2017 Savings Round Up

Hello friends!

A few years ago I resolved to save more and spend less. While I have not been the best at “saving” per se, I have been spending less through the dedicated use of coupons, rebates, and web-browser extensions. I’m pretty pleased with my 2017 Savings Round Up.

This year I saved over $400!

One of the ways I did this was to spend a little time on Sunday mornings creating my shopping lists and looking for relevant promo codes coupons online. Additionally, I checked a variety of product rebate apps to see if there were deals on items I was planning to buy. Check out all the ways I saved below! In 2018, you can resolve to save more!

Rebate Apps: (Check out my Top Ways to Save)

  • Ibotta – $52.29
    • I’ve earned nearly $200 since downloading this app!
      • This is one of my favorite apps because it is SO easy to use. In fact, I use it almost every time I shop because there is consistently a $0.25 rebate on any one item of your choice!
    • *If you sign up with my referral code, dlgmcji you can get a $10.00 welcome bonus.
  • Checkout 51 – $31.55
    • I’ve earned $64.10 since downloading the app!
  • Fetch Rewards – $16.70
    • I’ve earned $16.70 in Amazon.com gift cards since downloading the app!
    • *Join me and earn 1,500 points when you use my referral code (BU7GX). That’s $1.50 in free points! Download the app at http://www.fetchrewards.com
  • Berrycart – $15.50
    • I’ve earned $51.25 since downloading the app!
  • Shopkick – $6.00 in Amazon.com gift cards
    • I’ve earned $27.00 in Target/ Amazon gift cards since downloading the app!
    • Try Shopkick and we’ll both get points toward a free gift cards! Use code BEST121199 or download the app here: http://getsk.co/best121199
  • Savingstar – $0.50 (need $5)
  • MobiSave – $10.95
  • *Cartwheel by Target – $717.71 in total savings since June 2013

Swagbucks

Online Savings Tools/ Browser Extensions:

  • Swagbucks – I’ve earned $125.00 in $25 Amazon.com gift cards this year!
    • Click the above graphic for $3.00 referral bonus when you earn 300SB! 
  • Coupon Cabin – I just started using Coupon Cabin, and I’ve already earned $33.04 cash back!
  • RetailMeNot – While RetailMeNot is a goto when looking for online promo codes, many people overlook it’s cash back rebate offers. I’ve received $14.00 cash back in just two purchases.

Other Ways to Save:

  • Ebates Coupons and Cash BackEbates – $116.96 (I’ve earned over $220 since December 2015)!
    • Why not give it a try, too?Get $10 when you join with my link! Click on the graphic! 
  • Robinhood – I had been looking for an easy way to get started in stock trades for the past few years. Acorns is popular, but I determined it wasn’t for me since it automatically rounds up all purchases. I kept looking and stumbled on RobinhoodRobinhood App
    • Robinhood let’s you join for as little as a $5.00 trade deposit. Plus, traders can buy and sell individual stocks for $0 a trade. On top of that, you and your referral each get a free share of a random stock when a referral link is used!
  • Discover It Card – This year I switched to the Discover It card. One enticing reason was that they have an excellent promotion for your first year—Discover doubles your entire cash back amount. This includes 1% cash back on all purchases, plus the 5% rotating quarterly categories (which are quite good and occasionally include Amazon.com!). Other perks include: no annual fee, free FICO credit score, no foreign transaction fee, and a 0% Intro APR for 14 months on purchases/ balance transfers.

So was it worth it? I saved over $400 this year not including Discover cash back. That’s not bad for doing little more than snapping a photo of my receipts, taking some surveys, and adding browser extensions. In my opinion, the time investment is minimal, and these savings tools really do make you think about what you purchase and the amount you spend. Plus, think of all the things $400 can buy—a round trip ticket to Los Angeles… my cats food and litter for a year… I could go on.

So what do you resolve to do this year?

Cheers!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

December Holiday Savings Round Up

Hello everyone,

Can you believe it’s the middle of December? I can’t! The time is just flying by. I’ll be heading home to West Virginia this weekend to spend some time with my family for the holidays. Even though I’m not hosting, I’ll still be helping out with the grocery list, as well as, making vegan stuffed shells. I scoured the local deals and online rebates to come up with a fool proof December Holiday Savings Round Up. Check it out below!

Also, a quick reminder for all you folks who are doing some last minute holiday shopping. Ebates is offering $10 cash back for new sign ups! Plus, many sites have increased their usual cash back on the site!

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Cheers and happy shopping!

Jocelyn

PS – As always, in case you missed them, check out my top ways to save and other recent savings posts.

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

Continue reading “December Holiday Savings Round Up”

Simple Homemade Crusty Bread

Hello everyone,

My partner has been trying out different bread recipes for sometime now. I’m excited to say, he thinks he finally found “the one.” Cory stumbled on this Youtube video from Tasty and decided to give it a try. He ended up making a few changes, including proofing the dough twice instead of once and using a little more water. The result was an amazing—a simple homemade crusty bread with a soft center! I think the result is partially due to the new Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven 5-Qt that we picked up last month.

Side note: I did not want this dutch oven as my kitchen is quite small and it takes up some space, BUT it is so versatile and makes everything taste great—really, anything from sauteed peppers and onions to this bread recipe!

This recipe + Lodge dutch oven made the tastiest homemade bread with just the right outer shell crunch and soft, fluffy center. This bread is perfect for soups, sandwiches or even bread pudding! It’s visually pleasing with a nice golden color and the taste is perfectly yeasty! Watch the video and give our adapted version of the recipe a try!

What's your favorite bread?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

PS —Like this recipe? Check out my post on homemade pita bread, too!

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a commission or bonus if you click through to make a purchase.  All opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I personally support.

Continue reading “Simple Homemade Crusty Bread”