How to Get 100 Swagbucks a Day

I joined Swagbucks in late August to see if I could make any money from it. Today I cashed in points for my third $15 gift card.
It's hard to accumulate points if you don't know what you're doing, and everyone is going to have a different strategy, but here is my checklist for getting 100 Swagbucks a day.

First I do the daily poll and go through the NOSO offers.
Then I click on laptop guy and watch those videos until they run out. Laptop Guy is a special offer that shows a series of short videos that are worth 2 SB and can be repeated multiple times. I can usually get this offer at least 15 times.

(Laptop Guy)

After Laptop Guy runs out, I'll go to the Activities tab and watch ulive videos, encrave videos and search the Yellow Pages. Ulive videos are one video for 2 SB and encrave videos are 10 videos for 5 SB. The Yellow Pages activity is repeatable up to 30 times! (but I only need to do it 10 times)

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After the Activities tab, I'll check out RadiumOne under the Special Offers tab. There are usually at least ten videos that are worth 1 SB each.

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You can also win 10 points a day playing games. Ten games = 10 SB.

There are usually a few easy "interact with a Brand" offers on the home page: Chex, Kool Aid, and Home Depot are some of my favorites.
Finally, I use the search bar for my web searches throughout the day and I try to get points from searches at least twice a day.

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You can get Swagbucks from answering surveys (I have the best luck with Dashboard surveys) but I get disqualified for so many surveys that I wouldn't rely on it for my daily Swagbuck goal.

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100 Swagbucks are really just one dollar, but at the end of the month you'll be able to trade in 3,000 SB for a $30 gift card.  For me it's worth it to watch a few videos every day to be able to receive $30 every month.

Swagbucks Breakdown
Daily Poll = 1 SB
NOSO = 2 SB
Laptop guy (15 times) = 30 SB
Encrave Activity (4 times) = 20 SB
ulive Activity (2 times) = 4 SB
Yellow Pages Activity (10 times) = 10 SB
10 RadiumOne Videos = 10 SB
10 Games = 10 SB
Interact With The Brand (varies) = at least 3 SB
Search and Win twice (varies) = at least 10 SB

Gym Essentials

My husband and I just signed up for a gym. When we lived in an apartment I could run on the treadmill at the apartment gym whenever I wanted or even walk to the grocery store. Now we're in the middle of nowhere with no gym or grocery store within walking distance and I'm getting kinda lazy. So we signed up for a gym and it's just a 10 minute drive away.  I'm excited about getting back into to shape, and I want to be super prepared!

Whether I'm running on the treadmill, taking a barre class, doing this kettlebell workout, or having an impromptu jog in the park, I need a gym bag that's packed and ready to go.  These are my gym must-haves:

Old Navy Foldover Yoga Pants - $16
comfy yoga pants

C9 by Champion Ankle Socks - $8.50
cute athletic socks

C9 by Champion Athletic Shoes - $23.99
running shoes

Rockland Giraffe Print Duffle Bag - $16.00
fun gym bag

Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics - $9.58
plenty of hair elastics

Lady Speed Stick 24/7 Fresh Fusion Antiperspirant - $2.98
deodorant

Gummy Bears Ear Buds - $9.99
ear buds to listen to music on the treadmill, these are so cute!

C9 by Champion Women's Short-Sleeve Tech Tee - $11.04
athletic shirt made of moisture wicking fabric

Rubbermaid 20 Oz. Chug Bottle - $4.94
my water bottle

Lara Bars - $1.59 per bar ($25.46 per box)
raw bars in peanut butter, cookie dough, even pumpkin!

Friday Favorites ~ volume 4

It's Friday again!  So I rounded up some more of my favorite things! ♥

Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer

(source: personal picture)

I've never been a fan of hot liquids, but I've been drinking coffee more often and trying to find ways to make it taste better.  Thankfully seasonal creamers are popping up on grocery store shelves, so I picked up some peppermint mocha creamer.  Coffee plus this creamer and a few pieces of ice is all I need to start my day off right!

