Reward Program CheckUp

Time for Thrifty Thursday ... I'm a fan of fitness programs that PAY me for simply stepping. It isn't a lot, but it doesn't require much on my part either. I'm going to be exercising anyway! I just link up my Fitbit and then pop in every once in a while to see what I've earned. I ended up checking in with all three of my current programs this past week or so ...

**Walgreens - Balance Rewards**

It's that time of year ... in addition to any back to school shopping, incoming 7th graders need updates to their immunizations. Normally I'd go to our pediatrician, but he was unavailable ... what to do? Walgreens to the rescue! We just walked-in, got the couple shots, and were done. They also do a donation to a child in need, and it added 200 points to my balance rewards. I hadn't peeked at my Walgreen's balance rewards for a while, so I did ...

You can link your Fitbit (or some other apps) to Walgreens to earn balance rewards points. There is a cap of $2 per month for activity (walking/running), but it does add up. I glanced at my balance page and saw I was also  getting points for my daily weigh-ins (my Fitbit Alta scale, auto connected to my account). Additionally, I have made some purchases at Walgreens, paying special attention to their points back specials (5000 points if you spend $20, or points back on certain products. Watch emails and ads for offers). It adds up! $60 in rewards. I had fun with a little shopping spree, basically free!

**PACT**

PACT is another program I rarely check in with. When I started, I committed to seven days a week for workouts and meal tracking. But I like having a little cushion. Sometimes I'll have a rest day, where I don't get in a workout (or 10k in steps), or I forget to log food. For quite a while now, I cut my Pact back to four days for both exercise and eating (tracking on MFP) as barring sickness or vacation, I'll get that in no problem.

I'm not sure what prompted me to look at my pact last week. I noticed I had not received my workout credit for Monday or Tuesday (Aug1,2). I checked, and it said everything was synced up. Hmmmm. I submitted a ticket, and received a response that "there have been Fitbit integration issues" this week and that they were working on it. I really wish they had given users a heads up about that! Our options were to use alternate tracking (but I don't want to keep my iphone in my pocket during Zumba!) or to take a break or to submit a ticket for each day exercise didn't log in error. Quite the pain! So instead of my usual four gym workouts, I only got credit for one (even though I hit 10k all seven days that week) and I just put myself on break this week ... then I guess I'll check back in to see if it's been fixed (they mentioned an app update). I usually earn about $1 a week with Pact ... if I hadn't have caught this though, I would have been charged $20! I'm sure Pact would have made it right, but not without a lot of rigamarole. There is that bit of risk with Pact, you can end up paying out!

**Achievemint **

I joined up with Achievemint when they first started up a few years ago. I have earned several cash rewards from them. I used to recommend them to everyone who had a Fitbit (or other tracker/app they link with). It's easy. Just link and forget about it. Just check in every once in a while. You can sign up for email updates too. Then there were some struggles getting payments (it would take a while, but I got them) and a waiting list to even sign up ... so I stopped recommending the program, because people couldn't sign up even if they wanted to. They initiated a "threshold" and said participants couldn't earn rewards anymore, after a certain amount (that was fair, I figured that was how they would let new members on). Recently though, they opened it up again, both to new enrollments and to existing members ... everyone could start earning again. And I have! Earned and redeemed another reward. Thanks Achievemint! It takes a little longer now for the points to add up, but they do. I even got a bonus 300 points for filling out a PokemonGo survey a week or so ago! So SIGN UP if you haven't already!

... and have a happy Thrifty Thursday! Keep stepping!
And yes, I miss FitStudio!

Closing Up Shop?

No, my blog isn't closing up shop. I am struggling with success on the weight-loss front but I plan on continuing posting my journey, such as it is. But when I heard Sports Authority was closing it's stores, I was surprised!  That's what I'll be talking about this Thrifty Thursday.

We have (had ... I'm already thinking past tense) a Sports Authority right close by. It was actually a Sports Chalet for several years prior,  before that company closed it last year. We were happy to hear that Sports Authority took over the building. It had only been open a few months!

I'm not a big Sports Authority shopper  ... nor Sports Chalet before that (I tend to stop at Big5, much to the scoffing and chagrin of Hubs). Everything just seems quite pricey at the specialty sports stores. Sports Authority is  known for their 20% off coupons ... but have you ever checked out the list of exclusions? EVERYTHING!  (I did a perturbed post about it on my family blog back in 2010  What a Racquet). Still, it was nice having it so close, just in case we needed something sports-y quickly. 

