
Do you own an aloe vera plant?
On today’s shopping trip, I went to several stores to pick up all the deals for this week. I first went to Rite-Aid and bought the Garnier Shine and had a $1 off coupon. So total was $3.25 and I am getting back $3.99 with rebate.
Then I went to Walgreens and bought the Airwick Flameless Candle and Glade Scent Candle. I paid $6.46 with tax and I’m getting back $4 in rebates so total is $2.46 for both items. That was 99 cents each. I also bought 3 Glade refill candles for $2.45 after rebate and coupon. They had 2 of them on clearance for $1 and I got one free with that coupon. I like to give the Trio candles as presents to the lady that delivers my mail and such.
I went to CVS and got the following:
2 Trident gum
2 Colgate Total toothpaste
4 Herbal Essence Shampoos (they have one that I can’t get anywhere else)
2 Bic Soleil Razors
1 Schick Intuition Razor (have rain check from last sale)
I used $15.74 in coupons and 9.79 in ECB’s so grand total was $6.42! I spent $16.13 total on everything and I’m getting $7.99 back in rebates for a grand grand total of $8.14 for all of it! The razors are going to be part of those Christmas gift bags. I also had to do some Wal-Mart shopping and bought 5 Skintimate Shaving creams that were $1.47 each and after $1 coupons I got them for $2.54 with tax. Those will also go in the gift bags. I missed that sale when they were $1.74 each and I think that was Walgreens. I don’t know how I missed it, but this is still good. My nieces love the smaller ones to use when they sleep at a friend’s house. I had another wonderful shopping trip and saved so much.
Today’s thrifty tip is to use sugar to exfoliate hands! Yep plain white sugar works great and is very inexpensive.
You will be amazed at how soft your hands will feel afterwards. I use this hand treatment once a week.
First I squeeze out a small amount of hand lotion (Vaseline Intensive Care works great) into one hand. Then I add a small amount of white sugar.
Next rub your hands together as if you are washing your hands. Do not get them wet at this point! The sugar has to really work into your skin first. I rub my hands for about 2-3 minutes.
Finally rinse your hands under warm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
Many companies are now making similar products at a not so affordable price. I will stick to using plain white sugar to exfoliate hands.
I get lots of compliments on how nice and soft my hands look and feel. My husband also uses this treatment as his hands get rough from his job. He has a very physically demanding job.
NOTE: Please do not use this method on your face. Your body and even feet would be fine. Your face is too sensitive.
Have you used this amazing beauty tip yet?
Today’s thrifty tip is turn your bottles upside down to squeeze out the last remains. I do this with all my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, dish liquid, and such. I also will add a little water and shake well to use it all. You would be surprised at how much more you can get from a bottle. I usually get at least 2-3 more uses this way.
Today’s thrifty tip is sprinkle baking soda on your carpets, let sit for 15-20 minutes and then vacuum. It’s cheaper than the stuff in the store and not toxic. It deordorizes the carpet.
How to Earn Extra Money
I want to share a few ways I earn extra money online. You won’t get rich or even make thousands of dollars a day sitting at home not doing anything. What you will do is spend a few minutes on sites clicking, taking surveys, shopping (if you do anyway then why not get rewarded), and also doing offers. It’s spending money for me, plus I earn gift cards that I give as presents, which all helps my budget and stretch those dollars.
Surveys
I spend an hour a day basically on several different sites, and I also take surveys which usually take a few minutes. It depends on how frequently I get surveys, and if I get any higher dollar ones. I do average $40-50/month from surveys. My goal is actually to start generating a small income from this blog. I’ll update more about the earning extra money from my blog in a later post. I have to get enough posts before I can start applying. I am going to list the sites that I do daily. If any of these sites interest you then please use my links to sign-up, and thanks in advance if you do use my links. The ones I need to send you an email so you can join then please contact me at [email protected] asking for an invite to which sites you would like to join. Thanks again.
Pinecone– This is a great site but you have to find a banner which isn’t easy. I don’t know where to find one either.
