Adding to the Piggy Bank

Enter to win a $100 Sams Club Gift Card

2009-10-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Prize: $100 Sam's Club Gift Card

Blog: The Art of Being Mom

Sponsor: Sam's Club

# of winners: 4

Expires: 11/11/09 at 10 pm EST

Eligibility: US only

Click on present to enter

Enter to win a Jack LaLanne Juicer

2009-10-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Prize: a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer

Blog: MommyPR

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/29/09 11:59 CST

Eligibility: Contiguous US

Click on present to enter

Enter to win a Nature Valley gift pack

2009-10-27T11:00:00.001-07:00

Prize: Nature Valley Nut Clusters gift pack (all four varieties of Nature Valley Nut Clusters, binoculars, a flashlight, a stainless steel water bottle and a sling backpack to carry it all in)

Blog: A Hook...A Line...And a Girl

Sponsor: My Blog Spark

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/29/09 at 8 pm ET

Eligibility: US only

Click on present to enter

Enter to win a $25 Macy's gift certificate

2009-10-27T10:35:00.001-07:00

Prize: $25 Macy's Gift Certificate

Blog: My Charmed Life

Sponsor: Macy's

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/28/09 11:59 PST

Eligibility: US and Canada

Click on present to enter

2009-10-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Prize: The new winter SoftLips line (flavors included are sugar and spice, winter mint, and sugar plum berry)

Blog: Is it Naptime yet?

Sponsor: Softlips

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/28/09 at midnight CST

Eligibility: US only

Click on present to enter

Enter to win a Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Gift Pack

2009-10-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Prize: Prize pack which includes a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, various childrens books, and a box of Cheerios

Blog: Jo-Jo's Place

Sponsor: My Blog Spark

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/28 at midnight

Eligibility: not stated

Click on present to enter

Win a $15 Amazon gift card

2009-10-27T08:54:00.001-07:00

Prize: $15 Amazon gift card

Blog: The Suburban Jungle

Sponsor: Got Free Ecards

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/28 at 9pm

Eligibility: not stated

Click on present to enter

Win a Hoover Cordless Stick Vac

2009-10-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Prize: A Hoover Cordless Stick Vac

Blog: The Mom Reviews

Sponsor: Hoover

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10-28-09

Eligibility: US only

Click on the present to enter

Enter to win 250 Treasured Country Desserts Cookbook

2009-10-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

Prize: A copy of the cookbook 250 Treasured Country Desserts

Blog: One 2 Try

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/27/09 11:59 PST

Eligibility: US only

Click on the present to enter

Enter to win Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

2009-10-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Prize: a copy of Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jan Doiron

Blog: A Giveaway Addicted Mommy

Sponsor: Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/27/09 11:59 PST

Eligibility: US and Canada

Click on present to enter

Enter to win a Marshmallow Blaster

2009-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

Prize: Your choice of marshmallow blasters

Blog: And Twins make 5

Sponsor: Marshmallow Fun

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/27/09 at 11:59 pm CST

Eligibility: US only

Click on present to enter

Win a coupon organizer

2009-10-26T05:29:00.001-07:00

Prize: a fabric coupon organizer

Blog: Suzy Q Homemaker

Sponsor: GlowGirl (Etsy Shop)

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/28/09

Eligibility: Not specified

Click on the present to enter

Win Great Games!

2009-10-26T05:12:00.001-07:00

Prize: Great Games! 175 games and activities for families, groups and children

Blog: Mama's Money Savers

# of winners: 1

Expires: 10/27/09

Eligibility: US only

Click on present to enter this giveaway

Win a Sam's Club Membership

2009-10-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

The Art of Being Mom Sam's Club Membership giveaway

Prize: $100 gift card to Sam's Club (which can be used to purchase a membership)

# of winners: 2

Expires: 10/27/09

Eligibility: US only

Click here to enter

Code Alert - Disney Movie Rewards

2009-10-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Are you a member of Disney Movie Rewards? Get a holiday bonus of 50 points in your account and enter a couple of new sweepstakes while you are at it. Disney reward points are generally only given out when you purchase a Disney movie. I was excited for an opportunity to add points to my account without a purchase.

This came from an email that was sent to Disney Movie Rewards members. "Simply Go Here, see what symbol is being used for our holiday Donation Rewards Icon. Enter the correct name for the symbol - Just like entering a magic code - to collect your 50 bonus points."

