January is here, and the credit card bills are starting to arrive. All those Christmas gifts purchased, gas money, and possibly airline tickets, are coming in and it can be daunting for several months.
Well, if you are willing to take a little time before, during, or after you shop in the new year, these apps will let you earn a rebate. Most have a gift card option of some sort, but if you’re like me, green is what you want so you can pay your bills and call it a day.
Okay, I love ibotta to earn cash back on groceries, restaurants, and retail shops.
This app is super simple to use. Find the store you are shopping at, scroll through the products that have rebates available, tag the items that interest you and when you shop, scan the barcode with your phone to make sure you have chosen the right product. After checkout, scan your receipt and all of the items you have chosen should be seen. If something didn’t tag, no worries, you can go back and select it. After you have $20 in rewards, you can have your money sent to your PayPal account.
I have earned $252.45 in rebates through ibotta. During the holidays, I used the app, combined with other discounts at retail and online stores.
ibotta offers you opportunities to earn individual and team bonuses. Your team consists of friends who also use ibotta. If you would like to be a part of my team use the referral code qcfxkog when you sign up, and I earn a referral bonus that will help me earn cash for the new year. Once you sign up, you can also earn referral bonuses by inviting friends to join your team.
Ebates is handy during the holidays and when you purchase big-ticket items online. Although Ebates is known for online rebates, some brick-and-mortar stores allow rebates if you link your credit card. The rebate will automatically appear in your Ebates account after a few days.
The important thing to know about Ebates is that you must use the link they provide to the store to earn the rebate. They pay every three months and you have to have a cash-back balance of $5.00 or more. The money is sent to your PayPal account.
I’ve earned $70.61 in cash-backs with Ebates. Remember, the key is to check your Ebates app for potential rebates on big-ticket items, the savings can be substantial.
Sometimes, your purchase through their link will not appear in your account. In those cases, ask Ebates to track the purchase, they will follow up with the company and keep in touch via email about the progress. It can take awhile, but if they are able to get the rebate, it’s worth it.
Ebates also offers a “Refer a Friend” bonus. If you would like to help me earn a bonus, click on the Ebates that are hyperlinked in this post.
This app works a lot like ibotta, but the platform is different. The products are not broken down by stores, and when scrolling through, you will notice that some products can only be purchased at a specific store, to earn the rebate.
The savings can be substantial and unlike the other two apps I have discussed, Checkout 51 sends out a check with your rebate amount after you’ve earned $20.00 or more. I have earned $26.20 through Checkout 51. Checkout 51 also offers contests and bonuses on occasion to help you earn. Click the hyperlink to download the app for Checkout 51.
Hope these apps save you money. They have been helpful to me and require very little of my time.
What are some of your favorite money-saving apps? Share in the comments below.
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Last month was my birthday, I am officially in my mid-forties. Here are some of the things I’ve pondered:
Health
According to my last check-up all is good. I am at a healthy weight and all my lab results also got a thumbs up. With that said, I have noticed that keeping the weight off is not as easy as it was even a year ago. The other thing I noticed is that cardio just doesn’t cut it anymore. If I want to see a change, I have to definitely implement strength training and that is as fun as having my teeth pulled or a cavity filled, you choose.
Although I have maintained my weight, my clothes don’t fit like they used to, every thing is a little tighter. Which of course leads me to even a bigger mystery, the mystery of the distribution of chubbiness.
Back fat, I mean really, why does that exist? Some people say you are wearing the wrong size bra but all I know is that it has magically appeared and taken permanent residence.
Not sure what to call it so I’m going to say side fat. It’s on your hip, you can pinch it. Something that was never there before is there now. Why does it exist? What is its purpose? Is there a higher meaning? Maybe it is there just so you have to buy wider pants; either way, UGH!
Deep down in my core, I know what I have to do to get rid of it: eliminate processed sugar and add strength training to my weekly workout routine. The latter is painful because I dislike strength but I can say with 100% certainty that I love processed sugar. Cookies, cakes, ice cream, all of it! Why is the universe taking away the answer to any surprise stress situations? I have started to buy fruit and dwindle the treats from my pantry. So hard when Halloween is around the corner and sets off the trifecta of holiday sugar: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Family
Nothing has taken over so much of my time and energy as caring for my Mother. My Mom has gone from being an independent individual to two hospital visits and rehabilitation. It has led to many moments of stress and fear. Helping her adjust to her limited mobility has been hard. Nothing prepares you for that moment when the woman who gave you life and took care of you is the one needing care now. The road has been rocky, and there have been many days where I meditate and pray for her to be well, happy, and free from suffering. This transition has been scary but just like anything unknown in life, the path is here for a reason and the new dynamic of the relationship we forge will lead to more care and love.
