Social Retargeting by Chango

March 2009

16
Mar
2009

My experience as a mystery shopper.

03/16/2009

Share

I was curious about mystery shopping and decided to apply to an agency to investigate the process. I applied about two weeks ago at GfK Mystery Shopping and was immediately accepted. The application process takes awhile as you have to fill out a questionnaire, read several pages on what the process is about and then fill out a quiz. I got a perfect score on the quiz but it would be easy to miss questions and if you don’t get 100% you can’t move forward.

The company emails you when opportunities are available, you then log in to your account and check the visits available. They provide the name of the business and address and a brief description of any special requirements. A special requirement might be existing service from the store you are shopping.

The first shop I was offered within a few days at a Sandwich shop that was 60 minutes from my house. I declined that opportunity. I was then offered an eletronics company audit that required traveling to another state which I also declined. I accepted the third assignment which was a visit to a cell phone store location. The location is just minutes from my house and is in a shopping center that I had already intended to visit. Additionally, I am currently looking at various prepaid cell phone options so the mystery shop was very convenient.

I accepted the assignment and was given an online briefing about what I needed to look for and say during the visit. I was asked to take another quiz. You are required to get 100% on this quiz but I found it very straightforward. I was given a day they wanted the visit completed and was allowed to choose the time that worked for me.

When I arrived at the location I had to take a photo of the outside of the store. It took about 15 minutes to complete the shop and I got the information I needed on the prepaid phones. The visit would have been shorter but I had to wait several minutes for someone to help me. You are required to get a business card from the person that assists you during your shop. This particular shop did not require a purchase but many shops will offer a small budget in addition to your compensation. The sandwich shop offered a $5 budget and required the submission of a receipt.

You have 12 hours to complete a report online or you will not get paid. You also need to upload the business card and the photo you take outside the store and submit it with your report. The actual report was extremely time consuming- it took about 40 minutes for me to finish. The wording was confusing on some questions and it would be easy to make mistakes if you are not concentrating.

An example of this is:

1. Did the associate offer recommendations on any service plans?
yes___ no ___

2. Did the associate not recommend a plan?
yes___ no___

If the answer to 1. is no then the answer to 2. also needs to be no. I answered yes and the quiz was rejected and I had to go back through the entire quiz to correct the answer.

I suppose the next shop I complete will likely move faster as I am more familiar with what they are looking for and how they word the questions. I will be compensated $9 for this shop and I requested payment via direct deposit (I will update when I actually receive payment).

I would estimate an hour total for the quiz and the shop. I didn’t include travel time as I was intending to visit a store in the same shopping center anyway.

Overall the return on investment was not worthwhile. I will continue with this process but I will be more selective in the assignments I accept. If the store is extremely convenient I would consider doing it again. I might also accept assignments that offered a budget for a purchase, providing they offer items I am interested in or can use coupons to maximize.

GfK requires you keep the business card and photo for 60 days after the shop. I believe they are currently accepting new shoppers if you are interested in participating.

{ 2 comments }

16
Mar
2009

Target Deal: True North Nuts

03/16/2009

Share

I also spotted this great deal on True North products at Target. The 4.5 oz bags are priced at $4.08 for 2. There were two different flavors- both of which were out at my store. I have always found my Target to have ample backstock though so it never hurts to ask! You can also get a raincheck on most sale items if they are out of product. Using the $1/1 coupon from 2/8 SS these are $1.04 a bag. Great price for nuts! (Note these are supposedly priced at $1 at Walmart but I have never found them in my stores.)

{ 0 comments }

16
Mar
2009

Quick shopping trip.

03/16/2009

Share

I received $18.00 in rebates so I decided to hit a few stores today.

WALMART: I popped into a tiny Walmart that never has anything and was pleased to find the $5 bags of Iams. I posted about this great deal here. Changing dog food brands can be hard on your dogs tummy so I like these little bags to mix in with our regular food and it stretches a little bit longer. The other option is to donate these bags to animal charities which really need help right now. I spent $1.09 for 3 bags- 12 lbs- which is our outrageous tax here in CA.

TARGET: I ran into Target for dish soap and stumbled upon this great deal! Large bags of Quaker rice cakes are priced at $2.00, with a $5.00 gift card when you buy 5. So pay $10 and get a $5 gift card. I had (5) coupons for $1/1 any Quaker product from the 1/18 RP and paid $5.00 and got a $5.00 gift card back. Some markets got a $1.25/1 gift card which makes this a moneymaker. These bags are much larger than the ones I have been paying .37 for at Walmart and are a great snack for toddlers.

