Frugal Friday: Swagbucks

I thought I would do a few Frugal Friday posts this summer (Yes, I know it is Saturday.  I started writing this yesterday and never go to finish it).  I've talked about Swagbucks before (check out this post) so you may already know how great it is to get free gift cards. I have exciting news and a great opportunity for all of you to earn bonus SB -- enough to get a free $5 gift card!  (Free Amazon money?  Yes, please!). I use the cards it buy things for my classroom.

Any Learning Ahoy readers who sign up for Swagbucks.com through this link between now and June 30th  are eligible to get a 500 SB bonus! Think of it as a free gift card just for signing up through me. In order to get the bonus automatically (it may take up to 14 business days to credit your account once you have earned 1500 SB), you must also earn 1500 SB by July 14th. Note that since this is an exclusive offer, you must sign up through this link and earn 1500 SB in order to get your 500 SB bonus. If you sign up elsewhere, or only do one of the two steps, unfortunately you will not the bonus.

So how do you get that 500 SB bonus? Easy Peasy!  You can earn SB from any of the earning activities found on the homepage or top bar of Swagbucks.com (Shop, Search, Watch, Play, Answer, Discover, Daily Crave, NOSO & Daily Poll). I'll be posting on my Facebook page ways to help you earn more Swag Bucks so you can hit that 1500 SB mark before July 14th. In the meantime, if you haven't started earning with Swagbucks yet, now is a great time to sign up and check out all the different ways to earn Bucks -- all so you can get a bunch of free gift cards.

 

Frugal Friday: Save money on Back to school shopping!!

As we are all gearing up for back to school (I know some of you are already there!!) I thought I would share some of my older posts that have information on how to save money while getting all of your supplies along with some new to the blog ideas.

One of my favorite ways to save is through Ebates.  I have been using Ebates for a few years.  It is not a huge savings, but a penny saved is a penny earned.   You can find a tutorial on how to use Ebates here.

I also like to use my teacher discount whenever I can.  I have used it the most lately at A.C. Moore, but there are a lot of other stores that have a discount for teachers. Also be on the look out for teacher appreciation days where you can get great discounts and free stuff! Check out this post for some of the stores I use my teacher discount at.

I start looking for my kids school supplies as soon as summer begins.  I don't go out of my way to get things, but if I am in Riteaid I always swing by the school supply aisle.  Last week I got A & B scissors for 39 cents each.  I also take a picture of their school supply lists with my phone, that way when I run across a good sale I can make sure it is something they really need.

Don't be afraid to buy refurbished ipads or other electronics.  I have bought a refurbished ipod (going through ebates) and it works great.  I got a fantastic price and I could not tell it was not new.  It also came with a warranty.  The computer I am typing this was also refurbished.  We bought it 6 years ago and it is still going strong.

Check out your local thrift store and consignment shops.  I have found some great stuff in thrift stores.  If you remember in the spring I found this fantastic storage unit for my classroom for $20.  Score!!

This link will take you to my pinterest board dedicated to saving money!  Check it out! Keep your eye out for more Frugal Friday posts and more ways I save money as mom, teacher, and wife.

Frugal Friday: Groovebook (Get a free photo book!!)

Have you heard of Groovebook yet?  Either had I until I just happened on a post while blog hopping one day.  (I wish I could remember the blog I found it on!) Groovebook is a free app where you upload your photos from your iphone and they will send you up to 100 photos for free.  All you pay is the $2.99 shipping.  I was a little skeptical, but I was able to get my first book free  (I will tell you how shortly!).  These would be a great way to print out pictures that you take in your classroom.  If you order a full book with 100 photos, then it works out to about 3 cents per photo.   For a teacher on a budget, that is not a bad deal. 


Here is the book that I received.

The is what is on the back of each photo.

 

This is one of my photos.  The paper the photos are printed on is thinner then what would be “normal” photo paper. Each photo is also perforated so that I can easily take them out and frame them. (I am thinking of sending this to Grandma every few months so she has all of the pictures I take that she always wants me to print for her!) Sorry for the bad lighting!! The photo quality is better then what you can see here.

So this process was super easy! First download the Groovebook App.  After you register(They will ask for a credit card, I used a Visa gift card that I have), you will get to a screen that looks like this.  Click on review to see your pictures.

Click on each picture that you want to keep or delete.  If it has a green check it will be in your book, if it has a red x, it will not be in your book.  You can choose up to 100 photos. When your finished click on done.

