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Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second giveaway here at Money Is The Root. The last giveaway was a huge success, and I want to keep on giving back my readers. The second giveaway item is going to be a $25 gift card to Amazon.com, which is great because you can buy literally anything there.
Mandatory Entry Rules:
You must comment on a non-giveaway post within the site, and then copy and paste that very same comment in the section below this giveaway post. You will receive 1 entry for your comment, and you can repeat this task 1 time per day. The giveaway will run for two weeks, so that will leave you with 14 possible entries should you choose to comment each day.
Optional Entry Methods:
In addition to the mandatory entries, there are ways to receive additional entries within the giveaway drawing, they are as follows:
- Subscribe to Money Is The Root via email (+2 additional entries)
- Like Money Is The Root on Facebook (+1 entry)
- Follow Money Is The Root on Twitter (+1 entry)
- Tweet this giveway on Twitter, as many times as once per day (+1 entry per day)
For each of these methods, it is important that you place a comment below this giveaway post stating each action you took. Leave a comment after you “like” MITR on Facebook, and place another comment stating that you are now following MITR on Twitter, or that you now subscribe to the blog. Each one of these actions needs to be listed in a separate comment. If you already subscribe, follow on Twitter, or Like MITR on Facebook, simply note that in the comments section and you will receive an entry for each one as well. I have a lot of loyal readers, and I want them to always have the ability to enter my giveways, so please do not hesitate to enter yourself as many times as the rules permit!
It is possible for each person to receive a total of 14 entries by placing a comment each day, and an additional 18 entries for the optional methods. One person can receive a possible maximum total of 32 entries into the drawing.
Additional Information:
You must complete all entries prior to 11:59 PM Eastern Time the night of July 24th, 2011. The winner of the giveway will notified by email on Monday, July 25th, 2011. The winner will have 3 days to contact me via email/contact form and accept the prize, otherwise there will be a redraw for a new winner.
The Winning Pick
The winner will be chosen via the plugin And The Winner Is. This plugin is totally random, and will select 1 winner based on the comments below the giveaway post. This is why it is vital that you leave a separate comment for each entry you perform. I will comb through the comments to make sure they are not being misused.
Great strategy may you succeed.
I commented on your Variable vs Fixed Costs post:
“Wow thanks – this is a great post and once I will surely come back to. You do a great job of explaining in an easy-to-understand way! Thanks for teaching without being condescending.”
I like Money Is The Root on Facebook – my FB name is Amanda Moore
I tweeted, I’m @AmberGoo:
https://twitter.com/#!/AmberGoo/status/90188911158099968
Commented on Snapshot: How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance: My Mom can’t drive anymore and we wanted to take her off the policy. They told us we would only save $1 a month and it would cost $2 to process it. So we pretty much lose that $1. I think that I need to shop around for better car insurance. We don’t even get a discount for her age! This is great advice!
I don’t know why but I just don’t like it. I guess it does feel a little big brotherish to me. Seems like every time you turn around people are using saving money to extract information from you. Think supermarket savings cards for example. Why not just give everyone the break? No, they collect data on you then sell that data for money. I find the trend troubling.
I commented on your Variable vs Fixed Costs post:
Too many people are still buying too much house with too little cushion, including my own children. I try to convince them to do as we, their parents, did – buy a one-bedroom home, work hard, pay off the mortgage, save up, upgrade to a two-bedroom home, work hard, save up and upgrade to a three-bedroom home – but they insist on paying rent until they have enough money for a down payment for a three-bedroom home – and they’re putting off having kids until that day.
I commented on Snapshot: How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance:
“Really interesting to the Snapshot program by Progressive, I don’t know there was, thanks!”
Subscribed to Money Is The Root via email (+2 additional entries)
Also òiked Money Is The Root on Facebook (+1 entry)
I already liked and follow. Just retweeted.
great prize
Already following, liked and email subscribed!
Will have to wait to tweet once I’m at my computer.
Here’s my comment on the car insurance post.
But thanks for clearing that up. I may consider using it soon. Still not convinced that they won’t ding me. Did I mention I’m somewhat of an aggressive driver? lol”
“I am also with Progressive and when I first heard about the device I didn’t want to get penalized for my driving. I generally go 5 to 10 over the speed limit
Here’s my comment:
“You make a good point that we should take a look at the high-hanging fruit first and work our way down. Once the high-hanging fruit is taken care of, it may be appropriate to then take care of the easy-picking fruit. Many people, in this economy, must make the choice between that latte’ (even an occasional latte’) and dinner ($4 buys a lot of beans). In our society, we often don’t know the difference between what we really need and what we simply want. We can thank advertisers for that. In reality, there’s a lot we don’t need and when economic times are tough, we really must take a look at that and prioritize. Often, something we deem necessary and which we are currently paying for can be acquired for free. For example, exercise is necessary but a gym membership isn’t. Yes, the gym membership may encourage us to workout on a regular basis but, with a little determination and strength of character, we can exercise on a daily basis without spending a dime. Again, the cost of a gym membership would go a long way in sustaining a family. Thank you for a thought-provoking article.”