Menchie's Magic Spoons

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I'm kind of obsessed with these.  The spoons start out white and then change color when they get cold.  My husband and I stopped by the other day to cheer ourselves up after our canceled house viewing.  We got a "green" Menchie spoon and a "blue" Mookie spoon.  I would like to eventually get a spoon that turns pink and one that turns purple.  As for characters, I need to get Mellow, PB, Sprinkle, Chip, Barry and Kiwi.  It looks like there'll be a lot more frozen yogurt in my future. ;)

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

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I know it's still pumpkins and apples season but I'm posting not one but two peppermint friday favorites.  I saw this sugar scrub on Pinterest the other day and am really looking forward to making it.  I love the idea of candy canes, but I have never actually been able to eat a whole candy cane, let alone the whole package.  So this is a great DIY project to use up all those leftover candy canes and smell like one too!  The instructions don't call for crushed candy canes, but they can be easily added or substituted.

Miniature Clay Food Jewelry

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I really want to start making miniature cakes and sweets out of polymer clay.  It looks like a lot of fun and I could turn them into earrings and necklaces and sell them on etsy.  I already have some of the supplies.  I hope to have a few things made up to show on the blog next week.

DIY Halloween Hangers

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These are so cute.  I love the playful retro feel of the designs.  I need new hangers and how fun would it be to make a bunch of colorful wooden hangers with cute designs.  These are for Halloween, but I'm thinking the possibilities are endless: pumpkins for the fall clothes, candy canes for sweaters, beach balls for summer tops, etc.

Looking for a house is like looking for a dog!

My husband and I are looking for a house.  Every time we find a house we love, it gets sold to someone else before we can even make an appointment to see it in person.  We did eventually get a dog, actually two.  So I know we'll get a house.  Hopefully not two! 

This was our journey for a dog
December: We saw Buster and Toy online, but didn't contact anyone. They got adopted while we were still deciding if we wanted them or not.

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January 16: We fell in love with Rowdy online and sent in an application, but he got adopted before our application could even be processed! :(

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February 7: We sent in an application for Pearl after seeing her picture on facebook.  So did a bunch of other people.  We never had a chance!

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February 26: The rescue that had Buster, Toy and Rowdy offered us Bit Bit.  It wasn't a sure thing, so we continued looking at other dogs and rescues.

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March 1: We applied for Roly.

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March 9: We picked up Roly AND Bit Bit.  Now we have 2 dogs!

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This is our journey for a house ... so far
August 30: We saw this house online and planned to see it in person when my husband's job started a few weeks later.  The house is near his aunt, so she drove by to see it and there was an "under contract" sign in front of it. 

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September 27:  We got pre-approved for a mortgage and started seriously browsing houses online.  We fell in love with this house that was just listed that day!  We set an appointment to see the house only 4 days later.  A few hours before our appointment we got a call that the house was just sold. :(

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So now we're just playing the waiting game.  Waiting for a house we love to go up for sale.  It's a helpless feeling, but the longer we wait, the more money we can save up for a down payment.  I feel like we're really close, maybe we'll find our dream house next month.

Friday Favorites ~ volume 3

Bride Day Bingo

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Say Yes to the Dress is one of my favorite shows.  I thought it couldn't get any better and then TLC posted this Bingo card on their blog.  How much fun will it be to watch while also trying to get 5 of these scenarios in a row!

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

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I'm sure I've said this before, but one of the best parts of Fall is pumpkin everything! This pumpkin spice smoothie looks really good!  I can't wait to try it.

Dots Diner Retro Apron Tutorial

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I've loved Dots Diner aprons ever since I first saw the Fairy Rainbow Princess Ballerina Apron, but I've never been able to afford them.  Now, Dot is offering the apron pattern in her etsy shop!  The pattern is only $9.00 and has step by step instructions and photos, she put a small preview on her blog.  It's so exciting!  I'm so excited!  This might be the push I need to buy a sewing machine and maybe take a few sewing classes. 

