Frugal Friday: Setting Up My Christmas Fund-the Internet Way Part II

In Part I of this series, I shared two ways that I will be using the internet to fund our Christmas for free, or almost free.

Here are some more ways:

3. Swagbucks: I love Swagbucks because it's so easy to use and I'm not doing anything extra. Swagbucks is a search engine that uses Google and Answer.com. You can download their toolbar and enter your query right into their little box and it gives you results from these search engines. The way you win is that you are randomly awarded Swagbucks for your searches. You accumulate Swagbucks that you can then redeem for gift cards and prizes. For example, 50 Swagbucks gets you a $5 Starbucks card. The point is to just do your regular searching; you will not get extra bucks for tons of random searching. Also, referrals are wonderful and a great way to boost your earning potential. If you would like to sign up under me, please click here.

4. Pampers Gifts to Grow: Pampers has a program where you earn points for buying their products. These points accumulate and can be redeemed for gift cards or a limited assortment of baby toys or more diapers. The codes are found in Pampers packages (wipes count, too!). You enter the codes on the Pampers website, which keeps track of your totals. Once you have earned a certain number of points, you can redeem them for merchandise. You can begin redeeming things at 20 points, I believe. Also cool is that they randomly give out free codes. Note: I believe you have to pay for shipping for these items.

5. $X off of $X or more coupons: These are the absolute best. You get a coupon for $10 off of a purchase of $10 or more, for example, and all you have to pay is the tax. These come from all different sources, but the best place to get them is in your email box. Go to every store site that you like, ie Borders Books, and sign up to receive their emails. When you get their emails, scan them throughly. Often they send coupons for % off, but ever once in a while they will send a coupon that will allow you to get an item FREE. I've also received these coupons in the snail mail, and have learned that it pays to scan your junk mail. A final place to find out about these deals is to read "deal-finding" blogs. Word of mouth is great advertisement!

8. Rewards programs: Finally, a word about credit card rewards programs. I am not advocating credit cards. However, if you have one that you use, look into their reards program. For example, I have a low limit card that I use for all of my spending that we pay off every month. I have this because my husband hates all the little millions of transactions on the bank statement, and I can't be trusted with cash. So, this is a good alternative for us. This particular card has a rewards program where I earn $10 for every $1000 that I spend. So, I just do my regular spending throughout the months and regularly get a coupon card for $10. Every little bit helps! Oh, and sometimes debit cards have this option, too, so check it out!

I hope that these few tips have helped you see the potential that is out there to supply your family with the things that you need and want without breaking the bank. If you look back in my archives, you'll see examples of how I got things for free such as here, here, and here. I titled this post "Christmas", but really, you can use it all year long to collect birthday gifts, donatable items, or just food and clothing that your family needs. If you are willing to do the little bit of extra footwork, the return can be wonderful for your budget!

See lots more Frugal tips at Biblicalwomanhood!