Showing posts with label nofollow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nofollow. Show all posts

Easing of Rules: Electronics On Airplanes

 
I just got back from a conference this weekend in Cincinnati, OH and wasted a whole bunch of hours of my life on an airplane. As usual when traveling, I packed a lot of electronic gadgets to entertain me, connect me and enable me to keep up with the web. I also packed a good old fashioned hardback book, (Ironhorse by the estate of Robert B. Parker). I also was excited to use my mobile app on my Android phone to access my boarding pass, therefore avoiding the stupid security TSA rep, scribbling meaningless doodle on my boarding pass while giving me the evil eye and exasperated sigh for using my phone app.
 
Anyway, as you know, we earthlings are prohibited from operating electronic gadgets below 10,000 feet cruising altitude in an airplane. This means the time from backing away from the gangway all the way up to cruising altitude, we must shut off our electronics. For many flights, this is at least a half hour of sitting there with nothing to listen to, no pictures to be taken out the window, and no reading to be done.
 
But not me, I break the rules when they are simply there to annoy me. When breaking the rule does not hurt or offend anyone, I'll do what I want. So, I listened to the music on my ipod. I did have my book to read legally - I don't break all the rules. Nice picture landing in Cincinnati, huh? I only put my phone on airplane mode rather than powering off all the way. OMG you rule breaker! But, really. Wait - its actually quite harmless these days with weaker cell signals and more insulation on planes. Just today, it was announced that efforts are underway in the FAA to lesson restrictions on electronic devices on airplanes.
 
Expect the rules to allow expanded electronic activity as early as this fall 2013.

How To Find Amazon Prime Lending Library Books

If you have Amazon prime, you probably are aware of the benefit of getting one free "prime eligible" ebook per month of your membership. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find books that fit into this category unless you apply a few filters. Here is an easy way to browse the free "lendable" books. These thousands of books can be borrowed using any Kindle device, but they are not transferable to other devices such as Ipads, Smartphones or PCs. There are no due dates, the book remains on your device until you return it. You can not "check out" a new book until you return the previous one.
1. Go to Amazon and make sure you're logged in. In the search box, select the drop down arrow and select the BOOKS department.
2. Then scroll down and select Prime Eligible. You must be signed into your Amazon account for this selection to show, if you don't have prime, you won't see this choice.
3. Then select Kindle Edition from one of Formats.
This will show you all the Kindle books that may be borrowed on your Kindle for free. Now to actually check out the book you must do this through your Kindle device.
So, to make this easier when you are on your Kindle, I browse the books I want on the computer, and then put them on my ebook wishlist that I created. Then when I am on the Kindle, I just click the shopping cart and go to my ebook wishlist and check out the book that way.
Good Luck and Happy Reading!

Mobility Matters

So we're planning on going to Kinetix again this weekend. It's a fun outdoor show at Busch Gardens in the center of the park. It requires a bit of planning to get there on time since there may be lines in the parking lot, bag checks at the front entrance, ticket scanning issues at the gate, and then of course the half mile trek back to the area where the concert is. For the able bodied person it takes at least a half hour to complete all those steps to get seated in time for the event with the fantastic party starters and dancers.

But now some friends are considering going too, and one person is not functionally mobile. It is a complication that could be remedied but there is some denial that there is an issue by the immobile party. I'm not being unsympathetic to this person, but the mobility problem is just an effect of some bigger health issues. We've experienced the issues of managing a person's ability to move around when DH was injured in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. It required a lot of patience and extra planning, and especially extra time. It also involves extra effort from the caretaker making extra trips to get equipment needed or securing proper seating ahead of time. But I didn't mind because it meant we could share time together doing things besides sitting around with a leg propped up.

