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Boost with Cash App

Published on November 2019 by BriAlys

Cash App is a service, similar to PayPal and Venmo, that allows you to send cash to friends and family, free of charge. Cash App now has a (debit) card that allows you access to your funds (after linking your personal bank account) as well as funds transferred to you by others. The card is free, just log into your Cash App account and sign up (or click here). You can customize your card by selecting a black or white card, as well as by adding other text/graphics. A physical Visa debit card (with a chip) will be mailed to you. In case you are wondering, a credit check is not required to get this card.

Under normal circumstances, this card would be useless for anyone who already has a debit card through their bank. So what has changed that makes me consider getting this card? A feature called Boost. Basically, when you use your Cash App Card, you select and apply pre-determined Boosts ($ or % discounts) to you transaction for immediate in-store savings. Here are the Boosts I currently see in my account:

Coffee Shop – $1 of each transaction (ANY coffee shop: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts)
Chik-fil-A: 10% off
Grocery Store: $5 off one purchase (ANY grocery store)
Marta (train in Atlanta): $1 off each ride
Cinemark (movie tickets): $3 off each visit
Nike: 10% off one purchase

You can use a Boost once every 30 minutes. So if you want to get a coffee then head to the grocery store, just be sure to switch your boost before you checkout. Boosts often change so be sure to check your Cash App frequently. I plan to use my Cash App Card only for this purpose!

Let’s Boost together! Sign up today! https://cash.app/app/JFGLLWQ

fall & winter staples – tops

Published on October 2017 by BriAlys

Hi there 🙂

My wardrobe is super simple… lots of solids, a few simple prints and mostly pieces I can mix and match. This is sometimes referred to as a capsule wardrobe. Not familiar with this term? PINTEREST is your FRIEND.

This is the first of a three-part series on fall/winter staples for casual days. In this post, we focus on tops. Next will be bottoms, then a final post with everything else (accessories, shoes, scarfs)! All the pieces mentioned below are super accessible. You can go high-end or low-end, based on your personal preferences and/or budget – the end result will be EXACTLY the same!

PSA: I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes. Handbags and accessories, now that’s a different story! #pickyourpoison #unlessyouarerich

The key to looking chic is to keep it simple. The fewer colors you wear, the more chic you look! #facts Find a piece you like and buy in multiple colors!

(pictures not my own)

Long sleeve shirts. I always purchase these from Banana Republic. They come in many colors; but, my staples are white, gray and black. Add in a white long-sleeve shirt with black horizontal stripes to your list as well as corresponding short sleeve plain shirts.

Boyfriend shirts. For, um… layers! (who wears coats anymore??) You only need two: one camouflage and one jean material. For camouflage, check Nordstrom or Express. My jean shirt is from Target – I wanted plain jean shirt, no fading, no embellishments, no buttons… sigh; but, you can find these anywhere (Macy’s). If you want to be a little more fancy, add a red buffalo check shirt – this one is men’s (couldn’t find a women’s version online).

One button black blazer. This is a must have! Wear it on top of the shirts described above or over a graphic t-shirt for an extra snazzy look. J. Crew

Puffer vest from The North Face. In the absence of a coat this piece really does need to work and will last you a VERY longtime! J. Crew also has some nice ones.

That’s it y’all! You won’t find me in much more than these pieces on the weekends.

Stay tuned for my next post – fall/winter staples – bottoms!

Friends & Family Purchasing Strategy

Published on December 2016December 2016 by BriAlys

I’m going to make this short and sweet. Let’s start with a couple of facts:

Bloomingdale’s is having a Friends & Family Sale, 25% off.
I prefer to shop online at Nordstrom.

The strategy I will explain below only works if Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s have the exact same product available at time of purchase (includes sizes, colors, etc.).

Here’s how it works:

Find an item you want to purchase (DUH!).
Add the item to your cart on Bloomingdale’s website and apply the promotion code to be sure it’s applicable.
Purchase the item from Nordstrom online and note your order #.
Call Nordstrom customer service, give them your order # and ask for a price match. Tell them the competitor and promotion code you used.
The customer service rep will confirm the promotion on the competitor’s website.
Your order total will be adjusted/reduced.
Wait for your credit to appear on your statement (usually 2-3 business days).

So what does this mean? When it’s Friends & Family at Bloomingdale’s or Macy’s or Lord & Taylor or Dillard’s, it’s also Friends & Family at Nordstrom! Use this approach with ALL competitors, large and small! #shoppingqueen #winning #thatisall

Amazon Dash

Published on January 2016 by BriAlys

Amazon is amazing. If you don’t have a Prime membership (2-day shipping, music, movies) you are missing out!!! The online retailer is not launching a new product call Amazon dash. To keep this very simple, brands like Tide, Glad and others are making little wi-fi enabled “buttons” that you place around your home in the typical places you use these products. When you see that you’re running low you simply tap the button and an order is placed for that product for you (in the exact configuration you initially setup) and of course there’s built-in interaction with the Amazon app on your smart phone.

