Hi! I’m Josh Elledge, the Chief Executive Angel of SavingsAngel.com and welcome to the SavingsAngel show! I’m podcasting to you on an uncharacteristically cold fall day here in Orlando, Florida!

I am an extremely busy consumer expert, money-saving advocate, syndicated newspaper columnist, and that guy that helps consultants go from 6-figures to 7-figure rock stars at UpMyInfluence.com if you know someone who sells to business owners. I love what I do and can’t wait to get going on today’s episode.

In order to help you save more, earn more and live more abundantly on today’s show I’ll be covering:

• How to Pack School Lunches for Less
• Hassle-Free Savings Opportunities with Shopkick
• Unique Ways to Save in Autumn 2021

LINKS FROM THE PODCAST:

Home

Check out the Shopkick app!

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How to Pack School Lunches for Less

Packing lunches for your kids can be a bit of an expensive endeavor, especially when you're buying items pre-packaged for your convenience. Here are some tips on saving on packed lunches for your school-age kids. 

Shop and Prep in Advance

When you shop for other groceries once a week, make sure you add what you need to make your kids' lunches, too. If you're looking not to spend an arm and a leg on several Lunchables or expensive snack items, plan to cook their lunches in advance. Take it a step further and choose dishes you and cook and prep days in advance (perhaps you can do major prep work on a Sunday and pack those items each night before school.) When you plan the lunches out and cook most of it yourself, you'll get more bang for your buck, save yourself packing time by cooking in advance, and reduce the waste generated from expensive, pre-packaged items from the grocery store. Examples of meal ideas would be lunches like deli meat pinwheels, veggie/fruit mixes (chopped in advance), sandwiches, salads, and more. 

Choose Inexpensive Groceries

Choose to cook with groceries that are lower in cost naturally. Lots of produce items are great nutritionally and lower in cost. Other good options include string cheeses, buying large bags of pretzels/chips to pack from (rather than small, individually sized bags), avoiding expensive stores or organic items, etc. Shop strategically in this regard and keep it in mind each week when you plan your children's lunches. 

Don't Forget Promos and Coupons

As I always say, shop mindfully no matter what. Always plan your kids' lunches around items that are on sale that week. Make sure you're also always using coupons and savings apps for the store you're shopping at, too. Planning your shopping around weekly ads/deals and coupons will save you hundreds a year if you do it consistently, and buying to pack school lunches is no exception. 

Free or Reduced Lunch

In most states, there are federally funded programs that offer free or reduced school lunches to students based on eligibility. You have to meet certain criteria and fill out an application for your child to qualify, but if you do, your child will receive free or reduced lunches the entire year from the school. For more information on this topic and to see if you qualify, check out the link below:

https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-66254_50144-194552–,00.html

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Hassle-Free Savings Opportunities with Shopkick

Recently, I found an app that rewards you with gift cards just by doing your everyday shopping. I know, it sounds too good to be true… But it’s legit, listeners. I really encourage you to check this out…  Today, we’re gonna talk about Shopkick. 

Shopkick is the best way to earn free gift cards through the shopping you already do. Shopkick uses their own currency, called “kicks”, as a point system. You can earn kicks by performing simple in-store actions that the app prompts you to do, such as buying or scanning items. You can even earn them by just walking inside the store – literally just walking inside, it’s awesome. You can download the app and earn kicks for every dollar spent, too. Also, you can hook up your payment methods in the app to earn even more kicks while you’re shopping. Shopkick definitely has no shortage of ways for you to earn rewards easily, without any fuss or inconvenience.

After you do your normal shopping for a few weeks, you can redeem your kicks for digital gift cards in the app. Shopkick rewards you with gift cards for some of your favorite restaurants and stores, like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Groupon, and so many more. With over 40 different gift card options you can choose from, there’s never a shortage of practical or fun savings for you to take advantage of.

You can earn kicks in store and online — most Shopkickers earn one gift card weekly! My favorite way to earn kicks myself is to scan items at the stores I shop at. It’s like a little scavenger hunt, I actually enjoy it! Rest assured, this feature is 100% purchase-free. You just scan the items, earn your kicks, and choose your gift card when you’ve accumulated enough. I chose an Amazon gift card my first time around, and more recently, I snagged a Starbucks gift card! The savings I earned through the gift cards definitely made using the app worth it. 

You can’t go wrong with earning gift cards and savings for free; I loved Shopkick and I highly recommend giving it a try. You really can’t go wrong since you earn all your kicks just by doing your regular shopping.

Download the Shopkick app today and use the code ANGEL to get your first $5 gift card for free! That’s right, I’m hooking you up again, friends. Once again, download the Shopkick app today and use the code ANGEL to get your first $5 gift card for free. That’s code ANGEL.

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Unique Ways to Save in Autumn 2021

Every season, there are new and unique ways to save money. Here are some ways to save money in the fall of 2021. 

Keep the Cold Out

The temperature begins to drop drastically in the fall. In order to minimize how much you're spending to heat your home, and to conserve energy, try a few of these tips. 

First of all, make sure your HVAC system is fully functional. It may require a small investment to get it serviced, but this will avoid any catastrophic break downs later on down the line. Your HVAC system can easily overwork itself and break down if it's not serviced, so look into this before temperatures drop below freezing on a daily basis.

Next, take some time to ensure there are no air leaks around your windows and doors. Caulk or add weather stripping to any areas that need it. This will keep the heat in and the cold out. 

To save a few extra dollars, use natural light during the day to heat up your home by opening curtains and blinds. You can also reverse the direction of your overhead fans at home, which will push warm air down and in the center of the room you're in. Optimizing heat circulation in your home can save you a pretty penny in energy costs.  

Open Enrollment

It's the time of year where some insurance companies hold (or prepare to hold) their open enrollment period for the year. Take stock of what you and your spouse are paying for your insurance premiums and see if it's possible to switch and save. This won't always be the case, but it's worth looking into each year. 

Order Groceries Online

This seems silly, but hear me out. Many major grocery stores now offer free grocery pick up (mainly Target and Walmart.) You just place your order on the app or online and show up at the appointed time. A store associate will bring everything to your car, you don't even have to go inside the store. 

Shopping this way costs you nothing extra and eliminates expensive impulse purchases while you shop (something I'm guilty of!) It saves you money, effort, and eliminates the need to shop closely around others during a pandemic. 

End of Summer Clearance 

Don't forget to look at those end of summer clearance items and events. The best way to save on next year’s school supplies and other summer items is to buy them now. This could include patio furniture, barbeque items, clothing, bathing suits, certain gardening equipment/plants, and more. Always check for these types of clearance events and deals when a new season is upon us. 

Go Through Household Clothing

Now is a good time to have your entire family go through their cold weather clothing. See what items are worn out or too small for each person so you can watch for these items to go on sale. The closer to daily cold weather we are, the more expensive these items can be, so get them sooner rather than later. Don't forget to always use coupons and/or promos if there's not a sale going on.