$107 FREE Money!

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, ING (an online bank) had a great promo going on.  If you opened an account during the specified time, and then made 5 debit card purchases within 45 days, they would deposit $107 into your account.  There was nothing to lose.  My money had to sit somewhere and I paid by debit card anyway, so I signed up.  My deposit was minimal - just enough to cover 5 small charges.  Then, I waited.  


I checked the account today - deposit was made!


So, I received $107 for about 3 minutes of my time - not a bad return!


Now, what to do with the money?


Well, I could do many things with it - remodeling account, emergency savings account, pay off a bill, splurge on myself, BUT...remember my 'found money' challenge?  Any 'found' or 'free' money goes to my Gifts on the Sly account to cover birthday gifts for the year.


Yep, that's where this will go.  Thinking about it, I believe that's what this account will be used for.  That way, I can deposit the change and not carry it around.  Speaking of...I need to go update the amount in that account with a few recent 'finds.'

Found Money! Starting Small - My results and a challenge to me!

Okay, I still have a few places to hit - like my purse and the car.  I'm not hitting those yet as I would get sidetracked cleaning those things completely out and I want to stay focused on the few tasks I've already given myself.  So, I hit my room and grabbed the jar of coins I've had sitting on my windowsill since summer.  I took a few months and paid cash for most everything.  This jar is the result of the change from those months.  Are you ready for the total?
.....
.......
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$43.86!

My brain had already decided what to do with the money, so here it is.  I am removing the 'gifts' category from my spending plan for 2012.  I will start paying cash for certain things again and use the change to fund this category.  I have another thing or two to help fund it, but that's for a different post :)  This will be no small challenge as this category covers birthdays for my daughter, her husband, my son and my grandsons!  Right now, it covers only birthdays (Christmas is a separate category in my spending plan), but still no small challenge!

Now I need a catchy name for my challenge so I can update along the way!  Any suggestions?

Found Money! Starting small...

Got a challenge for ya...are you up to it?  Since I am not feeling 100% today and my brain is moving full steam ahead while my body lags behind, I'm throwing in a little bit of 'money, honey' with the house cleaning.  Grab all that loose change from around the house - you know where to look - on the dryer, on the dresser, up on the TV, in your purse...deep down in the bottom with the purse dust bunnies, in your husband's pockets - I mean, come on, like he's actually going to spend the change!

Now, count it!  Have kids?  Get them to help you - they need these lessons as well!  CHANGE IS MONEY!

Once it is counted, decide what you are going to do with it.  There are endless options:
~save it for tooth fairy visits
~rainy day hide and seek for the kids
~take it to the change machine and turn it in for a gift card (most don't charge fees if you do it that route)
~pay down a credit card
~treat everyone to ice cream this weekend
~use it to start your emergency savings

You get the idea!  Be creative and don't leave the change out of your money plans!

I'm off to do the challenge myself...

Found Money!

Men...Have you ever reached into your pocket and pulled out a $5 bill you didn't know was in there?
Ladies...Have you ever cleaned out a pocket before throwing things into the washing machine and found some cash instead of crayons?

Remember the "oh, cool" feeling?  Then the next thought was "oh, what can I spend this on?"


Well, that's what I'm talking about here!  FOUND money!  


Of course, to "find" extra money, you could sell things, play the lottery, inherit a large sum from a long lost relative or work an extra job.  


Now I don't know about you, but here are my thoughts on that above statement:
~I am NOT holding a garage sale!
~I like knowing my odds, so I don't play the lottery!
~Even if I had a long lost relative kick the bucket, the chances of them being rich and knowing who I am would be slim to none!
~I'm a single parent and already work a full-time salaried job.  A second job just isn't going to happen!


So, my quest is to FIND money and re-direct it!  It may sound a bit strange, but I love the challenge of this!  It can be frustrating at times and darn near impossible at others, but employ a bit of creativity and see where it leads!


This is the method I used last time around when I paid off 2 car loans, 2 credit cards and socked away an emergency fund and all the money I just spent on the current remodeling project.  No second job, just determination and creativity!


Of course, no two situations are identical and, even in my own household, no two times are alike.  I'm ready to see what this time brings about!


Are you with me?


...better hurry, my brain keeps jumping ahead of me

FREE Gift Cards - My Points

If you haven't already joined, check out www.mypoints.com! I don't get any credit when you do as I'm not linking my e-mail in here. However, I can verify this site DOES give what it says it will. Earn points for e-mails read and earn free gift cards in return. Each e-mail read is usually worth 5 points. Gift cards start at around 1500 points. It may sound like a lot, but it isn't hard or time consuming. I've earned many gift cards over the past few years and am ready for another year of using their program to stretch my budget! Of course, the e-mails have offers - from taking a survey to getting a free quote to shopping for extra points. You do not have to take any of the offers! It is definitely worth checking out.