Better Than Playing The Lottery

I thought about something today that made me feel guilty - guilty for not telling you about it sooner. There's a great site called Brainbench that provides online testing for employment skills. They also provide certification testing for those interested in being able to verify their abilities in a specialized skill. On the surface, this sounds like something that will cost you money, not make money, right? Wrong! Let me expand on how this turned out to be quite the money maker for me. I ended up with over $200.00 in six weeks. Combined with my Amazon Mechanical Turk earnings, I was able to complete 90% of my Christmas shopping without spending a dime out of my paycheck. First, you will need to register at Brainbench. Then you will need to take some of their free tests. They have many free tests that are basically just for fun. There are personality tests, trivia test, and others that you will enjoy. So far you haven't spent any money and had a little fun. You will then be in their database and will start receiving emails from them. You will receive requests to take beta tests. The key is to respond and take the tests immediately. The minute that email comes in, stop what you're doing and take the test. Brainbench will offer Amazon gift codes for the first 50 people who submit the tests. Every time I have gotten a beta test request, I have gotten a gift code. In some cases, they will offer additional codes for high scores (Sadly, I have never won one of those). If you are really good at the given skill, you might really clean up. Bottom line, after realizing I had done my Christmas shopping, purchased two new cordless phones and eight games from Amazon without dipping into my own pocket, I really felt bad about not sharing this with you all. It's an incredibly simple way to get things you might not otherwise be able to afford. Head on over to Brainbench and get started earning that extra money!

A New Look At Coupons

I am NOT a Coupon Queen. I am lousy at keeping them organized. I don't get the newspaper and I am lousy at remembering to print them from MyPoints. I have, however, discovered another place to get coupons that I seem to actually be able to manage. I have settled into a routine and it seems to actually be fairly easy. The first thing I do is make a written grocery list. Then I go down the list and think of all the manufacturers for each item. For example, spaghetti sauce would yield Ragu, Prego, Hunts, etc. Then I go to the manufacturers website and look for coupons and offers. I also look at my local grocery store website to see what they have on sale. Last week, they had Smith's milk for $2.99 a gallon. The Smith Diary website had .40 coupons for milk. I got my milk for $2.59 a gallon. I generally shop for a two week supply. My last shopping trip netted me $9.75 in savings. The take-away lesson here is to bookmark all the manufacturers of items you normally buy and check them before you shop. If you really are a Coupon Queen, you can couple your already considerable skills with this little tip and save a ton of grocery money.

Please watch this!

Please take a moment to watch this video. It is America's story, told by someone who lives in my small town.... Bank of America has really shown their evil with this situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwro-wKXRIQ&feature=share">

Please share this any way you can. Thanks!

Cutting The Cost For Soups and Stews

I just wanted to share a quick tip about a method I use to make a cheap meal even cheaper. We all probably already use leftover chicken or beef to turn it into a second meal of soup or stew. I've found a way to take that frugal meal a little farther, making it even more frugal but still as tasty. So here's how I get the cheapest meal possible from leftovers...when I'm doing the clean up after a meal, it seems there are always just a few vegetables left, but not enough for another meal. I have started keeping a large container in my freezer and I dump that small amount of leftover vegetables in there. I just keep adding to the container after every meal. When I'm ready to make soup or stew, I have a ready source of mixed vegetables without buying any or using vegetables I have in the cupboard. This makes my soup or stew almost a freebie, since it's made of things that might otherwise be thrown out. So, start your veggie container today!

I really need you all to help

I find that after all of my hard work and frugal ways, I have lost 3/4 of my already meager income due to circumstances beyond my control. I imagine that many of you have tips and tricks you could share. It would help me, and many others, if you would share them here. Thanks!

Quick Tip

I just wanted to give you a brief quick tip about broccoli. Being broccoli lovers, we have tried virtually every brand on the market. Every time I buy fresh broccoli, by the time I get all the stems and leaves cut off, I have about a fourth of what I actually paid for - not cost effective at all! Every brand of frozen broccoli I have tried has been at least (if not more) 50% stems. I have even emailed popular companies to ask them why, and gotten back various non-answers about the "proper stem to floret ratio." If I buy something, I want to use it all, not what they think the ratio of edible vs. non-edible should be! I have finally found the holy grail of cost effective, tasty broccoli. Walmart has a 5 lb bag of broccoli florets for less than $6. Did you catch that? FLORETS! You get all of what you pay for, and it tastes great. They also have other veggies packaged this way as well. Compare the price per pound to other brands and you will see that there is a huge savings to be had here. Yum!

Wal-Mart Straight Talk Cell Phones

A little over a month ago I decided to get a cell phone with Wal-Mart's Straight Talk plan. I was a little skeptical at first, and did my due diligence, reading numerous reviews about the program before I took the plunge. I wanted a phone that would allow me to access the internet, so I looked at what was available and decided on a Samsung slider. For less than $100, it's a nice sturdy phone that is attractive and easy to use. The only problem I had was that it was out of stock at every store in my area. I ended up ordering it online and had it in about a week. I ordered my phone card at the same time, then activated it online when it arrived. It was an easy process, and my phone was working within 5 minutes. One of the nice things about Straight Talk is that you can port your existing phone number, either cell or land line. I thought that was a great feature. So far, the service has been awesome. They use the Verizon network, which is the most reliable in the rural area I live in, and it has been exceptional. I did not sign up for the automatic monthly renewal, which was a mistake. I forgot to buy another month, and my phone was shut off at midnight on the due date. I was horrified, because the website says that you will lose your phone number if you let it run out. Much to my relief, when I renewed, I got my previous number back. I am now signed up for the convenient monthly autofill plan, so that won't happen again. I chose the $30 plan, which gives me 1000 minutes, 1000 text or picture messages, and 30 mgb data transfer. I wasn't sure this would be enough, but at the end of the first month I didn't even come close to using it all. They also have an unlimited usage plan that is $45 a month for all of prolific texters and callers. So far, the only drawback is that there are limited ringtones and wallpapers available, however, there is a site called My Tiny Phone that has them specifically for Straight Talk phones. I got some pretty good ones from them. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with Wal-Mart's Straight Talk cell phones. After all why give Verizon or Sprint $1200 more than you have to over the two year life of a contract, when you can get the same service cheaper?