After you are logged in, just look for the box that instructs you to enter your code and hit go. Quick and Easy!

$15 free credit at Kodak Gallery

2009-10-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Kodak is giving away 300,000 free codes worth $15 at the newly redesigned Kodak Gallery. You can use the code to get free or reduced price prints. Prints are only 9 cents. They also carry gift items like photo mugs and photo books. These would make cute Christmas gifts for grandparents.

They are giving these coupons away in 3 phases with a minimum of 100,000 given away at a time:

Phase 1 (Oct 20 - Oct 28)

Phase 2 (Oct 29 - Nov 5)

Phase 3 (Nov 6 – Nov 13)

After all the codes have been given out for the current phase, you will be given a code for 40% off. However, you can try again for the $15 code in the next phase. Everyone who signs up is also entered for a trip to see a taping of the Ellen Degeneres show.

Take 5 - Blog Giveaways for foodies!

2009-10-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today's Take 5 features Blog giveaways for foodies! All end tomorrow (10/22) so enter while you can.

**********

Blog: Leslie loves Veggies

Prize: Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Cookbook

# of winners: 2

Entry frequency: 1 time with additional entries available for various activities

Expires: 10/22/09

Eligibility: USA and Canada

Enter Here

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Blog: The Review Broads

Prize: A copy of Eating Animals by Jonathan Saffra Foer

# of winners: 5

Entry frequency: 1 time with additional entries available for various activities

Expires: 10/22 11:59 EST

Eligibility: US 13+

Enter Here

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Blog: The Speedy Gourmet

Prize: Super Fast Slow Cooking cookbook from the Gooseberry Patch

# of winners: 1

Entry frequency: 1 time with additional entries available for various activities. Daily retweets allowed.

Expires: 10/22 9:00 PST

Eligibility: US only

Enter Here

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Blog: Baby Loving Mama

Prize: Wilton Halloween Baking prize pack

# of winners: 1

Entry frequency: 1 time with additional entries available for various activities

Expires: 10/22 11:59 CST

Eligibility: US only

Enter Here

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Blog: One 2 Try

Prize: 3 Amy's Kitchen free product coupons and an Amy's tote bag

# of winners: 1

Entry frequency: 1 time with additional entries available for various activities

Expires: 10/22 11:59 PST

Eligibility: US only

Enter Here

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Good luck to all!

Swag Code Alert - exp 10/21 7pm pacific

2009-10-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

There's a swagcode available that is good until 7pm pacific time. The toolbar would be a good place to look!

Free Coupon Book from Homemade Simple

2009-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Home Made Simple currently is offering a coupon booklet with over $35 worth of savings. In the past there has been a coupon for a freebie. (The last time I got one, I believe it was for rinse aid.) Get yours while they are still available.

Click here to send for yours

5 Point Huggies Reward code

2009-10-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Visit Huggies Enjoy the Ride and enter the following code for an additional 5 points in your account.

PLWGF ZRJNX FWPGB

You can spend your points on sweepstakes or instant win entries. If you don't see anything you like, you can save the points until something better comes along.

I have won a movie ticket and a $25 gas card from them. I was impressed at how quickly they arrived. Current instant wins include a starbucks gift card and music downloads.

Thanks to Freebies4Mom for sharing the code!

Take 5 – Oct 19 - Christmas gifts for children

2009-10-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a new daily feature on this blog called “Take 5.” Each day I will feature 5 ways that can help stretch your budget. The topic will change from day to day, ranging from giveaways, to ways to earn money from home, to things you can make yourself. You never know what you might find!

Today’s Take 5 focuses on blog giveaways that would make great gifts for children. Christmas will be here before we know it. Have you started shopping already? I don’t know about most people, but with the economy the way it is, our budget for Christmas has shrunk quite a bit. With four kids of my own and several nieces and nephews to buy gifts for, I am always on the lookout for giveaways that would make nice gifts. These giveaways all end tomorrow so be sure to get your entry submitted.

