Get Over $90 in gift cards when you earn with Uber!

For those of you looking to earn extra money, driving for Uber may be the opportunity you're looking for! You set your own hours so you can earn as much or as little as you want! Thanks to Swagbucks, you can get paid to try it out! (I have seriously been thinking about doing this, seeing as how I have a 12-passenger van and a lovely monthly payment to go along with it.)

Just for signing up, you'll get 1250 SB (the equivalent of over $12 in gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Target, Walmart, and more, or just PayPal cash)! Once you take your first paid passenger, you'll get another 8000 SB ($80!) in addition to your earnings from driving. Click here to get started.

What's more, if you sign up through me and complete even the first part of this offer before November 1st, you'll get another $3 bonus (300 SB) in the first week of November. So we're talking about almost $100 in free gift cards just for making even more money on the side. Another great way to make a little extra is through Swagbucks - they have a lot of different ways you can earn free gift cards every day! I signed up with Swagbucks years ago and have earned so many gift cards ... and then I started taking my SB in PayPal credit deposited directly into my PP account.

Swagbucks is a great way to bank points all year and get gift cards for birthdays and Christmas! I buy things I normally buy, like things on eBay or even my Time4Learning homeschool subscription, and get points! Then, of course, you can also take polls and surveys and watch videos and buy more stuff you would normally be buying online. I really rack up the SB when I get Christmas shopping done ... think LEGO double VIP points in October through LEGO and then Swagbucks on top of that! WIN WIN!

Simple Changes to Make To Your Household Spending to Cut Down Debt

For whatever reason, many of us might find ourselves in some household debt. We might be in debt for our home and perhaps a car and education. Those debts are a little more controlled, and we have a monthly amount that is paid off. But when the credit card bills add up, just from everyday spending, you know it is time to make some changes. So here are a few hints and tips to help you reduce your spending, which in turn, will help to clear any credit card debt that you have.

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Make Your Own

One great way to save money on your day to day bills is to make things yourself. Cooking from scratch, as well as making your own laundry and cleaning products can save you quite a bit. It is most likely going to end up being better for you too. So what is not to love? There are many websites and sources online that will have recipes and hints and tips you can follow. For many of us, it might be a new concept, to start making your own laundry detergent! So somewhere like The Fortunate Investor is somewhere that you could look. It has articles you can read about saving money on household things, like cleaning products, for example.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Things

There are lots of things that you will have around the home that you could get rid of. From possessions to contracts, they can all be reduced. You could hold a garage sale, for example, or sell belongings online. You could even start to think about contracts in the home that you don’t really need. Do you need the all-singing-all-dancing cable package? Could you reduce it to a more basic package, for instance? Could you get rid of it all together? Things like that might be a nice idea. But if you don’t get that much use of it, is it worth it? Just things to think about to help you make some savings.

Use Reward Programs

Many stores have loyalty and reward programs that can be really beneficial. So think about the stores near you and what they offer. Quite often you can earn loyalty points that can be converted to things like coupons for money off your gasoline. To get some money off, for things that you will be buying anyway, is completely worth it. So shop around and sign up to some loyalty programs.

Cut Down Grocery Costs

A lot of our household budget goes on groceries. What we can eat add up to a lot of money if we don’t restrict things. So make yourself a weekly budget if you don’t already have one. Then think about making some switches. Cereals are expensive; so why not switch to oatmeal and porridge instead. It is also a good idea to buy some of your products in bulk. Things like meat can be bought in bulk, divided up and then stored in the freezer, for example. It will save you money in the long run.

I Like When God Smacks Me Upside the Head (Are You Living Your Life Like a Saint?)

I didn't really want to go to Religious Education class last night with my kids. Eva asked to stay home and I said, "It's only the 6th class and we already missed one to be with Poppy, which turned out actually instead to be me nursing a horrific dying tooth nerve that night. We can't miss tonight. Sam is doing First Communion in the spring and needs to go to all the classes."

Still, I didn't want to go myself. The past classes had been difficult trying to understand what the Spanish-speaking speakers were talking about when I know maybe a first-grade level of Spanish (we go to a very welcoming church). Our director would try to translate but that became a little disruptive to the Spanish-speakers trying to understand the lecture. I wasn't really looking forward to my brain being on fire more after a tiring day with another tiring day on the way (co-op tomorrow).