When the Sports Authority closing was first announced, and the sign went up, and the "Everything Must Go" emails went out ... I avoided the place like the plague. I LOVE deals, but crowds and chaos? Major anxiety triggers for me and not worth any savings. 

... when my Kmart was on the list of closing stores, I can't say I was surprised. Kmart has been closing select stores for almost a year now. When I discovered the FitStudio program back in Spring of 2014, I did start shopping at Kmart/Sears. I'd make a weekly shopping trip with my points, I started paying more attention to their surprise points and deals, and they would have a lot of great sales and savings. Over the last couple of years, a ton of our clothes, shoes, and other items came from Kmart. When the Fitstudio program folded (Farewell Fitstudio) a few months ago (Feb2016), my shopping trips slowed and almost stopped all together. So while I'm a bit bummed our Kmart is closing, it's not near the tragedy it would have been earlier, when the FitStudio program and my weekly shopping trips were in full swing.

I wasn't sure I'd dare stop in ... but I did. Here in the early days of the "Everything Must Go" I really wasn't very impressed. Kmart's usual sale prices were better than 20% the regular prices, which is what most things were. I had surprise points for $5 off a $20 purchase, so I did pick up a few things that were priced pretty good. I stopped again this last Monday (it's on my way home from Monday Zumba) and prices hadn't dropped any more yet (but I had another $5 off $20, and did find a few more things). Not sure how long until the store actually closes, and if prices will drop more ... I might stop again on another Monday, we'll see.

Another store closing it's doors is Hancock Fabrics. While I used to be quite the crafter and seamstress in days past ... I hadn't needed to go to a fabric store in forever. But then I had my recent re-interest in Pinterest in the past weeks and needed some ribbon to make my cute new hanging towels for my kitchen. So I actually DID hit them and grabbed some rolls of ribbon before they closed their doors.

 This cute basketball ribbon was one of my finds.

My 12-year-old actually commented that this is a cool kitchen towel :)

I always feel a little sad when a store closes it's doors. I wonder what happens to all the employees, and how the empty building affects shopping at the neighboring businesses. Of course, new and exciting companies often revamp the space ... we'll see what happens at these nearby locations.

With Sports Authority stores closing all over ... 

Did any of my fitness friends get any great deals?

Achievemint Update ... Update

Getting PAID for healthy habits? Sign me up! Back when I first discovered Achievemint in 2013, there were a number of reward programs, and I was participating in them all. Over the years, many of the programs have transformed or ended all together.  I always recommended Achievemint to any of my family and friends who had a Fitbit (other trackers and apps work too) because it was so easy. Just sign up, link your Achievemint account to your tracker ... and forget about it. Follow emailed updates, or check in occasionally online, and at some point, you'll reach your reward. Request your redemption (wait a bit) and walla ... $$. 

... and things are shifting again!

Check out my most recent post about Achievemint's Evolution  (August 1, 2017)

I've done a number of blog posts about my Achievemint Experience (Achievemint Update,  Fitness Reward Followups, Another Achievemint Update ). So why another post from me? Because there are new changes, and as I notice people checking out my older entries and I wanted to include the most recent information. 

A couple of days ago ... I received an email from Achievemint. Just a form letter, but as far as I know (I've asked around with family and friends) no one else has received it, and it's not on their site (or mentioned on their Facebook or Twitter) so I thought I'd put it out there! GREAT info ...

Hello, motivation. Goodbye, reward limits.

Hello Jen,

We heard your frustration with not being able to earn additional rewards on AchieveMint once you hit your limit. Staying healthy is an ongoing process and we wanted AchieveMint to reflect that. That’s why there’s no limit to the amount of rewards that you can earn now -- it also allows even more members to participate and we hope it keeps you engaged and motivated. We’ve also improved our payout system to ensure prompt reward redemption.

Here’s how our new points system works:

• Earn up to up to 80 points a day for the daily amount of tracked activity you do (biking, walking, running, swimming and other forms of exercise).

• Earn up to 6 points per day for the activities you do fewer times a day (like logging your meals, recording your weight, or taking your blood pressure).

