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SmartyPig®: September 2008 Archive

The following posts were made in September 2008. You may subscribe to the RSS feed for this archive if you would like to take your time reading through our posts.

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September 29, 2008 • Posted by Michael Ferrari

Overstock.com New SmartyPig Retailer With 6% Cash Boost!

We are not typically at liberty to share the cash boosts offered by our retail partners, but then Overstock.com is not your typical retailer. So gung-ho are they to offer their wares to our customers they trumped our highest cash boost of 5% and didn't care if we told you all about it.

Our agreement with each retailer dictates that we cannot disclose the exact boosts until a customer is ready to close their account, as the boosts can change and we cannot promise a number now that may be different months or years into the future when you reach your goal. The good news is that we are already seeing retailers who want to negotiate with us to make sure they get your business, as well as new retailers who are ready to put their money where their mouth is. Case in point: Overstock.com.

Overstock.com is able to deliver quality, name-brand products at deep discounts, while we at SmartyPig have always insisted that sensible consumers have the option of earning more money for their money. Together, it will be next to impossible for the discerning shopper to find a better deal online, which is key when budgets are tight. And we're excited to continue to maximize our customers' savings as our audience grows.

See, a SmartyPig customer who saves up for a new $1,400 flat screen TV for a year (after making a $100 initial deposit to set up their goal and making 12 additional $100 deposits over the ensuing 12 months) would earn nearly $25 in interest, and the boost from Overstock would be approximately $80 at time of redemption. That's an extra $100 on a smart $1,300 investment. And more importantly, at the end of the day, you own the television, not your credit card company.

Tags: overstock   •  smartypig   •  retailers

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September 25, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

Twitter Contest Rescheduled

Well - we tried to hold our contest - but guess what - Twitter went down! Instead of seeing the dreaded 'fail whale', this time, we were all treated to a pop up to log into their staging server. Nice one.

We will reschedule the Twitter contest for the same time, same place next week - Thursday, October 2nd.

We did, however, happen to get our September question out there, so we won't reuse that one - that would be too easy! Sorry for the inconvenience, but hopefully this gives everyone enough time to brush up on their SmartyPig trivia and win big next Thursday.

Contest will be

• Thursday, October 2nd at 3pm CST.

Tags: twitter contest   •  gift cards   •  smartypig   •  video

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September 22, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

September Twitter Contest Announced

We'll be rolling the dice on Thursday, September 25 at 3pm CST! SmartyPig will be giving away three $100 gift cards through our monthly Twitter contest. We will tweet a question and give our followers 15 minutes to reply to us. We've had so much fun doing our past contests, that we are really looking forward to this one - and to a new way of choosing our winners!

1. After 15 minutes, we will be picking 20 random people with a number generator from the pool of correct answers.
2. We will then roll a 20 sided dice to pick the lucky winners.
3. We'll make sure to document everything by video and post it here on our blog!

Make sure:

1. You're following us on Twitter
2. We'll ask the $100 question on Thursday, September 25 at 3pm CST
3. Answer the question correctly for your chance to win!

Remember: if you don't already have a SmartyPig account, it's Free to set one up! Winner must be in the US.

Good Luck!

 

Tags: twitter contest   •  gift cards   •  smartypig   •  video

1 Comment |

September 12, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

Put A Little Social In Your Saving

An article titled "I'm So Totally Digitally Close To You," by Clive Thompson in the most recent issue of New York Times Magazine was of particular interest to the SmartyPig team. Mr. Thompson wrote of today's most popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and the way high-tech connections are made between people. He introduces the Dunbar number (Established by Robin Dunbar to determine the number of people one can be in a social, personal relationship with at one time) and the fact that it currently sits around 150.  

It got us thinking about our own social connections. How many friends, family members and business acquaintances do we keep in touch with? So out came to the calculators. And the average number of people each individual who works at SmartyPig is connected to through social networking sites is 580! Could it be true that each of us corresponds personally with 580 people? Probably not, as routine would suggest otherwise. However, there's a comfort in knowing that at any given time you may connect with old friends from college, your step-brother, co-workers at a convention, whomever and for whatever reason. 

In a Cosmopolitan New Etiquette Guide from the '60s readers were warned "Don't talk about politics, money or religion." That was then, this is now. We share salaries, we share photos, we definitely share our politics - and we share most all of it with the world. Open books, one and all. Well, at SmartyPig we want to put a little more purpose in the personal connectivity and sharing.

If you show your kids, your vacation photos, even your exact location at any given time, why not let people know what you and your family are saving for, as well with a SmartyPig widget on your social networking page? Furthermore, why not invite your friends and family to share in the experience? Aren't goals easier to meet when done out in the open with others helping out? And isn't any learning process more meaningful when it is fun?

Social networking is the way we communicate. We're plugged in. We're always available. Learning how to be financially responsible while letting others join in on the process is just another way - and one that can actually pay, and pay well.

 

Tags: saving   •  social networking   •  money

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September 5, 2008 • Posted by Michael Ferrari

SmartyPig Sponsors #dmtweetup on Thursday, September 11!

Over the past few weeks, we were reminded just how supportive our online local community really is. And we just wanted to reach out and show our appreciation by sponsoring the Thursday, September 11 #dmtweetup.

So where is the location of this #dmtweetup you say? Well, Des Moines for starters. But we thought we'd have some fun with it and with the help of our friends at Lava Row (i.e. social media geniuses), we're going to reveal the location throughout the day on Thursday, September 11, thru a digital scavenger hunt.

Follow us on Twitter with the hashtag #pighunt for clues throughout the day. The participants who discover the location and arrive first will be rewarded with the following prizes:

• 1st place: Nintendo Wii, (2) wiimotes and a $100 SmartyPig gift card
• 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place: $25 SmartyPig gift cards

We'll also have some stellar SmartyPig t-shirts and hats to handout to those that arrive "late".

So tell your friends (or don't, if you're a competitive one and want the Wii all for yourself) and we hope to see you there!

- The SmartyPig Crew

 

Tags: #pighunt   •  #dmtweetup   •  lava row

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