Saving To Pay Down My Home

Swagbucks 5 prize limit decoded!

2009-11-08T13:30:00.003-06:00

I saw the post on Krystal's blog that you can only redeem your Swagbucks for 5 prizes per month. Since I ordered two prizes in September ($10 total in Amazon gift certificates) and 3 in October ($15 total), I don't think I will hit the maximum limit if I only redeem for Amazon gift certificates.

However, I thought that I might have to avoid the smaller point prizes. I just noticed that you can download songs for varying amounts of Swagbucks (1-20/song), and I was considering downloading Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy" to add to my running playlist.

I went to the Swagbucks blog to get to the bottom of this fiasco!

Each prize now has a 5 order per calendar month limit per person. That doesn't mean that you can only get 5 prizes per month, it just means you can only get the same prize 5 times per month.

I can handle only getting $25 in Amazon gift certificates per month (higher $$ gift cards are offered, but the rate isn't as good as the $5). I might start redeeming my Swagbucks for Christmas gifts (books for Mom, poster for my sister, etc.).

While I am disappointed there is a limit on the number of $5 Amazon gift certificates I can redeem, I'll have to get a little more creative with my Swagbucks usage if I find a way to get at TON one month :)

I <3 Swagbucks!

2009-11-07T07:55:00.001-06:00

I earned another $5 gift certificate through Swagbucks yesterday. I'm working back up to my pre-book order Amazon gift card total!

I also need to think about saving up for my books next semester!

I've had a few readers ask about how I earn my Swagbucks. As far as I can tell, I just earn them when I search. I have changed the search engine in the upper right hand corner of my browser to swagbucks, so I use swagbucks every time I search. I don't think I search for things an abnormal amount, but I don't really have a good answer to how many searches I do per day.

Away on business...

2009-11-06T07:51:00.000-06:00

My title makes me sound like an adult! I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with that or not.

I'm in Miami for a few days for school. I traveled alone, but I know a few people in the area. I really like my hotel. I thought I would be more productive here, but that hasn't happened yet. I have a hard time working on my thesis when there is a TV with cable in my room!

Yesterday I completed about 2 hours of work total. I will have this afternoon off, so I hope to get a little bit of work done. I will try to write tomorrow morning and on my flight home.

I need to have my thesis finished in a week, so I'm definitely feeling the pressure!

Working on getting back to where I was...

2009-10-31T17:09:00.002-05:00

I just redeemed 45 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate. I've been busy with school, so I haven't had time to fill out surveys, but I'm able to search with swagbucks with zero effort. I have to do the searches anyway, so it's great that I'm able to earn a few dollars to pay for my books (and to put toward an iPod).

This $5 gift card will bring my total back up to $30 in Amazon gift cards. I still have $40 in cash from MySurvey. I need an additional $70 in order to buy the new iPod nano (5th generation with a pausable radio and video camera).

iPod Savings Setback

2009-10-31T03:05:00.002-05:00

I redeemed about $25 of my Amazon giftcards that I earned through Swagbucks. I needed to purchase a textbook that I forgot to purchase at the beginning of the semester. I thought my textbook was more important than a new iPod, so I'll just have to wait a little bit longer.

I currently have $25 in Amazon gift cards and $40 in cash (earned through MySurvey) saved up for a new iPod nano (5th generation, in blue).

Travel Expenses!

2009-10-30T08:26:00.002-05:00

My travel fund took a hit when I bought my ticket home for Christmas (~$450) last week. I also need to renew my passport--$75 fee + $9 for pictures. In order to keep costs down, I redeemed 10,000 miles to save $100 on my flight to Boston. The ticket still was $200.

This will bring my travel fund to around $450. Since I have all of my travel planned and paid for through 2009, I am happy with the amount of money left in my travel fund. I am going to switch my focus to saving for Christmas gifts for my family.

Cancelled Netflix

2009-10-29T13:16:00.002-05:00

I canceled my Netflix subscription yesterday. I've been too busy to watch any of the movies that I rented. It's only $10/month, but if I'm not using the service it's not worth the money. I will probably pick up the service again in February when my workload becomes more manageable.

