Get Free Gift Cards for taking surveys on Swagbucks

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing.



If you're looking for a way to earn a little extra for your budget, taking Surveys on Swagbucks can be a great way to go. It's really simple: You sign up, confirm your email address, and then use the Gold Survey Dashboard to see what surveys are currently available. For each survey, you'll see approximately how long it takes to complete, and how many SB points you'll get when you complete it. You can rack up lots of SB points quickly, and then redeem those SB for free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, and PayPal!

You can fill out a survey profile and then answer additional questions that will help Swagbucks deliver surveys that you're more likely to complete. You get 2 SB for every 10 questions you answer!

For even more SB opportunities, you can click the Peanut Labs surveys tab and choose from any one of these survey options. You can also download the Swagbucks app for iOS and Android and take surveys right from your phone, no matter where you are!

Swagbucks actually works.  I have earned almost $900 from Swagbucks and have redeemed for numerous Amazon.com gift cards and also paypal.  The more active I am, the more SB I earn!

Earn more SB - Swag Slopes Team Challenge (US)

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing.



Here's another fun team challenge to help you earn SB from Swagbucks! For those of you who don't know what Swagbucks is, it's a website where you can earn cash back on everyday tasks you do online.

Swagbucks wants you to join in the fun! Pack your warmest snow gear and pre-register today! The Swag Slopes Team Challenge begins Monday, January 23rd.

All members who participate and contribute at least 400 points to their team’s total will receive a SB bonus in the form of a SB Swag Up Rebate! Members of the 1st place team will receive a 50 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 2nd place team will receive a 25 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 3rd place team will receive a 10 SB Swag Up Rebate. Swag Up Rebate will be made available by 5pm PT on Friday, January 27th and will expire on Sunday, February 12th at 11:59pm PT

Dental Deep Cleaning

What a week I have had!  Chefy and I have not had dental insurance since he got laid off from his previous job five years ago.  His new job does not offer dental insurance and their health policy is so expensive we cannot afford it.  So we have been without any insurance for 5 long years.  When Chefy went into the hospital last year with sepsis, the intake person at the hospital filed to see if we could get medicaid.  Because of his hospital bills, we were able to get it and we have it until March.  We were asked numerous times why we didn't get Obama Care, and the fact is, we could not come close to affording it.  What few people realized is that some states expanded their medicaid to take in the people who fell between the Obama Care guidelines and the normal medicaid standards.  Well, as much as I love my NC home, North Carolina decided NOT to expand their medicaid program, so we were out of luck.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome and I was told that it could effect my gums and cause mouth sores and irritations.  It did!  Since we had no insurance, I could not get my teeth checked but when we started getting medicaid, my physician recommended that I go to the dentist.  (I had no idea that medicaid in NC covered dental visits!)  So, back in November, I went to the dentist.  I had one cavity which they filled and they told me that my Sjogrens was causing issues with my gums and that I needed to come back for a deep cleaning.  Medicaid approved it and I went on Tuesday.  They gave me 4 different shots of novocaine to numb the area then started.  The dental hygienist "pressure washed" my teeth then went back and used the pick to clean them.  Then she pressure washed some more, flossed, rinsed and then shot them with some air.  It took about an hour for this to occur.  This was only on ONE side of my mouth!  I had to go back on Wednesday to get the other side done.

I must admit that Wednesday was a little worse than Tuesday, and I had more bleeding on Wednesday.  My mouth was sore for about a day with each, but it was not bad enough to require pain pills.  I took a Tylenol and felt better.  My teeth feel MUCH better, and so do my gums.  I am so happy I got this done.  In February, I go back to get a regular cleaning and they will recheck my gums to see how they are doing.

Have you ever had a deep cleaning on your teeth?  How do you feel about going to the dentist?  I'd love to know!!

