Category Archives: Updates

More Info Coming Soon

So, I don’t write as much as I’d like to, because I never really know what to say. Not to mention, I always seem to have something going on in my life. It’s literally crazy on a daily basis, that it’s pretty much normalized at this point. While it consumes me constantly in one way or another, I wouldn’t even know where to start if I were to write about any of it. I honestly have thought about it though.

But I do update this site often. It’s easy for me to pop on here in between the chaos and quickly add something or make a change.

During my recent visits, I’ve noticed a bit more activity on here. I hope that the changes I’ve made have been helpful. I actually have a lot more information to add. I think that with an upcoming update, I would like to add more media too. Please be patient and do continue to check back often. Thanks!


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Get Paid For Receipts Updated

I haven’t talked about it for a while, but yes I’m still obsessed with receipts. For those that are not very familiar with this, you can actually get money back from your receipts. All you have to do is take a picture of them, then submit them on an app. Some apps let you connect your email or Amazon accounts, which will then be scanned for e-receipts. It may not seem like a lot of money at first, but it does add up. Especially when you use multiple apps. I have made about $650 so far by doing this. My family no longer makes fun of me for requesting receipts for everything.

I have updated the Submit Receipts page to include apps that:

  • have been successful
  • I’m currently testing
  • I stopped using and why

If you try out any of the apps, please use my referral links and codes so that we both may receive a bonus.

If there’s any that you use that I haven’t mentioned, please comment below. I love learning about new apps.

Thank you!

Telegram users, please also follow my SSS Telegram channel.


I Just Wonder

I’m currently updating things again. I wonder if anyone ever notices. Or if they get irritated when I move something. I change things a lot, but who is really paying that much attention. Whenever I’m able to, I kind of just constantly try to improve, update, add content, and more. Then I sit back, hoping and wondering if anyone is out there watching.

I know I could do more with my site if I focused more, but I honestly have a lot on my plate that I should be more focused on. I feel like this is my outlet, where I can express myself to an extent. With that, I also feel selfish when I’m working on it, or writing a post. But then, later, when I see my stats, it makes me feel like I was actually being productive. That makes me happy.

But, then I get nervous. I wonder if everything looks okay. Does my site make sense? Did they find anything helpful? Will they return? I get inspired to write, but I want it to be valuable or interesting content. I then realize I haven’t written a post in a while and wonder if people think my site isn’t active or current. I panic and wonder what I should write about. My mind races, and goes blank. I can’t think straight. My anxiety takes over.

Sometimes, I’ll just post about something already on my site. In most cases, I write nothing. It takes a lot in me to not draft a post, and hit that publish button. When I do, I wonder what anyone thinks about what I had to say, when I finally said it. It’s not like I’m even controversial or anything. I just always wonder and worry.

A lot of times, I will then get side tracked with something else. This gets put on the back burner, and I wonder if anyone is looking forward to updates.


This site is updated often. Please be sure to bookmark the Home Page so you’re able to find your way back to visit again.


Rebates Update

I used to write quite a bit about rebates, but I have since removed all pages and posts on the subject. I just need time to clean things up a bit. Some rules have changed in the rebating world. This has caused other things to change as well. Along with this, some companies have shut down or altered their practices. I want to make sure I’m providing correct information to everyone. Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, please check out some of the other money saving tips.


Rearranging Again

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been cleaning and updating a bit here. I’ve added some random pages, removed a few, took down some posts, rebuilt pages, and so on. I kind of do this all the time, but every so often I feel the need to change things up a bit more. My interests, phases, obsessions change so usually this site follows suit. I don’t post often for a few reasons. I don’t like to spam people with things they may not be interested in, and I do tend to either hyper focus too much or I’m frantically scattered all over the place. Why would I want to put anyone else through any of that. Especially people that actually have signed up to receive my blog updates. Although, I have actually recently considered writing a little bit more there. I’ll try to still keep it minimal and hopefully something strikes your interest. Feel free to join in the conversation if you like. I’d also like to get a lot more information on the site. I thought that since I’m constantly on a new search for some sort of knowledge, I would share along the way.

Thanks for joining me in all of my adventures!


New Year Resolution 2022

Okay, so I decided this year I will partake in this whole New Year’s Resolution thing.