#1
Blog: Growing your Baby
Prize: Play-doh Burger Builder
# of winners: 2
Exp: 10/20/09
Eligibility: US (void AK, HI, Guam, Puerto Rico) and Canada
Notification by: email

Enter Here

#2
Blog: Your Mama Reviews
Prize: Leap Frog Tag and 2 learn to read sets
# of winners: 1
Exp: 10/20
Eligibility: US
Notification by: not noted

Enter Here

#3
Blog: Mkokopelli
Prize: Monsters Play All Day game set
# of winners: 1
Exp: 10/20
Eligibility: US
Notification by: email

Enter Here

#4
Blog: My Trendy Tyke Reviews
Prize: Elmo's Animal Adventures dvd
# of winners: 3
Exp: 10/20
Eligibility: not noted
Notification by: not noted

Enter Here

#5
Blog: Bonggamom Finds
Prize: Winter's Tale Prize pack (dolphin themed) including plush, keychain, Nintendo DS game, and book
# of winners: 1
Exp: 10/20
Eligibility: US
Notification by: email

Enter Here

Good luck to all!

Swag Code Alert - exp 10/17 3pm pacific

2009-10-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, you might want to check out the Swagbucks newsletter that was sent out an hour ago. There is a swag code at the end, good for 1 Swagbuck. If you aren't currently receiving the newsletter, you can sign up using the link on the right side of the home page.

Want an easy way to check and see if there are Swag Codes currently available? Scroll to the bottom of this page to my Swagbucks widget. Click on Swagcodes and it will tell you if there is one currently available and give you a clue as to where it is located. Since I have started checking that widget regularly, I have been getting a lot more Swagbucks. You can click on "grab this widget" to get the code and put it on your own blog.

I like to exchange my Swagbucks for Amazon gift certificates. I am using them to buy Christmas gifts and it is making a huge difference in our budget! It is only mid October and I have half my Christmas gifts bought thanks to all the gift certificates I have received from my online activities.

Host a Hershey's Cookie Exchange Party

2009-10-16T07:27:00.001-07:00

Apply to host a cookie exchange party in December sponsored by Hersheys. They will be choosing up to 1000 hosts sometime in mid November based on responses given to their survey questions. Party packs will be sent out November 24th if you are chosen. Party hosts agree to host a cookie-exchange and share their experiences and photos with Hersheys. Full details on the terms of this offer can be found here. Applications need to be submitted by November 15th.

Each Host will receive a Party Pack which includes:

• One (1) HERSHEY®’S KISSES® Cookie Jar for the Host, Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) $15;

• One (1) HERSHEY®’S KISSES® chocolates 2010 calendar, ARV $7

• One (1) Coupon for one free Pillsbury® refrigerated Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, ARV $4;

• Three (3) packages of HERSHEY®’S KISSES® chocolates, ARV $12;

• Fifteen (15) HERSHEY®’S KISSES® bakery boxes for guests to pack-up and carry their favorite cookies home, ARV $15;

• Supplies to make Fifteen (15) HERSHEY®’S KISSES® Recipe Books. Each Host will receive one silver jump ring along with six different HERSHEY®’S KISSES® recipes on branded recipe cards and several blank cards for swapping recipes at the party for up to 15 guests. All recipe cards will be hole-punched. Guests will then build their own HERSHEY®’S KISSES® recipe book. The recipe book will feature a HERSHEY®’S KISSES® cover. The featured HERSHEY®’S KISSES® recipes include: Peanut Butter Blossoms; KISSES® Chocolate Chip Cookies; Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies; Midnight Chocolate Cheesecake Cookie Cups; Cookie Trio; and Double KISSES® Truffles. ARV $20.

Total ARV of Party Pack: $73

Chocolate, a warm kitchen, and some good friends. Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon to me! Good luck to all who apply!

The Ikea Fund

2009-09-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe you are looking to earn a few extra dollars to help with Christmas. Maybe you are saving up for something special. No matter what your intention, it is important to set goals. I have no delusions that my online activities are going to make me rich. However, they do help us to afford things that we wouldn't otherwise be able to on my husband's salary. Between various rewards programs and sweepstakes, I already have a nice start on Christmas and it is only the beginning of September. We also are able to put money aside for a special fund that is helping us get our house organized.

In our house, we have an "Ikea fund." When Ikea moved into the area, we discovered that our house could really benefit from some of their spacesaving designs. Unfortunately we can't afford to buy everything at once. So we started a fund to save for the purchases from Ikea. Every little bit of cash I earn from my activities goes into that fund. The amount from gift cards that I get are also added to the fund. For example, I recently won a $25 gas card. Gas is something that I would have to purchase anyway. So I took the $25 that I would have otherwise spent on gas and added it to the fund.

