Northern Cheapskate » Making Money

Saving Money on Cell Phones with Ebates

Christina Brown — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:30:13 +0000

About 6 years ago, my parents joined our cell phone provider’s family plan. Because we were able to share a plan, we each shaved about $25 a month off of our cell phone bills. It’s worked really well.

My husband and I are tech junkies, so we’ve gotten new phones over the years. Each time, we’ve opted to extend our contract to get the best price possible on the phone. We’ve been happy with our Verizon Wireless service, and my husband gets a 15% discount as a state employee.

My parents, on the other hand, carried the same basic phones for years. That is, until their phone batteries stopped holding a charge. We searched online for new batteries, but in the end, they decided to order new basic phones.

Because they both knew that a new phone would require new accessories (like a car charger), they wanted to keep costs down. I found them an LG Revere phone that was free with a two-year contract at Verizon Wireless.

I ordered one phone first because I wanted to make sure my mom was happy with the phone before I ordered the same one for my dad. But here’s the thing: I shopped through Ebates. Because I was signing a new contract, I earned $10 cash back on the FREE phone.

My mom loved the new phone, so I ordered another one for my dad and signed another contract. I earned another $10 cash back from Ebates.

So not only were my parents able to get new phones for free, I earned $20 bucks from Ebates!

If you’re willing to lock into a contract, consider shopping through Ebates for your cell phone. You can choose to shop through Ebates Wireless store or find deals through AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and more.. And if you find a free phone, you could even make money on the deal!

Never heard of Ebates? Sounds too good to be true? Ebates is a fabulous way to save money on online purchases and it’s really easy to use. You can shop online from the comfort of your home at stores where you were planning to buy anyway, find coupons and special offers like free shipping, and do it all for FREE.

Plus there are no forms to fill out, and no points or miles to redeem. With each purchase you make through Ebates, you can earn as much as 20% cash back. That’s on top of any cash back you’d get from any rewards credit card you use!

Here’s how to Use Ebates:

Sign-up for an account at Ebates. It’s free and just takes a few minutes. After you’ve earned your first $5.01 in cash back, you’ll receive a $5 bonus just for becoming a new member.
Search for the store where you would like to shop. There are more than 1,200 great stores to shop. You can also search by item and then select your store from the merchants that carry the item. If you’re just browsing, you can even search by the percentage of cash back.
Once you find the store where you plan to shop, just click on the link for it. Ebates will create a tracking ticket so it can make sure you get your cash back. Depending on where you shop, you’ll earn up to 20% cash back on your purchases!
Place your order. Your cash back will be credited to your Ebates account in just a few days. Ebates cuts checks quarterly – and you’ll get your first “Big Fat Check” from Ebates after you’ve earned $5.01 or more in cash back from Ebates. Don’t forget, if you’re new, you’ll also get a $5 bonus for signing up. Please note, that referral bonuses don’t count towards your $5.01 total.
Tell your friends and family about Ebates. For each person you refer to Ebates who makes a $25 purchase, you’ll get $5. So, for example, if you sign up for Ebates through this post, you will get $5 for signing up and I will get $5 for referring you. Win-win!
Connect with Ebates. Stay on top of all the latest deals from Ebates by signing up for e-mail alerts, becoming a fan of Ebates on Facebook, or following Ebates on Twitter.

Ebates is a really simple way to save money while shopping online. I’ve already earned several hundreds of dollars in cash back on my purchases since I started using Ebates nearly four years ago.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please see our full disclosure policy for more information.

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Earn Money with Synovate Surveys

Christina Brown — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:52:05 +0000

You may have heard it before: Earn money taking surveys.

Well, I’ve done it. And no, you won’t get rich, but it is a really easy way to earn a little extra spending cash for things like date nights or gifts.

Right now Synovate is accepting new survey panelists. I’ve been using Synovate for several years, and it’s really easy to use. It’s free to sign-up and most surveys take less than 15 minutes.

