Apps that Give Back!

As a fairly new smartphone user, I'm not always the first one to have the newest app nor do I understand everything that my phone will do now. But, the one thing that I've been really excited about as of late is finding apps that give back. Some earn you points that you can redeem for other things and gift cards, but others will deposit right into your Paypal account! There are quite a few to be honest, but I have recently only tried about 5 out myself. I like these five because they seem very simple to use and don't seem to be time killers! And if you find this helpful at all, could you please use my links to sign up? I would love some referral credits! :) Here they are:

Endorse

This is an app that works for both Android and Apple users. This is actually my favorite one and I've used it the most. I currently have over $22 that I have earned right now. The best part- I only bought things I was going to buy anyway! Here's how it works: Download the app. Sign in using Facebook. Every Thursday new deals pop up. You will get offers like 10% back on any gas purchase, 10% back on any fast food purchase, 50% back on diapers, 100% on coffee, and so on. You make a purchase during the week that qualifies for this and click the offer. It will say Upload Receipt at the bottom. Take a picture of the receipt using the app and within a few hours to a day you will have the percentage back in your account, ready to be redeemed at any time. A few things to note- everyone gets different offers. Some weeks I have free coffee and my husband will get the fast food. As long as you are NOT double scanning your receipts, Endorse says it is fine to have multiple accounts in the same household. Double scanning means both of you using the same receipt for the same offer. Another thing to note is that you can request a check, but you must meet a certain minimum before requesting the money back. I prefer PayPal because it is instantly in your account within minutes and there is no minimum to earn first. Last thing to note is that the Endorse facebook page actually will sometimes have offers that you can "claim" and use. Sometimes these offers will also go to your email. Be sure to claim them and they will be under "Shared With You" instead of "This Week's Offers". Another thing to note is that if you use coupons, you will notice that the amount you get back will be reduced. This doesn't really bother me, because most of the time I was buying the item regardless, so anything back is just extra icing to the cake. And lastly, some offers require you to "upgrade" them by sharing them to Facebook. This may seem annoying to some, but I don't mind. I like saving money! Plus- every referral you get gives you a dollar as well!
https://www.endorse.com/referral/Lisa/YZYhJ2oNETLwOP8jzhhE-CvQ==AB

Ibotta

 This is another grocery store type app similar to Endorse. Right now it is only for Apple users. ***UPDATE*** This is now available to ANDROID users too! :)  This app is slightly more complex in that it only works with certain retailers and you have to be careful to buy EXACTLY what the app is requesting. For example, my first purchase was for a 24 pack of Coke Zero. I didn't realize that the app only wanted the fridge packs until after I got home. *sigh* Anyway. I haven't used this one a lot because of the particulars, but the idea is basically the same. Buy items. Sign into the app. Complete little tasks that are assigned like watching videos, quick one question surveys, and posting to Facebook. Scan your receipt using the app. Scan the item's barcode. And then, you will get the $$ back in your account that you can choose to redeem at any time by sending it to your PayPal account. The offers seem to change randomly- but I did notice that you can click an offer and then click the picture of the item and give it a thumbs up or down. If you thumbs down something, it will come off your offers a little while later and be replaced with something else. I find that useful because there was dog food on there the first time I went to use it. I don't own a dog. That is not something that I will ever use. So, that's a plus that I can tell them not to give me offers that pertain to dogs, lol. This is also an app that pays you for referrals so, make sure to share your link! And another plus to this app is that I haven't noticed that combining it with coupons makes a difference! Yay!

http://ibotta.com/r/4nH3vg

Viggle

This is actually a very new to me app. It works with both Android and Apple users. I'm not entirely confident in this app, but the premise seems cool. Basically, you earn points for "checking in" while watching tv shows. The points can be used for things like CVS eGiftCard that can be used in-store. Or a Kindle Fire. Or a Best Buy gift card. You get the idea. So, basically, just for watching your regular tv shows, you can earn things. *shrugs* Seems easy enough. To be honest about it, I haven't had a chance to watch much tv because it is finals week right now for me and that obviously has taken precedence over television watching, lol. Also, if you are a DirecTv user, supposedly it gives you better rewards or something. I am, but like I said, I haven't even had a good chance to see how it works yet. But, I wanted to include it here because it seemed easy enough to set up the account and it seems pretty easy to use.
http://join.viggle.com/lisalangley