It can be found here:
http://www.moneyistheroot.com/2011/06/forget-about-the-low-hanging-fruit/#comment-1255
Thanks for this opportunity!
reducefootprints at gmail dot com
#1 – I’m an email subscriber (reducefootprints at gmail dot com)
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reducefootprints at gmail dot com
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reducefootprints at gmail dot com
I already subscribe by email
I already like MITR on FB
I already follow on Twitter
I posted a comment on your post about cheaper car insurance, which says:
“I’ve never heard of the “Snapshot” program, so it was interesting to both hear your (positive) take on it, as well as to hear reader’s comments who say it’s too big-brotherish. I might have to try it to find out!”
Just tweeted
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I like you on fb as Dee G
More power to you for keeping track of all of those entries! No small task with 32 per person.
I commented on “BEWARE OF THOSE WHO BEAR GIFTS”:
It’s hard not to be dumb about finances when your emotions rule your actions. In the past, men would hunt and women would gather. So, women squander money because they are driven to spend money in order to gather possessions.
Living the Cash Only Life ARTICLE
Comment
I would like to be debt free. I agree with the cash only lifestyle. Of course sometimes you have no choice but most of the time you do.
Following @MoneyIsTheRoot1 on twitter.
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I left a comment on your latest stats post! Good luck with your giveaway.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/90974064335781888
I love seeing your stats because we joined around the same time and I am so excited that we are both making progress.
I commented on your #18 update.
Super Frugalette is subscribing via email. #1
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Superfrugalette is following you on twitter
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Elizabeth I, likes you on FB
I commented on I Said It Before…And I’ll Say It Again, as follows:
The most common disease known to mankind is tooth decay. Routine dental check ups lead to decreased dental health costs.
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Car insurance post — I haven’t looked at car insurance in so long. I outsourced that to my husband when we got married. (He outsourced his laundry to me.) I do not think I would want a device in my car. I find it too invasive. I know we have done better by having either our home owners or renters insurance with the same company as the car insurance.
http://twitter.com/#!/Superfrugalette/status/91380305549725696
On “Don’t Think it can happen to You”, I posted:
My husband and I live on his social security check- after his business went bankrupt, we bought a tiny 4 room cabin in the deep woods of Northern NY, with a plot of land to grow food: I think the hardest time for us is winter, because driving 20 miles to get groceries can be difficult, gas is high.
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I subscribed to your RSS!
Following you on Twitter! username is TonyChou9
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Made a comment today on your post about using a credit card vs. living the cash-only lifestyle. Here’s the comment:
I’m definately NOT a fan of the cash-only lifestyle; I think you’re forgoing an opportunity for “free money” in the form of rewards when you do this. If you really feel like you can’t use a credit card responsibly, then go cash-only. But if you’ve never been in credit card debt, then I say, use a credit card. You’re probably not going to go to restaurants more frequently because you’re paying with plastic.
tweeted about it again today!
I really love shopping at Amazon.com
http://twitter.com/#!/Superfrugalette/status/91757304357203969
I commented on your spending blog: Prevention is the best way to save on medical bills- I take Cranberry suppliments, lysene and leutein as well as a multi-vitamin for women. I’m prone to yeast infections and eye-floaters- the former has not been a problem since I started on the cranberry pills.
Daily Tweet:
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http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/91906795618058240
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/92080711170932736
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/foodhistorian/status/92129888672292864
On “Relationships”: Beware of those bearing gifts, I left this comment:
I’ve read that the “heaven-bound” Harold Camper has recently suffered a stroke. Not sure if that was divine intervention or just his age (89). The tragic thing is, one of my best political blogger friends on ireport.com fell for the scam and even now believes the world will be ending in Oct. Breaks my heart, but I’ve given up trying to convince him otherwise- sometimes they have to learn the hard way.
On the Living Cash Only post, I left this comment:
I think you gave good advice about credit cards because they usually charge you so much interest. If you have the cash to pay for something, why pay interest on it, you’re just paying more? I’ve learned to only spend the money that I have at the moment, if I don’t have the cash, I don’t need it. My fiance is also the same way, neither of us have credit cards. He just recently purchased a brand new truck with cash, so he won’t have any car payments to make that charge interest.
http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/92313919238049793
Comment on buying a rental property –
I also invested in rental properties and for several years they were paying for themselves and gave me a little extra each month. However, the economy has made things a bit more difficult. Property taxes increased by 30% but I can’t increase the rent that much immediately.