I'm working on cutting down expenses. Netflix was the first thing to go, but I plan on limiting and cutting out quite a few other things in the next few weeks.

Getting Closer!

2009-10-29T09:12:00.004-05:00

I'm getting closer to getting the iPod! I just ordered another $10 check through MySurvey. This brings the cash to $40 and $50 in Amazon giftcards. I need to save another $50 before I can buy a new iPod nano.

If anyone is keeping track, I have made a total of $510 through MySurvey.

Another gift card!

2009-10-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

I'm getting closer to my iPod dream...I redeemed my swagbucks for another $5 Amazon gift card!

If you can't tell, I love Swagbucks! I set it as my primary search engine for my browser, and I'm getting gift cards for doing what I would anyway!

Drowning!

2009-10-25T10:20:00.003-05:00

Recently I've been feeling overwhelmed with work. Last night, I stayed up until 2 a.m. working on homework, research, and other school related things. I feel like I can't get caught up!

I know that I need to buckle down and do it...but I can't stop freaking out about the amount of work that I have to finish.

Calling all Entrepreneurs

2009-10-24T11:03:00.003-05:00

British Airways has an amazing opportunity to win a Business Opportunity Grant. If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, or inventor; this essay contest is something that you should check out!

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, having a face-to-face meeting improves the relationship with the client and helps to increase your earnings. With this in mind, British Airways is launching a new campaign for business travel. To kick off the campaign, British Airways is offering an amazing opportunities to small businesses. Even in the recession, it is important to maintain solid client relationships. British Airways is working on making that an easy thing to do.

What can you win? British Airways is offering companies 10 round-trip Club World business class flights, 5 free British Airways Cargo freight shipment of up to 500 kilos to worldwide destinations, $1000 towards accomodations at Courtyard by Marriott, 5 Regus Businessworld Gold Cards providing access to business lounges worldwide, and a Canon PIXMA MX860 Wireless Office All-In-One Printer.

Why would you want to enter? This gives a company a way to grow their business and increase their client relationships with minimal cost. It also is a great way to get that start-up going, launch a new idea, and make your dreams happen!

What do you need to do to enter? Visit British Airways page on the Business Opportunity Grant.

Unexpected check...

2009-10-24T10:31:00.000-05:00

I received a refund from a vision appointment that I had in March. There was no explanation, just a $35 check. I plan on adding the money to my gift fund because it could really use some help before I start purchasing Christmas gifts!

I love unexpected money!

Christmas Gifts

2009-10-23T07:29:00.002-05:00

Since my budget is limited for Christmas gifts this year, I'm going to have to be a little more creative than I have in the past.

Dad - T-shirt from my school. He's wanted one for a while. I purchased it with a rebate from purchasing my books. I'm also looking to get him a book or something.
Mom - I'm thinking about getting her a framed picture from Sister 1's wedding. We haven't had a family picture taken in a while, so I thought it would be something different.
Sister 1 - ?
Sister 2 - ?
Sister 1's husband - ?
Grandma - ?
Boyfriend - ?

Any creative ideas?

Update - Sense To Dollars asked me about my family's hobbies in order to give better recommendations.

My dad is really into sports...

and so is my sister's husband. My sister's husband also really likes video games. I gave him one of the Call of Duty games last year.

Sister 1 runs a little bit, has a golden retriever, and is just starting to cook. She's also trying to become more frugal, which is awesome!

Sister 2 is still in college...and I think she really just likes to party.

Grandma likes to cook and clean. She still lives alone and maintains almost an acre of property. She is coming down south for the winter, so I could get her something (a ticket, a gift certificate, etc) to a place down here.

Mom always asks for the most boring things. This year she asked for hand towels (sister 1 already bought them). In the past I have purchased skin care products (masks, moisturizers, etc), underwear (yep, we switched my mom out of grannie panties), and books (she LOVES to read). I would normally buy her a book, but she reads SO much it is impossible to know what she's read.

Spending Money...

2009-10-22T16:21:00.002-05:00

I made two large purchases today. My car insurance for the next 6 months is paid (~$390). I also purchased my plane ticket to go home over Christmas (~$450).

