Ringing in 2017 - Happy New Year!

The Being Frugal and Making it Work family would like to wish you a Happy New Year!  I hope that the New Year brings you success and happiness.  Make 2017 a year to remember. 

2016 was a trying year for our family.  I'm happy to be leaving it behind and moving ahead with a new outlook on life!

Merry Christmas from Being Frugal and Making it Work!

The Being Frugal and Making it Work family wants to wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

 

We hope you have a day filled with joy, happiness, love, and most importantly MEMORIES!

Christmas Quenchers Collector's Bills

One of my favorite things about using Swagbucks is that I can get rewards for searching the web through their search engine. Every now and then they have "Collector's Bills" worth SB points that you can collect by simply searching the web. Collect them all, and you get an SB Bonus! Once you've collected enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards to stores like Walmart, Target, and many more!

Here's all the information for this week's Christmas Quenchers Collector's Bills:

Search the web through the Swagbucks search starting Monday, December 19th at 12:01am PT/3:01am ET through Saturday, December 24th at 11:59pm PT/Sunday, December 25th 2:59am ET, and when you get a search win, you may get a special Collector’s Bill valued at either:

• 5 SB
• 7 SB
• 9 SB
• 15 SB
• 24 SB

When you get a Collector’s Bill you’ll receive the value of the bill and the bill will be added to your “Collector’s Bills” ledger. Collect all 5 Collector’s Bills and you’ll instantly earn a 20 SB Bonus!

So far I've collected 2 of the 5 collector's bills! Fingers crossed that I get all 5!

Swago: Unwrap your SB Bonus

It's time for you to unwrap your SB bonus this holiday season courtesy of Swagbucks. This month's Holiday themed Swago board offers a possible 400 SB ($4) Bonus!

What is SWAGO you ask? It's a bingo-inspired promotion run by Swagbucks, a website that rewards you with points (called SB) for completing everyday online activities. When you complete a task, watch that square change colors like a twinkling Christmas light. You can then redeem those SB for free gift cards. If you've never used Swagbucks, participating in SWAGO is a great way to learn how to use the site, and it's a lot of fun!

Here’s what you need to know to get your 400 SB Bonus:

Earn Double Cash Back or More on Holiday Shopping!

If you still have lots of holiday shopping to do, I recommend you check out Swagbucks Holiday Shopping Deals, where you can get cash back on your online purchases. Who wouldn't want to earn a little extra cash for themselves on purchases for friends and family? Starting today and running through next Friday, they are offering double cash back or more at your favorite retailers like Amazon, eBay, Groupon, Gap, Macy's, Old Navy, and many more!

 
Check out the site here to see all the deals they're offering this week. 

If you haven't heard of them, Swagbucks.com is an easy, quick way to earn cash back and gift cards by shopping online or doing other everyday activities like taking surveys or watching videos. When you do those things, you earn points (called SB) that you redeem for PayPal cash or gift cards to places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and more! 

Scented Emoji Nail Polish - The Perfect Gift for Any Girl!

Girls of all ages love nail polish.  And what is even better than pretty nail polish?  Scented nail polish!  SmitCo offers a wide variety of affordably priced gifts for girls; including jewelry, diaries, temporary tattoos sets and scented nail polish sets!

Emojis are very popular right now, so it seemed like the perfect gift choice this holiday season!  What girl wouldn't love scented nail polish and scented emoji nail stickers!?

The scented nail polishes are bright and come in a girl's three favorite colors.  They also smell delicious... almost good enough to eat!  The scented nail stickers are simply adorable!  They are cute, funky and fun!  Too cute and most definitely a conversation starter among young girls!

HBO series Game of Thrones ~ Direwolf Cubs

Do you know any fans of the highly-acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones?  What about someone who loves stuffed animals?  Even as an adult, I for one can never resist a cute, soft plush animal!
 

 

Factory Entertainment has a series of collectibles that are perfect for casual fans and collectors alike. In addition to their sculptures, statues and metal miniature... they has developed a full line of cute and cuddly Game of Thrones plush items, including all 6 Direwolf Cubs!  

These Direwolf cub stuffed animals are simply adorable!  They are cute, soft and lovable - perfect for all ages... young and old alike!  After all, who can resits a cute, soft, stuffed animal? Collectors young and old will want to snuggle up with these!

Middle School Moguls ~ Inspiring Young Girls to Follow Their Dreams!

This holiday season, every mother, aunt, and grandma will be overjoyed to give the young ladies in their life a gift that they can feel good about giving, Middle School Moguls!  Instilling the values of entrepreneurship and leadership in their daughters, granddaughters, nieces and friends through these exciting dolls.  

