Life: Update

When I first wrote my list, several tasks in the "Life" section revolved around saving money and putting the hubby and I in a happy place, a place in which we'll be settled for the long haul. We wanted a house that we'll both be happy in, and where we can raise a family.

After having our condo on the market for a year with no bites, we've come to the tough realization that we probably won't be able to see the condo or house sold before getting our dream home. We've started renting the condo again, and settled upon a budget to increase our savings. Every little bit will help when we're looking at another down payment and another mortgage. To help us reach our goal, we've cut back on eating out, clipped more coupons and shopped more sales, tried to be less wasteful, carpooling more to save on gas... It's a bunch of little things but these things don't require a lot of extra effort or big sacrifices on our part. I've also tried to pick up a couple extra hours at work but as someone with an already busy life, this is tough to maintain.

The other thing we've done to bank a little extra is to sign up for Swagbucks, a google-powered search engine that allows us to earn "Swagbucks" that are redeemable for gift cards (i.e. Amazon, Paypal, Macys) and other goods (movies, t-shirts, etc.). We earn Swagbucks each day through searching, the daily-5 (poll, survey visit, toolbar usage, and NOSO/no obligation special offers), and occasionally watching Swagtv. Occasionally, I'll also find Swagcodes on the SwagBlog, complete surveys/tasks, and will play the games for a couple extra Swagbucks. I spend a couple minutes in the morning and evening, and then piddling in front of the tv, and I've been able to bank a $5 Amazon gift card almost every week. Not a ton, but this will be a nice relief come time to Christmas shop! If you're interested, sign up here. (Use this link and I'll get a referral bonus too!)
 
Is anyone else saving for something big? Any tips or tricks you use to save a little money without spending a ton of extra time?