Each Dash button will run you $4.99. Here’s what the buttons look like.

From the picture above, I use ALL of those brands except for Bounty (I’ma Viva paper towel kind of girl). For the brands that you are absolutely in love with and WILL NOT CHANGE NO MATTER what I can see this being useful. At the moment the Dash buttons are very limited but I’m sure with time, more retailers will sign on.

I asked Amazon what would happen if a child, or a pet, or a fully grown human being were to press a Dash Button multiple times. It turns out Dash Buttons only respond to the “first press” until your order has shipped and arrived. The Verge

Dash is a great alternative for people who may not be comfortable with the Amazon Subscribe & Save feature (though I’m sticking with that). There’s also Amazon’s Echo, the wifi enabled “Google search” type of advice that I told you about HERE. You can see what Amazon is doing is making it easier for you to buy things because yes, that’s it’s business model and how it makes money. The easier it is for you to order, the ore money they make, hence all the innovation they are introducing.

If you’re a fan of these retailers, you can check out all the dash buttons here. WATCH Dash in action.

Black Friday in July

Published on July 2015July 2015 by BriAlys

Get ready to shop until you drop on July 15th! Last week, Amazon announced plans to hold Amazon Prime Day. “Prime members can shop exclusive deals from electronics, toys, video games, movies, clothing, patio, lawn and garden, sports and outdoor items and more.” Amazon’s Prime membership costs $99/year but has lots of benefits, described here and they even offer a free 30-day trial for the service in case you want to “try before you buy”. I’ve told you before about the benefits of automating purchases of mundane items like toilet paper, laundry detergent, deodorant etc. to simplify your life (see Amazon Subscribe & Save). Now is as good a time as any to get in on the action! Think of this day as Black Friday in July (it also includes free shipping), mainly because Wal-Mart is also joining the party and is introducing thousands of exclusive discounts for online purchases on the very same day.

So here’s a tip if you’re not into Amazon… take FULL advantage of Wal-Marts price match policy ANY DAY of the year, including on Amazon Prime Day. The policy can be found on the retailer’s website, guarantee here. You have a few options:

Contact Wal-Mart customer care at 1-800-966-6546 before you make your purchase online
Drag yourself into the store and show the cashier the sales price on Amazon’s website
Purchase your item in-store, or online as normal, then use Wal-Mart’s Savings Catcher app and wait for the price to be matched (Savings Catcher). If you are buying a large item it’s always a good idea to take screen shots (item #, price) to have proof, just in case this process fails.

I play this price matching card ALL THE TIME and literally just got $50 refunded to me this morning from Anthropologie and J. Crew because of a little diligence (see also Price Match). This is the reason I typically buy things I want, even if they are not on sale. More likely than not, the item will go on sale – no need to wait until then as your size/color may not be available. I also ALWAYS setup price alerts on the Shop Style app (iOS, Android) at ALL stores offering the exact same item so that I don’t have to keep checking each website to see if the price has changed. If you do not have this app, GET IT NOW!!!

Happy shopping! (video below)

Here are a few of the other items Amazon is teasing:

Fire TV Stick $15 off
Kindle, $30 off
Fire HD 7, $60 off
Fire HD 7 Kids Edition, $60 off
40-inch 1080p LED TV, $115
A “brand-name 32-inch Smart HDTV” for under $200
50-inch 4K TV bundle, under $1000
Bose headphones at the lowest price ever on Amazon
Over 50% off two Nikon COOLPIX cameras
“Highly rated” binoculars, under $120
Two security camera-kits, $279.99
K’NEX 2-in-1 Ferris Wheel Building Set (Amazon Exclusive), $35.99
K’NEX Crossfire Chaos Roller Coaster Building Set (Amazon Exclusive), $23.99
Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Optimus Prime Figure (Amazon Exclusive), $9.99
iRobot Roomba Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robot, under $300
Husqvarna mower, under $300
40 lightning deals on DVDs up to 75% off
Up to 50% off any of the Harry Potter books
Save more than 70% on the Divergent Series Complete Box Set of books
Save up to 70% on select kitchen products from top brands like Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Foodsaver and Thermos
Save up to 50% on select tools for the DIY auto enthusiast
Connected Car and Scan Tool products starting at 60% off
Road-trip-ready automotive products starting at 50% off
Save more than 50% on Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
30 percent off some clothing, shoes, jewelry, and watches
60 percent off Amazon Elements Baby Wipes with code ELEMENTS60
Free luxury beauty sample box with $50 purchase of luxury beauty products, with promo code LUXSAMPLES
Buy an Amazon.com Gift Card multipack, get $10 in Amazon.com promotional credit
25% bonus Amazon Coins when you buy 5,000 or 10,000 Amazon Coins