There are few things that I dread worse than grocery shopping. Funerals, PAP smears, and paying bills are the only things I can think of at this moment. But my hatred of grocery shopping every week has finally come to an end, because my local Walmart finally moved up in the world and offers free grocery pickup. Yay! So I'm going to share my experience with those who are curious about the process.
The Ordering Experience
The first time I placed an order, it did take me about an hour to do so, but that's because my attention span is short, and I multi-tasked placing the order and chatting with my fellow Blockheads about NKOTB stuff. Typical. But it also took a little while because it was my first time placing an order, so I had to search for everything. On subsequent orders, I had the option to choose from a list of items that I previously ordered, so that sped along the process a little. It's still faster than shopping in the store.
It's super easy to find exactly what you want. And the total price is readily available and updates each time an item is added, so it's easy to keep up with if you're trying to stay under a certain dollar amount. I've found that I actually save money, because I'm not making any impulse purchases, and I don't buy more groceries than I actually plan on using. The only downfall I've realized so far is that you can't use coupons. For someone who uses a lot of coupons or money saving apps like Ibotta, that kind of sucks. However, I will occasionally go inside to shop specifically for the items I have coupons/money back deals for if it's a significant amount of savings. It's still quicker to grab those few items then pull around to pick up my online order than it is to shop for the entire list. However, you can still use the Walmart Savings Catcher, because they provide a TC# on the app that you can copy and paste.
Once you're finished adding everything to your cart (if you've forgotten something, you can still add it within so many hours before your pickup time), you choose your pickup location and time. Pay close attention while choosing your pickup location. My explanation is detailed in the pickup experience section below.
Then, you can check whether or not you want to allow substitutions. Usually, if a substitution is needed, you'll get the same item in a larger quantity for the same price as your original selection, or a variety of smaller sizes to equal the desired amount. But sometimes they'll substitute another brand. So make sure that you uncheck any items that you absolutely don't want substituted.
I picked up a $10 off first order code in store before ordering, so I added that when I checked out. You can share a personal referral link with friends, and if they use it, they will get $10 off their order, and you'll also receive a $10 code. So if you're interested, use my referral link to get $10 off your first order! (No shame.): http://r.wmt.co/gU6Bc
When your order is ready, you'll receive a notification by email, text, and/or app, depending on what all you've signed up for. I usually get one about 15 to 20 minutes before the pickup time I've chosen. You can go ahead and check in when you're on your way. You don't have to wait until you arrive.
The Pickup Experience
Okay, as with 92.8% of everything in my life, things didn't go as planned my first time. It went something like this...
I got the notification that my order was ready for pickup at 1:43 p.m. I had scheduled the pickup for 2-3:00 p.m., so that was perfect. I finished up what I was working on and was on my way soon enough. But first, as directed, I checked in using the mobile app.
My drive was a mere 6 minutes from work, and I had no trouble finding the pickup area, because there were plenty of signs and painted pavement to lead the way. So I pulled into one of the designated parking spots, and I checked the app, which shows your location on a map, to see if it recognized that I was there. It didn't. Well... it was in this moment - when it said that I was still 32 minutes away - that I realized I obviously entered the wrong pickup location when I placed the order.
To say that I was mad at myself would be an understatement. I cursed myself thoroughly, and proceeded to put my vehicle in reverse before someone approached me and I looked like the idiot that I really am, and headed to the correct/wrong location, 32 minutes away. I wanted to cry.
Y'all, I swear that I chose the right location before I even put the first item in my cart. I know I didn't dream that. As a matter of fact, it asked me to enter my zip code very first thing, and I'm pretty sure the only location that came up was the one that I intended to use. I don't know what happened. But either I or something in cyberspace went wrong, and the whole point in me using the pickup thing was moot, because I was going to have to drive over an hour out of my way, round trip.
But anywho... other than that goof up, the rest of the experience wasn't so bad. I did have to wait exactly 20 minutes before the nice lady loading groceries approached my car to ask my name. There were two other vehicles there before me. And the lady apologized and told me that she was the only one working. So I get it. But I've had no other problems with waiting on subsequent trips, but they've all been at a different location than the first one.
If any substitutions are made, or something isn't able to be fulfilled, they'll go over that with you before you sign for the order. And, of course, you don't have to accept the substituted items if you don't want them.
