tech – Luv Saving Money

Give Your Valentine The Gift Of Jewelry AND Safety In One With Invisawear

I work in a hospital in small city. It’s not a particularly dangerous city. But areas very near to wear employees have to park are known to have their share of problems. I was driving to work one day and saw a SWAT team outside of a run down apartment building. That was about half a mile from where I park.

The hospital provides shuttle service from the parking lots during the day because parking is anywhere from 1 -3 blocks away depending on which lot you park in. Obviously the closer ones fill up first. But shuttle service is not available after 6 pm. And let’s face it, hospitals don’t close at 6 pm and there’s staff coming in at all hours.

I often choose to walk up to work to help get my steps in. Plus I tend to walk faster than the shuttle can get me there because of the stops and route it has to take. One day though, I was walking under the railroad trestle and a man jumped down from the trestle right in front of me. I’m not even afraid to admit that he scared the daylights out of me. He started laughing and rather mockingly said “Did I scare you?” and walked away laughing. Not long after I found out that that railroad trestle is a popular place for the homeless population to travel and hang out.

I had my phone in my purse. I have a tendency to put my hand to my heart when startled. I realize had he not just walked away and would have tried to take my purse or worse that I would not have had access to my phone. That’s where Invisawear comes into play.

Shop invisaWear - Safety Devices Disguised as Everyday Accessories

Invisawear is a discreet safety device disguised as jewelry. With options that include: necklaces, bracelets, key chains, and scrunchies. I think the scrunchy idea is great for everyday wear, outdoor running, walking, biking, or going to the gym. I personally love the necklaces because I feel like my reflex reaction to cover my heart would be easy and unassuming access to my necklace if I was in trouble.

You device/jewelry is able to notify pre-selected people of your choice of your location even if you’re not sure where you are. It also has the optional feature to contact 911. You can also choose to have it share personal information for 911 dispatchers so they can better help you.

Right now Invisawear is having a Valentine Sale:

Get 20% off plus 2 Day Free Shipping I’m excited to have the chance to review a piece of Invisawear jewelry. I’m choosing the necklace. I’m planning on doing an unboxing and review post so watch for that on my social media channels. I can think of so many occasions it would be a blessing to have piece of mind like this. Girls nights, 2nd and 3rd shift workers, travel (especially alone), home health workers, subway travel, runners and joggers, any place you’re not familiar with or has a less-than-positive reputation, etc. This would make an amazing gift that definitely shows you care. This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission from sales made through my links.

Beware of COVID-19 Scams: Utility Scammers

With COVID-19 comes a lot of new problems. Some we adjust to, some are temporary. I’ll never understand how scammers can do what they do to innocent people. Which is why I wanted to pass on this information I received from The National Consumer League (NCL).

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL) has issued a warning today for consumers about a reported increase in scams by con artists posing as utility company representatives who are threatening to shut off subscribers’ power service if they don’t make an immediate payment.

The anatomy of the scam is highly consistent: a consumer receives a call from someone claiming to be with the electric utility company. The caller warns the consumer that their power is about to be shut off over an unpaid bill. The only way to avoid this is to pay up immediately, typically via wire transfer, gift card, or some other difficult-to-stop payment method. So what can we, as consumers do?

Such a call can be very scary—particularly for those who may need electricity to power medical devices or run their small business. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers are having trouble keeping up with their bills, which may make them even more vulnerable to this scam. And even for consumers who are confident they’ve paid their bill, the impending threat of a shut-off at the height of summer heat can cause a panic.

To avoid becoming a victim, consumers should:

Not panic. According to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, electric utilities in all 50 states have placed moratoriums on disconnections during the COVID-19 crisis, either voluntarily or in response to government orders. If someone contacts you claiming that they’re about to shut-off your electricity, it’s a scam.
Contact the power company. A utility will never initiate a disconnection without contacting you via the mail first. If you received a call from someone claiming they’re about to turn off your power, hang up and contact your electric company. Their toll-free phone number and website address is typically listed on your electric bill.
Beware of unusual payment methods. Anyone who asks you to pay an overdue electric or other utility bill via wire transfer, gift card, bank-to-bank transfer, bitcoin, or any other unusual payment method is almost certainly trying to scam you.
Not give out personal information. Utility imposters may offer to connect their victims to federal assistance programs or payment plans to help pay their overdue bills. They just need to “verify” the victim’s information. In reality, these scammers are trying to gather the information they need to steal your identity. If you suspect something is amiss, hang up and call your utility company directly.