Jingit

I actually signed up for this over a year ago, before being a smartphone user. But, because it had so many smartphone qualities to it like "checking in", I quickly forgot about it and actually just remembered it last night. So, I'm writing this review about it with basic knowledge. But, again, I did not want to dis-include it because it seems like a good idea and easy to do.  It also works with both Android and Apple users. From what I can tell, you watch videos and such to earn money back. At the end of the videos you will have a few questions to answer about your shopping habits and such. Then, you can also check in with some brands and earn money back that way too. The only thing that I was not over joyed about is that it does not connect with a PayPal account. You have to get a Jingit Visa Debit Card. Okay, I'm good with that. But, first you have to pay them an activation fee from your Jingit hard earned money to get it. Not so cool. It is only 3.00 right now, but that kinda turned me off a little. However, I believe you can do something with musicme.com as well, though I have not tried this out yet.
https://www.jingit.com/?ref_id=53144&s=f

Shopkick

This is a points system app that you use will you shop as well. It works with both Android and Apple users. You can redeem it for things like a Target Gift Card, Starbucks Card, Best Buy Gift Card, iTunes Gift Card, Old Navy Gift Card, Coach Hand Bag, or Fandango Gift Card. I've actually had this one downloaded on my phone now for about a  month and seriously forgot about it. I've never opened it or done anything with it. Soooo....after checking it out tonight for the first time, I'm pretty excited about it. It seems like all you have to do is visit the stores on the list (CVS, Target, Best Buy and TONS TONS TONS more!) and you will earn "Kicks" which can be redeemed for the things I mentioned above. And on top of that, you actually can link your purchases to it and earn more kicks PLUS you can get special deals at these stores from using the app as well! It's most definitely a WIN WIN situation.
http://get.shopkick.com/fresno8830

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Review: May Cravebox- A Taste of the Tropics

So, if you read my blog, you will know that I somehow missed out on SheSpeaks program that would've included me in the beta of Cravebox. Which in turn, had me drooling at the mouth watching all the cool things Cravebox was getting out to their members. So, when Cravebox finally had some spots open up- I was ALL over it! lol :D I was finally included, and May was my first Cravebox experience.

Now, as excited as I am about sharing this box of F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C goodies, I think it would be helpful to share what exactly Cravebox is and does. Basically, every month, Cravebox puts together a box of goodies and offers it at a super low price of only $10 a month. It's a subscription service, but you can choose not to continue at any time. I personally have it set up so that I have to pay for it manually every month; I don't like things coming out of my bank account automatically, so this works best for me. You pay, it shows up on your door- and VIOLA! you have wonderful new products to test, try, taste, and brag about!

So, on to the box of goodies! First off, it was seriously like opening a present. It was all wrapped up and with bows and tissue paper and fun little paper crinkles! It included a lovely note letting me know that this month's theme (how cool is that? I love themes! LOL) was "A Taste of the Tropics". So, what was included, you ask? Check out the Smilebox for pics and then the detailed description of each item below:


Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Coconut Lime- yummy scent when using, leaves skin so soft and smooth and feels wonderful as you rub it in circular motions in the bath. You can use it in the shower too, but I just love the way a bath makes you feel all pampered and relaxed. Leaves a light coconut lime scent that is slightly less strong than when using.

Skintersection Intense Repair Cream- thick moisturizer, consistency like body butter from other brands. Very light scent, to none at all. I wash my hands a lot, and right now I'm in clinicals for my nursing degree, so I am washing them even more, plus using a lot of harsh alcohol rubs and putting gloves on all day long. My hands are chapped, peeling, and generally rough because I have such sensitive skin. I used this, and within about a day, they were soft and replenished looking! I'm so excited to keep this one around. I only wish they had a smaller container or tube so that I could throw it in my pocket for all day use. Non-greasy feeling afterwards too!


