Just Reserved My Tickets for Night of Free Theater
Well, I just reserved my tickets for Free Night of Theater, and I’m excited that I’ll be seeing That’s Weird Grandma next Monday, for free!
I do want to let everyone know, that once I reserved the tickets I found out they’re only allowing one reservation per person, so make sure you try for the show you want to see most.
A lot of the tickets are going really fast, so make sure you get there as soon as you can once the tickets are released to reserve them.
Also, there is an option for people to cancel tickets if they find out they can’t go to the performance, so if a show you want to see is sold out, there is a possibility that tickets will be available again if someone cancels.
How I Finally Cured My Eczema the Natural Way
Developing Eczema was like going through nine months of absolute torture, a cycle that I thought was never going to end and would plague me for the rest of my life.
When I was 21, I was finishing my senior year of college and working part time at a pet store. Though my life was going very well, I was extremely stressed out and going non-stop between school, work, friends, and my boyfriend. I loved my job and enjoyed spending time with the animals and customers, but along with that came a lot of work, including cleaning cages and aquariums.
In November, I developed an itchy bump on the ring finger of my left hand. I thought maybe it was just some sort of bug bite, so I didn’t think much of it. A few weeks passed and instead of going away, it developed into a few more itchy bumps. A little concerned and annoyed by the constant irritation, I went to the health center at school.
The doctor who saw me asked some questions, proclaimed it was eczema (atopic dermatitis) and wrote me a prescription for steroids, then sent me on my way. I was shocked, I’d never had any skin problems. Although my sister had eczema as a baby, I never expected to have the condition myself and I didn’t know people could develop it as adults.
I started using the steroid cream, but the eczema only increased exponentially with red swelling and blisters. I knew this was a reaction to the steroids, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist. She prescribed me oral steroids, more steroid creams, allergy medications, and eventually even an anti-fungal cream. None of these seemed to be the cure or itch relief I was looking for.
At the worst point, my entire left hand was covered in oozing blisters, plus I had bumps and itching on my right hand and both of my feet. It was not only extremely embarrassing (customers often stared and were afraid to be near me, even when I explained it to them and assured them it was not contagious), but painful and frankly really gross. This just increased the stress in my life. The itching was unbearable at night, which kept me from sleeping. It seemed like absolute torture.
I had to quit my job after about a month and a half, which was a devastating blow, but the constant exposure to water and harsh chemicals was too much, even if I wore gloves constantly at work. I continued with the steroid treatments, and though things seemed to improve, the eczema would not entirely heal on my left hand.
Graduation neared and I lost health insurance coverage under my parents. I could not afford the prescriptions (which I’d already spent over $100 on) or the doctors visits. Things weren’t getting better and I felt hopeless.
So I made choice. I quit the steroid ointments and started reading about natural treatments and home remedies for eczema. I decided to start treating the problem inside and out. I bought supplements like Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Flax Seed, and Borage to take orally each day. These include Gamma-linolenic Acid (GLA), which are essential fatty acids that are recommended for skin health.
To treat the itchiness and help heal my inflamed skin, I bought Vitamin E oil
After I went off the steroids, my skin flared up horribly. My hand was red and inflamed, basically going through a withdrawal from the steroid creams, which it was addicted to. Once I started using the natural products, my skin started to heal. It took two or three months, but eventually and miraculously I was eczema free.
The Vitamin E Oil cost me about $5 and the Bag Balm was about $7. In total I spent about $12 on topical treatments. I am still using the original bottle and tin I bought, and it’s been a year and a half. The amount of money I saved with this treatment compared to the failed steroids treatment I used for a few months is easily $100. This treatment worked for me and keeps my eczema at bay. What I thought would be a life time of torture is easily maintained and prevented.
Whenever I sense a relapse coming on, whether it be a red bump or itchiness, I immediately start in with the Vitamin E oil and Bag Balm. That usually prevents or ends the outbreak quickly. No doctors, no prescriptions, no sleepless itchy nights. I couldn’t ask for a better treatment.
Every person’s body and skin is different. This may not work for everyone, but it worked for me, so I am sharing it hoping that it will help someone else. I am not a medical professional. As always, you should consult with your doctor about any type of treatment you’re using and stop immediately if you have any adverse reactions.
Make Some Extra Cash: Global Test Market Surveys
Let’s kick off the new week with a new website to make some extra money. Today I’m featuring a survey site called GlobalTestMarket. I’ve been a member of this panel for many years, and it’s been a positive experience. I’ve earned money from this site and have been paid a few times.