Until Next Time,
God Bless Y'all
~~~Shelly~~~

Swago: Winter Wonderland

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post!  I receive SB for sharing.



It's time for you to unwrap your SB bonus this holiday season courtesy of Swagbucks.  This month's Winter-themed Swago board offers a possible 300 SB ($3) Bonus!

What is SWAGO you ask? It's a bingo-inspired promotion run by Swagbucks, a website that rewards you with points (called SB) for completing everyday online activities. When you complete a task, watch that square change colors. You can then redeem those SB for free gift cards. If you've never used Swagbucks, participating in SWAGO is a great way to learn how to use the site, and it's a lot of fun!

Here’s what you need to know to get your 300 SB Bonus:

• Swago  will begin on Monday, January 16th at 9:01am PDT/12:01pm EDT, make sure you hit “Join” otherwise you won’t get credit for completing the action items. Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete.
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
• You have a limited amount of time to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value.
• Once you’ve achieved a pattern the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
• The game ends Monday, January 23rd at 12pm PDT/3pm EDT. So make sure to hit “Submit” on the pattern you wish to submit. If you don’t hit “Submit” before the game ends you won’t receive your SB bonus.

Get paid to try Hulu - Another Great Swagbucks Opportunity!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing.


If you've been thinking about trying Hulu, this is the time to do it. Thanks to an offer through Swagbucks, you get $20 (paid in the form of points called SB) for trying Hulu for a month. That will cost you $7.99, so you're making $12 on the deal!

Hulu has tons of current and classic programming, movies, brilliant original series, and more. Here's how you do it:

1. Click this link.
2. Create your Swagbucks account (takes 30 seconds)
3. Click "Continue" and sign up for Hulu
4. Enjoy Hulu! You should have your points within 30 minutes.

Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? They're a site where you earn points (called SB) for doing things like online shopping, watching videos, taking surveys, and discovering deals and services you might like to try (like Hulu!). You then take those points and turn them into free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

This is a great time to join because when you sign up through the link above and get your 2000 SB, you'll get a bonus 300 SB at the beginning of February. So that's $20 (2000 SB) for trying Hulu plus your $3 (300 SB) bonus, which gets you 2300 SB, which means you make $15 total just for watching TV!

Get $20 for trying Gamefly (Thru 1/14)

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post!  I receive SB for sharing.



If you're looking to build up your budget post-holidays and you have a gamer in your life, Swagbucks (the online rewards site that puts cash back in your wallet) has an AMAZING offer through Gamefly where you get 2000 SB (which is the equivalent of $20 in gift cards) for signing up.

Gamefly allows you to rent games for lots of different consoles including Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, PS3, PS4, etc, with no late fees ever. Members can also play 100’s of PC games for free! You can try it out for 2 months at a price of $10 AND get 2000 SB by using this link!

Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? This is a great way to do it, and when you sign up through the link above and get your 2000 SB, you'll get a bonus 300 SB at the beginning of February. So that's $10 for trying Gamefly, which gets you 2300 SB, which means you make $13 off the deal!

Our Crazy NC Winter Weather

Last Wednesday afternoon, my mom and I spent about 30 minutes in the 60+ degree weather picking up pecans that the breezy day had caused to fall from Grandma's tree.  I was wearing my capri pants and a t-shirt and I was beginning to sweat a little.  Thursday the temperatures fell into the 40s, and by Friday evening, the snow had begun to fall.

The temperatures during the weekend never got above 25 degrees and bottomed out at a low of 0 (yep, zero).  We got almost a foot of snow at our house, my mom and grandma live about 30 minutes from me and they had about 4 inches of snow, and my cousin who lives about 90 minutes away got NO snow!  CRAZY!

The snow was beautiful and was very dangerous.  If you are not familiar with NC, we are simply not equipped to handle the snow.  Most places were closed all weekend and roads were still covered with snow and ice until Tuesday.  On Monday, Kat headed out to work and ended up sliding partially off the road.  We are so thankful that she was going at a slow speed, because she was able to keep the rear of her car on the side of the road and did not flip it.  Less than 100 yards from where she had problems, another car was upside down in the ditch.  Kat was shaken up, but both she and her car are fine.  She was able to go to work today without issue!   (By the way, she has moved back home and I am thrilled!)