Your 2 Cents– I like this one as well. The payouts aren’t great but it’s a steady $1-5 and sometimes more depending. Just go to their site http://www.your2cents.com to join and it’s very easy. Their payout is a bit slow and you can only cash out in increments of $5 or more. I have cashed out over $50 so far in less than a year. It does take 6-8 weeks to get a check.
BuzzBack– I have been with them for over 3 years. I get paid $3-5 a survey and sometimes more depending. They used to pay a little faster but I usually get a check within a month. I also get the most surveys with them. They also have cash prize drawings but I never win. I do like them and it’s a good company.
Shopping Sites
Ebates– I love this site for getting back cash on all my online purchases. So far I have earned over $20 back from purchases in the last three months. There is always a special promotion to earn double to triple cash back. They work with hundreds of retailers. Click Here to Sign Up For Ebates
Swagbucks– I recently started using this site. It’s easy to use and there are always bonus codes to earn. You can earn bucks by searching with their search box on a toolbar, watching videos, and taking polls. I already earned enough to cash out for a $5 Amazon gift card in less than one week! Click Here to Sign Up for Swagbucks>
BigCrumbs– So it’s not a Pay to Click site but you can advertise your ebay store and listings there for FREE! Plus if you sign-up as a Crumb Earner then you will get a % of all your referral’s purchases plus whoever they sign up for up to 5 generations. You won’t get back as much from your own purchases but it’s still a great way to get back money from certain retailers. It’s all listed on the site. Click Here to Sign Up for BigCrumbs
MyPoints– I have been using this site the longest. I signed up over 10 years ago and still love them. I get gift certificates for many stores and they also have paid emails to read, cash offers (sign up for a service), purchases thru certain retailers, surveys and more! They are very reputable and have a great turn around time on mailing the gc’s. I usually get mine within a week or two. Unfortunately they make the referral process harder and the only way for me to do it is I need the email address you wish to use. I highly suggest using one you don’t mind getting lots of email.
Inbox Dollars– I just joined this month and I already have $20 in my account. They give you $5 just for joining and there are many ways to earn more dollars. There are cash offers (signing for services and such), shopping, games (you have to fund with actual money), surveys and reading emails. You only get 2 cents for each email but I have read over 60 emails this month already so it adds up very quickly. I did an offer but most of my points are coming from free sign-ups and surveys. You need $30 to cash out and they do take out $3 so you get a net $27 but once you get your first $30 then you become gold. That is completely free and you get more offers, higher points and some other perks. It’s been very easy so far and I really enjoy it.
Sunshine Rewards– This one takes longer unless you do a lot of online shopping which I don’t. There aren’t many clicks on this one so it’s taking me a lot longer. I’m going to look at this site harder and what is neat is that you can opt to get your payments in Disney Dollars! It is a good site and the forums are very helpful.
BoomerTowne– I just joined 2 weeks ago and already have over 6,000 points. You can cash out at 12,500 points for a $25 GC to Target or Best Buy or get more points for a Visa Card and other great prizes like a WII! It’s very easy to earn points and if you max out daily which is 1,500 points then you could earn an average of $45,000 points! You could get 3 $25 Target or Best Buy GC’s. I have been earning about 1,000 points a day (some days I slack or forget to log on) until I realized how easy it was to get the points. Now I make a point of logging on daily. You get points for requesting friends, accepting friends, chatting in chat rooms, discussion boards, rating jokes or tips, clicking on articles, and so so much more. Unfortunately it’s another one that I can only send referrals thru email. So if interested then please send me an email to [email protected] with your first name and the email you want to use to sign up. Sorry for the inconvienance. They never paid so I am taking them off but wanted everyone to still see they are not legit!
Those are the ones I do most often and daily. I did quite a few programs over the years but either they took too long to pay or the deals were too sparse. I am constantly adding new ones so I will add more to the blog as I do them. Below are the survey sites I faithfully get surveys for which is at least twice a month or more. It just depends.
So what are your favorite reward and survey programs? I am always looking for good dependable sites so comment with your referral link if you wish for me to sign up. I can only sign up for sites I haven’t listed here.