What Are Those Foxes Saying Shirt

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If you haven't seen it yet, this shirt is based on this music video.  The song might drive you crazy, but the shirt is so cute, I kind of want to buy it!

Hanako's Heroes

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My friend's cat, Hanako, recently suffered from liver disease.  She's the sweetest cat and I'm so sad she was so sick.  But she's doing much better now, and my friend is offering Pusheen style prints to people who donate to help pay Hanako's vet bills.  Every little bit helps.

Cozy Cookies

Fall is almost here and I'm so excited to break out the boots and sweaters!  I also love Twinkie Chan's Choco Chip Cookie Scarf so much that I decided to put together this cozy cookie collage.  This is something I'd wear curled up by the fireplace with a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Friday Favorites ~ volume 2 ~ Food Edition

Cotton Candy Grapes

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I first heard about these from my husband.  Then I saw them at the grocery store the other day and I HAD to get them.  I personally don't think they taste like cotton candy, but they are very sweet and have almost a vanilla cupcake aftertaste.  My husband says they taste like Cotton Candy Bubble Yum.  I've never had that flavor of Bubble Yum so maybe that's why I don't see it (taste it?).  Nevertheless, I enjoy the sweetness and ate a third of the bag on the drive home from the store.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

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I didn't make it out to the beach this summer, so i didn't get to buy any fudge from Candy Kitchen.  I know, it's sad, right!?  But while I was at Fresh Market buying cotton candy grapes, I stopped by the bakery and they had this delicious fudge.  I may not have gone to the beach this summer, but at least I got some fudge!

Sweet Lemon Cake Pops

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My husband and I went to Starbucks the other day and they didn't have any cake pops!  I was pretty bummed about that.  Today I stopped in to grab a quick coffee and they had cake pops!  I usually get the pink one (Birthday Cake) but today I got the yellow one (Sweet Lemon).  It wasn't as lemony as I had hoped, but it's still a cake pop, and it's still amazing.

Caramel Frosted Apple Cookies

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I'm so excited for Fall and pumpkin flavored everything!  But also, apple flavored everything!  A couple years ago my husband and I went apple picking and got all kinds of apple flavored treats.  Then I made a caramel apple cheesecake.  Today I saw caramel frosted apple cookies in the store and it immediately reminded me of Fall and apple picking.  It took everything in me not to buy them, but I know before the month is over, there will be a box of these in the cupboard.

Izze Sparkling Apple

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I'm not usually a fan of carbonated drinks, but I love the appley goodness of this one. You need something to wash down the cookies, right?

Wedding Inspiration VS. Reality

This is a really fun way to compare your actual wedding to your wedding inspiration and see how close or how completely off you were.  I actually had about 5 different inspiration boards, so it's kind of cheating to pick this one, but it was my dream since I was 13 to have a blue and white winter wedding, so that's why I chose it.  This was my dream wedding for years!

(Sources: cake, pillow, table, ring, Barbie, invitations, bridesmaid dress, aisle, boots, ice cream, carriage, bouquet)

Reality check.  It's so funny how different the reality is from the inspiration! My husband and I decided on a June wedding.  The royal blue was too "wintery" so we changed the color scheme to tiffany blue & pink and added a few fun details to make it represent us more.  For example, the cat cake toppers, the LEGO table numbers and the ice cream sundae centerpieces. 

(Sources: cake, pillow, table: Ashton Smith, ring: personal picture, wedding dress, invitations, bridesmaid dress: personal picture, aisle, shoes, gelato, carriage: Don Smith, bouquet)

It was hard to let go of some things, but ultimately, sixteen years had passed since I designed my winter wedding.  We had to plan "our" wedding, not the wedding of a teenage me.  Our goal was to throw a fun event to celebrate our marriage, not an extravagant photo shoot.  I think we achieved our goal.