How to Give BIG by Shopping All Year

Yes, I know we JUST did Christmas. But it is never too early to start on gifts for next Christmas, especially if you are stocking up to donate to charities. You can make your dollar stretch further if you shop all year for the best deals on toys, clothes and hygiene items.

This year, I signed up to be on the Operation ChristmasChild email list for our region. They have wonderful ideas for how to start collecting items now. Here are a few tips:

1. Shop the post-holiday sales.
After Christmas, after Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter…. You can usually find a lot of fun trinkets and toys on discount after these special occasions. Look for stickers, pens, notebooks, ornaments, craft kits, and small decorations. 

2. Check out clearance items from bulk vendors.
Online stores like Party City or Oriental Trading Company are great places to try. They also will offer free shipping deals. Right now Party City has Winnie the Pooh bouncey balls (8 ct) for only $0.50! And Strawberry Shortcake pencil sharpeners (12 ct) also for $0.50.

3. Make gifts.
Maybe you have some scrap wood, left over string and buttons, or you love to sew. There are so many great ideas for making shoe box gifts. My local OCC region has a Pinterest page with ideas. Check it out: http://pinterest.com/sfrt/

Of course, as you are out running errands for your family, always check clearance racks for random low-priced items. Clothes, toothbrushes, combs, toys can all be collected a saved for months.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to stash away gifts all year without spending a ton out of pocket!

 

Are you starting to shop early for Christmas giving? Share any money-saving ideas you have in the comment section below!

Holiday Shopping & Bing Rewards

Back in September I wrote a post on earning rewards through Swagbucks. If you haven't heard of Swagbucks, check it out. It can be a great way to earn a little extra spending money for the holidays.

A similar resource is Bing Rewards. Bing is a search engine that has been touted as comparable to or better than Google. And so far, I agree.

When you sign up for Bing Rewards, you get an account that tracks how many searches you do. For every two, you get a point. There are often opportunities to earn bonus points each day as well. Your points can be redeemed for rewards such as gift cards, apps, sweepstakes entries, or donations to charities.

The site is easy to use and easy to accrue points. After a month of doing my everyday searches (and some extra searches to move things along), I earned a $5 gift card for Amazon.com!


How is this different than Swagbucks?

1. Bing is simplified. You only earn points through searches, accomplishing milestones, and friend referrals. Swagbucks gives points for searching, using coupons, shopping online, friend referrals, watching SB TV, playing games...and tons more. It's easy to waste time at Swagbucks, but...

2. Bing earning potential has a daily cap. When you search on Bing, you get a point for every two searches up to 15 points a day. Sometimes, they offer double the points (for double the searches - so 30 points). And they will give other small earning opportunities through milestones achieved. But overall, you can count on 15 points a day and know that it will take X number of days to earn your desired reward. On Swagbucks, you can spend as much time as you want doing all the different earning opportunities, so it is possible to earn more -- IF you put the time into it.

3. Bing points are guaranteed for searches. You know that after every two searches, you will get a point. Guaranteed Swagbucks are harder to come by. When you search on Swagbucks, you could get bucks right away. Or you could spend 30 minutes typing in words and not get a thing. Same thing with playing Swagbucks games, taking surveys, etc. There are some activities that yield SB right away, such as the daily poll, no obligation special offers and SB TV (3 SB for every 10 videos).

The Better Choice?
I don't think there is one! I use them both as they both have great earning potential and help me earn rewards faster than just using one. The key is figuring out how the sites benefit you the most and using them in that way. I'm looking forward to some extra holiday gift money thanks to these sites. I hope you can earn some too! 

Holiday Shopping & Swagbucks

I know, it's only September. School just started. Sometimes it is hard to think about the holidays right around the corner.

But I love giving - I get excited about it! And I love being able to give generously without depleting our savings account.

One of my favorite tools to use for reaching this goal is Swagbucks. It's easy to use and has a pretty good return. In 2011, I was able to cash in on $75 worth of Amazon gift cards. This year, I am up to $40 so far. What a great way to make our gift money stretch further!

If you have not heard about Swagbucks, here's the scoop:

Swagbucks.com is a site where you can earn points (Swagbucks - SB) and redeem them for rewards. Bucks are earned in a seemingly endless number of ways: online surveys, daily polls, web searches, playing games, couponing...

It can be time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be. Everybody seems to have their favorite way to earn bucks, but here are my tips:

1) First you need to sign up for an account. Go here to get started!  (Note: This is my referral link, which you do not have to use.) If your friends and family aren't signed up, send them your referral link. You will earn bucks for every buck they earn!

2) Every day take the Daily Poll for 1 SB.

3) Every day follow the path through the No Obligation Special Offers (NOSO) for 2 SB.

4) Print Coupons or add them to grocery savings cards. Every coupon redeemed in store is 10 SB.

5) Use the Search Engine. At random times (not each search) you'll earn various amounts of SB - usually around 7-10, but sometimes more. I got 28 SB the other day.