On my first trip, I was told that there were two items that were substituted: A 3-pack of spearmint Trident gum was substituted for the mint bliss flavor that I'd ordered. No biggie, except I dislike the spearmint kind. But I didn't fret about it because I knew my kids would gladly accept it, so no biggie. The second item that was substituted was a bag of frozen sweet potato fries. I was told that, "They substituted it for another brand, and it actually has more ounces, at no extra cost." Great, right? Nope. When I got home, I discovered that they actually substituted the fries with a package of diced butternut squash. I'm dead serious. I guess I could've taken it back, but that would've cost me another hour of my life, and I just didn't have the energy at that point. So that's why I suggest paying close attention to what you've checked to be substituted if needed, and also viewing the substitutions before you accept them.
You don't have to step out of the car at all. It kind of makes me feel weird sometimes. But that's what's supposed to happen. And at first I didn't know if I should tip or not. I didn't, and later found out that they're not allowed to accept tips, so that made me feel better.
Also, you should get a goodie bag on your first order. If they don't offer it, ask about it. The nice lady on my first trip didn't realize it was my first order until I mentioned it so, then she asked me to wait for a minute while she got my gift bag. It was a little reusable tote that contained a jar of Prego spaghetti sauce, a V8 energy drink, and some Monster 20 ounce energy drink. Oh, and a sample of these new little chewy candies. So that was nice.
A Little FYI
I definitely recommend the service. But I feel obligated to point out one more thing...
About about 3 orders later, I happened to notice multiple charges on my credit card that I didn't recognize, from a Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas (which I later learned is where Walmart headquarters is located). I did as anyone would do and called my credit card company. Long story short, they cancelled the card and overnighted me a new one, and said they wouldn't hold me liable for the charges. Well... later on I thought I should look and see where the last place I used the card was before those charges occurred so that I might be able to pinpoint where my information was obtained by this thief. This is when I realized that my Walmart grocery pickup orders weren't on there. BUT when I added up the totals of those fraudulent charges.... Well, I probably don't have to tell you the rest. So it turns out that when you add items to a grocery order that you've already scheduled for pickup, each item you add is charged separately. To me, that would've been valuable information to know before I made a fool of myself and had to call back to say "my bad." It also would've kept my walmart.com account from being locked. I couldn't order anything at all on walmart.com for 6 months after that. I'd place an order, and it would automatically cancel, and I'd have to call. It took 11 separate orders and me being ugly for someone to finally transfer me to their corporate team (which I asked for them to do on multiple occasions but they wouldn't so much as transfer my call to a supervisor) to get my account straightened up. So I'm telling you all of this so that I can maybe save someone else from embarrassment and a ton of frustration.
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Monday, April 2, 2018
Show Me The Money
I created this blog to write about topics that I'm passionate about. And saving money is something I'm very passionate about. Aren't we all? So, it's pretty much a no-brainer that I should make my first official blog post about the many money saving/making techniques that I've been practicing over the past few years. I'm not saying that I've discovered a get rich quick scheme or anything. And I'm certainly no extreme couponer. But I do have a bit of an addiction that requires extra cash on top of what I bring home from work. More on that in a future post. But what I'm getting at is that I have a few tricks up my sleeve that have allowed me to stash away enough money to completely pay for two expensive cruises (plus partially pay for three more), many concert tickets, plane tickets, and Christmas gifts the past few years. Plus, I almost never have to pay for a hotel when I go on trips. That one is mostly thanks to my friend that I travel with, but I'll discuss that more in a bit.
"Is it worth it?"
That's the first thing people ask me when inquiring about my money saving techniques. A few cents here... a couple dollars there... Yes, it's worth it! If you stick to it, those small amounts add up before you know it, I promise. And it honestly doesn't take up as much time as many people fear it does. Trust me, I have very little free time. What little bit I do have is usually spent doing important things. You know, like looking for something to watch on Netflix, adding it to my list, and never getting around to watching it. Well, that, and I'm like everyone else in that I tend to get caught up in whatever is going on in that addictive world of social media. Which is dumb, because I'm the most non-social person on the planet. But anyway, my point is, I'm the busiest person I know, and I still find time to do everything I'm about to tell you.
