Harris Poll (Surveys)

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HarrisPoll

I’m not a big fan of most of the survey places you find online these days. They’re too much work for what amounts to little payoff, but I do like being rewarded for providing my input and doing some everyday things. I’m still a fan of Swagbucks even though I’ve been slacking lately on their surveys and videos you complete/watch for credit. And when it comes to physically going to the store and being rewarded, Shopkick is another great way to be rewarded.

I joined Harris back in the beginning of April of this year. So far I’ve accumulated about 4400 points. This is more than enough for a $25 gift card, and about 1000 points towards the additional 3000 points I need for a $50 card. I know, it’s not earth shattering money. But for what amounts to about 10 or 15 minutes every other day or so, it all adds up. We use this as “blow” money so to speak by redeeming the points for restaurant gift cards. We don’t actually incur this expense of eating out, so it’s like a nice bonus since we’ve pulled back on our unnecessary spending with me being out of work.

I’m pretty confident I could have been at the $50 gift card in three months. To me this is a nice deal. We can typically eat out at one of the places offered twice with a $50 card further taking advantage of the “freebie”. Additionally, when we combine this gift card with the others we receive from our Discover rewards and Swagbucks, we’re pretty much able to eat out a couple times a month without having to actually use money needed for other things.

HPRewards

And if you don’t want to spend Harris points (they call them HI points) on restaurant gift cards, there are plenty of other items they offer as rewards. Check out the list!

Joe-

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Shopkick

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Updating my original post for Shopkick. We’re both still using Shopkick whenever we’re shopping. Since originally posting this back in March we’ve accumulated around $25/each. I know it’s not life altering money, but it does pay for a weekly grocery trip for us to Target or Walmart. : )

Shopkick

Have you heard of  Shopkick? We love it! It’s a smartphone app that gives you Kickbacks just for walking into stores, and also for scanning specific items. Then you redeem those points – called Kicks – for gift cards to your favorite places like Starbucks, Target, Walmart, and more. 

250 Kicks is the equivalent of one dollar and can be redeemed as follows:

500 Kicks = $2
1250 Kicks = $5
2500 Kicks = $10
3750 Kicks = $15
6250 Kicks = $25

Try Shopkick, a super simple way to save some $$$. : )

After you click the above link, just enter your phone number and you’ll receive a one-time text with a direct link to download the app. After signing up you’ll be ready to start collecting Kicks! 

Joe-

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Extrapolate This! – Weekly Roundup – 3/28 to 4/1

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Another busy week. Here we are coming into April and opening day for Major League Baseball. Go Sox! And let’s not forget about hockey. The Blackhawks are once again playoff bound!

Laid Off Or Fired? Now What?

The “New” Retirement Number?

Joe’s Latest Addictions

Free Magazine Fridays

I also added a new Recommendations page giving a few apps and websites worth a try. We don’t endorse anything we don’t already use AND most importantly like!

14-0809_2016 Opening Day

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How to Make Friday Free Magazine Reward Day

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Here we are, April 1st. Signs of spring here in Chicago are everywhere, finally! Baseball season is right around the corner. Now we just need the warm weather. And in true Chicago fashion, there’s a chance of snow showers tomorrow.

I enjoy the mornings, sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a magazine. I like reading magazines. I have a few I receive digitally, and a good handful we receive in the mail each month. I always have people look at me funny when I tell them we receive 5 or 6 magazines a month at home. When they ask why so many, I tell them well, because I enjoy reading and I get them for free. They stop looking at me so funny when they find out I receive them for free.

I been using Reward Survey for years. Just with signing up and completing some surveys and profile information you could be eligible for credits that can be used on magazine subscriptions. They do have a limited selection of magazines but add new ones from time to time. For me, every Friday I receive an email with another survey to complete for a $20 credit towards magazines. The weekly surveys I complete are quick, literally just a couple minutes. If you’re interested, click the picture below.

Joe-

freebies2deals-rewardsurvey

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Get Your Kicks…On Shopkick

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Shopkick

Have you heard of  Shopkick? We love it! It’s a smartphone app that gives you Kickbacks just for walking into stores, and also for scanning specific items. Then you redeem those points – called Kicks – for gift cards to your favorite places like Starbucks, Target, Walmart, and more. 

250 Kicks is the equivalent of one dollar and can be redeemed as follows:

500 Kicks = $2
1250 Kicks = $5
2500 Kicks = $10
3750 Kicks = $15
6250 Kicks = $25

Try Shopkick, a super simple way to save some $$$. : )

After you click the above link, just enter your phone number and you’ll receive a one-time text with a direct link to download the app. After signing up you’ll be ready to start collecting Kicks! 

Joe-

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Gift Card Bonuses – 2015

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It’s that time of the year again where many companies offer bonuses when you purchase a gift card. We end up spending a lot of money at once to ultimately save money throughout the year on places we’d be visiting anyway. So without further ado, here’s this year’s list:

Classic Cinemas – Free movie ticket when you purchase a $50 gift card (this is available to Classic Reward members, so sign up now and you might get an email as you need to bring that in to get the deal).

