7 Ways I Earned Over 70,000 Swagbucks ($700+)

Today I'm going to answer a question I get asked quite often ...

How do I earn most of my Swagbucks?

1. Surfing the internet. As a homeschooler, I do a lot of internet searching. Every now and then a notice pops up that I've gotten some Swagbucks just for doing that, and it's lovely!
2. Shopping. I feel like I buy something on eBay almost daily. I get 2SB per dollar I spend there. I need a $75 math program? Well, I'm already saving money buying it used, then I get 150SB just for buying something I needed. Sometimes maybe I need to get a size bigger of pants for a kid and know I can just do it online at Old Navy, for instance. More SB! Instead of wasting gas and time, I just saved money and earned SB. I also get a lot of SB when I buy movie tickets online using Fandango ... and sometimes we see a LOT of movies. I think I got a ton of SB when I signed up for Hulu years ago, and I got some when I signed up for our homeschool program. When I decide to sign up with Sam's Club, I'll also get a ton of SB.
3. Daily poll. No-brainer. (also, surveys!)
4. Checking out new products and companies from the main page.
5. Checking out the the videos.
6. Referring friends. So I tell my friends and blog readers about this great program and they sign up. I get a bonus and then a portion of SB when they shop :-)
7. As an Influencer, you see my blog posts here and hear my stories. If you have a blog or website, you can apply for the Swagbucks Influencer Program and post special offers to earn extra Swagbucks and help promote the site.

What I Spend My SB On
Lifetime Swagbucks = 70,676, which is $706.76. Honestly, I just get my SB redemption sent to PayPal. That way I can do anything I want with it. I can send it to my checking account to help pay for things like braces. I can spend it on things like Teaching Texbooks Pre-Algebra 2.0. But what I've been doing lately is sending it to our Vacation Savings Account so we can get to Florida this fall!

So my question for you would be ...

What Are You Waiting For?  Sign up here!

How to Prepare for Your Next Family Trip to a National Park

Are you thinking about taking a vacation in a national park shortly? This type of family holiday should be a memorable experience for all the right reasons for everyone involved. However, some holidays don't go according to plan. You can avoid this situation by following the tips below.

Research and Planning

Before you go on your adventure with your family members, it's crucial to find out as much as possible about your destination. For instance, is your best friend – your family dog – welcome to come here to a specific park and stay with you? Thanks to a wide range of online resources, this has never been as easy to do. Every national park has different things to offer, and travel websites are available that include helpful information, reviews and people's accounts of their experiences in a particular national park.

Equipment and Resources

When you reach your holiday location, it’s important to have all the equipment and resources you require. To start with, you need to get your bearings, and you should have a detailed map or maps that give you all of the necessary information about the park you are visiting. For instance, if you decide to go to the Big Bend national park, you should invest in a Big Bend map, so that you can become familiar with your new surroundings as quickly as possible.

As mentioned earlier, different national parks have different activities and attractions that you can take advantage of. Water sports, hiking and biking, are just some of the activities that you could take part in, but they require certain types of equipment and resources. You’ll also want to make sure you carry sunglasses, sun cream, water bottles, head gear, a camera, binoculars and any other items you believe are important.

Clothing

When you're planning your trip, make sure you are prepared for the weather conditions that will exist when you get there. Waterproof, windproof and insulated clothing may be needed if you will be visiting in the winter or spring, while lighter clothing and accessories will be appropriate during warmer times of the year. In some instances, the weather conditions can change quickly, so you should be aware of these changes and pack the necessary clothing items.

Food and Drink

If you are spending some time at a particular national park, bringing your own food and drink will make your trip more affordable and allow you to go off the beaten track for longer without needing to visit a store.

Going on a break with your family means you have to keep a number of people happy, so make sure you pack all of the snacks and food items each of your family members like. Finding out what each person wants before you set off on your travels will prevent a lot of problems later.

Facilities

Different families have different requirements when they go to a national park. Younger members have different requirements than senior members of the family, so you need to be certain that every facility each family member needs is present at your destination.

Going to one of the many popular national parks in the US should be an enjoyable experience for everyone of your family members. Addressing each of the points above will ensure that this happens.

5 Top Secrets to Self-Motivation

Self-motivation is an important tool for winners and achievers; unfortunately, not so many folks out there know how to stay motivated or even motivate themselves to do anything meaningful. To some, self-motivation is a myth reserved for a ‘special elite’, WRONG! Anyone can be self-motivated, anyone can apply the same principles that highly motivated principle lives by and succeed. Here are 5 secrets that can raise your motivation game, and aid you achieve your life’s goals:

Wake up early

Self-motivated folks make it a point of duty to wake up early every day. One of the greatest indicators of a self-motivated individual is a penchant for starting early; making the decision to wake up early everyday sub-consciously instructs your body to get set for work daily. Waking up early sets your mind in an alert state and allows you to take advantage of opportunities that may come your way. Getting up late is a bad habit that you must change to improve your daily motivation. This amazing quote from Charles Duhigg’s the Power of habit says it all:  "You can’t extinguish a bad habit; you can only change it".

Have a vision for your life

Most people do not have a life’s vision. A life’s vision includes setting goals like; "I want to be the top TV presenter in New York city by the time I am 35"; "I want to have a globally recognized chocolate factory valued at a hundred million dollars by the time I am 50"; "I want to be a popular music star with global following and win 10 Oscars straight"; these are but a few, having goals like this help you have something to always look forward to and focuses your energy so you do not attempt to do everything that comes your way. In addition, you can books that inspire and motivate greatly about having a vision for your life and help you stay focused.