The one thing that really motivates me to grow the fund is that I have a goal already in mind for that money. It is important that your goals be attainable and specific. For instance, I was recently able to finish off my craft closet with an organizational unit from Ikea. I knew in advance what I wanted so I knew just how much money I needed to put up. I saved for it for several months. It gave me great pleasure to purchase it with cash that I had diligently squirreled away. I had printed off a shopping list from Ikea with all the parts needed and the total price. I put the list where I could see it daily. It really motivated me to put in the work daily so I could meet my goal. Our next goal for the office is a set of bookshelves. Bit by bit and room by room, our house is getting a makeover! And we aren't running up credit cards to do it!

So I encourage you to have specific goals in mind as you participate in various money-making activities on the internet. It will keep you motivated and on track.

Week in Review 9/11/09

2009-09-11T04:46:00.000-07:00

Kind of a slow week but still had a few things worth mentioning.

I used some of the Amazon gift certificates earned from Swagbucks to get part of my daughter's birthday presents. The rest will go towards Christmas.

Got another $5 check from Honey Nut Cheerio's Sweet Rewards Giveaway. I have won 8 times now. You can win up to 10 times. This one doesn't expire until March of 2010 so you have plenty of time to get yours. Another $5 for the Ikea fund.

My biggest surprise this week was a Sony CyberShot camera that I won from a Bic Sweepstakes. ARV $280. This is a nice camera! Now I just need a memory stick for it. It will be a nice replacement for my Kodak EasyShare that I dropped and is only partially functional.

Things I did this week that will benefit me later:

Sent for a Rite-Aid Rebate of $6
Earned 13 Swagbucks. Swagbucks released a new toolbar. Be sure to check it daily for swagcodes that can add more swagbucks to your account. My total for Swagbucks is now 41. Just 4 more to get an Amazon gift certificate.
Sold some old textbooks on Amazon. That's $153 more into my Ikea fund!
Downloaded the survey reminder from NFO MySurvey to bring my total to 815 points. You only need 1000 points to receive a $10 check.

Happy Earning!

Free Music From Amazon!

2009-08-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Amazon is running a sweet special right now where you get a $5 credit for MP3 songs. I love adding music to my ipod so I took advantage of this great offer. (Plus you get a free computer game out of it.)

How to get yours.
1. Order the Big Kahuna Reef computer game from Amazon. This is FREE!
2. Click on check out. You can then opt to download the game. If you don't want it, click on download later.
3. You will then receive an email stating that you now have a $5 credit on Amazon for MP3s.
4. Have fun picking out your free music!

Here's what I picked.
He is by Mark Schultz
Broken by Lifehouse
One Life to Love by 33Miles
I will Rise by Chris Tomlin
The Motions by Matthew West

Thanks goes to Freebies 4 Mom for sharing this deal.

129,000 winners from new Pace instant win game

2009-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Pace Hand Pick and Win 2 Instant Win Game

1 in 20 wins a free jar of Pace!

Entry: Daily
Expires: 7/31/10
Prize: 1 jar of Pace picante sauce or salsa awarded as a free coupon (129,000 to be given away)
Other notes: Each player can win up to 5 times. Coupon will be delivered by mail, unlike the last time this promotion ran.

Good luck!

Printable Coupons with a Bonus!

2009-08-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Printable coupons can be a great way to add to your savings at the grocery store. However, did you know that there is a way to earn bonus rewards for printing coupons? Just by printing your coupons through MyPoints, you can also earn points which can be redeemed for gift certificates.

You get 10 points for every coupon you print and redeem.
As a bonus if you redeem more than 10 in a month, you get 25 extra points.

I regularly print my coupons from there to add to my MyPoints account. They offer the same coupons that coupons.com and smartsource do. For a limited time, each time you print and redeem coupons, you are also entered in a drawing for a $200 gift card.

Although I do not shop online frequently, I also earn points from reading emails and short surveys. If you download their toolbar, you can also get points monthly for searching the web.

I have been a member of Mypoints for a long time so I can tell you that they are a reliable rewards program. I have earned numerous gift certificates from them and they ship really quickly too.

