CheckoutSmart app review

 Hey readers, 

Not long ago I reviewed the Shopmium app here and there is a similar cashback app also available to download called CheckoutSmart which I am going to explore today. 

It is very similar to Shopmium in the sense that you can get free or reduced food from shops in-store and online (CheckoutSmart has more stores). I think personally though CheckoutSmart is a better app because there are more offers the only downfall is the cashout element which I go into detail about later. 

What is it?

CheckoutSmart is an app you can download on your phone for free on android and apple stores that offers cashback on products either for the full amount or a reduced amount. It is a great way to reduce the cost of your supermarket shopping and also sometimes you can try new food that you may not originally buy.  

You just need to sign up to the app with your email or you can use your Facebook login details. 

Make sure you check the app regularly as they frequently update their offers on the app.

The types of products range from Proper popcorn, Marrs chocolate bars, and Cadbury chocolate cookie mix. Richmond toad in the whole kid, flavored water,  coffee syrups, Kellogs cereal, fiber bars to name a few that spring to mind.

How to use it. 

Search for products you want (make sure you check the location is correct as well). Go to the store buy the item and get the receipt. Open up the app click on the red icon with your hand at the bottom of the screen (see picture below) then select the store you went to, then the day (you have 6 days to claim back) then either add from the list click on the item or you can scan the barcode of the product and click next.

 Finally, scan in the receipt, and if it is a long receipt you can take multiple photos, and then at the bottom click claim cashback. Make sure you have good lighting and the receipt is as straight as possible so that it can be read clearly to get your money back.

 It shouldn't take no more than 24-48 hours to receive notification of it is being processed or not. Obviously, if it comes back as they can't read the receipt you have an opportunity to reupload again. 

Filter option.  

What I like about the app is the feature where you can click to choose all stores or chose a particular store of your choice which will come up with only offers for that store. Also, you can sort out offers by cashback in pounds, cashback in %, or when the offer start date is, which makes it so much easier to navigate around the app. 

Shops you can use it in. 

Of course, offers are available from the big supermarkets - Asda. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Lidl but they also offer in other stalls such as Whsmith, Holland and Barratt & Wilkos for example. Also if you buy the offers from CheckoutSmart then you could get branded items cheaper than the supermarket's own items. 

Deliveries. 

Not only can you get cashback from supermarket items but you can also claim back 1% in cashback from your delivered takeaways from places like Just Eat and Deliveroo.

Claim money back. 

Once you’ve scanned a receipt, it takes up to 7 days for your reward to be tracked. The money will show in your account after this. You can request the money directly to your bank account, or you can choose to cash out with PayPal instead – it’s your choice.

For your first payment, you can claim anything over £1. After that, you can withdraw the cashback when your account reaches £5 and over. Please note, that there is a 5% processing fee charged if you transfer less than £20, so make sure you’ve earned cash back over £19.99 before you request a payment.

Conclusion.

CheckoutSmart app is a fantastic app to help reduce the cost of shopping, you often get free food and there are frequent new offers. It doesn't take long to add up to the £20.00 mark so you won't have to worry about waiting months to cash out. Overall it is my favorite food cashback type app and if you haven't downloaded it what are you waiting for?!

Cheers for reading X 

Go Puff magic bag from Too Good To Go App

 Hey readers,

The other day I purchased my second ever magic bag from the app too good to go. 

I bet you're wondering what a magic bag is? Well, let's start with the app Too Good To Go app which you can download too good to go app on Google Play and the Apple Store. 

The idea behind Too Good To Go is to reduce food waste by allowing you to buy surplus food at a reduced rate from shops and restaurants. 

The items have a short life but you do get good value for a magic bag (which is what it is called on the app). 

The type of places that offer magic bags are Greggs, Go Puff, Costa, Starbucks, Morrisons, Auntie Anne's, Tony Carvery to name a few. The cost of the magic bags ranges between £2.66 -£5.00. 

There are a variety of products on offer from sweet treats, to grocery items, and some now even offer magic pints where it is just alcohol-based. 

The idea around the magic bag is you don't know what you are getting, it really depends on what is not sold on the day that needs to be gotten rid of. 

So, that moves nicely on to my own experience of the Go Puff magic bag I purchased and it cost me £4.00. 

With my local Go Puff store on the Too Good To Go app they offer three choices which are a mixed bag, a vegetarian bag, and a magic pint bag. I chose a mixed bag this time.

Now Go Puff is a fairly new service that is internet-based. It is an online grocery shop that offers everything you can think of really from toiletries to meat, to vegetables, drinks etc. 

You download the app called Go Puff and click the items you need and they will deliver in minutes regardless of the time of day.  