Okay, let's get to it. Click on the names of the apps/sites to learn more about them.
Cash/Passive Saving
Let's start with the basic, easy stuff that you don't have to put much thought into. I know a lot of people don't carry cash with them these days. I rarely do. But when I do have change or small bills like ones or fives, I'll put them in a jug in my closet and forget about them (because out of sight, out of mind) until I'm ready to pay for whatever I've been saving for. Like I said, every penny counts, and those small amounts add up over time. I guess you could always deposit it into a savings account. But if you're like me, it's not worth the hassle. Are you really going to bother taking $5 here and $2 there to the bank? Nah, me, neither.
Another trick to let change add up without really thinking about it is this: Whenever you write down an amount to deduct from your checking account -assuming you're old school like me and still use a register to keep track of your transactions- round the amount up to the next dollar before subtracting it. You'll forget all about that extra change and have quite a bit saved up before you know it. Personally, I can't do this because I'm too anal and have to know the exact amount I have at any given moment. But I know people who do this and it works for them.
If you have the option to have money deducted from your paycheck and directly deposited into a savings account, go for it. Chances are that you won't even notice it's gone. Even if it's just $25 or so, if you're paid bi-weekly, that's $650 a year! Start low with about $10 if you're hesitant, and increase it later if you find that you don't miss it.
Sell Some Stuff
My first adventure into making some spare change was via eBay. This was circa 2009. At the time, I was in need of some extra cash for a trip I had planned. I was living paycheck to paycheck (as I basically still am) and had nothing at all to spare. I had a couple of yard sales, which can be a great way to quickly make a little money, but it's kind of hit or miss. But I had a bunch of stuff left over and decided on a whim to put it all on eBay. I had no idea what I was doing, but I educated myself and I've made the bulk of my extra money that way. I mostly sell my kids' outgrown clothing, but I've found that people will buy the most random things, like a vacuum filter. You never know what people are looking for, so list anything that's in decent shape and you'd like to get rid of. If you're a newbie and need some advice on how to get started, let me know!
Credit Card Rewards
I think one of the easiest, yet most overlooked, way to passively earn money is by taking advantage of credit card reward programs. I prefer the ones that give you cash back; specifically the ones that offer 2%+ back. To get the most bang for my buck, I charge everything that I buy (even the tiniest charges like $2) to one card and pay it off every pay day. This way I don't have to worry about due dates, carrying cash, interest charges, or overdrawing my checking account. But to pull this off, you have to be strict about paying the entire balance every pay period, or at least by the due date every month, or else those interest charges will add up fast! That would completely defeat the purpose. I try to not pay attention to how much cash back is accumulating, because if I knew I had $200 waiting on me, I'd be tempted to use it on every day charges. If that's what you want to spend it on, then great. I just prefer to use mine on things that I consider extra expenses. For example, I allow the savings to add up until my next vacation, and use it to pay for whatever I bought during the trip, like food. If you travel frequently, a hotel rewards card is probably a great idea. Most of them give you at least 1 free night yearly and you can redeem points for free/reduced fee nights. As I mentioned earlier, my friend whom I usually travel with (the same one who introduced me to many of these techniques), uses her hotel rewards credit cards to get us free stays almost every time we go somewhere. Plus, we redeem our e-Rewards for IHG points. More on that below.
My favorite credit card is the Citi Double Cash card. It rewards you with 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% on what you purchase, and 1% on what you pay back. I also like the American Express Blue Cash Everyday, which you can apply for with this link. You'll get 1% to 3% cash back on purchases, depending on the category of the purchase.
One little extra hint regarding credit cards: Add authorized users to your account to help your rewards accumulate faster. Of course, you should only do this for people whose charges you'd normally be paying for yourself anyway, and trust to not go crazy with the spending power, such as a significant other or children. The American Express card that I mentioned will allow you to add your child as an authorized user at the age of 13. But authorized users for the Citi Double Cash card must be 18, I believe. At least, when I added my oldest son that was the minimum age. One important point to note: If your credit isn't so fantastic, you should probably not add an authorized user. You don't want to impact someone else's score negatively.
Online Coupons/Money Back Sites
You'd be surprised how much you can save when using these apps. All of these are simple to use. Trust me, if they weren't, I wouldn't use them.
