Little Mom on the Prairie: January 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

13 Free Magazines - Never Get a Bill

Know someone who would love to receive FREE magazines in the mail? Here are a few magazine freebies you can grab!

There is one issue digital magazine issue you can download for your ereader:

Get ONE free Taste of Home Digital Edition issue from Mercury Magazines!

And several offers from Rewards Country and Value Mags!

Get a 1 Year Subscription to Black Enterprise for Free by clicking here.

Get a 1 Year Subscription to Latina Magazine by clicking here.

Get a 1 Year Subscription to Fast Company Magazine from Value Mags by clicking here.

Get a 1 Year Subscription to Watch! Magazine from Value Mags by clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Practical Horseman Magazine from Freebizmags by Clicking here

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Working Mother Magazine from Freebizmags

by Clicking here

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Tennis Magazine from Freebizmags by Clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Fitness Magazine from Freebizmags by Clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Wired Magazine from Rewards Gold by Clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Wired Magazine from Freebizmags by Clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Electronic House Magazine from Freebizmags

by Clicking here.

Get a FREE 1 Year Subscription to Art in America Magazine from Freebizmags

by Clicking here.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

FREE Pet Safety Pack from the ASPCA

Help keep your pets safe with a free pet safety pack from the ASPCA!

In the event of an emergency, our pet rescue window decal alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. The safety pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet—a great way to keep the APCC’s toll-free emergency number and website address handy in case your pets get into something they shouldn't!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Making the Decision to Work At Home

The whole point of telecommuting, or working from home (WAH) is the ability to fit your work around your life, not the other way around.This can be especially attractive if you are a stay at home parent. It is, in fact, why I made the decision to work from home!

I was a single mom for several years, with a kid too young for school, and needed to find a way to support us both. Between the costs of transportation and daycare, working outside the home was just not feasible for me. Now that my daughter is older, I am always here when she gets home from school. I am available for play dates and track practice and holiday performances. I can take a break, mid day, to help with a diorama or to bake cookies or to go to a Dr. appointment.

Work no longer happens just between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Despite all the distractions involved in balancing family and work, telecommuters are actually more productive than those who work in the office, according to studies from Stanford University.

However, making the decision to work from home is not one to make lightly. It can sometimes take a few tries to succeed, and find the work from home job that is right for you. Figure out your strengths, and that will guide you to the job that will be the right fit. Go over the pros and cons of working from home before making the decision that is right for you.

Look at your finances. Not every home can take the hit to the income while you find the right work from home job. You also, though, have to factor in the costs of gas, daycare, etc. Working can cost quite a lot! Look at your existing income and also what you want to make working at home.

Some work from home ideas:

Do you know how to sew, craft or bake? Start a small business selling your handiwork.

Do you have great sales skills? Try a work at home sales franchise like Avon or Mary Kay.

Do you design web sites, logos or other custom art work? Make your skills (and prices!) known to family and friends online to build your portfolio, and sell your services.

You can find legitimate Call Center jobs. Check each company with the Better Business Bureau.

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Office Depot: FREE Organize Me 2013 Calendar!

Office Depot is offering a free Organize Me 2013 Calendar! Just print the coupon for the calendar and take it with you on your next visit. To find the coupon search for “Organize Me” in the search bar. The link to the coupon is on the bottom right hand corner of the page you will be re-directed to.

The coupon expires 3/15/13, so that gives you couple of months to use it!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bring in Old Product for Discount on New Purchase Programs

Some companies will give you a discount on your purchase, if you bring in your old one for recycling. The discount amounts vary by store, and by location, so always call ahead first and check your local store policy.

Bring in your old laptop, iPod or mobile phone to an Apple Retail Store and get 10 percent off the purchase of a new one.

Recycle your old binders at Staples, and get $2 off the purchase of a new one. They also offer $2 off a purchase of ink cartridges or toner, if you bring the old cartridges in when you make your purchase, limit 10.

Office Depot also has an ink cartridge recycling program, $2 off a purchase of ink cartridges or toner, if you bring the old cartridges in when you make your purchase, limit 10.

Play it Again Sports buys, sells, and trades used sports equipment. You can choose several options: have your used equipment purchased from you, use it to trade up to something better, or donate for a tax break (if you itemize your taxes).

H&M will collect stained, torn, or simply out of date clothes in an in-store bin. The clothing will then be sent to German recycler I:Collect, which will then turn the clothing into everything from new clothing to automobile insulation. Customers who make donations will receive vouchers for each bag of used clothing to use toward future H&M purchases.

M-A-C Cosmetics offers the Back to MAC program where if you return 6 M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice.

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Is the Flu Near You?

Plug in your zip code and find out how many cases of the flu have been reported! Just click here and type in your zip code!

Or you can use Google's Flu Trends: click here.

