Saving for Vacation with Swagbucks

As a budget traveler, the more money I can save on my trip the better. If you are also looking for ways to add money to your vacation fund or save on luggage or other travel goodies, then look no further than Swagbucks. Here are just a few ways to get points that you can trade in for gift cards or Paypal credits:

Use Coupons

Swagbucks has coupons for things you want to buy at the grocery store. Get points for both printing and redeeming them.

Take Surveys

On your downtime, or while you're watching TV, or standing in line, take some surveys to earn Swagbucks. There is always a great list of surveys that fit into whatever time you have free.

Watch videos

Interested in celebrity news or new movies or current events? Watch featured videos to easily earn Swagbucks. I don't always love the videos, so I have them play in the background while I'm doing other things.

Web Search

If you use Swagbucks to search the web, they randomly give out Swagbucks. If there's a special event going on with collector's bills, you can earn even more than usual. 

Get Cashback in Swagbucks

I have SB on my Chrome browser where it will pop up the cashback button on eligible websites. If the cashback is better than Rakuten or has better coupons, I'll use that and then get my cashback in the form of Swagbucks. This can really help you rack up points quickly for payouts.

Sign up with this link and get 300 FREE Swagbucks (that's $3!) when you accrue 300 SB in your first 30 days. I've been using Swagbucks for 10 years or so, and I used it mostly for free Amazon gift cards for travel gear and party supplies. It really allows me to get more for my money. 

How would you use your free money from Swagbucks for your vacations?

The Best Destinations for LGBT+ Travelers

Happy Pride Month, everyone! As a person who travels to learn new things and meet new people, I want everyone to be able to travel safely and enjoy the world. I also know that there are places that are better than others when it comes to inclusivity, If you're an LGBTQIA traveler, this can be pretty obvious upon arrival. I'd love you all to be able to visit destinations that welcome everyone warmly, so I've found two infographics that show domestic and international places to put at the top of your travel list.

NerdWallet has pulled together the top 10 American Cities where there is a considerable LGBT+ community. I'm very proud to live in Portland, where there is a wide diversity of people, and there is a lot of tolerance for differences between them. We have a lot of Allies as well, and our Pride celebrations are always amazing.

NomadCapitalist looked at a lot of different metrics and facts to bring the 10 most inclusive countries outside of the U.S., because everyone wants to travel the world. There's no reason to stay home where you know you'll be accepted when there's a whole world out there. Here are the top 10 countries to choose from, where there is a large list of options for the gay community (nightclubs, bars, etc), based on how comfortable it would be to move there permanently.

While I'm not part of the LGBT community, I am an ally and want to go to inclusive destinations as well. I feel like everyone should feel safe being themselves wherever they go, but I know there are places that don't feel that way, based on who people love, what they look like, or what gender they are. When we live and travel with open minds and hearts, we can really learn more about ourselves and others.

Have you been to a wonderfully inclusive destination on your travels?

My Journey To Always Eat After 7PM

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Are you trying to in shape from all the staying home you've had to do? Maybe get your summer beach body ready for when you can travel again? Well, me too.

“We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it boosts your metabolism, prevents midday hunger, and helps us lose more weight…The science isn’t really there. Breakfast could very well be the least important meal of the day!” This is music to my ears, since sometimes I don’t eat until 10:30AM, and then it’s just a snack and then I eat a normal lunch and dinner. I love breakfast, but I generally am not hungry that early in the morning and I don’t enjoy getting up earlier to make it, so I don’t. Breakfast is more of a social occasion to me.

In Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion I’m learning that my way of eating is not, necessarily, wrong, it just needs to be tweaked a little to make it more effective.

The Always Eat After 7 PM plan consists of: The 14-day Acceleration Phase to kick-start the program and see rapid results, The Main Phase where you’ll learn exactly which foods to eat when in order to achieve your weight-loss goals, The Lifestyle Phase to keep the weight off for good. 

I routinely drink coffee each morning, so phasing to black coffee is a bit of a struggle, but I’m trying. There are other drinks I can have for the morning, but I wanted to keep as much of my regular routine to start. I was already eating high quality meats when I choose to eat meat, so that hasn’t changed. I also have a fridge and pantry full of “super carbs” to help me make filling and nutritious meals to give me more energy and encourage more fat-burning from my body. Having these basics make me happy doing this diet already.

With intermittent fasting, I’m finding I have more focus and I’m less hungry throughout the day, even when it’s a “normal” meal time. “Intermittent fasting really shines when it comes to improving the hormones that directly affect your hunger, blood sugar, and metabolism. One is insulin. IF combats insulin resistance, meaning that it helps your body uses insulin more normally, thereby lowering your diabetes risk and boosting your metabolism.”

Joel Marion’s Always Eat After 7PM program makes dieting easy and eliminates 90% of reasons for resistance. It explains why you need to change your mindset to achieve your personal goals and teaches you to become the person you want to be and how to just start without putting it off, which is where most people fail right away.

I don’t mind cooking and eating well, but one of my roadblocks is knowing exactly what foods to put with other foods for the best results, but Joel breaks that all down for me and then gives me specific examples and recipes. We especially liked the Fiesta Chicken Skillet, the One Pan “Spaghetti” and Meatballs, and Pomegranate-Glazed Pork Chops. I’m loving the ideas I’m getting from these recipes for when I’m in the long-term phase. There’s, literally, something for everyone and good variety so you don’t get bored with your food options. No matter what you enjoy, you can eat it, and you may even find some new favorites. I know, I did.

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

If you missed the first two of my posts, check out my introductory post here and why I chose Eat After 7PM here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed above are my own.