The schools have been closed all week so far, but we got enough melting that they are reopening tomorrow!  Spring break has been saved!  Our temperatures were in the 50s today and are actually rising overnight.  Tomorrow (Thursday) is supposed to be in the mid 60s and almost 70 on Friday.  CRAZY!  Our roller coaster continues with 40s on Saturday before rebounding back to the 60s next week!

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods?  What kinds of things do you do with your family when winter rears her ugly head?  Comment below!  I would love to know!!  

Until next time!
God Bless!
Shelly

How to Recover from Holiday Spending Using Your Phone

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing!



Did you find yourself spending a little more than you had anticipated over the Holidays? It's easy to do, especially when you want to give all your friends and family the perfect gifts. Well, I have an easy way for you to recover from your holiday spending from the convenience of your cell phone.

Swagbucks is the web’s most popular rewards program that gives you free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you already do online. Whenever you shop, watch videos or search the web, Swagbucks gives you points called SB. You can use your SB to redeem gift cards to hundreds of your favorite stores.

With the Swagbucks Mobile and SBTV apps I can use my spare minutes to earn free gift cards on my phone! Like the Swagbucks website, I can rack up SB by shopping, answering surveys and watching videos.

While you wait for the coffee to brew, download free games and other apps through the Discover tab: 20 SB

During commercial breaks, take a featured survey or fill out your survey profile: 60 SB

While standing in line at the grocery store, answer the daily poll: 1 SB

When you’ve finally made it to the gym, watch style, tech and celeb news through the SBTV app: 2 SB for every 10 videos

Just as you’ve put dinner in the oven, your Swagbucks app tells you there’s a new Swag Code!: 3 SB

Before you go to sleep, use the Swagbucks app to shop from your favorite stores. You deserve it!: 100 SB

By downloading the Swagbucks mobile app, I can earn a free $10 gift card by the end of my week. Who knew playing on my phone could be so productive!

Invite your friends to download the Swagbucks Mobile app so they can start earning their way to free gift cards. It's 100% free to download and 100% easy to use. Its available for both iPhone and Android devices.

Swago Shopping Edition (US & CA)

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I receive SB for sharing.



Swagbucks is hosting another round of Shopping Swago! What is SWAGO you ask? It's a bingo-inspired promotion run by Swagbucks, a website that rewards you with points (called SB) for completing everyday online activities. You can redeem those SB for free gift cards. If you've never used Swagbucks, participating in SWAGO is a great introduction to the site and an easy way to earn a good amount of points quickly. Now that the holidays are over and you bought presents for everyone else, why not treat yourself to some online shopping and earn cash back while you're at it?

Here’s what you need to know to get your 200 SB ($2) Bonus (and don’t worry, you don’t have to make a purchase to complete a pattern):

• Shop Swago will begin on Monday, January 9th at 9am PDT/12pm EDT, make sure you hit “Join” otherwise you won’t get credit for completing the action items. Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete.
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
• You have a limited amount of time to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value.
• Once you’ve achieved a pattern the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
• The game ends Thursday, January 12th at 12pm PDT/3pm EDT. So make sure to hit “Submit” on the pattern you wish to submit. If you don’t hit “Submit” before the game ends you won’t receive your SB bonus.

Christmas Clearance Shopping

One of my most favorite things to do is to coupon and to shop at clearance sales.  On Wednesday, my mom and I spent the day together and one of the things we decided to do was to run out to Target.  I knew that most of their Christmas items were discounted 90% off, so I decided to see if anything was left.  They had a fairly large amount of Christmas wrapping paper and gift boxes, and a lot of broken items.  Some of the items they had that were obviously Christmas were not discounted, so I left them in the store.

People had opened most of the candy that was on the shelf.  Half eaten bars of chocolate were scattered throughout that department and it was gross!  I was thrilled to find some items that were in good shape and at a price I was happy with!