I thought maybe it’s time that I stop holding back all of the time. I let my anxiety get the best of me constantly with everything. It controls how and what I say and do. It controls my mind, my body. My medications don’t seem to help. I can’t get into therapy for at least another three months, and that’s just to get on the list. So, you may be subjected to being my only outlet. I’m so sorry in advance.

So, you’ll start seeing a few more posts from me. I can’t promise anything. I may even vent, or just ramble nonsense. Hopefully, it’ll be interesting and you’ll continue to join in on the adventures. You’ll be noticing a bit more things here on the site. I started some of the changes, but I have a lot more to go. I’m a bit excited, but also nervous. I’m terrified of judgement. I don’t want to say the wrong things. I don’t want to offend or upset anyone. I don’t want to cause any problems. I’m paranoid and ridiculous. I’m only making things worse.

So, love me, hate me, or just think I’m the crazy lady with some new weird obsession that I’ve got to share…

Thanks for coming along with me on this never ending journey!

It’s That Time Again

Time to clean up my site. Time to rearrange. Rebuild. Add things, and draft some. I do this a lot more than people realize. I rarely post when I do. I’m not sure what actually constitutes as an “update”, so I don’t bother. I’m constantly tweaking something here and there. Constantly! Is that normal? Do people do this? I think I’m obsessed. Sometimes I just rip the whole thing apart and start over. I often think that no one is really looking at my site anyway. I could move things twenty times without anyone knowing, or even caring that I deleted eight pages already. But then I worry about the possibility that someone is actually using my site and now hate that I moved something. If this is you, please do not hesitate to use the feedback form. I do appreciate input. Otherwise, I’m going to keep building as I go, and hope for the best. Thanks for your continued support!


Quick Note To You

Hello everyone! This is just a quick update. I haven’t created any posts here in a while, but I have been sharing all sorts of things on my social media. Be sure to follow me so you can stay posted.

As always, I’ve been doing all sorts of updates here, adding content, moving things around, cleaning up, and whatnot. I’m constantly doing this, and have tons more yet. Thank you for your patience. Please be sure to fill out the feedback form to let me know how I’m doing so far.

I have a lot going on with home, family, mentally, physically, in life, and in general. It never seems to end. This site kind of always served as an outlet for me. I just wish I could manage to post a bit more. Thank you for your ongoing support of me and my site. The amount of visitors, repeat visits, readers, and followers is always greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!
Lady Skullshine ❤


The Struggle Is Real

The struggle really is real, and is a major pain in the buttocks. I nearly threw in the towel and accepted defeat, once again. I had all sorts of plans to share a whole lot of information, updates, financial tips, the freebies I receive, and so much more. I really do want to help everyone I can, without pestering them.

Except, I encounter a slew of roadblocks along the way of trying to do this. I admit that a lot of this is in my head, literally. I have OCD, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and on, and on. I’m in a never ending battle with my own self. My mind is constantly going in a ridiculous amount of directions at triple speeds, and I can barely catch up. It’s exhausting, mentally and physically. I also have a ton of stomach issues that are triggered by every little thing. Then add some memory loss, chronic pain, and myalgia to the mix.

Not to mention, of course, being Mom always takes precedence over everything. I have two daughters, our Emotional Support dog, and several fancy rats that keep me on my toes. My youngest daughter has Autism, Tourette’s, DMDD, among other things. I stay in close proximity to her at all times and am always on alert. So it’s sometimes hard to manage other things as well.


I’m not saying any of this as an excuse or for sympathy. A lot of times, in some ways, I actually feel awkward discussing it in general. Yet, I also do want people to know what I experience on a regular basis. I think it helps to know where people are coming from.

A lot of things seem to be a constant struggle for me. It doesn’t matter how tiny or ginormous the issue may be. Nothing really dictates my response to things. For example, a stack of dishes could fall and smash everywhere and I’ll say it’s totally okay, as long as no one was hurt. But God forbid a cup is out of place in the cabinet. I will wreak havoc and lose my mind.


This is just a general recap of most of my sharing experiences…

I find a deal (or even anything in general) that I want to share, and have to decide where to post it. I think how it should be from a central location that can be shared from, but sometimes jump to a different platform. I get hyper focused, putting more thought into it, dissecting it, rewriting again. I want to include as much information as possible, but not be too wordy. I get side tracked a few times, I rethink how to word things, I wonder if anyone will really look at it and if so, what will they think of it, or of even of me. I start to second guess myself, and then my life. I get side tracked again. When I click the app again on my phone, I end up swiping it away. It is either lost forever or saved in my drafts, where I might look at it much later in the future when I’m cleaning things up.

