Cash Back Apps

So I wrote this  post for my "Other" blog, and wanted to share it with those who actually like to read about my life! ha ha

Here's the post if you are interested:

I have bought most of my Christmas presents already using cash back from cash back portals and apps.  Lots of people have asked me how they work, so I thought I would share what I use and what each of them do.  More than likely if you use my referral link you will be awarded cash back or some other perk from signing up from the referral.

Online Portals:  Online portals are websites that you go to BEFORE going to the website you are going to shop on.  In the portal website, you search for the online store, then click the store.  The portal website will open a new tab to the store website, and you will earn whatever percentage back the  portal website offered on your purchased in the store website.  I use two portal websites, and I always check them both to see which one is offering the most cash back for the particular store I want to online shop at.  These two portals also have apps, so if you shop from your device you can use the app as a cash back portal.  (Often times the app has more cash back than the website).  I have hyperlinked the portals, so you can just click on each one to sign up if you want.

1.) Ebates
2.) Top Cash Back

Cash Back apps:  The cash back apps are different from the online portals, in that you use these after physically shopping.  They work best for groceries, but some apps are good for other stores, as well.  I think most of these apps have websites besides just the app, so you can manage your account on a webpage if you prefer.  I usually just manage everything on my apps because most of them are easy making it so I don't have to go to the website.  The option is there if you want it.  You will, however, have to use your device (phone, tablet, ipad/ipod, etc) to take a picture of your receipts after you shop so your purchases can be verified.

1.Ibotta- I use this app the most because it offers the most products, and has bonuses like if you buy both products in the same brand you get an additional amount of cash back.  It has name brand products, but I use it more for the ANY brand products, such as milk, eggs, orange juice, etc (they change a bit). This app is also the easiest when "cashing out" your cash back.  I prefer to get money transferred to paypal, but it offers Amazon gift cards, as well. I linked the website, but if you prefer to download the app and sign up that way use my code and you will get a dollar right off the back.  My referral code is: 7qz2za.

2.) Saving Star is a portal website and a cash back app, so it works for shopping online and in stores.  I have never used it as a portal because it is mostly groceries, but I use it just about every time I grocery shop.  Every week Saving Star has 20% off a healthy offer like carrots, corn, etc.  It also has a freebie on Fridays, and it can be used Friday and Saturday.  This app also, let's you add loyalty cards, so the savings (cash back) automatically go into your account when you use your loyalty card.  My main grocery store is Safeway, which does not have an option on the app the add a loyalty card, so I have to take a picture of my receipts to get my cash back.

3.) Checkout 51 supposedly has new products with cash back weekly, but most often I see the same things.  I mostly use this app for bananas and other fruit and vegetables.  It's super easy because you just take a picture of your receipt and check the product you bought.  You will have to "unlock" the fruit or vegetable, though, but that is also easy!

4.) Snap  is a lot like Checkout 51. It's pretty easy,

 5.) Receipt Hog- This is a unique app in that you don't have to buy anything specific to get cash back.  The cash back also works differently.  After shopping in the store, you just upload/submit (take a picture) of your receipt.  Then you will earn coins for the amount of your receipt.  You can also earn coins by spinning the wheel.  You get spins by uploading certain receipts.  Once you get so many coins you can cash out.  I have already earned $30 just from uploading receipts.  Plus, I have used the app more than once to look up a past receipt for one reason or another.  If you use my referral code on this one you get 5 free bonus spins for coins.  My referral code is :SPUSP132.

6.) Find & Save  This is my newest cash back app, so I haven't earned too much on it, yet, but I loved it.  Every week it features stores.  If you spend so much at the store it gives you so much percentage cash back.  These are common stores and the amount to spend isn't usually a ridiculous amount.  In fact, it often has Safeway where I do my grocery shopping, and I easily spend the amount specified, so it's an easy way to get an extra 3% back on my groceries.  It also does special promotions.  Like last week I could submit any store any amount for 2% cash back.