Now when you purchase a magic bag from the Too Good to go app you can purchase your order using Google Play, card payment, and PayPal. 

You do have to pay for the bag straight away and it will be reserved for you.

 Depending on the store it can fluctuate with the times. My time location was between 11:00am and 5pm.

 I got to the location around 3:30 pm. It is straightforward to get their location using the directions from Google map which is automatically done in the app click on the location and then it will transfer over to Google maps. 

At the place I just rang the bell, went to reception, and said that I was here to collect a magic bag from Too Good To Go. 

They asked how many so assume there were others who also were coming to collect a magic bag.

 I said 1 and they were really friendly and it took two minutes for them to get the bag and hand it over.  

Once you have received your bag you should click on the app and scroll the bar across to confirm that you have received your magic bag. 

Below is the details of the items I got in the bag. I will state how much the items cost normally on the Go Puff app so you get the feel of how much money you are saving and see what good value it is. 

I have also previously done a Auntie Anne's magic bag a few months ago if your interested check it out here.

I always say make sure you have your bags as I didn't know that Go Puff provided bags free of charge. 

Though it is a big bag I did transferred it into my own bags as it was quite heavy with the foodstuff inside. 

I was a bit conscious of travelling on the bus and the bag breaking and all the food rolling on the floor, that would be a bit embarrassing. 

These are all the items I got in my Go Puff magic bag which cost £4.00. 

The Curators Biltong sticks, 28g - £1.99.

Yeo Valley organic skimmed milk, 1 litre - £1.30. 

1 aubergine - £0.94. 

MuscleFood beef burgers, 4 x113g - £3.99. 

BOL Korean chilli posh noodles, 1 pot, 345g - £3.00. 

Bertagni aubergine parmigiana grandi girasoli, 250g - £3.99. 

Rocket leaves, 60g - £0.99. 

Butternut squash, 1 pcs - £1.52. 

I added up the cost to see how much I saved by buying a Go Puff magic bag and in total it cost £17.72 which I got for £4.00. 

Obviously the food does have a short date however for £4.00 it is good value. One point to make is that when examining the food the aubergine was a tiny bit ripe. 

But for the value saving, I can't complain and save food that would of most likely gone in the bin. 

I would like to try others obviously though do have to have the money and also get transport but yeah can't fault the app. 

I definitely would recommend the app if you want to save some money. One final point is that you get to try food that you wouldn't normally. 

Have you experienced Too Good To Go app? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

Benefits of Amazon Prime!

 Hey readers,

If you have never heard of Amazon it is basically an online shop where you can pretty much anything from clothes to books, to technology Amazon has it covered. 

You can also buy second-hand items at a reduced price and also your unwanted items to make some money. 

What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon prime is a prescription program where you pay for certain rewards such as Amazon video, next day delivery, you can even do your grocery shopping, stream movies and listen to Amazon music. ( I will go into more detail below). Amazon Prime is also available in lots of different countries.

How much does Amazon Prime cost?

In the UK Amazon Prime costs £7.99 per month or there is the option of paying annually at a cost of £79.00. 

If you are new to Amazon Prime you can have the opportunity to subscribe free for 30 days so you test out the service and can cancel the trial when it ends. 

Amazon students can get a yearly subscription for £39.00 (£3.25 per month) and if you are feeling dubious you can get a six-month free trial to test out Amazon Prime. 

Amazon family costs annually £79.00 and this allows two adults and four children to register with one account to access all the Amazon Prime benefits.

The benefits of Amazon Prime. 

Faster delivery.

With many items on Amazon, you can get the delivery by the next day though this is depending on your postcode. It is really handy if you want someone quick. With Amazon Prime, you also get free delivery instead of having to pay if your a non-Amazon Prime member and can only get free delivery when your orders to over £20. 

Same day delivery - items will be delivered on the same day though do check the time frame on the list next to the product. Again this is subjected to the postcode you live in. 

Property delivery - this is delivered two days after the item is dispatched. 

Expected delivery - items will be delivered between one and three days after placing an order on Amazon. Again this is eligible for certain postcodes so make sure you check before buying so you won't be disappointed. 

Standard delivery - items will be delivered within two to five business days. 

Amazon Prime streaming service.

The streaming service offers a prime video section on Amazon where you can watch 30,000 videos that you can stream unlimited as an Amazon Prime member. 

You can also feast your eyes on Amazon's original shows such as The Grand Tour, Downtown |Abbey, Walking Dead. Not only tv shows but also a variety of films you can watch such as Borat, Lego Movie, and Shazam. 

To stream them it is accessible on many platforms such as Amazon Fire Stick, now tv, laptop, mobile, and game consoles. As long as you have wifi you can download shows from Amazon Prime and watch them on the go.