Ibotta Choose your offers, (basically like online coupons that you redeem after your shopping trip), and either take a photo of the receipt or scan the QR code to redeem. Cash out after reaching $20. New offers added weekly.
Coupons.com app Just like it says, coupons in an app (you can print coupons via the app as well if you wish). You'll take a photo of your receipt to get cash deposited into your PayPal account. Just make sure you "clip" your coupons prior to your shopping trip or you won't be able to redeem them. I found that out the hard way.
Receipt Hog Take a photo of receipts from retailers such as supermarkets, dollar stores, drug stores or convenience stores to earn coins that may be redeemed for cash or gift cards.
Shopkick Earn "kicks" just for walking into many stores. Then, scan a few selected items with your phone while you're shopping, earn more kicks, and redeem for gift cards. Easy peasy. You can also earn kicks for buying selected items and submitting (taking a photo of) your receipt.
Fetch Rewards This is the easiest way to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. You're rewarded for simply taking a photo of your receipt within the app. Points are given based on items you've purchased from participating brands. I don't buy many name brand grocery items, but I still rack up points every grocery trip I make. Enter my referral code during signup and you'll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points!) when you complete one receipt: T3PHN
Receipt Pal Just like Fetch Rewards, it's super easy because all you have to do is take photos of your receipts, up to 12 per week (you can submit more to earn chances at winning a gift card). Redeem for gift cards.
Money Making Sites/Surveys
So, as I was saying, I don't really have much extra time on my hands. And I definitely don't want to be spending that little bit of free time glued to a computer or phone doing surveys or whatever to earn a few cents here and there. I'd rather be sucked into an Instagram black hole or something that's a total waste of time. But yes, I actually do surveys and "watch" videos and such. Though, I never sit down and do them for hours at a time. I may start a video playlist on Swagbucks or Inbox Dollars and let them run while I'm preparing dinner or cleaning, clicking on the next set of videos now and then as I walk by if necessary. Surveys are more time consuming. But I've been known to go through as many as possible while I'm waiting on my kid to finish up band practice, or while I watch a movie that's not exactly captivating, or waiting 17 minutes for pizza to bake.
I'll list my favorite sites below, along with a quick description. If you have any specific questions about any of them, I'll be glad to help you out. If you prefer to redeem points for cash back, as I do, you'll need a PayPal account for most of them. I like that they pay you via PayPal, because it's another way that I can kind of forget about it until it's needed. Then I transfer it to my checking account. One very important thing to remember when signing up for any of these programs in which money is redeemed to PayPal: Make sure you use the same email that's associated with your PayPal account.
And one last tidbit of advice for anyone who is hesitant about giving your email account to these companies when you sign up: don't be hesitant. I've used my "real" email account for every one of them, and I don't receive any spam at all, just legit notifications regarding my account activity. That being said, if you are required to enter an email for any of the surveys or offers within the site, you may want to set up a new email account specifically for that purpose. You will get spam from those.
Swagbucks has the best cash back offers for online purchases. But you can also do surveys and sign up for offers for "swagbucks" that you can redeem for cash or gift cards.
Paid ViewPoint is by far the easiest in that there are usually only 10 or 11 questions to answer per survey, so they're really quick to complete. Plus, there are no qualifying question to answer. But you'll only get 1 to 3 surveys per day on average. Most surveys pay 10 cents each, but the more you answer, the more higher paying surveys you'll get.
Branded Surveys This has definitely been the best site for me as far as qualifying for surveys. I can easily make $10 per week.
Inbox Dollars I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this one, because the minimum amount to cash out is $30. I think that's a little high based on the length of time it takes to earn that much. It's very similar to Swagbucks.
Quick Thoughts This app at least pays 10 cents if don't qualify for a survey. That's more than most apps pay for disqualifications. Most don't pay anything. And those that do, only give the equivalent of 1 to 5 cents, or nothing, as consolation. So this is a pretty good deal. You may only complete 5 surveys per day. Redeem for gift card codes.