Not a MyPoints member? Email me for a referral link (addingtothepiggybank at gmail dot com).

Menu Plan Week of August 2nd

2009-08-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday

Homemade mexican pizzas (homemade tortillas, vegetarian refried beans, topped with a little bit of cheddar cheese, taco sauce, and green onions. You know - Taco Bell only healthier!)

Roasted asparagus

Cantaloupe

Monday

Avocado quinoa salad (adapted from this recipe)

Steamed carrots

Watermelon

Tuesday

Smoky baby portobello sliders w/ homemade buns

Sweet potato fries

Roasted brocolli

Wednesday

Spinach and tomato quiche

Green beans

Watermelon

Thursday

Chickpea tacos

Cauliflower

Friday

Pizza braid

Salad

Saturday

Popcorn buffet

(popcorn, cheese cubes, grapes, cucumbers, nuts, and other misc. leftover fruits/veggies from the fridge)

For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday, hosted this week by The Happy Housewife

July 2009 in review

2009-08-01T06:30:00.001-07:00

July was a pretty good month for me - over $650 earned between sweeps wins and cash earned for rewards programs. I think starting with August, I am going to start tracking money saved with coupons as well. It all adds up.

Here are some of the highlights...

3rd prize in the Make your Mark with BIC sweepstakes - a Sony Cyber-Shot camera ARV $280. This was a weekly entry one. By far my biggest win this month. It was such a nice surprise since my other camera has hit the ground way too many times and has lost some of its function. My husband keeps telling me that I am not going to be able to touch this camera given the number of other cameras I have dropped and broken (3!)
Another Amazon gift certificate earned from searching with SwagBucks. I absolutely love this program. Tip: Set Swagbucks as your home page so you will remember to use it when you need to make a search.
$150 in rewards from our bank's reward point program. Ikea here I come!
2 wins from the Honey Nut Cheerios Sweet Rewards Instant Win game. This brings my total to $20. You can win up to 10 times. Expires March 9, 2010 so you have plenty of time to win.
$25 gas card and a pair of movie tickets from Enjoy the Ride. With four kids, we rarely go to the movies so this will be a nice treat. Maybe we will go see Half Blood Prince again. Incidentally, this site keeps track of all the current codes. They added a new $25 Kohl's gift certificate to the instant wins this month.
$50 gas card from ATT Breezin through Summer Instant Win. That will come in handy. Expires September 30.
$25 gift certificate to Rite Aid for transferring a prescription there. I had to get an antibiotic refill anyway so it was a nice little bonus. Too bad I was on the antibiotics because I was getting a root canal.
$10 Kroger gift card for being one of the first 300 in line at the grand opening of their new Fresh Fare stores
$1.54 from YouData. While this may not seem like much, they pay automatically by Paypal every Friday. I have only been a member for a week but have been impressed so far.

Instant win sweeps seem to have been my big earner for the month. I love sweepstakes because we get treated with lots of things we could not afford otherwise (like the new camera). It just takes lots of persistance and a little bit of luck.

Happy Earning!

Entertaining Traffic Exchanges

2009-07-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Do you get tired of the endless clicking with traffic exchanges? Then try these to liven things up a bit. They all have games to help break up the monotony of clicking and you can win bonus credits.

Deep Sea Hits has been online since 2004. They offer a a 10 second timer. You can add up to 10 urls as a free member. What makes this one fun is the treasure chest game that shows up periodically. You can earn free credits and banner impressions.

Traffic Roundup has been driving traffic to websites for 5 years now. What makes this one fun is their cattle roundup game. I earned 70 bonus credits the last time I completed it.

This is another great one. They will start you off with 250 credits just for signing up. While surfing, you can discover free credits and gather symbols for your game piece. If you fill a row in your game piece, you can redeem it for the listed amount of credits.

Hit Safari is a fun-themed one. Periodically a funny safari-themed cartoon pops up. Also you can win credits just by watching the ads. They add up quickly!

Happy surfing!

It all adds up

2009-07-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

As a stay at home mom of 4, I have discovered that there are tons of little things you can do on the internet that over time can have a big impact on your budget. Those freebies, reward programs, and sweepstakes wins can really help supplement a limited income. This blog will be focused on all those little things you can do to help stretch a buck.