Middle School Moguls is an aspirational collection of dolls, books and online “edutainment” for girls aged 6-11 years old. The storyline follows five middle school friends, turned successful entrepreneurs who attend Mogul Academy-an unconventional school run by eccentric billionaire business woman Sherry Rocketsmeller.  Each with their own unique talents, the girls find themselves in a high-tech, faced-paced, world of adventure as they work to build businesses, friendships and unforgettable fun!  

 

Middle School Moguls are as diverse as the girls who will love them. Each one is distinct in culture, personality and talents.

Team Challenge: Dashing Through the Dough!

Who doesn't love a friendly competition? Especially when the prize is points to redeem towards free gift cards!

Join the Dashing Through the Dough team challenge hosted by Swagbucks, a website where you can earn cash back on everyday tasks you do online. It starts on Monday, December 12th at 8am PST and goes through Friday so you have a whole week to contribute points to your assigned team. It's so much fun to see which team you are placed on, and discover all the ways you can earn SB while you contribute to your team's goal! There's so many ways to earn points for your team -  watching videos, completing surveys, shopping online, just to name a few. 

These activities and more will help your team get ahead. If you've never used Swagbucks before, now is a great time to join, especially if you participate in the Team Challenge because it's an opportunity to win an extra bonus for trying out the site. 

Hairbanglez MiniZ: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer for Every Girl!

With Christmas right around the corner, finding the perfect stocking stuffers is always at the top of my holiday shopping list!  This year Christmas is at our house, so there will be ten stockings hung! 

One item I was recently introduced too will be in my daughter's stocking... and that is a unique little thing called a Hairbanglez MiniZ!

You are probably asking yourself, what exactly are Hairbanglez? 

Get Great Deals When Doing Your Holiday Shopping!

Now that the holidays are in full gear, you can get great deals and cash back for shopping through Swagbucks! Just go here and see all of the great cash back you can get from some of your favorite stores. 

Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned over $1000 since joining!  I currently earn between $25 and $75 each month and it really adds up.  Once I redeem my Swagbucks for a prize, it usually takes less than a week for them to arrive in my inbox.  I'm always impressed with how quickly they send our rewards.

I "bank" and save my rewards all year long and redeem them for "FREE" Christmas gifts for the kids!  The kids are always thrilled with their gifts and I'm happy that I was able to stick to our holiday budget and not break the bank!

Here's how it works:

3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the Perfect Gift this Holiday Season!

If you're looking for a fun, unique and functional gift this holiday season, look no further!  3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the perfect gift this holiday season. You can choose from a full range of comic book, super hero, Disney Princess, sports and car lights that look as though they are popping right out of the wall!

They are battery operated and cool to the touch so you can place them any where in the room! Your kids will loves having these in their rooms and they're also the perfect editions to a den, family room, man's cave or office! 

Affordable Stocking Stuffers and DIY Christmas Gifts ~ Shop Oriental Trading!

We all know how expensive the holidays can be, but I also know that there are frugal ways to do just about everything!  I shop year round in order to get the best deals and will purchase items on sale or clearance and save them to give later.

There is one place that always has the best selection of affordable items for every holiday and special occasion.  That place is Oriental Trading!

 

I'm always excited when my Oriental Trading Company package arrives... it's just like Christmas morning as I open up the box!  Even though I'm the one that made the order and know what's inside the box - I'm always excited to see the items up close and in person.

My most recent shipment included everything Christmas!  Adorable snowman and Santa gift bags, a funny face snowball assortment (plush, flying discs, punch balloons, cups, stress balls), Christmas hard candy sticks, Christmas bulb and stockings gummy candy and green tissue paper.  

The items I received are going to be the perfect stocking stuffers for my kids and goody bags for my students at school.  Oriental Trading allows me to put smiles on a lot of children's faces without spending a lot of money.

Oriental Trading is your frugal holiday headquarters for toys and games, candy, treats, crafts, Christmas party decorations and supplies. Find the perfect Christmas ornaments, Santa costumes and accessories too!

Get $5 When You Sign Up For Swagbucks in December!

We've reached the Holiday season, and if you haven't begun already, now's the time to start shopping for the Holidays! Since this time of year in particular is a good one for having some extra money, Swagbucks is offering a $5 bonus to people who sign up through me this month! 

Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for all sorts of things you're probably already doing online, like shopping, discovering deals, taking surveys, watching videos, and more! Then you can turn your gift cards in to PayPal cash or gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, and more!

Here's how you get your bonus: