By Aaron Crowe

Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance. Aaron blogs via Contently.com.

You know that pair of jeans you have that that fit so perfectly and are so comfortable you could sleep in them? Of course you want them to stay that way for a long time. So learn the basics of jean care.

• Never use the washer: Well, do use the washer when right after you’ve bought them if you want to get rid of that brand-new look and feel. But wash them over and over, and you’ll slowly wear down the denim. Frequent bouts with laundry detergent, hot water and the washing machine spin cycle are enough to damage any pair of jeans. Carl Chiara, director of brand concepts and special projects for Levi Strauss & Co., recommends using the bathtub every six months. Denim shapes to a person’s body, and machine washing takes away most of that shape. Chiara told the Wall Street Journal that he doesn’t like to put his jeans in a washing machine because agitation makes the cotton fibers swell and “bloom,” which causes yarns to tense up and get shorter, shrinking the jeans. It may also cause the color to fade or change. He also avoids heat — both hot water and the dryer — to protect the jeans.

• Don’t dry-clean either: The Levi’s executive also doesn’t dry clean his jeans because he doesn’t want them coming back stiff or center-creased, dress pants style.

• Spot clean instead: To clean the 15 pairs of jeans he owns, Chiara gently spot-cleans spills with a damp sponge and some cleaner . . . such as Windex!

• Freshen them up: Every night Chiara hangs his jeans on a hook in the bathroom to freshen them up a bit with steam when he takes a shower. Hanging them by a belt loop preserves their shape.

• And every six months: At the six-month mark, Chiara does a comprehensive cleaning. (For those of you who are grossed out by the idea of not washing clothing for six months, do this instead of throwing your jeans in a washer.) Fill a bathtub with six inches of room-temperature water, add two tablespoons of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Liquid Soap, and immerse the jeans flat in the tub. To prevent dark jeans from fading, add 1/8 cup of white vinegar. Don’t scrub the jeans or move them around in the tub, just let them soak for 20 minutes before hanging them by the belt loops to drip dry. When almost completely dry, leave them out in the sun for a bit of special helio-magic. Then comes the final step: put your jeans, even if you don’t intend wearing them right away. This way they’ll reshape to your body.

• Exception to the rule: You’ve opened a jar of pickles and the juice splashes all over them. Your friend’s dog has decided to do something really impolite in your lap. In cases like these, when your jeans really smell or sport significant spots, you may want to resort to scrubbing and the washer. But the bath method may work as well, so try that first.

Chiara’s guide to jean care is great for the environment, too, since you use less water and don’t put so many cleaning pollutants into the tmosphere. The wash-every-six-months strategy is easy on the pocketbook as well. You’ll won’t be buying as much laundry detergent, and you’ll be using the washer and dryer less, saving on energy costs.

Bottom line, though: you’ll keep your jeans looking good and lasting a lot longer than they would with regular washings. And that’s what really matters.

By Dawn Papandrea

Dawn Papandrea is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor specializing in personal finance, parenting, women’s lifestyle & more. Dawn blogs via Contently.com.

Whether you get all gushy walking past the adorable pugs in the pet store or a neighbor’s cat just had a litter and she’s offering you a cuddly kitten, before you follow your heart to buy or adopt a pet, stop and think. Ask yourself, are you ready for the financial commitment of a furry friend? Here are a few of the factors you’ll need to consider before becoming a pet owner…

Are you out of your home a lot? If so, you’ll need to think about the costs of dog walkers, kennel services, or other pet daycare needs. If your pet will be alone all day, be prepared to set up an area for it to roam freely, and expect some clean up costs, too. Cats may scratch up furniture, for instance, while dogs may have accidents. It might also become necessary for training or obedience classes, all of which can add up quickly. And, if you’re a renter, be sure to find out how your landlord feels about bringing a pet into your apartment. Sometimes, it could mean a small increase in rent or a deposit in case of any damages.

What will health costs be? If you plan to be a responsible pet owner, you’ll need to pay for spaying/neutering, vet visits, vaccinations, grooming, supplies, medicines, special foods, and more. Take a moment to do some research into the breed you’re considering, too. For instance, cocker spaniels are prone to ear infections, while English bulldogs often have eye problems. In cases of “designer” pooches, it might even make financial sense to take out a pet insurance policy.