It’s pretty basic: you sign up, fill out a few profile surveys, and then you’ll receive email invitation for the surveys. Each email will include how many points the survey is worth. When you complete the survey, the points are instantly credited to your account. If you don’t qualify to complete the survey, then you may receive points (they used to give 5 points if you disqualified, but they seem to have mostly phased that out), sweepstakes entries, or just a thank-you screen.
One of the downsides is that it takes a little while to earn enough points to cash out, simply because the minimum cash-out amount is 1000 points, which equals $50. On the other hand, it’s nice to get such a large check in the mail. My first check was $63, which bought two weeks of groceries for me, so it was worth the wait. You just have to plan to be with the panel for the long term.
Personally, I’ve had no problems with Global Test Market. The surveys are fun and interesting and I’ve always received my credits immediately. Payment does take a few weeks, but the checks always come within the time frame. If you are interested in making money taking online surveys, then I definitely recommend GlobalTestMarket.
This panel is open to members around the world, so even if you’re not from the US you can sign up.
GlobalTestMarket Stats
Info Required to Sign Up: Birth date, email, first & last name, address, phone number
Member eligibility requirements: 18 years or older, or 14-17 with parent’s permission
Sign up bonuses: None
How points are earned: Taking surveys
Value of survey: Varies, anywhere between 5-50 points
Earnings for disqualified survey: Points, sweepstakes entries, or nothing (depends on the study)
Redemption options: Check
Fees or rules for redemption: Mi0nimum 1000 MarketPoints ($50)
Time redemption takes: 4-6 weeks if in the US
Cash value of points: 1 MarketPoint = 5 cents
Tomorrow is Museum Day 2009–Free Admission
Just a reminder since it’s been about a month since my original post. Tomorrow is Museum day which means free admission at select venues nationwide.
Go here to download the card that gives you two free general admissions for tomorrow. Don’t forget to search for participating museums in your area.
Read about all the details at the original post.
Mid Week Freebies & Samples 9-23-09
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another update of the freebies I’ve seen around online.
If you’re new to online freebies, read my tips on how to be safe and smart signing up for samples.
If you know of any other great freebies, let me know in the comments or through email and I will give you a link back.
- Always Inifinity
- Emergen-C
- Prilosec OTC
- eCookbook: Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes
- eCookbook: 27 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes
- Bounce Dryer Bar (Not guaranteed)
- Download issues of Taste of Home Magazine (Thanks Coupon Geek!)
- Metamucil Pink Lemonade (newsletter sign-up) (Thanks Coupon Cravings!)
- Suze Orman Will & Trust Kit
- “No on 1″ Sticker(Thanks Freebie Fanatics!)
Want to learn how to create your dream kitchen and save money by doing it yourself? Sign up for a free workshop tomorrow night at Home Depot. Just click the banner to register for free:
$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for $3
Restaurant.com has another great promotion going on.
Their current promo is 70% off any order, which means you can save on Dinner of the Month Club purchases and gift certificates. That makes the $25 certificates only $3.
This is a great way to save money while eating out. You can read my full review here.
To get this deal, you have to enter the coupon code TREAT at check out, and it will take 70% off your order.
Free Night of Theater October 2009
I love going to the theater. I’m lucky since I live in Chicago and have easy access to the whole spectrum of theater, from big Broadway productions to community theater. Unfortunately, it can get a little pricey depending on what show you’re seeing.
Lucky for me, and all of you, Theater Communication Group has a program called Free Night of Theater. The whole purpose of the program is to introduce new people to the thrill of live theater through free tickets to participating shows at theaters across the country.
Free tickets to theater shows? I’m in.
Unfortunately, it’s not available in all states across the country, but there are many locations to choose from. To reserve your tickets, just go here and select what city your interested in. All of the available shows (the majority are during the month of October) are already listed.
Some are available to reserve now. If they’re not available yet, the time and date the reservations begin is listed. Some shows are starting to sell-out, so make sure to get to the site as soon as possible to check out what’s available in your area.
Chicago tickets can’t be reserved until the 29th, so I haven’t decided what I want to see yet, but there’s some interesting shows to choose from. I’m excited to hear what everyone else signs up for.
ETA 9/29/09 You can only sign up for one show per person, so keep that in mind while selecting a show. Also, there is an option for people to cancel tickets if they find out they can’t go to the performance, so if a show you want to see is sold out, there is a possibility that tickets will be available again if someone cancels.
