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How to Save and Make Money: Website and Apps to Make it Easy

As I have more free time on my hands, I have had time to really look into things that help make life easier when looking to save and make money. When I first lost my job, I went into a quick panic wondering how we would support ourselves. It didn’t take long before I realized I still had a job, so I wasn’t income-less. I knew I didn’t want to return back to a similar job because my life was being consumed and I had ZERO time for myself. I turned into someone I didn’t like and I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I knew that meant less pay to have the freedom to TRULY LIVE. I am so glad I was forced to find myself again. So, I wanted to share some websites and apps that I have utilized to help save AND make money. Mind you that some of these websites are apps, and vice versa. But I wanted to share how I use them.

Apps

For selling used/non-used clothing:

Poshmark. I have sold numerous items on Poshmark that allows for some extra spending cash. Mostly I re-purchase on their app with my credits because there are some great deals. You can also bundle items and offer a price for the bundle. I went through and found athletic clothes and bundled them and offered a price. I got athleta shirts for $5 each! This was great to get athletic clothes cheap, since I needed regular athletic clothes rather than logo’ed of a school I no longer work at. If you use my code “UISBD,” you get a free $5 credit. I also will receive $5 if you make a purchase. You can grab the app here.

Grocery Shopping:

Both of these options allow you to look at the cash back options and add them in your app. When you purchase the item in store, you take a photo of your receipt and sometimes have to scan the item, but you receive cash back if the item qualifies. I’ve already received over $10 in cash back for my grocery shopping and have only had these apps for a month or so. 

Checkout51

Ibotta: Use my code “p2ttbq” when signing up or click here to get $10. I will receive $5.

Then if you like grocery shopping and have time for a side hussle, or main hussle, you should see if Instacart is in your area. I am LOVING this job. I get to pick my own hours, help others and love it because I love to grocery shop. If you don’t want to do the grocery shopping and you want someone else to, then you should still check out instacart and see where they deliver in your area and which stores are available! Hate fighting the crowds? Don’t have to when someone else does your shopping!

Investing:

Acorns – this is a brand new one for me. But I have read great things about it and decided to give it a shot. My main reason? I like the fact that you’ll connect it to your banking account (100% safe,) and any purchase you make, it will round up and put the remaining money into investments. You can choose how you want your round ups. Since I’m cheap, I have my round-ups to the nearest $1. That’s such little money to notice, but can make such a big difference in the future. Then I have chosen to invest $5 each month. Since I’m not knowledgeable in investments, this is great because they do it all for you and I don’t feel like it’s much money to risk for a nice profit later in life. I invest my spare change in a jar, and now I can invest my card spare change in an investment. Get $5 for your first investment with my referral code CSX8L4. I will also receive $5.

 

Websites

I have each of these installed as “gadgets,” or add-on’s for my google chrome browser. When online shopping they will alert me of each of their deals. I normally will pick the best one, as they vary from website to website. 

Ebates.com – This was the very first add-on I had for my browser. I used it for the simplicity of finding me coupons and % off codes for anything on my online shopping. Just like the two other I mentioned, it will pop up the best offers and I compare with all the other add-on coupon sites. Some days they even offer triple cash back. If you are already online shopping, may as well receive cash back for your purchase. It’s so easy too. You just press activate and it refreshes your page and you just continue shopping like you normally would. 

CouponCabin.com – I recently found this website. I didn’t know the connection with Real Housewives until I saw the commercial, though. I sign up for the daily emails as they let you know each day which retailer has a “$ off $” deal. It will show what time until claim is. I scored a $20 off $20 coupon from Staples which allowed me to buy my pens that I love and kcups to make it to the free shipping amount. Each day are different ones. I will say, the amazon ones go QUICK! But I will think of things we need around the apartment or in general then if a retailer I know will have our items, I will claim the coupon. So, thinking further into the next month, I will probably try to claim a Walmart or Target one that will cover anything! You are only allowed a certain amount of claims in a given time, so that’s why I’m waiting. They also have certain %’s off for your favorite online shopping, or coupon codes.