Quick Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask to pay for items separately. I knew I was getting the gift card (which can not be applied to the same transaction at Target) so I asked to have the diapers rung up separately. I found a store coupon that someone received in the mail and left on the diaper display for $2/1 any Huggies. I also had a $3/1 IP for natural fit diapers. Since you can combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons- the price of these diapers went from $10.29 to $5.29. I paid $5 using the gift card and paid .89 oop. I will get a .75 rebate from Caregivers as well for the diapers.

Lucy: I stopped in Lucy to get my free socks (regularly $14.00) and had at least 3 people behind me using the same coupon. I posted this deal here. It runs until 3/22.

Costco: Stay tuned for my post on shopping at Costco. Most couponers don’t shop the box stores but I do for certain items. I purchased a 2lb block of Mozzarella cheese, 2 lbs of Cheddar cheese and 6 lbs of bananas for $9.88 total.

Total spent: $16.86.

{ 0 comments }

16
Mar
2009

Free Movie Monday (Redbox Code)

03/16/2009

Share

This code will work until midnight at any Redbox location in your area.

2GR4N8

Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for another free code.

{ 0 comments }

15
Mar
2009

Menu Plan- Monday 16th

03/15/2009

Share

I make three versions of dinner every night: a toddler version for our 19 month old, a “regular” version for my husband (aka Mr Meat and Potatoes) and a vegetarian version for myself. I don’t enjoy cooking as much as I enjoy baking so we have fresh baked goods and dessert every week! Here is this week’s plan:

Monday:
Crock Pot Swiss Chicken Casserole with brown rice
Toddler: Chicken with sauteed carrots
Veggie: Brown Rice with sauteed carrots

Tuesday:
Lasagna with Texas Toast and green salad (this has no meat in it)
Toddler: Broccoli & Cheese Nuggets with plain green salad

Wednesday:
Garlic Chicken, Veggie and Penne Pasta
Toddler: same with very light sauce
Vegetarian: Green Salad with Cheddar Cheese Muffins and chutney
(Muffins also serve as a snack all week)

Thursday:
Sliced Steak with Texas Toast (marinade steak, grill and slice it thinly, then fan on top of Texas Toast), Corn
Toddler: steak and corn
Vegetarian: Tomato Soup and Texas Toast

Friday:
Quesadillas- cheese, chicken, salsa, sour cream
Toddler: cheese, chicken, corn and black beans
Veggie: Black beans, corn, cheese, salsa, sour cream

Saturday:
Hamburgers with Worcestershire Sauce, Mozzarella and red peppers, green beans
Toddler: Turkey burger chopped with a little melted cheese and red peppers, green beans
Veggie: Same but substitute Boca Burger

Sunday: Leftovers

Desserts:

Chocolate Chip Blondies
Chocolate Snatcheroos (a version of a rice krispy treat with cocoa krispies and peanut butter)
Lemon pudding parfait- layered with whip cream, crumbled graham cracker and frozen berries (note if you have the Beech Nut coupons for $1/1 you can also use the banana cookies instead of graham crackers. These are roughly 1.40 a box at Walmart).

You will notice I am using as much from my stockpile as possible. I have purchased a lot of frozen veggies with the freezer promo at Safeway, 2 boxes of Texas Toast from the same promotion, using up Jello from the Kraft free wyb coupons that were out a few months ago, using some cocoa krispies we got free a few months ago during a cereal promo at Raleys, using peanut butter we got for .39 at Walgreens, and substituting Bliss chocolates we got for free at Walgreens for chocolate chips. Also using a cranberry chutney as a topping for cheddar muffins. Chutney is something I used for leftover turkey sandwiches during the holidays and have a little left. Crockpot Swiss Chicken will use up the last box of stuffing I also have from the holidays.

{ 5 comments }

15
Mar
2009

Our Dave Ramsey Experience: Part 1.

03/15/2009

Share

If you haven’t heard of Dave Ramsey, he is a financial advisor that offers down-home, simple advice to take control of your finances. You can learn more about his philosophy by catching his television call-in show on the Fox Business Channel, his radio call in show or by reading his books. I listened to his book, Total Money Makeover, 4 years ago during my commute to and from work. My husband and I quickly became hooked and we decided to drag ourselves out of debt following Dave’s plan. At the time, I had read the books of a number of financial advisers and Dave’s program seemed to make the most sense for us.

His mantra is to pay cash for what you have, live within your means and stay debt free. Sounds easy, right?

