This is the reason I have not been here lately. For the better part of last year, I had it in my head that I was going to create a "real" blog. I was going to make it professional looking, post three times a week within given themes, etc. I wanted it to be like one of the many blogs I follow, but I didn't want to put in the years of work that those writers had; I wanted it now.
Too often in my life I plan and plan and never actually act. So today, I'm taking a small step towards breaking that habit. I will start with what I already have, and I will go from there. I will no longer wait until I have my own domain, and I have designed the perfect layout. No. What you see is what you get, for now. I already have a blog post or two written up in a notebook, so look for those soon. Until then, carry on.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Monday, May 6, 2013
Raw Emotions: Loneliness
I've never been the girl who had a lot of friends. In fact, I've been gradually losing the few I did have over the past few years.
At the stage in my life where it's getting more and more difficult to make new friends, I'm finding myself alone more often than not. It's times like these that I reminisce, that I mourn the friendships that are gone because one or both of us gave up or truly grew apart.
On lonely nights (let's be honest, tonight is one of them), I sit and wish I had someone to call. Someone to jump in the car and drive to Grand Haven with completely on a whim. At the very least, someone to make future plans with, knowing that I may be alone tonight, but I am not alone. Lunch dates and weekend getaways would do wonders for my heart and soul. Knowing that we may not have all the time in the world like we used to, but we've still got each other. We'll still pick up right where we left off, as soon as we get the chance.
I often replay events of friendships. Could I have done things differently, could I have done more. Should I have done less. As my friends spread out across the country, how could I have kept them close? What about the friends that didn't move away, but so much got in the way between us that it felt like we were thousands of miles apart?
This post will be dedicated to all of my friends, past and present. Wherever you are in your life, I hope you are loved. I hope you are not sitting alone tonight, wishing you had someone to talk to.
At the stage in my life where it's getting more and more difficult to make new friends, I'm finding myself alone more often than not. It's times like these that I reminisce, that I mourn the friendships that are gone because one or both of us gave up or truly grew apart.
On lonely nights (let's be honest, tonight is one of them), I sit and wish I had someone to call. Someone to jump in the car and drive to Grand Haven with completely on a whim. At the very least, someone to make future plans with, knowing that I may be alone tonight, but I am not alone. Lunch dates and weekend getaways would do wonders for my heart and soul. Knowing that we may not have all the time in the world like we used to, but we've still got each other. We'll still pick up right where we left off, as soon as we get the chance.
I often replay events of friendships. Could I have done things differently, could I have done more. Should I have done less. As my friends spread out across the country, how could I have kept them close? What about the friends that didn't move away, but so much got in the way between us that it felt like we were thousands of miles apart?
This post will be dedicated to all of my friends, past and present. Wherever you are in your life, I hope you are loved. I hope you are not sitting alone tonight, wishing you had someone to talk to.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Owning My Anxiety
The Carpenters had it right, rainy days and Mondays get me down too.
Today was challenging at the gym. No, not because I had a killer routine, or pushed myself to the brink. My challenge was much more internal than any of that.
The day started as any other Monday. In fact, I was actually excited to get the gym today and get back on the C25k program. Sadly, that didn't happen. I barely did anything resembling a work out at all.
A little background story on me and on my gym. My gym has a separate women's section that contains a weight circuit and two treadmills. My friend and I try to use these treadmills whenever we can, because honestly, the ones in the main room with the hardcore runners intimidate me. I'm not going to get into the intimidation factors for the "fat girls" amongst the skinnies at the gym, just know, you guys freak me out. I mean that in the nicest way possible. But until I am one of you, I would much rather hide on the treadmill in the corner so if I fall off, hopefully you won't even notice me. Or my bright red face dripping with sweat as I struggle to jog for 3 minutes.
The other side of this story is a battle I've had most of my life. The fight-or-flight. I would love to tell you that I am a fighter, but most of my life, I've run clear the opposite direction. Which is how I found myself struggling at the gym today. The two treadmills in the back are occupied. Oh, no. But! I'm having a good day today, I'm getting comfortable in the gym, so I walk into the main room instead and hop on a treadmill I've used before. It's not working. My breathing speeds up. I take a quick peek around the room, no one seems to notice me. I glance at the rest of the treadmills in the row. Not too many groups of two together for my friend and I, an Out of Order sign on one. With my options dwindling, I feel it. The panic setting in my chest, the heat in my face and hands. I grab my stuff and walk quickly to my locker where I contemplate grabbing my stuff and running out the door.
