Micro wind power

I found a web site that gives instructions on how to make a wind ribbon to generate power. Albeit on a very small scale. I'm going to take these instructions on as a DIY project. As I work on it I'll provide updates and pictures of the project.

I would like to use this project to reduce my electrical bill. It will take some modifications on my part. But going green will both help the environment and my wallet.

SwagCode for new registration

If you haven't signed up for SwagBucks. Now is a good time to do it. I have a SwagCode that will give new registrants 5 SwagBucks to start. Just click the banner and use the SwagCode of "NEWBIE." This SwagCode expires Friday July 24th 2009.



The do your searches through the SwagBucks web site and "win" SwagBucks that you can redeem for prizes. I'm up to 270 SwagBucks so far.

By clicking the banner you register as my friend and I'll earn SwagBucks when you earn SwagBucks. Thanks for the consideration.

BluFrog contest

Have you ever heard of BluFrog? Well it is a new "healthy" energy drink. And they are sponsoring a bunch of contests. The prizes include a gaming package, a New Years Eve trip to NYC, a trip to Lolapalloza in Chicago, a Richard Petty Racing Experience, and a trip to the X-Games in Aspen.

Hmmm, which prize would I like to win? A trip to Lolapalloza in Chicago would be my pick. Listening to tunes by the shores of Lake Michigan [one of my favorite lakes even if the surfing is not the greatest] sounds like the best prize of the bunch to me. But hey I'm just a beach bum, what do I know.

Afterwards I could cruise up to Michigan and visit the Michigan Beach Bum and hang out at the beach in Holland or South Haven. That guy is always up for a game of beach volleyball which I love. I would probably crash at his place for a week or so. Maybe give him a hand painting the "beach shack."

It is probably about a two to three hour drive from Chicago. So it is pretty close, comparatively. I haven't seen him since the spring break get-away to Myrtle Beach, SC. Good times.

Back on topic...You can enter by tweeting on Twitter, leaving a comment or writing a blog post.


I'm not an energy drink drinker so I've never tried BluFrog...just saying.

Happy 4th of July

Enjoy the holiday! I'm heading out to the beach for the day. I'll probably watch the fireworks on the beach before returning home.

I sure am enjoying the summer but it seems to be going to quick. I need to make an effort to spend more time in the ocean before fall comes and the water temperature drops.

That's the bad part about the 4th of July....a good hunk of the summer is gone when it rolls around.

Survey challenge wrap up

The final numbers for the head to head survey challenge have been tabulated. The two contenders are Opinion Outpost [OO] and My Survey. The results are:

Surveys offered to me:
Opinion Outpost: 39
My Survey: 5

Surveys I qualify for:
Opinion Outpost: 10
My Survey: 5

Dollar value of points earned:
Opinion Outpost: $15.00
My Survey: $0.90

Obviously Opinion Outpost has is a winner based on earnings and opportunities. The only complaint that I have with OO is the number of surveys that I didn't qualify for. I feel that they should be able to do a better job of pre-qualifying before offering a survey.

Survey Challenge Update 2009

As we are now have way through the month I thought it would be a good time to give an update to the challenge.

Surveys offered to me:
Opinion Outpost: 22
My Survey: 2

Surveys I qualify for:
Opinion Outpost: 6
My Survey: 2

Dollar value of points earned:
Opinion Outpost: $9.80
My Survey: $0.20

Obviously Opinion Outpost has a commanding lead. I really would be surprised if My Survey makes a comeback at this point but time will tell.

Paid Survey Challenge 2009

As noted in my previous post, today I begin my paid survey head to head challenge. The two contestants are Opinion Outpost and My Survey. I signed up for Opinion Outpost(OO) in April and I've already received a check for $20.00. I signed up for My Survey in May and have not had a payout yet.

The challenge will consist of tracking the number of surveys offered to me, the number of surveys I qualify to complete and the earnings for filling out surveys. The challenge will run through the end of June.

Disclaimer: The link for OO is an affiliate link so I will earn $1.00 for everyone who signs up and takes a survey. I would recommend OO even if I was not compensated for the recommendation.

Over 100 posts

Whoo Hooo!!! The previous post was my 100th blog post. I just realized it today. Quite the milestone.

Anyway, I have an idea for a head to head comparision for June. I've joined two survey sites and I'll do as many surveys as they will give me for the month of June. During the month I'll give periodic updates and then at the end of June I will declare a winner.

I use to do alot of these challenges and I think I will start doing them again.

Looking at expenses

Over the years I have occasionally done spot checks on my expenses. This is a prudent thing for everyone to do, especially beach bums. In the past I have made the decision to drop my newspaper service, to bundle my Internet-phone-cable, drop my cell phone service, and automate several recurring expenses in order to eliminate late fees.

This time I'm going to drop my home phone service. This one is scary as I don't have a personal cell phone. But I'll be saving close to $50.00 per month, which translates to almost $600.00 per year. So the question is can a beach bum, like myself, live with out a phone in this age of electronic communication? Time will tell.

I did purchase a MagicJack for $39.95 but it makes my Internet connection fail. I can use the voice mail aspect of MagicJack to let me know when people want to get a hold of me but I would have to email them to let them know I received their message.

My phoneless adventure will begin next week. Wish me luck.

Trying out another paid survey site

My first foray into getting paid to fill out offers resulted in my inbox being crushed with spam. The first website is not truly a paid survey site and I don't recommend it (cough) CashCrate (/cough).

This site (which I'll name after I decide if they are worth a plug or not) is a true paid survey site. So far I've been pretty happy with it. The number of surveys seems adequate and the points per survey are fair. I'm close to $20.00 so far and once I go over $20.00 I'll cash out. Once that happens I'll post my overall conclusions.

If I feel they deserve a plug I'll create an affiliate link that you can follow. I would earn $1.00 for each referral that completes a survey.

FYI: (cough)(/cough) is a SSHTML tag