Earning Money with Swagbucks and Ibotta

There are many apps and things available to earn money.  I personally have been using Swagbucks for about 2 years now and Ibotta for about 2 days.

With swagbucks you earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. In the nearly 2 years I have used Swagbucks I have earned $65 worth of gift cards. I know that doesn't seem a lot, but I honestly don't use Swagbucks to it's full potential. The points I have earned have been primary via just regular everyday internet searching.  Looking something up gives me points. Not every search, but as I search through out the  the day I may get a pop up that said congratulations you have earned so many swagpoints.  This only works through swagbucks search bar or by making swagbucks your default search engine. I have made it my default search engine.

With swagbucks you can also earn point via surveys, watching videos, playing games, buying things online. Somethings I buy and get on and realized -- dang. I should have bought that online through swagbucks and would have gotten points.  Recently, that happened when I bought ink for my printer. If I would have remembered I could buy it via online and used the swagbucks portal I would have gotten points. I do sometimes print coupons via the swagbucks portal and when I do that I get the money off the item I'm buying just like any other online coupon you print, but I also get swagpoints added to my Swagbucks account. If I used it to it's fullest potential I would have earned more points and thus more gift cards.

Another app that that I recently have started using is Ibotta. Ibotta gives you rebates, cash, for items you buy at the store. If there is a rebate for it you have to claim it, scan the barcode, and take a picture of the receipt to verify you bought the item.  In the 2 days I have had the app I have earned $1 back in rebates -- and with a $10 min needed for payout it won't be long until I have an actual payout. With Ibotta you can either choose you payout to be in your Paypal account or in the form of gift cards for things like starbucks, amazon, or more.

Oh and what I have I been buying the last 2 days since using the app? Well I was out of bread, apples, and a few other things.  Got 40 cents back for those items -- at the local grocery store.   My son informed me last night he needed to bring cookies to school this morning, so I went to the store, bought cookies, looked on the Ibotta app -- rebate for cookies. got 20 cents back -- grand total now 60 cents.  My daughter didn't like what we had for lunch on hand, so I told her I would run her to dollar tree for a soup.  While there I realized I didn't have any dinner so I decided to buy some pasta and pasta sauce. looked on the Ibotta app, rebates for those items. So I got another 40 cents back -- grand total now $1.00.

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Go Fund Me

It's the height of summer, softball games, swimming, picnics, and hot lazy days are here.  I'm starting to plan out my next school year and waiting for IHM conference in a few weeks. I plan on buying several of the items I need at the used book sale. I hope I'm able to get what I want.

This time of year brings up money!!  It takes money for curriculum, money for supplies, money to homeschool.  Everyone it seems is in the same boat: limited funds to go around.   It seems that for some it's tighter then it has been in the passed or a new trend is popping up and I'm just out of the loop.

I have noticed this week at least 3 different homeschooling families started a Go Fund Me page and are asking for money to buy school supplies, buy groceries, build a school house, or whatever else they need. I'm taken back by these fundraiser pages.  I never would have thought to start a page asking for money for school supplies, money for groceries, or anything else.

Some will argue that it's no different then public schools doing fundraisers, but to me it seems different. I don't know; something about it just is not sitting right with me.  What do you think?

Box Tops For Education

Did you know that homeschoolers can use these?

From Box Tops For Education Website Under eligibility:

It is also available to home school associations, containing any class with students from Kindergarten to 8th grade, in the United States organized and operated primarily for educational purposes and have 15 or more students.

I brought it to the attention of our group facilitator today. She's going to call the number to make sure we understand the rules, etc. If it does turn out to be go then I'll be one responsible to collect the box tops for education and send them, etc.

What's even cool is I did my normal grocery shopping today and now I have 20 box tops, translates to $2.00. With talking to the facilitator today we estimate that we could easily collect $100 worth of box tops if not more.

That $100 could help pay our facility fee (we have to pay the church a rental fee), or it could be used to help supplement the cost of field trip. Trips we have been wanting to do as a group, but have found that the cost per person is just to much. Really we would have freedom to use the money the way that we feel would benefit the kids and the group the most.

We are just learning about all the particulars, but I wanted to pass this on, because perhaps your homeschool group could benefit.

Where did I learn about this cool tip? It was something I got from PEAH'S Homeschool Curriculum Savings

What products? General Mills, Betty Crocker, Huggies, Cottenelle, Scott Tissue, Kleenex, Feminine products (Kotex), Ziploc bags, Hefty Garbage bags, and many more. Here is a whole list of products.

I really hope we can use this! And that you could too!!