You will go back to the Review/Upload Screen, click on upload.  The screen will now look like this.  It is uploading the pictures you have checked.

After you are finished uploading, you can go to the information screen and close your book or you can wait until your month is up and the app will automatically close the book for you. 

Make sure you check your photos before you monthly date, or the app will pick for you and send your book.  You will get a book every month unless you cancel your subscription. You can send multiple books per month ($2.99 shipping applies to each book) and you can include multiples of one picture (great for those field trip photos that you want to give to each student).

Ok, so now how to get your free book.  Just use the code below (ORSBORNE7).  Feel free to share with friends and family!   If you are having trouble with the app or like video tutorials better (We all have different styles of learning!!), there is a video on the Goovebook website that will walk you through it.

Frugal Friday: Reward/Cash Back Programs (Guest Post)

Since I have not done Frugal Friday in awhile I thought I would kick start it again with a guest blog post from my friend, Beth.  Beth has her own blog about frugal living, couponing, being a mom, and running.  She also has worked in the school setting as a Guidance Counselor so she knows how often teachers try to save money so that they are able to purchase more for their classrooms.   You can check out her blog at Frugal Running Mama. Enjoy!  ~Caitlin


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I LOVE to save money. And I love to earn money back on things I purchase. I've been a member of several different reward/cash back programs for awhile and I've found some I like and really trust.


  Shopkick: This is a fun app on my smart phone and I love it! You earn points for walking into certain stores, scanning specific items, and looking through what they call “look books”. You can redeem your points for gift cards to several different stores. You can also earn kicks if you register your debit card with the app. I don't usually do this, but my sister did it and loves the extra points she gets. Sometimes you get notifications of bonuses available for spending certain amounts, or with extra kicks for certain stores. It’s pretty easy to get kicks, especially if you go to the stores that get you kicks on a regular basis. I will normally have to wait a few days to get kicks for Target because I go there so  often. I can still earn for scans, but just not kicks for a few days. I think they limit the amount of kicks you can earn each week in each store. If you are having trouble getting an item to scan, or if it keeps saying the barcode doesn't match, take a photo of the item and the barcode and email it to customer service later. Normally they will credit you the kicks you missed out on and then they can update the item in the program so that it will scan better for other people. They are very nice and responsive when you are having trouble, so just shoot them an email with questions or concerns.

  Viggle: This is an app on my smartphone that I use when watching anything on television. It works on shows that you are watching on the live or on the DVR, but not Netflix or movies. If you are watching a prime time show at the time it is airing, you can sometimes do trivia and earn more points. The awards shows that are on a few times a year have a  lot of points for trivia! You open the app and “check in” by letting your phone listen to the television. Make sure there are no other noises- especially talking or crunching on snacks. Since I watch TV anyways, I might as well earn points doing it. You can also complete offers to earn more points, so I look through these every few weeks to see if there is anything I am interested in. They offer a wide variety of rewards, some things "sell out" but usually come back the next month. So if you don't see something you want, just wait a week or two and check again.

  SwagBucks: This is a rewards site where you earn points for all kinds of things! You can take surveys, search the internet, watch videos, play games…there are so many things  you can do! I use it as my everyday search engine for EVERYTHING. When I want to go to my email, I type the address in SwagBucks. There is an app where you can watch videos for points. It takes a few videos to get points, so it's something I do if I am bored, or I let my daughter watch the kid videos and earn points. You can earn all different gift cards with your points, I usually go for the $5 to Amazon or $5 to Starbucks.

  Ibotta: With this app, you buy certain products, and you earn cash back on them. You scan your receipt for the approved stores and when you get to $5, you can request payout via PayPal. Just recently they emailed me saying one of my store cards can be registered so I automatically earn cash back on qualifying purchases without having to upload a receipt. I check this app about once a week to see what I can earn. In order to earn the money, you have to do a few things for each item. Usually it's watch a video, share on Facebook or learn a fact. It only takes a few minutes to go through and decide which items you want and do the required actions.

  Receipt Hog: This is the newest one I was told about by a friend. After you shop, you take a picture of your receipt to be uploaded and you can earn money back. I just uploaded my first receipt and am waiting for it to process. I am hoping this one is a really good once since most of the items I buy are natural and there are no coupons or cash back options for many natural items. Right now, this is only available for iPhone but you can enter your email on the website to be alerted when it is available for other mobile devices. 

  Nexercise: You can earn points with this app for doing exercise. I am really bad at remembering to open this when I start a run, but my friend does it and I just set it to send me alerts when she starts, to remind me to use this one! You can earn gift cards and special coupons with this app.


Jingit: This app started out as an online earner, but now that I have a smart phone I have connected my account. When you earn money on this app, you can spend it at musicme.com or you can register to have them send you a Jingit Debit Card that you can use for purchases. You can earn money for watching videos, you can purchase items and get cash back on the app, scan items at stores. If you choose to have the debit card sent to you, they charge you $3.00 from what you earned for the card. This is a one time charge. There is also a fee if the card is inactive for 90 days. $2.00 will be deducted from your balance for inactivity. So, if you are going to use this app a lot, get the card and  use it often. It does require you to enter your SS# to get the card. This is offered through USBank, so it's up to you if you want to try this one or not. I currently have about $5 in my app and am waiting until I get more to apply for the card. I am also considering using it for music since I am always looking for new running music. You can download it through iTunes. I'm sure there are other apps out there that I will find soon, but for now, these are the ones that I am using to earn money/gift cards. What is your favorite way to earn?

Check out more of my writing at Frugal Running Mama! I write about living frugally, running and being a mom. 

 

Latest (cheap) find!!

I love going to garage sales and thrift stores. I have been sharing this love with my boys so now they get to go with me on Saturday mornings. I was so super excited a few weeks ago when I found this cabinet. I paid $20 for it. Now it is sitting in my classroom waiting to be put in to its place for next year.

 I have also had some really good luck with the Dollar Tree lately. If you a Facebook follower then you probably saw the picture of the Birthday Chair cover. A few days ago I found these letter magnets that I plan to use with a cookie sheet for a word box.











 I have also found some cute dry erase books that the kids can have in their work drawer to practice handwriting, matching, colors, etc.
















Another cool find was the Alphabet Dominoes. I laminated them for some additional durability.  The kids have already played this game with success and enjoyment.

  My last find was practice sheet.  Sets of 30 different sheets to practice a variety of skills and get this, they are reproducible!!!   It states it right on the bottom of each sheet.  I figured for  $1, I couldn't pass this up.

If you are looking for more tasks I have a pinterest board dedicated to them or check out the others I have posted on the blog by going here!

Frugal Friday: Teacher Discounts

Happy March!  In my continued attempt to help you find gold at the end of the rainbow, here is another list of teacher discounts.  Most recently I have used my teachers discount at AC Moore.  It is super easy there; all you need to do is show your teacher id and you get 15% off of EVERYTHING!! 

Just in case you did not know, I have a pinterest board dedicated to helping save money.  It is one of my newer boards, but I keep adding to it.  You can find it by clicking here! 

 Have you received a teacher's discount anywhere recently?

Frugal Friday: Loan Forgiveness

I ran across this post last week and thought some of you may be able to use it. HoJo over at HoJo's Teaching Adventure recently wrote a post about Student Loan Forgiveness. She goes through the process and helps you get to the websites you need.   She also shows you how much she saved.  So head on over to HoJo's Teaching Adventures and check out the post to see if you can save some money!

Frugal Friday: Inbox Dollars

I have decided to keep going with the Frugal Friday Posts. I hope some of you find them useful. As teachers we often work 2nd jobs to help supplement our families incomes. My hope is that some of this information will enable you to spend more time with your families and less time working. If there is anything in particular that you have a questions about just ask. If I dont' know the answer I have a few contacts at other blogs that may. Ok, so on to Inbox Dollars.

 Inbox Dollars is a site that pays members to read emails, take surveys online, play games, and go shopping! You can earn gift cards or money to your paypal account. (I use this money to pay for everything I buy on Teachers Pay Teachers!) If you a new to Inbox Dollars right now they are offering a $5 bonus

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Frugal Friday: TPT SALE!!!

Just in case you haven't heard, TPT is having a sale on Super Bowl Sunday. In honor of Groundhogs Day and the Superbowl (49ers fan here!) I have decided to put my store on sale for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. However, if you want a great deal make sure you shop on Sunday and use the promo code SUPER. So go fill up your wish list and get ready to save some money!!

I think I may even post some new products tonight and tomorrow.  Be sure to swing by my store and check them out!

Frugal Friday: The Websites that Lead to Savings (of Both Time & Money)

Today's Frugal Friday Post is by Steven Daar. Steven runs the Teachers Retirement Help blog where he writes about a variety of topics that can help teachers: save more, get out of debt, protect their retirement, automate their finances, etc in addition to posting interesting or entertaining content to break up the finance monotony.

I’m excited to be a part of Frugal Friday. I want to introduce you to two websites (well, I’m sure you’ve heard of one of them before) that can save you a lot of time & money.

The first one is a little known website called Amazon.com. I’d guess you’ve bought something (or many things!) from Amazon before but you may not have used the site to buy things like clothing or grocery items. What makes Amazon a great resource for clothing and groceries is that they don’t directly sell these items from an inventory. Instead, they are aggregators.

That means many sources selling the same item put their goods up for sale on Amazon and (assuming all of the sources have the exactly same quality good) all the price comparison is done for you.

When it comes to grocery items, Amazon works best for things like: toilet paper, soap, toiletries, cereal bars, vitamins, and a host of other things that generally are non-perishable or have a long shelf life.





My suggestion would be to keep your receipt after your next trip to the grocery store and then head to
Amazon and price compare your grocery store’s prices to what you can get at Amazon.

It isn’t uncommon to save $50 by completing a large portion of your grocery/toiletry shopping on
Amazon as opposed to at the store. The bonus is that these items are going to be delivered to your door for less money.

The second is not necessarily a website, but if you Google: [your city or town] Community Supported
Agriculture (referred to as a CSA), you will see if there is a CSA option in your local area.

Here’s the deal with a CSA:

If you buy produce (I’m looking at you…yes you), then you either buy packaged/processed produce or you buy fresh produce. Fresh produce (especially fresh organic produce) can be pricey and will spoil relatively quickly, requiring frequent trips to the store.

If you sign up for a CSA box, you eliminate these problems. You can get a box of just-picked, local, and organic produce delivered to your home AND it is likely to be less expensive than what you’d pay at a grocery store or a farmer’s market.

How is it possible for a superior product to be delivered to you for less money? Compared to grocery
stores, there is no store overhead with CSA boxes. Compared to a farmer’s market, the farmer knows he has a guaranteed customer in you. Therefore, any preliminary price hikes to hedge against a slow day at the farmer’s market isn’t necessary.

CSA boxes may be more expensive than processed produce or produce heavily treated with chemicals, but it is unlikely you will find a better (or more convenient) deal on organic produce

The only step left now is to enjoy all the extra time and money you now have!

You can get Steve’s Enriched Teacher Guide here for free. That guide has 5 great money saving tips just for teachers that will help you save large amounts of money with little amounts of effort.

Frugal Friday: Teacher's Discounts

Hello!!! Yes I am still here! I have been working hard on setting up my classroom, but it is still a mess. I thought this might be a great time of year to share some of the places where I get teacher discounts. I hope this helps you out as your are setting up your room and beginning your school year! Ones I have personally used are: JoAnn Crafts (15%), A.C. Moore (I think 15%), Verizon (discount on my bill with school email), Staples, Office Max, Office Depot and Barnes & Noble. This is a huge list of discounts. Some I didn't know about until I looked at this list today. Click here to check out Gift Card Granny.
 Here are some other lists I found:

•  My Education Discount  
• NEA Member Benefits 
•  The Frugal Girls
• Teach For America

 

Frugal Friday: Ipad Apps!!

Well, I decided to hop back on the Frugal Friday series. The past two weeks have been crazy with running back and forth between here and NJ/PA.

 Today I wanted to tell you how I get some awesome free apps. The first place that is a fantastic resource is Smart Apps for Kids. There is a free app of the day (I get an email each day to tell me about this so I never miss out!) and there is also a list of the top 100 free apps There are also reviews for all of the apps which I find really helpful.

Another page I will check out for Apps is A4cwsn.  There is a Facebook page and a Blog.   On the blog you can find app reviews, including video reviews.  On the facebook page there are often giveaways and lots of conversation.

I also belong to a few groups on Facebook that I find extremely helpful. Often developers will want teachers to try out their apps and will give you a code to get it for free. I have gotten a lot of great apps this way and will be posting some reviews soon. Here are the groups I belong to:
iteachspecialeducation
 App Co-op for Special Needs Population 
Educational App Talk.

How do you find free apps or apps to use in the classroom?