The very simplified version of Dave’s plan includes 7 “baby steps:”

Save $1000 as a beginners emergency fund
Pay off debt using Debt Snowball
Build Emergency Fund up to 3-6 months expenses
Invest 15% in retirement accounts
College fund for children
Pay off Mortgage
Build wealth and give to charities

At the time we started, we were engaged with no children and had a good income. We had also just purchased a $280k home with nothing down, nothing in savings and had gotten accustomed to spending whatever we earned. When we started the snowball, we owed about $12,000 on 2 cars, about $10,000 in credit cards and about $17,000 in student loans. Ouch.

In about 18 months we paid off almost all the debt. Here’s how:

1. We started living on a budget. Looking back we could have saved so much more! We weren’t ready to give up shopping, vacations, eating out etc… This was way before I learned to coupon and not only did I pay for shampoo but it was $20 salon brand to go with my $150 highlights.

2. We got serious about the snowball and decided to face our debt. We taped a plain sheet of paper to the refrigerator with a running total of all the debts. Every time we made a payment I would update the total. It was so satisfying to see the balance get lower and lower- I became pretty addicted. If we got a $100 incentive check or $50 from an aunt for a birthday I would immediately pay the credit card. I paid our cards so often that the credit card company actually limited me to how many payments I could make in one month! The sheet confronted us every day and served to really keep debt reduction front of mind. We kept it up even when friends were over because we made the decision to stop pretending and to be honest about our challenge. Most people made fun of us or worse- called me tacky, money obsessed, cheap etc… but I believe that being honest about money is the only way to gain control.

3. We paid off the cars, paid off the credit cards and started working on the student loans. I used to have a stack of preaddressed envelopes with notes inside that said “Please credit the enclosed check for $x.xx to account #…” I put those right by my keyboard in my office and every single payday I would send as much as I could to my loans. Some months it was $20 and some months it was $500. Every penny counts when working toward a goal!

During that time, we also got married and had a wonderful honeymoon, furnished a 2000 sq foot home, I got my MBA and we started planning for a baby. We stayed out of debt during that entire process which was another major accomplishment. I am proud to say four years later we own our cars outright and haven’t touched a credit card.

But then we slipped.

I highly recommend getting on board with Dave’s program and have two of his books on my Amazon sidebar. I recommend starting with Total Money Makeover. You can read the book or listen to the audio version and it breaks everything down in very clear terms.

(Stay tuned for part 2 with how we thought we were smarter than Dave and fell off the wagon and part 3 where we are today.)

{ 1 comment }

15
Mar
2009

Baking Day!

03/15/2009

Share

Have I mentioned I love to bake? There is nothing more satisfying than fresh breads, scones, muffins, cookies– I have never met a carb I didn’t like. I have found baking things takes a small time commitment but always tastes so much better than the stuff you can buy at the store. Plus I regularly double or triple my batches and freeze them so I can have something delicious at any time.

This week I plan to make:

Ina’s Sticky Buns : DONE

Sticky Buns: My daughter ate all the raisins and we didn’t have any nuts on hand. These are much smaller than Ina’s but they still turned out really well. Next time I will only bake 20 min or so since they got a little caramelized at 30 min.
Banana Oat Bread (from The Best of Cooking Light Magazine): DONE

Banana Oat Bread: This was a little dry since there is no butter and the recipe calls for oats. It is good and much healthier so I will probably top this with jam.
Chocolate Chip Blondies

Cheddar Cheese Muffins

Chocolate Snatcheroos (a chocolate/peanut butter version of rice krispie treats)

I will update my progression throughout the day! Check out this post on how I freeze a lot of my extra baked goods.

{ 0 comments }

15
Mar
2009

Walgreens Clearance!

03/15/2009

Share

If you happen by a Walgreens today make sure you check out the frozen foods case. Many are offering clearance items at unbelievable prices. I got 3 boxes of Pizza Rolls yesterday for .25 each (and there were at least 15 more boxes to be had), saw frozen pizzas for $1.06, 2pk corndogs for .40, and of course the Tyson anytizers for .87. Last week’s insert had Tyson coupons that match up to make the anytizers .37 or so per box. Note it was not the larger bags but rather the boxes. The coupons are specific to size.

{ 0 comments }

©2008-2012 MyFrugalAdventures.com — All rights reserved. My Frugal Adventures

This site runs on Starbucks, Chocolate and WordPress using the Thesis Theme

Site Design and Theme Tweaking by Moritz Fine Designs and Joy @ Five J's Design