Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Swagbucks "Three for Fall"


If you haven't tried Swagbucks before, you can get a bonus $3 for signing up during October as part of their Three for Fall promotion. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash. 



When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $3 bonus! Here's how: 

1. Sign up using this link 

2. Earn 300 SB total before 11/1/17. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it! 

3. If you want even more bonuses, you'll get a $10 (1000 SB rebate) bonus for making your first shop purchase! That's in addition to the SB you earn for every dollar you spend. 

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned 97,221 Swagbucks, which translates into almost $1,000 :-)

Swagbucks Halloween Sale


Now that Halloween is almost here, Swagbucks has increased cash back at a big group of their Halloween-related stores, so you can earn cash back while getting costumes, decorations, and more for the end of the month. Just click here to see the deals, and sign up for Swagbucks (if you haven't already) to start earning cash back in the form of SB points, which you can exchange for gift cards or PayPal cash. 



The sale is going through October 31st, and if you sign up through me, you'll get a 1,000 SB rebate ($10) after your first shopping purchase through Swagbucks!

Monday, October 2, 2017

Top profitable ventures that can turn into a family business


Having a family business is an amazing way of preserving the future not just for your children but their children as well, and pretty much a long string of generations of your family following afterward. It not just creates security for the future, but it also gives you peace of mind in astounding proportions. However, while starting a family business is an amazing idea, not all business ventures are great as a family business. If you’re interested in turning your hobbies into a business you can share with your family, take a look at these suggestions.

A band
Sure, a band doesn’t sound like a secure business idea, and it’s surely not something that can easily be passed down to future generations. However, if your family has a gift for music, loves music and pretty much surrounds itself with music, then starting a band might be one of the most enjoyable experiences. You can start off small and make your way up. You can aim as high as you want regarding how big you want to become or strive to become because there’s nothing stopping you form trying to become famous if you’re not satisfied with just playing small venues.

A farm
A farm can be a great family business because it holds an astounding amount of lessons about hard work. If you would like to live in a rural area where there’s clean air, and your family loves animals, for instance, a farm might be a great business idea. Your family can sustain itself off the land and sell the produce of different kinds. Next, there’s taking that money and reinvesting it in farming equipment and getting even bigger. Your children can learn a great deal from this sort of experience, about hard work and responsibility. It’s a good way of making sure that they grow up with a sturdy sense of responsibility and that they know what hard work is but also what it feels like to reap the rewards of that work at the end.

A restaurant
This is probably the most common family business idea because there are many families that are already doing it. Opening up your restaurant can be a challenge, but if you’re a skilled cook, you can make quite an impression on the local clientele. Today’s restaurant equipment financing solutions make it easy to get started. Who knows, maybe after a while the word will spread and you’ll have customers from all over, coming to taste your famous pie, stew, salad, what have you. It’s a great family business because every member can pitch in and lend a helping hand. There are many jobs within a restaurant so there’s something for everyone and it helps your family feel more like a team and encourages working together.

A website

This is probably the least expensive business idea because it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. If conflicting school schedules and things like that would make other business ideas way more troublesome, you don’t have to worry about a website in that sense. That’s because a website can be easily managed from home at any hour, making it a much more convenient venture. It can be a website about anything, meaning that it can be a family blog or it can be an online store which sells different things. You can engage your children in learning about business by handling sales while you take care of the delivery part.

Master the Best House Painting Techniques


For many people, painting their homes can be something very personal and they would rather they do it themselves. If you do not want to hire a professional company like Paysons Painting, you can do your little painting projects on your own and still make them look great.

Today we will teach you some tips that will show you how to paint your house like a pro. These tricks are not too complex, but they will really make a difference. At the end you will realize that your painting technique will improve and you will be able to paint faster and smoother, without making too much of a mess.