• We now pay you $10 for every 10,000 points you earn, instead of making you wait to accrue 25,000 points before you earn $25.

• You might notice that you earn points more slowly. This allows us to let you earn unlimited rewards and stay motivated to keep doing healthy activities as part of your daily lifestyle. So, we think that’s a good thing.

• In addition, we’re adding new programs that offer extra opportunities for you to earn cash or rewards on top of your baseline AchieveMint points. Stay tuned for more information about contributing to clinical studies through our new AchieveMint Studies product!

• Points expire one year from the date they are earned.

We’re also introducing the newest version of our AchieveMint app for iOS. It’s a convenient way to integrate with Apple Health, earn points faster and get on-the-go updates.

Your friends at AchieveMint

I'd received over $100 in payouts from Achievemint before I received a nice email saying I'd hit their threshold and I wasn't able to earn any more rewards.  I never disconnected my Fitbit or other apps (MFP, Instagram/Twitter), and I guess I was still earning points, even though it wasn't toward a payout. When I received the email above, I logged into my account and had enough points to redeem a reward! I've requested it ... and now I'm waiting, and my remaining points are progressing toward earning again ...

As the email above stated ... Achievemint has adjusted how activities earn. I don't remember exactly what earned how much before, but I do know these amounts are a bit less, but you can still earn almost 100 per day. I weigh in everyday (on my Fitbit Aria, linked to my Fitbit account), my Fitbit records my sleep,  I enter food on MFP and Fitbit counts my steps and active minutes. I also post on Instagram/Twitter daily, and get a little kickback from that. Here's a snapshot of my recent account activity ...

I did add the Achievemint app to my iphone. There are so many apps Achievemint accepts data from, so be sure to check out what is available and make sure you are linked up!

Sign up with this link and get 250 points to start you off!

So ... any other Achievement people receive the email I did? As I AM the go-to girl, I did hear back from family that some accounts still say "you have reached the reward threshold" but I did a quick email to the company asking about this (and got a very fast response too! Thanks Achievemint!) saying that this is temporary, that everyone is earning toward a reward at this point and that should be updated in the next couple weeks. So earn away! I'll update when I receive my most recent reward! ;)

**I received my email about my awards on Friday, June 10, so it took under a month. It's a GiftRocket card, which can be applied to your bank account or credit card. The bank transfer takes a couple of days ... 

***Update November 17, 2016. Hit my 10k. Redeemed and received my reward the next day! 

****Update March 23, 2017.  I hit my 10,000 and redeemed my award and received it the SAME DAY! Paypal has been added as a reward payout option.

Basketballs, Big Bottles and Red Noses

It's  been a while since I've done a Thrifty Thursday post, 

After Zumba today, I figured I stop at Walgreens, as it's right on the way home (yes, I'm a sweaty mess, but if I don't go while I'm already out and about, I won't go). In the weekly ad, I noticed they had some basketballs for $10 each. My boys go though basketballs! I'd also received an email to add a coupon (7000 points/$7 earned on a $20 purchase), so it would be a pretty good deal. I was also thinking I'd pick up a Red Nose while at Walgreens. Have you heard of Red Nose Day? It's aimed at raising money and awareness for poverty stricken kids. It's coming up May26. I purchased a red nose (I actually grabbed three of them) and was given three Red Box vouchers as a thank you!

The Red Nose cost $1 (all proceeds going to kids in poverty) 

Redbox rental worth $1 ... 

That's a decent deal, right?

So sadly, I didn't get any basketballs, I couldn't see any on the shelf, although when I checked online at home, it said the store had some in stock. Unfortunately, the basketballs were in store only, but while online I found some other deals ... I ended up placing an order for $60 (good prices/free shipping) and then got $10 off for using Visa Checkout. I also got over 22,000 in points ($22+ on a future purchase). Deal!

While at the store, I found my big bottle jug again! 

I picked up mine at Big Lots a couple months ago. I've LOVED it. I love my water ice cold, and before, with whatever water bottle I was using, I'd either put too much ice, and then run out of drinkable water during Zumba class, or I wouldn't put enough ice in, and my water wouldn't be cold enough (I know, first world problems, right?) For $5.99, I figured I'd pick up a backup in blue. Good to have a backup, and I've offered my awesome water bottle to my boys as they go play basketball (and often run out of water, especially on double header games). They always turned me down though, not wanting to take my big PINK water bottle for some reason.

I've had a lot of people ask me about my water bottle, so now I can steer them to Walgreens as a possible option. It is on Amazon too, but for much more $$! I do get teased about it too ... saying I must get quite the arm workout carrying it into class. It's true ... but I love it, and love having the water around to drink when I get home too.  My son has teased me that my car thinks it is a small child ... also true, as when I place it on the passenger seat, it will set off the seat belt alarm.

So, I feel like I had a some successful savings (and spending) this Thrifty Thursday. 

Even if I didn't end up getting the basketballs ...

And while we're on the subject of Walgreens ... I did have over 20,000 points ($20) I could have used, but you can't spend and earn points on the same purchase. I guess I could have used my points to cover my in-store purchase, but if you let your points pile up, they do earn a bit more in credit (I like to hit the high of $50). I have my Fitbit tracker attached to my Walgreens Balance Rewards account, so I'm earning about $2 a month with that (and it accumulates). Then I add some points with purchases ... Hubs stopped at the store a bit ago to fill a couple prescriptions and didn't give them our account #. Silly husband! We could have received 200 points with his filled medications. While I was online today, I grabbed the receipt and entered the information and walla ...

Now back to the beginning of this blog post ... Red Nose Day

Have you heard of it before? I think the whole red nose approach is a cute and clever way to get people involved in the cause. I'll be watching the media to see if it pops up on my newsfeeds. I do have to say, as I was posing for my picture ... it was REALLY hard to breathe with that thing on! *Ü*

Farewell Fitstudio :(

Time for a Thrifty Thursday post ... but one bearing bad news. Fitstudio ... the program to earn points for your activity is shutting down. I first blogged about Fitstudio back in 2014, so it (and I) had a good run. Since that time, I became a weekly shopper at Sears and Kmart. I received so many great deals. I guess I'm not super surprised the program is ending, because it was basically just giving away money. 

So ... I guess I'll have to go back to my previous posts, where I recommend Fitstudio and alter them, as Fitstudio is no longer accepting new members. Current members can collect points through February 10, then no new points earned through activity will be posted. Member's points will remain active for the regular 7-day expiration period. Any other "Shop Your Way" points earned through shopping/coupons, etc. should not be affected.

I try not to be hard on any program that is promoting fitness and rewarding activity. I understood when several months ago they cut back the credit from $5+ a week to $2. I only wish they were a little more forthcoming to their members. They have our email addresses ... a heads up to that change, and THIS change, would have been nice. The notice of Fitstudio's farewell is posted on their website (fitstudio.com) and if you attempt to log into your Fitstudio dashboard. No mention of this on their facebook page.

Maybe the drop in credit several months ago was a good thing ... I'd already cut down on my Kmart/Sears shopping a bit. Not the bite of closing the program isn't quite so bad. Ironically, I'd joined a Facebook page promoting SYW deals and steals and through that group I discovered coupons, sweeps and double checked my emails for surprise points perhaps I'd been missing all along (assuming they were just spam). So I still may be shopping at Kmart/Sears depending on my offered savings ... I have been a bit spoiled!

I just thought I'd give a shout out here on the blog ... to those I've recommended this program to, just so you are all aware. And a THANK YOU to Fitstudio for promoting activity with financial rewards. Thanks to Kmart and Sears too, it was a great program while it lasted!

Looking Back on Pact 2015

I've posted many times about fitness reward programs. Earning a bit of a kick-back from the activity I'm doing every day anyway. When I find someone who has a Fitbit, I love to tell them about the reward programs I recommend (FitStudio, Achievemint & Walgreens).  I usually leave Pact off my list, just because there is a risk with Pact, you can actually end up paying OUT money if you don't fulfill your commitment. 

January 2015, I posted about my experience to that point (My Yearlong Pact). As another year has now passed, I figured I'd do an annual update. If you just want the facts ... last year I made $113.38. This year it was $74.5. A decent return for doing things I'd be doing anyway.

I forgot to grab a screen shot at the end of the year (dang it, I know I thought about it but I couldn't find it in my files). So the image up top is showing me reset for 2016. I've earned almost $3 so far! I did change my profile picture sometime last year (to match my Facebook/Instagram/Twitter which I had updated earlier in the year. When I originally started using Pact, I was a little more enthusiastic about the program and had committed to tracking seven days a week. Although I never failed to meet my Pact, there were a few days when I didn't want to! I dropped down to five days a week for most of 2015. I lost a little motivation (and my free Friday Zumba when school started up with a conflicting carpool) and I dropped it down to four days. Then I was dragging SO much in December, I dropped it down to three (you are in control of what you commit to and can change it weekly if you wish). 

I caught a cold or something in December, and wasn't even sure I wanted to commit to three times a week for my exercise and food tracking. I decided to put my Pact on break (which is another option). Or I THOUGHT I did anyway. I apparently put the food tracking on break, but not the exercise/activity (which is too bad because I really was still tracking food the entire time). I hadn't even checked into the Pact that week, because I thought I was on break! I did peek at it as the weekend hit and ...oops, NOT on break! I really pushed on Saturday (Dec26) to hit 10k, but I just didn't have it in me on Sunday.

For the first time ... I hadn't fulfilled my Pact.

Actually, as I was anticipating writing up a review for the year, I figured it would be good to have the entire experience ... which can include paying out. Pact doesn't pull from your  earned credit, but from the credit card you put on file (required when you sign up). I did laugh a little when I was notified of the $5 deduction for the week. "Thank you for contributing to the Pact experience" ... "contributing" is actually a punishment but the made it sound like you were being magnanimous.

So looking back at Pact in 2015 ... my payout for the year was $79.50.  Minus the $5 payment I had to make, I earned $74.50 for the year. The weekly payout changes from week to week. It depends on how many participants did and did not make their Pact. Those who don't pay, and the pot is distributed among those who fulfilled theirs. I noticed some higher payouts in December ... I don't think I was the only one who missed a workout during the Christmas season.

Starting over again now.
I probably should up my commitment to at least four days a week ...
Maybe FIVE. We'll see.
I'll check back in January of next year!

My Walgreens Reward Redemption

It's Thrifty Thursday, and I got $50 of stuff free at Walgreens today!

It's been a while since I posted about my Walgreens Reward program. Not that I shop at Walgreens all that often myself. There are a couple close by, and as I examine their ad in the Sunday paper, there will be some deals that peak my interest. So while I have made a trip or two in, I had NOT attempted to redeem my rewards, until today. 

With the Walgreens reward program, as you earn more points, you can get a little more credit for said points if you collect them. I went ahead and let my points pile up, rather than spending them as soon as I had a $5 credit. 

I linked up my Fitbit and my Aria scale  quite a while ago, so I was getting points for my activity and daily weigh-in.  I also started to pay more attention to additional ways to add to my points. In every ad, Walgreens will have deals where you can earn points with purchases. Generally, points are only earned on specific featured products, which change weekly. However this summer there has been a perk you can add to your account to earn 10 points for every $1 spent. There are also frequent "Spend $25 and get 5000 points($5)" specials. I did participate in some of those, and at this point, had over 40,000 in points. I figured I'd go ahead and test the "spending" of them. 

I went into Walgreens today, even knowing that I could pick up $50 worth of products for free, I still looked for deals and things we needed as a family. I grabbed some tissue and TP at comparable sale prices. I grabbed some beauty stuff (makup remover, hairspray), found an O2CoolMist&Sip Water Bottle that Hubs had been requesting ... $10, about the same as on Amazon.  This and that ... and I was at just over $50. Checkout was absolutely painless ... I just input my Balance Rewards # and my credit came right off without any issues.

Now one thing to be aware of ... some of those deals? Where you get balance rewards points with a purchase? They do NOT work when you are redeeming points. You can only earn OR redeem in a transaction. So I didn't pick up any of those other deal items today. I did use some coupons, and they still worked just fine with the rewards redemption. 

Now - I had mentioned Walgreens, Fitstudio and Achievemint on a Facebook post and someone came back with a question about signing up ... saying that some Fitbit models (ie, Charge) weren't working with it. I had never gotten around to signing up my son for Walgreens Balance Rewards, so I went ahead and did that. It WAS a little tricky to figure it out at first. I hit the "join now" and filled out his info, and when it came to linking a device, only the Flex and Zip were showing (as they are sold by Walgreens). But ... if you just choose either, you will then be taken to a step to sync to your Fitbit account. There on your Fitbit account, it doesn't matter which device you are using, the data will come across to any of the partner sites (trust me, Hubs has gone from a Zip to a Flex to a One to a Surge and back to a Zip and none of the partner sites have blinked an eye). 

