Butterfly Halloween Costumes

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Zoe wouldn't slow down in her butterfly costume

I’m very excited for Halloween this year. Last year was the first time my daughter Zoe seemed to really understand the whole concept of dressing up and going trick – or – treating. Although she won’t be able to eat the candy because of her diet, I think this year will be even more exciting for her. This year her favorite costume ideas are Princess Costumes , Fairy Costumes, and Mermaid Costumes.  Last Halloween Zoe wore the cutest little Butterfly Costume that she absolutely loved, she wouldn’t stop running long enough for me to get a decent picture of her in it with my iPhone. By the time Halloween was over her poor little butterfly wings had gotten very tired and I think they were just about ready to fall off.

Zoe's Butterfly Halloween Costume
Zoe’s Butterfly Halloween Costume

Luckily Zoe’s mom had taken some good pictures of her in her Butterfly Costume, several days before Halloween, that she shared with me. Butterfly costumes are very cute and they are perfect costumes for little girls and adults. There is even a cute toddler Butterfly Costume. The adult costumes are, of course, much different than than the kids costumes. The best prices I have found online so far for Butterfly Costumes and Butterfly Accessories is Wholesale Costume Club. You can Buy Costumes at Low Wholesale Prices with FrButterfly Princess Child Girls Costumeee Membership at Wholesale Costume Club – Use Code SAVENOW. Memberships to Wholesale Costume Club are normally $5.00 but they are free with the code and provide benefits such as reduced shipping and lower costume prices.

Zoe’s costume was the Monarch Butterfly and it was adorable, but there are several different types of Butterfly Costumes available such as Orange Butterflies and Butterfly Princess. They also carry some other really cute Bug Costumes with wings, I really liked the Bumblebee Costumes and the Dragonfly Costume.

Angry Birds Halloween Costumes

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Halloween is less than a month away now and I have been putting together a new Halloween costume website about Superhero Costumes. In the process of researching for my new site, I have come across lots of really fun ideas for Halloween costumes this year. I have also found some awesome deals on costumes. Out of all of the costumes that are likely to be a hit, I think that Rovio’s Angry Birds costumes are going to be to be a very big hit this year, maybe the biggest. I have to say, that baby is very adorable in the Yellow Angry Bird costume.

xx

You Can Buy Kid’s and Babies Angry Birds  Costumes On Sale Here:

Baby Angry Birds Yellow Bird Costume - Angry Birds CostumesKids Angry Birds Red Bird Costume - Angry Birds Costumes


I really enjoyed playing the Angry Birds Games on my iPhone and I think they make really great Halloween costumes. They also had an app tied to the movie “Rio” which came out earlier this year. I searched around several different costume websites and I have come to the conclusion that Costume Craze has the best variety of Angry Birds Costumes that are in stock right now, athough some of them are out of stock sometimes.They have Angry Birds Costumes For Men, Women, Boys, Girls, and Babies. The Angry Bird Costumes come in red bird, yellow bird, black bird, and the green King Pig. Some people don’t necessarily want to wear a whole costume. For everybody who wants to dress like Angry Birds this year but don’t want to wear a full costume there there is good news, they also have Angry Birds masks for sale. They are available in red bird, yellow bird, and the green King Pig. Right now they have a huge sale going on that is 20%-90% off of everything in the entire store just in time for Halloween.

Oct 12th Update the 20%-90% off sale has been changed to 30%-90% off everything in the entire store for a limited time.

You Can Buy Adults Angry Birds Costumes On Sale Here:

Yellow Angry Birds Mask - Angry Birds CostumesAngry Birds King Pig Costume - Angry Birds Costumes

If there is still anyone left who has not played any Angry Birds games yet, I highly recommend checking them out, just be careful because the games are a little bit addictive. The apps are available for iPhone and most other smart phones and come in both free and paid versions. If you don’t have a smartphone, that’s no problem, there is also a variety of free Angry Birds apps available on Google Chrome.

