Circling Through This Life

A few days ago in my Random Five on Friday I mentioned two reward programs that I use. Today I wanted to talk a little bit more about Swagbucks because it has a referral program with a nice incentive going on RIGHT NOW.  Ok reading the link from Swagbucks the incentive is more for me but you’ll benefit, too!  If you sign up and earn 300 Swagbucks before the end of August we’ll both get 300 Swagbucks.  I don’t know if that is an additional 300 or just the 300 you earned but it is worth it! Swagbucks Let’s start with Swagbucks . What is Swagbucks? Good question!  It’s a website and a program that provides points or swagbucks for “doing the things you are already doing online.”  These Swagbucks can be redeemed for gift cards or other rewards in the Rewards Store.  Generally 100 SB = $1 and you can get a $3 gift card for 300 Swagbucks. I’ve been saving up my SB though, for the $25 gift cards!  The first one is only 2200 SB making it a slightly better ...

In today’s economy with so many families struggling with money, it is imperative that we teach our children sound money management skills now.  WealthQuest for Teens is a webinar based program that provides parents and teachers with a tool for teaching habits and attitudes about money to teens and helping those teens to develop a money management strategy they can begin to use now.   The WeatlthQuest for Teens program, currently available for $39.95 was developed by Jill Suskind .  The program targets teens ages 14-19 and utilizes an online video seminar.  The Video Seminar includes an online workbook.  The program also includes a Quick Start Guide for Teens EBook and a Free Parent’s Guide.  The program recommends MoneyTrail, a free online program for helping teens track their allowances and items like gift cards and checks received. I worked through this program with my 15 and 17 year old daughters.  We took about 1 1/2 weeks to go through the 7 mo...

I never made it all the way through the alphabet last time.  Maybe this time I’ll do better.  Marcy over at Ben & Me finished up the alphabet, took a break and has re-started her Blogging through the Alphabet meme.  When thinking about what topics I do with the letter A, I kept coming back to acceptance.  I keep thinking of the Serenity Prayer .  For some reason I thought that St. Francis of Assisi wrote that one (along with the famous “make me an instrument of thy peace" which is beautiful and a favorite from my childhood.) Anyway, when I was growing up I had this little plaque that read: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” This has been a lifelong prayer for me and until I started this post I had no idea that a) it has a second stanza or b) it is so closely associated with AA and other 12 step programs.  See, I really do live under a rock or in a ...

Marcy, one of the Review Crew Leaders, hosts the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Cruise each week.  This week she reminded us that the topic is “Budget Friendly Homeschooling.”  I didn’t think this was a topic that applied to me.  For many many years I had a very LARGE amount of money allocated to spend on home education.  I didn’t really ever worry or think about how to cut corners or make “budget friendly” purchases. But in the last few years, I’ve not had that luxury. With my husband taking a significant pay cut a few years ago, the economy going south and some financial mistakes we’ve made, well, there just isn’t any money for home education. Seriously, my home school “budget” for the 2012-2013 school year is “whatever God provides.”  Yes, I have a $0 budget. But lest you, dear reader, think this is a whiny post about not having all the money I want to buy all the curriculum and supplies that I want, let me share with you some of the amazing ways God has bee...