In addition to earning points for each survey that can be turned into cash or prizes, you can also earn entries into sweepstakes. Each month, over 200 panelists share $5,000 in total prizes.

Sign-up for Synovate, share your opinions, and start earning!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read our full disclosure policy for more info.

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Free eBay 101: Selling on eBay for Income Book

Christina Brown — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:09:57 +0000

Ever wanted to sell something on eBay but didn’t know where to start?

Right now you can download a free copy of the Kindle edition of eBay 101: Selling on eBay For Part-time or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days by Steve Weber from Amazon.

Pick up this comprehensive how-to guide (an $18.95 value) today if you’re interested in learning the basics of finding inventory, selling on eBay, dealing with taxes, avoiding scammers and fraud on eBay, and more.

Remember, you don’t need to own a Kindle to enjoy free Kindle books, all you need is a computer or a smartphone.

Amazon prices can change quickly, so be sure this book is $0.00 when you add it to your cart.

Happy Reading!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please read our full disclosure policy for more info.

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Reminder: Get Your Swagbuck Sign-Up Bonus

Christina Brown — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:55:13 +0000

Today is your last day to sign up for Swagbucks and get a BIG sign-up bonus.

Enter the code HOLIDAYSWAG when you register and you’ll get 100 bonus Swag Bucks.

Why is this such a big deal? Well, you normally only get 30 bonus Swag Bucks to sign up. And a $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 Swag Bucks. So this bonus will put you on your way to earning some cool stuff much faster!

Swagbucks is one of my favorite ways to stretch my budget and it’s how I do a lot of my gift shopping. I’ve earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards and cash just doing stuff I usually do online – like searching the internet, taking surveys, and watching videos. I even used Swag Bucks to help pay for a new fridge!

So sign up today and use the registration code HOLIDAYSWAG, and then start earning more Swag Bucks.

And for those of you who have already signed up, remember that Fridays are Mega Swag Bucks days! So start searching and start earning!

Disclosure: When you sign-up for Swag Bucks through the links on my blog, I win Swag Bucks every time you win. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.

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Get Ready to Get Free Stuff with Swagbucks

Christina Brown — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:25:25 +0000

Today is Mega Swagbucks Day, which means you can earn even MORE free stuff just for doing things online you always do like searching the internet.

And they’re giving you three great reasons to use Swagbucks on Monday!

Swagbucks is going crazy on Monday, December 19, with more ways for you to earn reward points towards free stuff. First, they’re having a Swag Code Extravaganza, which means a fun day where you can earn up to 70 Swag Bucks from 8 different codes throughout the day!

Second, there’s a new set of Holiday Collector’s Bills which you can only earn through search – get all five and you’ll receive an instant 12 Swag Bucks bonus! The set starts at noon on Monday.

Finally, for any referral you bring in today through the December 19, you’ll not only get up to 1000 matching Swag Bucks from Search, but 1000 matching Swag Bucks from everything they earn (not including codes) all day Monday – they’re calling it Mega Match Monday!

This is a great opportunity to start earning those Swagbucks to use for gift cards and cash.

Reader Valerie, recently sent me this message about Swagbucks:

” Thanks to you, my grandkids will have an extra special Christmas this year. Why? Because last year when you posted about SwagBucks, I enrolled, under you. I barely have time for it, yet this past week I had enough points for $100 free in Amazon cards. I had never heard of it until you posted it.”

Swagbucks is one of my favorite ways to stretch my budget and it’s how I do a lot of my gift shopping. Since I’ve started using it, I’ve earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards and cash.

So get started earning those Swagbucks and learn how to earn more Swagbucks.

BONUS: Sign up for Swagbucks before the end of the year and you can get 100 bonus Swagbucks when you enter the code HOLIDAYSWAG when you register.

Disclosure: When you sign-up for Swag Bucks through the links on my blog, I win Swag Bucks every time you win. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.

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New Ways to Earn Box Tops for Education

Christina Brown — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:45:39 +0000

One of the simplest ways to support your local schools just added another easy way to help!

Sign up for Box Tops for Education (just click the image to the right) and you can earn money for your school just by watching videos and completing short surveys. Each eBoxTop credit you earn is equivalent to the 10 cents that an actual Box Top is worth for your school.

And don’t forget, there are plenty of other ways to earn money for your school with Box Tops for Education.

Clip Box Tops from hundreds of participating products found in your local grocery store and send them to your school. Your school earns 10¢ for each Box Top redeemed.

Shop online at at your favorite stores like JCPenney and Lands’ End through the Box Tops for Education Marketplace. Your school earns a percentage of each qualifying purchase at no additional cost to you.

Buy books through the Box Tops Reading Room and your school earns up to 6% of each qualifying purchase.

Purchase items for your child’s classroom at the My Class Essentials registry.

Bonus opportunities – Enter sweepstakes and participate in other promotions to earn cash for your school.

In addition, the Box Tops for Education website is a great source for printable coupons for some of the most popular brands from General Mills, SC Johnson and more.

Saving 10 cents here or there might not seem like much, but Box Tops for Education raises more than $300 million for schools each year. Click on the image above to get started!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog at no additional cost to you. Please read our full disclosure policy for more info.

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Earn more Swag Bucks by Completing Tasks

Christina Brown — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:46:18 +0000

Are you looking to earn more Swag Bucks? Check out “Tasks.”

Tasks are an opportunity to do specific actions (called “jobs”) and earn Swagbucks based on performance, accuracy and time spent. You can even bank the Swag Bucks you earn from a task if you have to stop in the middle and come back later. Once your task meter is filled up, cash out and watch your Swag Buck total increase! Tasks include things like doing searches on specific websites, answering questions, or helping with website research. You won’t get rich doing these tasks, but it’s a simple, quick way to earn more Swag Bucks.

Not familiar with Swagbucks? Swagbucks is a website that allows you to earn free stuff by doing the things you do online every day – searching the web, shopping online, playing games, taking surveys, watching videos, and completing special offers.

You can cash in your Swagbucks (as they’re called) for all kinds of things including:

Gift cards to some of your favorite merchants like Amazon, Target, iTunes, and Starbucks.
Cash (via PayPal)
Sports and Music Memorabilia
Books & Magazines
Clothing
Electronics
Office and School Supplies
Sweepstakes entries
And Much More!

Swagbucks is fun and easy to use especially when you know how to maximize your Swagbucks earnings. Swagbucks is one of my favorite ways to stretch my budget. Since I’ve started using it, I’ve earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards and cash.

Disclosure: When you sign-up for Swag Bucks through the links on my blog, I win Swag Bucks every time you win. Thanks for supporting Northern Cheapskate! Please read our disclosure policy for more information.

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How (and How Not) to Telecommute

Michelle — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:30:11 +0000

photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski

One of my favorite ways to limit my commute time, energy and expense is to telecommute. Not everyone can telecommute (a little tough if you are in, say, food service or retail), but there are ways a lot of people can make telecommuting work in their lives and for their employers.

1. If your company does not have a telecommuting culture, propose one. If you work for a large company, odds are that an official policy is in place. Still, maybe no one in your area or department takes advantage of it. Or maybe no one in your company (especially if it is smaller) telecommutes. Pull your facts together (read on for more ideas and considerations) and propose a temporary trial of telecommuting. You don’t have anything to lose by asking and a well thought out approach may result in hearing “Yes”.

2. Consider what telecommuting is worth to you. Will you save on transportation and parking? Could you buy fewer business clothes? Will it be easier to make dinner (verses buying dinner out) if you are at home? If so, maybe you could forgo a raise in exchange for a telecommuting arrangement. Given the current economy, an employer may be willing to deal in an effort to A) keep a good employee happy while B) not spending more money. I am willing to stay where I am for a lot of great reasons, one of which is the flexibility to telecommute. If it makes working more workable for your family, then you might be able to choose to live on the lower income if you are frugal and purposeful in your spending.