Culvers – Free value basket for every $25 gift card. Value Basket certificates expire February 21, 2016. This deal can’t be beat since those value baskets are typically worth $8+! We end up buying several $25 cards since Culvers has delicious burgers.

Half Price Books – $5 bonus when you buy a $25 gift card. The $5 bonus card is only valid in-store 1/1/16-1/31/16.

Lou Malnatis – Free $10 certificate when you purchase a $50 gift card or a free $25 certificate when you purchase a $100 gift card. We always get the $100 gift card which pays for four deep dish pizzas throughout the year and the $25 certificate is the same as getting a fifth deep dish pizza for free. The certificate is good through June 30, 2016.

Noodles & Company – $5 bonus card for each $25 card purchased. $5 bonus card valid 1/1/15-1/31/15. Since the bonus card is only good for a month, and we don’t eat at Noodles & Company very often, we plan on purchasing just one card since we know we’ll be eating there in January for my birthday. Did you know if you sign up for their eclub you get a free bowl of noodles for your birthday? No additional purchase required!

Red Robin – $5 bonus buck reward with every $25-$45 gift card. The $5 bonus buck reward is good from 1/1/16-2/29/16. This is another one we might take advantage of since we’ll be visiting Red Robin in January to redeem my free birthday burger.

Speedway – Free Speedy Rewards points with a Food & Merchandise card purchase. I couldn’t find the details online, but if you belong to Speedy Rewards, you get extra bonus points (which can be used towards coffee and other items) for purchasing a gift card. Joe learned that the fuel only card doesn’t qualify for the extra points, so beware!

If you know of any other deals, please share them in the comments.

I’ve also added a link to a larger list posted by Deal News here.

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Birthday Freebies

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Happy Birthday

Do you love free stuff? How about free food? I sure do, and the best time of the year to get it is around your birthday. I always eat good (and gain weight) around this time of the year, although I can’t possibly redeem all the freebies coming my way! Some places are more generous than others, of course, so I try to stick with those.

Below is a list of the birthday freebies I received this month along with the expected time frame of the email coupon, plus redemption restrictions.

Note: The expiration dates here may vary depending on when your birthday falls within the month. My birthday is on January 7th so my guess is perhaps the coupons that expire at the end of the month might be valid for three weeks.

Buona Beef – Free original 7″ Buona Beef if you’re part of their Primo Club. Email comes 4 days before your birthday and offer is good until the 1st of the following month.

Classic Cinemas – Free movie ticket if you’re on their MovieTime Email list (which also sends other freebies throughout the year). Coupon arrives in your inbox the day before your birthday and is good for 30 days.

Culver’s – Free one-scoop sundae for being part of their club. Offer is good for 14 days from your birthday.

Half Price Books – 15% off entire purchase for being on their email list (they also send great coupons throughout the year). Email comes on your birthday and the coupon is good for 14 days.

Hooters – 10 boneless wings free for being part of their eClub. Email comes a couple of days before your birthday and the offer is good for 7 days following your birthday.

Houlihan’s – Complimentary entree up to $15 for being part of their eClub. Email arrives 4 days before your birthday and offer is good until 10 days after your special day.

IHOP – Free Rooty Tooty Fresh N’ Fruity (or menu item of equal or lesser value) for being part of the My Ihop Club. Coupon arrives a week before your birthday and is good for a week following your birthday.

Jason’s Deli – $5 off any item for being part of their Birthday Club. Email comes 5 days before your birthday and coupon expires 9 days after your birthday.

Kellogg’s Family Rewards – Free code worth 100 points for being part of the rewards program. E-mail comes in on your birthday and the offer expires at the end of your birthday month.

Noodles and Company – Free bowl of noodles for being part of their E-Club. Email arrives a week before your birthday and coupon expires at the end of the month.

Red Mango – 500 points ($5 value) is added to your Club Mango card. Email comes a couple of days before your birthday and the offer is good for 30 days.

Red Robin – A free burger is added to your Red Royalty card and is good the entire month of your birthday. Email notice comes in on the 1st of the month.

Smashburger – Free shake with the purchase of any entree for being part of their SmashClub. Email comes a few days before your birthday and expires only 4 days from your birthday.

Sonic – Your choice between medium Tots, a 14 oz. CreamSlush® Treat, or a medium Soft Drink for being part of the My Sonic club. Note: You will be asked to choose these before they give you a coupon to print. Email comes on your birthday and the freebie is good for 14 days.

Swagbucks – 50 bonus Swag Bucks added to your account. Email comes on your birthday. Expiration date is unknown.

Starbucks – A free handcrafted beverage of any size when you have an account and registered card on that account. Email comes 5 days before your birthday and offer is good until the 1st of the following month. In addition, there’s a 15% off code for orders made on the site. You can use both offers.

Check out this link for even more birthday freebies!

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