Fetch Rewards Couldn't Be Easier

Fetch Rewards - Easily submit receipts for money

Fetch Rewards is a super-easy way to save a little money with little effort.  You just submit ANY grocery receipt and watch the points add up. In some ways, this app is even better than Ibotta because you can scan any receipt and get points.  You do not have to worry about having a participating grocery item listed on your purchase.

How to Join:

• Download the app (available either IOS or Android) here.
• Quickly create an account.
• Scan a grocery receipt.
• Earn points for gift cards.

Cashing out Fetch rewards couldn't be easier. There are TONS of available gift cards to redeem with Fetch Rewards.  Some examples are:

• Best Buy
• GameStop
• AppleBee's
• Burger King
• Chili's
• Cracker Barrel
• Dunkin Donuts
• IHOP
• Panera Bread
• Texas Roadhouse
• Amazon
• Kohl's
• Lowe's
• Nike
• Target

That's just to name a few.  There are many more gift cards available.

Final Thoughts

It's so easy to scan receipts and get money back there really isn't a reason not to try it.  There's more than one way you can earn on this app including referrals that help your points to add up quickly.  I really recommend this app because it's so easy to use.  It's also highly rated in the IOS app store.
There are a few more apps that pay you for grocery shopping (like Ibotta) that I will be reviewing in future posts.

Easy Peasy (and Smart!) Money Saving Ideas

Easy and Super Smart Money Saving Ideas

Our family is a one-income household, so it's absolutely necessary that I find ways to save money on a tight budget.  Below are a few examples of creative ways to save money:

Drink Water To Save Money

You can easily reduce your grocery expenses just by drinking water. Sugary sodas and juice cost way too much money. Drink tap water, or if perhaps your tap isn’t high-quality, purchase a water filter or a water filtration system. Here's a highly rated water filter.  You can easily save at least $1,200 a year!  Plus, drinking water is so much healthier for you than sugary drinks.

Set up Auto-Pay for your Bills

A lot of companies offer auto-pay which makes a lot of sense.  It's convenient and saves time (and time is money, right?) but also most companies offer a small savings reward for signing up for auto-pay.  Another added bonus is you will never encounter late fees if you forget to make a payment.

Sign up for Amazon Prime

Besides the free 2 day shipping, Amazon offers a lot of free services you may not know about.  

• Unlimited, ad-free access to more than a million songs 
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows ( Just as good as Netflix in my opinion!)
• Free cloud photo storage (and it's unlimited!)
• Lots of good discounts on diapers, and other baby items
• Prime Reading - Unlimited access to thousands of books and magazines that can be read on any device.

Prime Reading is one of my favorite services that Amazon offers.  They have a huge selection of magazines and books.  Some of the books even have Audible included and you can switch back and forth from reading to listening seamlessly across any device.  It helps me to get through the ton of books I want to read even faster with the included audio narration.  This is an alternative form of entertainment for me and it's free!

I hope these ideas spark your imagination on some easy money saving ideas.  I will make more posts like this in the near future with more ideas.

SnipSnap - Get rid of those Paper Coupons!

SnipSnap - A cool app to save cash & stay organized.

SnipSnap is not just another coupon app.  What is so neat and unique about this one is that you can take a snap of those paper coupons that we all get in the mail (and mean to use), but never have on hand when we are actually at the store.  At least it seems that way for me every time.  I am always forgetting those paper coupons! 

But wait, there's more...

How else does SnipSnap save you money?

This app has a TON of coupons you can save that other users have already snapped.  Kroger is a grocery store that I frequent weekly and I noticed coupons listed that I haven't seen before.  Here is a shortlist (there are many others, including online deals) of some of the places I saw on the app that offered coupons:

• Old Navy
• Home Depot
• Duncan Donuts
• Michael's 
• 7Eleven
• Kohl's
• Foot Locker
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• Subway
• Ulta
• Carter's
• Big Lots

SnipSnap also offers a way to follow other SnipSnap users.  This is a neat feature because you can check out what some of the heavy users of this app are clipping and saving and you can add more coupons to the app that way as well.  This is one app I can attest I will use frequently because it's so convenient.  You can download the app here.

Get Paid to Write from Home

A great work at home option for those who love to write!

I have an interesting work from home idea for you today.  Do you like to write?  Verblio is a company that offers freelance gigs with huge flexibility.  The average pay is about $10 for a 300-word post.  Verblio pays weekly via Paypal.  

To get started here are some of the requirements:

• You must be a U.S. citizen
• Have a valid social security number ( you will be asked to fill out a W9 form)
• Strong research skills
• Stellar Grammar Skills
• Detail Oriented 
• Over 18 years of age

If you think you have what it takes you can click here to apply now.  The application process consisted of a short quiz to test your proofreading and grammar skills.  They also have a plagiarism section of the application to make sure you understand what they expect from their writers.   