3. How will the work get done? For your sake and for your employer’s sake, you need to outline how and when your work will be done while you are at home. Do you need to be available during certain hours? By email, cell phone, home phone? Will you need remote access to the server? How can you get a secure connection? Do you have a space to dedicate to working at home? Do you have everything you need (printer, fax, scanner, etc.)? Will you need a laptop? Address these issues in your proposal and you can eliminate 99% of the objections to your plan.

4. Address daycare. If you have ever tried to work while being an at-home parent, you have probably faced the harsh reality that it is one tough row to hoe. Really – being an at home parent IS work. So is being a daycare provider. So is your job. You can’t do everything at once. At least not well. You need to still make plans to have daycare on your days working from home during the hours you need to be working from home. Period. For us, sometimes my husband will run out during Will’s nap. But, I know that if for some reason he gets up early (which only seems to happen when I am working!), I have to work that into my day and pick my work back up when my husband gets home or once the kids are in bed. And my employer is OK if that needs to happen. And I don’t chance it when I can’t afford for it to happen – I work in the office on those days :>)

5. Be clear about your schedule. In my situation, it works to just take each week as it comes. I try to look ahead to the next week – when do I have meetings I have to attend? What is going on at home that I would need to be home for (and thus would be ideal to skip a commute that day)? Is what I am currently working on portable or do I need to be in the office? It works for us in our office to just shoot out an email in the morning saying WAH (work at home) and specify how to contact – email or cell and which hours we will be available. I realize that is not normal office culture, so you might want to say that you will telecommute on Tuesdays and Thursdays or some sort of set schedule.

I do generally try to be clear on my schedule at least a week in advance, mostly because I have a need to know my schedule in advance. I do this using Google Calendar, and that works well for our office. I just put WAH or OFF as an all day event on the days that need it and my coworkers can tell right away if I am working or not and if I will be in the office or not. They also know that if there is no other option, they can schedule a meeting on a WAH day and I will come into the office or call into the conference line as needed. Which leads me to number 6…

6. Expect flexibility and be flexible in return. In order for telecommuting to work, you need to be a professional. That means that when a meeting comes up on your normal day to telecommute, you might need to change your schedule from time to time.

I try to keep my hours to 32 hours a week. Sometimes (like now and for the foreseeable future), that is not possible. So, I need to deal with it and work more hours in order to get my job done. I accept that responsibility and my employer trusts me to make those decisions and leaves my schedule up to me. If I am working closely with someone else in the office, I go out of my way to be clear on when I am available, how I can be reached and to make sure that works for him or her and that I am clear on any deadlines – the last thing I would ever want to do is put our company work in jeopardy for my own benefit.

I also accept that I need to check my email and voice mail even when I am not officially working, so that everyone knows they can reach me in an urgent situation. It rarely happens, and my coworkers do their best to respect my off time, but knowing they can get one important question answered here or there goes a long way to everyone being comfortable in the situation. And, if it is not urgent, I don’t answer.

I am a busy mom of four kids; I want to be involved in their daily lives. I am a busy CFO of two entities; I want to be involved in the management of the companies. That is a lot to juggle. Sometimes I have to put on my mom hat while I am at work (to talk to a teacher, etc.) and sometimes I have to put my CFO hat on while I am at home. The more flexible I am, the more flexible my coworkers are – and vice versa. This is the way telecommuting works best, and really, the way any job works best.

7. Get someone on your side. When you are not at the office, things come up that make it less than ideal for you to be at home. Find someone who is in the office on a regular basis that is willing to help make your situation work – someone who can fax or scan something and send it to you, someone willing to look something up and call you back, etc. No man is an island, and this is especially true of telecommuting. Of course, be sure to return the favor – be helpful and find a way to make that person’s job easier when you are in the office. And remember to say “Thank you!!” and show your appreciation. As long as you are sincere, no one can hear how valuable they are too often.

