Category Archives: Updates

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Be Back Soon

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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.

All, Cash Back, Financial, Money Apps, Updates

Scan Receipts Moved

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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.

All, Updates

It’s Been A While

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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.

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Thank You For All The Visits!

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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

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RIP Laptop 2020-2020

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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?

All, Financial, Updates

Year End Stats Coming

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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.

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Smile, Sparkle, Save!

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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!

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Photo Pages Coming Soon

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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!

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Name Changing?

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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?