Lipton Tea & Honey in Mango Pineapple- to go packet; I added this to a cup of iced water from my filtered water pitcher and I was impressed! I don't usually like a lot of flavored packets, so I wasn't expecting to care for this one much. And I don't usually care for mango flavored anything (just like the fruit!) but this has a really yummy honey flavor that is light and fruity. I could definitely see myself picking this up in the store; and thanks to the fifty cent coupon that was included with my sample, I'm sure I will! And even better- ONLY five cals per 8 oz serving! And one packet makes TWO servings- a 16.9 oz bottle! Better yet, my kids think this stuff tastes pretty awesome too, and it comes in pitcher sizes!

Sunsweet Plum Amazins Diced Dried Plums- I love dried fruit, but never tried dried plums before. These have just the right texture and all the taste of a real plum! I think these will be a great snack to throw in my pocket for clinicals and on the go! I may even try putting some in some greek yogurt- I just can't seem to keep a bag around long enough to try it before I eat it! LOL! And, the fifty-five cent coupon with recipes was a nice touch- I'm currently on the lookout for a sale to pair it up with!

Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates-I'm going to be honest here and tell you this was actually the disappointment in my Cravebox. I love chocolate and I have stashes of it hidden all over my bedroom and desk for when I have a craving hit. So, I was super excited to try out a new kind of chocolate I've never had before. But, when I opened the package, it had melted. :( I guess the hot weather of the south was not chocolate friendly to it. On the bright side, I was able to pop a piece of the chocolate out of the container and it still was super yummy. I wasn't able to distinguish between the chocolate and the truffle part though and that to me is one of the best parts of eating a truffle! I'm sure these would have been simply wonderful- a piece of heaven in my mouth- if they had not been all melted together. Instead, they were just another piece of yummy chocolate, which wasn't all bad!

So, my overall view of Cravebox- I can't wait for June's! New products at a great price, please count me in! Two things I would change though:
1. Don't send chocolate in the summer. (lol)
2. Send more coupons with the products that have them- let me share some of the goodness! 


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My Birthday Freebies & Get Stoked for Summer with Old Navy Shorts!

Shorts season is here! Okay...well, actually it has been here for months, but officially it is only just now the end of May. Mother Nature has decided to mix things up a little this year with some crazy weather- or at least it has been that way here in SC. I seriously don't think we ever had our winter! Boohoo! I love the cold weather, probably because the sun is not my friend. The sun is...well. Hot. LOL. My skin tends to burn very very very easily. And, then I get weird rashes from being in the heat, too. Anyway. You can see why I don't like summer very well. With all of that being said, I do have some things I like about summer. I just can't think of any right now......Just kidding! :D  I love the pool, bbqs, shorts, summer dresses, and how a cold shower feels on sun kissed skin. I used to love the time that I got to spend with family and friends, but this summer is going to suck for that as I started Nursing 101 (clinicals) last week. I'm already living on sugar-free Red Bull, Starbucks Refreshers, Mio Energy, and 5 Hour Energy and I've only had class 3 times so far! My summer will be nonexistent except for my nursing school buddies. *sigh*

Okay, so on to the shorts! Crowdtap, as most of you know by now, is one of my favoritest Word-of-Mouth sites, and I was chosen once again for Old Navy's Style Council for me and a friend to sample some shorts and review them. It just so happened this sample & share program fell right in line with my birthday, so on top of getting to spend a great day with my best friend on my birthday, I actually got a ton of freebies and got to go shopping for real (not just for the free shorts, lol).