My 90% off haul from Target today. 10 boxes Kleenex hand towels, 1 Glad press and seal wrap, 3 packs of 3 shirt boxes, 1-2pk of Glade freshener refills, 1 pack of wooden Santa Sleigh and reindeer pieces, a Hershey bar and 2 large boxes of Nerds that have already been claimed. Grand total out of pocket $6.08.

Snow Much Fun Collector's Bills - Earn more on Swagbucks

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  I earn SB for sharing.



One of my favorite things about using Swagbucks is that I can get rewards for searching the web through their search engine. Every now and then they have "Collector's Bills" worth bonus SB points that you can collect by simply searching the web. Collect them all, and you get an SB Bonus! Once you've collected enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards to stores like Walmart, Target, and many more!

Here's all the information for this week's Snow Much Fun Collector's Bills:

Search the web through the Swagbucks search starting Monday, January 2nd through Sunday, January 8th, and when you get a search win, you may get a special Collector’s Bill valued at either:

• 5 SB
• 7 SB
• 9 SB
• 11 SB
• 16 SB
• 22 SB

When you get a Collector’s Bill you’ll receive the value of the bill and the bill will be added to your “Collector’s Bills” ledger. Collect all 6 Collector’s Bills and you’ll instantly earn a 20 SB Bonus!

Keep searching til you find them all!

Get $5 When You Sign Up For Swagbucks in January!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post!  I receive SB for sharing.



Now that the holidays are over, a lot of us have gone into savings mode again as we rebuild our bank accounts from all that gift buying! Some of us have already started saving for the 2017 holidays! If you're looking to extend your budget or just say within it, Swagbucks is a great resource for that.

You've probably seen me write about Swagbucks a lot on here. It's a site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

Here's how you get your bonus:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Earn 300 SB total before 2/1/17. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it!

3. If you spend at least $25 through Swagbucks Shop* you'll get another $2 (200 SB) bonus on top of the cash back you'll get from shopping. If you have some shopping to do online, just go to Swagbucks first and visit the store through them. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but you'll get SB points for every dollar you spend (on top of the bonus)!

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned over $700 and am still going strong.  I love being able to buy what I need without having to spend from our monthly budget!

*You must receive your shopping SB before March 1st

A Look Back at 2016 & What to Expect in 2017

The more time I have spent on social media today really caused me to rethink my post.  So many people have talked about how 2016 was the most horrible year ever.  While it was not among my top 5 best years, I can honestly say it was not the worst ever!

2016 was a year of changes for me.  Kat was healthy enough to go back to high school in January and finish out her senior year.  She graduated with honors in the top 10% of her class.  It does not seem like her plans for the Navy will work out, and although that hurts a lot, she is understanding that there are lots of other ways to serve people without being in the armed forces.  She is planning to go to school to become and EMT and eventually a firefighter as well.  The classes she wants to take start in the fall, so she is working almost full time right now to save her money!  Kat is currently living with a friend and although it is killing me having to let go, I understand her need to spread her wings.  I still talk to her daily and see her at least once a week.

Chefy and I went through a financial roller coaster year.  He had sepsis in April and ended up missing over 4 weeks of work.  With him being the only one working, this was a huge strain on us.  His health is much better now and we are trying to get back on solid ground.  We are currently trying to live healthier by getting more exercise and eating better.  This will be an ongoing theme through 2017 for us!  We have each other to depend on and need to concentrate on getting healthy.

I am praying that 2017 will be a better year for us financially and physically.  We plan to continue to blog and to do as much as we can together.  Chefy is working on some healthy recipes that we plan to share with you.  I want to share some new things with you, but I am remaining silent on that at the moment.

Thank you for reading and being so supportive of Shelly's Bits and Pieces this year.  May God Bless each of you and I pray that you all have a happy, healthy New Year!