Op4G (Opinions For Good) This is a charitable survey site that allows you to choose how much of your earnings you contribute to the charity, in 25% increments. That may seem like a bit of a ripoff, but the payouts for surveys are good. Most are at least $2, and you'll usually get a 25 cent consolation reward if don't qualify for the survey after answering a few demographical questions. I contribute a portion of my earnings to Children's Craniofacial Association, an organization near and dear to my heart because of the condition my daughter was born with. If you use this link to join, it will automatically set this as your charity, too. But it can easily be changed to a charity of your choosing.
e-Rewards: You must be invited by a brand to join this program. I have no idea how I was invited. But from what I've seen, if you sign up for certain rewards programs, such as airlines, hotels, car rentals and the sort, you may receive an invitation. In the event that you ever receive one, I highly recommend e-Rewards. There's not a cash back option for the points you accumulate with e-Rewards, though. You'll mostly benefit from this one if you use points for travel expenses such as hotel, flights, and car rentals. Some brands have limitations as to how often you may redeem points for rewards, but not all of them.
I guess that pretty much sums it up. There's actually a lot more I'd like to talk about, but I don't want to be too long winded. I'll definitely add some more tips (other than apps and websites) in a future post.
Please note that there may be more ways to redeem your rewards/cash back than those I mentioned. I'm just letting you know how I do it! And remember, you're not going to make enough money from these methods to quit your day job or anything. But they're excellent sources to supplement your income a little, depending on how committed you are. It's basically what you make of it, ya know? If you have any tricks/hints/secrets/favorite apps please please please tell me all about it!
"Is it worth it?"
That's the first thing people ask me when inquiring about my money saving techniques. A few cents here... a couple dollars there... Yes, it's worth it! If you stick to it, those small amounts add up before you know it, I promise. And it honestly doesn't take up as much time as many people fear it does. Trust me, I have very little free time. What little bit I do have is usually spent doing important things. You know, like looking for something to watch on Netflix, adding it to my list, and never getting around to watching it. Well, that, and I'm like everyone else in that I tend to get caught up in whatever is going on in that addictive world of social media. Which is dumb, because I'm the most non-social person on the planet. But anyway, my point is, I'm the busiest person I know, and I still find time to do everything I'm about to tell you.
Okay, let's get to it. Click on the names of the apps/sites to learn more about them.
Cash/Passive Saving
Let's start with the basic, easy stuff that you don't have to put much thought into. I know a lot of people don't carry cash with them these days. I rarely do. But when I do have change or small bills like ones or fives, I'll put them in a jug in my closet and forget about them (because out of sight, out of mind) until I'm ready to pay for whatever I've been saving for. Like I said, every penny counts, and those small amounts add up over time. I guess you could always deposit it into a savings account. But if you're like me, it's not worth the hassle. Are you really going to bother taking $5 here and $2 there to the bank? Nah, me, neither.
Another trick to let change add up without really thinking about it is this: Whenever you write down an amount to deduct from your checking account -assuming you're old school like me and still use a register to keep track of your transactions- round the amount up to the next dollar before subtracting it. You'll forget all about that extra change and have quite a bit saved up before you know it. Personally, I can't do this because I'm too anal and have to know the exact amount I have at any given moment. But I know people who do this and it works for them.
If you have the option to have money deducted from your paycheck and directly deposited into a savings account, go for it. Chances are that you won't even notice it's gone. Even if it's just $25 or so, if you're paid bi-weekly, that's $650 a year! Start low with about $10 if you're hesitant, and increase it later if you find that you don't miss it.
Sell Some Stuff
My first adventure into making some spare change was via eBay. This was circa 2009. At the time, I was in need of some extra cash for a trip I had planned. I was living paycheck to paycheck (as I basically still am) and had nothing at all to spare. I had a couple of yard sales, which can be a great way to quickly make a little money, but it's kind of hit or miss. But I had a bunch of stuff left over and decided on a whim to put it all on eBay. I had no idea what I was doing, but I educated myself and I've made the bulk of my extra money that way. I mostly sell my kids' outgrown clothing, but I've found that people will buy the most random things, like a vacuum filter. You never know what people are looking for, so list anything that's in decent shape and you'd like to get rid of. If you're a newbie and need some advice on how to get started, let me know!
