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The following is a Sponsored Message:

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Personally, I really enjoy learning about saving money and setting myself financially upright. I have two credit cards to my name, a credit score above 750, and no debt to my name (although I am about to purchase a home but that is good debt). I found GoldStarCredit and they offer a wealth of financial advice and services for many life decisions such as the best credit card to use, identity theft (very helpful because that has happened to my husband), mortgages, how to repair bad credit, the best loan rates, etc. GoldStarCredit offers a lot of advice about life choices and things we often ask or have to hunt for ourselves. I encourage you to check it out and see for yourself that you can feel financially at ease and you can buy that car you want but just don’t get yourself back into debt doing it. =) Continue to check back to their site as it is constantly being updated.

Updates on two previous posts-Lip Ink and EvReward

Updates:

On a previous post FREE: Semi Permanent Lip Color-Lip Ink!! I posted about a free sample of a lip color that boasts a guarantee that it will not smear off. I have now received my free sample. Four separate times I used the sample color Rosewood as directed. The first time I used three coats which I personally found to be too dark so the following three times I used only two coats which was still almost too dark for my liking. The color did not smear off but came off a little bit with my lip skin which had dried out by the end of the day. I was very disappointed because it sounded like a great product and I was hoping it wouldn’t dry my lips out. It is similar in staying power to the Almay brand I use now so I will stay with Almay since e it is cheaper. I will finish my sample of Lip Ink since it was free (or semi-free since I traded in a old lipstick for the sample). Hope this helps for anyone who is considering buying it.

Also, on a previous post UPDATE: Cash Back/Reward Points!! I posted about a new program called EvReward that searches for the best rate on cash back or reward points for purchases and the site also listed coupons. I told you I would update to let you know if it really worked and it did. If you refer to my post I told you how much my purchase was, the coupon I used and how much the site said I would get back using Ebates. I was semi-skeptical about whether I would actually get my 4% cash back since I was not going directly through Ebates but I did-$1.92, approximately two days after my initial purchase. So, I encourage everyone to use EvReward to get the best possible amount of cash back or reward points for a purchase you will make online-and to save money for coupons they also list.

Don't forget to sign up for free at http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBS4943 (refer to post A New-Internet Craze?...or Just Hype in January)

US Bonds as Online Rewards!

There is another type of reward program that isn't compared on www.evreward.com and that is www.BondRewards.com. With BondRewards you get saving bonds instead of immediate cash. In our culture everything is "we have to have it" and "now"; just look at all the fast food places and their goals of having it to you within 2 minutes or less or picking up an item at the store that you ordered online, instead of waiting for something to be shipped to you (although it does save money! But you know what I am getting at)

Personally, I like the idea of seeing the money in my account and being able to transfer it into my checking or savings. However, with bonds you are "forced" to save the little money you earn off of purchases. Saving is something that the American culture has forgotten about. We (as a general culture) often spend more than we make and end up in so much debt. I believe with this little tool of BondRewards you can learn so much more and make a significant life choice in realizing the importance of saving what you earn. In October 2006 Becky Ford, who writes for the Chicago Tribune, posted her analysis of a multiple amount which can be found here at www.comparerewards.com. She says,

This year, the award goes to BondRewards, hands-down. They offer rewards for 109 merchants on my chart, and for 56 of these, they offer the highest rebate (or tie for the highest rebate). You could assume that if you shop through BondRewards, around half of the time you're getting the highest shopping rate offered anywhere. For 28 merchants they had the second-best rate. And further, as I mentioned in note #6 above, some rates provided by BondRewards may actually be higher depending on your order total. The only thing to keep in mind is, BondRewards only offers one type of redemption: U.S. Savings Bonds

The amounts of the US Savings Bond they offer are $50, $75 and $100. For example the $50 bond costs $25 to buy and is supposed to but not guaranteed to reach face value for 20 years. It could reach $50 sooner than 20 years depending on the interest rate fluctuation. There is a link below to sign up under. Check it out and be sure to let me know what you think!




Don't forget to sign up for free at http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBS4943 (refer to post A New-Internet Craze?...or Just Hype in January)

UPDATE: Cash Back/Reward Points!!

Happy and Blessed Easter-Jesus is ALIVE!

First off, I apologize for my delay in posting. For the past two weeks I have been working late on a big project at the firm I work at-9, 10, 11pm or even 2am (that was last night or should I say this morning). Today I took off to go to the opening day baseball game for the Texas Rangers-it was so fun but quite cold at 52 degrees F-at least for a born and raised Floridian like me =). Now to business and pleasure.

