instaGC

This little gem I am going to reveal to you today is not for the faint of hearts.  But it does work.  I have cashed in 6 gift cards already.  And it is relatively easy to use and earn.  In fact, you can cash out with as little as $1.  The best part, 100 points equals $1 and you can very quickly get to that 100 marker.

Now for the kicker:  to do this particular site and succeed you will want several email accounts.  You will want to check those email accounts from time to time, especially since many of the "tasks" or "offers" require you to confirm before crediting.

Yes, you are basically signing up to receive junk emails.  So be sure to read the fine print and be sure the "offers" you are signing up you are aware of what they are going to do.  Most will just send junk mail, but some will also call you.

Another thing to consider are the downloads.  If you decide to gain points via the downloads you will want to get a good antivirus program on your computer as well as Sandboxie (they have a link for this in their guide) or Shadow Defender.  I don't do the downloads myself, but that's because I have a Macbook (none of those Sandboxie or Shadow Defenders work on Apple) and most of the downloads are computer games, which I don't play.

Now that the secret is out, if you feel that this is something you can live with and are looking for a way to boost your gift card balances, head over to instaGC.  And when I say gift cards, I mean gift cards.  They have a HUGE array of gift cards to choose from.  To date, the sites I have been working with to help cushion the birthday and Christmas season for this year, instaGC has the biggest selection of gift cards.

Gift Cards include:
**Aeropostle
**Amazon
**Bed Bath & Beyond
**Barnes & Noble
**Best Buy
**Buffalo Wild Wings
**Coldstone Creamery
**Etsy
**Google Play
**iTunes
**Kmart
**Old Navy
**Shutterfly
**Starbucks
**Tim Horton's

and a lot more.   They are continuously adding more and more companies, many, like I said, you can cash out with as little as $1.  Or, set a goal for one of the bigger amounts they offer and watch your progress.

When I first started I was about the instant gratification, so I would cash out for the $1-$5 Amazon gift cards.  I like to stick to Amazon because their gift card balance never expires, so I can just keep adding and adding to it, and I can get almost anything that my family needs from Amazon.  But we are also working on getting the kids their own tablets this year, so I will also be working on some iTunes money as well to pay for the apps since many of the good phonics apps and such (as well as the games, cause they need some fun stuff too :) ) cost money.  Now I am at the point where I have seen it work, so now I set my goal for the highest gift card they have available and give myself a month to earn that.

You will NOT get rich off of this.  It takes time and patience.  My best advice if you sign up for instaGC:  Read the guide before you even start, read the chat box as many of the other members will be extremely helpful as well.  There is also a ticker that tells you what many members are gaining points on.  Have at least 2-3 email accounts just for the tasks and offers you do, go slow.  Many offers you need to fill out the first page and let it sit for 5 minutes before submitting and slowly moving on through the remainder pages (sometimes you won't even need to go any further).  Never submit an offer on the instaGC page until AFTER it credits.  If it doesn't credit after at least an hour, close it out; this gives you the opportunity to attempt the offer again later.  If you submit it before it credits, it will sit in your account as pending for up to 4 days.  Not only will it likely not credit to your account (it may, but it is rare for it to do so), you will not have the opportunity to try again while it sits in your pending folder.  So, close out, do not submit.  Now, if it credits to your account, go ahead and click that submit button.

Again, remember, nothing here, whether it is through instaGC or any other site I post about, is going to make you rich.  But it may help cushion some of those little things we all look forward to, like birthday's and Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate.

And, remember, just roll with it.  If it doesn't credit, move on.  Enjoy!!!

Influenster

Influenster is probably one of my favorites so far as a way to help out with the little things.  You won't make any money off of this site.  But, you will get free items to try out.  And when I say items to try out, I'm not talking these mini little sample products that barely have enough to give you a taste of what the product actually is, and then you're expected to review it.  I mean, full on products, full sized.

And yes, you will need to follow some simple tasks.  But those tasks put you up to win other prizes during your VoxBox (that's what it is called when you get picked to try out some of the samples they have).  I mean, I guess you could get your first VoxBox and use the samples and never do anything with the tasks.  But, then you open yourself up to never getting picked again to try out the products.

My first VoxBox included a bottle of Resource Water, a single packet of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick & Lip Liner, Puffs Soft Pack Tissue, Jergens Ultra Healing Lotion, and Hair Food Hair Mask.  Now, keep in mind, with the exception of the Swiss Miss packet, all of these items were full sized items, not trial sized.

My second VoxBox actually just came in as well.  It contained only one single item, but again was a full sized product, not a trial sized product.  It is for the Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread.  Similar to the Nutella Spread concept, but by Reese's.

Once you get approved for these VoxBox's and receive them, you log them in as being received.  After that you have some tasks to accomplish.  These tasks vary with the VoxBox and even vary with the products where you can do individual tasks for each product to get product badges as well.  Doing these tasks puts you into a drawing for various prizes.  I haven't quite won one of these drawings yet.

But, I do still love this site.  Why?  Because you are getting to try full sized products for free.

Here's the caveat to this site.  I joined in August of 2014.  No real idea how it worked.  So I waited and waited for products to try.  After about a month of not getting any invitations, I started searching the site and reviewing some products that they had listed and I have already tried.  I posted a few negatives for items that my family has tried and didn't like as well as reviews for products that we loved.  I reviewed food and movie items, but you can review all kinds of products.  Just search for a product.

After I posted about 4 reviews, I got a survey to see if I qualified for a VoxBox.  In early November I received my first VoxBox.  So, I'm not sure if doing the reviews earlier when I first set up my account would have gotten me a VoxBox earlier or not.  They do send them out based on your profile though.  So you won't get every single VoxBox they are doing, but you will get some.  My suggestion is to go in and start being active writing reviews.  It may help get you invitations for a VoxBox sooner rather than later.

Best of all, it's free to sign up.  The more you link, the bigger your social impact, which also can help the types of VoxBoxes you get to try.

You can sign up for Influenster here:  www.influenster.com/r/807661

A New Year

I'm not super great at starting blogs and sticking with them.  I could blame it on the fact that I have a chaotic life.  And I do.  As a mom to three young kids, even as a SAHM, I'm always on the run.  But, then, there are so many just like me...multiple children and always on the run, and they STILL manage a blog, lol.  So, really, it just basically boils down to I just procrastinate and then forget about it completely.

But it is now 2015!!!  A new year.  And so it's time to start a new direction.  A new resolution.

And as a SAHM I have many resolutions this year that involve finances.  In fact, many of you likely have similar financial resolutions, whether you are a SAHM, Homemaker, or WOHM, and everything in between.

With one income coming in, we clearly do not have a lot of cash flow.  Things are tight, as it is with many across the country.  So, this year I have resolved to find new ways to help my family out.  And there are many, hundreds even, of other blogs that tout the same things.  But, this, this is for me.  Well, and you too, but mainly for me.  For a way for me to keep track of what I have tried and what works.

And yes, I will link the things I am trying.  Many of them will be referral links.  And, yes, as referral links go, if you click on it, it will help my bottom dollar as well.  But, the main focus of this blog will not be to really line my bottom dollar, but more rate and review those sites that are supposed to help line everyone's bottom dollar.

The caveat here is that all of these are going to be survey sites, sample sites, or offer sites.  So you WILL NOT get rich off of these.  In fact, if you work, don't quit your day job.  The fact is, while they may help a little bit, they will never be able to replace an income.  But, if you are already on one income, or you resolve to stay on two incomes, these just may help push you a little further along to making ends meet in one way or the other.

So with that...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  Bring on 2015!!