8. Get organized. Make sure you have the information you need with you – whether it is files, contact information, phone numbers, emails, whatever. Being prepared while you are home will ease your stress and help things run smoothly for your coworkers. You do not want others in the office feeling like they have to pick up your slack.

9. Highlight how telecommuting will be good for the company. Is the parking lot crowded? Office space tight? Maybe if you were not there, it would free up some space. Think about how your telecommuting could be a benefit to your employer and be sure to stress those points during your proposal. Perhaps you would be willing to share an office on the days you are in or move to a smaller space so a full time, in the office employee can have a large office – consider these points as you get ready to propose telecommuting.

10. Revisit the arrangement. Come back after a specific period – say a month or six weeks, and check in with your boss and coworkers. Are things running smoothly? What could change to improve the situation? Be willing to discuss any concerns and address how you can tweak the arrangement to better suit everyone’s needs. Implement those proposed changes and check back in again after another trial period. Knowing that the arrangement does not have to last forever (if it does not work) might help make an employer willing to try it out. Try to make sure that he or she is pleasantly surprised at how well it works.

11. Know Thy Self. If you are easily distracted or find it difficult to motivate yourself, telecommuting could be a disaster for you. You need to be honest with yourself and determine if you really, truly can resist playing fetch with the dog (other than a brief break – that is a perk of telecommuting), watching TV or taking a nap, and instead focus on getting your work done. If not, then telecommuting probably will not be a good solution for you. Telecommuting does take commitment on your part to execute successfully and you might be surprised how hard it is to make yourself focus on a sunny, beautiful day. And a deary, rainy day. Or a snowy day….

Do you telecommute? Are there things you do that work for you? Anything that has not worked for you?

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Get Double Cash Back With Ebates Today (11/25)

Christina Brown — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:00:29 +0000

Black Friday deals are better when you shop through Ebates!

For today (11/25) only, you can earn double cash back at more than 500 retailers when you shop through Ebates.

Here’s just a sampling of the hot deals I’m seeing:

6% cash back at Land’s End
8% cash back at Disney Store
10% cash back at Kohls (and remember to check for some great rebates available to save even more!)
10% cash back at Barnes & Noble
10% cash back at Sephora
14% cash back at Melissa & Doug
20% cash back at Snapfish (a great way to save on cards and photo books!)
52% cash back (YES, I said 52%!!!) at Magazines.com

Ebates is my favorite way to buy gifts because they make it easy to save money when shopping online. When you sign up for Ebates as a new member you can choose a $5 cash back bonus or a $10 gift card after you’ve spent your first $25 shopping with Ebates.

Check out the Black Friday double cash back deals available today and then come back for some super hot Cyber Monday deals on November 28.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.

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Swagbucks Pays for the Holidays + Sign-Up Bonus

Christina Brown — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:57:57 +0000

Swagbucks is one of my absolute favorite ways to help pay for the holidays. You can use Swagbucks to earn free stuff by doing the things you do online every day – searching the web, shopping online, and by engaging in other activities such as playing games, taking surveys, watching videos, and completing special offers.

Right now, Swagbucks is celebrating the holiday shopping season with a great Swagbucks Pays for Your Holidays giveaway.

Sign-up for Swagbucks and use the code SBPAYSFORME at registration. You’ll get 80 bonus Swag Bucks. This means you will start with 110 Swag Bucks instead of the customary 30!

Once you’re a member of Swagbucks, create a wishlist of the things you want to earn with your Swag Bucks and you’ll be entered to win $2500 in Amazon gift cards. Share your wishlist with your friends on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll earn additional entries.

There’s still plenty of time to earn some gift cards through Swagbucks before the holidays when you know how to maximize your Swagbucks earnings. And if you create that wish list, you could win even more great prizes!

Disclosure: When you sign-up for Swag Bucks through the links on my blog, I win Swag Bucks every time you win. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. Thanks for supporting Northern Cheapskate!

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