Size matters. It might be a no-brainer that larger animals will require more food, resulting in higher grocery bills. But don’t forget that they might also cost more to groom as well. Finding a place to board them can become a challenge, too, since they’ll need more room. Preventative care at the vet’s office like heart worm and flea control could be more costly as well.

Beyond dogs and cats, the ASPCA has an excellent chart (http://www.aspca.org/adoption/pet-care-costs.aspx) that breaks down yearly expenses for all types of pets from birds to rabbits to guinea pigs. This is helpful when considering the type of pet that you can afford.

Once you bring a pet into your life, you’ll want to offer it the love and care it deserves. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you have the means to do so.

By Aaron Crowe

Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance. Aaron blogs via Contently.com.

With all of the expenses of getting married, and the marriage penalty tax looming for newlyweds, you’d think marriage is a bad financial choice.

Marrying for money is a bad idea, but getting married doesn’t have to mean paying higher taxes and seeing your savings fall to nothing. Saying “I do” can be the start of saving money as a couple. Here are some ways marriage pays off:

Marriage penalty myth. Congress changed the tax rules in 2001 to deal with the marriage tax, although working couples who have similar incomes will likely pay more than they would if they remained single. But for many people, the marriage penalty is a myth that they can bust at tax time.

According to an MSN Money story, 51% of married couples paid less tax jointly than if they had not been married, saving them $1,300. However, 42% of married taxpayers paid more filing jointly with an average penalty of $1,380.

If you’re looking to save money on taxes as a couple, then typically the bigger the gap between the paychecks of the husband and wife, the bigger tax break they get.

Splitting the bills. Similar to having a roommate, having a spouse provides someone to help you pay the bills. You’ll be sharing everything and cutting expenses from two separate households. Instead of two cable TV bills, you’ll have one. The same goes for the telephone, rent, food, Internet, electricity, water, heat and many other costs.

Better credit. If one of you has better credit than the other, help the other achieve an improved credit score by paying off debts. It may take a while to retire debts and have that reflected on a credit score, but it will be like finding money in the bank once the debts are paid off.

Two incomes. If both people are working, two incomes will help in many ways, but especially when buying a home. Since you’re saving on expenses, the two incomes can be used to save for a bigger down payment, and your combined better credit scores will help get a better home loan rate.

Car insurance. Single guys usually get charged more than single women for car insurance, but rates for men often drop once they get married. Having two cars on the same policy helps, too.

Workplace benefits. Health coverage through an employer is typically taxable income, but it’s tax-free when a spouse is covered. The same goes for pension benefits.

Social Security. A husband or wife is entitled to half of the spouse’s Social Security benefits and to additional benefits after the spouse dies. Women, however, may get the short end of the Social Security stick when their husbands die. The Social Security Administration says that 62% of women over age 62 who receive benefits do so based on their husband’s work records, not their own. In some cases, the women didn’t earn enough to qualify for payments or their husbands’ benefits were larger, according to the MSN story.

But in a sense it’s a penalty because the women aren’t getting the Social Security benefit they earned in their working years. They’re getting their husband’s money — the same amount they would have received if they had never worked and paid into Social Security.

It’s more money than they would have received without being married, which in the end is a benefit to being married.

By Nicole Long

Nicole Long is a freelance writer with expertise in economics, business and personal finance. Nicole blogs via Contently.com.

Budgeting isn’t the stuff dreams are made of, but it is a necessary part of running a financially stable household. Doing without is like to not checking the gas gauge before you embark on a road trip. It just doesn’t make any sense.

A budget serves as your financial compass during difficult times; it is also a constant reality check. You can lie to yourself and pretend that living without a budget works for you, but sooner or later you’re going to fall off a financial cliff.

Budgeting doesn’t have to be difficult. Choose a simple concept, such as the envelope system, and run with it.

The “Envelope System”

Take some tips from budget guru Dave Ramsey and focus on a simple way to pay bills while creating a savings plan. Not a new concept, the envelope system is meant to help you get your finances in order, prevent overspending and tackle your debt.

This system requires that you follow a cash-only lifestyle, as much as possible, by using envelopes to set aside money in each spending category in your budget. You can leave automatic payments set up to be withdrawn from your bank account and continue to pay bills online, but the goal is to put the debit and credit cards away to avoid discretionary or impulse spending.

Baby Steps

You must sit down and do a complete budget for this to work. Use a budget worksheet, like one from Kiplinger, to help create an accurate and detailed budget.