Eliminate texture differences
If you have ever painted a wall you probably noticed that the sheen is not consistent, and there are texture differences that make your walls look bad. This has nothing to do with your painting method, the walls are usually to blame. If they are not smooth enough and they have small patched cracks or holes that used drywall compound, you will discover that the pain is quickly absorbed and the surface will look too dull.

In order to fix that problem, you will need to use some primer. Just prime with a roller over the edges. It is recommended to choose a nap roller that matches the texture of the wall: a ½ in. nap roller for textured walls and a 3/8 in. nap roller for smooth walls.

Put all the cans of paint in one large bucket
You have probably noticed that paint cans are not exactly identical, even if you bought the same shade. Therefore, whenever you empty one can and open a new one you might realize that there is a big color difference, and the wall will look weird.

However, it is easy to prevent that with one solution named boxing. All you have to do is estimate how much paint you will need for a room, and mix all the cans in one large bucket. This way all your walls will have the exact same shade.

Follow a certain order when painting a room
Whenever you decide to repaint a room you might be tempted to start with the walls. However, this is not the wise thing to do. You should start with the trim. This way, after it is painted you can cover it with tape so that you won’t mess it up with paint from the walls. Use a painter’s tape and only tape it after it has dried for at least 24 hours. Then paint the ceiling, and leave the walls at the end.

Do not paint over dirty surfaces

Whenever you paint something, make sure that it is clean. If you paint over a dirty surface, the paint won’t resist too much. There are plenty of products designed specifically for prepaint cleaning.  You can also try a deglosser. You can find these products at home centers or paint stores. Make sure you also get some gloves and protection for the eyes.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

7 Feel-Good Hobbies Anybody Can Try

If you haven’t got a hobby already, you need one. Everybody should have a hobby to let go of stress, improve skills, have fun, and get a new perspective on life. There are so many reasons you should have a hobby! However, it isn’t always enough to have one hobby. Even if you have a hobby already, there’s no harm in trying something else. Try plenty of different things helps to keep life exciting!

If you want some hobbies to try out that will make you feel great, here are 7 ideas:

  1. Surfing
Surfing has to be one of the most exciting and rewarding hobbies. Starting a hobby like this may seem intimidating, but don’t let that put you off. It may take practice before you can stand on your board and even ride a wave properly, but you’ll be glad you stuck with it. Bear in mind that depending on where you surf, there are rules. Certain beaches may have rules for surfing, but there are rules between surfers too. There are guidelines you need to stick to, such as not stealing another surfer's wave!

2. Knitting
Knitting isn’t just for the older generation. It’s actually a wonderful hobby that allows you to make clothes, blankets, toys, and more - all while releasing stress. Knitting has been proven to have many therapeutic benefits. It’s even used for those with mental health issues. If you’re struggling to feel good, knitting could help you.

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3. Horse Riding
Horse riding is always a good hobby to try. If you think horses are beautiful and fascinating, riding one will really open your eyes. You’d be hard pressed to find a horse-rider who didn’t have an incredible bond with their horse. So much so that they will usually let everybody know about their beloved hobby! You can too if you browse GeckoShirts.com and look at the horse-orientated clothing. Bear in mind that horseriding is one of the more expensive hobbies to have.

4. Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is almost like journaling, except you’re not expected to write out big blocks of text. Instead, you can put in pictures, captions, and other little tidbits you may have picked up and found on your adventures. Looking back on a scrapbook can be a great bonding activity for friends and families.

5. Cooking
Cooking is a valuable skill to have. You’ll be glad you started when you’re hungry and you have limited ingredients at home! It’s so much fun to experiment with the different flavours and textures. Not to mention your presentation!

6. Volunteering
Volunteering will make you feel good for obvious reasons. When you’re out to help others, rather than just yourself, it’s hard to beat the feelings of well being you’ll have. That connected feeling we get when helping others just can’t be beaten. Not only that, it’s one of the cheapest hobbies you could have.

7. Yoga

Yoga is an awesome hobby that allows people to have more control over their bodies. It encourages deep breathing and mindfulness too, which are great skills to have in everyday life!