7.) and 8.) Shrink (My referral code: NELCTI) and Shopmium (Referral code: HFEUYKTY - use this code to receive a free Lindt Chocolate Bar).  Both of these apps are really similar in that you have to "Discover" the product.  Most of their products are not things an average Joe would buy, but if you are into organics or trying new brands and products these apps are perfect.  Every once in awhile Shopmium will have a brand and product I buy regularly like Smuckers jam, so I check the app just to see if I happened to purchase something from their products.  Shrink has all sorts of organic and new brands.  Sometimes I pair other offers with these ones and get the products for almost free or cheaper than the no brand product.  Then, since I am not paying the full expensive price, I am more comfortable trying the product.  Shrink also has two products every week that I buy on a regular basis.  They are any brand products such as milk, meat, vegetables, etc.

I have tried a few other apps, but they always crash, so I am not even sharing them here.  Hopefully, this list helps with the expensive spending of the Holiday season!!:)

October Visitors

We LOVE visitors- and we had some special ones come recently. My parents and little brother came for a visit, as well as, Josh’s Grandma and Grandpa Mayo.  It was a party!

My mom and dad flew into San Francisco, so the kids and I took a day trip to play in San Fran with them.  We met them at the giant playground and carousel in Golden Gate Park before heading to Pier 39 for some seafood lunch.

I showed my parents and Aaron around Lakeport.  Josh met us for lunch at the park where we had a picnic, and later we went to Tutti Frutti, a frozen yogurt shop that my friend’s parents own.

The frozen yogurt didn’t happen until after we went to the Dollar Store, so Payman could spend his dollar that Grandpa Doug gave him for getting his hair cut.  I have tried and tried to get Pay to let me cut his hair, but he finally let Grandma Teresa do it with much much bribery.   My dad also got a hair cut, so they were twinners.

Grandma and Grandpa Mayo came into Lake County Friday evening just in time for the BYU football game. We don’t have cable at our house, so Josh and my dad actually went to the Mayo’s hotel room to watch the game. 

The next day we all went to the hotel to spend the day.  They got a hotel room at Blue Lakes Lodge at Blue Lakes.  It was cold.  The weather had been in the 80s or hotter every day prior to this actual day.  We were planning on possibly swimming in the lake, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Grandpa Mayo rented a small boat.  We took it out on the water and enjoyed the lake.  Aaron, Payson, and Avenly loved driving the boat.  (I’m sure Josh did, too, but the kids didn’t like giving it up).

That evening my parents watched our kids while Josh’s grandparents took the two of us out to dinner.  It was such a fun double date.  It was so enjoyable being able to talk to them and eat dinner at a restaurant without the kids making dinner crazy.

At church on Sunday, Josh gave a great talk, and I sang.  My mom was nice enough to accompany me.  It was really nice having family there to hear us.

The weekend went too fast.  My parents left after Sacrament meeting to catch their flight, and after making the Mayos a nice Sunday dinner we said goodbye to them, as well.  They caught their flight the next morning. It really was nice having everyone visit us.  

While in Utah

We headed to Utah for a short weekend trip for Great Grandma Peabody’s funeral.  While we were there we spent our Saturday hanging out with Molly, Sadie, and Spencer.  We went to the Pumpkin Patch, and had all sorts of fun.  We took a hay ride to pick out pumpkins, saw the animals, went on the giant hay slides, ate free doughnuts, and got lost in the corn maze. 

It was a pretty hot October day, but we still had lots of fun. We attended Grandma Peabody’s viewing and funeral over the next couple of days.  You can see pictures and read her obituary on the previous post, but here is one picture at the gravesite of Josh and I that I did not include on my last post.

The trip to Utah was fast, but well worth the 24 hour round trip drive.

Heaven Gained Another Angel

Great Grandma Peabody passed away on October 7, 2015.  She just turned 91 on September 24.  She was born in 1924.  Grandma Peabody was actually Josh’s Great Grandma making her Payson and Avenly’s Great Great Grandma. 

