Today's Swagbucks success story is from Jen:
Four years ago my husband and I purchased our first home. It was a definite fixer-upper but it was in the area we loved and a price we could actually afford. We knew fixing it up would be a slow process as we saved for the projects as well as making sure we could pay all our monthly bills.
At first, we were able to get a lot of the cosmetic and small things done, like patching holes in the walls and painting. The larger things, however, had to be put on hold while we saved up a little more money.
The house had a nice screened-in back porch and I was excited to spend a lot of time out there. I imagined dinners and relaxing afternoons reading books while taking in the nice view of our yard.
I soon found out, however, that because the screen was in such bad shape (there were holes in it everywhere and some was even missing) that it was almost impossible to enjoy being out there without being assaulted by the hundreds of mosquitoes and other bugs that were drawn to the light in the evenings or just me during the day. Soon I found that the porch was only used as a means to get to the back yard.
During the next four years, the plan to repair the porch got put on hold as other, larger expenses, such as replacing the furnace and air conditioning units and having our first child, got moved to the front of the line. I began to get discouraged with getting the “fixer-upper” part of the house done as things were breaking more quickly than we could fix them.
So when I discovered Swagbucks last year, I decided I would pick a home project that I wanted to “treat” myself to. Being a stay-at-home mom, I had a little flexibility in my time but also wanted to make sure to spend most of it with our son.
I decided to dedicate one hour each day to Swagbucks: taking surveys, completing offers, watching videos, and doing searches. I started to really rack up the points and eventually was able to turn them in for gift cards to Lowes and Walmart.
I finally got enough to give that porch the makeover it deserved!
With new screens, new paint, a new fan, and new patio furniture, our back porch is now a place we can really enjoy. We love having family dinners out there, and I can relax and read… or even do my daily Swagbucks surveys and offers there!
I finally feel like I was able to do something to fix up the house — which felt like a real win — without completely destroying our regular budget. -Jen
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It's been a long few days of last-minute moving details and tying up loose ends, but the truck is all packed up and we're headed to Nashville! We're hoping to make it to Kentucky tonight and then spend tomorrow and Friday moving into our new home in Tennessee.
Thank you so much for all your prayers for us. The past few weeks were hard with all of the goodbyes, but we have been so blessed by your support and prayers for us. You truly have no idea what your comments and emails have meant. Thank you for how you love our family!
The Start of New Things
This move marks the new start of many things for our family. We’ve long dreamed of being able to work together more as a family unit — instead of me having my own business and Jesse having his own business.
With this move, we’re excited to be able to pursue that dream together. We don’t know how it’s all going to pan out or exactly what it’s going to look like long-term, but we are thrilled to be on this adventure together, trusting God one step at a time.
Going Back to My Roots as a Blogger
I’m especially excited, because one of the big changes for me with this move is that I’ll be going back to my roots as a blogger. The past few years, things have grown and expanded here, and I’ve felt unsettled as to how to balance blogging, running a business, and keeping my family and health a priority.
To be honest, while the growth of this blog has been exciting, it’s also been hard for me. It’s been far beyond what I could have ever dreamed and navigating it all while seeking to have my heart and priorities in the right place has been a challenge.
I’ve done a lot of experimenting, praying, and soul-searching over the past year. My husband and I have had a lot of discussions. And I’ve asked for counsel and input from trusted friends.
While I hope to impact as many people as possible with this platform God has given me, more than anything, I just want to live a vibrant life and to blog from the overflow of that life. I’ve missed sharing more personal, every day life type posts here. I’ve missed sharing my grocery shopping trips. I’ve missed giving you more of a peek into our lives.
If I’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that I’m most fulfilled when I stop trying to please everyone and just be who God has made me to be. This blog can’t be all things to all people — that’s why there are millions of other blogs out there!
What You Can Expect For the Future
So while I still plan to keep posting the best deals, freebies, and coupons, you can expect to see a lot more real-life posts around here. Such as:
- Posts about my grocery shopping and menu-planning.
- Posts about recipes I’m trying and freezer cooking I’m doing.
- Posts about money-saving triumphs and failures.
- Posts about DIY projects I’m attempting.
- Posts about our homeschooling adventures.
- Posts giving you more of a peek into our everyday lives.
- Posts about struggles I’m facing and lessons I’m learning.
- And the usual smattering of Q&A posts, books I’m reading posts, goal-setting posts, business advice posts, and whatever else comes to mind. {You know me, I can be pretty eclectic! :)}
Thank you for the constant encouragement and inspiration you all are to me. I appreciate each and every one of you so much and I’m excited to be back to more of where I started when I first began blogging. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey!
The packed truck: we were able to get everything we needed to take to fit (whew — all that de-cluttering paid off!!)
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