5 of My Favorite Money and Time Saving Apps

As you may have heard, I recently became the proud owner of an iPhone. I know. How did I make it this long without a real phone? Before that, my phone was barely a step up from a flip phone. In fact, my mom's flip phone actually worked better than my old phone. Not even two months after my big upgrade, I've realized how much of a help my new phone can be. Here is a list of five of my favorite apps:

1. Mint
Mint is great. Get Mint. Seriously. I've always been a big penny pincher, but I have cut my spending almost in half since I got this app. It allows you to connect all of your accounts and shows your saving and spending progress throughout the month. It's also an easy budget making tool and will alert you when you've gone over budget. Mint is great. Get Mint.

2. Ibotta
 Ibotta is a rebate app. It's great because there are so many options, including "any brand" rebates that can used for things like produce or your favorite frozen pizza. I mostly use this app for grocery stores but there are other categories like clothing, office, and pets too. The best part is that it's really easy to use and it works on sale items and when combined with coupons. I got a quart of yogurt on Manager's Special at Kroger and then used the "any brand" yogurt rebate on Ibotta. I ended up paying about $1 for a quart of organic yogurt. That's a pretty good deal. 

Even better! Sign up using using my referral code by clicking HERE and get a $10 bonus after redeeming your first rebate.

3. Shopkick

This app is newest to me but it's been pretty fun so far. You won't cash out nearly as fast as Ibotta but you also don't have to buy anything to earn rewards. You get points or "kicks" by simply walking into a store. You can also get bonus kicks by scanning certain items in the store and by submitting receipts. Shopkick also includes digital coupons and sale announcements from various retailers. Start earning kicks with Shopkick by clicking HERE.

4. Do

I've mentioned this app before. Do is simply a list making app but is great when you need to make a list that you don't want to lose. It also allows you to color code your list and cross off accomplished items. It's a very satisfying feeling to cross off a to-do list. 

5. Waze

I have to admit that I don't use this app very often, but it can be very helpful when you run into unexpected traffic jams. Waze uses user feedback to log traffic updates and will find you the fastest most traffic-free rout to your destination. 

 What's your favorite app?

Share for Some Christmas Spirit Giveaway

It's only 2 weeks until Christmas! I can't believe it. Can you? Maybe you have your house decorated with all the presents all wrapped and ready. Or maybe you're like me and you're just now realizing that you better start enjoying it while you have the chance. For me, this 70 degree weather in December isn't helping the cause. But fear not because I would like to send some Christmas Spirit your way! 

  

Share for Some Christmas Spirit Flash Giveaway  

The Prize 

One 5 ml bottle of Christmas Spirit essential oil blend from Young Living. It's pretty much my current favorite and I think you'll love it too. It literally smells like Christmas. My favorite way to use this oil is in a diffuser because it makes the whole house smell amazing. But whether you have a diffuser or not, there are still plenty of ways to use this oil. Use it in lotions and soaps, make a room spray, or add it to home made tree ornaments, and more! It's sure to put you in a good mood. 

  

How to Participate 

There are three ways to participate. Participate in all three and get entered 3 times!  

But hurry! because this giveaway will be over in a flash. Giveaway ends Sunday, December 13th at midnight Central time.  

  

1. Instagram

Simply tag a friend on your favorite of my Blackberry Morning Instagram posts representing a Blackberry Morning blog post. Instagram posts that represent blog posts will have #Blackberrymorning in the description.  

 

2. Pinterest 

Re-pin a pin linked to a Blackberry Morning blog post from my Blackberry Morning board. Make sure it's re-pinned from the Blackberry Morning board and not directly from blackberrymorning.com so I can make sure to get the proper notification! 

3. Twitter 

Re-tweet a @BberryMorning tweet that is linked to a Blackberry Morning blog post or blackberrymorning.com. 

  

And the Winner is...

Congratulations Jennifer Casey!

Thank you all for participating in my giveaway!

If you didn't win but still want some Christmas Spirit of your very own, you can find it HERE on my list of product recommendations. 

Why I Buy Coconut Oil by the Gallon

I love coconut oil. And if you like coconut, you probably will too. But even if you don't like coconut, you can get a tasteless version.  

If you have seen any of my recipes, you may have noticed that pretty much all of them list coconut oil. I basically use coconut oil in everything. You may have heard that coconut oil has great health benefits, but besides that, I just like it - the taste, the smell, the texture, and that it's good for so much more than just food.  

Here are some of my many uses for coconut oil: 

1. Cooking - Coconut oil can replace most oils in almost any recipe. I especially like to use it in sautéed vegetables. Also, try substituting coconut oil for butter in drop biscuit dough for a lighter biscuit that's slightly crispy on the outside. 

2. Hair - Coconut oil is great for hair. There are a lot of different ways you can use it for hair care, but, about every week or so, I usually put a good amount in my hair before bed and then wash it out the next morning. Just make sure to knot your hair up so you don't get oil all over everything. I'm not going to say that it's a miracle fix for all your hair problems but I can really tell a difference if I don't do it for a while. I highly recommend trying this if you have curly hair.  

3. Skin - Coconut oil makes great lotion. You can either mix it with other ingredients or use it alone. I especially like to mix it with essential oils and use it as a facial lotion. I know, putting oil on your face sounds scary. But trust me, it's great.  

4. Wood Polish - You can use coconut oil to condition and polish unfinished wood. I use it for my wooden spoons and cutting boards. Just dab a little on a cloth or paper towel and rub it on the wood. 

Coconut oil might seem a little pricey, especially if you go for the good stuff, but just think about how much you spend on chemicals for your hair and skin and then think about the cost of a jar of coconut oil. Best part is that you will know exactly what you are using in and on your body.  

Things and Thread: Pink and Gold

Everyone has a favorite something. Something that you wish you had seven of so you could wear or use it every day. These are a few of my current favorite somethings.

1. This rose quartz necklace
2. Knuckle rings. They also seem to fit perfectly on my pinky so I like to wear them both ways.

3. This pink and burgundy printed sweater that I found at TJ Maxx because it's two of my favorite colors and because it's so soft and comfortable.

4. My brother gave me this travel mug for Christmas last year and it has been my favorite ever since. There's just something better about drinking out of glass instead of plastic, and this one is completely glass with the exception of a rubber seal. And to make it better, I've never had a problem with it leaking on me.
5. Neutral nail polish. It matches everything.

I would love to know what some of your favorite things are. Let me know by
leaving a comment, sending me a tweet, or instagram with #Blackberrymorning