Prime music. 

Prime Music gives you over 20,000 ad-free songs to listen to, unlimited skips, and the ability to download and play offline., 

If you are an Amazon Prime member there is an offer for Amazon unlimited music for £7.99 a month or if you are a non-Amazon Prime member it would cost you £9.99 which results in an increase of 40,000 songs you can listen to. 

Photos. 

All Amazon customers get 5GB photo storage regardless of having a prime membership. However, with a Prime membership, it allows you to have unlimited photo storage and 5GB video storage so that you can save, share and access photos on a desktop, mobile and tablet. 

Prime gaming. 

With Amazon Prime, you can get exclusive access to twitch via prime gaming with the benefits of ad-free viewing and have access to pre-ordering video games. You can also get games to try and free game content. 

Prime reading. 

Prime reading offers access to prime customers of over 1,000 ebooks. magazines and comics and what is even better are it is accessible on Amazon Kindle free apps so you don't need a reader to take advantage of this offer. 

Every month Amazon gives a free ebook (first read) to read from a selection of popular choices that arent always available for free for you to enjoy. 

Access daily deals. 

Being an Amazon Prime member allows you to check out the lightening deals 30 minutes before everyone else does each day. Lightening deals are where a limited amount of products is reduced for a certain time so best be quick to get a hot deal. 

Amazon Fresh. 

You can do your weekly shop if you wish on Amazon Fresh, including fresh produce, household essentials, popular and specialist bands>
You can have delivery slots from 1-2 hours either via Amazon Fresh or directly from your local Morrisons supermarket. Of course, it is also down to your location and it depends on your postcode if you are eligible.  

Prime wardrobe.

Prime wardrobe is a service that allows you to try on the clothes before you buy them. The kind of items that are included are watches, shoes, women accessories, men and kids categories. 

You have up to seven days to try on the items before decided whether to keep or return the items. Amazon will only charge for the items that you keep. 

Amazon Prime Day. 

Amazon Prime Day is an exclusive event where prime members can get access to special deals on items such as speakers, clothing, and even toiletries. 

Amazon Prime Day this year will be on the 21 & 22 of June 2021 so make that a date to check out any good deals on Amazon. 

Cheers for reading X

Confessions of a Crummy Mummy

13 ways to get free stuff on your birthday

Hey readers, 

Birthdays are a wonderful celebrate because you can get loads of free stuff from different companies. 

I have listed 13 places that give you something free simply because it is your birthday. 

1. Greggs. 

You need to sign up to Greggs Rewards via its free app. 

When it is your birthday you will instantly get a voucher for a free treat of your choice such a doughnut or yum yum. 

2. Brewer's Fayre. 

If you are part of the Brewers Fayre Bonus Club you get a free main for your birthday. 

You get a voucher sent to you by email which you can print the voucher off or show the voucher on your phone and redeem at the restaurant. 

3. Krispy Kreme. 

If you have joined Friends of Krispy Kreme Reward Scheme online you will automatically get points to claim a free Krispy Kreme doughnut which can be used on any doughnut in store.  

4. The Body Shop. 

Sign up to The Body Shop Loyalty Scheme called Love Your Body Club and you will instantly get £5.00 on your birthday to use in-store.

5. Pizza Express.

For this birthday reward, you need to set up a free account online. When it is your birthday you can get a free bottle of prosecco worth up to £25.00, as long as you buy two meals. 

If wine is not your thing you can choose beer instead. 

6. Ed's Easy Diner. 

Simply install the Ed's Easy Diner app on your phone, register for the loyalty card and you can get a free milkshake worth £5.00 (I can confirm there thick shakes are to die for!). 

7. Ikea.

If you have signed up to the Ikea Family Card on your birthday they will send out a £5.00 voucher via email and you can claim a free hot drink. 

8. M&S.

M&S have a loyalty scheme called Sparks, which is free to join and on your birthday you get a free £5.00 voucher you can use in M&S stores.

9. Paperchase.

If you love stationery then you need to sign up to Paperchase loyalty scheme called Treat Me, Loyalty Card. 

Being a member of this scheme enables you to receive a £5.00 gift voucher on your birthday. 

The voucher is automatically added on to your card and you have 28 days to use your points instore or online. 

10. Matalan. 

Sign up to Matalan Rewards and get a free biethday voucher sent out to you. 

11. Hobby Craft.

Make sure to sign up to Hobby Craft Club then you will be qualified to have a £5.00 voucher for your birthday via email. 

To redeem your voucher you will need the email and your Hobby Craft member card and present it out the till. 

Most importantly you will need to sign up to receive Hobby Craft emails to receive your birthday voucher.

