InkJoy's Bright Ink Brings Joy to This English Teacher

I received free InkJoy pens from Smiley 360 in exchange for my opinions. As an English teacher I go through a lot of pens. I try to avoid red ink, as studies have shown that red ink is bad for a student's confidence. Instead, I try to add comments in a variety of colors, depending upon the suggestion I'm making. For example, grammar errors are made in purple and structure errors/suggestions are made in green. This helps students to see their most common errors and helps them to immediately identify the type of error they made. I normally do not use InkJoy products; however, after this free sample, I am sold on the smooth writing style and the bright colors. The package I received in my Smiley Kit had clips that transport my pens nicely in my bag. I purchased several other packages at Walmart to stay prepared for semester tests. I was busy grading semester tests this last week, when one of my colleagues suggested using different colors throughout the process to see if different colors made the process less monotonous. For those who are unfamiliar with the grading process for an English teacher, things can get boring and painstakingly monotonous very quickly. I tried varying the color of ink I used with great success. I love the brightness of InkJoy pens and I will be buying them again in the future. My colleagues also said the pens write very smooth for how affordable they are. Furthermore, this week, I shared my love for InkJoy with some of my students today. They needed colored ink to do an activity in class to teach them about annotating text. The students love that I had a box full of colored ink to share. They said the pens write smoothly and the colors were awesome. Annotating text becomes more fun with colored ink. InkJoy pens surpassed my expectations. The price is VERY affordable and the pens are very high quality!

Brookside Makes Snacking Fun

I received a free sample of Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters from Crowdtap in exchange for my opinions. These opinions are 100% my own. I love Brookside products, including the Acai and Blueberry and Goji and Raspberry flavors. I wasn't aware of the new Brookside Crunchy Clusters until I participated in this mission from Crowdtap. The crunchy multigrains pair nicely with the fruit flavored centers and the rich dark chocolate. This is an indulgent treat that has rich and indulgent flavors in tiny clusters. The candy uses sweetened cranberries, crunchy multigrains, and dark chocolate to satisfy the most intense cravings. The textures and flavors left me wanting more, and I could have a few more clusters guilt-free as 22 pieces (which was more than enough) only have 190 calories.

Reese's Spreads

I received a free sample of Reese's Spreads from Influenster. I am a peanut butter lover, so I was thrilled to be selected to give my feedback in exchange for the free sample. Once I received the product, I began brainstorming what I could enjoy Reese's Spreads with. I love salty and sweet treats, so I first paired the spreads with pretzels. I have to say the Reese's flavors were delicious. The creamy texture paired with the crispy pretzels was a perfect pick-me-up snack. I love Reese's products, and I must say the Reese's spreads are a must-try for anyone who loves the chocolate-peanut butter combinations. This product is great on toast. It pairs well with pretzels and shortbread cookies. I am excited to try it on waffles and in recipes. #ReesesSpreads #Contest

Paying Off Debt is My 2015 Ambition

This year, instead of resolving to do something petty, I set my ambitions on whittling down some credit card debt I racked up after several years of careless spending. My first step was to use surveys and sites like Crowdtap, Influenster, and Smiley 360 to earn money for a FREE Christmas. I began completing surveys and participating in various sites in August of 2014. By Christmas, I had nearly $1,000 in cash and gift cards purely from doing surveys. After successfully paying for Christmas for my three children and large extended family and friends almost entirely from surveys, I set my goals a little higher. As New Year's rolled around, I decided to forgo the typical resolution in exchange for something that would give me a sense of financial security and peace of mind. MY 2015 ambition was instead to eliminate as much debt as possible. I saved up some PayPal cash outs from surveys and cashed out a lump sum of $185, an amount that easily paid off one of my smaller credit card debts. I then took the typical amount I would have paid on that debt and applied it to the next debt on my list. Only 8 days into the new year, I have already paid off two credit cards. Now I can take that extra money and apply it to the next debt on my list. I am hoping to use my tax refund to pay off at least three more debts. Then, I can take the money form the 5 cards I have paid off and use it to whittle down the next one on the list. My goal is to reduce my debt by half by the end of the year. With the success I've already seen, I know it is possible. I am still doing my surveys and participating in whatever groups I can because I am now using surveys to buy all gifts including birthday, Christmas, and other holidays.