At that moment, my friend walks through the door and spots me. Great, there goes my clean get-away. Flash forward, she talks me down. We do some weights instead. I focus on my machine and my friend's stories, half-heartedly. I give up ten minutes in and just follow her around like the lost puppy I am in that moment.
I try to shrug it off, but I can't help feeling like a failure. I walk to my car and notice the pouring rain. Perfect. The rain mixed with my tears and I slipped away quietly to my empty house with no one the wiser.
I would love to end this with the moral, with my lesson learned and my redemption. There isn't one, however. Not now. This is me, messy as I am. Owning my anxiety.
Today was challenging at the gym. No, not because I had a killer routine, or pushed myself to the brink. My challenge was much more internal than any of that.
The day started as any other Monday. In fact, I was actually excited to get the gym today and get back on the C25k program. Sadly, that didn't happen. I barely did anything resembling a work out at all.
A little background story on me and on my gym. My gym has a separate women's section that contains a weight circuit and two treadmills. My friend and I try to use these treadmills whenever we can, because honestly, the ones in the main room with the hardcore runners intimidate me. I'm not going to get into the intimidation factors for the "fat girls" amongst the skinnies at the gym, just know, you guys freak me out. I mean that in the nicest way possible. But until I am one of you, I would much rather hide on the treadmill in the corner so if I fall off, hopefully you won't even notice me. Or my bright red face dripping with sweat as I struggle to jog for 3 minutes.
The other side of this story is a battle I've had most of my life. The fight-or-flight. I would love to tell you that I am a fighter, but most of my life, I've run clear the opposite direction. Which is how I found myself struggling at the gym today. The two treadmills in the back are occupied. Oh, no. But! I'm having a good day today, I'm getting comfortable in the gym, so I walk into the main room instead and hop on a treadmill I've used before. It's not working. My breathing speeds up. I take a quick peek around the room, no one seems to notice me. I glance at the rest of the treadmills in the row. Not too many groups of two together for my friend and I, an Out of Order sign on one. With my options dwindling, I feel it. The panic setting in my chest, the heat in my face and hands. I grab my stuff and walk quickly to my locker where I contemplate grabbing my stuff and running out the door.
At that moment, my friend walks through the door and spots me. Great, there goes my clean get-away. Flash forward, she talks me down. We do some weights instead. I focus on my machine and my friend's stories, half-heartedly. I give up ten minutes in and just follow her around like the lost puppy I am in that moment.
I try to shrug it off, but I can't help feeling like a failure. I walk to my car and notice the pouring rain. Perfect. The rain mixed with my tears and I slipped away quietly to my empty house with no one the wiser.
I would love to end this with the moral, with my lesson learned and my redemption. There isn't one, however. Not now. This is me, messy as I am. Owning my anxiety.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
New Goals
Though my keyboard has been silent, my legs have been moving these past two months. I am proud to say that I am two months fast food free, and have successfully cut my intake of diet pop down to the nights I work third shift only. That means I've gone from drinking 20-30oz of Diet Coke a day to 20-30oz of DC a week!
I am also in the middle of the Couch to 5k program. While I am not completing each week on the first try, I have been consistently exercising 3 times a week for the past 6 and a half weeks. In terms of the program, I am still working on Week 4. Last week I got a nasty cold that took me out of the program for a week. I managed to walk instead, but this week I haven't quite gotten back to jogging again. I fully intend to do the jog on Friday though now that I'm feeling much better and can actually breathe.
Part of me wanted to blog the whole process from Day 1, but another part of me wanted to be that person that hid from the world for about a year and just popped back in next year with a rockin' new bod and play social catch up. Obviously, I'm somewhere in the middle of both extremes.
As of the beginning of February, I weighed 222lbs. I've been having a weekly weigh-in with girls from work along with an accountability e-mail amongst us. That happens on Thursdays so I don't have the most current weigh-in number yet, but I've lost about 8lbs in the past 2 months.
