What the Tech?! - Week 19

I want to be a coupon clipper, but I just can't do it.  My step dad even brings me coupons for things that he knows that I buy... they get lost before I make it to the store or they expire.  The closest I've ever come to fulfilling my dream of being a couponer is using the iBotta app!  That's my kind of couponing!  All you have to do is download the app and make an account.  Shop at the stores you normally use and then I usually start clicking to "unlock" coupons while I"m waiting in line.  Then when you get home, you scan the barcodes on the actual items and send them a pic of your receipt (all from the actual app).  It's really easy.  You keep your cash saved in an account on the app and then cash it in for gift cards to Best Buy, Amazon, or Starbucks!  You also have the option to send it straight to your PayPal or Venmo account!    Like I said, I stick to buying the things I would normally buy and look to see if there are any coupons AFTER shopping.  I know people tend to go buy things BECAUSE they have a coupon, but I don't want to get into that habit of spending money that I wasn't GOING to spend! ;)   Does that not defeat the purpose?!

Why would you NOT do this?  It's like FREE money!

Here, use my code and you'll get $10 to get you started (I'll get $5!)


https://ibotta.com/r/antobsr

***Update!  So it gets better... I just found out that you can link your rewards card for some stores TO your iBotta account and then all you have to do is "unlock" your coupons before you checkout and your reward card will automatically do the rest at check out!  Now you really have no excuse not to use this app!! ;)

What the Tech?! - Week 18

So my birthday is coming up and my family has asked "What do you want for your birthday?"  I don't know what I want.  I know there are things that I want, but sometimes they're random things or I can't think of anything when put on the spot.  Well my family decided to start using Amazon Wishlists as our means for sharing things that we would like and eliminating the awkward "What do you want?" conversations!  

I made a list for each person in my household (directions below) and when I remember the kids saying they want something or when I come across something that I like but don't NEED... I add it to my wishlist.  The majority of our extended family has Prime memberships, so we think this will work great for us!  

How to make a list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--UcnI8A1_I

But then there are some settings you will want to change.  Make sure your address is set to your home address incase people want to send the gift directly to you.  I believe buyers will also have the chance to send it to themselves, so they can hand deliver it to you.  You also want to change your privacy settings.

To set or change your privacy settings:

1. Go to Your Lists.
2. Click List settings.
3. Select your preferred privacy setting under Privacy in the List settings window:Shared: Only people with a link (URL) of your list can see this list
4. Click Submit in the List settings window to confirm.

You can also click Share at the top of your list to notify people via e-mail. The e-mail addresses you provide will only be used to send this message.  Or you can copy the link and write your own email to send to family/friends. 

I also clicked "Don't spoil my surprises!" which leaves items on your list after they're purchased  (but warns against duplicate purchases if someone else tries to buy an item).  Items will stay on your list for a few weeks, so no surprises are ruined. 

Of course, MANY other sites allow wishlists, but we do a lot of Amazon shopping, so this works best for us.  I've even seen teachers create wishlists for their classrooms!  Pretty awesome to think that you will get EXACTLY what you are wanting/needing and it takes all the guess work out of it for your family/friends/room parents!  

What the Tech?! - Week 17

So it should be no surprise that I do approximately 99.9% of my shopping online!  I am not a fan of crowds, traffic, or digging.  Especially when I have to battle those things with two kids!  

So I shop online.  When shopping online, I HATE that moment when I get to the shopping cart and that COUPON CODE box is staring at me!!  I don't have a code.  Should I have a code?  Is there a code I don't know about?  Do other people have a code?  Sometimes I may do a quick google search for "FREE SHIPPING CODE AT ____" and see if anything comes up (because what's more annoying than paying for shipping?).  But then I found an awesome Google Extension (remember, we learned about those last week?!)  called Honey.  All you have to do is install Honey, make an account (or link it with your Facebook) and then it does the rest for you!  When you go to check out at ANY online retailer, it will comb the internet, find, and try a series of coupon codes to save you money.  It doesn't matter what retailer it is!  It could be GAP, an Etsy shop, or when you're ordering pizza!  So cool, huh?  

Sign up with my referral code and then you'll get your own code to share with friends, too. 

What are you waiting for?