6) "Watch" Swagbucks TV. The key is, don't watch it. Instead, if you are on the computer for a long period of time (or just sitting and watching real TV), keep the SB videos running in the background. The SB meter usually goes up every 30 seconds, after which you can switch videos. When the meter reaches 10, you get 3 SB. I work on the computer all day so sometimes I can earn up 40-50 SB just by clicking the next video once in a while. Doesn't take any extra time - just a click!


You can redeem your SB for all kinds of rewards - gift cards or actual items. You can even donate them to charity. For my use, I believe the $5 Amazon gift cards are the best value at 450 SB each.

Yes, it's only September. But now is a good time to start earning. By the time December comes around it is quite possible to have $40 or more in gift cards, just for a few clicks a few minutes a day!

Have fun!

More Operation Christmas Child Deals

I am so excited about Operation Christmas Child this year and eagerly looking forward to our church's packing party in November. What a joy it will be to stuff shoe boxes full of goodies for children in need all around the world!

Wondering what Operation Christmas Child is? Click here!

In case you are planning to participate, I will continue to periodically post deals on shoe box appropriate items. There's not a lot this week, but all you need a little bit here and there...before you know it, you'll fill a box!

Need some inspiration? Last year I was able to fill two boxes for less than $15 total!

(As always, please check your local store ad before shopping. Prices vary by region and even store-to-store. Most deals listed below are adapted from SouthernSavers.com.)

WAL-MART
I do not have specific sales to share, but heard that many school items are on sale for 50¢ a piece! Also you can get plastic 6-qt shoe boxes 5/$4. Great deal!


WALGREENS
$1 RR WYB (2) Crest Toothpaste 6.4 oz or Oral-B Indicator Toothbrush, $1.50
  Use Coupon: -.50/1 Crest toothpaste or liquid gel, 4 oz+, from P&G Insert 8/26

Ivory Bar Soap, 3 pk., 99¢
  Use Coupon: -.30/1 Ivory or Safeguard cleansing item, P&G Insert 8/26
  OR Use Coupon: -$1/3 Ivory or Safeguard cleansing item, P&G Insert 8/26
  (use .30/1, makes it 69¢)



CVS
$2 ECB WYB (2) Colgate Cavity Protection, Baking Soda/Peroxide Whitening, or Kid’s Toothpaste, 4.6-6.4 oz, $2, limit 2
  Use Coupon: -.50/1 Colgate kids toothpaste printable
  OR Use Coupon: -$1 off Colgate toothpaste, 4 oz, SmartSource Insert 8/26
  OR Use Coupon: -.75/1 Colgate toothpaste, 4 oz, SmartSource Insert 8/26
  (buy (2), use (2) $1 off, makes both FREE)

Mentos Gum, 15 ct., 99¢
  Use Coupon: -$1/3 Mentos bottles, 15 pc+, SmartSource Insert 8/05
  (buy 3, makes it .66 each)

  
Don't forget to check out the dollar spots and clearance at Target, Wal-Mart and Michael's Craft Store. The Dollar Tree has pretty good things too (socks, hair accessories, toys).

Deals // Operation Christmas Child

My church has been posting deals and collecting items for Operation Christmas Child for about a month now. We have a nice pile of pencils, erasers, pens, water colors, crayons, markers, rulers and notepads ready to pack into boxes! The deals are still coming too.

If you are just now getting started, check out my previous posts about Operation Christmas Child. It is a great ministry opportunity to share the Gospel with children around the world, while blessing them with basic essentials for everyday life.

Here are some deals for this week:

(Remember, all deals are adapted from SouthernSavers.com. Please check your local ad as prices may vary store to store.)

OFFICE MAX

o  12” Ring Binder Ruler 6¢

o  Paper Mate Pink Pearl Erasers 3pk 75¢

o  Paper Mate Retractable Pens $1

o  Schoolio Colored Pencils 24-pk $1

STAPLES

o  Bic Mechanical Pencils 5-pk 50¢ (limit 2)

o  12” Plastic Ruler 50¢ (limit 2)

o  3" x 4.25" memo pad with magnetic closure, 60 sheets $1

     With $5 minimum purchase…

o  #2 Yellow Pencils 8-pk 1¢ (limit 4)

o  Cap Erasers 12-pk 1¢ (limit 4)

o  Slider Pencil Box 1¢ (limit 4)

 

WALGREENS

o  Wexford Legal Pad 5×8 in. or 8.5×11.75 in., 50 sheets, 49¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3)

o  Wexford or Penway, Carry All Pouch, 99¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3)

o  School Supplies Box, 99¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3)

o  Sharpie Highlighters, 4 ct., 99¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 2)

o  Penway Colored Pencils, 12 pk., 79¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3)

o  Wexford Pencil Sharpener, 50¢ (w/ in-ad coupon, limit 4)

CVS

o  Ivory Bar Soap, 10 pk. B1G1 50% Off
  Ivory Bar Soap, 10 pk., $4.59 (online price)
Use coupon -.30/1 Ivory found in P&G Insert 7/29 (EXP 08/31)
Use coupon -.30/1 Ivory found in P&G Insert 8/26
(buy (2), use (2) .30/1, makes it $3.14 ea.)