Retailmenot.com – Much like Coupon Cabin, this has a % off or shows the best coupon codes for the websites you like. This provides in-store and online abilities. I recently received cash back on our Bodybuilding.com order of protein powder. So, I was able to get my % back off my order but also save $10. With all our coupons and BodyBuilding.com’s deal of buy one get one 50%, we were able to get ~13 pounds of protein powder for under $50. That is a STEAL. 

Those are the main add-on’s I have for my browser. But I always search for coupon codes online and find the best option, but normally these three already have caught the same codes. 

For printable coupons I visit:

Coupons.com

Smartsource.com

Redplum.com

and then any manufacturers website as they tend to have coupons on their websites.

As usual, there are affiliate codes in this post, but does not change my love for the products or sites I have suggested. This is another way I make very small amounts of money. I would not post anything I don’t truly use or suggest. 

 

Q: How have you been saving or making money?

Q: Have you used any of these suggestions?

Life

How to Convince Your Parents to Get Another Dog

As yesterday was National Dog Day, we all got to swoon over the cute dogs in the world, and I got to think back  to my plot to get my current dog, Graham. Now what I’m about to say, may or may not work for you, but it worked for me, so it’s worth a shot.

Setting the scene: It was junior year of high school and my dog at the time, Misty, was getting close to her expiration date. Yes, I used expiration date, as in the hospital they write “expired,” when a patient passes away, which just doesn’t sound good to me, but that’s not what this post is about. Moving on. I’m the type of person that doesn’t cope well with goodbyes and I guess have to fill the void of those gone. Therefore, I knew I needed to have another dog to help mourn the loss of my current dog.

Mom and Dad stated over and over that our childhood dog was the only dog they would have and we weren’t going to get another dog. Misty, was a mixture of a chow, golden retriever and sheltie. Needless to say, she shed….a lot. So they had mentioned, if for some reason they did get another dog, it would have to not shed. So of course I go to my friend Google and start researching dogs that don’t shed and dogs that retrieve/play (our other mandatory need in a companion.) My search showed the cutest breed of dog I had seen, a cockapoo; mixture of cocker spaniel and poodle. Known to not shed and also had a chance to be a retriever.

I found a breeder within a moderate distance of driving that had fresh pups and found the cutest thing ever. So here we go with the steps.

How to Convince Your Family to Get a Dog in 10 Steps 

  1. Print out picture of the dog you want
  2. Show mom and dad the multiple pictures and pick the cutest one out to display proudly, the others can go in your locker at school, because duh.
  3. Put the cute picture on a place your family will have to see multiple times a day. The fridge. Another duh.
  4. Bring it up in conversation cleverly, “how adorable is he? man I wish he was ours”
  5. Hook them in. You have to personalize it to grow a connection. “Hey dad, what name would suit him?” “Hey mom, dad thinks
    Graham could be a good name because he looks like a graham cracker. It could also be after Graham Norton (mom’s favorite BBC late night show with British inappropriate humor, because duh, or the Graham Colton Band (a band my brother and I used to listen to and enjoy.)
  6. Let them know that we will be making a trip to Kirksville to move my brother into his new house and the breeder is conveniently only an hour from there
  7. Say “we should just go say hi to him. He’s too cute not to go play with at least”
  8. Have dad hold him. Watch him as he also tries to walk and falls onto his booty because he’s still learning his balance. Us Thierry’s are known for junk in the trunk and he fit right in with that characteristic.
  9. Fall in love. Hooked.
  10. He’s ours and his name is Graham, and we loved him so much that we almost got his sister too. Almost.

Like I said, it might not work for you, but that is the story of how we got Graham and he’s seriously the cutest thing ever. The breeder told us that he probably wouldn’t retrieve, but the day we went to pick him u
p to take him home, we threw balls and frisbees and he went to retrieve and bring back.

I would be a terrible dog mama if I didn’t brag that he sometimes catches frisbees with his paws, like a human. But I also would like to put a disclaimer that his catch rate is pretty low when his hair gets shaggy.

Good luck for all those future dog owners!

Q: How did you get your dog?

Q: What type of dog do you have?

Q: Did you celebrate National Dog Day?

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