To sign up to the Hobby Craft you will need to set up an account online. 

You have 14 days of the date of your birthday to redeem your voucher. 

12. Frankie and Benny's. 

Register with Frankie and Benny's rewards to get one free meal around your birthday. 

The voucher will be emailed to you a month before your birthday which you can print or show a member of staff the email with the voucher on. 

13. Table Table.

Join Table Table loyalty card called Tasty Reward Scheme. With being a member of the loyalty scheme entitles you to have a free birthday main meal around the time of your birthday. 

You will receive an email with the voucher which you present to a member of staff at the resturant. 

Cheers for reading X

My top 10 money saving tips.

Hey readers, 

Who doesn't love to save a bit of cash when? you can with my top money saving tips.

1. Supermarket closing. 

Check out your supermarket before closing time. Grab them yellow stickers, don't worry they won't hurt you. You can freeze them, did you know you can freeze bread and milk, amazing how much you save by just doing that.

2. Online coupons.

Before buying anything that you need to check online for coupons and discounts. simply just type in the item and see where the cheapest price is if you say you want a specific TV you can save a couple hundred if you look around carefully. don't just go someone, it is always important to do your research beforehand.

3.  My supermarket app. 

Download my supermarket app it is amazing to compare food from leading supermarkets and see where the cheapest price is to get that item. 

4. Hotdeals Uk.

Another great app is Hot Deals UK. On the app, you can see each product and the different prices from the major retailers on one page You can also get notifications when new deals come in.

5. Electricity. 

To save money on your electricity bill one easy way is to simply turn off your tv from the socket to save money. Why have the TV  on when you are not using it? You will be amazed at just doing that one trick will save you money.

6. Travel Mugs.

Invest in a travel mug so you can take your own hot drink when you are going out, saves so much instead of going to Starbucks. There are some really cool designs in travel mugs and you are not wasting it on cups so helping the environment too win-win. 

7. Cash. 

If you do plan to go to supermarket or shop then take a set amount of hard cash and leave your money card at home, therefore you are forced to budget and not be tempted to impulsive buy items that you may not need. 

8. No Spend.

 Make it a habit to have one day a week where you do not spend anything, you will be amazed at how easy it is to once you start doing it. I have also found that I am more likely to do productivity things that I need to do that I normally put off as I have that free time to use up.

9. Emails.  

 How many emails have you got that you receive from companies trying to entice you to spend? They like to remind you of what they have to try to seduce you. Don't fall for it and unsubscribe then there less junk and you can get on with saving.

10. Packed lunch.

Instead of eating out or buying lunch at work invest the time to make your own lunch, plus it is much healthier for your instead of eating high fat processed food. 

What is your favourite money saving tip, I would love to hear in the comments?

Cheers for reading X 

   

7 Places to go to get a free hot drink.

Hey readers,

Who doesn't love a freebie? Well today I bring you 7 places where you can get your hands on a free hot drink how amazing is that?!

1. Ikea. 

If you haven't already then I would recommend you get an Ikea family card. It is really easy to do just pick up a form online or in store and register your details. In the next few days, you will receive an Ikea family card. It gives you benefits such as 10% of sale items, free product insurance, food offers and of course free tea or coffee during weekdays if that isn't enough of incentive I don't know what is. 

2. Waitrose. 

If you have joined up with MyWaitrose loyalty scheme you can get free coffee, however, Waitrose last year have stopped using disposable cups you do need to bring your own reusable cup to access this free offer of tea or coffee at the self-service machine. 

3. Greggs. 

This next opportunity is a one-off offer where you can get a hot drink (regular size tea, latte, coffee etc) when you sign up to Greggs reward app. The app is available on Apple and Andriod. Once you have signed up you have 31 days to go in the store and claim your free reward. 

4. O2 Rewards. 

If you have an O2 sim then you can every week on a Tuesday or Wednesday get a free drink at Cafe Nero (plus you can add the stamps on the Cafe Nero app and when you get 6 stamps you can get another free drink anytime you want from Cafe Nero). 

You do need to scan the barcode from the O2 rewards app and the free drink is only available after 12 pm.

5. My John  Lewis.

You can sign up to the free John Lewis card where you can get a free cake and hot drink this month. 

6. My Gatwick. 

If you are travelling ar Gatwick sign up to My Gatwick and then you are entitled to free coffee amongst other offers. 

7. Booths. 

If you live up north then you probably have heard of Booths which is a food, wine and a grocery store. Sign up to the Booths loyalty card and when you take in your reusable cup it entitles you to a free hot drink. 

Are there any other places that I have missed off the list where you can get free hot drinks?

Cheers for reading X