Christmas on a Shoestring: How the Internet Can Help You Not Go Broke

For those of us living paycheck-to-paycheck, Christmas is a stressful time. How can you supply family and friends with appropriate gifts, and still make rent? Even if you're not desperately or even moderately poor, Christmas is a huge drain on your wallet. Don't go into massive debt over the holidays. Here are a few safe ways to get a little extra cash.

LuckySearch and Blingo
Two similar search engines, powered by Google, they have basically the same philosophy: do searches, win stuff. With Blingo you win specific prizes, ranging from a $5 gift certificate to a new car; with LuckySearch, you win different amounts of points, which can be hoarded or spent as you like on many different items. LuckySearch has several denominations of Amazon.com gift certificates available - and the best part is, if you refer a friend who registers, searches, and wins, you win the same thing - up to ten degrees! (The same applies for Blingo, but only prizes won by people you directly refer. Friends of friends will win you nothing, which makes LuckySearch a better bet.) Between the two of us, my fiancé and I have netted about $35 worth of points while just casually using LuckySearch as our regular engine. The best part is, it can be added to Firefox's search bar with no hassle.