Making Money With FREE iPhone Apps?!? (Count me in!!)

     Basically everything I see out there, that is advertising free money, I am VERY skeptical about, but over the last couple of months, I've done a lot of research and have found several apps that have actually made me over $70.00 in under 40 days. I've also gotten into couponing, which has definitely saved my husband and I a ton and given us a nice back stock on a lot of things we won't have to worry about buying again, for a while.

     As far as the apps are concerned though, I will start off by saying they're very easy to use. To me, something being easy to use is huge. Yes, I'm young and good with technology but I don't want to have to sit and mess around with something for 25 minutes before I can even start using it. That's why I've compiled this list, to help everyone out and make a few bucks. 

     I can assure you none of these are scams, as I use them myself, and have not had any issues with any of them. They are ALL legit, and all FREE to use!!!:)

Here's a picture showing a collage with my earnings, currently,
which are even higher since it's been a couple of days.

     PLEASE MAKE SURE, to use my referral code, listed below each app description, to earn extra bonuses when you download the apps!! If there is a link available, I HIGHLY suggest pulling this post up on your mobile phone, and accessing it by clicking the links that way, so that you'll have a seamless entrance into the app store and the app itself. If there is an actual code, just enter the code within the app once you download it. 

Enjoy!!! 

1.) Cartwheel by Target 

     Cartwheel is absolutely awesome, and though it isn't a money maker, it technically can be when you combine it with other coupons and stack them. Anyhow, it's a great app by Target that updates every so often, and gives great savings by % off on tons of items. There's about 600 items on the app right now with savings. The savings range from 5-50% usually, and sometimes are even good on clearance items. What I love, is that they have offers on food, housewares, clothes, and basically everything in the store. You simply browse the offers (you can even scan items in store with your phone and it will tell you if there's any available offers) and then add them to your cartwheel, then they scan the barcode on your phone at checkout. We've saved over $40.00 in the last few months with this one. 

2.) ibotta

     Ibotta is a free app that gives you cash back on items you purchase at various retailers like Target, Wegmans, Walmart, Hannaford, Sam's Club, Walgreens, CVS, etc., Places like Lowe's, Best Buy and even pet stores and movie theaters have offers. With this one, all you have to do is click the store you'd like to look under, and swipe through the available offers. It will tell you how much of a rebate is available on it, and then when you select items, you'll simply complete little tasks, such as learning facts or sharing on Facebook. Again, super simple! When you're ready to redeem your offers, all you have to do is submit a picture of your receipt, which they walk you through and make very simple for you. They have a great explanation on their website. You can cash out to a PayPal or a Venmo account once you reach $5.00, or you can even redeem your savings as a Regal cinemas, Starbucks, RedBox or iTunes gift card.
**If you use my referral code, you get a $2.00 Bonus automatically!!!!!

Referral Link: http://ibotta.com/r/QyHkhg 

3.) Checkout51

     This app updates with new offers every Thursday morning, and includes a lot of awesome things to also get cash back on. Offers this week include $1 back on 2 Pop Tarts, $1 back on BearNaked Granola and even $0.25 on blueberries. This one is the same kind of concept as ibotta, except you don't need to complete the mini-tasks in order to get the savings. So, in a sense it's a little easier because you only need to upload a photo of your receipt. You can cash out to PayPal once your account balance reaches $20.00 

NO Referral Link

4.) Checkpoints 

     This one is neat because you use a points system, to eventually earn rewards. You can do something as simple as "check in" at a qualifying store, to earn points, and then scan different items it lists, in the store to earn even more. They also have little mini games you can earn points on as well. You can get tons of points from referring your friends, and doing other offers, too! This is also really easy, but not a direct "cash back" app. 

Referral Link: Simply find & download the app, in the app store and enter referral code within the app: tanderson32 

5.) shopkick

     This one, is similar to checkpoints, with earning points for various rewards. It's super easy to use, and you also earn points by checking in at stores, which is as simple as just opening the app when you walk inside, and then scanning various items it has listed, which is just as easy as it sounds, using your phone. You can also earn points just by referring friends with this one, as well! The rewards are pretty awesome, they include but aren't limited to... Purses, gift cards, digital cameras, and even cruises, a Vespa and a Kitchen Aid Mixer!!! You will also have access to special sales, etc., with this.

Referral Link: http://get.shopkick.com/pleasanton19329

6.) Shopmium 

     I'm fairly new to this app, but I really like it so far, and right now there's a promotion where if you download it, and enter my referral code, you can get a free Lindt chocolate bar! Similar to ibotta and Checkout51, you purchase your items and upload photos of your receipts. Though, with this app, it will accept the receipts from just about any store (it has a list). With this, after uploading your receipts, it will automatically credit your PayPal account with the money as soon as it verifies your receipt, which doesn't take long at all!!
**FREE Lindt Chocolate Bar when you use my code!