People have lost jobs or been forced to take reduced pay and are having a hard time paying their rent. Twice recently the tenants trashed the place before moving out in the middle of the night. Several weeks of lost income, costs to repair the damage and even the cost to replace a refrigerator that was stolen.
Be sure you have enough money backing you up in case you run into a similar situation.
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On Spam emails ( misc), I left the following comment:
Every time I get a spam email using Toyota, Microsoft or some other well known company as their title, I copy the whole message- headers and all, and forward it to customer services via email to the company’s website.
This works!!!!
daily tweet https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/92663071419547648
http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/92666152462979073
Commented on “Blog Goals & Updates – #18″ and said: “I think it’s great how in-depth you’re keeping track of all of your stats. I never quite have that kind of foresight when it comes to online sites! Congrats on the continued growth.”
I’m a Facebook fan.
I’m following on Twitter (@atlantagalknows)
post: spam emails
Thank goodness for spam filters. Who knew that spam did so much harm?
Liked you on facebook.
“I’ve said it before… and I’ll say it again”
I’ve never used a HSA before.
I subscribed to your emails.
I follow on twitter.
Following @MoneyIsTheRoot on Twitter/@tnrina
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I commented on SPAM EMAILS: A REAL MONEY MAKER:
I never use spam filters because, as you wrote, they tend to catch valid emails that one would actually like to read.
I left the following on the What Led Me to Become A Landlord.
It’s a great way to make money, but always have cheap, good handyman for repairs.
Signed up to email forest.parks@gmail.com
Signed up to FB from Forest Parks
Twitter from @FrugalZeitgeist
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tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/93138349371559936
I commented on “Living the Cash Only Life”:
My hubby and I get by with Debit cards-and I belong to a few customer loyalty reward programs that DON’T require a credit card- pricechoppers, for instance.Cash only is great for smaller purchases- which we often do when we eat out occasionally.
I Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/foodhistorian/status/93213444077137920
I commented on What Led Me To Buy A Rental Property:
It’s impossible to estimate maintenance costs and vacancy costs but, still, I also bought a rental property in my neighborhood, which I know well. I used a lump sum retirement bonus to pay cash for the property and, now, have a steady monthly income to supplement retirement pensions and savings.
How often should you check your credit report?:
I make sure to get a free credit report every year. So far I’ve found no discrepancies.
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tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/93510356382654465
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I commented on Forget About The Low Handing Fruit:
For most people, “continue your education” and “build up ample savings” don’t go hand in hand. We have always felt that, if you’re intelligent enough to learn at an institution of higher education, you’re intelligent enough to figure out how to continue your education without getting into debt. Our family has always studied part-time and worked part-time in an job related to our studies. When we finally received our BAs, we already had years of experience in the field and stood head and shoulders above other job applicants when we applied for full-time jobs.
I commented on Stability can bring wealth:
You make some good points, but some folks don’t have that option. One of my nephews in Maine works for Borders; He expects his job will be gone by Sept. and unemployment is high where he lives. I told him he’s lucky- he’s young and unattached, so he can just pack up and move to where the jobs are.
http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/93790320168407040
I commented:
http://www.moneyistheroot.com/2011/07/spam-emails-a-real-money-maker/#comment-1411
I still get spam, but since I don’t know any Nigerian princesses, I never respond:)
tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/93883537379438592
I absolutely agree with all these points!
Daily Tweet:
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I commented on Living the Cash Only Life:
I live a cash only lifestyle because, where I come from (Israel), credit cards don’t make financial sense. The bank where you maintain your bank account issues the credit card to you, automatically pays off your credit card on time once a month and charges transaction fees, maintenance fees and insurance fees for so doing; whereas, no fees are charged for using a bank debit card to withdraw cash from one of the bank’s many ATMs.
http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/94110144799047681
I commented:
http://www.moneyistheroot.com/2011/06/living-the-cash-only-life/#comment-1422
We have adopted a hybrid version of the cash lifestyle. We now only use our credit cards for gas or rarely, for an unforseen emergency, and then we pay it immediately.
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/94217294196117507
I still get a ton of spam in my inbox & I have to sort through both my inbox & spam folder because things end up in the spam folder that don’t belong there! It is very frustrating & I wish spam was GONE!!!!
My comment from the rental property post:
but this is an exciting thought to me.
We’ve been debating this same thing for a while now. The house next door will be on the market within a year or so, and possible the one across the street. Since our house is paid off, I *think* we could buy the two of them in today’s market for about the same mortgage as this one house was. I don’t want to own the block or anything
The only thing that stops me is the thought of structural repairs… and things like roof repair, heating going bad, etc. Those would be some major costs on top of the mortgage so that’s where the fear comes in.
Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com
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I left this comment: “Way to go!! This is very interesting…someone actually sharing all this info. I wish you continued success in your blogging adventure…& I must say I’m highly impressed by your Google Rank!!” on this post: Blog Goals & Updates – #18. Thanks for the contest! goldilocssweeps (@) gmail(dot)com
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I tweeted about your giveaway: http://twitter.com/codisweepstakes/status/94669809182191616 goldilocssweeps (@) gmail(dot)com
I tweeted about MITR giveaway – kanerod12
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/94834768235077632
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I commented on: ‘Living the Cash Only Life’
My comment:
“I have frequently thought about switching to a cash budget but with receiving the rewards we do on our credit card, it is difficult to make the switch. My husband and I are pretty good with our credit card and pay it off every month so we never have to pay interest. In the end, they pay us to use the card. But I do admit that because we use a card instead of cash, we probably spend more than we should.”
I follow @MoneyIsTheRoot1 on Twitter @ihchicky
My tweet http://twitter.com/#!/ihchicky/status/94857200442408960
“Moving costs really do make a dent. Apart from this, the point made about changing jobs messing with work relationships, providing slower promotions and such rings true.”
Commented here : http://www.moneyistheroot.com/2011/07/stability-can-help-build-wealth
Great strategy may you succeed.
I commented on What Led Me To Buy A Rental Property: I have toyed with the idea of doing this same thing myself. The price of units around here are super cheap and the city in which I live houses many families who choose to rent as opposed to buying. The one thing that keeps me astray is the idea of repairs – not knowing how much it will cost to have to continuously make repairs and keep things going.
I’m trying to remember, and it’s been a while since I read about this now… but I remember reading an article in a magazine a few years ago about a man who took it upon himself to toy with scam artists. His logic was the longer he kept them occupied, the less time they would have to spend scamming little old ladies and such. I thought it was a really neat idea, but I’m not bold enough to do something like that. I can understand your reluctance to try something like what Insider Secrets recommends, even if it is at very low risk to you.
- Posted that to your “Spam Emails: A Real Money Maker” post.
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I commented on Snapshot: How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance
I’ve seen the commercial for Snapshot and since I already have Progressive I’ve been considering it. I also tend to drive slightly above the speed limit, but in my defense, it’s so I don’t get run over by other drivers.
Thoroughly enjoyed this post and this quote:“Personal finance is 50% psychological..this is so true…your article really hit home…My dad was a person who never had a credit card and always paid cash….and was very successful at it comment left on credit cards
like u on fb Julie S Laws
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we try to do this, using our debit card. but it is very difficult as it is a complete life style change for us.
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Left comment on getting cheaper car insurance. My son just got his drivers license and we were quoted a price to put him on our insurance. We had heard some companies had discounts for good grades and we asked about that. We were told if he didn’t have a grade less than a B he would qualify and since he has all A’s on his last report card that saved us $110.
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I posted on spam emails I used to wonder why they sent out spam from banks that I didn’t have an account from. How could they possibly think that would work?? But then I read some fiction book where it turned out that the bad guy sent out a ton of letters with a 3 digit number in them, saying he knew what they did. 99% of the people would think the letter was crazy, but what about those other 1%? If they had a guilty conscience about something related to those 3 digits, they could easily think the letter was real. Email is even easier – if they send out a thousand emails about unauthorized activity in your bank account, even 1% of people responding makes it worthwhile for them.
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http://twitter.com/#!/tnrina/status/95204588675805184
“I learned in my early 20′s about using cash only after racking up a few credit cards and having them rake me over the coals with high % rates!!!”
I commented on your ‘Forget About The Low Hanging Fruit’ article.
I mostly agree with your comments. But I do agree that one should cut back on expenses wherever – the large as well as the small! It helps if you have a specific goal in mind; otherwise it’s hard to stick to your cost-cutting.
Thanks for the giveaway!
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tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/95237736906227712
Wow…I had no idea 2% of spam email results in identity theft. With all the spam out there, that must work out to a lot of identities. Scary!
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I believe that I receive that 40 billion spam email a year! Just kidding. My spam does seem to have decreased in the past year, although if I had a dollar for each spam email that says I’ve won money over the years, I would be a millionaire by now.
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I commented on “What Led Me To Buy A Rental Property”…
Erica C.
July 24, 2011 at 10:40 pm | Permalink
Good for you! I think this would be good to do, but it does seem very time consuming.
Oops. Just after reading your article on Spam, I come back to this post and Roxann’s name and email are showing up on the ‘leave a reply’ boxes.
I commented: Dearly Beloved, I wouldn’t answer you.
So you can hate me now.
gmail does a good job, Juno not so much.
Thanks for the contest.
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I get hundreds a day, I can’t imagine who falls for them though.
http://www.moneyistheroot.com/2011/07/spam-emails-a-real-money-maker/
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