Angry Birds - Clickgamer.com

More Apps That Pay You

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How To Make Money With Your Smartphone

I just recently got a new iPhone4, it is a big improvement from my iPhone 3g that I’ve had since 2008. I was able to convert the old iPhone into an iPod touch for my daughter Zoe to use. The problem with iPhones is that they are so expensive to own, luckily there are quite a few apps that you can earn cash and gift cards from to offset the costs. I have already reviewed several of my favorite apps that pay you, such as Checkpoints and Field Agent in previous posts, but I have downloaded and tested several more. Here is another list of apps that will come in handy for anyone who wants a to make little bit of extra money with their smartphone. All of these apps are free to download and pay you instead of you paying them.

WeReward

WeReward is an app from Izea that is available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. This app has several ways to earn points which are converted to cash at the rate of .01 cents per point. You can take pictures of products you have purchased, download apps, and even take pictures in local stores to earn points. There is a referral program that pays you 10% of what your referrals make. You need to have a minimum of $10.00 earned in order to cash out. So far I have cashed out a total of $15.05 that went directly to my Paypal. I like getting paid to download and try apps. The biggest reward I received was 10.00 for signing up to Nielson Digital Rewards. Here is my referral link, thanks in advance for using it.

http://we.rw/p1KMR

SurveyApp

SurveyApp – msw loop is an app that pays you for answering surveys on your iPhone. I like that you are paid for filling out your profile questions at the rate of $.01 per question, there is a limit to how many profile questions you can answer each day, which I thought was a little strange. For paid surveys you receive $.10 per question. There is a referral program that pays you $1.00 per referral that reaches the $10.00 minimum to cash out. I have been paid once, directly to Paypal, by SurveyApp so far. I thought it was interesting that my payment was generated when I reached $6.63 rather than their stated minimum of $10.00, I’m not going to complain about that. Here is the link:

SurveyApp - msw loop
Please use my referral code ce008, Thanks.

Shopkick

Shopkick is an app for iPhone and Android that pays you for checking in to stores and scanning products. I like this app as a supplement to Checkpoints but it does not earn nearly as fast. There are several different prizes available such as Target, Best Buy or iTunes gift cards, I did email support to request Amazon and Paypal cards but they do not offer them at this time. I was able to accumulate 3750 points for a $15.00 iTunes gift card within about 3 months of opening the app everyday and clicking for points, scanning only a few times a month. You do not have to actually go into the stores to receive points from them but you get more points for walking into select stores. One nice thing about Shopkick is the special discounts for Shopkick users from some of their main partners like Best Buy and Target. There is a referral program that pays 50 Kickbucks for each referral (referrals get a matching 50 points) which I think should be a lot higher for this kind of program. Here is the link: Shopkick

 

Gigwalk

Gigwalk is an iPhone app that pays you to do small mystery shopping jobs at local businesses just like Field agent. This app looks really good and there are tons of jobs available to people who live in large metro areas. Most jobs appear to pay at least $4.00 each and I have seen jobs that pay as much as $20.00. There is no minimum payout and they pay you through Paypal. Unfortunately they do not have any jobs available in Spokane yet. I will definitely be trying this out the next time I happen to be in Seattle.There is no referral program at this time. Here is the link:

 

Cash4Books

Cash4Books is a unique way to earn money with your iPhone or Android. The way this app works is you go around to places where used books are being sold. Some examples are garage sales, flea markets, and used book stores. You scan the barcode to check it against their database and if the price is lower to buy it than they will pay you for it you will make a profit buy selling the book to them. Within days after they receive the books, you can choose to be paid by either check or PayPal.They do have certain quality expectations and the books must have been published within the last 5 years. The books they are buying as well as the price they pay varies by market conditions.They pay for shipping when you make an agreement to sell them a specific book. I have not used this app to sell them any books at this time but I have scanned a few books I had around the house just to test them. I was surprised by the depth of the database, they even had Zoe’s Diego sticker book on file but they weren’t buying it at the time. There is a referral program that pays $5 for every one you refer to sign up that sells a book. I found this quote from their website to be absolutely hilarious: “Finally, we have absolutely no affiliation with that other “Cash4″ company (the end of their name rhymes with mold). ;-)”

Cash For Books, Free Shipping, Free Quotes - Sell Used Books Online!