Referral Link: http://shopmium.com/en/app or just search in app store, download and then enter referral code: GHYMCHWN

7.) Scantopia

     This one is SO easy!! I downloaded it only a few days ago, and have already earned $4.10. Basically, all you do is go around your kitchen or house, and scan items with barcodes, then earn "tokens" and even cash on some of the items. It allows you a certain # of scans/30 minutes, but if you have an extra 5 minutes here and there, it's worth making a couple bucks. There's daily "super scans" every day, and they are random items that if you're lucky enough to have them in your house, you will earn up to $0.25. (That's the highest I've seen, could be more) There are coupons you earn from scanning, too. The coupons you can select if you want them or not, and if you choose yes when they pop up, they will simply be emailed to you, and you can print them out. There's a jackpot, that you use your points/tokens to use as entries to win, and the amount can be up to $1,000.00. Pretty cool, and easy concept. Also, a good one to earn with referrals. 

Referral Link: Find Scantopia in app store, when you download it, enter code 6M-KAX-CB

8.) Mobee 

     Mobee shows a map, and lists different stores, in which you can select "missions."When you click a place on the map, it will tell you how many points are available at the locations, and what you have to do for them. Basically, it involves a low minimum purchase, which at places on the list like Dunkin Donuts is super easy to do, if you're just stopped for a coffee, anyways!! It can have you take a picture, upload your receipt photo, etc., This one is also very, very easy and the rewards add up quickly! You earn $1 of reward for every 100 pts, and can even select charities to donate to, off of the rewards list. Things on the list include a TON of store gift card options, and even PayPal, as well. 

Referral Link: Find Mobee in App Store, and earn an extra $3.00 use code: QSHT 

9.) TapBooty

     Yes, I know the name of it sounds.... inappropriate. I can assure you though, it's not! This is probably the easiest thing I've ever done on my phone to earn money. No joke. All you have to do with this one, is create an account, and it shows you a list of apps (mostly all of them are free and I've only ever done the free app options...) and you just click to download them. It tells you next to each app to download, how many points you will earn from it, and trust me it adds up quickly!! What I do, is download a bunch of the apps up for offers to save time. After downloading a bunch of them, I open the first one up, play the game or mess around within the app for about 45-60 seconds, and then exit out of the app, go back into the web browser that has the main page pulled up, and then it notifies me that I've earned the points from it. After doing it with all of the apps I've downloaded, I can delete them off of my phone and that's all!! My husband and I each have this on our phones and just do it in our downtime while watching tv, etc., We both earned $30.00 EACH last month, and it went right to our PayPal. We made $60.00 for downloading and deleting apps... How crazy is that?!

Referral Link: https://www.tapbooty.com/r/YpCiMm5

10.) ReceiptHog

     This is basically what it sounds like, and it's soooo easy as well. All you have to do with this, is upload your receipts after you shop. That's it! With each receipt, you earn coins and you earn spins to earn more coins with. For every 1000 coins, you earn a $5 Cash or $5 Amazon Giftcard, payout! You'll earn an extra 5 spins, with my link! 

Referral Link: http://app.receipthog.com/share/pms291si

I hope you enjoy all of these, and especially the free money in your pocket!! 

-Taylor

Why Marriage Is Okay, Before You Turn 23

     Let me start off by saying that I got married right before my 20th birthday and not long before my husbands 21st, neither of us have ever regretted our decision for a second. Life has gotten more exciting, if anything since we said I do. 

     I came across a blog post this morning while scrolling through my Facebook feed that really caught my eye. I don't typically pay attention to a lot of posts out there, but this one was different. It caught my eye for several reasons, one being that I really don't agree with it and honestly felt somewhat angered by it. Sure, I'm biased in a sense, but at the same time I found this post to be very closed minded and judgmental. Opinions are all over the internet, and we're all entitled to our own, so I just want to get the other side of things out there, that I think needs to be mentioned. 

     The post can be found here, titled 23 Things To Do Instead Of Getting Engaged Before You're 23. First off, this girl sounds nothing but bitter and like she's trying to make herself feel better about being single. It sounds like she's putting things on paper because it looks good to her, and she wants to feel more confident in her choices to stay single. Whether or not that's true, it's sure what it seems like.

     Here's what I found in her little article, that I found to be complete garbage... 

• "It’s cold outside… you want to cuddle and talk about your feelings… life after graduation is a tough transition… so why not just cut to the chase and get married, right?  It’s hip. It’s cool. You get to wear clothing that wouldn’t normally be socially acceptable at the dive bar you frequent with the $5 beers.  Eff it. YOLO. YOMO! You only marry once…" 

     First off, back up. I really, really, REALLY don't think this statement could get much more ignorant. Generalization is all this statement is about. If you're really going to tell me, that the only reason people get married young, is because they think it's cool, or they're afraid to do things alone or because they want to wear certain clothes, I'm sorry but you are a moron.  Even some of the young couples that marry, when you see their relationship is a disaster, I HIGHLY doubt they're making their boyfriend put a ring on it because they want to cuddle up, feel loved, be cool and wear certain clothes to the bar. 

• "The divorce rate for young couples is more than twice the national average. Divorce is no longer a staple in a midlife crisis, but rather, something that SEVENTEEN Magazine should probably be printing on. Headlines could read..."