We went anyway.

This time my three English-speaking companions and I were taken into a classroom (ironically, the one I taught in last year and had such a hard time because trying to teach kids Religious Ed directly after they've been in school all day was REALLY difficult). A video was put on and I was like, "Oh, I am going to fall asleep."

The video was about saints. And four saints were covered that blew my mind wide open. I sat there taking notes and trying not to bawl like a pre-menopausal baby when Edith Stein's (a Jewish-to-Catholic saint? Shut the front door!) story was told and it turns out she died in a gas chamber.

I wasn't super impressed with The Little Flower even though most Confirmation girls choose her as their saint, and Edith Stein was cool and all that back when it wasn't cool to be a woman. But the two that affected me were Katharine Drexel and Mother Teresa. Drexel was brought up all fancy and then used her $4 million from her parents dying to help Blacks and Native Americans. Talk about philanthropy! Mother Teresa ... what sacrifice!

And you know what I never truly sat and thought about? The fact that these people did not set out to become saints. They were not pious and selfless from the moment of their birth. They all come from different backgrounds and locations. They were not perfect. The Little Flower had to be dragged out of the Pope's pad by guards because she was a teen begging to become a nun and wouldn't give up. I dug that part because it sounds like something that would happen to me when I get an idea in my head and won't let it go!

THEY WERE HUMAN. Sometimes they were annoying and tenacious, but those qualities paired with hard work get stuff done.

The evening left me asking this:

What can I, as the homeschooling mother of 5 and wife of 1 do to make things better in the world? Maybe my calling is raising and educating awesome kids who might go on to do crazy-rockin' things in the world. That thought makes me laugh and feel less-than, as I look at the piles of dishes and laundry and think about how many popsicles I let them eat in the summertime and how we sometimes skip schoolwork for fun outings and how they have too much screen time. Maybe my calling is taking in extra kids when they need a place to just be kids. Maybe my calling is to someday write books that help people beyond getting published in magazines and learning how to make tater tot casserole.

Even if you aren't Catholic, and I was not raised Catholic (or even really Protestant yet I was drawn to it anyway), are you living your life like a saint? I'm not talking about being PERFECT. The saints were never perfect. Some of them have incredibly sordid pasts but turned their lives around and gave up their lives for a more selfless pursuit or two. Are you living your life like a selfish jerk or like a giving, loving, kind, patient, forgiving person?

*I think my comment box has disappeared! Can you let me know here or at mommykerrie@yahoo.com? Thank you for your help!

These Are The Habits Of People Who Always Have An Immaculate Home

Nothing feels better than having a clean home. But actually getting one can be difficult, especially when you have a family. We all know those people who always seem to have immaculate houses. But we don't quite understand why. What is it about them that means that their homes are always so neat and tidy? What are their secrets? And how can we emulate them so that our own homes look the same?

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It turns out that the tidiest people you know aren’t super human. It’s just that they’ve built up a bunch of keeping tidy habits over the years. Now it’s your chance to find out their secrets. These are their habits for always keeping their home tidy.

They Have A Special Place For Their Laundry

If you’ve got a messy house, you’ve probably got two places for your laundry. One is the back of a chair; the other is the floor.

This isn’t how people with tidy homes operate. They’ve got a special place for all their laundry, usually the laundry basket next to their washing machine.

They Make Vacuuming A Breeze

One of the main reasons people hate vacuuming is because of the vacuum cleaner itself. Vacuum cleaners can be big, difficult to manage and loud. People who always seem to have immaculate houses tend to invest a bit of money in their vacuum cleaners. They buy top rated vacuum cleaners because it’s these vacuums that make the job easier. The easier it is to suck up the dust from your carpet, the more likely you are to do it.

They Wipe Their Surfaces Everyday

Nothing looks worse than a kitchen counter top or a bathroom sink that hasn’t been cleaned in a while. It’s messy, and no doubt, bacteria ridden. But I’m sure that if you’ve ever been to your friend’s immaculate house, you noticed that the surfaces are sparkling clean. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the reason that they’re so clean is because they get wiped every day. Your countertops end up looking terrible because all the dirt and mess for days and even weeks accumulates.