I hope everybody enjoys these and I will continue to be on the look out for even more apps that pay you in the future. Here is my new post about protecting your iPhone.
For even more information about apps that pay you, check out AppsThatPayYou.com.

We Only Have 2 Weeks Left To Vote For Dravet Syndrome

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Thank you to everyone who is voting for The Dravet Syndrome Foundation, and for all of the other rare childhood diseases in the Vivint Gives Back Project on Facebook. I doubt the Dravet Syndrome Foundation is actually going to win but as of right now we are number 12 overall and number 7 in the region with 33,218 votes. I think what we have achieved is a much bigger awareness of Dravet Syndrome which is an important step toward a cure. We have also managed to raise $2,720 in donations which are matched by Vivint.

I would like to also tell everyone that as of this week my daughter Zoe is no longer on any type of seizure medication. We are controlling her seizures with just the ketogenic diet. So far we have noticed an amazing improvement in her energy levels and vocabulary since weaning her from the medication, she also seems much happier. Zoe has not had a seizure in over 7 weeks now, 8 weeks is the record since we started the ketogenic diet.

Once again here is the link to vote for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation:

http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/45

Remember everyone can vote once everyday until August 27th.

An iPhone App For Pain Relief

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I have been in a great deal of pain lately as a result of my recent car accident. I am always searching for alternatives to medication since there are no drugs, that I know of, without any nasty side effects. I was able to find a really great app called Pain Killer 2.0 that was created specifically for pain relief.

Pain Killer 2.0 uses binaural beats, which are a form of  brainwave entrainment, to make your brain release more endorphins. It has multiple settings for different types of pain and a timer so you don’t listen for too long. There are instructions in the app about how long to listen to each setting and at what volume. I have found this app to be pretty effective at reducing pain. It doesn’t quite work as well as prescription pain relievers but I think it is more effective than over the counter pain medicine. It also is very effective for reducing stress as well.

One downside to this app is that there is nothing masking the binaural beats so anyone who doesn’t like listening to the raw tones may find it annoying. I personally don’t mind at all and I think that anyone could get used to it, especially since it does help with pain and stress, which are much harder to tolerate.

I think $2.99 is a great price for this app and anyone who has an iPhone can easily afford it. Here is the link:

Where I Have Been For The Last Couple Of Months

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I was in my first somewhat major car accident about 2 months ago. I was driving my little Saturn SL1 when an 18 year old in a Suburban without insurance decided to run a stop sign, crossing right in front of me while I was going about 30-35 mph. I am just extremely grateful that my daughter Zoe was not in the car with me. It was also my first ride in an ambulance as a patient. Since I don’t currently have health insurance I found it to be almost impossible to find a doctor to treat me, which really doesn’t make any sense, since the PIP coverage on my Progressive auto policy doesn’t discount when they pay the doctors. Now 2 months later I have finally found a good doctor and have started massage therapy. I will start physical therapy next week. I am pretty certain that I have a torn rotator cuff. The pain is still substantial but seems to be decreasing very slowly from the massages.  On the bright side Zoe and I were able to get a Buick Park Avenue, which is a much bigger and safer car, when Progressive totaled our Saturn.

What Was Left Of My Car After I ran Into The SuburbanIt was a little humorous to hear the other driver telling the sheriff that the accident should not be ruled his fault because he has no insurance. I really don’t understand how anybody could even think that it is remotely OK to drive without car insurance. He, of course, was ticketed for running a stop sign and not having insurance. I highly recommend always having Uninsured/Under-insured motorist coverage and PIP coverage whether you feel you need it or not. There are too many people without insurance on the road and if you have an accident with them they won’t be held liable for your losses.

I just want everyone to know that I am still here and I have lots of new material on the way. I am at a point where feel I will be able to regularly update the blog again very soon. It is rather exciting to see how many people have been finding my blog lately. I really appreciate all of the continued support.

