You all know how focused I am on saving money, so I was super excited to review the Instant Rewards App for iPhone.

I simply downloaded the free App and got ready to save! Registration was quick, asking for my name, email, and password creation. My first impression was that this App reminds me of the survey sites I used to stalk in order to make a few pennies—only better!

The first screen brings you to an “Offers” page. This App uses credit points instead of a cash value for each task. I chose to complete an offer for a Facebook share worth 10 credits. The tasks are really easy and nothing at all like those scammy survey tasks I wasted so much time on. It claims you can make up to $10 a day by completing tasks. If this is true, I will be using it daily!

The offer I chose asked me to copy a link for the Instant Rewards app and share it on my Facebook. I would have liked to have an actual share to Facebook button on the App, but loved that I could share anything I wanted to my friends instead of a generic ad message. I took a screenshot and uploaded it to the Instant Rewards app and tried to claim my 10 credits. There was no way to tell if the screenshot uploaded to the App, which was really frustrating and I clicked “Claim” without a screenshot and was worried I did not receive my credits. I found them “Pending” under the rewards tab and was happy again. It took about 30 seconds total to complete the offer. I then moved on to the next section.

Surveys are found under the “Tasks” tab and there several things to play around with here. You will have the opportunity to download other Apps for credits , free trials, and about a hundred other tasks that take no time at all to complete!

I had no available surveys to complete, which is actually a good thing because I didn’t have to spend endless time finding out halfway through a survey that I didn’t qualify. The Instant Rewards App seems to only send surveys that you actually qualify for—awesome! (That’s the number one annoying thing about survey sites: wasting precious time!)

The videos section was my favorite. The first video I watched was 15 seconds long and I was awarded one credit. There were no questions to answer about the video.

Cash out to PayPal is the biggest draw to this app!! I hate waiting around for paper checks! Cash out is only $7.50, so this is a doable amount compared to other sites. (Don’t get me started on the 3 months it took me hit the $30 Inbox Dollars threshold.)

Pros:
Easy interface
No fake surveys you don’t qualify for
Short 15-30 second videos
Cash out to PayPal
Variety of non-spammy tasks

Cons:
Could not determine value of credits to cash (One credit= one cent)
No tour of App after download.

Overall, Instant Rewards is an awesome App that most anyone would love—especially the sweeps/survey fans!

In Part One of this series, we discussed what I aim to pay for fruits and veggies. Part Two will cover meat.

Previously, I’ve mentioned how I save with mark downs and how I stretch meat, but what do I actually pay for it? Well, it depends! The price of meat varies tremendously, not just different cuts, but also what different stores charge. Meat is a pricey item, always. That said, the cost can be reduced by shopping the sales, using coupons, and looking for mark downs. Once in a while, I even get meat for free!

For point of reference, I buy regular, grocery store meat. Kosher meat is a whole different story, costs much more, and isn’t widely available in my area. If you like kosher meat, great! Each family needs to do what’s right for them. Kosher meat will be double and possibly triple the prices I pay.

Around here, we eat mainly chicken with smaller quantities of beef and turkey mixed into the menus. I would buy veal and lamb if it was a good deal, too. On occasion, we will eat shellfish, but it’s rare, like when I got stuffed clams for free. Pork is another item I don’t buy.

Keep in mind that the more processed the meat is, the greater the price will be. Whole chicken is cheaper than cut-up chicken. Raw meat is generally cheaper than cooked meat (an exception to this rule would be a rotisserie chicken). Some type of meat will be on sale every week, especially if it’s a Holiday. Consult your store flyers and stock up, rather than buy something else that isn’t as good a deal. Anytime I’m at a store, regardless of what I’m there to buy, I take a quick peek at the meat section. Often, I’ll find a cheapie that’s unadvertised.

Whole chickens:  I buy these when I find them for less than the price of a rotisserie chicken, usually around $5.00 each. A normal sale price is $0.89/Lb. I only like white meat, but Hungry Bear will eat the dark, so it’s not a problem. If no one in the family likes dark meat, don’t buy whole birds.

Split breasts:  My most common meat purchase, anywhere from $0.99-$1.79/Lb. When I found a great price, I buy a bunch to cook/shred, and to freeze. We eat chicken at least 3 times a week.

Boneless, skinless breasts:  These are on sale constantly at $1.99/Lb. Once or twice a year, I see a sale for $1.69/Lb. I don’t buy these as much, because I prefer the taste of meat on-the-bone.  

Leg quarters:  Often, these can be found super cheap. Hungry Bear likes to eat these, but I don’t, so it’s an uncommon purchase. I have seen these for $0.49/Lb at an annual sale.

Whole turkey:  The cheapest meat I have ever found are whole turkeys. Around Thanksgiving, I’ve seen them as low as $0.39/Lb frozen. Butterball, Honeysuckle White, and Jennie-O all put out coupons in November. One year, I stocked up big time and bought 6. It was cheap, but not a wise choice. I’m not really that fond of turkey and whole birds take up a lot of freezer space. We got so sick of turkey by the end!

Ground Turkey:  I will buy this if it’s discounted and have a coupon. Recently, I found some for $2.00 a package. Turkey pieces like tenderloins tend to be very overpriced and I usually skip those. If you like cut-up turkey, buy an extra bird or two around Thanksgiving and freeze it separately.

Turkey Bacon:  I have found it completely free at Walgreens when I matched a $1.00 sale with a $1.00 coupon, and recently, I found it for $0.50 a package.

Beef is always more expensive than poultry, but if you like it—and we do!—I think it’s ok to splurge sometimes. We eat beef usually once a week.

Roasts: I buy whole Round and Chuck roasts on sale for $2.49/Lb during a great sale. A more normal sale price would be $3.79/Lb. I love to make a huge roast and shred it for BBQ sandwiches.

Steaks:  Nicer cuts like sirloin make the best steaks and tips. I have found NY Sirloin on sale for $3.99/Lb. On occasion, I will buy really expensive cuts like Rib-Eye for Hungry Bear if it’s marked down. (Like most men, he’s always begging for steaks!) A quality cut will be around $7-8.00/Lb on sale. I cut a steak into strips, rather than serve whole which keeps costs down, too.

Ground beef: Twice, I was able to get 2 Lbs for free with a rebate. Another time, I was able to buy it on sale for $2.29/Lb. A common sale is $2.99/Lb.

Lunch meat: Not a regular purchase around here, but I find deals occasionally at Target. 2/$5.00 is a common sale on their Market Pantry brand. Use Target coupons and the occasional Cartwheel deal for a really great price! I bought 4 for $0.38 each a while ago!

A few words on pork:

I don’t like it, nor do I buy it, but for those of you who do, it is an economical choice. Around Easter, I have seen whole hams for $0.79/Lb. Throughout the year, I see chops and ribs marked down constantly and sales starting at $1.00/Lb. Roasts can be found for $1.69/Lb on occasion. Bacon is the most expensive pork product.

How much do you pay for meat?

Would you like free flowers? In honor of “Good Neighbor Day,” select FTD locations are giving them out today, September 10! If there’s a location near you, jump on this great deal!