Have daily goals

The best thing you can do for your psyche is to have little goals you seek to achieve every day. Always seek to do something new every day. Look for the opportunity to stretch your limits and set new records. You may decide to learn a new software that can help you become more efficient at your job, you can take up an online course in an area of interest, you can attempt to reduce the time it takes you to complete a particular task daily.

Always be positive

Positive people always get the best from life because they see good in everything. Self-motivated people cannot be beaten down because they see a way when others see despair. They take criticism as an opportunity to get better and move ahead to achieve more. In his book: The power of positive thinking, Norman Vincent Peale stated that: The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. A lot of people change their outlook on life when they are criticized and they start to become negative about everything.  A positive mind will never give up, it will never relent and does not require the praise of others to achieve.

Be spiritual

One thing you can never underestimate is the power of spiritual influence. Spiritual guidance and counsel daily provide a refreshing motivation and energy to run through every day.

The Things You Can't Miss on a Trip to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is teeming with energy. It is a bustling and vibrant place that is thriving in the modern world. For nomads that travel there, there is certainly never a shortage of things to do. It is full of shopping experiences, landmarks and a load of other usual visitor experiences. Except, in Hong Kong these experiences are a lot less ‘touristy’ and far more life enriching than they are in other places. In Hong Kong, these experiences are matched with the most breathtaking of sights. And there are plenty of them to see!

Because there is so much to do and to see you should most certainly make use of a Hong Kong taxi service. And your first stop should be Victoria Peak. If you are only to do one thing during a visit to this part of the world, let it be allowing yourself to take in the famous views afforded by this Peak. It rises an astonishing 1,805 feet above feet, allowing those that stand upon it the chance to see everything that is worth seeing in Hong Kong. There is Hong Kong Island. There is Kowloon (on clear days you can witness its eight mountains). And there is Victoria Harbour. All three are just waiting, and have been waiting a long time, for you to look upon them. To look upon them all you must reach the top of the Peak, and to do so you should take world’s steepest funicular railway, the Peak tram. Whether you go by day or night, you are sure to see something up there that will not leave your memory for a very long time.

Panoramic view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak

 

But a visit to Hong Kong is not all about lauding over local landmark or site spotting. No, it’s about eating and trying the local delicacies too. And there are a whole host of delicacies to choose from, the most famous of which is Dim Sum. A trip to Hong Kong would be incomplete without a Dim Sum eating experience, and there are plenty of restaurants there that offer it. The most famous, and surprisingly the most cost effective, of the bunch however is Tim Ho Wan. It is known as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant not only in Hong Kong, but in the whole world. So, could really justify not paying a visit to it when it is both so lauded and so cheap?

If you’re devoid of inspiration as to where your travels should next take you, then look no further than Hong Kong. It is a fantastic place to find yourself simply because it is probably a lot different to your own way of life. The customs. The climate. The cuisine. They will all probably be quite alien to you, especially if you come from the Western world. But there is no better place to truly find yourself than in a place that is so different to your home. If you do find yourself homesick, however rest assured Hong Kong has it’s very own Disneyland resort. It is a mixture of both Eastern and Western cultures, so you’ll always be able to find a hint of your home there. So, what are you waiting for? Make Hong Kong your next big adventure!

5 Brilliant Ways to Team Building

When you are working together with other people, it is important to adapt team building ways so you can work more effectively. Without having communication and understanding between the people in your group, you cannot have the best of outcomes. Therefore, below are some activities you could choose for team building.

1.   Escape games

Involve yourself in some risky game which has a concern with creative thinking. Escape games will give your mind a greater place to think for ideas. Also, this kind of game will let you decide on things immediately. Working in a team will let you implement decisions quickly.

2.   Coin Logo

This activity needs all coins to be gathered together by each employee. You can share coins with others to create more friendliness. With the help of all coins gathered, your team will have to make a logo which represents them as one group. This kind of a game will enhance communication skills among members of your team.

3.   Picture Pieces Game

This game includes a very complex image which needs to be cut into equal squares in correspondence to the number of people in the group. Each member will be given one square. They will be required to draw an enlarged version of that image. Members are not allowed to view pictures of other employees hence they will not know what they are making as a big picture. Once every square is enlarged, each member is supposed to join them to make one big picture. This helps in problem-solving.

4.   Two truths and one lie

This game is somewhat similar to truth and dare. Each member of the group is required to write three facts about them out of which one should be a lie. After completing, get yourself involved in a ten-minute conversation with every member of the group. Your conversation will be in such a way that other members will guess which fact is a lie about you while you are supposed to convince them that it is the truth. This game increases communication between your group mates.

5.   Sneak a peak

The leader of the group is required to make a 3D model out of building blocks. Once you have completed, show it to your group members. Divide them into groups of 4 members where they are supposed to make the same 3D model in a given time limit without looking at the original piece. One member is allowed to view the original piece for 10 seconds to tell other members how it is made. Each member will go one by one after every minute. This game increases communication skills between members, so they will know how to solve problems when divided into teams.

Involving your members in a team building activity will let you have better communication opportunities. Every representative of the group will know how to go about a situation which includes problem-solving. They will know when to look for help and when to implement their decisions. You may also search for activities on.