My main goal is not a huge overhaul all at once, because that's where I've always failed in the past. This time, I'm starting small. For me that was cutting out fast food and limiting my pop. I don't drink coffee and I work third shift part time, so I'm still hanging onto my Diet Coke as my caffeine to get me through the night. That may or may not change as I progress. The other (big) little change is I aim for going to the gym 3 times a week. The best way to hold me accountable so far is to do the Couch to 5k program with my friend. The program calls for 3 thirty minute workouts a week. Perfect.
In time, I'll kick it up a few notches, but for right now I'm making these things go from habit to routine before I add anything else onto my plate.
I am also in the middle of the Couch to 5k program. While I am not completing each week on the first try, I have been consistently exercising 3 times a week for the past 6 and a half weeks. In terms of the program, I am still working on Week 4. Last week I got a nasty cold that took me out of the program for a week. I managed to walk instead, but this week I haven't quite gotten back to jogging again. I fully intend to do the jog on Friday though now that I'm feeling much better and can actually breathe.
Part of me wanted to blog the whole process from Day 1, but another part of me wanted to be that person that hid from the world for about a year and just popped back in next year with a rockin' new bod and play social catch up. Obviously, I'm somewhere in the middle of both extremes.
As of the beginning of February, I weighed 222lbs. I've been having a weekly weigh-in with girls from work along with an accountability e-mail amongst us. That happens on Thursdays so I don't have the most current weigh-in number yet, but I've lost about 8lbs in the past 2 months.
My main goal is not a huge overhaul all at once, because that's where I've always failed in the past. This time, I'm starting small. For me that was cutting out fast food and limiting my pop. I don't drink coffee and I work third shift part time, so I'm still hanging onto my Diet Coke as my caffeine to get me through the night. That may or may not change as I progress. The other (big) little change is I aim for going to the gym 3 times a week. The best way to hold me accountable so far is to do the Couch to 5k program with my friend. The program calls for 3 thirty minute workouts a week. Perfect.
In time, I'll kick it up a few notches, but for right now I'm making these things go from habit to routine before I add anything else onto my plate.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
How To Fail At Maintaining A Blog
Ta-da!
Wow, absolutely no excuse for the four month lapse in writing.
I promise my life will get more exciting. Some day..
Wow, absolutely no excuse for the four month lapse in writing.
I promise my life will get more exciting. Some day..
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Loving My Lashes, Loving Myself
I look in the mirror more lately. I blink and bat my
eyelashes at myself in awe. Look at that length! Sure, they would appear normal
by most standards, but for me I have model length lashes for the first time
in over ten years.
For the better part of my life, anxiety has caused me to do
some silly things. Pull my hair out, pluck all my eyebrows, pick at my lips, and
pull out my eyelashes. All of these being visible to others, I have walked a
fine line of no one noticing to being questioned or even made fun of for my
habits.
I tricked myself into my longer lashes this time. I spent
$30 on a bottle of lash lengthing product that I would be darned if I wasted. I
actually convinced myself to leave my eyelashes alone for the past month, and
for my dedication I no longer have stubble or an empty spot on my eyelid. Now, I am not sure if I can pin this success
on the product, or just the fact that I finally let my eyelashes grow without
interfering. I suppose either way, the $30 was well spent.
It’s about time I made myself up with some eye shadow and
mascara without worrying that people will notice the glaring lack of eyelashes.
While some might bemoan the idea that to be pretty you have to apply makeup, I’m
just glad I finally have the ability to do so after years of hoping no one was
really looking at my face.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Creating a Masterpiece
I had three whole paragraphs of an entry written here when I realized that I was writing about substantial topics but not giving them substantial time. Sure, I can knock out a blog entry in five minutes that might be decent, but it will not be great. Too often I rush into things looking for the quick fix, the quick answer. My goal in this blog and this life transformation is to take it slow and do it right the first time.
So I will be back with an entry that has substance as soon as I give it time to be crafted. The beauty of social media is the wealth of awesome quotes at my fingertips. Today an author I admire, Donald Miller, happened to tweet a quote that relates to this topic perfectly:
"Pixar takes three years to plan their stories. How much time have you spent planning your life?"