I used my new Delta card to purchase the ticket, but I opted to fly Southwest. The Southwest ticket was a little over $100 less and I don't have to pay to check my luggage. For most trips, I suck it up and pack only carry-on luggage. For Christmas I have to be realistic. My mother will go overboard on gifts (as she does every year), so I will definitely need a large suitcase to carry home my new wardrobe.

In the next few weeks,

I will also purchase an additional plane ticket to visit friends on the east coast. I hope to spend less than $300 on the flight because the trip will be far enough away from the holidays (in between Thanksgiving and Christmas) to be affected by the holiday ticket spikes.
New running shoes, ~$90
Brake repair, ~$500
Christmas gifts - I'm trying to be inventive, but I'm not having much luck.

Lusting after...

2009-10-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

Oh Kindle DX! I want you so much!

With it's current price tag there isn't a chance that I would buy it...but it's fun to look at...

BF out...CC in...

2009-10-22T09:36:00.003-05:00

The BF and I had a great visit, but he's gone now. I won't get to see him until next month! I have to admit that I have a ton of things to do now that he's gone. Since I completed a lot of work before his visit; I'm not behind but I do have a lot to accomplish today, tomorrow and this weekend.

In other news, I opened a Delta credit card (post about considering it). I usually fly Northwest and Delta purchased Northwest...so I thought it would be a good way to get a few free flights and a more practical card. I currently use Discover, but Discover isn't accepted everywhere and use my debit card.

Another $5 Giftcard!

2009-10-20T14:35:00.001-05:00

I earned another $5 Amazon gift card through Swagbucks. This brings my total Amazon gift cards to $50 and $30 from surveys...getting closer to that iPod!

Stress induced spending...

2009-10-17T04:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about shopping sprees. I'm referring to the items that I've had to purchase because my body is freaking out on me!

My skin has been extremely erradic. I've spent money on products for acne because I'm breaking out. I've also started to get little dry patches on my body and face, so I've been using more moisturizers. My skin has also been extremely irritable. I need to purchase some sort of calming product (any recommendations?).

I've also been too busy to go to the grocery store, so I had my groceries delivered (cost $35). I also ate at Wendy's last night because it took less than 5 minutes on my drive home (cost $3).

However, the amount of money that I've saved by not having a life has been insane! I have sold 2 football tickets (total income $60). I also am not going to the game this weekend, which is out of town ($50 for ticket + $100 for hotel + ? food/drinks). I also haven't been able to get additional drinks with friends ($20 for the last few weekends).

The BF has arrived...

2009-10-16T07:46:00.002-05:00

...not yet, but he will in a few hours!

In order to stop freaking out (read yesterday's post), I decided that I needed to prioritize and attack.

Finished or decided to wait:

I've decided that I will put off grocery shopping until he's in town (Thanks Anonymous).
While at the gas station filling up my car, I put all of the stuff to go inside my condo into a plastic bag and threw away all of the garbage that I've acquired.
I cleaned my kitchen instead of eating lunch (which I supplemented with 3 donuts).
I cleaned my sink and counter while brushing my teeth.

Need to finish:

Clean living room and bedroom.
Change sheets - I did wash a set.
Clean shower. I will scrub it down while conditioning my hair.

I also have a lot of work to do, but I have accomplished quite a bit. I've created the majority of the slides for one of my talks. I still need to create the second talk, but it's based on my research so it will be much easier. I also have my homework for next week completed. However, I'm still behind on writing my thesis. I currently have 25 pages written. I don't know how much I will be able to complete while my bf is in town, but I plan on spending the weekend after he leaves writing!

So much work...and a visitor...

2009-10-15T10:10:00.003-05:00

Recently I've been overwhelmed with writing my thesis, keeping up with my research project, and my classes. I also have a lot of travel scheduled for the next month. This leaves me with a ton of things on my plate. I'm happy to see my bf, but he's going to be here for a week...so I'm a little concerned about trying to keep up with my work while amusing him.

I also have a ton of things to do before his arrival tomorrow morning. I need to clean my condo (it's REALLY messy), change my sheets, clean out my car, and go to the grocery store (I have NO food). These are just things to prepare for his visit, not the long list of things that I need to accomplish for school/research/thesis.