I recently passed the application and my next (and final) step to get accepted to write for Verblio is to submit a short sample of my writing ability.  From my research, I conclude that Verblio is definitely not a scam.  The only downfall I could find is that you are not guaranteed pay.  The customer has to decide to purchase your writing before you are compensated.

Since I just recently received my acceptance from Verblio to move on to the next step of being accepted, I will update my findings on working for them in a future blog post.

Smart Ways to Save Money on your Utility Bills!

Who doesn't want lower utility bills?!

I love not giving my money away to the gas or water company!  Or any other of those necessary evils.  What I do enjoy is trying to find cost effective ways to cut down on those high utility bills.  

Below are some really easy ways you can also save on your utilities.

How to Save Money on Your Utility Bills:

Clean or replace your furnace filters monthly

This is something that often gets overlooked in my house.  

Keeping your filters clean on a regular basis also helps to keep dust and allergens under control.  

Amazon has some great deals on buying them in packs of 6.

Do chores at night

If your utility company has "dual times" and not flat rates, you will benefit from doing your house chores later in the day. 

Running appliances like the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer later when it's dark will save on energy costs.

Hang your clothes instead of using the dryer

I live in Ohio and I hang my clothes even when it's pretty chilly outside.  They may have to stay out a little bit longer, but that's not a big deal.  I also love how the clothes smell after being dried outdoors!

Unplug those appliances after using them

It may seem like a pain to unplug (for example) a charger after using it, but it really only takes a second.  Another alternative is to buy a smart power strip with a timer like this one on Amazon.

Install a programmable thermostat

Upgrading your old thermostat can save you some money too.  By programming it lower when you are working or sleeping, you can save a ton of money. There are so many smart thermostats out there, like this one which also works with Alexa.

Turn down your hot water heater

Turning down your water heater just a few degrees really adds up over a months time.  I love super hot baths, but I really didn't notice a difference in a few degrees.  It all adds up!

Use a low flow showerhead

This showerhead on Amazon is only $8!  It also states in the product description that it comes with some massage features too! Double win!

You can't beat that price either.  I have used a low flow showerhead for a long time.  I have very thick hair so it was a little harder for me to get used to at first.  My boys had absolutely no problem getting used to the low flow showerhead.  You can save a TON of water this way by making this little change.

Wash clothes in cold water

Washing your clothes is a double whammy for cost savings.  You use less energy and your clothes last a lot longer!

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I hope these lists gives you some good ideas.  I will be adding even more cost-saving ideas this week.  Please feel free to share this blog post on your social media if you think it could help someone who needs some cost-cutting tips.

Love Animals? Need extra cash?

Rover - A great side gig for you animal lovers!

Rover is a site that connects people with pets to trustworthy pet sitters in their area.  They even have an app that is super handy to keep track of your job offerings and a scheduling calendar.  I have just recently signed up myself for Rover.  I live in a very tiny area, so I do not expect much business right away.  Although, over the Memorial Day weekend I did get an offer for a dog sitting.  Unfortunately, I had to turn it down because I wasn't available that weekend because I was going out of town.  Rover is very flexible, as most work from home gigs are. You accept the work you want, no pressure if you can't work or when.

 

You can determine the prices that you would like to charge as well. Overnight dog sitting pays the highest of the services offered.  I chose to stay on the lower end of the price range because I am brand new.  You can also offer dog walking services and care for cats as too on Rover if you would prefer.  I will keep updating my progress on  Rover here on my blog as I progress. :)

Work from Home with no phone needed!

Work at home non-phone jobs

Are you searching for work from home jobs that don't involve the use of a phone? I am too, and it can be quite difficult at times to find them online. I have compiled a list of a few legit work from home positions that do not require using a phone or headset which is ideal with kiddos underfoot!

• TTEC – This company was formerly known as TeleTech. They sometimes have data entry jobs that are work at home. The pay is about $10 per hour.
• Xerox – Xerox has some data entry jobs available from time to time.  At the bottom of the page click the link that says Careers.  If there is no data entry position available, check again at a later date as they do post these jobs regularly.
• Clickworker - This site has a bunch of different microtask jobs available.  They even have a mobile version of their site that you can work on the tasks from your phone or tablet.
• Amazon Murk -  This is another microtasking website that is through Amazon.  I have worked for them for over three years now.  It's a real way to make some extra cash, and some of the work can be quite interesting. A lot of tasks are from universities that are studying various topics and need your opinion.
• Rev Transcription - I also work as a freelancer for this site.  You do not need any special software or foot pedal to transcribe for them.  You do have to pass a qualification test before getting approved to work.
• CastingWords - This is also another transcription site that allows you to transcribe with little or no experience.
• Slice the Pie - First, I must tell you that this site isn't going to make you much money, but it's so super easy to do in your spare time.  They pay you to listen to and review music.  The pay goes up as you write clear, quality reviews.

Please check back soon because I have a ton of different ideas that I've researched for myself over the past few months on how to make some extra money from home.