Credit Card Rewards
I think one of the easiest, yet most overlooked, way to passively earn money is by taking advantage of credit card reward programs. I prefer the ones that give you cash back; specifically the ones that offer 2%+ back. To get the most bang for my buck, I charge everything that I buy (even the tiniest charges like $2) to one card and pay it off every pay day. This way I don't have to worry about due dates, carrying cash, interest charges, or overdrawing my checking account. But to pull this off, you have to be strict about paying the entire balance every pay period, or at least by the due date every month, or else those interest charges will add up fast! That would completely defeat the purpose. I try to not pay attention to how much cash back is accumulating, because if I knew I had $200 waiting on me, I'd be tempted to use it on every day charges. If that's what you want to spend it on, then great. I just prefer to use mine on things that I consider extra expenses. For example, I allow the savings to add up until my next vacation, and use it to pay for whatever I bought during the trip, like food. If you travel frequently, a hotel rewards card is probably a great idea. Most of them give you at least 1 free night yearly and you can redeem points for free/reduced fee nights. As I mentioned earlier, my friend whom I usually travel with (the same one who introduced me to many of these techniques), uses her hotel rewards credit cards to get us free stays almost every time we go somewhere. Plus, we redeem our e-Rewards for IHG points. More on that below.
My favorite credit card is the Citi Double Cash card. It rewards you with 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% on what you purchase, and 1% on what you pay back. I also like the American Express Blue Cash Everyday, which you can apply for with this link. You'll get 1% to 3% cash back on purchases, depending on the category of the purchase.
One little extra hint regarding credit cards: Add authorized users to your account to help your rewards accumulate faster. Of course, you should only do this for people whose charges you'd normally be paying for yourself anyway, and trust to not go crazy with the spending power, such as a significant other or children. The American Express card that I mentioned will allow you to add your child as an authorized user at the age of 13. But authorized users for the Citi Double Cash card must be 18, I believe. At least, when I added my oldest son that was the minimum age. One important point to note: If your credit isn't so fantastic, you should probably not add an authorized user. You don't want to impact someone else's score negatively.
Online Coupons/Money Back Sites
You'd be surprised how much you can save when using these apps. All of these are simple to use. Trust me, if they weren't, I wouldn't use them.
Ibotta Choose your offers, (basically like online coupons that you redeem after your shopping trip), and either take a photo of the receipt or scan the QR code to redeem. Cash out after reaching $20. New offers added weekly.
Coupons.com app Just like it says, coupons in an app (you can print coupons via the app as well if you wish). You'll take a photo of your receipt to get cash deposited into your PayPal account. Just make sure you "clip" your coupons prior to your shopping trip or you won't be able to redeem them. I found that out the hard way.
Receipt Hog Take a photo of receipts from retailers such as supermarkets, dollar stores, drug stores or convenience stores to earn coins that may be redeemed for cash or gift cards.
Shopkick Earn "kicks" just for walking into many stores. Then, scan a few selected items with your phone while you're shopping, earn more kicks, and redeem for gift cards. Easy peasy. You can also earn kicks for buying selected items and submitting (taking a photo of) your receipt.
Fetch Rewards This is the easiest way to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. You're rewarded for simply taking a photo of your receipt within the app. Points are given based on items you've purchased from participating brands. I don't buy many name brand grocery items, but I still rack up points every grocery trip I make. Enter my referral code during signup and you'll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points!) when you complete one receipt: T3PHN
Receipt Pal Just like Fetch Rewards, it's super easy because all you have to do is take photos of your receipts, up to 12 per week (you can submit more to earn chances at winning a gift card). Redeem for gift cards.
Money Making Sites/Surveys
So, as I was saying, I don't really have much extra time on my hands. And I definitely don't want to be spending that little bit of free time glued to a computer or phone doing surveys or whatever to earn a few cents here and there. I'd rather be sucked into an Instagram black hole or something that's a total waste of time. But yes, I actually do surveys and "watch" videos and such. Though, I never sit down and do them for hours at a time. I may start a video playlist on Swagbucks or Inbox Dollars and let them run while I'm preparing dinner or cleaning, clicking on the next set of videos now and then as I walk by if necessary. Surveys are more time consuming. But I've been known to go through as many as possible while I'm waiting on my kid to finish up band practice, or while I watch a movie that's not exactly captivating, or waiting 17 minutes for pizza to bake.