Make Money Online: Instant Cash Sweepstakes
Today I’m posting about a site very different from the other money making sites I’ve blogged about previously.
I’ve been a member of Instant Cash Sweepstakes for about 2 weeks. So far I’m not very impressed with the payout in comparison to the amount of time spent on the site, but it could be far worse.
Basically, how the site works is you answer a series of three questions, these are either user submitted questions or “BIZ” surveys from sponsors (which is how they make the money that the prizes come from). When you submit your answers you win a prize, either cash, lottery tickets for the next drawing, or coins. At a minimum, you will get 1 ticket and 1 coin.
You’re allowed to do five sets of questions every 3 hours. There is an option to sign up for email reminders to let you know when you can play again. Sometimes you’ll get a repeat question set–this is to test whether or not you’re giving honest answers. If you match the answers you originally put, they will triple your winnings (you have to match all 3 answers).
Cash winnings are paid via Paypal. There is a minimum of $2 winnings before you can cash out. The coins were added the day after I signed up. Basically you rack up the points and then you can redeem them in the Bonus Store. This is all very new, so we’ll have to see how it plays out. Currently the prize selection looks like they just picked a bunch of items from around their office (a corkscrew, a box of Splenda…), but slowly they’re adding new items each day. Right now the cheapest item is an 8 GB HP Flash drive, which costs 28,975 coins.
In my two weeks on the site, I have earned $0.75 cents and 182 coins. The 0.75 came from winning cash once. The drawings that the lottery tickets go for happen weekly, and I haven’t won anything from that yet either. Of course, I’ve only been a member for two weeks. I will keep using the site and update on any new winnings and my thoughts after using it for awhile. (You can now read my update here).
So here’s the ICS widget, which you can try out to get a sample of what the questions are like and how the game works. The ICS Stats are below it.
Instant Cash Sweepstakes Stats
Info Required to Sign Up: Email, First Name, Initial of Last Name, Birth date, Gender, State, County, Zip, Paypal Email, Statistical questions (education, employment, race, etc)
Member eligibility requirements: Minimum 18 years old, US Resident
Sign up bonuses: None
How money/tickets/coins are earned: Answering 3 questions to win a “prize,” either cash, tickets, or coins. Minimum 1 ticket and 1 coin each time.
Redemption options: Cash is via Paypal only. Coins can be traded in for prizes.
Fees or rules for redemption: No fees. Minimum $2 to cash out.
Time redemption takes: 72 hours to receive Paypal payment after request.
Cash value of coins: Unable to determine at this time
Check out my update post after two months with Instant Cash Sweepstakes.
More Locations for Whip It Free Screening
Looks like they have added a few more screening locations and dates for the Whip It advanced screenings. To sign up, just go to the website and select your city. If you’re not familiar with the film, watch the trailer.
It’s still possible that they’ll add more cities and dates, so keep checking back if there’s nothing in your area or that works with your schedule.
Previously announced cities:
Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Phoenix, Richmond, Salt Lake City, Tucson, & Washington DC
New cities:
- Buffalo
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Detroit
- Indianapolis
- Louisville
- Milwaukee
- Portland
- San Diego
- Seatle
If you’re new to free screenings, check out my advanced movie screening tips.
Friday Freebies, Samples, & Sweepstakes 9/17/09
It’s Friday! That means the weekend is right around the corner, and it’s time to celebrate with some freebies!
Mars’ Real Chocolate Relief Act is still going on, so if you haven’t gotten your 4 coupons yet, sign up today! Next Friday will be the last Friday to request a coupon. Read all the details.
Freebies
- Sun Crystals All Natural Sweetener
- Kashi Cereal: Honey Sunshine or GoLean Crunch
- Betty Crocker Potatoes (Newsletter Sign-up)
- eBook: Crochet and Knitting Patterns from Red Heart Yarn
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal
Contests & Sweepstakes
I don’t usually feature contests, but there aren’t that many freebies this week, so I figured I’d mention a few that I’ve noticed lately.
Sign up for Ideal Bite and enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Marie Digby’s new album. Click Here
Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Sweepstakes. This is a sweepstakes and instant win. The big prize is a $500 gift card, plus hundreds of other giftcards.
It’s Lean Cuisine free lunch Friday, where you can enter to win free Lean Cuisine entrees for a week. They’re doing this every Friday through October 29th, and there’s 10 winners a day. You can enter every Friday. (Thanks Freebies4Mom!)