 So just in the past few days since we did the new sign up, my son earned points for connecting a device, and then all the other "walk or run" entries just happen automatically. So he will have a way to go before he earns anything substantial (as there are monthly limits on how much you can earn) but it does add up. Not long ago my mom called and asked me to check her rewards (as we'd gotten her signed up when she first got her Fitbit) and sure enough she had $20 waiting for her there. It's just a nice little program to set up, forget about ... then remember and redeem! Or ... as I'm sure Walgreens hopes you'll do, pay more attention to their ads and promotions and add a more points through purchases as well. I do appreciate any company that as willing to promote fitness rewards though!

 Why yes I did. Thank you!

I have mentioned the Walgreens Balance Rewards program before, and how you can earn points with your daily activity. Back in my original Reaping the Rewards post and then a more specific look  (Walking with Walgreens).  I just thought it was time for another update, when I'd actually redeemed them! Back to piling up my points ...

Shop Your Way Rewards

I've never been a big shopper. I do it when necessary, but it's not something I enjoy. We have both a Kmart and Sears quite close by, but they weren't stores I would frequent. I do now though. Ever since I discovered Fitstudio! Fitstudio is a  rewards program, giving store credit for fitness. I simply linked my Fitbit, and every week ... $5 or more in points. As we all have Fitbits, I got my husband on board, my older boys, my parents. I now stop and shop at least once a week (as the points do have a quick expiration date, use them or lose them). I do enjoy getting deals and steals!

In addition to my fitness points, there will often be sales, coupons, and surprise points. These can often be used together. I ended up shopping enough on my own account, that I went ahead and paid for "MAX" which includes free shipping on many products. Usually this runs $40, but there was a special around Christmas, and I got it for $19. The Max program also adds $3 in points every month, so that definitely made it worth it to me. Anyone who doesn't have a Kmart or Sears around might look into that option. They offer a 3-month trial free as well (no strings!)

As the points do expire quickly, at times I'll have $5 or more waiting, and I know I'm not going to make it into the store. I'll jump online and check out the sales, find something within my points range, have it shipped to the store ... and my entire transaction didn't cost me a penny! I've picked up many t-shirts for myself and the boys. Shoes, shorts, sunglasses, a new basketball, a purse... I've picked up SO many things for little or no cost to me. I prefer the Sears pickup ... they guarantee to have you in and out in five minutes or less, and you can even pick it up without ever having to leave you car!

$5 doesn't sound like a lot ... but often I'll just stop and grab a package of paper towels or toilet paper. You always need those things! The savings really add up. If you watch, sometimes a new $5 will be added right before the previous week's one expires, and you have a little more money to play with. There are also additional ways to add a little more ... daily workouts, posting to FB or Twitter, participating in challenges. A couple of my separate Fitstudio accounts got combined into our main Shop Your Way rewards number ... and that account adds up even faster. 

If you have a Fitbit, or one of the other fitness trackers (Jawbone, BodyMedia, Nike, Moves, Map My Fitness) and a Kmart or Sears close by ... I absolutely recommend this program.  If you don't have a tracker, I believe you can add your workouts manually (it's just a bit more work). 

I'm a little surprised this program isn't more well known. The cashiers at Kmart haven't even been aware of it ... one of the cashiers that checked me out regularly (as I mentioned, I now make weekly trips in) ended up buying a Fitbit JUST to participate in this program, because she saw how much I was saving. 

So every few months, I'll probably jump here on the blog, and do a Thrifty Thursday post and tell you about all the things I've "purchased" for pennies (or nothing) lately using my Shop Your Way Rewards points. I actually feel guilty at times ... ;)

Anyone else enjoying FitStudio?

Thrifty Thursday :)

I love fitness ... my elliptical, my Zumba. I'm not sure where I'd be without them. I'm also cheap ... even as active as I am, I know I wouldn't get my monies worth from paying gym fees.  Luckily, ou really don't need expensive equipment to workout at home. I admit, I'm super spoiled with our home gym  which did require investments (added to  over years)... but it's been worth it.  No excuses when it's right downstairs. I've also discovered a ton of free Zumba classes here in my area (♥Utah). I NEVER thought I'd try Zumba (much less love it) but seeing that first class advertised for free ... the frugal part of me said "you HAVE to try it, it's FREE". 