Your budget should provide you with an idea of how much of your money needs to go toward paying bills and how much is leftover for variable and optional expenses, such as groceries and entertainment. It should also make it easy for you to determine how much of each paycheck will need to go toward each expense.

Envelope Madness

At this point, it’s time to get your envelopes set up. Each category in your budget should get its own envelope. For instance, you should have one envelope for groceries and one for gas.

Each paycheck will need to be budgeted accordingly. Leave enough money to cover your automated bills in your bank account, withdraw the cash for the envelopes and move the remainder into savings.

Keep in mind that you will need to fill the envelopes based on your pay schedule. So, if you get paid bi-weekly you will need to adjust the amount put toward each monthly expense to match. For instance, if you envision spending $200 a month on gasoline, you would put $100 per paycheck into the gasoline envelope.

The Hard Part

Now that you have your envelope system in place, it’s time to stick to it. When the money in the envelope is gone, consider yourself out of money for that category. You can’t use your debit card or credit card if you see a great handbags or pair of shoes on sale. You may also to get creative in the kitchen, making do with supplies you already have. However, in the long-run your savings
and financial health will be thankful for those little decisions.

Adjustments are a natural part of the process. If you budgeted too much for clothing but not enough for groceries, put less toward clothing in the future. If you find you have money leftover in your envelopes at the end of the month, move it into savings or put it in an emergency fund.

In the end, it’s all about living within your means and putting simple ideas to work for you. The little decisions you make today can result in big payoffs in the larger financial picture.

By Dawn Papandrea

Dawn Papandrea is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor specializing in personal finance, parenting, women’s lifestyle & more. Dawn blogs via Contently.com.

We actually do a lot more than seven dumb things, but here are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to money mismanagement. Read carefully, and get smarter.

Applying for too much credit. When you’re young and everyone and their mother is offering you a credit card, you go for it. It’s hard to walk away from 15% off your first purchase in all of your favorite retail stores just for applying for credit, right? But you need to do just that — walk away! Having credit is good, but too much credit (especially if you have balances on multiple accounts) is a dangerous thing. Plus, if you’re planning any major purchases in the near future, all of those credit applications will reflect negatively on your credit score.

Not paying bills on time. Look, sometimes people fall on hard times, the kind in which you have to choose between buying medicine or paying the electric bill. On the other hand, not paying your bills because you simply forgot or were too lazy to sit down and do it is just plain dumb. It will cost you. Take a couple of hours to set up automatic payments and/or email and text alerts for when bills are due. No more excuses!

Giving to bogus charities. Your heart is in the right place when someone asks for a donation and you offer one, but make sure you know where your cash is going. Be leery of over-the-phone or door-to-door pleas for money.

Mismanaging checking accounts. Do you balance your checkbook? Do you even know what your checking balance is right now? If you guessed, would you be in the ballpark? If not, expect some bounced checks along the way. And that will result in steep bank fees.

Shop without looking at price tags. It’s nice to pretend money’s no object once in a while, but that’s really not the case. Do you compare prices at the supermarket? Do you follow sales patterns, or wait for things to go on sale before purchasing? Have you thought about using coupons?

Spending beyond your means. Do you handle your credit responsibly? The good intentions were there when you bought that huge flat-screen TV, but the windfall you were expecting to pay off the credit card bill didn’t come through. Or a car emergency popped up unexpectedly. All of a sudden, that TV is costing you a ton over time.

Developing foolish daily spending habits. Treating yourself to a latte once in a while is fine. Same deal as jumping in a cab to save having to wait for the bus on a cold day when you’re fighting the sniffles. But don’t get too used to little luxuries or they could end up becoming an additional monthly expense.

So ‘fess up — how many of these dumb things have you done? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Consider this your reminder to wise up, and spend smarter.

By Mark Di Vincenzo

Mark Di Vincenzo is a journalist with 24 years of experience and a New York Times best-selling author. Mark blogs via Contently.com.

It’s becoming harder and harder these days to be a smart shopper without a smart phone and, of course, the right apps, which can help you find the lowest prices, the best coupons and the biggest garage sales.

Here are a dozen of my favorite shopping apps, in no particular order. The best part is they’re all free.

1. Let’s start with the place where you can potentially find the best deals:  garage sales and yard sales, where that filthy oil painting you bought for $2 is actually worth $20,000 — or $20. Garage Sales Tracker, an iPhone app, can’t identify incredibly valuable paintings, but it will help you find garage sales, yard sales, flea markets and consignment shops in your town.

