January 8, 2013

a tiny 'how to' - for SAHMs

for sometime now, i've been wondering how i was going to get my hubby something for his birthday. Christmas wasn't an issue because adam and i don't exchange [& really haven't since we've had kids]. but for his birthday, which is the end of this month, i wanted to get him something. i know that i can go out and buy him whatever, but at the end of the day, he's really working for his own gift. 

then it dawned on me ... mypoints
[image source google]

i have been a mypoints member for YEARS. i've gotten numerous gift cards through them. i typically cash them in for a restaurant or Starbucks gift card! well i was browsing last night and realized they had Dick's GC's. aka: perfect for adam!
so, here is my way of actually getting adam a gift that he DIDN'T pay for. why haven't i thought about it sooner. i could potentially earn enough points throughout the year to purchase gifts for him and others without using any of our money. or, i could earn enough to eat out every couple months without affecting our budget. [which, speaking of budget, more to come on that later ...]

so here's how it works:

  • sign up at mypoints. OR better yet, leave your email address and i'll invite you that way we both earn bonus points!
  • receive emails from mypoints - usually 2-3 per day. open the email, click on it and BAM - 5 points earned. now, sometimes that can be a pain in the butt - especially if they back up BUT if you were to click on them as soon as they come through [and yes, you can do it through your smart phone] - it's over and done with in 2 [maybe 5] seconds.
  • anytime you want to shop online - got to mypoints.com first and see if they affiliate with wherever you want to shop. you will earn so many points per dollar.
  • print your coupons through mypoints. they affiliate with coupons.com and a few others. for every coupon you redeem, you earn 10 points! you can even earn bonus points for using so many per transaction. that's an easy peasy deal for those of us who coupon!
  • link your mypoints with your bzzagent account. you earn points for everything you do. 
so that's FIVE easy ways for us SAHM's to earn points that can be redeemed for ACTUAL gift card. like i said, i've been a member for like eight years. it's not a gimic - you get real, ligit gift cards in the mail that you can use for dinner dates, presents, coffeeeeee! i even cashed in points to put a $50 payment towards my amazon visa. saved me a months CC payment!

ALSO - wondering what bzzagent is? another way to contribute a few things here and there to your family.
[image source google]

they launch a variety of campaigns, which based on the 2-5 question surveys that you've taken, you may be selected. they send you FULL SIZE product along with a bunch of coupons or samples to hand out to your friends. then you 'bzz' by tweeting, reviewing, facebook-ing your honest opinion. [plus, you get mypoints for doing all of those things!!!]
just to give you an example - here are my CURRENT campaigns and what i received:

  • alphabits cereal - a full sized box and 10 coupons
  • neutrogena hand cream - a full sized bottle and samples
  • afrin - a full sized bottle and 10 coupons
  • kelloggs crunchy nut cereal - a full size box and coupons
  • morningstar farms - a coupon for a free box of veggie burgers and coupons

all those campaigns were in the last two months. i have had so many others before those and gotten some really neat products. another no brainer for us SAHM's to do with all our free time ;)


so, if you're a SAHM like me and look for ways to bring a little bit to the family without spending - this is it. some of the tasks can be tedious but i plan to step my game up even more now that i've realized what it CAN do for my family - and sanity [free date nights!].


disclaimer: all opinions are 100% mine. i was not paid/asked to blog about either company!

2 comments:

The Best of Both Worlds said...

I didn't know what this was until now so I need to get to it

Nikki @ WishUponAShootingStar said...

Ihearturhonda@aol.com

Chop chop! Get too it! :)