Please Vote To Help Find A Cure For Dravet Syndrome

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Zoe Texting Again
Zoe On Easter Of 2009

I would like to introduce everybody to my 4-year-old daughter Zoe. Zoe has had seizures since she was 4 months old. In January of 2010 she was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Dravet Syndrome. Dravet Syndrome, which is also called Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI), is a very severe form of epilepsy.  It appears during the first year of life. The first seizures usually occur with fever and are generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) or unilateral (one-sided) convulsions.  These seizures are often prolonged and may lead to status epilepticus, a life threatening condition where the brain is in a state of persistent seizure. Currently there is no cure for Dravet Syndrome, and the treatment options are very limited. Children with Dravet Syndrome usually experience poor development of language and motor skills, hyperactivity, and symptoms associated with Autism such as difficulties relating to others. They also have an increased risk for accidents, infection, and Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Zoe and I have a huge, EASY favor to ask you. A few months ago I was made aware of an exciting research project that could change Zoe’s life. It is being led by a doctor whose grandchild has Dravet. The goal is to try to “fix” the genetic mutation that causes the condition. The Dravet Foundation is trying to raise funds for this project. You can help. I am not asking you to donate any money. I am asking for your time – less than a minute a day for the next 75 days.

Zoe In The Hospital Getting An EEG
Zoe In The Hospital Getting An EEG

Please follow this link:

http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/45

You have to have a Facebook account, so if you don’t have one, please create one (plus one for your spouse, children, dog, etc.) and please vote everyday. For those of you who hate Facebook, I understand – cancel your account in September. This could make a lifetime of difference for so many remarkable children and could mean $250,000 for research. Please ask everyone that you know to vote. EVERYDAY!

If we win, this is where the money will go. They are also fast-tracking the research so the drug trials could begin in 5 years which is amazing.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/OPKO-Health-Announces-Grant-bw-340473083.html?x=0&.v=1

Let me know if you need any more information. Also please pass this on to everyone you know. Anyone can vote as long as you have a Facebook account.

Thank you, Stan

Homeowner Forecloses On Bank Of America

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I think this was one of the best news stories ever. The largest banks in this country are out of control and really need to be put in their place. It is clear the majority of large banks in this country have not only forgotten how to treat customers properly but they mainly thrive on what I would call theft. The only way we will be able to overcome these shady business practices is by refusing to do business with them. I personally switched to a credit union long ago. I feel there are much worse banks than Bank of America not to name any names cough JP Morgan Chase cough.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178031/176/Florida-Homeowner-Forecloses-On-Bank-Of-America

It’s Not That Easy Being Green

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My daughter loves sesame street, especially Elmo. I really enjoy watching the classic Sesame Street clips on Youtube with her. I loved Jim Henson’s work, he was probably my favorite entertainer. He was the magic behind Sesame Street, he also brought us the Muppets, The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movies, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, etc.

The other day we were searching for Sesame Street clips and we came across this video of Big Bird. It is probably one of the saddest videos I have ever seen. I can’t believe that it has been 21 years since Jim Henson died.

Treasure Trooper A Fun And Easy Way To Make Extra Cash

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One really good way to make a few extra bucks online is through GPT sites, GPT stands for Get Paid To. What they do is pay you to complete offers, sign up for free trials, do surveys, and stuff like that. There are lots of GPT sites out there and some are definitely scams so it is important to find sites that pay well and have terms of service that you can work with. I have a few favorites that have paid me and out of all of them I think Treasure Trooper is by far the most fun.

Treasure Trooper has been online and paying since July of 2005. What sets Treasure Trooper apart from other GPT sites is all of the fun games that the owners of the site have created around the offers. Instead of just saying you get paid this much for this offer they have several different currencies that you can use for different things on the site. The main currency is of course Cash but there are also Platinum Coins, Gold Coins, Dragon Scales, Pearls, and the new Arrow Heads. There are so many different side games on Treasure Trooper that I don’t think I even know about all of them yet.

Platinum coins are worth about a dollar and can be used to purchase different prizes like Amazon or Visa gift cards and Electronics such as an Xbox 360 or iPod Nano. Platinum Coins can also be redeemed for Pearls. You can earn Platinum coins from completing various offers or win them on the slot machine. They just added a feature that lets you earn 2 platinum coins for every Groupon you purchase through Treasure Trooper.