I know, it just sounds like I’m being ridiculous and I should get over it. Believe me, I’ve tried. I push myself all of the time. Sometimes, somehow the more I try, the worse it gets. I can easily become a huge train wreck in no time.


So, in an effort to share deals quickly and easily, without having a mental breakdown or worrying about spamming everyone, I think I may make a Telegram channel. I’m still working out other platforms, so who knows. I also thought about making a blog post for each deal, but I’m pretty sure that my email subscribers would hate me and they will quickly unsubscribe. That would make me extremely sad.

If I decide to use this new channel, my intention is to post often throughout the day. In most cases, that won’t happen. But if it does, it shouldn’t bother anyone too much since they specifically signed up to be inundated with all sorts of savings tips, deals, money makers, rebates, and more.

I suppose I’ll create it and see how I feel about it. Unless of course, no one uses it?


Please don’t let me fall down another rabbit hole…

Does anyone even use Telegram? What is your favorite app to get notifications? Do you have any suggestions for the best ways to share deals quick/often? Comment below with any tips you may have for me.



A Few Updates

A lot has been going on so I haven’t had a lot of time to even grasp my thoughts long enough to share anything here with anyone. But, I have actually been doing a lot of updates around my site.

I added a new page called Smile Sparkle Save. It’s really just a table of contents type of page for the financial section of my site. I’ve made quite a few updates throughout those pages as well. They include Financial Basics, Extra Money, Savings Tips, Scan Receipts, and Freebies.

I also recently started adding a few picture pages. If anyone isn’t aware, I used to do a lot of photography and promoting of several local bands in my area. That’s how this site even originated. It’s focus has since changed quite a bit. At first, I moved anything LadySkullshine related to a tiny section on the About page. After a little bit of thought though, I decided that I would add a bunch of my old pictures. I have a lot more to add when I have a moment.

Please take a look around and check out the new look so far. Let me know what you think. If you get lost or want to discover more pages, visit the Site Map.

Thank you!
– LadySkullshine

Be Back Soon

I have been MIA here lately. I’ve done a few things behind the scenes here and there, but that’s about it. I’ve been extremely involved in a lot of other projects and things around the house. Once I get a few things taken care of, I really want to make a lot of updates here.

We got a new mattress for my daughters’ room, so we did some rearranging. Then we got a new cage for our pet rats. It’s a double setup so we can have both the girls and boys in it without them having babies. That was a bit of a catastrophe at first to put together. I got a bit overwhelmed and had a meltdown. Eventually we got it together and it is actually pretty awesome.

I’ve been doing some more reading lately too. Reading, research, and some tarot too. I actually read a lot. I used to read actual books, now it’s all online research. I used to listen a lot to audiobooks too. Every night at bedtime. I’m interested in a lot of different things. Nothing non fiction. Not since Stephen King back in the early 90’s maybe. As far as tarot, it’s just my Angel Guidance deck. Nothing major.

I’ve been trying to get on the ball with my couponing. I also definitely got a ton of freebie items in the meantime. Foot rests, coasters, cocktail shaker, wine tumbler, gold necklaces, bracelet and necklace set, tie dye kit, t-shirt, weighted blanket, plush robe, skull apron, keto bars, resistance bands, tactical flashlights, tote bag, rechargeable lighter, oven mitt set, pajamas, and more.

If you want to follow my madness, I try to post daily updates in my Facebook group and Instagram called Smile, Sparkle, Save!. I share the freebies I receive, ways to save money, and also ways to earn gift cards.


Scan Receipts Moved

In an effort to declutter my site a bit, I moved the section about scanning receipts to it’s own page. There’s a lot of sites listed and information included, so I thought it was justified. As an introduction, update, or a refresher, I am including all of the apps that I have listed on the new page here.