Here is an update to my post Ebates/Upromise, etc...Comparing Reward Programs! Check this out-this new site offers a great system that does all the reward/cash back site comparisons for you. Just to sum up-on my previous post I listed a website and a well-drawn out chart that listed the top sites that offered the top percentage in cash back/rewards. I also briefly mentioned the differences for 4 top programs.

So now for the great and oh so helpful time and money saving website (drum roll please...): www.evreward.com!! First you type in the store you want to shop from. Then it brings up a screen listing four categories and the programs in which you can get money back or earn reward points. Not only does it show the programs with the top rewards, it also displays (at the top, above the percentages) current coupon codes or deals such as $10 off when you spend $150 at Target.

Yesterday I went online to purchase a wedding gift for a friend of mine and here are the details:

Item(s) Subtotal: $47.89
Shipping: $5.58
Promotion Applied: $4.79
-----
Total Before Tax: $48.68
Sales Tax: $2.59
-----
Total for This Shipment: $51.27


The promotion was the 10% coupon code provided on evreward, so I saved a little less than the cost of shipping and got 4% cash back using their link to Ebates. It may take awhile to show up in my Ebates account but I look forward to when it does so I know that evreward is legitimate (I will post my update in red on this post so check back in a month or so). I chose Ebates because I already use them for other purchases and I don't like my rewards/cash back to be in a bunch of different programs-that just means more for me to keep track of. That is my personal preference but that could change.

Below is a list of the categories and the programs evreward show comparisons for (these are the programs that came up for Target):

CASH BACK REBATES:
-Big Crumbs
-Bounty Zoo (you have to pay a fee so I wouldn’t recommend it)
-Cashbaq
-Citi Dividend
-Coupon Cactus
-Ebates
-Fat Wallet
-Mr. Rebates

FREQUENT FLYER MILES & HOTEL REWARDS
-AirMiles Mart
-Alaska Airlines
-Aloha Airlines
-American Airlines
-Amtrak
-Continental
-Delta SkyMiles
-Hawaiian Airlines
-Priority Club
-Marriott Rewards
-Midwest Airlines
-Northwest
-Goldpoints
-United Airlines
-US Airways

POINTS PROGRAMS
-AMEX Rewards
-Citi ThankYou
-ClubMom
-MyPoints

COLLEGE AND OTHER SAVINGS
-BabyMint
-NestEggz
-Stockback
-Upromise

Here's to saving money while shopping online!!

Happy and Blessed Easter-Jesus is ALIVE!


Don't forget to sign up for free at http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBS4943 (refer to post A New-Internet Craze?...or Just Hype in January)

FREE: Semi Permanent Lip Color-Lip Ink!!

Okay, ladies this is for you or guys for your wives, girlfriend, or friends who are girls! So I stumbled upon this product that sounds amazing. I personally haven’t tried it but I will be soon-for FREE!! The company is called Lip Ink and they sell semi permanent makeup that is guaranteed not to smear off: lip stains and glosses, eye liners, eye brown color, eye lash tint, and more. Check out their site demo video and commmercial videos that explain how it works in more detail. It does not contain wax like many lip stains do but includes naturaly ingredient that can be found at their website by clicking here.

Personally I don’t wear make up everyday. The most I put on is lipstick or a tinted lip balm. The lipstick is Almay Truly LastingTM Color. I have to put on the color, wait for it to dry and then apply the gloss. However, even though it does last up to a day and a half it will really dry out my lips (chapping and peeling) so that I can only wear it every 2-3 days. The lip balm I use is there and then gone when I eat, drink, or just through the morning. The permanent make-up (tattooing) was not even an option.

I recently stumbled upon Lip Ink. You take off your previous make up (in this case lip stick) with their brand “Off” remover, apply their shine moisturizer, then apply the lip stain (the more layers you apply, the darker it becomes and the longer it stays), then let it dry for 10 seconds and apply their shine moisturizer again and you’re done. Here is a video of the process. Now this isn’t about saving or making money but it is about saving your mind and purse. With normal lipstick, even most self-proclaimed long lasting lip colors, the color is often gone by the middle of the day and needs to be reapplied. That means you have to remember to keep your lipstick in your purse and reapply as needed (and that is shows up when you drink or kiss), but with lip ink, you do it once in the morning and it stays all day. I think the staying power of Lip Ink might save money in the long run depending on your cost of lipstick and how often you purchase it.

I know you are wanting the FREE part, so here it is. Click this link and then fill out your information and then you will be directed to a PDF page (by filling in your information online you also receive a free coupon code for 10% off any online purchase in your e-mail). Just print, fill in the information, include your current long lasting lip color, send by mail, and in 2 weeks from the time they receive it you will be getting their trial size version of the 3 step process for the lip color Rosewood (you can see the color here HERE).