Gold Coins Have no cash value. They are used for different things like the Treasure Trooper Slots (1 pull equals 1 gold coin) and to purchase Treasure Hunt Tickets. You can buy Treasure Trooper branded bumper stickers and mouse pads with them if you want. Gold coins are available from some offers in addition to cash, I got most of mine through dragon fights.

Dragon Scales Also have no cash value. There is a side game where you purchase dragon eggs and raise dragons to fight for prizes or sell them for cash. You need dragon scales in order to raise your dragons and for every aspect of training and breeding dragons. You get scales by completing certain offers and as a bonus in addition to cash from surveys. There is a special bonus of 2 free scales for everyone who actively chats in the chat room for an hour.

Pearls These have no cash value but can be used to buy a friendship necklace which will give you the next 2 unreferred members who sign up as your referral. You can also use them to purchase vault keys that give you access to offers that are not in the main offer area. Every time you complete an offer from the main offer area you get a chance to play a game to win a Pearl. If you are in the chat room when your offer goes through you get a second chance.

Arrow Heads These are brand new and have no cash value but they can be used to purchase Dragon Scales and Platinum Coins. These are obtained by completing certain offers.

Another thing i really like about Treasure Trooper is the Cash Click area. You earn 5 cents just for clicking on an ad. If you have ever been paid to click on ads before you already know that this is an amazing rate. Unfortunately lately there have not been very many ads to click. They did say there are working on that though. When I first joined I didn’t realize this but there is a minimum earnings requirement, in order to use the cash click area you need to have earned at least $6. Also cash clicks can not be used toward the $20 minimum cash out.

One thing about the offers you should know is if you give them your main number or email you will get tons of calls and emails. It is best to make sure you have several throw away email addresses. If you don’t have a phone number that works well for offers I recommend a free voice mail only phone number from K7. http://voicemail.k7.net/ Gmail works best for email.

I joined Treasure Trooper several months ago but did not start really using it until a couple of months ago. I earned $31.00 for last months cashout and received my cash out through Paypal on the 19th. I earned $30.45 for this months cash out and should get it between the 15th and the 20th. I have found it to be very easy to make $30 a month without referrals. Just a warning though some of the games can be a little bit addictive.

There is also a good referral program where you get 20% of what your referrals make and 5% of what your referrals referrals make. My referral link is  http://www.treasuretrooper.com/661539 and I appreciate anyone becoming my referral. I will send you a message when you get started and help with any questions along the way.

Just a heads up, although members can join and recruit from any country, the majority of the offers are only available in the US and UK. They don’t tell you that when you go to sign up so it can be frustrating to a lot of people.

You Know What They Say About Guys Who Have Big Feet

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That’s right, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that actually fit. Especially ones that I can afford.  Actually I have really wide feet, you could even say freakishly wide feet. My feet are size 12 but they are 7E wide thats 12EEEEEEE. I think I have found 7E wide shoes once in my life. I don’t remember what I paid but it was substantial and they were not very comfortable. When I was a teenager I would wear size 15 shoes because they were much more comfortable width wise but they were kind of ridiculous looking. One time I hired a lady in Seattle who designed and build custom shoes to make me a pair of shoes that would fit me just right for about $600. I paid her 50% down, she took a cast of my feet, and was supposed to deliver the shoes in several months. She just ended up stealing my $300.

In the last several years I have been going to a couple of different local wide shoe specialty stores but I end up spending at least $150 a pair for 6E wide shoes. Every time I try to buy shoes at the wide shoe specialty stores I end up waiting because my shoes always need to be special ordered anyway, wide shoe stores don’t really cater to people whose feet are as wide as mine. There have been times when the suppliers have been unable to get the same shoes  I usually buy for months at a time because 12 6E is a really uncommon size. For most people E or EE shoes are considered wide.  I tend to get really frustrated, cancel the order, then walk around in my old shoes until they fall apart.  My feet really suffer and are usually in a significant amount of pain because of these issues. I have developed Plantar fasciitis which is an extremely painful swelling of the fascia on the bottom of my feet which I’m sure has a lot to do with wearing shoes well past their “expiration date”.