So, to start the day off, my bestie and I went to Chick-fil-A. We decided since we had the little ones with us- it would give us a chance to talk while the kids played for a bit. Plus, apparently, you get a free dessert for your birthday, so that was pretty cool. First, birthday freebie! Next, we hit up Old Navy to do the serious shopping. There was a lot of really neat summer displays and a lot of summer outfits that were on sale. I had a hard time deciding, but in the end, I came home with quite a few new summer outfits, and most importantly SHORTS! We will get back to those in a moment, but I got more birthday "freebies" here. A email came to me for my birthday for $10 off of 50, so that was really cool to get that discount on top of the one free pair of shorts from Crowdtap. So, next we hit up my favorite girly store- Victoria's Secret! For my birthday, they sent me a $10 off any purchase card, so I went in and got some new panties in their 5 for 25 deal. What was even sweeter- my bestie and I split the deal and the leftover amount due, so we got some almost free VS panties for my birthday- SCORE! Last, we hit up the Ulta Benefit Brow Bar, where I got my eyebrows waxed for free! Of course, I left a tip, but still- free eyebrow waxing is super awesome! All in all, we had an awesome day and to top it all off, we meet my family at Chili's for dinner and I got my last birthday freebie- a brownie sundae! Yum!

How old am I? 29.99 and holding! :D 

Okay, so to get back to the shorts (again). After trying on a huge pile of clothes, I decided to go with the Women's Canvas Printed Shorts in Caspian Sea Blue. I went with a few different tank tops to match it up with, like, Women's Crochet-Yoke Tank Tops in Caspian Sea Blue and the Women's Rib-Knit Henley Tanks in Try Wizard Teal and in Purple Mania (I also bought it in Blue Stripe to match with other summer shorts). I also purchased the Women's Perfect Khaki Shorts in Black Jack and a black and white shirt with Audrey Hepburn on the front. I also updated my Old Navy Activewear with some shorts, tank tops, and matching sports bras. And, I'm hoping these new summer additions might inspire me to get back on my exercise regimen back in line *sigh*. But, I've worn both pairs of the summer shorts already and all of my new tops from Old Navy, and I can't wait to head back up there to continue to add more of these pieces to my summer wardrobe! I love the way both pairs fit. The printed pair is a really nice length for lounging and casual wear, and the black pair are really nice feeling and longer length. These are perfect for dressing up slightly or even just casual. Thanks Old Navy and Crowdtap- you helped make a birthday girl feel special!

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Grocery Store Finals 4/18-4/24

Grocery Store Totals

Subtotal $233.01

Savings & Coupons $164.23

Total Out Of Pocket $68.78
Savings of 70.5%

This is one of those weeks that the grocery stores actually make me happy. I think by now, most of you know that my favorite shopping is always done at the drugstores. I think the grocery stores aggravate me because I see shoppers holding their coupons & shopping lists tightly while swiping shelves clean. You don't have to be a shelf-clearer to create a stockpile. Anyway- we won't get on that again! LOL

Bi-lo
Subtotal $85.13
Savings/Coupons $63.02
TOOP $22.11
Savings of 74%

Publix
Subtotal $147.88
Savings/Coupons $101.21
TOOP $46.67
Savings of 68.4%

Due to my time limitations with school, I've missed going shopping on the first day of the grocery store sales for a while now, so being able to hit the stores early on the first day- WOW! Everything I wanted on my lists was still well-stocked and I had plenty of flavors to choose from. I was really excited about how well the grocery stores have turned out this week for me- how did you do? Post a comment with your totals below! :)
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i *HEART* Q-pons!

As most of you know, my life is crazy insane busy. So, just finding time to go to the grocery store sometimes is ridiculous. Other than saving money, this is probably one of my biggest reasons on why I love coupons- Stockpiles. I no longer have a NEED to go to the grocery store. There is always something in our pantry, cabinet, fridge, or freezer that will provide a nutritious yummy and quick dinner for the family that not only *I* can make, but so can my husband!

I just recently started reading the Kindle edition of Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey and while I do like the book and strategies, I don't always agree with a lot of people on how they stockpile. This isn't the first time I've been through this- some couponers teach to stockpile for 6-8 weeks, others for 6 months, and others still for a year. I simply say- stockpile where you are not cleaning the shelves. I have a family of 5 and we have a grocery budget of less than $350 a month. Our toiletry/household needs budget- well, let's just say it needs to be as small as possible. Living solely on my husband's disability check leaves us with no other choices- we never stay out of the red at the end of the month. So, stockpiling can be limiting for us- but like a said, it's just nice knowing we have food to eat, soap and toilet paper to keep our butts clean, and the other necessities. We even occasionally get to splurge on a few things. I'm not one of those couponers that ONLY buys the sale items with coupons. *GASP* For instance, my husband likes John Derst bread and Snapple juice drinks. I very rarely buy them when they aren't on sale, but I don't think I've ever seen a John Derst bread coupon, and no one carries Snapple Apple & Snapple Fruit Punch in the 6-packs, so I buy them without coupons...*GASP* again. But, on a serious note, I think that's why I coupon- to have the luxury of knowing my family has food & necessities even if I don't go to the grocery store every week and so we can afford those few things that don't always have a coupon.