They Aren’t Hoarders

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You’ve probably had the urge at one time or another to have a big clear out. But when you tried to do it, you found it harder than you thought you would. Whenever you tried to throw something out, you wound up keeping it instead. You feared that even though it didn’t have an obvious use today, that it might at some point in the future. Could you be a hoarder?

Here’s the thing about tidy people: they aren’t hoarders. In fact, they make a point of using only what they need and ditching the rest. You may have noticed that your tidy friend doesn’t have a bunch of stuff stuffed under their bed like you do. Everything somehow has its proper place.

They Make Their Beds Daily

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Speaking of beds, there’s one last habit that defines the tidy home; making one’s bed daily. It might not sound like a big job - and it isn’t. But it makes a big difference psychologically.

Retired Socialite? Grown-Up And Responsible Doesn't Have To Mean Boring

It's a bit of a cliche that as you get older, you settle down. And there are some cases, undoubtedly, where it isn't true. You probably know a few people for whom it isn't. You may be one of those people. However, there is a pattern of behavior where, as rowdy as we may have been through High School and college, adulthood comes to most of us.

As we accumulate the things of adulthood - be that marriage, kids, owning a home - our priorities slant. And so, more often, when someone asks if we want to go out for the evening, we're more likely than ever to say "no". We've retired our dancing shoes. The shot glasses we brought home from parties are now used to hold change. It's a young person's game. Leave it to them now.

But should we give up that easily? Sure, we don't want to have those nights where we spend the next three days trying to work out how we spent the next week's budget in two hours. But getting outside the same four walls for reasons other than work can be an essential part of keeping your brain awake, if not young.

It's Not Every Night Or Even Every Week

There are those of us who look back on our college days and think "Well, I know I got my diploma, so I was definitely there, but...". If your early adulthood is largely a blur, you're not alone. Going out every night isn't good for anyone. And the more you grow up, the more you realize that quality beats quantity when it comes to partying. Not least because you remember the night later on.

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Although it's sure to sound like a kind lie, there's an argument to say that keeping an eye on money makes going out better. In the days when debauchery was commonplace, many of us will have taken money out that was meant to last the night. Our bank statements tell a different story, as we see we visited the ATM another few times. And if we don't remember it, how good can it have been?

It doesn't mean you can't have a couple of drinks and enjoy the evening. Just that you have to be selective about it. Celebrating a special occasion sometimes merits a night out.

Being Responsible Means Leaving The Car At Home

Going out for an evening on a budget means making some choices about where the money can best be spent. Again, when we're a bit younger and more carefree, it's common to take a taxi home which can be expensive when you're not keeping track. As you watch the pennies more, you'll think about this more carefully. Checking out codes for existing Lyft users means you can get money off the journey and not have to worry about overspending.

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By arranging transport ahead of time, you can ensure that you don't make stupid decisions. Bringing the car along on a night out means that you're limited in where you can go and what you can do. For the avoidance of all doubt, one drink before driving is too many. It's proven to affect reaction times. It's just not a chance worth taking, especially as you have less time to react in the darker hours.

Having Kids Doesn't Mean The Death Of Being Social

If you're ever invited to go on a night out, and say "Well, I would, but there's the kids," do yourself a favor. Ask yourself if that's the real reason, or whether you're making an excuse. You certainly should prioritize your kids ahead of partying, but millions of us who are parents still go out on occasion. As long as you have a responsible person who can babysit, why not?

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You don't have to drink any alcohol at all to enjoy a night out. It can be very pleasant with a meal, but if you want to be clear-headed in case the babysitter calls, that's more than fine. It's about knowing what you're comfortable with. But let's be clear. Having kids, financial responsibilities and a schedule to stick to doesn't mean going out stops being fun. When did you last go for a meal and a movie? Or go and see a band?

For some of us, the social life does get canceled when family life begins. We can make any number of excuses for this being the case. But there are ways to still have the occasional night out without becoming a terrible parent or a financial disaster area. Balance in all things makes life kind of nice!