I will admit ... I did get a little spendy with my gadgets. I started with a cheap-o pedometer ... and went through several of those. Then I invested in one that was a little more expensive (an Omron, not this one, but close, mine was about $25 and I still use it!) When the Fitbit came out ... I stressed over the cost a little. $100. But I bit the bullet and bought it. And I LOVE it.

My little Fitbit has more than paid for itself though. In actual money. There are many reward programs out there. And as my parents and hubby&kids jumped on the Fitbit bandwagon, I've gotten them on board with many of these programs too. In addition to setting up their Fitbits, I've also signed them up for Achievemint, Fitstudio and Walgreens Balance Rewards. I'll check in on things occasionally, letting my mom know that Dad earned his $50 award from Achievemint, and to watch for the email with the information. I looked up the balance on their Walgreens before they made a trip in ... and I'll admit, when they have some Fitstudio points and aren't going to get into a Kmart or Sears themselves before they expire, I'll sometimes stop in, buy something with their points and tell the boys it was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa. 

My mom just happily received her first $50 Achievemint award this past week, and encouraged me to share the programs with my siblings (as many of them have become Fitbit fans as well). I've copied a bit from my email to them ...

• Achievemint: http://www.achievemint.com/login  It's quick and easy to sign up and link your Fitbit account. Then you can just forget about it, and check in occasionally (website or app). After a while, you earn enough points to claim a reward. It takes a little time to earn, and then another wait to receive ... but I've earned it several times ($50), Callahan, Landon, Dad and now Mom.
• FitStudio: www.fitstudio.com *** Update 02/2016 ... Fitstudio had shut down ;( (Farewell Fitstudio). This program works with the Kmart/Sears ShopYourWayPoints ... you get store credit (up to about $8 a week). The credit does expire quickly (within a week, you can't let it roll over and add up. Use it or lose it) ... but while I rarely ever shopped at either store before, I sure do now! You DO have to be a little proactive (tell them you want to use your points, they don't always ask). The program has had a few kinks here and there, but hey, it's free credit so I'm really not going to complain.
• Walgreens : https://www.walgreens.com/balancerewards/balance-rewards.jsp You can earn points (store credit) by linking your Fitbit. Walgreens does have a monthly limit to what you can earn through activity (just $2, or 2000 points) but unlike Fitstudio, the points do not expire and can roll over and add up. I'd signed up Mom a while back and forgot about it, then Mom was making a trip in and wala ... had $20 in credit to use.

These are the top three reward programs I like and recommend. Mainly because there is no risk, only reward. Link up your Fitbit ... or if you don't have a Fitbit (why don't you have a Fitbit?), Fitstudio and Walgreens will work with manual logins or with some other brands of trackers. 

Another program I do like, and just did another review of recently is Pact (My Yearlong Pact). The reason I didn't recommend this one to my parents or siblings is that there IS a risk. You make a commitment, and if you do NOT meet your pact, you will end up paying (they do require a credit card #). But as I mentioned in my review, I've never paid a dime, I've only collected.

Here's a little "snag" from my Paypal account ... $50 from Achievemint (they pay with a GiftRocket E-card), then some of the money earned in 2014 from Pact, which I had let pile up after my first couple smaller withdrawals (just to make sure I did actually get the money!)  The outgoing $$ were some new batteries for my PolarHRM :)

When I see people pondering getting a Fitbit ... I like them to know in addition to all the wonderful feedback, graphs, competition with family and friends for motivation ... it may not be the investment they think it is, as it can actually pay you back!

So that's my Thrifty Thursday report ... I'll probably post more about certain programs as I continue to have additional experiences with them. I hope to post other little money saving tips too. Sometimes fitness related, sometimes not.

Freebies

I don't know about you, but I do like to save money when I can. In addition to fitness and food, I've talked about frugality here and there on my blog (Fit&Frugal). You know I've hooked up my Fitbit to many of the reward sites (Reaping the Rewards), I love my local library and all it offers (Library Love) and I take advantage of the Free Zumba here locally! But sometimes ... the word "FREE" totally scares me away! If it's something that brings crowds and chaos, it is SO not worth it to me.