So I will be back with an entry that has substance as soon as I give it time to be crafted. The beauty of social media is the wealth of awesome quotes at my fingertips. Today an author I admire, Donald Miller, happened to tweet a quote that relates to this topic perfectly:
"Pixar takes three years to plan their stories. How much time have you spent planning your life?"
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Boredom
I am writing a new blog entry because I am bored. This boredom very nearly convinced me to drive to the store and buy/consume a six pack of cupcakes.
Writing this while daydreaming about those delicious cupcakes is not an easy thing to do. Does this mean I'm "dieting" and "restricting" foods I love? Not at all. Because here's the thing:
I don't actually want the cupcakes. I think they will fulfill me and occupy my time. In reality it will only take me about 15 minutes to consume the whole package. At which point I will still be bored, but now with an added stomach ache and a side of guilt.
I wanted to craft and compose a great entry, but to be honest when I get this bored, I get restless. Not just my body, but my mind. I have about ten different things vying for my attention in my brain right now, and this is where I get impulsive and dash to the store for a sugar high. Instead, I chose to use this blog as my journal, my outlet. Only a few minutes into the process and my brain is slowing down, focusing in on my grammar, sentence structure, and choice of words. Is this post going to be perfect? Not a chance. It will, however, distract me from those cupcakes long enough to realize that I'm not even hungry. I'm bored, and here's what I am doing about it.
This, and searching for delicious cupcake recipes so that when I do have a genuine cupcake craving, I will have a wonderful homemade treat to enjoy. :)
Writing this while daydreaming about those delicious cupcakes is not an easy thing to do. Does this mean I'm "dieting" and "restricting" foods I love? Not at all. Because here's the thing:
I don't actually want the cupcakes. I think they will fulfill me and occupy my time. In reality it will only take me about 15 minutes to consume the whole package. At which point I will still be bored, but now with an added stomach ache and a side of guilt.
I wanted to craft and compose a great entry, but to be honest when I get this bored, I get restless. Not just my body, but my mind. I have about ten different things vying for my attention in my brain right now, and this is where I get impulsive and dash to the store for a sugar high. Instead, I chose to use this blog as my journal, my outlet. Only a few minutes into the process and my brain is slowing down, focusing in on my grammar, sentence structure, and choice of words. Is this post going to be perfect? Not a chance. It will, however, distract me from those cupcakes long enough to realize that I'm not even hungry. I'm bored, and here's what I am doing about it.
This, and searching for delicious cupcake recipes so that when I do have a genuine cupcake craving, I will have a wonderful homemade treat to enjoy. :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
Cheers to New Beginnings!
Sometimes I want to just erase all of the old entries on this blog and start over from scratch. It's embarrassing to look back at my last post in September of 2011 and read about how I was busy, but I'm getting back on track. Because, let's be honest. I clearly did not get back on track. In fact, I went down a whole different road and ended up lost and ten pounds heavier.
I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a fail. Mmhmm.
It occurs to me though, that if I delete these posts, I will be deleting a fairly large (no pun intended) part of the whole picture in my struggle to overcome obesity. When I ultimately lose the weight(and believe you me, I WILL lose the weight), this blog should represent every stage of the journey, not just the part where I finally start dropping the pounds. So the posts will stay, and I will move forward from today.
I have a ton of new resources and insight, and even a new accountability partner(Hi, Cassie!), so I am looking forward to this next step in my life. One in which I not only lose the weight, but I will ultimately face my emotional eating and learn how to take the best care of myself, in all aspects of life.
I will make it a goal to post at least one new entry a week. Here we go!
I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a fail. Mmhmm.
It occurs to me though, that if I delete these posts, I will be deleting a fairly large (no pun intended) part of the whole picture in my struggle to overcome obesity. When I ultimately lose the weight(and believe you me, I WILL lose the weight), this blog should represent every stage of the journey, not just the part where I finally start dropping the pounds. So the posts will stay, and I will move forward from today.
I have a ton of new resources and insight, and even a new accountability partner(Hi, Cassie!), so I am looking forward to this next step in my life. One in which I not only lose the weight, but I will ultimately face my emotional eating and learn how to take the best care of myself, in all aspects of life.
I will make it a goal to post at least one new entry a week. Here we go!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
One thing I forgot to mention in my last post is that I lost a filling in my tooth over the weekend and my appointment to get it fixed isn't until tomorrow morning. This has made eating and drinking things rather difficult yet it hasn't stopped me. I did eat a lot less than normal though so I know I stayed within my calories yesterday.