I'll list my favorite sites below, along with a quick description. If you have any specific questions about any of them, I'll be glad to help you out. If you prefer to redeem points for cash back, as I do, you'll need a PayPal account for most of them. I like that they pay you via PayPal, because it's another way that I can kind of forget about it until it's needed. Then I transfer it to my checking account. One very important thing to remember when signing up for any of these programs in which money is redeemed to PayPal: Make sure you use the same email that's associated with your PayPal account.
And one last tidbit of advice for anyone who is hesitant about giving your email account to these companies when you sign up: don't be hesitant. I've used my "real" email account for every one of them, and I don't receive any spam at all, just legit notifications regarding my account activity. That being said, if you are required to enter an email for any of the surveys or offers within the site, you may want to set up a new email account specifically for that purpose. You will get spam from those.
Swagbucks has the best cash back offers for online purchases. But you can also do surveys and sign up for offers for "swagbucks" that you can redeem for cash or gift cards.
Paid ViewPoint is by far the easiest in that there are usually only 10 or 11 questions to answer per survey, so they're really quick to complete. Plus, there are no qualifying question to answer. But you'll only get 1 to 3 surveys per day on average. Most surveys pay 10 cents each, but the more you answer, the more higher paying surveys you'll get.
Branded Surveys This has definitely been the best site for me as far as qualifying for surveys. I can easily make $10 per week.
Inbox Dollars I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this one, because the minimum amount to cash out is $30. I think that's a little high based on the length of time it takes to earn that much. It's very similar to Swagbucks.
Quick Thoughts This app at least pays 10 cents if don't qualify for a survey. That's more than most apps pay for disqualifications. Most don't pay anything. And those that do, only give the equivalent of 1 to 5 cents, or nothing, as consolation. So this is a pretty good deal. You may only complete 5 surveys per day. Redeem for gift card codes.
Op4G (Opinions For Good) This is a charitable survey site that allows you to choose how much of your earnings you contribute to the charity, in 25% increments. That may seem like a bit of a ripoff, but the payouts for surveys are good. Most are at least $2, and you'll usually get a 25 cent consolation reward if don't qualify for the survey after answering a few demographical questions. I contribute a portion of my earnings to Children's Craniofacial Association, an organization near and dear to my heart because of the condition my daughter was born with. If you use this link to join, it will automatically set this as your charity, too. But it can easily be changed to a charity of your choosing.
e-Rewards: You must be invited by a brand to join this program. I have no idea how I was invited. But from what I've seen, if you sign up for certain rewards programs, such as airlines, hotels, car rentals and the sort, you may receive an invitation. In the event that you ever receive one, I highly recommend e-Rewards. There's not a cash back option for the points you accumulate with e-Rewards, though. You'll mostly benefit from this one if you use points for travel expenses such as hotel, flights, and car rentals. Some brands have limitations as to how often you may redeem points for rewards, but not all of them.
I guess that pretty much sums it up. There's actually a lot more I'd like to talk about, but I don't want to be too long winded. I'll definitely add some more tips (other than apps and websites) in a future post.
Please note that there may be more ways to redeem your rewards/cash back than those I mentioned. I'm just letting you know how I do it! And remember, you're not going to make enough money from these methods to quit your day job or anything. But they're excellent sources to supplement your income a little, depending on how committed you are. It's basically what you make of it, ya know? If you have any tricks/hints/secrets/favorite apps please please please tell me all about it!
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Warden Says Hello!
To be 100% honest, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I've been wanting to start a blog for a while now. Why? Well, mostly because I want to share my experiences and advice in hopes of helping out others. But also because I've found that my life as a single mom to four kids is too... crazy? fascinating? ridiculous?... to not share. There are far too many "You can't make this stuff up" moments that would make for great entertainment. And I've had a couple of people say that, based on my Facebook posts, I should run a blog or write a book. Well, the blog thing seems much easier, so I'll start here.
I have 19+ years of parenting experience, including many ups and just as many downs. Maybe some of you will relate. Maybe not. But hopefully my stories will not only entertain, but perhaps encourage and inspire now and then. I'm generally not a super positive, inspiring person. I'm more of a "if something can go wrong, it will, and I expect it to" type person. But I do have a lot of things that I'm passionate about and would like to give a little advice on those topics. So I'll give it a whirl and see where this goes.