It just occurred to me today to check Amazon for wide shoes. I was blown away by the prices. Here are the New Balance shoes I have been paying $150 a pair for locally, after they are special ordered and when they are available, for less than $90 with free shipping. If I had thought to check sooner I probably would have had less trouble with my feet and I certainly would have saved a substantial amount of money per purchase. I realize that most people don’t have wide feet but hopefully some people that do will find this, read it, and save lots of time and money from it. I am going to order a pair from Amazon very soon.

If you’re wondering if it is really true what they say about guys with big feet. The answer is it’s absolutely true. I also have a heck of time finding gloves that fit.

Get Paid To Watch Short Videos on Beezag

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I’m always looking to find new ways to make decent money online in my spare time. I have been researching and signing up for lots of different programs lately so I can meet my goal of making a living entirely online. One of the best new sites for getting paid online that I have come across lately is Beezag. The amount you make compared to the time you spend on Beezag is amazing and you can use it with an iPhone.

At Beezag you earn money by watching short videos. In order to match your demographics to the right videos they will ask you 3 profile questions about your preferences before you can watch the videos. I just filled out all of my questions in my profile right away so I don’t see the questions anymore. You generally get a few videos to watch 2 times a day. There is a point system where 1000 points equals $1 and you need a minimum of $8 to cash out. Many of the  videos pay 250 points but some pay less, I have yet to see any that pay more than 250 points. There are also many sweepstakes that you are entered into for watching videos. Some videos pay only sweepstakes and some are a combination of points and sweepstakes. The sweepstakes prizes I have been entered into have ranged from a $50 gift certificate from Subway to an iPad 2. I got several sweepstakes entries for a 3 day Carnival Cruise in the last couple of days.

So far, I joined Beezag on March 21st and I earned 8000 points which is enough to cash out by April 1st, I also received 15 sweepstakes entries. Earning $8 in about 10 days with an investment of only a few minutes a day is a great return in my opinion. Payouts go to Paypal or you can donate them to different charities. I have found most of the videos to be quite enjoyable. The videos are mostly commercials and movie trailers but sometimes they are music videos. I have seen Lady Gaga, REM, Britney Spears and Keisha videos. The main catch is that you have to actually watch the video because there are numbers that pop up during the video and you are asked to verify them to prove you were watching.

Although I have not done it yet, when you make  a purchase from one of the advertisers you will get 5% back in the form of points on your purchase. There is also a decent referral program at Beezag. You get 10% of whatever your referrals earn. As always I really appreciate anybody signing up with my link, Thanks.

April 19th update It seems that the amount paid per video has been reduced but there are now much more videos to watch. Beezag sent me an email stating that there is a possibility of seeing 100, 250, and 500 point videos now. The majority of videos are worth 20 points and usually give a sweepstakes entry along with the points. Make sure you pay very close attention to the offers at the end of the video. I just was given a survey that took about 10 minutes and paid 1000 points. I feel it is still worth my time but I have not been earning as much as when I first started.

Another Great Reason to Shop at Amazon!

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There are so many reason why I really enjoy shopping at Amazon.com. They have an amazing selection and it is really easy to comparison shop between different sellers in the Amazon Marketplace. I think their gift card system is second to none, Amazon gift cards are available almost everywhere and most of the good online incentive programs like Swagbucks and Checkpoints give out Amazon gift cards for free. Usually I can find products at or below what they are available for in stores. The only real concern is what happens when something goes wrong?

So far I have had 2 orders that I placed on through Amazon on the Marketplace be completely wrong. The first time it happened The seller (BlueProton) sent me a generic knock off of the Item I ordered which didn’t work at all. When I asked the seller to take it back and send me the correct product they refused to respond. I filed an A to Z Guarantee claim and within several days Amazon refunded me the entire purchase price without any questions or further action on my part. I was not even asked to return the Item (I think the only good place for this particular item is the trash anyway). The second time it happened was last week, I ordered a multi-pack of an Item and the seller (The Vitamin Shoppe) Shipped me just a single item. I called the customer service line and was told it wasn’t their responsibility to ship the item I ordered since they believed I purchased a single not a multi-pack regardless of what i was invoiced and had paid for, so I should contact Amazon. I sent an e-mail to the seller and received the same response. I had Amazon call me and within minutes they apologized and refunded more than twice what I had paid in the form of an Amazon credit without requesting a return.