The reason I bring this up is that the scale read 213.6 this morning. Given what I've just said, I know for a fact i did not gain 1.8 pounds in one day. I post this to remind myself that the scale is not always the most accurate and best interpretation of my success. I know what I ate and how I feel and that's the most important thing.
Something else that has become a result of this ordeal is that I care much more about my teeth. It has been too painful to brush my teeth or use mouthwash for the past few days. I'm not very good at maintaining oral health to begin with but I hope this will serve as a wake up call because my mouth and teeth have never felt so gross. I actually want to brush my teeth! Lol.
The reason I bring this up is that the scale read 213.6 this morning. Given what I've just said, I know for a fact i did not gain 1.8 pounds in one day. I post this to remind myself that the scale is not always the most accurate and best interpretation of my success. I know what I ate and how I feel and that's the most important thing.
Something else that has become a result of this ordeal is that I care much more about my teeth. It has been too painful to brush my teeth or use mouthwash for the past few days. I'm not very good at maintaining oral health to begin with but I hope this will serve as a wake up call because my mouth and teeth have never felt so gross. I actually want to brush my teeth! Lol.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Setbacks
Setbacks are a natural occurrence of life. Two weeks ago, I lost my aunt to a heart attack. Though there is a family history, this came as a shock. That whole week became a blur of family visits, organizing pictures, and finally attending the wake and funeral.
Knowing my family has a history of heart problems as well as obesity should be one of the motivating factors for my weight loss. I don't want to have a heart attack and die at 48 years old if I can prevent it by eating healthy, exercising, and losing this extra weight I've been carrying around for far too long now.
Today I weigh 211.8lbs. My goal weight is 135-140, and I would like to be there no later than this time next year.
Knowing my family has a history of heart problems as well as obesity should be one of the motivating factors for my weight loss. I don't want to have a heart attack and die at 48 years old if I can prevent it by eating healthy, exercising, and losing this extra weight I've been carrying around for far too long now.
Today I weigh 211.8lbs. My goal weight is 135-140, and I would like to be there no later than this time next year.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A for effort!
This week has actually been fairly decent for me. This surprises me because I started a new job recently and I have been overwhelmed by the amount of trainings I have gone to in the past few weeks. This new job also happens to be 3rd shift which means my sleeping pattern is all sorts of messed up.
Part of me also fears that with working nights(thankfully only part time) and sleeping during the day, I will actually become even less active than I am now. It's not really a far fetched fear because the job doesn't require much movement.
All of this said, I go back to my comment that this week has been fairly decent. I went to the gym twice! 33 minute program on the elliptical both times. Also I did a few minutes of weights at home as well as my silly little jog in the house for a few minutes. The best thing about all of this was I actually wanted to do it. None of it was forced, I had the desire to be more active this week so that's a pretty big baby step for me!
This weekend is a family vacation for me so now we have to hope that I don't destroy my little victories for the week.
Part of me also fears that with working nights(thankfully only part time) and sleeping during the day, I will actually become even less active than I am now. It's not really a far fetched fear because the job doesn't require much movement.
All of this said, I go back to my comment that this week has been fairly decent. I went to the gym twice! 33 minute program on the elliptical both times. Also I did a few minutes of weights at home as well as my silly little jog in the house for a few minutes. The best thing about all of this was I actually wanted to do it. None of it was forced, I had the desire to be more active this week so that's a pretty big baby step for me!
This weekend is a family vacation for me so now we have to hope that I don't destroy my little victories for the week.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Barely
So far my attempts at exercise have been mediocre at best. Yesterday I ran from my kitchen to my front door several times for about 5 minutes. Since I'm no runner, I'll take it. Lol.
Today I finally put my Just Dance 2 DVD in and did 3 songs. Also not that great, but it's something.
I hate how hot my house is too. For someone who hates heat, it is very hard to motivate to exercise when it's 86 degrees in my house and the slightest movement causes sweat.
Today I finally put my Just Dance 2 DVD in and did 3 songs. Also not that great, but it's something.