5 Generation pictures when Payson and Avenly were babies.

We were able to attend her funeral in Bountiful, UT.   The funeral was held Monday, October 12, 2015.  Grandma Peabody was a popular woman with a lot of descendants.  The chapel at the church was packed, and the luncheon afterword in the cultural hall had more people than my ward.  The service was really nice, and the Spirit was wonderful.  Heaven definitely gained a sweet Spirit, and I am sure she is very much needed there right now.

Here is Helen Bundy Peabody’s Obituary

Ellen Bundy Peabody died suddenly October 7, 2015 in Bountiful, Utah at the age of 91. She was born September 24, 1924 in St. George, Ut. She was the fourth child of 11 children to Omer and Rowena Whitmore Bundy. Her childhood days were quite different from most people her age; it was like that of a pioneer girl. She was raised on the Arizona Strip where she attended a one room country school for church, school, and all the community celebrations until she was eleven; then her family moved into St. George. She married young and had 4 children: Ivo, Raylene, Donna and Valoy. She moved to Bountiful in 1949 and worked hard to provide a living for herself and her children as a single mother. She worked for 35 years at two clothing stores for tall women in downtown Salt Lake. She loved to dress up and fix up and always looked beautiful. She was content to share her life with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, siblings, relatives, and friends. What made her the happiest was putting on a feast for family and friends. She loved yard work, digging in the soil, planting flowers and a garden. She just plain and simply loved life. She was always so grateful for each new day and for the good health she had been blessed with. She expressed often her gratitude for her many blessings. She was cheerful, kind, and loved by everyone. She was always active in the LDS church. She leaves behind her four children, 21 grandchildren, 65 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother, Emer Bundy, twin sister, Nora Reid, and 3 grandchildren. 

A few things to remember about Grandma Peabody.  She always made each person feel like they were so special.  I am a Great-Granddaughter-in-law, but that didn’t matter to Grandma Peabody.  She treated me as her own, as if she has known me my whole life, and I truly was a special person in her eyes.

In fact, she had a great memory.  I sent her cards for her birthday with pictures of our kids or our family each year, but one year I missed her birthday, and I heard about from her it at Christmas time.  I am thankful I remembered this year.  She got one last birthday card from us with pictures of our kids right before she passed away.

In the short 5.5 years that Josh and I have been married, I have memories of visiting Grandma Peabody’s house, her visiting us in Colorado, her coming to Payson’s 3rd birthday party and his baby blessing, and most recently seeing her at The  Bundy family reunion this last summer.  I was able to capture a precious moment of Payson dancing with her at the dance. (Sorry the video doesn’t want to upload, but you can see it on my YouTube channel if you’d like: https://youtu.be/4-7DG22SyAY

A death of a loved one allows the veil to be thin.  It is a testimony builder that families are forever.  I know that we will get to see Great Grandma Peabody again, as well as, our other grandparents who have passed away.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ for teaching me this, and I am grateful for that knowledge.

ICMA 2015 Trip

ICMA stands for International City Management Association.  Every year ICMA has a big conference for City Managers and other related careers.  This year Josh applied for the scholarship to go for free, and got it.  The conference was held it Seattle this year, so the kids and I tagged along.  We made a trip out of it and went to Mt. Rainer, North Cascades, and Glacier National Parks, as well.

Mt. Rainer- 1st stop

Since the conference didn’t start until Sunday, we spent our Saturday at Mt. Rainer.

Mt. Rainer was neat with the dried lava bed, beautiful fall plants and colors, and the beautiful green plants and trees.

We went on a little hike.

Dried (kind of) Lava Bed

Small Water Fall

Beautiful Colors and cute kids near the visitors center:

We went on another awesome hike, and saw a sweet mini skinny gorge.

Seattle

During Josh’s conference we went to the Seattle Zoo.  We actually met a high school friend of mine who lives in Seattle.  She brought her cute daughter, and Payson had fun with another little- as always!  Plus, it was great to see Beth, and “catch up!”  We haven’t seen each other since high school.

Avi- Girl loved loved the animals, even though she was scared to pet the goats in the petting zoo.

Payson loved loved the playgrounds at the zoo.

A couple years ago when we went to ICMA in Boston, we met another couple who was there.  We became friends with them, and they actually ended up at ICMA this year, too.  While the husbands were at classes, the wives got together for a couple hours.  It was great seeing Diana, and again “catch up” with her.