2. Long gone are the days when you had to waste a lot of gas and time driving around town to compare prices from your favorite stores. Grocery Smarts, an Android app, tracks prices at some of the largest stores, including Walmart and Target, and cross-references the price in the stores’ circulars with the most recent manufacturers’ coupons to show you the very lowest prices on thousands of grocery items.

3. Another cool app to help with comparison shopping is Google Shopper, which helps you find information on millions of products. It recognizes products by cover art, bar code, voice and text search, locating local and online prices, product reviews and specs. It works on the iPhone and Android.

4. So much of the shopping we do these days is online, and it’s great to know right away what shipping and handling will cost. (I recently bought a laptop charger for a penny only to later discover that shipping was $6.99. Oh, well.) PriceGrabber, which works on iPhone and Android smart phones, lets shoppers know which stores are selling what you want to buy and gives you the most updated prices, including tax and shipping and handling fees.

Many of the most popular shopping apps on the market specialize in finding you the best and the most coupons, and the best thing about these apps is you don’t have to clip or print out the coupons they give you. Just hand your phone to the cashiers and let them scan the coupon codes, and you get your savings. Here are some excellent coupon apps, again, in no particular order:

5. Grocery IQ, on Android and iPhone, has been getting rave reviews because it manages so many of all of your grocery shopping needs. If you run out of something that you need, the app will scan the barcode and add the item to your grocery list. It’s also great at keeping track of grocery store discount cards and letting you know about current coupons for whatever is on your list.

6. Cellfire partners with grocery stores that have discount loyalty cards and sends coupons right to your cards. When you go grocery shopping, just make sure you bring your discount card and take it to the checkout line to get your discount. Cellfire works at more than 4,500 locations, including at Safeway, Kroger, Ralphs, Vons, Smiths, Frys, ShopRite, Randalls, Dominicks and Giant Eagle. It works on Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7.

7. The Coupons App, an Android product, offers coupons on retailers as diverse as Old Navy, Waffle House and Barnes & Noble. It finds coupons for stores and restaurants wherever you happen to be. To redeem the coupons, all you have to do is show them to the cashiers when you check out.

8. Foursquare, which works on Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and Palm Pre, is similar to The Coupons App in a lot of ways. It also shows you daily deals from Groupon and other similar shopping sites.

9. Where is a lot more than a coupon app. It helps you find good restaurants, cheap gas and the most updated weather forecasts, among other things. As a coupon app, you type in your favorite stores, and it lets you know when those stores issue a coupon. It works on Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and Palm Pre.

10. Pushpins, an iPhone app, scans grocery items at 2,000 or so stores and lets you know about coupons for the items. When you choose deals, they go to your loyalty card, and you garner the savings at the time of purchase.

11. Coupon Sherpa, an iPhone app, is great because of the variety of in-store coupons it finds – everything from clothing, shoes, and electronics to restaurants, jewelry and sporting goods, and lots more. It also sometimes finds online coupons.

12. Cardstar, which works on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, helps you manage your store discount cards. Use your phone’s camera to scan in cards for hundreds of retailers, libraries and associations. If the app doesn’t support a card, it’s easy to add your own. And the app gives you relevant coupons from those stores.

There are so many shopping apps out there that you may not have any of these on your smart phone, but if you do, you’ll save time and money.

By Dawn Papandrea

Dawn Papandrea is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor specializing in personal finance, parenting, women’s lifestyle & more. Dawn blogs via Contently.com.

New Year’s resolutions always seem to involve losing weight or saving money. Why not combine the two ideas and create a financial fitness plan? Here’s how…

1. Stretch your money. Before you exercise, you stretch to prepare your body for a workout, and doing so can improve your overall movement. Just imagine how your financial situation can improve if you learn to stretch every dollar.

Can you get through the day without spending any money on nonessential things? Take that challenge today, and if you can do it, try to do so one day a week, then increase to two or more. Just like physical stretching, the more you do it, the more limber you become.

2. Don’t over-indulge on cash calories. Just like when you’re dieting with the mindset to burn more calories than you consume, the idea with money is to earn/save more than you spend. Make it a rule that if you can’t afford something today, it has to wait until you save up for it.