Okay, so I'm rambling on like usual. Here's the totals:

Bi-Lo (Week 4/11-4/17)

Bi-lo
Subtotal $144.96
Savings/Coupons $97.90
TOOP $47.06
Savings of 67.5%

Walgreens (Week of 4/15-4/21)

Walgreens
(3 Transactions)
Started out with $16 RR's.
Subtotal $91.72
Savings/Coupons $86.79
TOOP $4.93
Savings of 95%
Left with $14.99 RR's.
(plus 2 more Catalina coupons!)

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Review: Love and Logic

Kids should come with instruction manuals.

I think as a parent, almost every one of you can agree with that statement. Now, I want to say honestly that we don't have bad kids. For the most part, we don't get bad notes home from school, they all make good grades, and they all generally listen. But, here recently it seems our almost 12 year old daughter has gotten a little attitude about her that makes me want to rip my hair out and scream and stomp my feet. But, I'm the adult here...and that's not adult-like behavior. So I refrain. Most of the time (lol). My almost 8 year old daughter has NOT grown out of the whining stage yet and it is starting to influence my 5 year old son. And I absolutely can NOT deal with TWO kids whining. And don't get me started on the bedtime ritual. So, needless to say, combine this with  me in college full time, my husband disabled on dialysis, 3 kids playing soccer (of which two teams that my husband coaches and I'm team mom),  million other "life" things. and you get one crazy, frazzled parent. So, when my kids' elementary school sent out a notice about getting your kids to stop their bickering, start listening the first time, and a million other things, I was ALL over it!

It was scheduled over three Tuesdays over the past four weeks, and luckily this is not a dialysis day for my husband, so he was  dragged by his hair more than happy to attend with me. ;) The information that was provide was absolutely gold! I can not even begin to tell you well it is working in our household and it makes parenting fun again. I don't have to feel like I'm the "bad guy" and I've learned that letting my kids make their mistakes is actually the best thing for them. The basis is to provide a heavy dose of empathy to match the consequence therefore, making the "bad guy" their own bad decision, not the parent punishing them! Genius! The program is called Love and Logic. It has helped me to realize that my angry yelling really wasn't affecting them. They really are just thinking I'm a crazy lunatic. And now I know how to handle the situation without the angry yelling and they are the ones learning from their own mistakes, essentially giving them back the chance to gain the values they deserve. Okay, so I'm still being very vague here, so here is a few better examples, but keep in mind that these do not even begin to touch on the vast quantity (or the quality) of information from this program!

• Bedtime. In my house, that means I yell at them to "go to sleep" for at least 30 minutes. Note that I said "at least". *sigh* But! All is not lost! The Love & Logic bedtime ritual is different...Instead of me yelling at them to go to sleep, instead I tell them to get ready for bed, brush their teeth, etc. and then they are allowed to get in their beds and either read a book, play their DS, or do any other quiet activity. The compromise is that they are not to come out of their room and they must be quiet. I don't care when they go to sleep, but they must remember that they will be getting up the same time as always and they will not be taking naps. I do expect them to behave properly at school and their grades must stay at all A's & B's. I'm sure some of you are thinking, yeah right, but believe it! All THREE of my kids are asleep at least 30 minutes after we put them in the bed. Sometimes sooner- my son has barely been making it 15 minutes! Needless to say, I'm impressed if for no other reason than bedtime is no longer a stress for me. 
• Fighting & Bickering. This generally goes on either between my son and my middle daughter or my middle daughter and my oldest daughter. And this is one of those things that I absolutely can NOT handle. It drives me crazy insane batty. I become a mommy yelling lunatic, screaming at them to behave and stop fighting. Does it work? Never. They continue to fight and argue, and I continue to loose control. Who wins here? No one. They aren't learning how to handle themselves, and I'm certainly not portraying to them that I know how to handle myself. Instead, it comes down to removing the object and letting them know that you would appreciate if they could continue their argument somewhere that you won't be bothered by it because it is hurting your head. Again, I'm sure you are thinking, REALLY?! But, it works. Very well. And I'm not a crazy lunatic. Which is most definitely a good thing, lol.