At one point Josh had a long break, so he joined the kids and I to see some Seattle staples like the Space Needle and big dancing fountain.

After Josh went back to the conference center for his last class, we had fun taking random pictures with the Space Needle behind or above us.

North Cascades National Park

Josh really liked North Cascades.  I liked it, too, but he seemed to REALLY like it.  I do admit, the lakes were just beautiful. 

We found a couple hikes for our family.  The first hike was a perfect hike for Payson to wildly push the stroller around while Avenly walked or we carried her. ha ha

The second hike was beautiful with fall colors, small waterfalls and streams, and a perfect lake destination.  Avenly walked a good chunk of the time.  She is a little hiker.

That night we stayed at the cutest hotel of our whole trip.  It was more like a lodge hotel with a back deck going out to the grass and river.  The grounds had hammocks, picnic tables, and swings. The small town, Winthrop, was super cute. We stopped at the bakery/coffee shop for breakfast in the morning, and they had delightful hot chocolate.

Glacier National Park

We traveled from Washington to Montana via free rental car.  (We had a free rental that came with our purchase of our Mazda 5 since we bought it through Hertz Car Sales).

Glacier was my favorite of the three National Parks.    Our main day in Glacier happened to be my birthday.  The weather was perfect, and it was simply gorgeous with the fall leaves changing colors.

The first hike we went on was short, and quite enjoyable.  I tried to get cute pictures of the kiddoes, but you know how it goes…

I know I already mentioned the colors of the leaves, but I was truly amazed at the mountain side.  The camera could not capture the beauty of the earth as we saw it.  Everyone should take an early fall trip to Glacier sometime in their life. 

Our longest hike of the whole trip was about 4 miles to a lake called, Hidden Lake.  We left the carrier wrap at the hotel, so all we had was the red stroller which was not ideal for this somewhat rocky hike with a lot of stairs during the board walk section.  We made it work, though.  Actually, Avenly walked a good distance- at least a third of the way.  Payson was so cute to hold her hand, and when he would let go she would yell at him to hold her hand again.

In the picture below there are mountain sheep. We saw them on our long hike.

Avenly fell asleep on my back, so we used my sweater as a makeshift carrier.  It wasn’t ideal, and I had to hold her still, but it sure helped with some of the dead weight.

Later that day we saw a black bear.  He literally walked right by our car on the side of the road.  I unbuckled Payson, so he could look out the window to see the bear, and he said, “Hi, little fellow!” 

We also saw a mountain goat on the rocky side of the mountain.

Our second day in Glacier was much much colder.  In fact, it snowed, but that did not stop us from seeing more of the park.  We bundled up and went on a hike to a water fall.  The water falls in Glacier are much smaller in the Fall than the Spring or early summer, but it was still cool to see this one.  We were the only ones around, so we were slightly afraid of running into a bear.  Luckily, the only thing we an into was bear poop! I didn’t actually see it, but Josh was pushing the stroller around an easier bend and saw some.

Ticket to Ride!

Our transportation home was the train.  We were able to get two different types of “bed”rooms on the two different trains we were on.  (We had a layover in Portland, where we changed trains).  The bedrooms were the way to go.  We were able to travel over (two) nights and actually attempt to sleep. The second night Avenly was so overly tired from everything, that she was hysterical.  I felt bad for the people around us in other sleeper rooms, but eventually I was able to get her to calm down.

We went to some Japanese Gardens in Portland during our layover.  They were cool, and Josh liked them  a lot.  I just thought our kids were a bit crazy for “the gardens.”

Our second train was unique because it had an old car on it.  It had an old movie theater, with really bad speakers, and a nice dining/lounge compartment on top.  When you ride in sleeper cars on the train, your ticket is considered first class, therefore, we got our meals for free on the train.

It was a good trip with a mix of plane, car, train, city, and nature.  I was ready to come home and get ready for my guests to come in a week in a half. Little did I know that we would be leaving again that week on another trip. Blog post to come about it soon!