Being a Mom of two middle school aged children has been very interesting. I love that my kids still talk to me, I mean really talk to me. There are days when feelings overwhelm them but the fact that they know I am there and still ask for my opinion has been great. Do they know it all, of course. Hopefully they just realize that a second pair of eyes will always be an asset.
Spirituality
I have taken a challenge this year that has been hard. I started 2017 with the intention of meditating and journaling to help out with my stress. It took me a bit of time to really find my groove with meditation. I tried everything and what seems to fit is two wonderful apps that let me meditate on the go.
Buddhify and Insight Timer – these two apps have been so wonderful for me. A great feature of Insight Timer is that it allows you to see how many people meditated with you, so many people out there being mindful makes me happy.Buddhify categorizes the meditations into different groups so that you can listen to whatever you fancy at the time.
Self-help audiobooks – another great resource for me is OverDrive. This app has partnered with my local public library and lets me access audiobooks that I can listen to in the car. Some of my favorite books have been The Book of Joy, Exponential Living and Big Magic. I’ve had so many “A-HA” moments while driving, it really has become one of my favorite things to do.
Does this mean I’m a Zen master? Let’s just say I woke up before 6 am this morning because I couldn’t sleep, had a mini-breakdown using Word with my son last night and lost the document, and after taking the kids to school this morning I dropped an entire cup of hot coffee on me. All I can say is, there are more moments of mindfulness in my life now and I know it’s a work in progress.
Work
For the first time in a long time, the kids are in the same school which means I have an even amount of downtime. I was hoping to get a part time job or work on my photography. My Mother’s transition means I need to dedicate some of that time to her appointments. In between that, carpooling, and my household duties, my creative work has been put on the back burner.
Finding the balance of working on what I love is hard. Instead of acting in shows, I try to see a show. I carry my camera with me so I can take stock photography until I can start to work on my headshot photography again. As for blogging, I try to get it in when I can, which means using the WordPress app in my daughter’s orthodontic office and editing my blog pics on the go.
I try to dedicate all my focus and energy on the kids when they get home from school and I’m hoping to implement some time for outings with friends, I miss that aspect of my life soooo much.
Beauty
So it’s true, you are a little softer. Not in a bad way, just in a different way. I don’t mind my laugh lines or crow’s feet, itjust means I have laughed a lot in my life. I find that I’m thankful for the little things even more now. The stuff that used to bother me or that I would worry about what other people thought of my appearance, don’t even concern me anymore. As they say, it’s amazing how little people think about you and what you think they are thinking about you.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m the first one admiring the youthful glow of women who don’t seem to age, but it’s not something that I worry about so much. I moisturize and try to nourish my body with the food it needs. At the end of the day, that is all you can do. As an actress, aging can be difficult but it allows you to embody characters with an amazingamount of layers and depth.There is nothingmore interesting than who you are, so go find and be it.
Mid-forties has been interesting, can’t wait to see where it continues to move me down this journey called life.
What do you ponder about, don’t hesitate to share it in the comments.
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It’s funny how life works. I never knew what a humidifier was as a child. The tried and true way of decongesting a child who couldn’t breathe was a steamy bathroom. As a Mom of two in this day and age, I can say we would have had to renovate the bathroom by now if I truly used it every time the children were stuffy or suffered from croup.
Throughout the last 12 years, I have purchased, different types of humidifiers and vaporizers. The vaporizers were too hot. I live in Florida, and the last thing you want is more heat in the house. The first couple of humidifiers I bought, required a filter that would disgust me when I had to clean them. They were gunky and brown, and it would drive me crazy thinking that I was most probably circulating that through the room along with humidified air.
Several years ago, I noticed in a Target flyer, a humidifier by Holmes that was shaped like a cube. I loved that there were different colors, and they didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. I decided to head on over and check them out. The price was right at the time and the biggest draw for me was that they did not require a filter. My dreams of not having to clean one of those again were fulfilled. What can I say, I don’t always dream big.
Clean-up and the light hum was the best bonus ever. Some of my old humidifiers were so noisy, I felt like they were preparing for take-off.
The thing that I wish was different is the on-off switch is lit, and it’s a pretty strong light. One of my children had to sleep in complete darkness, so the light was distracting.
In conclusion, I would buy another in a heartbeat. It’s a nice-looking humidifier, has no filter, and is quiet. I can’t ask for more.
Update 2025 – Unable to find the Humidifier anywhere.
What can I say, I absolutely love Chinese take out food.
I love the faded out pictures of the super quick food.
I love how there is also no true acknowledgement of other customers in the restaurant. A quick look up at you and then right back down to your phone.
I love the super ornate faux marble counters and large mirror. The door is usually propped open so you can hear the shoppers pounding the pavement of the strip mall and the cars humming by.