I haven’t talked much about scanning receipts lately. Basically, for those of you that don’t know, I save every single receipt from everything. I scan them with several apps, and then log them in my budget spreadsheet. It takes very little time, and I get some money back, so why not? So far, I’ve received $175+ in cash back using the following apps, and a few more I haven’t listed yet. I haven’t updated that amount recently, and the amounts listed below do not include my current pending balances. Over time, I’ve learned to wait to cash out because the payout is usually higher.


These are the apps that I am currently using to scan my daily receipts. I’m using a Droid phone, located in PA, USA. Please use my referral links so that we both may receive an incentive. Thank you!

  • Coin Out
  • Fetch Rewards
  • Ibotta
  • Inbox Dollars
  • National Consumer Panel
  • Receipt Hog
  • Receipt Pal
  • Swagbucks

  • Coin Out:

I scan every single receipt through CoinOut, and also email them my digital receipts as well. They give you random amounts for each one, and there is a daily scan limit. You can earn a $1 incentive if you let your balance hit $20, which is what I’m working on now.

Besides scanning receipts, you can also shop through the app for cash back, enter a contest, sign up for offers, and more.

So far, I have received $23 back.

Please use my referral code: TAYT94E.

  • Fetch Rewards:

Fetch Rewards lets you scan receipts, and also checks your email for digital receipts.. They have a minimum cash out of 3,500 points, which is $3.

This has been great for getting cash back from my Amazon purchases. I just added my Giant Direct as well. I’ve cashed out $41 so far.

If you want to try them out, please use my referral code: E4HFT.

  • Ibotta:

With Ibotta, you add the offer on the app, then scan your grocery receipts and then the items that you purchased. You will get cash back added to your balance. They have a cash out limit of $20.

Besides scanning your receipts, you can also get cash back from online shopping and buying gift cards.

I’ve earned $43.35 so far from this app. I’ve seen others making a lot of money back, if you do this right.

Now that I’m a lot more active with Ibotta, I’m inviting everyone to join my team for even more savings. You can use my referral link, or referral code “N32FQ“. When you do, I receive $10. We then work together towards more cash bonuses. Thank you!

  • Inbox Dollars :

Inbox Dollars is now taking receipts, but it doesn’t seem to work well for me. They are in a beta mode from what I was told.

This is also listed on the Extra Money page, under Surveys.

  • National Consumer Panel :

National Consumer Panel is slightly different. Instead of scanning your receipt, you scan each of your items. You will need to enter things like the price, if there was a sale, total receipt amount, if you used a loyalty card, and method of payment. They also accept things that are unable to be scanned, like take out and Amazon purchases.

NCP also has surveys to complete either on the app or online.

I couldn’t find any referral information, but still wanted to share since I just cashed out $25 from here.

  • Receipt Hog :

Receipt Hog has a minimum cash out of 1,000 coins, which is $5. Keep an eye out for an occasional survey too.

I’ve made $30 back from this one so far.

There is no referral information to share. Last I checked, they weren’t taking any new members.

  • Receipt Pal:

You can scan most receipts with Receipt Pal. They also have sweepstakes that you automatically get entered in. They also give you bonus entries.

So far, I have cashed out $35 in Amazon gift cards.

If you sign up, please use my referral code: PPTWMPZJ

  • Swagbucks:

Swagbucks has a section each for clothing, Hallmark, and everyday receipts. They need to be scanned within 14 days.

I’ve made $14 so far, but I’ve heard people making a lot more.

Swagbucks is also on the Extra Money page, listed under Surveys.


For any updates on Scanning Receipts, please see the new page.

More information like this, can be found on the following pages: Financial Talk, Savings Tips, Extra Money, and Freebies.


It’s Been A While

I feel like I’m so very far behind on everything. Not having a laptop for about two weeks definitely set me back quite a bit. I think after that, everything just pretty much snowballed out of control. My last post was on January 8th. I knew it was a while, but didn’t realize it was that long.

I feel like a lot has gone on since then.

To start, a few of our pet rats have found new homes. The remaining ones are getting quite large, especially the boys. The girls haven’t tried to escape lately. I think this last cage repair might have finally did it. If you like, you can follow Malakai_the.rat.king‘s adventures on Instagram.

I haven’t been couponing. I slacked with scanning my receipts. However, I have been ordering lots of freebie items. I am in the process of organizing some upcoming projects, and I’m reevaluating of a lot of things in the financial realm. I’ve also been making some updates to my site.