Deals // Operation Christmas Child

Here are some more great deals for Operation Christmas Child. My favorite this week is for Toys R Us…

(Note: All sales and coupon match-ups are adapted from SouthernSavers.com. Please check your local ad before shopping!)

TOYS R US

**HOT **

Print a $5 off $5 coupon

Maybe get some free toys or school supplies!

WALGREENS

$3 RR WYB 2 Oral Care products

o  Crest Toothpaste, 5.8-6.2 oz, $3
-$1 off Crest toothpaste, 4 oz +, from coupon booklet on product
-.75/1 Crest toothpaste, 4 oz+, PG 7/29
(use (2) $1 off, makes it 50¢ ea.)

o  Oral-B Complete Toothbrush, $3
-.50/1 Oral B Stages manual toothbrush, excl trial size, PG 7/29
(use (2) .50/1, makes it $1 ea.)

o  Wrigley’s 5 or Orbit Gum, 39¢ w/ in-ad coupon

o  Crayola Crayons, 24 pk., 99¢

o  Paper Mate Profile Retractable Pen, 2 pk., 79¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Wexford Pencil Sharpener, 39¢ w/ in-ad coupon

o  Wexford Highlighter, 19¢ w/ in-ad coupon

TARGET

o  RoseArt Colored Pencils, 12 ct., 52¢
-$1/3 RoseArt products, RP 7/29
-$1/3 RoseArt products printable
(makes it 19¢ ea.)

o  Fruit of the Loom Socks, 6+2 pk., $5.50
-$5/3 Fruit of the Loom Underwear or Socks Target In-Ad Coupon 8/12 (EXP 8/18)
(makes it $3.84 ea.)

o  Fruit of the Loom Boys Crew T-Shirts or Girls Underwear, 5+2 or 9+2 pk., $6
-$5/3 Fruit of the Loom Underwear or Socks Target In-Ad Coupon 8/12 (EXP 8/18)
(makes it $4.44 ea.)

OFFICE MAX

o  Sharpie All Singles, 25¢, limit 3

o  Schoolio Colored Pencils, 12 pk., 25¢, limit 2

o  Just Basics #2 Pencils, 12 pk., 25¢, limit 3

o  Just Basics and OfficeMax Ballpoint Pens, $12.99, limit 2
-$12.98 in MaxPerks Bonus Rewards

o  Duracell CopperTop AA or AAA batteries, 20 pk., $16.99, limit 2
-$16.98 in MaxPerks Bonus Rewards
-.75/1 Duracell Coppertop, excl trial size, PG 7/29

Deals // Operation Christmas Child & Back-to-School

This is my second post listing great deals for Operation Christmas Child shoe box items. Now is the time to take advantage of those back-to-school sales and grab items for FREE or cheap!

If you are wondering what all this is about, check out my first post about OCC HERE.

(Remember: Most deals listed are adapted from SouthernSavers.com...one of my favorite coupon sites!)

Happy Shopping!

PUBLIX (prices good through August 7 or 8)

o  Crayola Crayons, 24 ct., 33¢

o  Dixon Pencils, 10 ct., 33¢

o  Paper Mate Write Bros Ball Point Pen, 10 ct., 50¢

TARGET

o  RoseArt Markers or Colored Pencils, 10 or 12 ct., 49¢ PLUS Free Crayons, 24 ct., WYB (1)

(Use -$1/3 RoseArt products coupon in Red Plum insert from 7/29)

o  Up & Up Plastic or Wood Ruler 49¢

o  Sterlite Pencil Case, 49¢

o  Up & Up Index Cards, 100 ct., 49¢

WALGREENS

o  Wexford or Penway Mini Memo or Composition Book, 3.5-4×6 in. 50-80 sheets, 16¢

o  Wooden Ruler, 19¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Wexford Cap Erasers 15 pk. or Pink Erasers, 2 pk., 29¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Bic Cristal Bold Pens, 10 pk., 49¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

(Use -$1/2 Bic Stationery coupon in SmartSource insert from 7/29)

o  Sharpie Markers, 2 pk., 79¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Wexford Twistable Highlighters 3 pk., Rectractable Gel Pens 4 pk. or Mechanical Pencils with Refills, 3 pk., 99¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Wexford Carry-All Pouch, 99¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 3

o  Designer Pencils, 13¢ w/ in-ad coupon, limit 16

STAPLES

o  Staples Translucent Pencil Box, assorted colors, 50¢, limit 2

o  BIC Velocity Retractable Gel Pens – Black, 2 pk., 25¢, limit 2

OFFICE MAX

o  Plastic Protractor 5c

o  Schoolio Washable Classic Markers 25c

o  Just Basics Pink Erasers 3pk 25c

o  Papermate Mechanical Pencils 10pk  75c