Now that I've given you two examples of what has changed in our household, I'm sure you are wondering where you can get this information from. Well, to be honest, there is a hefty price tag on a lot of it. However, there are a lot of free resources available:
free articles
facebook page
youtube videos
Plus, check your local library, school guidance counselors, and school parenting areas! Also, Amazon offers some of the material and you can always buy it from the Love & Logic website. And I have picked up some of the books and materials in the past at some yard sales and thrift stores.

Essentially, I haven't seen anything that this program can't help you with as a parent, I only wish that I had paid closer attention to it sooner (my mother tried to tell me about it, literally, a few years ago). This program goes over the idea of how chores should be handled an whether an allowance is a good thing or not. It has articles on divorce, how to make the internet safe for your kids, and so much more. Even though this special program is over at my kids' school, my husband and I are planning to use the free resources available to us to continue to learn and revisit the values and ideas in this program to help us with our challenge of raising respectable adults out of our unruly kids. I hope you find it to be just as helpful as we have!Pin It

Printing Coupons, Ink Guzzlers, Facebook, and other general tips!

Quick post, then back to homework! A friend of mine is new to coupons and I'm trying to help her out, but my time is so limited.

First of all, she asked where to get printable coupons from. There are TONS of places, but one of the best places to start is simply coupons.com. There are more that can be found here from one of my favorite bloggers. Facebook and brands pages are also great places to get coupons. More & more "brands" are offering exclusive coupons only on Facebook. Since we are discussing printables, here are some tips for printing at home:

• Use cheap paper. It doesn't matter if you use the whitest brightest paper or the heaviest weight, they will still scan and they will still cut. LOL. Also, if you don't mind forking out a little bit, buy in bulk. A lot of office supply stores offer deals and coupons that will lower your cost. I've even heard some people use notebook paper, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm afraid my laserjet will eat it all up, lol.
• When you start saving some money, get a non-ink eating laserjet printer that prints only in black. Coupons don't need color to scan and neither do the stores.
• Switch your ink settings to draft or the lowest quality available. Don't let your coupons guzzle up all your ink- that stuff is expensive!
• Some coupons print on only the top portion of the page. In the past, I've cut that portion off, and used the half sheets to print other coupons I knew where only going to print on that top portion. I also keep a stack of the half sheets for my kids to use for crafts, drawing, etc.

 Okay, so now that you've "liked" tons of pages and blogs on facebook your news feed is all clogged up with hundreds of posts every freaking minute. You can hide them, but then you can't see when they offer a new coupon. Well, facebook actually did something right for once! You can create a "friend" list and put pages on it! So, what I've done is hide 90% of all my brands I like, stores, restaurants, and bloggers from my actual news feed and created a friend list for each one. This is much easier to show you than to tell you, so here is some visuals:

Okay, so one more HUGE tip. Create a new email address that you will use for only your coupons, blog subscriptions, sweepstakes, etc. I've even heard of people creating one for each, but I can't keep up with that many emails! LOL. I've also heard of some people doing the same thing for facebook, but I think it works fine with the above friend list idea. And one other tip, if you are entering contests, giveaways, and other things, check your SPAM frequently. If you happen to win, a lot require the winner to contact them within 24 to 48 hours and if you don't receive the email, you generally won't ever even know you won. I've had EVERY SINGLE thing I've won go to my spam filter, so make sure to scan them frequently.

Well, I hope this helps some of you out and if you have any questions, ask in the comments below or on my Facebook page, The Couponing Mommy!

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