I feel that Amazon has exceeded my expectations in many ways especially the times that my purchases have had problems. I have not had the same experience with most other companies of that size. Due to their excellent customer service and the great shopping experience I usually have there, I will continue to purchase from them for a long time. I just wish that more companies would value their customers as much as Amazon does.

Updates On My Apps That Pay You

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Making Money With Apps

It has been about a month and a half since I really started trying to get paid from my iPhone apps. This is an update on my progress from the various apps that pay you which I have written about so far: Field Agent, Checkpoints, Apperang, and Swagbucks. Although Swagbucks has 2 Android apps it still doesn’t have an official iPhone app yet. It seems like the longer I participate in these programs the better they get, not only am I gaining more experience at it but it seems like the companies are providing more opportunities. If you are looking for a good source of part time supplemental income I highly recommend all of these companies.

 

Mystery Shopping With Field Agent

Field Agent– This one is by far the most lucrative app I have used. I reached 100 points and $62.50 from 14 mystery shops by last Friday. When I cashed out it took them 2 days to put the money into my Paypal account as promised. Also they don’t charge you any fees to cash out through paypal.

My Field Agent screenshot from Friday February 4th
My Field Agent screenshot from Friday February 4th

I didn’t receive anymore jobs until today around noon. I got a push notification that said there were jobs in my area that were first come first serve. I managed to do 8 of them in a few hours bringing my total number of jobs completed to 22 and my total earnings to date up to $104.50. I can’t stress enough how easy this is to do, most jobs only take a few minutes to complete. They usually require a cell phone picture and a few questions to answer. The vast majority of jobs I have done were at Wal Mart but I have also done them at Rite Aid, Costco, and Kohl’s, as well as 2 surveys that I was able to do at home. The Field Agent app is definitely well worth the time it takes. One interesting thing I have noticed is that the employees in some stores will start being much nicer when they see you doing your mystery shops. Mystery shopping is a really great fun way to earn supplemental income and this is the best way to do it that I know of.


 

Paid Scavenger Hunts With Checkpoints

Checkpoints– I really think this app is the most fun. I love going around the grocery store when I am shopping to find things to scan for points. I cashed out my first 6000 points which was worth $20 in Amazon gift cards on January 17th. I was a little nervous about it because I read a few reviews in the Amazon store about people who did not receive their earnings. I received my gift cards in exactly 1 week. I believe that if you don’t violate the terms of service by doing things like posting your referral code in The App Store you will get paid. The second cashout I made was on January 24th for a $10 amazon gift card which I received within a few hours. Checkpoints seems to continuously be getting new products to scan. This app doesn’t pay as well as Field Agent but it is a great addition to use while shopping or mystery shopping. My referral Id is sodaguy it will benefit both of us if you sign up with it, thanks.

http://www.checkpoints.com

As of July 2011 Apperang no longer pays you to install apps

Apparang– This is the website that pays you to download new apps. This is not a really big earner yet but I believe it has potential. For the few seconds it takes to check when I’m syncing  my phone it’s well worth it. So far I have made a total of $3.14 with 3 referrals. I have not downloaded any paid apps yet but I probably will in the future. I have gotten some pretty cool apps from here including Groupon. One little tip I have is that even though it says free apps verify immediately sometimes it takes a few hours.  Waiting almost always does the trick rather than trying to sync the phone again. Apparang pays to Paypal immediately with no fees and a minimum $1 cashout. I really prefer to get paid to use apps rather than paying for apps. I also really like how question 27 in their FAQ clearly states that you have to use Apperang although there is no mention of what happens if you don’t 🙂

Apperang Alternatives

Since you can no longer use Apperang to get paid for downloading apps I decided to post a couple of alternatives that I have been paid by. Both of these sites offer additional opportunities besides just paid downloads. I have personally been paid by both of them.

WeReward

WeReward pays you to download apps, answer questions, buy products, and check in to stores. I have been paid $15.05 in Paypal cash from them so far in about a year. There is a $10.00 minimum cahshout and they only pay by Paypal.  There is a decent referral program that pays %10 of whatever your referrals make.