I hate how hot my house is too. For someone who hates heat, it is very hard to motivate to exercise when it's 86 degrees in my house and the slightest movement causes sweat.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Just Dance
This blog has been many things for me since I started it, but today it's going to revert back to its original purpose. This will once again be my accountability and my documention of my struggle to lose weight through exercise and mindful eating.
I say mindful eating because I never was good with a diet. For me, I am going to focus most of my energy on exercising at first to negate my bad food choices. Once I establish an exercise routine that I actually stick to, I will really focus on what I'm eating. For me, I know I cannot do too many things at once. Every time I have tried to lose weight in the past, I have tried to change every aspect of my life instantly. I force myself to eat few calories and all healthy ones at that, tell myself I need to go to the gym 6 days a week, need to start meditating, need to change my sleeping schedule, etc. etc. etc. I always fail within a week because I simply can't handle that many changes at once(even though they do all need to be changed, eventually).
This leads me to the title of my blog post. I recently had a birthday and used some money to purchase Just Dance 2 for the Wii. Now, I have other exercise games/videos for the Wii but I never did them because they weren't fun. I rented Just Dance 2 as a trial and actually had fun, sweating out to about 5 songs. To me, this seems like a great transition because I can enjoy it. Sure, it's no elliptical or cardio boot camp, but it gets me moving and at this point in my life that's a pretty big step.
Here goes.. Just Dance!
I say mindful eating because I never was good with a diet. For me, I am going to focus most of my energy on exercising at first to negate my bad food choices. Once I establish an exercise routine that I actually stick to, I will really focus on what I'm eating. For me, I know I cannot do too many things at once. Every time I have tried to lose weight in the past, I have tried to change every aspect of my life instantly. I force myself to eat few calories and all healthy ones at that, tell myself I need to go to the gym 6 days a week, need to start meditating, need to change my sleeping schedule, etc. etc. etc. I always fail within a week because I simply can't handle that many changes at once(even though they do all need to be changed, eventually).
This leads me to the title of my blog post. I recently had a birthday and used some money to purchase Just Dance 2 for the Wii. Now, I have other exercise games/videos for the Wii but I never did them because they weren't fun. I rented Just Dance 2 as a trial and actually had fun, sweating out to about 5 songs. To me, this seems like a great transition because I can enjoy it. Sure, it's no elliptical or cardio boot camp, but it gets me moving and at this point in my life that's a pretty big step.
Here goes.. Just Dance!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Opinion Outpost
Out of all of the survey sites I signed up for a month ago, Opinion Outpost is the only one that I feel comfortable writing an actual review. It has only been three weeks since I signed up for this site, but already I have received a handful of survey requests in my e-mail and have qualified for enough of them to get my first $5 Amazon.com gift code.
In the past three weeks, I have gotten just about 10 survey requests from them so while they don't flood your inbox, they are consistent enough to be worthwhile. I certainly did not qualify for every one of those but I was impressed at the value placed on their surveys. Most of those 10 surveys were valued at 20 points or more. 20 points equals $2, so as I said reaching the required $5 to cash out was no problem.
I had no problems at all in requesting my first payout, and received the code within minutes of requesting it which is very nice for those of us familiar with the 10-14 day waiting period of Swag bucks. I also wanted to note a nice feature of their payout process. The minimum required to cash out is $5, but you can cash out whatever amount you want. For instance, I currently have $8.80 in my account. Instead of having to wait to reach the $10 mark, I could go ahead and cash out right now and transfer all $8.80 to my Amazon account.
I will let you know if anything changes, but for now, Opinion Outpost has got my stamp of approval.
In the past three weeks, I have gotten just about 10 survey requests from them so while they don't flood your inbox, they are consistent enough to be worthwhile. I certainly did not qualify for every one of those but I was impressed at the value placed on their surveys. Most of those 10 surveys were valued at 20 points or more. 20 points equals $2, so as I said reaching the required $5 to cash out was no problem.
I had no problems at all in requesting my first payout, and received the code within minutes of requesting it which is very nice for those of us familiar with the 10-14 day waiting period of Swag bucks. I also wanted to note a nice feature of their payout process. The minimum required to cash out is $5, but you can cash out whatever amount you want. For instance, I currently have $8.80 in my account. Instead of having to wait to reach the $10 mark, I could go ahead and cash out right now and transfer all $8.80 to my Amazon account.
