Outsmart Inflation While Saving Your Budget

 “Over the past nine months, each month’s year-over-year food price increase has been above 4%, with each successive month higher than the previous—starting at 4.6% in September and reaching 10.1% in May.” – The Heritage Foundation,  

 Aren’t the facts in that quote enough to make your blood pressure boil?

No, that’s not what I’m trying to do here!

Money…coming in (or lack of) and going out…can be a HUGE stressor in your life.

Stressing about your cash flow can absolutely play havoc with your blood pressure…

Whether it’s not having enough to pay all your bills AND buy food, or not knowing where to invest your excesses of money.

Yea…I’d like to have that last worry, wouldn’t you?

 

 

Inflation vs Your Budget

 According to AAA in June 2022, gas prices rose 48.7% since last year, and 4.1% just in this past May 2022.

Personally, seeing the $5.99 price per gallon at all the gas stations around here in early July, I’m betting it rose even more than that!

Even restaurants are having a hard time staying open with one reason being fewer people coming in to relax and enjoy an evening out…probably because of rising costs going against their budgets!

Full-service restaurants had 31% less traffic than April 2019 numbers. According to the article, there is a lot more to it, but the consequences of it all remain the same… fewer customers.

 

Back to Solving the Problem of Outsmarting Inflation

While having excesses of cash may not happen for a while, I would like to share with you something

that was introduced to me a couple of weeks ago…

And I’m super stoked about it!

This is something that can replace some of the outgoing money and put it back in your wallet!

Sound good so far?

Recently a friend introduced me to a company that works with apps to help bring some of that outgoing money back into your wallet.

And it’s easy to use! If I can do it, you can do it…believe me!

My kids can tell you stories of all the times I needed them to help me figure out something on my phone or computer!

What’s the Catch? 

No catch…just benefits!

This company works with four apps that save you money on…get this…

GAS! Go to the participating gas station, and you can get up to .25 back for EACH GALLON
you pump into your car! That really adds up when you fill up these days!

• Shopping – upload a receipt from just about any grocery store and many others, including Amazon… and depending on which app you use, you either get CASH BACK or points toward rewards, with one choice being a visa card with your earnings on it.

• Restaurants…Use the app to find participating restaurants in your area…and get a percentage of your bill paid back to you!

• Prescriptions - Save up to 80% on your prescriptions! 

When you start using it, it’s really easy to get super excited…and what do you do when you get excited about something?

The natural thing is to share with someone you know...because of course you want to help them out as well, right?

With this app, there is a free version and one that you pay for that has some extra benefits.

The first time I used one of the apps, I uploaded receipts from all my recent Amazon purchases...

Then receipts from grocery stores...Walmart, Fry's, and Albertsons...in my case, and I now have lots of points to turn in...so far over 6,000.

I don’t spend much, but the points keep adding up, and I’ll soon receive my first reward.

For those that have larger families or just naturally spend more, you will see cash back and rewards much faster.

The fun part is when you are a premium member ($21.95 per month + 1st-month set-up fee of $10), when you shop at one of the many stores listed (i.e. Kohls, Home Depot, PetSmart, etc) you will probably see the cashback hit your wallet before you reach your car. : )

If you enjoy shopping and/or you drive a lot, you probably will get quite a lot of cashback. 

One of the shopping apps lets you know products that companies are going to give you more points for, and when you buy those products, you see more points accumulating!

The picture that says "Top Nearby Fuel Offers" shows my savings back of .77...which, if I had bought more than the $7 of gas that I purchased, would have been much more. Let's just say I'm betting you drive more than I do since I only drive about 5 or so miles a week! 

If you fill up your tank and average .25 per gallon back, it will be much more than I received! 

Find out how you can start outsmarting inflation and allow this tool to give you a little less to stress about! 

#inflation, #gasprices, #savemoney

References 

Quote from The Heritage Foundation article. June 29, 2022. Written by Daren Bakst. https://www.heritage.org/agriculture/commentary/the-devastating-impact-rising-food-prices-americans 

TB&P. Inflation Adds to Pressure in the Restaurant Sector. Written by Kim Souza. May 26, 2022. https://talkbusiness.net/2022/05/inflation-adds-to-pressures-in-the-restaurant-sector/