3. Sweat out debt. Accumulating debt is not unlike those holiday pounds that seem to pack on with so little effort. To take control of your debt balances, you may need to sweat a little. Whether it’s giving up your restaurant night for a while, or becoming a store brand shopper instead of a designer one, use those sacrifices to help you make more than the minimum payment on your balances so they will begin to shrink.

4. Portion control. Every paycheck, there should be a portion of money that is left over after bills are paid. The question is, are you in control of your portions? Like with food, you don’t want to use up your daily calories all on one big greasy meal. You want to share the wealth, and find a way to prioritize your leftover wages. You should be contributing to your 401(k), for instance. Other areas to consider are adding to an emergency fund, putting away some money each week toward your summer vacation or a new car, etc.

5. A credit crash diet. Many weight loss plans recommend starting with a strict jump start to help give your diet a boost. Along those lines, if your credit spending is out of control, try going on a cash-only diet for a while. Carry only one card for emergencies, and leave the rest at home. Ignore all of those promotional sales emails that land in your in-box, too, as online shopping can be as hazardous to your health as an all fast-food diet.

6. Make better choices. Just as grilled chicken breast is a better choice than fried buffalo wings, you can learn to make better decisions when it comes to your money, too. Do you really need to pay extra for pre-cut vegetables when you can buy them whole and prep them yourself? Can you bike or carpool to work rather than drive every day? Look at what you’re spending your money on, and think about how you can save more.

Being fit is about changing your lifestyle for the long term. The same can be said about your financial fitness. It’s up to you to make it happen. Are you up to the challenge in 2012?

By Aaron Crowe

Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance. Aaron blogs via Contently.com.

Getting something free — especially on the Internet where a freebie is only a few clicks away — perks up the inner cheapskate in all of us. But you need to be careful when trolling the web for samples and the like because, as the saying goes, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

There are plenty of companies offering free samples of their products: cosmetics, baby formula, grocery coupons and gift cards. It’s marketing: they get you to try their products; you become a walking advertiser.

Websites such as Bargainbabe.com round up the freebies and tell you the ins and outs of how to get them. But you have to be careful of websites that go phishing for your personal information. Never give more than the basic information they’ll need to mail you the freebie. You don’t need to give your phone number, date of birth or any other personal information to get something in the mail. Most sites will ask for an email address and your postal address. If you’re worried about being spammed, set up a disposable email account to only use when signing up for freebies. You can also google the name of the website and type in “+ scam” to look for complaints.


Meanwhile, there’s lots of free stuff out there. Here are seven of my favorite ways and websites to get things without paying a cent:

1. Freebie websites such as RetailMeNot.com, has coupon codes that make it a lot easier than searching individual websites for discounts. The coupon codes may not always be for freebies, but their forum is a great place to go for a list of freebies posted by members.




2. Craigslist. It’s an obvious choice when looking for something used locally, but it also has a “free” area where hundreds of people are giving away their stuff. All you have to do is drive there to pick it up. Just be careful when meeting with strangers — don’t meet in a dark area and don’t give them money for something advertised as free.




3. Freecycle.org. Like Craigslist, Freecycle helps you find someone local who is giving away something for free. It’s a friendly place and an easy way to give away stuff you no longer need.




4. Mail-in rebates. I’m wary of a retailer requiring me to fill out paperwork to get a rebate on something I’ve had to pay cash for, but if it gets me something free that I was going to buy anyway, it’s often worth the effort. It’s better than getting a free sample of a product since it’s something you were going to buy and you know you want. Just be sure you don’t have to pay any fees to get your money or anything else sent to you.




5. Credit card rewards. Free flights, gifts, hotel stays and other rewards for using your credit card may not seem like much of a freebie since you have to spend money to accumulate the reward points. But if you’re buying things that you’d normally buy anyway, you might as well get something out of it if you can afford the annual fee that usually comes with such credit cards.




6. Store loyalty cards. These are easy to use because they’re free. I have cards for my local yogurt shop, which gives me a few ounces for free after buying 10 servings. Grocery stores also have them, and at Panera I get a free drink or cookie after every few visits.




7. Houseparty.com. I haven’t hosted one of these, but they sound intriguing. Companies will provide you with food for hosting a party to promote their product. You give out one of their products and some other freebies to guests, and you get to keep a product, such as free diapers or enough rice to feed your family for a while.