I will let you know if anything changes, but for now, Opinion Outpost has got my stamp of approval.
MyPoints
In an earlier post, I mentioned signing up for a bunch of online survey websites. While some of those sites have yet to bear any fruit, I wanted to mention a site that I personally have been a member of since 2008. MyPoints is a website that has many ways for you to accumulate points which are redeemable for gift cards to tons of different places. I myself tend to opt for the Target gift cards, but have also gotten restaurant gift cards as a treat.
As I said, MyPoints has several different ways to accumulate points but the one method I use the most is reading their e-mails. I receive about 3-5 e-mails from them a day to check out companies and other special offers. Each e-mail has a link to click to visit the website, earning you 5 points. Every once in a while, a survey will show up in my e-mail as well and those are usually worth 50 points, with 10 points just for trying and not qualifying.
On top of the e-mails though, they have special offers you can complete and they partner with several companies to participate in shop & earn programs where if you go through the MyPoints website to make your purchase, you will get a certain amount of points per dollar.
I admit to not doing much on the website other than reading the e-mails, but by just doing that, I have recieved over $200 in gift cards in the past three years so I find that they are worth mentioning.
Click here to be directed to the MyPoints website.
As I said, MyPoints has several different ways to accumulate points but the one method I use the most is reading their e-mails. I receive about 3-5 e-mails from them a day to check out companies and other special offers. Each e-mail has a link to click to visit the website, earning you 5 points. Every once in a while, a survey will show up in my e-mail as well and those are usually worth 50 points, with 10 points just for trying and not qualifying.
On top of the e-mails though, they have special offers you can complete and they partner with several companies to participate in shop & earn programs where if you go through the MyPoints website to make your purchase, you will get a certain amount of points per dollar.
I admit to not doing much on the website other than reading the e-mails, but by just doing that, I have recieved over $200 in gift cards in the past three years so I find that they are worth mentioning.
Click here to be directed to the MyPoints website.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Snowball Debt Plan
I just have to share my little victory: I paid off one of my credit cards!
I fully believe in and support Dave Ramsey's Snowball Debt Plan. This article is from his website and goes into more depth about what the Snowball Debt Plan is and how you go about using it. Real quickly, it means listing your debts from smallest amount to largest amount not paying attention to interest rates. You simply then pay the minimum payments each month on every debt, throwing any extra penny you can at the smallest debt. Once that is paid off, you use that extra money to throw at the next smallest debt.
I am definitely the type of person that needs a little victory to keep me on the right track of paying off my debt. I cannot tell you how awesome it feels to pay off a credit card and know that I'm actually making progress!
I fully believe in and support Dave Ramsey's Snowball Debt Plan. This article is from his website and goes into more depth about what the Snowball Debt Plan is and how you go about using it. Real quickly, it means listing your debts from smallest amount to largest amount not paying attention to interest rates. You simply then pay the minimum payments each month on every debt, throwing any extra penny you can at the smallest debt. Once that is paid off, you use that extra money to throw at the next smallest debt.
I am definitely the type of person that needs a little victory to keep me on the right track of paying off my debt. I cannot tell you how awesome it feels to pay off a credit card and know that I'm actually making progress!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Time Management
I speak from my own experience when I tell you that you can go crazy with all of the online survey sites, product testing sites, freebie sites, etc. In fact, I will confess to you now that there have been days that I literally sat at the computer for eight hours straight, poring over these sites as well as my e-mail account.
This would not be a problem if I was making even minimum wage doing all of the above. The problem was that depending on what particular activity I was doing, I calculated that I was making about $0.67 an hour. Yikes! Also realize that by me spending eight hours online, the laundry didn't get done, the dishes didn't get done. Actually, there were very few dishes because I never made lunch or dinner. I snacked at my desk and my husband was on his own when he got home.
I will keep this short: Doing surveys online will not make you rich! Therefore your life outside of these websites needs to take top priority. Let me give you a few tips that work for me when it comes to managing this online hobby of mine:
That's all for now. Happy Friday!