NCL asks consumers to share their stories by filing a complaint at Fraud.org via its secure online complaint form. Complaints are shared with NCL’s network of nearly 200 law enforcement and consumer protection agency partners who can and do put fraudsters behind bars.

Scammers like these are everywhere. Knowledge is power. Please share this information with friends and family.

About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneering consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

After About 16 Years We Finally Switched Cell Phone Carriers and Saved Big Money

Years ago, I started my wireless service with AT&T. At the time it was just me and I don’t think smart phones were really a big thing. Maybe they were but I just don’t remember. My bill wasn’t bad and I got a nice discount through my employer.

When my husband and I got engaged I added him to my cell phone plan. Still it was reasonable and again, I don’t think smartphones were that big at the time. I think I had a plan that had unlimited talk and 200 texts a month. That was just fine for the two of us.

After we got married we ended up adding my father-in-law to the plan. Then several years down the road my oldest son. Cell phones and plans changed and our wireless bill was crazy. Even with the 24% discount I was getting through my employer it was insane. We stayed with AT&T though because we’ve had our numbers for so long and figured that was as good as we were going to get given the nice discount through my employer.

Then AT&T started with sketchy sales tactics. “Oh you’re getting a new iPhone we have a promotion right now where you can get a new ipad for $1” I asked about the catch, of course we had to add another line for it. I did it but almost immediately regretted it but we were stuck with it then. After having it for a year and a half I did a live chat. I told them I wanted to remove the ipad from our plan because it never connected to service anyway and could only use it with wifi. I told them I only wanted to do it if there was not going to be a penalty. If there was then we’d just keep it on the plan until we had to. They said no problem, took it off our plan then charged us $60.

We had talked about switching over to Consumer Cellular for some time but still had payments left on our phones. The ipad incident made me want to be done with AT&T. A few coworkers had switched to Consumer Cellular and save a lot of money. Then my father -in-laws phone broke. All the new phones were expensive or required a 2 year contract. I got a call from a sales agent for AT&T trying to talk me into getting my father in law a new Samsung for only $1 and I could save money if I switched plans and there would be a two year contract. I thought, oh no it’s the pad incident all over again. I said no. My husband and I decided it was time to call Consumer Cellular.

The sales agent was so nice and helpful. Answered all the questions I had and then some. You guys, we are saving over $100/mo by switching over AND get WAYYY more data to use. We only had 4 GB of data to share between the 4 of us with AT&T. Of course that never worked out with my teenage son and me being a blogger and social media influencer. We now have 25GB of data with Consumer Cellular for less!! Even without my employer discount. We have the same coverage because they use AT&T and T-mobile cell towers, we got to keep our phones, and keep our numbers!If you want to check out Consumer Cellular to see if they can save you money on your wireless bill too check out Consumer Cellular’s website here.

The links in this post are my Consumer Cellular referral link. If you go through one of those you’ll also get a $10 credit on your first bill!

FREE Month of ESPN+ After Cash Back

If you’ve been wanting to try out ESPN+ this is a great way to do it. FREE after cash back on your first month

Step 1:
OFFER LINK
Using my link, signup for a FREE TopCashback account.This offer is for ALL TopCashback members.

Step 2:
Follow the directions listed on the offer page to purchase. You must spend at least $5.00 to receive $5.00 cash back.

Step 3:
Within 7 days of purchase, $5.00 will appear in your TopCashback account. You’ll be able to withdraw this within 30 days of purchase. You can withdraw the money straight to your checking, PayPal, or claim as gift cards.

Tips:

Important: Check your email to confirm your email address. Click on the link in your email to authenticate your new account.
Want to purchase more than $5.00? Make a second transaction instead of adding more to an existing cart to maximize additional cash back.