Appredeem

Appredeem pays you to rate apps that you have downloaded. They also have an app called Apptrailers that pays you to watch short videos about apps. I have been paid a total of $4.09 in Paypal cash. The minimum cash out is .15 via Paypal, they do offer other prizes such as Amazon Gift Cards, Starbucks Gift cards, ans Itunes Gift Cards at higher levels. There is sometimes a referral program that pays the referral and the referrer but it was only available on Facebook the last time I checked.

 

 

Swagbucks Get Paid To Search On Your Smartphone

Swagbucks– I decided to include Swagbucks, even though they don’t have an app yet,  because I use it on my phone all of the time and I really like it. There are so many ways to rack up Swagbucks and turn them into gift cards, cash, prizes. So far I have earned 2213 Swagbucks with 2 referrals. My first cashout was 1350 Swagbucks on February 1st worth $15 in Amazon gift cards, I just received them today. I made a second cashout a few days later but have not received it yet. I will probably have enough for 1 more $5 gift card by today or tomorrow. I believe the Amazon $5 gift cards are limited to 5 per person each month which is a bit of a bummer but oh well I can wait. I really appreciate  referrals and will be happy to answer questions and give tips to any of my referrals.


Be rewarded the Web's Premiere Rewards Site

http://swagbucks.com/refer/Sodaguy

The Swagbucks App For iPhone:

The SBTV App For iPhone:

The Entertainnow App For iPhone:

All of these companies provide great ways to make a little supplemental income using your iPhone.  Between all of them they seem to be at least paying for the monthly iPhone bill. Everyone of them has paid me exactly how and when they promised.

For even more information about apps that pay you, check out AppsThatPayYou.com.

 

What is Your Vinegar Made From?

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I have always been told that vinegar is healthy and natural,  it is in so many products and you would think it’s an ingredient that is completely benign. I was shocked to recently discover that the plain distilled white vinegar that I was buying at the grocery store is made from petroleum. Unfortunately it is the position of our government to side with the chemical companies on any issue they can.

Any vinegar product that does not state what the vinegar is made from has most likely been made from petroleum. What’s your vinegar made from? I looked at what I thought was apple cider vinegar in a grocery store, it turned out to be distilled white vinegar with apple cider flavoring. I am not usually one to promote companies like Heinz but they are the only national brand I know of that only uses grain to produce their vinegar.

In addition to vinegar, alcohol that is used as an ingredient in medicines is almost always made from petroleum. Maybe that’s why cough medicine tastes so awful. Only products that don’t require proper labeling use petroleum based alcohol. I don’t see anyone trying to market petroleum flavored vodka.

This is what the FDA has to say:

“Presently, we authorize the manufacture of vinegar from ethyl alcohol synthesized from natural gas or petroleum derivatives. It is our opinion that most of the distilled spirits used in the production of vinegar are derived from natural gas and petroleum. When such alcohol is used in the production of vinegar, we would consider any reference to ‘grain alcohol’ or ‘neutral grain spirits’ would be misleading for the alcohol and also the name ‘grain vinegar’ would be misleading, except for connoting strength, e.g., 40-grains.

“When alcohol is used in the production of beverage products, our regulations require that the source of the alcohol be shown on the label except for cordials and liqueurs. Incidentally, I might add that most of the alcohol used in the production of medicinal preparations and flavors is synthetic.”

Practically and scientifically, pure ethyl alcohol synthesized from natural gas or petroleum products does not differ from that obtained by fermentation with subsequent distillation. Furthermore, foods in which one is used cannot be distinguished objectively from those in which the other is used.

POLICY:

Synthetic ethyl alcohol may be used as a food ingredient or in the manufacturing of vinegar or other chemicals for food use, within limitations imposed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Alcohol Administration Act, and regulations promulgated under these acts.

Here is the link to the full page:

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074550.htm

I just don’t understand how vinegar and alcohol made from petroleum are considered by the government to be identical to their natural counterparts. I also feel that the lack of labeling requirements for the petroleum derived products is a clear deception of the consumer. Would most people continue to buy them if they were aware of where they came from? I stopped using petroleum based vinegar as soon as I found out.