This would not be a problem if I was making even minimum wage doing all of the above. The problem was that depending on what particular activity I was doing, I calculated that I was making about $0.67 an hour. Yikes! Also realize that by me spending eight hours online, the laundry didn't get done, the dishes didn't get done. Actually, there were very few dishes because I never made lunch or dinner. I snacked at my desk and my husband was on his own when he got home.
I will keep this short: Doing surveys online will not make you rich! Therefore your life outside of these websites needs to take top priority. Let me give you a few tips that work for me when it comes to managing this online hobby of mine:
- Set a Goal. My focus has been Swag Bucks lately so I set my goal at four $5 Amazon gift cards a month which equates to needing 1,800 swag bucks. Divide that number by 30 days, and I need 60 swag bucks per day to reach my goal. This means that if I complete a survey for 75 swag bucks today, I am done! Log off of swag bucks and move on!
- Use a Separate E-mail Account. You should be doing this for all of your survey and freebie sites anyway, but I am including it because if all of your survey offers are together in one account, it is much easier to just log off.
- Be Flexible. I mentioned my goal of 60 swag bucks a day. What I failed to mention is that aiming for four $5 gift cards a month is aiming high for me. If I spend a half hour "working" swag bucks and only end up with 20 swag bucks, it's okay to be done for the day! Some days will be better than others across all of the sites you participate in. The key is knowing when to call it quits so you still get everything done for the day.
That's all for now. Happy Friday!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Swagbucks
In my last post I told you I had been trying out some paid survey sites, and I am still learning the ropes on all of them so I will give you my review soon. The reason for this post however is a site that had been on my radar since last year but I had lost track of it.
I have found my fair share of scam websites promising you all of these great prizes for completing surveys or downloading their software, etc. and I hope you know my sincerity when I say that I would not promote a website I did fully stand behind and support.
So what is this amazing website and how do we score awesome swag? Simply by searching the web using Swagbucks! I personally have racked up enough "swag bucks" to redeem for a couple $5 Amazon.com gift codes, and can attest to fun and ease of accumulating the points to do so. With Swagbucks you earn points for things like voting in their daily poll, viewing (but not even buying) special offers, taking trusted surveys, and yes even searching the web!
Every time you search using their search bar, you have the chance to score swag bucks. Just yesterday morning, I searched for something and was rewarded with 50 swag bucks! And unlike some websites I've looked into, it doesn't take months to earn prizes. Those $5 Amazon.com gift codes I mentioned are priced at 450 swag bucks, and I was personally able to score one in a week and a half!
Don't just take my word for it, check it out! If you click here you will be directed to the website through my referral link. Yes, I do get swag bucks out of you signing up under my referral but that's part of the fun! You get swag bucks for your referrals search credits. So, if your sister signs up under you, searches and wins 20 swag bucks, you win too (up to 1,000 swag bucks)!
As a side note, along with the link in this post, you may visit the website using the banner on the side of this page or the widget at the bottom of the page. For full disclosure, all three links will take you to the site through my referral link.
Happy Searching!
I have found my fair share of scam websites promising you all of these great prizes for completing surveys or downloading their software, etc. and I hope you know my sincerity when I say that I would not promote a website I did fully stand behind and support.
So what is this amazing website and how do we score awesome swag? Simply by searching the web using Swagbucks! I personally have racked up enough "swag bucks" to redeem for a couple $5 Amazon.com gift codes, and can attest to fun and ease of accumulating the points to do so. With Swagbucks you earn points for things like voting in their daily poll, viewing (but not even buying) special offers, taking trusted surveys, and yes even searching the web!
Every time you search using their search bar, you have the chance to score swag bucks. Just yesterday morning, I searched for something and was rewarded with 50 swag bucks! And unlike some websites I've looked into, it doesn't take months to earn prizes. Those $5 Amazon.com gift codes I mentioned are priced at 450 swag bucks, and I was personally able to score one in a week and a half!
Don't just take my word for it, check it out! If you click here you will be directed to the website through my referral link. Yes, I do get swag bucks out of you signing up under my referral but that's part of the fun! You get swag bucks for your referrals search credits. So, if your sister signs up under you, searches and wins 20 swag bucks, you win too (up to 1,000 swag bucks)!
As a side note, along with the link in this post, you may visit the website using the banner on the side of this page or the widget at the bottom of the page. For full disclosure, all three links will take you to the site through my referral link.
Happy Searching!
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