     Yes, the divorce rate for young couples is ridiculously high, higher than it should be. It's sad, it really is. I can't disagree with that but I think the reason for it is simply because of one major thing. Marriage is taken too lightly by too many. Two young people may love each other, and be in a screaming argument every single day but think it's normal and okay because that's what they're used to seeing. Guess what... A lot of these kids grew up in broken homes and see their parents with horrible marriages but they grew up around that and think it's normal. So, have you ever thought for a second that maybe their parents, and their upbringing had something to do with it? Have you ever thought that maybe it wasn't just them? 

• "I have begun to notice a common thread amongst all these young unions: inexperience.  Inexperience with dating, traveling, risks, higher education, career direction, SEX, solitude, religious exploration, etc… and it’s insane that I have already experienced more of the world in the last 22 years than my married peers will ever experience in their life."

     Congratulations, I'm glad you've experienced "life." I know plenty of people that married their current husband and they were the only man they ever dated. Guess what? They're still together and happy. I've experienced plenty. I took time off from school and everything after having a major brain surgery to find myself. I really focused on me, and amazingly enough my now husband was in front of my face within a month. Now... Traveling... Hmm... I traveled a lot before I got married and guess what, my husband and I still travel and if you ask me, it's 10000x better with him. Being able to share and experience things like traveling, risks, higher education (we're both full time students), career direction (we're able to help each other in seeking out what's best for one another), SEX (my husband and I have that, too), solitude (we have alone time if we need it), religious exploration (not sure why this has to be done alone), etc., and it's insane that every experience I've gotten to enjoy with my husband is just as, if not more amazing than those things I did on my own. You act like marriage is some end all thing that's going to ruin your life and make you miserable. Maybe it's not for everybody right now and maybe it's never for some people. That's not our business though, now is it...

Here's my favorite... 

• "I can’t help but feel like a lot of these unions are a cop-out. It is a way for young people to hide behind a significant other instead of dealing with life’s highs and lows on their own. It’s a safety blanket. It’s an admission that the world is just too big and scary to deal with it on your own; thus, you now have someone that is legally obligated to support you till one of you dies or files for divorce."

     Saying that a lot of these marriages are a cop-out is surely an interesting way to put things... Maybe staying single is a cop-out. It's a way for you to hide behind yourself because you're afraid to let someone else love you and help you deal with life's highs and lows. You're afraid to have a safety blanket with you. It's a shadow you place yourself behind, think you're too big and strong to need or want someone by your side to help you deal with the big and maybe scary parts of life; thus, you stay alone because you don't think you're able to make a commitment to yourself and to another person. I don't agree with everything I just typed, but after writing something like I just did which is a mirror image of the paragraph in that article, I feel like a complete judgmental bitch. So, I guess the writer of the article should either feel like one or she is one.

     That post talks about things like, if your love is eternal then what's the rush? My response to that is the fact that I want the ability to share my life, accomplishments, and every little thing I experience along the way with the man that I love. Sure, you can do that with a boyfriend but there's something more special to me about being married to someone. It's more intimate, and just amazing. Hey, good for you though, that you wake up feeling "single as fuck" and then realize that people are going to be "knocked up and fat" soon. Getting married doesn't automatically write you off with a guarantee of becoming pregnant within x amount of years. To say that you're the one that's really "winning" is also nothing but a closed-minded ignorant remark. Everyone is winning, because they are happy in their marriages or relationships or with being single. 

     Her list also mentions things like dating two guys at once and seeing how quickly it blows up in your face. That tells me that girls like her are why young marriages fail. She thinks cheating is cute, which is absolutely, positively, pathetic. Why is it funny to watch yourself cheat on two guys, and watch those two guys get hurt because you're acting like an idiot? It shouldn't be funny or cute or entertaining but I guess that's just how this girl is. 

     That's also great that you're happy with your life, and enjoying being single, I'm glad it works for some people. Remember it doesn't work for everybody, just like marriage might not. As far as the little list is concerned, I can do at least 18 of those things with my spouse and be happier with my list of 18 than my list of 23. I can do without dating two people at once (just why...), making out with a stranger (yes, I understand the not so literal meaning behind this statement) or sitting naked in front of a window, quite frankly. I've lived as much life as I needed to before finding my husband and now we will experience the rest of it together. I could make a list of a million things that I will now get to do, with my spouse.

     Don't get married if you're not 110% sure. Get married if you are. Get married when YOU think it's right, not because of some stupid blog post saying you're stupid and you won't have any more fun. Getting married doesn't mean anything has to change. Things won't change for the worse unless you cause them to or let them. It's all in how your relationship works. YOU control if things are good and if things are bad. I'm not saying everyone should get married at or before 23 and I'm not saying never get married. Everyone is different. 

     I was married at 19, we're heading towards being a year in and I haven't ever regretted it for a second. People can say I don't even know myself right now, but I can assure you that I do. My husband and I are as happy as happy can be and I know it will just get better. 

     Also, to the author of that article: You probably should post about marriage and how getting married young is stupid, when you're SINGLE & have NEVER been married. Just saying. 

   

Happy New Years (Almost!)

Taylor