Some of these methods may require more work than you’re willing to do, at least in the beginning, so start with small steps. Try a few freebie websites and see how much you like the idea of shopping for freebies.

By Nicole Long

Nicole Long is a freelance writer with expertise in economics, business and personal finance. Nicole blogs via Contently.com.

Any which way you cut it, coupons can be a real budget saver for families, and even individuals. You’ve seen it on television, possibly read about local coupon legends in your newspaper and certainly stumbled across a blog or two about the coupon craze. How do you know what is what in the world of coupons? Just where do you start?

Take a slow, deep breath and tackle the world of couponing one step at a time. Let’s start by taking a look at the various types of grocery coupons. Armed with this knowledge, you will have a better idea of where to look for coupons and how the various types of coupons work.

Manufacturer Magic

One of the most coveted of all coupons – the manufacturer coupon. You can find manufacturer coupons in several places. The most common place to find manufacturer coupons is your local Sunday newspaper. Coupon inserts in Sunday papers provide an abundance of manufacturer coupons.

Companies also send manufacturer coupons along with samples or mailers. These coupons are often targeted to your demographic and help introduce new or “improved” products.

You can also contact the company directly and beg them to send you coupons for specific products. Well, you don’t usually have to beg. Many companies will send you coupons for simple acts, like registering with their websites, subscribing to their email lists or liking their Facebook pages.

Printable Savings

Savings don’t stop with the delivery of your Sunday newspaper or product samples. Perhaps one of the most convenient ways to rake in additional savings is to take advantage of printable coupons.

Printable coupons can be found online from a number of sources, including manufacturer websites and coupon group sites, like CouponMom.com. With the sheer volume of coupons available online, you can certainly find plenty of coupons that will fit the specific needs of your household. Unlike the coupon inserts you receive in the paper, printable coupons are as customizable as you can get.

Follow some tips from MSN Money’s Stacy Johnson to make printable coupons work for you. Since manufacturers can place limits on the number of coupons that can be printed, she recommends printing coupons as soon as you see them – otherwise you may find yourself out of luck when the coupons run out or are removed. Another tip: Use scrap paper – minus any personal or private information of course – to print coupons to help reduce printing expenses.

Store Savings

Last, but certainly not least, is the store coupon. These are typically offered in store circulars, on store websites and through targeted customer mailings. Supermarkets and large retailers offer store coupon savings. Take a look through the Sunday paper, and you can find discount coupons for restaurants, electronics stores and clothing retailers.

Stores also attract customers with store loyalty programs. With these programs, you earn discounts on products just for using your loyalty card at checkout. Often these savings can add up to a substantial savings, especially if combined with manufacturer coupons.

In subsequent posts we will cover topics ranging from the best types of product coupons to maximizing savings with seasonal sales cycles. In the meantime, take some time to get comfortable with each coupon type so you can start slashing your grocery bill and resurrecting your budget.

Our first 2012 CashCrate Live Contest is coming Monday, January 23rd. This will be a great night to win some cold winter cash!!

You need to be there to win. And again, we are counting earnings from both Offers and Daily Surveys!

The contest starts at 7:00 PM EST and runs until 11:00 PM EST.

Want to win a big prize?

Want to win cash just by answering questions?

Want to win $100 in the CashCrate Live Drawing?

Members who earn the most money from completing Offers and Daily Surveys win big!!!

We’ll also be asking Trivia Questions at random times during the chat. Just answer the questions for your chance to win.

We’ll be updating the CashCrate Live page soon, so keep an eye on it: http://www.cashcrate.com/live

And a live contest wouldn’t be complete without real-time chat. Discuss the best offers and have fun chatting with your fellow contestants and CashCrate staff. The contest chat and cash trivia will start 1 hour before the start of the contest, at 6:00 PM EST.

Have a question or want to discuss the contest before hand? Visit the CashCrate Forum.



The $100 Drawing

We’re giving away $100! Would you like to win $100? Just be at the CashCrate Live Contest on Monday January 23rd, between 7:00 to 11:00 PM EST. Contest Chat starts at 6:00 PM.

The more offers and surveys you complete during the Live Contest, the better your chance of winning the $100 drawing. Each offer or survey completed counts as one entry in the drawing.

You must also participate in the Contest Chat* or attempt to answer at least one trivia question to be eligible (*have at least one line chatted). Remember the Contest Chat and trivia questions start one hour before the contest begins.

http://www.cashcrate.com/live