Ibotta, Checkout 51, MobiSave—Still Worth It?

The blog post in which I take stock of rebate apps and the time spent attempting to save more money...

Okay, so I've been using Ibotta, Checkout 51, Saving Star, and MobiSave rebate apps now for 6+ months. SIX MONTHS.... Now, I'm not a power blogger. I don't make six-figures by blogging (hell, I don't even make one-figure). So I'm not reaping the affiliate income. I'm just slogging through this just like you. And after 6 months how much have I been able to actually deposit into my bank account? Go ahead, guess.

Google Throwing Its Hat In the Delivery RIng?

Last Friday I got an actual piece of hold-in-your-hand mail from Google about their new home delivery service, Google Express. As far as I can tell, this is Google dipping its toes in the subscription / delivery service pond. (Think Amazon Prime, Thrive Market, Blue Apron, etc.).

The Real Reason Everyone Loves Ibotta

By now, you probably know what ibotta is, but if you don't you can read this post. OR, if you don't wanna', you can probably guess that it's an app that can save you money by offering rebates (not coupons, but rebates). And a lot of budget blogs try to get you to sign up for ibotta by enticing you to click on their very special link that offers you a $10 welcome bonus.

So here's the deal, you don't have to click on their affiliate link in order to get the $10 welcome bonus from ibotta. You don't have to click on mine or ANYONE'S affiliate link. You can get the $10 welcome bonus by just signing up on the ibotta.com website. Seriously. No strings. Well... some strings. 

Amazon Prime Day—Resistance is Futile

I tried. I just want you to know that. I want you to know that it was purely accidental, I did not mean to visit Amazon today. I successfully skirted around it for hours, and then... I got a link. Emailed to me. Perfectly innocent. So I clicked. By the time I saw where the link was taking me, it was too late. I was already on the Cuisinart Food Processor page.

Getting Extreme with Your Budget

Okay, so you've created your budget, pinched all the pennies you can comfortably pinch, whittled down the bills as far as they can be whittled, tightened your proverbial belt (because you sold your actual belt to the guy on the corner for $5), now what?

Well, the adult in the room will tell you that you now need to start making more money. Don't know how? My Grandpa would say "Get a Job!" Already have one? Get another. (Yeah, I know, not terribly helpful, no matter how practical.) There are tons of iterations of that conversation. I'm sure you've heard them all... Ask for a raise... ask for more hours at work... sell your prized possessions... start a blog... etc. etc. etc.

Pretty much every time that conversation comes up, my inner teenager screams, "I hate you! Leave me alone!"

The alternative? Maybe it's time to get extreme. Yeah, you heard me. (Just so you know, the movie in my head showed a frenetic zoom-in on the word "extreme" with explosions in the background.)

Top 10 Self-Care Tips for Frugal Budgeters

Budgeting and being frugal isn't easy. I've read too many blog posts lately that say things like "If you fall off the wagon, get right back on and vow to DO BETTER" (subtext: "you're such a moron, I can't believe you bought the expensive ice-cream just because it tastes better."). So I decided to make a list in which we, the frugal, could continue to be frugal while taking care of ourselves....

Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

So... here I am, in the midst of a No-Spend month, having already spent $20 (scratch that) $60 on groceries... and I'm out of mayo. I know, it's a sad story. And most months wouldn't be an issue. We're not huge mayo people, except when we are—and right now, apparently, we are.

So, what's a girl to do? Hop in the car and run to the groc or, I dunno' pull a Martha and whip up some homemade mayo? (Hint, I'm in my PJs and while that wouldn't normally stop me from hopping in the car, I'm just not feeling it today. So yeah, I'm pullin' a Martha.)

27 Things That'll Save you a Sh*tload of Money—According to BuzzFeed

So, I'm over on Pinterest and this graphic (to the right) catches my eye. "27 Things That'll Save You a Shitload of Money in the Long Run."

Okay, I think to myself, I'm game. I click on the link, which leads me to an October 2015 BuzzFeed artcle with a slightly different title ("27 Gloriously Simple Things That'll Save You So Much Money.")

Now, the pictures in the graphic should have clued me in that these things aren't really practical items that will save me money. More likely, they're just cool things I'll need to spend money on now and maybe I'll save money later. Or maybe they'll sit in a drawer until I finally toss them out because they didn't really work after all.

To that end, I start scrolling through the list...

20 Things You Can Plant in July and Harvest in the Fall

If you thought you missed out on gardening this season, think again. Sure, there is an ideal window to sow vegetables if you want to harvest them before the fall, but there are plenty of veggies that you can still plant midsummer.