I have a ginormous list of so many things I want to get done. I know the majority of it will just get bounced around in my head for quite a while. I have trouble remembering, or even retaining a thought process. It’s pretty bad. It doesn’t help that I’ve been out of my ADHD meds for over a week. My OCD doesn’t stand a chance these days.

I just hope to keep up my momentum. At least, things are still getting done.


Thank You For All The Visits!

I’ve noticed quite a bit more traffic on my site in comparison to previous years. Since inception 2011, 2020 had the highest amount of visitors. What’s even more awesome? I already have more visitors this month, than I did in January 2020.

All of this is incredible to me. I greatly appreciate everyone that has taken the time to visit, especially those that check back for updates. It really means a lot to me. Thank you!


Follow me on Facebook and Instagram:

LadySkullshine

Smile, Sparkle, Save!

Happy Notes To The Universe

Pet Rattie Pics


RIP Laptop 2020-2020

Unfortunately, my laptop will not turn back on, as of this afternoon. I literally just bought it this year, second hand. It didn’t even make it to the end of 2020. It’s somehow fitting for the year we’ve had.

I’m so extremely upset about this. I can’t get any of my work done. I’ll do my best to still post, but I’m limited as to what I can really do on my phone.

Luckily, I recently started saving up my Amazon gift cards for one. I just didn’t expect it to be this soon. Or this tragic. I hope I can somehow get some files off of it yet. Have I mentioned how upset I am?


Year End Stats Coming

I’ll be doing my end of the year calculations soon, where I will figure out what apps and sites have been the most profitable. It will help me to determine what is worth my time to continue using.

All of it is very time consuming, regardless of what is being done. It also gets overwhelming. That’s added anxiety that I don’t need. So, I try to limit it any way I can. Not to mention, there’s only so much time in a day.

I’ll share once I have the data. I also want to do some year end assessments of some of the companies. In the meantime, I’ve been cleaning things up a bit across the site. I may be making a few more changes.

Stay tuned for updates.


Smile, Sparkle, Save!

No, I still haven’t changed the name. I’m not 100% sure that I absolutely want to. I have no issues with keeping it. I actually would rather not change it. I have used LadySkullshine as my username on everything for the past ten years.

It’s just that, it no longer really applies to my site content. Lady Skullshine originated when I was working with a lot of metal bands. Now, I’m sharing tips about saving money. It’s definitely a bit of a switch. The name doesn’t exactly scream “savings”.

I have a really hard time coming up with names. A lot of time and thought needs to go into it. Nothing I can think of really seems to fit. ‘Smile, Sparkle, Save’ is one of my favorites. I think it’s because I’ve always said “Smile, Sparkle, Shine”. That will probably be my new catchphrase lol. I’m just not sure it’s a great name to change it to.

So for now, the name will have to remain, with the happy catchphrase.

LadySkullshine
Smile, Sparkle, Save!


Photo Pages Coming Soon

This is just a head’s up to let you know I went crazy again building new pages for my site. There will be some photo pages coming shortly, once I’m done setting it all up. For now, you may see a few partial pages floating around here and there. I’m undecided how I really want to do the layout.

Please be patient and excuse my mess in the meantime.

Thanks!

Name Changing?

For a while now, I’ve been contemplating changing the name from LadySkullshine.

This is already a very difficult thing for me to do. I’ve used this name for over 10 years and have a long history with it. Google LadySkullshine and see how many pages of results come up. But it no longer applies to me really anymore. I mean, ‘LadySkullshine’ isn’t exactly screaming “Hey, let’s chat about saving some money.”

Also, I am horrible at picking out names. I didn’t originally create LadySkullshine by myself. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have a name at all. Or this site. It took me a long time to name my children and even my pets. A name means a lot. It’s what everyone calls you. It can be the grounds for someone to judge you, whether they think you’re cool or if they will make fun of you. It can make you stand out or be washed away. It can resonate in the minds of others or be forgotten immediately.

There’s so many combinations and possibilities. I want the name to be catchy and relevant. Nothing boring. Something people will remember and easily share with other people. By the time I come up with something different, everyone will be used to LadySkullshine and will be confused by the change.

So, for now I’ll keep the name and continue contemplating new ones.

Lady Savings? Sparkle Savings? Simple Savings? The Savings Lady? Save With Sparkles? Smile Sparkle Save?