Some days, it’s exactly what the soul needs. It doesn’t even bother you that an hour after eating your favorite item from the menu, you are hungry again.
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What can I say, I could ask for anything this Christmas and I opted for something that most people would think is insane: a Fitbit Charge.
I have been fluctuating by 2-3 lbs for the past several years. I noticed that once I hit the big 4-0, I couldn’t keep it off.
A couple of my friends were discussing their Fitbit on their Facebook pages and I decided to do a little research. The research didn’t give me more than that it acts like a pedometer and tracks your sleeping pattern.
When I got it, I couldn’t believe how much more it does.
I found that at times it will undercount my steps and to be honest, I’m okay with that.
Counting Steps
I love that Fitbit tracks your steps. Skeptics will always ask, “But how accurate is it?” The website will tell you that they are working on making it as accurate as possible all the time.
Keep this in mind: if on your wrist and you are pushing a shopping cart or riding a bike, it will not accurately log your steps. The natural motion of your arm is what does and while doing those activities your arm is static. I always opt for wearing the wristband on my tennis shoe at those moments, so I get accurate steps.
Fitbit has many products, and they can be worn in different places. I preferred the Fitbit Charge because it acts like a watch and gives me the benefit of seeing my step count without having to look at a computer or mobile phone.
Sleep Patterns
Keeping track of my sleep patterns was another benefit that I love. Since I got married, my Husband pointed out that I snore. I started to wonder if the snoring was waking me up at night and if I should go see a Doctor about it. After going to the Doctor they weren’t concerned, so I was excited to see what Fitbit would show me.
You can choose from two settings for sleep sensitivity: normal or sensitive. I personally use normal but tried sensitive for one night and the pattern was crazy. I learned that I move my left arm a lot while I sleep.
Below is a graph example that gives me my results from sleeping.
Sleep pattern
Not too restless last night, I exercised like crazy, so I sleep pretty soundly.
Call Notification and Silent Alarm
Another fun feature is the call notification. There have been times when I have had my phone tucked away in my purse and it’s starts to ring. My purse is a disaster area so it never fails that I scrounge for it and miss the call. With the call notification feature, I can see who is calling on my wrist and then decide if that person is worth the effort. Sad, but true.
The silent alarm is another feature I take advantage of. You can set your Fitbit to vibrate at specific times. Because you wear it to bed for monitoring sleep, it makes an excellent non-noisy alarm. I have never slept through it so it works like a charm. You can set the alarm for anything you want, I personally like to use it as a wake-up alarm.
Fitbit Website
The website it what brings everything together. I am such a graph freak. If you can place any information in a graph format, I am all over it. I love the tiles that keep me updated, with how many calories I have burned, steps I have taken and calories I have consumed. When I was researching fitness devices, everyone pretty much said that Fitbit was the best designed site and provided so much useful information (and GRAPHS!).
Another item, that costs extra, and I totally love, is the Fitbit Premium membership. The membership provides you with a Fitbit Trainer that helps you meet your goals by taking into account what you have done fitness wise, and coming up with a fitness plan. I originally signed up for the trainer aspect but have fallen in love with the food report, I am totally aware of what I am eating too much and little of as I log in all my food intake. Fitbit offers you a free trial period of the premium membership, I would recommend doing that after you have about 12 weeks of logged activity to see how awesome the graphs are.
Fitbit App
What can I say about the Fitbit App. Everything is with you all the time. The Fitbit App is probably what I use the most. In it I am able to track any walking or running I do, everything I eat, and I accept challenges with other Fitbit users.
Food Log
The food log is a wonderful feature on the site and the app. Because like many others, my smartphone is always with me, I log in my food intake. The food log already has preloaded choices that Fitbit provides and users have submitted to Fitbit by taking pictures of the product and sending them to add to their database. The log function also lets you scan the proof of purchase so it can find it for you and all you have to do is choose the serving size. Because you provided Fitbit with your weight, height and goals you have set for yourself, the food log lets you know if you are below, on or above your food intake for the day.
Exercise Log
The exercise log, does a wonderful job of keeping track of all your active minutes throughout the day. The app has a built-in GPS that will keep track of your walking or running minutes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep track of other activities, like gym classes and other equipment you use. I find that the best way to keep track of this is to log that information into another app that shares the information with Fitbit.
The app is My Fitness Pal. I am able to keep track of the classes I take, the gym equipment I use, and all the strength training I do (reps and lbs I use).
Challenges
This feature is one of my Fitbit Friends’ favorite. Fitbit provides you with challenges to keep you motivated and to let your competitive side make you get up and go. They’re different challenges you can choose from, and you invite your friends to join in on the fun. Your friends have their daily step goal visible so you can choose friends who are trying to meet step goals that correspond with yours, or you can choose friends that are well above you so that you get yourself moving. The challenges let you taunt and cheer your friends, send messages, and before you know it, you are making new friends and getting fit at the same time.