From my experiences, the problem with dealing with mobility issues is that the affected party usually feels like they are  not really disabled and immobile, so they refuse help from strangers and their friends. They insist they don't need the wheelchair, or the walker or the cane to move about. So they stumble along in pain, whimpering from the stabbing aches and breathing hard like they are going to die. Or they insist that they are well enough to go along with the event and refuse to discuss accommodating their immobility. They know they are an extra bother and its true. But guess what, the caretaker or friends want to attend the activity bad enough, so they are willing to make the sacrifice to make sure the immobile party can attend to. Because unfortunately in some relationships if the hobbled one stays home, everyone must stay home.

My mother is dealing with immobility issues as she ages and has had some serious injuries from falls. She definitely needs assistance with her mobility. But she doesn't want to admit it. She feels like it is an admission of being old, which she is. She doesn't want to give up her independence and be reliant on others for her mobility. She wants to go for nature walks and go to the gym for an aqua class but these activities are beyond her ability now. She does not want to accept this. So she tries to go for walks outside by herself without a walker or cane, and falls. It is sad.

Mobility does matter. To all of us. But when you are immobile you need to admit it. Accept offers of assistance from friends, family and strangers to help you get through that heavy door, or up that ramp, or by taking their seat on a bench. You are doing no one any favors by being the difficult one who refuses to get in a wheelchair. If putting you in a wheelchair will improve the activity for others, then sit your butt in the chair and shut up. They will gladly push you around and if its a public event you might even get front row seats for the handicapped seating area. You will allow your caretakers to leave you seated comfortably at all times instead of panting and breathing heavy after you've walked 100 ft and can't find a bench.

The point being is that it's not all about you. Just because you can't walk doesn't mean you can't live. The world we live in today is very accommodating to people with mobility issues and you can do almost everything an able bodied person can do. So quit complaining and get the proper equipment you need to be mobile. Then live your life. 

Planning for the Demise of Google Reader

With the upcoming death of Google Reader at the end of the month; I've had to set up RSS feeds with another feed reader to capture blog and news updates from hundreds of web sites. I've set up with Feedly, TheOldReader and Netvibes so far and none of them compare to Google Reader. Maybe its just me needing to learn how to use all the features, but they don't all sync or display nicely across my devices - computers, Ipad and smartphone. The problem with Feedly is it requires the use of a non internet explorer browser to view on a computer. This is not an option at my work so I can't view my feeds in the day. On the Ipad and Smartphone it's my favorite though. So, I've settled for netvibes which doesn't require a special browser or downloading software, so I can use it a work - for now, until they block it.

I've noticed I'm viewing my feeds less often since it is not as simple as Google Reader, and that certain deal and coupon sites really are borderline spammers with ten to fifteen posts per day. If I follow 50 deal sites who all post 10 times a day that's 500 feeds. So, I've grouped them together under one tab because they clutter my other feeds. And guess what, I rarely take the time to read them. I simply click "Mark As Read". For a while I will probably continue to do this, but eventually I suspect I'll just delete that tab. One of the greatest benefits of not viewing all these feeds, is that I don't get the temptation to spend money on stuff. It's saving me money to not read those blogs.

Another feature that's nice about Netvibes is that you can set up different "dashboards" where  you can put different types of feeds. I could have one for deals, and one for personal finance and one for news. I have noticed that if I put all my hundreds of feeds in one dashboard it errors out and cannot pull them all. I think it is from the spamming type accounts like news sites and deal forums. These sites send out hundreds of updates a day and netvibes can't seem to handle them.

If you use Google Reader, I would recommend you find an alternative now so you can export your feeds to a new vendor instead of creating them from scratch. You can also download your feeds into a file to be imported later if someone develops a great new reader. However, if you wait too long - Google Reader will be gone and you'll have to start from scratch building your feed list.

There are a couple other apps that I've started to use also, to help capture articles I want to read later. Since I don't really care for netvibes on my smartphone and Ipad I use Feedly. When I see an article I want to read, I bookmark it, or send it to Pocket or Dropbox. I also can send my photos from my phone to Dropbox and then access them on my computers. These sites also have free apps at Google Play and App Store on your phones and Ipads.