Not sure if you NEED the shot? The Center for Disease Control urges several at-risk groups to be immunized. Are you one of them? Click here.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

How to Enter Contests to WIN!

Do you enter contests? I do sometimes, I have periods where I am super active and periods where I get too caught up in home life to bother.

BUT...you know the saying, You have to be in it to win it!

If you have any contests you are currently entered in,
feel free to add the link to vote !

Here are also a few tips to help you get started when entering contests:

1. Choose a contest that focuses on one of your strengths. Don't enter cooking or recipe contests if you call the smoke alarm your timer (haha). I am not a great seamstress (aka, I cannot sew!) as a result, you will never see me enter one of those contests. I stick to the things I am good at, to improve my chances of winning.

Example:
I have 4 years of culinary school under my belt, so I feel comfortable submitting recipes to contests. This was my entry in the Classic Pastry Arts Contest.

2.Make sure your pictures stand out. Don't get too "artsy-fartsy" with it, as that can hurt your chances almost as much as a crummy shot. Just make sure you have good lighting, nice color contrast, and a unique perspective. I have won several online contests in the past several years for my original recipes, but quite often, the judges loved the visual impact.

Example:
The colorful fish stew, topped with fresh herbs, gives a nice color contrast. The camera focuses on the food, the bowl fading in the back.

This won first prize in the Nordic Naturals Essential Fish Dish Contest!

3. Wording Counts. Be clever, make sure you spell everything correctly, and make sure you have filled out the forms properly. There is nothing worse than having people point out your spelling errors on a contest entry!

4. Show your creative side! Don't be afraid to break the mold when entering a contest. Check out the other entries, and figure out how you can make yours stand out a little.

5. Enter as many contests as you qualify for! I have entered cooking, baking, Pet and family photo contests...even DIY contests on Instructables! If you can take step by step pictures and write clear instructions, this is a great site to join.
2 years ago I won second place in a Spring Clean Contest, this year I was runner up for 3 seperate cooking and DIY contests!

6. Follow the Directions. Make sure you qualify, make sure you cross your 'T's and dot those 'I's...it is a horrible thing to have one of your entries chosen, only to be disqualified!

7. Don't let haters stop you from being awesome. I personally have had some recent experience with jealous adults acting like bratty kids because they weren't getting votes, and I was attacked (verbally) online.

Just ignore them, know that whatever you did, it was great enough to make them try to take action against you. Sure, you might occasionally not win something due to one of these people, but in the long run, as long as YOU do not fall down to THEIR level, you will be fine. Judges DO take harassment into account, if you make it known (if it is severe enough - in my case it required legal action).

Do you have any contests that you are currently entered in, and need votes? Add your link to the comments below! Make sure to tell us if it is a daily or one time vote!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Free Money $ from Serve and American Express

Wanna make a quick $35? Of course you do, who doesn't like FREE MONEY?

I just found this deal and tried it myself, and was surprised at how fast and easy it was!

I signed up for a Serve Account via American Express, which only took me 5 minutes! (They ask for name, address, email, birthday, and last 4 digits of SSN.) This offer is for new members only. They are sending me an AmEx card, to use for online or in store purchases.

When you add $25 or more to your NEW account through December 31, 2012, they’ll match with a $25 deposit. The FREE MONEY arrived in my account in 60 seconds!

If you spend $20 in one purchase,using your card, they will give you an additional $10! That is $35 total profit! I have not done the purchase part, I am waiting for my card to arrive via snail-mail. Hopefully it doesn't take too long!

Purchase must be made by Dec. 31, 2012.

I have 3 adults in my house, and we each set up an account. We made $75 in one hour! After our qualifying purchases (holiday gifts!!) are made, we will have made a collective $105.00 FREE CASH towards our Christmas gifts.

PLUS.....When you sign up for the Serve Digital Prepaid Card,

you’ll get some other great benefits:

**Standard American Express 90 day purchase protection for accidental damage or theft for eligible purchases.

**Roadside Assistance – when your car breaks down, they will send help for towing, winching, flat tires, battery boost, fuel delivery or emergency lock-out. (Great for teenagers and college students).

**Entertainment Access – enjoy access to pre-sale tickets, reserved seats and behind the scenes experiences in certain cities when you use your Serve Card.

NOTE: These cards are assigned a special subset of numbers, that lets every system know that this is a prepaid card. Many online systems WILL REJECT this card. A lot of the "free trial-cancel later" offers will NOT accept this card, I have tried!! But this is a great way to make some extra cash and I plan to use it to give my preteen her allowance!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A New Year means a Renewed Craft To-Do List!

I LOVE to craft with a purpose, and I am filling my project folder with ideas for the New Year! Hopefully we will soon be moving into our "Forever Home", so I am keeping an eye out for any easy/cheap DIY decorating ideas I can find!