The plans for this visit were made back in August, so I can't pretend that this is sneaking up on me. I've been trying to get a lot done to prepare for this visit, but I can't seem to get ahead.

What to wear? Part II

2009-10-13T12:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks for all of the great feedback from my post yesterday. I have the best readers EVER! I have so much to think about.

Good News

I totally forgot about a pair of black kitten heels that I own, so I don't need to purchase any new shoes!
A lot of commenters pointed out that I could just buy individual pieces from a store. I have a skirt that could possibly match a blazer (it's from a suit set from the Limited).
Even though some commenters don't like my button down shirts (Little Miss Moneybags used the term masculine), I still plan on wearing a few of them with my gray wool pants (on the days I don't have to present) at the conference.
I do have a few items that would look nice under a suit (that aren't button down shirts).

Bad News

Dog made an excellent point about a skirt suit set. Since I live in Texas, a black suit (boring, but versatile) will be a year round option. However, I need to acquire a blazer.
I don't have any dresses that would look appropriate under a blazer.

For this conference, I've decided that I'm only going to look into buying a skirt suit. In a perfect world, I would be able to find something to match my black skirt and only buy a blazer. I'll keep you guys posted (and I will shop with the skirt in hand).

I <3 Swagbucks!

2009-10-12T21:50:00.001-05:00

I earned another $5 Amazon gift certificate through Swagbucks to put toward my new iPod. I have $45 in Amazon gift certificates and $30 in cash...$65 to go!

What to wear to present at a conference?

2009-10-12T08:03:00.000-05:00

In the next two months, I have to give four presentations--1 at a departmental seminar, 2 at other universities (travel required), and my main presentation is at a conference. I've been trying to figure out what to wear for a few weeks. I've decided to wear a button down shirt or a twinset, a black skirt, and black flats for my three university presentations.

I've been stumped about what to wear to the conference (for four days) and to my presentation. I found an article written by Plonkee about what to wear to a 3 day business conference. She and all of the commenters agreed that a suit is necessary for the presentation. I don't own a suit, so I will probably have to buy one for the conference (in the middle of November). Here is a list of items I do own:

Bottoms

Straight black skirt
Gray wool pants

Tops

Dark red twinset
Button down shirts--yellow, blush, and light pink
Black Cardigan

Shoes

Black Flats - extremely uncomfortable. Look extremely bizarre with skirts.
Brown Flats
Black heels - way too high to wear to a conference

Since I am staying in the conference hotel, I won't worry about my outerwear. I will wear my only winter coat (conference in DC and I live in Texas).

Looking at the list of items I own that are acceptable to wear to a conference is eye-opening. Since I normally wear a solid colored shirt (t-shirt or polo shirt) with jeans to classes, I really don't have anything to wear to this conference.

Items I need to purchase

Suit - preferably black. Should I buy a skirt or pant suit?
Black flats - can wear with skirt or pants.

If you have any advice about what I should wear, please leave a comment. I'm really nervous about this conference and my presentation, so any advice would be helpful.

If you build it, they will come...

2009-10-11T07:58:00.003-05:00

After selling my football ticket and spending the day in my office, I ended up getting a fair amount of work done yesterday. I didn't get as much as I wanted finished, but I definitely hit a wall. I decided to go home and try to finish up things on Sunday.

I plan on going back to my office this afternoon (after yoga) to work on a few more things that I didn't finish. This week is going to be extremely busy with activities, but I need to get a lot of work done as well. I am going to have to manage my time much better than I have been recently.

I even goggled "tons of homework." I was brought to an unhelpful page about how to deal with tons of homework, but I guess I can't hit a button and be magically more productive.

Full day of work!

2009-10-10T11:42:00.001-05:00

I've decided to sacrifice my weekend to work. I'm sitting down in my office, which is totally vacant, and don't plan on leaving until I get a set amount of work finished. I put food down in the fridge for breaks, but I'm staying in the building until I reach my goal for today. Tomorrow afternoon will have a similar tone, but I'm not going to try to get as much done.

Wish me luck!