This is not a sponsored post, I am simply telling you how I am dealing with the demise of one of my most useful internet applications. It's kind of teaching me not to get too dependent on one entity because they could sell it or get rid of it, and you don't want to lose your stuff. I personally don't trust Google to not end any of their features including Picassa, Drive and Blogger. They are shutting down iGoogle in November which will force me to figure out a new homepage. That will again change how I manage my time on the internet.

How To Apply For A Passport

We just got back from two trips requiring our passports and mine is about to expire in less than 2 weeks. Both times the immigration officer made me aware of that, and I let them know I'm on it and have my new picture at home ready to renew upon return.
It's actually pretty easy these days to get your passport, if you're a US citizen that is. You might think that obtaining, renewing or updating a passport would be a hassle as most dealings with the government are, but they've made it simple. Everything you need to know can be found online at the  U.S. Dept of State website.
To get your first passport
To get your first passport, you'll have to show up in person. Make an appointment at an acceptance facility or passport agency; search for the one closest to you here. You likely live near a facility where you can get a passport. Many post offices and even some public libraries can accept passport applications. Arrive at your passport agency with:
• Your filled-in DS-11 application form.
• Evidence of U.S. citizenship. Find a list of acceptable documents here.
• Valid identification. Find a list of acceptable ID here.
• A photocopy of the front and back of the identification you're bringing on clean, white 8½" x 11" paper.
• Your application fee. For a first-time adult passport, the total fee is $135.
• Passport photos. You can read more about the specifications for passport photos here. But most major drug stores, such as Walgreens or CVS, will sell appropriately sized passport photos that comply with government standards; this makes things a little easier.
Or you can go online to ePassportPhoto and submit your own digital print and they will size it - all for free (this is what we did). It will size 6 2x2 identical face shots on one print. But Walgreens and CVS will not print passport photos because they offer the service, so you need to delete 5 of these and just print one 2x2 per print and they won't notice it and it pass the muster. Just wait for a sale where they offer free prints and submit your digital picture online for free to pick up later that day.
Renewing a passport
You have two options here: Either you have your old passport or you don't. If the former's true, you can apply through the mail as long as your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued when you were at least 16 years old, and isn't more than 15 years old. If you are nodding "yes" to all of that, simply mail in your old passport with the required documents and photos, and you'll receive a new one in the mail in roughly four to six weeks. (Don't worry. You'll get your old passport back.) Here's what you need: Form DS-82, your renewal fee ($110 for an adult), passport photos, and your old passport. Get more information about renewing a passport through the mail here.
Keep in mind that if you've changed your name since your last passport was issued, include an original certificate or court order that documents this; those without such papers must apply for a renewal in person.
Don't have your old passport? Then you can't get a passport renewed by mail. Head to a passport agency in person.
You can check the status of a pending passport application here.
Passports for kids
For children ages 15 and younger, the fees and requirements for getting a passport are a little different than those for adults. Essentially, parents need to provide identification in addition to proof that they are legal guardians for child applicants. Guardians in two-parent households must appear together with the young applicants or provide a notarized statement of consent from the absentee adult. Single parents must appear in person as well. And all parents must show proof of legal guardianship; this would include a birth certificate or a court order.
A passport for a minor costs $105. And the usual—Form DS-11, a standard passport photo, and the appropriate identification for parent(s) and child—must be brought to your local passport office. Read more about getting a passport for a child here.

How I Left Sprint and Kept My Same Smartphone

 
I admit that I'm hooked on my smartphone, an older model Samsung Epic 4G. I signed up with Sprint a little over two years ago and was hoping to switch over to DH's Sprint SERO plan when my contract was up. Well, Sprint won't let his grandfathered $30 plan have any extra lines at that price. So, I'm quitting Sprint. Actually, I already quit and it happened overnight.
 
I'm now up and running on my same phone with same phone number after porting my number to Ting (#ad). I used to pay $80.10 for a monthly plan that gave me unlimited everything, but month after month my usage is around 250 minutes calling, 250 texts and 1GB of data. I just signed up for Ting at $44/month for 500 minutes calling, 1000 texts and 1000 MB of data.  And I have no contract so I am free to change carriers if this does not work. But for saving $36 a month on my smartphone, I will make it work. I've effectively cut my bill in half, so now my phone will cost just over $500 a year, rather than $961/year. 
 
