I had been reading MoneySavingMom.com for months, and with the birth of my first baby coming soon, I wanted to start eating healthier, less processed foods.
I always thought the recipes on MSM looked delicious, but I didn’t always have all of the ingredients on hand. I really wanted to make the Homemade Breakfast Cookies, as well as the Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars. However, some of the ingredients (like coconut oil and coconut flakes) were things that are expensive, and I didn’t have much room in the budget for them, especially if it turned out I didn’t like the recipe.
I had been using Swagbucks mostly for Paypal gift cards, but then it dawned on me that I could get the most bang for my buck by cashing out my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards. I could then use the Amazon gift cards to pay for the ingredients that I didn’t already have on hand.
So I got to work on earning the most that I could. In addition to doing the daily poll, NOSO, and searches every day, I started taking surveys. I started out with the surveys that were 10-15 minutes long, and would try to do a few of those a day depending on how much time I had. The surveys helped me to reach my daily goal, which really helped the Swagbucks add up more quickly.
I redeemed my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards as soon as I’d hit the 450 points necessary for the $5 cards. Since there is a limit on those per month, it helped to cash them out gradually.
Finally I had about $90 in Amazon gift cards, which I used to buy a ton of oatmeal, almond butter, honey, chia seeds, coconut oil, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and more!
When my package arrived, I was so excited to make the Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars, and let me tell you, they are delicious!! I can’t wait to make them again and again, and luckily I still have a ton of ingredients left over from my Amazon purchase.
My husband would always laugh at me for using Swagbucks, but when he saw my big Amazon box on our doorstep, even he admitted that Swagbucks is pretty awesome! That was almost as sweet as the Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars!
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it 