Badges
Another fun feature is that Fitbit rewards you with badges on your journey. They’re badges for completing daily milestones and for taking steps that accumulate over time. A little way to reward you for taking care of yourself.
Conclusion
I love my Fitbit and would buy another in a heartbeat. Make sure to do your research, some of the Fitbits don’t monitorsleep, and they released a Fitbit that does monitor your heart rate, a more accurate way of keeping track of calories burned.
Thank you and enjoy your Fitbit as much as I do.
Update 2025 – The Fitbit Charge I bought is no longer available. Links are for the Fitbit Charge 2.
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An Ode to Whirley Pop
Oh Whirley Pop, you came into my life when my Air Popper died,
Popcorn is my favorite snack, and you know, I have never lied.
I was hesitant to buy you because you seemed so contrite,
But after filling you with corn and a bit of coconut oil, it was love at first bite.
Yes, it’s work to crank for three minutes and to wait for the corn to pop,
But the payoff is crunchy big popcorn with no microwave bag residuals and the taste is top!
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HMDX Neutron
In the last couple of months, my children (8 and 10 years old) have become music fanatics.
Their passion for music led to MP3 players and for Easter this year they received the best gift ever: Bluetooth Wireless Suction Speakers by HMDX called Neutron. Below I will explain why we love them so much.
Wireless and AUX line
Fortunately for us, the MP3s we own have Bluetooth so we took less than 2 minutes to pair the device to the speaker. It’s easy, and we do not need to pair it every time we use them because the device and speaker find each other.
We still have devices that do not have Bluetooth capability, so the AUX line is a wonderful backup. AUX cord is not included, you are going to have to spring for one if you don’t have one hanging around the house.
The best part and I think the major reason the Easter Bunny gave the kiddies these speakers is its capability of working wireless for up to 30 feet. This way, the kids leave their MP3 player in their rooms and carry the speaker into the bathroom for shower time. Most MP3s are not waterproof so the fact that they remain away from any wet areas means less, “Whoops, I dropped water on my MP3, Mommy.”
Suction Cup Speaker
So much fun and here is why:
This definitely is the toy like feature that the kiddies enjoy.
Speakerphone
I admit, this function will not be used much since my children do not have smartphones. If a call comes in while you are listening to music through the speaker, the music will pause and the Neutron becomes a hands-free speaker.
Splash Friendly
Please understand, “splash friendly” does not mean you can take this puppy for a swim. Avoid submerging.
Micro – USB Charging
The speaker includes a cord with a Micro USB on one side and USB on the other for charging with your computer. Wall adapter is not included so you would have to buy one if you don’t have one around. Because so many devices use Micro USBs, we have plenty of extras at home. This comes in super handy when the children are like, “Mommy I can’t find my cord to charge my speaker,” or, “What cord?”
One charge will give you 4 hours of play time wirelessly or 12 hours with your aux cord.
Where to Buy
You can buy the HMDX Neutron at Bed Bath and Beyond, and recently I have also found them on Amazon.
Hope you enjoy your speaker as much as we have enjoyed ours.
BTW, I found the sound to be impressive from such a small device.
March 2025 Update: Unable to find this speaker anymore. Hopefully you were able to get one before they were gone.
isabelnatera.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
First things first, my daughter is 10 years old, and I am in absolute denial. I have a severe case of wanting her to be 6 years old again, and it didn’t become evident until we went Halloween costume shopping last year.
As we walked into the store, her eyes were drawn to costumes where the girls were young and standing with one hand on their hip and looking mature. I had to put my foot down on some of her choices and was quite flabbergasted by what people consider okay for a child to wear. I tried hard for her to turn her attention towards the cute costumes that were much too young for her. A Mother behind me with much older kids was watching me and when we made eye contact she said, “Oh boy, you are in serious denial.” She was right, but I am happy to say that my daughter and I compromised, and I was quite okay with the final costume: age appropriate but not adult looking. I never forgot what that Mom said and continued to think about it for a while.
At my daughter’s 10-year Wellness visit the Pediatrician asked me if I had, had the talk with her about her changing body and getting her period. I was floored and admitted right away that I hadn’t done that yet. She told me that girls are developing earlier and recommended a book that discussed puberty and did it well. She couldn’t remember the name but said it’s by American Girl. That evening I got to searching for it on Amazon and ordered it.
The book not only discusses the changes that the entire body goes through during puberty but also educates them about how and why you should take care during these trying times.
I can’t believe I am admitting this, but even I learned some things along the way.
So, does that mean that I am no longer in denial? No way, but hopefully the book and my own daughter, will help me accept it with time.
Isabel Natera 