You'll find that I keep it real. When writing, I tend to not censor myself. I guess that's a good thing, but super ironic. Why ironic? Well, because "in real life" I'm just about as introverted as one can get; Introverted and plagued with social anxiety. But social media and the like offer me an outlet where I can be myself without the crippling fear of being judged. I also find that ironic, because I've never seen such judgmental people as those that exist in the comments section of any viral post ever on Facebook.
Expect sarcasm, sass, bluntness, swearing, my honest opinions, and lots of real talk about my kids, dogs, job, passions, and life in general. Okay, there will be some sweet mushy stuff, too, I guess. You'll learn that I'm about as open-minded as one can get. I respect that everyone has an opinion on every topic ever, and that their opinion may not be the same as mine. And that's okay! I enjoy comments and feedback, and welcome constructive criticism. But I will never respond to hate.
I'm not going to limit my blog to parenting, although that's what 96.3% of my life involves. I'm going to talk about anything and everything that runs across my mind on any given day. That'll include everything from fitness to money saving/making techniques. I'll probably ramble and go off on one tangent after another. Who knows? I'm new to this and I'll just have to see how it goes. And I hope you'll tag along for the ride. Just don't expect anything fancy like an amazing layout and magazine-worthy photos, because I'm a bit technologically challenged. But I'll do my best.
Oh, and you may be wondering about my blog title: The Warden Says. "The Warden" is a nickname given to me by my ex-husband/one of my best friends, Lonnie. Yes, you can be friends with an ex. (I'll definitely write about that one day.) He and our sons, Tyler and Tristan, refer to me as "The Warden." That's even my contact name in Lonnie's and Tristan's phones. You can imagine why, though it's a total exaggeration of my parenting style, no matter what they say. But I've often heard one of them start a sentence with, "Well, The Warden says that..." So now you know.
Stay tuned...
I have 19+ years of parenting experience, including many ups and just as many downs. Maybe some of you will relate. Maybe not. But hopefully my stories will not only entertain, but perhaps encourage and inspire now and then. I'm generally not a super positive, inspiring person. I'm more of a "if something can go wrong, it will, and I expect it to" type person. But I do have a lot of things that I'm passionate about and would like to give a little advice on those topics. So I'll give it a whirl and see where this goes.
You'll find that I keep it real. When writing, I tend to not censor myself. I guess that's a good thing, but super ironic. Why ironic? Well, because "in real life" I'm just about as introverted as one can get; Introverted and plagued with social anxiety. But social media and the like offer me an outlet where I can be myself without the crippling fear of being judged. I also find that ironic, because I've never seen such judgmental people as those that exist in the comments section of any viral post ever on Facebook.
Expect sarcasm, sass, bluntness, swearing, my honest opinions, and lots of real talk about my kids, dogs, job, passions, and life in general. Okay, there will be some sweet mushy stuff, too, I guess. You'll learn that I'm about as open-minded as one can get. I respect that everyone has an opinion on every topic ever, and that their opinion may not be the same as mine. And that's okay! I enjoy comments and feedback, and welcome constructive criticism. But I will never respond to hate.
I'm not going to limit my blog to parenting, although that's what 96.3% of my life involves. I'm going to talk about anything and everything that runs across my mind on any given day. That'll include everything from fitness to money saving/making techniques. I'll probably ramble and go off on one tangent after another. Who knows? I'm new to this and I'll just have to see how it goes. And I hope you'll tag along for the ride. Just don't expect anything fancy like an amazing layout and magazine-worthy photos, because I'm a bit technologically challenged. But I'll do my best.
Oh, and you may be wondering about my blog title: The Warden Says. "The Warden" is a nickname given to me by my ex-husband/one of my best friends, Lonnie. Yes, you can be friends with an ex. (I'll definitely write about that one day.) He and our sons, Tyler and Tristan, refer to me as "The Warden." That's even my contact name in Lonnie's and Tristan's phones. You can imagine why, though it's a total exaggeration of my parenting style, no matter what they say. But I've often heard one of them start a sentence with, "Well, The Warden says that..." So now you know.
Stay tuned...
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