If you're interested in switching, Ting runs on the Sprint network, so if you have a Sprint phone (no iphones allowed on Ting though) you can bring your own device and it will work. You can also buy a phone from them or use an unlocked phone from another provider. Ting has a referral program where you would get $25 in phone credit or services credit by using this link.
 
I realized while on a cruise last week, that I can get by without constantly checking my phone, since it was out of commission as I was out of the country. Sure I had thousands of feeds and emails and texts when I signed back on - but I didn't have to have all that stuff. I just deleted without reading to start fresh. Now I will need to try to change my usage behavior and use Wi-fi more which won't use my data plan. There are lots of places that have free Wi-fi like the grocery stores, libraries, and my home. I sit at a computer all day long and can check my finances and weather on the PC rather than using my phone. I've started putting it in a drawer instead of being plugged in on top of my desk  beckoning me to check something every five minutes.
 
As part of my frugal lifestyle, I'm seeking to minimize wasteful, costly activities and behaviors in my daily life. Getting a cheaper phone plan is a step in the right direction. I realize there are more options, and LIfehacker outlines a lot of them here. So, if you are out of contract, check out your options before you commit to that expensive plan.
 
 

Best Frugal Blogs Award

 
OMG! I was checking out a new blog who had an interesting article and noticed they got a mention on the best Frugal blogs listing at Happier. Well, would you guess in a million years that my little ole blog Frugalapolis is also on the list?
 
Yep, I'm proud to mention Frugalapolis is one of the Best Up & Coming Frugal Blogs.

Introducing "Our Lyme Life"

This weekend we launched a new Facebook Page and Website for Scotts daughter Rachel and her family who are suffering from #Lyme Disease. Our goal is to gain followers and spread awareness of their situation.
 
Their family story will be posted on the blog in the next couple days and is now outlined on the FB page. One of the most important things you can do to help right now is to follow and share clicks and if you personally know Rachel and Tim, leave a comment too.
 
How to follow (Its free - how about that!!)
 
Facebook - Our Lyme Life
 
Twitter - @OurLymeLife
 
 
Thanks for your support!

2013 No Spend Challenge - Clothing

Now that I've laid out what we spent last year, you can see that there are a few areas we can really cut back. Some of you might think our allowance of $6000 is excessive (which I think too - but DH won't cut back), but at least any of it that is not spent is sitting in a savings account. I usually only get $100/month in cash from my allowance and put the rest in my savings. DH does the same. So really we have a good chunk in extra savings accounts if the "household" ever needs it for an emergency.
 
But the one category I really want to cut back on is spending, specifically online shopping, and specifically clothing. We have a lot of clothes. Just this morning as I was getting dressed for work, I needed to select a pair of shoes to go with my khaki pants. And of course, there are several pairs of tan/khaki shoes in my closet to choose from, in addition to a few brown pairs too that I could wear. I really only need one pair of light colored shoes to wear with my light colored pants. I'm probably not going to throw out perfectly good shoes, but I can put my foot down and quit buying any more shoes. Or any more pants. Or any more shirts. And I certainly don't need another Tshirt in my entire life, with hundreds on hand already.
 
So our challenge this year is to not purchase any clothing. I'm debating whether that should include free clothing. I'm thinking it should include any clothing whether it was paid for, or free. I can just pass on those $10 GC for free clothes at Victoria's Secret, and not reach out my hand to get that free Tshirt at events.
 
In addition to stopping any more clothing from coming into our home, we need to continue to purge excess items we have but no longer wear. Part of our challenge is to empty every single closet in our home this year and only put back the stuff we use. We already did that to our front hall closet and now the floor is actually empty! Prior to the cleanout, we had a large bucket of stuff that took up four square feet of space. The stupid thing is, we didn't touch that bucket for over ten years. We didn't miss anything in it.
 
So this year, even though I know there will be items I'll want to get, I won't.

My Publix Trip - Paid $0.79, Saved $47

This week there are a few things I want to get, but don't really need so its a matter of space. This shop was pretty small, just the salad stuff so we can make our lunches for next week. But later I'll probably get some of the Farm Rich frozen snacks for munching on Friday nights around the fire.
 
I happened to luck out on getting the newer coupons that are out there - The Winn Dixie Moments made Possible Through Early Detection is out in the stores in Tampa, right inside the door next to the regular ad. This has plenty of P&G coupons to stack with the MQs that are coming out this weekend. However, if your store reads the terms carefully, you'll be limited to 1 WD coupon per transaction, so you'll have to mix up your brands. Plan your scenarios now for the P&G pink cookware rebate (Spend $30 on one receipt starting 9/30/12). I'm planning on getting some hair color that is on sale for the current Yellow Advantage Flyer for another week, and possibly some Cover Girl and Pantene, Olay.
 
I also found the new stocking spree sheet of coupons right by the door at Publix. These have a stacking coupon for Puffs tissues that make it $0.25/box after the new MQ this weekend, plus the PQ. It was also mentioned on Slickdeals that the Surf 100 oz laundry detergent is a good deal with the stocking spree $1/1 PQ stacked with the $1/1 MQ in the 9/30 RP, makes it $1.98 each.
 
Anyway, my shop cost me $0.79 on my Publix GC, and I saved almost $47 - a 98% savings rate.
 
27-Sep 23   46.79 0.00 46.00 tax 0.79 24 -98.31%
Product qty price subtl B1G1 -Q 0.00 total Q# Q details
bananas 1 0.35 0.35       0.35    
romaine lettuce 1 1.69 1.69       1.69    
iceburg lettuce 1 1.49 1.49       1.49    
cucumber 1 0.75 0.75       0.75    
onions, green 1 0.60 0.60       0.60    
tomato 1 0.62 0.94       0.94    
mushrooms 1 1.99 1.99       1.99    
green pepper 1 0.70 1.12       1.12    
honeydew melon 1 2.99 2.99       2.99    
Baileys Creamer 8 2.19 17.52   20.00   -2.48 16 $1.50/1 MQ FB + $1/1 PQ
Yucatan Guacamole 1 2.99 2.99   3.00   -0.01 1 $3/1 MQ FB print
Sundown Vit B6 4 3.59 14.36   18.00   -3.64 6 $3/1 PQ YAF + $3/2 MQ
SaveALot $5 off  $25 1 0.00 0.00   5.00   -5.00 1 $5 off $25 x10/11
 
Hope you have a great week shopping (and saving)!

#CFLBlogCon - My First Blog Conference

This past weekend I attended #CFLBlogCon, The Central Florida Blog Conference that was hosted by the Orlando Science Center. It was a beautiful facility that had lots of classrooms and the Cinedome for the keynote speaker. It was well organized and the attendees were all very friendly - it was a high energy event and certainly motivated me to do more with my blog. I would certainly recommend attending next year, especially if you live in central Florida.
 
Even though I've had this blog for a couple years, I've struggled to figure out my goal. At first I wanted to share frugal living ideas and tips that I do to get the most out of living frugal. I have a hard time spending money. My DH complains all the time how I'm so cheap, but it does take me a lot of time and inward justification to spend even a few bucks.  That's when I began really couponing and becoming obsessed with not spending any money on groceries. We've pretty much had free groceries and household supplies for several years now because of couponing. But it's becoming harder and harder. My Publix receipt used to always be under a dollar, but now it may be two or three dollars. And, GASP! yesterday I spent over five dollars because we decided to get some beer with our overage.
 
So, back to the blog conference. There are definitely some technical things I need to improve my blog, and improve my facebook presence and increase my "Likes". These haven't really been my goals in the past, but they are what others measure to understand my "reach". The very first thing I need to focus on is my goal for the blog. I'm thinking I want it to be more of a frugal living blog with storytelling and problem solving, rather than a deals blog. People who have deals blogs work very hard to constantly put out the latest deal and it requires steady updating. If the updates slow down, there is a direct correlation to blog traffic and revenue drops.
 
