the search for the summit rock... our three week journey in memes

So, last year we started this crazy tradition.

Every June we search for the Summit Rock.

Don't know what that is? Boy are you missing out. I'm almost tempted NOT to tell you about it so you can't get in my way of finding it in the future (muahaha).

Basically, our local gym hides a rock somewhere in the community, then tortures us for days with silly riddles and clues played on the radio until someone finds the dang thing.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. The rock is worth $10,000.

This year they upped the ante. They didn't just hide one rock, they hid three.

Yup. Three.

Each worth $10,000.

Needless to say, we spent plenty of time out looking.

Just in case you wanted an exciting play by play of our experience, here's how things went...

Day 1, Rock #1

When Brett texted me at work to tell me Rock #1 had been found:

After I had some time to watch the adorable video of Bruce and his boys finding the rock:

Day 3, Rock #2

When I was dead convinced I found the right spot:

When passing the new mall bridge several times during our excursions to look for the rock:

Trolling the "Find the Summit Rock" facebook page after a long day of hunting:

After reading Summit's extremely helpful hints:

How I look for the Summit Rock:

 

After walking for miles on the trail where Rock #2 was found:

Miles's face after telling him Rock #2 was found by someone else:

Atticus's face after my pep talk that Rock #3 is totally still within our reach:

Brett's reaction to said pep talk:

My eventual reaction after a week of terrible clues for Rock #3:

Me whenever someone posted my brilliant decipherings of the clues on the Facebook group before I was even off of work and able to go searching:

Rock #3: Every. Single. Clue.

Many moments spent hunting looked like this:

After the final, bonus clue was announced via special broadcast:

Immediately after the rock was found just near us:

Minutes after the rock was found:

Hours after the rock was found (while still agonizing over the clues):

When all was said and done, we logged an average of 5-10 miles walked per day. We woke up and left the house early. We talked. We poured sweat. We ate ridiculous amounts of ice cream after hours in the sun. We laughed. We cried.

We may not have found that dang rock, but we did have fun. And I'd like to think it made us healthier (though maybe not mentally healthier, haha!).

And despite Brett's protests...

We will see you next year, Summit Rock.

shake your money maker!

Ok, so I'm assuming all of you, my friends, are not incredibly wealthy and growing money from trees in your back yards. If you are, obviously we need to be better friends! ;) With that being said, I'm sure you will appreciate some creative ways to make some extra cash. I know I did.

This last year has had us pinching pennies and living pitifully like a scene from the Pursuit of Happyness (no, really, remember the plasma scene? That was me. Twice. Never again...) Ok, so maybe it wasn't that dramatic. But still, in an attempt to pay our bills at a time when we were making too much to qualify for any assistance, and too little to pay our many medical bills, I felt pretty desperate. 

During that time, I stumbled across a blog with a lot of creative ways to build extra income and pay down student loans. I figured I would share the wealth (literally... har har) so that you can benefit from some simple, easy $$. Cuz who doesn't need more of that? 

I'm not promising you will become a millionaire by trying any of these ideas, but if you want to make a little something extra by taking as little as just a few minutes, then what do you have to lose? (I should probably note I'm not in any way being compensated for sharing this, and I'm not trying to sell you anything like many of your other friends using social media to promote their MLMs. Speaking of which, did you see this hilarious article? Haha.)

So here goes:

Ibotta

A little known fact about me is that I love coupons. Love them. It gives me a mad high to save money, and I've been doing it since I was a kid. I've had a lot of people tell me they "don't know how" or "just don't have time" to use coupons, to which I say, poo poo! It's not rocket science, people! But if you feel the same way, Ibotta is totally the app for you. No coupons are required, and you save money on things you buy all the time. It's a simple as:

-Sign up and download the app here. (No really, do it here because you will join my team, which helps us both earn more money, quicker!)

-Click on a category to see available rebates (i.e. the grocery category has 129 rebates at Walmart right now, ranging from applesauce, to milk, eggs, cheese, etc.).

-Click on the rebate you want to redeem; watch a 10 second video or answer a 2 second question about the product to load the rebate to your account).

-Go shopping. Scan the barcodes of the items you have rebates for. Scan/take a photo of receipt.

-Get paid!

Seriously. This one is my favorite of the apps so far. They give you extra bonus money for earning a certain amount of rebates per month (and even more if you have friends on your team), or just for random things (i.e. earn an extra $1 for earning $5 in rebates on 5/5/15 for Cinco De Mayo). I have only been using it about 2 months, and I've already earned almost $50. That's like $300 a year. Boo ya! You can use this for groceries, restaurants, clothing, etc. They really have all kinds of rebates at all kinds of stores. You can cash out as soon as you have $10 in your account and you can do it through PayPal, or by redeeming for giftcards to places like Walmart, Amazon, Bestbuy, Itunes, etc. Well, what are you waiting for?! Get downloading! :)
 

Receipt Hog

Ok, so this one doesn't net nearly as much as Ibotta, but I still love it because it's even more simple! Take a photo of your receipts, and get coins that you save up to redeem for money via PayPal or Amazon gift cards. They also have a fun feature that lets you play the "Hog Slots" for a chance to win bonus coins. This one takes a lot longer to earn rewards (unless you are a shop-o-holic, I guess!), but it is so simple and basic, it's silly not to use. Miles is constantly asking "Mom, do you have any spins?!" Even he likes to help us save money. Haha. Use my link to sign up and download it here, using my referral code: bew23589 to start out with bonus spins! It's a win, win!

Shopkick

You may have seen my Facebook post about this one awhile back. This is one is just as simple as Receipt Hog. It's as easy as 1-2-3.

1- Download app. Open app as you are walking in to stores you already shop at (think Walmart, Target, Costco, the mall, etc.) to earn "kicks."

2- Earn even more kicks by scanning specific products in the store (if you feel so inclined... This is totally optional, and you don't have to buy anything, just scan the product barcode in the app).

3-Save up and redeem kicks for giftcards to places like Target, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, Fandango, Old Navy, Lowes, etc.

I've earned $19 in Target gift cards by using it for about 2 months. You really can't beat free money! Make sure to sign up and download using my referral link here to help us both get even closer to earning another gift card. :)

Mobee

Ok, so I don't use Mobee as often as a use the other apps, but it's still pretty awesome. It's basically a mystery shopping experience. You complete short "missions" through the app (i.e. locate a display in a store and upload a photo of it) to earn points. Redeem these points for gift cards to places like Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, etc. I used it on one mission that took me 10 minutes and earned me a $10 Target gift card. Use my link here to sign up and download the app and you get a bonus 300 points to start off with! That's only 200 points away from a $5 Starbucks giftcard. Another win-win right there!

Ebates 

This one is a website, and not an app, but it still is a great way to earn extra money if you do any online shopping at all. You get a $10 free just to sign up, then you earn a percentage of cashback (usually 1-10%) for your online shopping. I especially love this one when I'm shopping for birthdays and holidays because it's an easy way to get something back for things I'm already planning to buy. Here's how it works:

-Sign up using my link here to start off with $10.

-Anytime you do online shopping, go to the Ebates website to search for the store you want to make a purchase at (i.e. Walmart.com). Click the link to be directed to the store's website. Make your purchase.

-Earn a percentage of cash back for your online purchase. Once you have $5 or more in your account, you get a check in the mail!

It's that simple. 

Well, there you have it. Do you have any other tried-and-true money making ideas? Or better yet, a garden full of dollar dollar bills, y'all? ;-)