Terms & Conditions:Note: Transactions must contain at least $5.00 worth of purchases to ensure the $5.00 cash back is credited to TopCashback accounts. Transactions may initially track lower, but within the 14 days after purchase it will be uplifted and turn payable at the amount of $5.00. Transactions may take up to 7 days to appear in your TopCashback account. The deal is open until 11:59pm PST on 3/6/2020 or until supplies run out; whichever happens first; applicable for purchases made directly after clicking through TopCashback. Only one TopCashback account is permitted per member. Cannot be combined with other TopCashback freebie offers. Do not close the window, open any new tabs, or use non-TopCashback approved coupons while checking out.

I’m on Week 7 of Noom, Here’s My Thoughts

Have you been curious about Noom like I was? I’ve seen quite a few people asking if they new anyone that has used Noom or what it was about so I figured I’d write up a post to help out. This is not something I got for free. I’m personally paying for the program so I’m a regular customer.

What I’ve Tried In The Past

I tried just dieting and exercising on my own but it didn’t work. I tried MyFitnessPal, it helped some but not much and I fell off with using it. I bought into Beachbody’s 21 Day fix. While it did work, doing the same exercise program every single day for months got monotonous. I was bored of it. I could get into a different program but I had to pay for it again. Plus, I felt like if I gave in and at a couple cookies one day I was a failure. Autumn would always say “Don’t undo what you just did in the kitchen” during workouts so I felt like if I had a scoop of ice cream then I just undid everything and I had no will power. I did Personal Trainer Food. Again it worked, I lost the most weight with this program but I couldn’t afford to keep the prepackaged/measured food coming and never really learned recipes and how to really eat. When the holidays came around I fell off hard and gained everything back.

Finding My Motivation To Try Yet Again

I was looking for my motivation to get back on track and it came in an unexpected place for me. I ordered my bridesmaid dress for my brother’s wedding around the end of June. It fit perfect in the store. When it actually came in in August the girl helping me with my dress barely got it zippered. I was mad at myself and embarrassed. If I gained any more weight I wouldn’t be able to fit in the dress.

I had been tempted to try Noom before. I was afraid of spending money on yet another program that I would fail at. There was a 2 week free trial. I thought, well I’ll do the 2 week free trial and see if it’s for me. If it’s not for me I’ll cancel it before I get charged. The same day I signed up for Noom I went as a guest with my friend to Planet Fitness. I signed up for a Planet Fitness membership the next day. I new I needed to work on both my nutrition and my activity level.

When I Realized It Was Different

Noom uses psychology and technology to help people make a lifestyle change. They offer psych tricks to help you get past the hurdles. No food is necessarily a “bad food” it’s just not a good choice all the time. Eating a piece of cake on your birthday does not make you hopeless. They give helpful information on how to pick out good studies and research in regard to diet and exercise. They offer exercise suggestions. Lots of good info. You use the app each day with a daily “checklist” for lack of a better word. The app use might take about 10 minutes a day but you can break it up throughout the day. It’s easy to do while sitting at your kids practice, waiting for your water to boil, or sitting in the bathroom (hey I’m just saying).

You’re assigned a coach after 2 weeks to help keep you on track and motivated. The coaches are not over-bearing cheerleaders but instead offering encouragement, tips, and lending an ear. Not long after that you’ll meet the group, fellow Noomers in about the same stage of the program as you that you can swap recipes with, encourage and receive encouragement, problems solve with and more.

Do the Trial to See if It’s Right For You

I highly encourage the use of the 2 week free trial to see if it’s something that works for you. If you feel it’s just not for you make sure you cancel before your two week trial is up. I personally love the program but everyone is different. If you go through my Noom referral link you’ll get a 2 week free trial and 20% off if you decide to stick with it!

I personally have lost 7 lbs so far, I’ve lost an inch around my butt and abdomen, my clothes fit better, and I can totally see a difference. I’m able to fit into that bridesmaid dress I need to wear this weekend!

If you’ve been thinking about joining Planet Fitness too, you can get a free day pass to try it for yourself.