The first thing I need to do is dedicate some time to this site. After my dull workday at the government job, I want to take some of my couponing time and start spending it on my blog instead. All of these social media sites are blocked at the office, so it will kind of become my part time job after work. I need to update facebook each day, and interact on twitter, and update the website with some ads and tools to help readers share my stories. Since. I'm not skilled in code and all that technical stuff, I think Youtube will become my friend as I attempt to watch tutorials and videos to figure out how to implement some of these changes.
 
So be ready for some changes, and please let me know if you have any ideas to help me along.

Groupon Class Action Lawsuit Update - Claim Form

If you remember, last month I posted about a Class Action Lawsuit against Groupon. If you purchased or received a Groupon Voucher issued for redemption in the United States between November 1, 2008 and December 1, 2011, then you are a member of the class ("Class Member") for purposes of this class action settlement, and may be entitled to receive settlement benefits, unless you are one of the following:  (1) an employee of Groupon, Inc.; (2) a business with whom Groupon has partnered to offer Groupon vouchers ("Merchant Partners"); or (3) a parent company, subsidiary, affiliate or director or officer of Groupon or a Merchant Partner.  
The Court has scheduled a Final Approval hearing, to be held on July 20, 2012, to decide whether to approve the Settlement and award attorneys' fees and costs and an incentive award.
The Claim Form to submit electronically is now posted on the settlement website. But you will need to research your purchase a little and provide some information for your claim. The form requires the following information about your Groupon purchase:
*Expiration date shown on Groupon Voucher: Enter as MM/DD/YYYY
*Identity of the merchant and its location referenced on Groupon Voucher 

 
*Groupon Voucher Purchase Number:

 
*Purchase Price of Groupon Voucher: (Enter as 99.99):

 
*Face Value of Groupon Voucher: (Enter as 99.99):

Disclaimer : Please do not contact the Court, or Groupon regarding this Settlement. Neither the Court nor Groupon nor Merchant Partner employees can give you legal advice regarding this Settlement.  If you have questions, please refer to the Commonly Asked Questions and the other information posted there.
The site is not operated by the Plaintiffs or the Defendants.  This class action settlement is supervised by the Court and is administered by a claims administration firm that handles all aspects of claims processing.


Groupon Class Action Lawsuit

Apparently there is nothing to do right now until a settlement is determined; but if you purchased or received a Groupon Voucher issued for redemption in the United States between November 1, 2008 and December 1, 2011, then you are a member of the class ("Class Member") for purposes of this class action settlement, and may be entitled to receive settlement benefits, unless you are one of the following:  (1) an employee of Groupon, Inc.; (2) a business with whom Groupon has partnered to offer Groupon vouchers ("Merchant Partners"); or (3) a parent company, subsidiary, affiliate or director or officer of Groupon or a Merchant Partner.
 
This website was established to provide information to you about the proposed settlement of certain litigation relating to the marketing and sales practices of Groupon, Inc. The litigation is currently pending in the United States District Court, Southern District of California.
Following are important dates and deadlines relating to the settlement, which are explained more fully in the sections below:
  • Deadline to opt-out of settlement:  July 6, 2012
  • Deadline to object to settlement:  July 6, 2012
  • Deadline to submit claim form to obtain Settlement Voucher permitting redemption of voucher(s) past expiration date(s):  [to be determined pursuant to court order]
  • Deadline to use Settlement Voucher:  [to be determined pursuant to court order]
  • Deadline to submit Settlement Fund Refund Claim Form if Merchant is unwilling or unable to redeem Settlement Voucher [to be determined pursuant to court order]
  • Deadline to submit claim form to obtain refund of vouchers purchased after December 1, 2011:  [to be determined pursuant to court order for more information.