I'm sure many of  you are aware of the annual 7-11 promotion on July 11 (7-11) ... otherwise known as "Free Slurpee Day".  I know many families have hit their local 7-11 and happily walked away with free frozen delight. I tried it a couple years ago. Had loaded up the kids and made a trip in only to see the sign "sorry, out of free cups".  Of course I couldn't disappoint the kidlets, so my "free" slurpees cost me about $8 (they were only out of the small "free" cups, they still had plenty of the cups you pay for).

This past Thursday ... we didn't make a special trip out. We were out and about anyway, and I decided we'd risk stopping. I pulled up and took one glance at the crowd inside. Seriously, 50+ people, probably a 15 minute or so wait. I took the kids across the street to Chevron and let them each get a small Frazil, which they actually prefer ...

They really were happy with the Frazils ...

 They just give me that face for photos almost all the time!

So once again ... "Free Slurpees" were a fail for me.

IF you were interested, 7-11 is offering a week of free goodies. 

Whereas the free slurpee on 7-11 was available to anyone walking through the door, these other freebies do require you to download the 7-11 app and access the offers, and show that to the cashier. I've heard demand has caused the app to crash, and I'm not sure if it's been resolved. Again ... I've considered trying it. I do pass a 7-11 everyday after picking up #2 from the rec center. But I'm not sure if I want another app on my phone, sending me push notifications. I'm not sure if I want to struggle with it if there are difficulties. None of the free items are healthy in any way ... so I'm thinking I'll probably pass. Even if they are free. Are any of you going to try for it? Let me know how it goes!

Linking up with Nifty Thrify Things and The Thrifty Homemaker's Penny Pinching Party. 

What "free" promotions draw you in?

Got Gas?

Yea ... down 20! Up again, I can't believe it! Do you ever watch the fluctuations of gas prices and feel some of the same things you do as you watch your weight go up and down on your bathroom scale? I do! Yes, I'm Thinking Out Loud about gas this Thursday (a bit random, but that's what "Thinking Out Loud" is all about!)

In Monday's post, I mentioned some of my anxiety issues, my main one having to do with driving. My grandmother never learned to drive, and my mom is actually worse off than I am (although I think she's ok being a passenger, which still stresses my out completely). I can and do fill up the car with gas, something I don't know if my mother has ever done. It's not that big of a deal, but I'll admit to feeling a little dismay when I see the needle creep toward "empty" ... I don't dread it, but I don't like doing it either. It's an inconvenience, and it takes a toll on my time, and my pocketbook!

Gas is expensive. My burb can hold 27+ gallons, so a fill-up is often over $100. Ouch! I do try to save when and where I can. One thing I do is sign up for the "Fuel Savings" at my local grocery store. That can really add up. Right now, they are offering double points on weekend purchases. I admit, I push my shopping at that store to Fri/Sat to get the double deal.  I'll buy Amazon giftcards from that store (they automatically get 2x the points, and if you watch, 4x is often offered). I know I'm going to use Amazon credit and I can come home and add it to my account immediately. No need to fear I'll forget or lose the giftcard. I'll buy other giftcards if they are ones I know I'll use. I can often earn up to a $1 off a gallon, so that adds up to almost $30 off for a full tank.

When I don't have fuel rewards waiting, I'll try to check prices. It's amazing to me that sometimes stations can vary by 20¢. $5 a fill-up may not seem like a huge amount, but I still like to save where I can. It all adds up (just like those extra calories). 

I have an app on my phone called Gas Buddy. You can input your zip code and get a listing of the local prices. It's just a handy thing to have on hand. I won't really travel to get a cheaper price, but if I see that one station is less than another, and they are both on my way ... I'll hit the one with the lower price.

While I don't drive that much, Hubs and #1 do. They both work fairly far from home. Unfortunately fill-ups appear on the credit card statement a lot. And then there are the wave runners ... Hubs puts the premium in those babies. They are expensive little babies!   And anytime you hit the road for vacation, that sure adds up quick too. I know gas is even more expensive elsewhere!

I mean ... even with my anxiety, I'm glad we have cars to drive. It does making getting around easier. The workout world puts an emphasis on walking or biking when you can, but sometimes you do have to drive.

I'm getting a little low on fuel now ...

...and gas prices just jumped again!

Just in time for the holiday weekend.