Do you Swag?

And, no, the title to this blog is not some perverted double entendre.

I wasn't sure if I would classify the substance of this blog as "frugal," but it sure is fun!

I came across Swagbucks a few months ago, while scanning some other Frugal-Themed blogs. I was dubious, at first, so I did not want to post about it on my blog until I could confirm it was legit.

It is.

So, here goes!

Swagbucks.com is a search-engine that utilizes Google.com and Ask.com. The only difference is that Swagbucks REWARDS you for searching on THEIR website! I didn't think it was possible, but I redeemed my swagbucks for a gift card a few weeks ago, and made a purchase with said gift card successfully.

Here's the deal. You go to Swagbucks.com and sign up for an account. Then, start using swagbucks as would any search engine (hint: a great way to incorporate it into your everyday life is to make it your homepage or to download their search engine bar to your computer). Everytime I want to look something up, I go to www.swagbucks.com (I had to retrain myself from automatically going to Google.com like I was used to).

The rewards are random. You will not get rewarded everytime. It works best if you use the search engine naturally, as the system is programmed to reward an organic search. (If you try to search over and over and over on purpose, it picks up on it, and does not increase your chances at earning rewards).

When you DO get a reward, an icon will pop up with your search inquiry. It is called a swagbuck. It looks like this:

Note: I've NEVER gotten 100 Swagbucks.

The swagbuck denominations that are usually rewarded are $1, $3 and the occassional $5. Fridays are Megabucks day, and your chances are increased to get larger denominations.

Now, say you've been using Swagbucks for a while, and you've got yourself a nice little nestegg of swagbucks. Redeem them! Go to the Swagstore to check out the prizes. I find the most usable prizes are giftcards. You WILL have to save up a bit get some (the smallest gift card prize is 45 swagbucks, the next being 115 swagbucks) - but the more you search, the more bucks you get!

I recently redeemed 45 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate. Once redeemed, I got a redemption code to use with a purchase on Amazon.com. I bought a used book with perfect success! I am saving now for either a $10 Starbucks or Target gift certificate.

The prizes are not much (unless you are a mad-searcher and save lots of swagbucks - they have some nice prizes in the higher swagbucks amounts that I will never attain, like a $300 Apple gift certificate for 3700 SB), but hey - you get them for doing what you do daily: searching the internet. For free!

So, if you feel inclined, jump on the Swagbucks bandwagon. I'm there, so you aren't alone! Let me know how Swagging goes for YOU and what prizes YOU gain from simple searching the internet!