Publix Stocking Spree Coupon Booklet

Sign up (again) to get this nifty little book of Publix Stocking Spree coupons. If you've signed up in the past, I would recommend signing up again with another email address of your spouse or kids so you can at least get a couple coupons for a BOGO deal. This booklet will be mailed to your house next time they have this promotion.
 

I Just Won Mega Swagbucks!

If you haven't signed up for #Swagbucks, then you're missing an easy opportunity to make a few bucks online. I just entered my favorite word (that I use everytime I search) into my Swagbucks widget and I won 33 Swagbucks! Today, like every Friday is Mega Swagbucks day and your chances of winning large amounts are greater.
 

I Just Won Swagbucks! Here's How

Every morning I check into Swagbucks to do the daily poll for 1 pt, and the NOSO (No Obligation Search Offers) for 2 pts. Today was my lucky day and I won Eleven Swagbucks! I also got 50 swagbucks on my birthday this week, and I've been getting swagbucks daily by participating in the music madness polls. For every 450 swagbucks you can redeem it for a $5 Amazon gift card which is the best value in my opinion.
 
Here's a couple tips I've found to help me win. If you haven't joined yet, this is a great opportunity because it is only a couple minutes of your time and if you remember to check in each day, you can earn prizes pretty quickly. I don't usually do the swagbucks games or other offers, but getting swag codes sent to my smart phone via twitter (just send "Follow Swagcodespoiler" to 40404) is pretty simple, and you'll get a text everytime there's a swagcode found.
 
I also have the swagbucks widget on my iGoogle page and use that to launch my daily search. I find that more often than not, I win swagbucks if I search from the widget but my account is not logged in. The page tells me I might win if I were logged in, so I log in and whala - it gives me swagbucks!
 
Swagbucks has also updated their rules this year so every person in your household can have their own account! So, why not take this chance to sign up your hubby or your sister, just make sure they use their own email address.
 
So, join #Swagbucks today!
 

Amazon Kindle Fire $139 TODAY ONLY

Amazon has the Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi (Refurbished) priced at only $139 with Free Shipping as the Gold Box Deal of the Day. This is the best price I have seen so far!
 
If you've been on the fence, now is the time to get it. You can select the "gift"option if you don't know what Amazon account you'll want to link it too.
 
Each Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire is a pre-owned Kindle Fire that has been refurbished, tested, and is certified to look and work like new. They come with the same one-year limited warranty as a brand-new Kindle Fire. Kindle Fire: great for web, movies, apps, games, and more. This offer is valid today only, March 29, 2012, when sold by Warehouse Deals. Offer good while supplies last. Limit 5 per customer.

Publix Coupon Policy Updates

Publix has updated their website to include some Q&A about using coupons. I encourage you to read this because there are some clarifications that probably will affect how you use coupons. A couple things I learned is that when you use a BOGO manufacturers coupon at Publix, you may NOT use another MQ on the item you are paying for. Publix considers that the BOGO MQ applies to both items.  Now this may not be enforced at some of your stores, but it is not something you will want to put your foot down about. Another thing I learned is that they will take a competitor coupon for a store brand and apply it to the Publix store brand. So, that means that Target Market Pantry coupons would apply to the same Publix brand item, like white bread or cheese.
You may want to print the policy and tuck it in with your coupons so you have it with you.
#Publix accepts manufacturers' coupons (limit one per item), Publix coupons (originals only—no copies), valid Internet coupons, and coupons from nearby competitors identified by each Publix store. (Competitor names are posted at each Publix store.) We will accept coupons from competing pharmacies for prescriptions only. We will not accept percent-off-items or percent-off-total-order coupons. We will only accept coupons for identical merchandise we sell. Acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon, and we reserve the right to limit quantities. Manager approval is needed for individual coupons above $5.00. For a buy-one-get-one free (BOGO) offer, each item is considered a separate sale. We will accept a manufacturer's coupon and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item. Dollars-off-total-order coupons will be limited to one Publix and one competitor coupon per order. The order total must be equal to or greater than the total purchase requirements indicated on the coupon(s) presented.
 Buy One Get One Coupons
Q: A competitor has a "buy one get two free" coupon. Will Publix accept it?
A: Publix accepts BOGO and buy one get two free coupons if they're for identical merchandise Publix sells.

