Compulsive internet surfing

Being frugal with money is important -- and so is being frugal with time. One of my biggest time wasters is being online, ironically enough. I don't go online with the intent to kill time; a huge portion of my life is "lived" online. I use it for:

• Blogging
• Banking
• Shopping
• Paying bills
• Searching for job/freelance opportunities
• Searching for information that helps me save money
• Keeping up with friends and family
• Networking

However, turning me loose on teh Interwebz is like turning me loose in a combination library/hardware store. I end up dashing from one thing to another simply because they look interesting and I have to find out more, which in turn leads to another thing that looks interesting, and so on....

Case in point: the other day I was checking out jobs on our local public library's website and somehow ended up downloading a copy of my great-grandmother's death certificate from the Missouri State Archives!

It's good to know I'm not the only one like this -- Web Worker Daily has an excellent article on how to avoid the humongous time suck that is CIF (compulsive internet fiddling). I highly recommend it to anyone who works online.

Weekly wrap-up - week ending 6/27/09

Earnings

Sold a ring to a coin/jewelry dealer for $62.00

Freebies

Coupon for free package of Oscar Mayer beef franks
Windex Outdoor All-in-One from BzzAgent
Free reusable bag from thatscaring.com
Coupon for free Kashi frozen entree

Stuff with a future payoff

Signed up for an account with Magazines.com (they periodically give out $5.00 credits/cash)
Took a high-value survey on oral health
Took a survey on beer
Opened an ING Orange Savings Account
Posted items for sale on Craig's List and Amazon

Make money shopping online with Ebates

Ebates is a shopping site that gives you from 1% to 25% cash back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 1000 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

I love Ebates. They have a huge variety of stores and excellent customer service. They pay out via Paypal every three months if your balance is at least $5.01. (If it isn't, it will roll over to the next pay period.)

They are running a couple of promotions:

• Get $5 when you sign up with Ebates.
• Get double rebates on beauty and health items.

Click here to go to Ebates.com.

My major screwup!

Last summer our mortgage lender offered me a credit card with 0% interest for a year. I jumped on this because our house needed such things as major appliances, shades to fit our non-standard-sized windows and professional refinishing to get rid of the acid burns on the hardwood floors. We had bought a house that had been foreclosed on -- while it was big enough for us, structurally sound, surrounded by trees and in a very nice neighborhood it had suffered some "cosmetic" damage.

I used the credit card, faithfully paid the minimum payment every month and just as faithfully deposited money in a savings account in order to pay the balance that would become due at the end of the year. I KNEW the date was 6/23/2009. I had it marked on my calendar. I went online to pay it this morning and discovered I WAS WRONG. The due date was 6/22/2009. I just paid an extra $84.84 because I was one day off!

The moral of that is -- pay attention! Double- and triple-check things! It is going to take a lot of frugality to make up for that $84.84.

Swagbucks!

Swagbucks is an online portal that lets you search the web -- with results generated by Google and Ask.com. Swagbucks are awarded periodically as you search -- a classic example of Skinnerian interval reinforcement! I guess operant conditioning DOES have real-world applications.

Anyway, once you've accumulated Swagbucks, you redeem them for...stuff, including electronics, gift cards, books, comic books, CDs & music downloads, trading cards, almost anything.

My favorite is the Amazon gift cards (45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 giftcard). They help feed my husband's addiction to reading.

Click on the banner below to join Swagbucks.

The First Post - how it started and why I'm here

My husband and I, like so many people, lost our jobs. We're luckier than most, though -- we have some savings and investments and my husband has a home-based business. Still, we've had to cut back on a lot of things and scrutinze every penny that goes out.

Our search for new jobs (and possibly a business to buy) is a whole 'nother blog -- The Frugal Midwesterner concentrates on the various things I've been doing to make money and to save money. I'll be posting tips, links and resources that I've found -- hope other people find them helpful.