*Note: ends April 28, 2007 or while supplies last


Don't forget to sign up for free at http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBS4943 (refer to post A New-Internet Craze?...or Just Hype in January)

Helium-opportunites are sky high!

Many of you have heard of Associated Content or even Constant Content, but have you heard of Helium. Huh? I know, I thought it was an odd name too. It is very similar to Associated Content in that you get paid to write articles. The difference is that you are rated by other writers, who are writing similar articles. If there is a topic that 10 people have written you could be rated #2 out of 10, and so on. The better your article is-the better you get paid. What I will be doing is posting the articles on my blog (when they pertain to my blog) and then posting them on Helium and Associated Content. That way there are more opportunities for making money and I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket by just publishing my articles in Associated Content or only a blog. Utilize all the avenues you can! Also, Helium serves a dual purpose: by reading and rating other people’s articles, I get more ideas for my blog and other articles to write-it fuels my writer’s mind. I haven’t found exactly how they determine how much you make but for one article, within 1 day I had $0.12 in my account. Twelve cents is not a lot but the more you publish and the better you write-the more money you will make. There is a referral system that you can make 5% of what a person who refer makes. Send me your e-mail at zloofah@hotmail.com so I can send you an invite (they don’t do referrals by links). In turn you can send invites to others so you can make 5% of what they make too!

You may think you don’t have time to write for a blog even if you use that article in other places such as I listed above, however start by entertaining article topics in your mind. Keep a notepad with you so when you see or think of a good idea or topic you can write it down. Then at the end of the day or week you write out all your ideas as separate articles. That way you set aside that time to do your writing all at once and everyday during the week you just post them on your blog, Helium, and Associated Content. Less stress and more money making opportunities!

Just another way to make money and use your writing skills you were taught throughout those long school years!! (I will post an article about Associated Content soon for those who don’t know much about it).

Try this link below-we both get paid, get links back to our sites or blogs, and are given new material to write about for you and your readers!



Don't forget to sign up for free at http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBS4943 (refer to post A New-Internet Craze?...or Just Hype in January)

The "Just say no thanks" rule!

I have a tip I would like to share with you. It involves health and saving money. It may sound silly but hear me out. I used to drink soda a lot, especially when I was younger and I went out to eat with my parents. Once I got old enough to go out on my own and pay for my own meal, I realized that one soda (even with the refill for “your money’s worth”) adds a little extra cost to the whole bill, including tax and gratuity. For example, lets say one soda costs $1.75 and you go out to eat once a week for a whole year, that is a total spending of $91. You may think that is not a lot but it is $91 you could have saved. You might go out more than once a week so that means a total cost of more than $91 spent on soda, plus you might buy soda at work, school, or for your home-so it all adds up. So when asked if I would like soda to drink, I use the “just say no thanks” rule. Instead of soda at a restaurant, I ask for water with lemon and I add two packets of equal (the blue stuff-aspartame, which has been shown to have its own set of problems). It adds the flavor I need when I don’t feel like just drinking water and it is healthier than all the sugar and calories from soda. Perhaps you say, “well I drink diet soda.” You would be correct that diet soda does not have sugar or calories, however, research shows soda drinks contain a high amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus appears to conflict with the absorption of calcium so there is a greater risk of osteoporosis and softening of teeth and bones. It also neutralizes hydrocholoric acid so digestion is affected. Diet soda also has caffeine unless it specifically doesn’t include it. Personally, I get headaches if I drink caffeine, probably because my body is not used to it. If you are used to caffeine then you may have withdrawl headaches and want to go back to drinking caffeine. You will have to wait out those headaches because they should eventually stop.

Since diet soda has no nutritional value you should replace it with juice, milk, and water. Make sure the juice is 100%. I have seen ones where they are 5% juice-that to me is worthless. The 100% ones are very concentrated so added water makes it still taste great and last longer.

Check out these sites for more info-don’t just believe me-check on my words.
http://www.oleda.com/oleda_tips/index.cfm?ID=58&Ref=

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Wsx9Pr_JxlwJ:www.americanchiropractic.net/general_%2520interest/Statistics%2520and%2520Dangers%2520of%2520Soda%2520.pdf+soda+has+high+phosphorus&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us

http://joi.ito.com/archives/2002/10/26/is_diet_coke_bad_for_you.html

http://diet.ivillage.com/issues/ichoices/0,,9gh2w46k,00.html

Try this link below-we both get paid, get links back to our sites or blogs, and are given new material to write about for you and your readers!



Also, you can access this article at http://www.helium.com/tm/214411!


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