Dollars-Off-Total-Order Coupons
Q: What should the acceptance criteria be for a coupon that states $40.00 purchase must be met after all other coupons/discounts have been applied. Not valid on purchases of stamps, gift cards, alcohol or tobacco products.?
A: Our policy states that coupon acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon, so in this case we'd use the more restrictive limitations printed on the coupon.

Q: A competitor on a store's approved list is offering a $5.00 off a $25.00 order coupon when a customer signs up to receive communications from them. Will Publix take this coupon?
A: Yes. Since they have already signed up with the competitor to receive this coupon, the only requirement left to comply with is purchasing $25 worth of groceries.

Q: Will Publix accept a competitor's coupon that indicates the customer must present their retailer rewards card to use the coupon?
A: Yes. Publix does not have a reward card but would honor this coupon if they meet the other purchase requirements.

Coupon Stacking
Q: Can a store coupon, competitor coupon, and manufacturer's coupon all be used for one item?
A: No, a manufacturer's and a Publix or competitor coupon, but not both, may be used.

Q: If an item already has a manufacturer's coupon attached to it, will Publix still take an additional manufacturer's coupon on the item?
A: No. Publix will take an additional Publix or competitor coupon but will only take one manufacturer's coupon for an item, regardless of where the coupon came from.

Q: A customer has a "save $1 off the purchase of two items" manufacturer's coupon.  Can another manufacturer's coupon be used for either of these items?
A: No. When the manufacturer issues a "$1 off the purchase of two items" coupon, it requires the purchase of two items. Therefore, a coupon has already been applied to both items. This is because the customer had to purchase both items to meet the coupon's requirements.

Q: A customer has a BOGO manufacturer's coupon. Can another manufacturer's coupon be used for either of these items?
A: No. When the manufacturer issues a BOGO coupon, it requires the purchase of two items. Therefore, a coupon has already been applied to both items. This is because the customer had to purchase both items to meet the coupon's requirements.

Gift Card Coupons
Q: Will Publix accept a competitor coupon for a free $5 gift card with the purchase of an item or items? (For example, a coupon for "buy both Raid Max Bug Barriers 1 gallon starter kit and refill" and receive a $5 store gift card.)
A: Yes, the customer will receive a $5 Publix gift card if we carry the identical items.

Pharmacy Coupons
Q: Does Publix accept prescription coupons from all pharmacies or only from our listed competitors?
A: Publix accepts coupons for prescriptions from all local retail pharmacies.

Rain Checks and Coupons
Q: A customer presents a rain check and a coupon for an item. The coupon is now expired, but was valid on the date the rain check was issued. Can the coupon still be accepted?
A: Yes.

Private Label
Q: Will Publix accept a competitor's coupon for a private label item?
A: Yes, this is an opportunity for us to introduce our customer to Publix brand products.

How To Keep Track of Your Money

I've been a user of mint.com for years now to keep track of my money. I linked all my credit cards, banks, investments online accounts so it could pull the latest data live whenever I wanted to know what my money situation was. The problem with mint is they don't have a way to manually enter an account. There are some accounts like my 457b state retirement fund that they don't link up with, so I can't see how that account is growing. They also don't link up with stuff like annuities, or real value house values through zillow.com. So, I could kinda guess what my net worth was, but not really.
 
But, yesterday I learned of another site called www.adaptu.com which is the same sort of financial budget management site. It is simple and secure to use and it links up with all my accounts successfully (which mint constantly doesn't). I was able to enter the 457b accounts in manually to be considered in my networth, but I'll have to update the values every quarter since its not live linked. It also links your home value live to current market values on zillow. I love it! Now, I know exactly what my net worth is.
 
Disclosure: I am not being compensated in any way to say any of this, it is my personal recommendation only.
 
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