Free Money... Yes, Please!

I love free money!

Credit Cards are not great for everyone. I believe that if you pay your bill, completely, before it is due, there is no issue with using them.  When you begin carrying a balance is when "they" start taking your money.

With that said.  I have two credit cards with quarterly, 5% cash back rewards and "1%" on everything else" (there's a catch to Discover's 1% on everything else...).  The quarterly rewards are great... but I would always get them confused!

I have heard of writing the 5% cash back at that time on your card with a fine tip sharpie.  My handwriting is bad for starters and trying to write small makes it worse.  I wanted to come up with something that I could quickly glance at and was legible.

I decided to make a table in Pages and make the font size small, but readable.  This is what I created:

Cash Back Wallet Insert

I then was able to use some clear packaging tape and put it on the inside of my wallet.  Now whenever I am at a cash register, I can look at the insert quickly and know which card to use on any given month!

This month I earned over $40 in cash back rewards on things that I was going to buy.  Then I paid them off at the end of the month.  No fees!

If you would like the Pages or Word file, comment or email me!

Yes, doing the math means that I spent a lot of money too, but we didn't buy things we aren't going to use.  I think there are great ways credit cards can be beneficial and other ways they can be detrimental.

How do you use your cards?

Cutting Corners.... Literally

My wife and I are living with her parents and it is great.  The only thing that is tough is that we don't have as much room as we're used to.  Finding places to store all of our stuff that we brought with us from office supplies to frozen food has been tough, but her parents are great and we have managed well.

Last week Lydia was going through some of her and her sisters' old toys and whatnot from their closets.  She stumbled upon an old doll cabinet and came up with a great use for it in our room so we don't take up too much pantry space.

One of my contributions was making our office material a little more accessible.  When using cabinets or drawers, I don't like having to take boxes out to get what I need because I tend to move something else in the drawer and then the box doesn't fit back in there.  I have thought of ways to use cardboard and boxes more efficiently and this is one of those ways.

Basically I just cut part of the front of one box and repositioned the boxes.  So now, instead of having to take the box out to get an envelope, I just grab an envelope and the box can be moved/repositioned if need be without much mess.  

 

When we have our own desk, I will be using some of these thoughts and ideas from my favorite blog Life Hacker.  Check them out for everyday ideas from cooking, technology tips and tricks and how to stay organized!

iPhone trick for Extension Phone Numbers

I learned something new about my phone yesterday and wanted to share it.  What cool things have you learned recently?

I was calling someone the other day who works at an office and had their extension.  As I was putting their extension number into a different "work number" area on my phone, I took a look at the +*# on the bottom left corner.  I then noticed a pause and wait function and low and behold these are two great functions that have a lot of potential.




The purpose of these two functions are pretty intuitive and have great potential:
Pause- a comma appears and then you can type a number.
-This is used when you have to get through the same system often.  The first number is dialed, in my case the 800 number and then a pause for it to start ringing and then the next number.


Practical Use: Calling your work office, credit card company or bank- Instead of listening to the same automated messaging system over and over every time you call, write the number sequence down once and then insert pauses followed by the right number.

• Example: 800-555-5555,2,3,1,1 This looks a little weird but instead of listening to the choices your phone automatically dials the right sequence with the right amount of pauses so the other side connects properly! So cool!  
• Side note, the more commas/pauses you put in the longer the number takes to auto dial.

Wait- a semicolon shows up and after dialing the main number you have the option to dial the next number with the press of a button.
-This is used to dial a series of numbers when you know it to be right.  Some systems you need to listen to for updates or new information and then you want to dial an extension.  The dial number shows up on the bottom right corner for when you are ready to use it.

Practical Use: Calling the HR department of your large company and needing to talk to John.  In his contact card on your phone, put the HR department's number along with a wait (;) and then his extension. After you press the number, then you have the option of dialing his extension whenever you want.

Theoretically these two things are interchangeable.  I will be using this for my Real Estate agent, credit card company, and bank phone numbers so that I don't have to work my way through everything every time.


How will you use this cool short cut that is already built into your smartphone?

Do be Square!

Wouldn't it be nice to never have to worry about forgetting your wallet or not get ripped off by those "convenient" ATMs when at a fun street event?  I really don't like having to pay a "$3 convenience fee" to eat lunch at a food vendor that doesn't accept credit cards.  With today's technology and generation plastic payment is a norm and a convenience.  In my mind it is not smart for companies to inconvenience their potential clients/customers/guests by making them have to have cash or go to an ATM to purchase something.

This is a great solution 

Imagine walking into your local coffee shop, where they know you by name, and forgetting your wallet.  You think, "I left it back in the office!" Then you remember that you can pay with your phone!  What a convenience and a great customer focus some companies are getting.  Starbucks and many local shops are adapting this cool new technology, in a very safe manner.

Square and Pay with Square is an up and coming company that I hope merchants and individuals alike will take advantage of.  The idea is that you can accept credit card payment right on the spot.  Practical example: Out to dinner with a large group of friends and the establishment won't split the check?  You pay with your rewards card and have all of your friends pay you back with cash or their credit card!

Square takes out a very small percentage: 2.75 to be exact when you use their free card reader.  This can be added onto your friends/colleagues tab they have accumulated from dinner (for every $10 its $0.28, not much).  They have also developed a swipe-less app, Pay with Square, which keeps you from ever having to take your credit card out of your wallet and risk loosing it!  Its an app that you log in to, open a tab wherever you are, and tell them what you want.  When you're done, open the app on your smart phone and add a tip and close your tab after reviewing your receipt!  Its that simple.

My biggest pull for this is for farmer's market vendors, food trucks, anyone that wants to offer a convenient way for clients to purchase their goods/services.  Why wouldn't a company adapt to this generation and technology to bring in more profit!  I really think that the more of us "normal" people request this service/use these conveniences, the better because it pays off in the end: Merchants being to accept all forms of payment and customers not being up-charged ATM fees!

I think this is something that is a great step for everyone, what are you thoughts?  Would you like to never have to worry about forgetting your wallet in the car or at the office and be able to get what you have waited for in line?

Food Truck Wars!

Imagine walking down the street and smelling fresh bar-b-q one step and the fresh aroma of a donut the next while walking through lines of people waiting to taste the food of their choice.  This is the story of my lunch today.

Today I attended my first ever Food Truck War and thought it to be very interesting.  The Oviedo Mall hosted this event and there were 40 food trucks in attendance along with live Jazz music, local radio stations and good Florida weather.  For my first event of this nature It was a little crazy.  There were so many people and it was a touch on the hot side but the breeze made it nice.

My Father-in-law and I waited in line to get lunch for us and our wives for probably 45 minutes and I'd love to tell you it was worth the wait, but for the cost it was a little much.  I bet if I hadn't waited that long I would have enjoyed my Philly Cheese Steak more.  Thankfully we brought lawn chairs and had a nice shady place to site that our wives had commandeered for us amidst all the people walking around the bazaar.

I really enjoyed seeing all of the trucks use of social media.  They had everything from QR Codes to using iPads for orders and accepting credit cards using Square (I will soon be sharing the benefits of this device, stay tuned).  I was super excited to see how many of these businesses are adapting to this generation by allowing us to pay with our phone or us credit cards on the go.  What cool ways have you experienced technology affecting your every day adventures?


All in all, it was an ok first visit, next time I will be wearing sun-screen and possibly a hat.  If they had only hired a walk around/close up magician (aka, Kevin The Magician) the event would have been an even bigger hit!

To sum it up:
Pros: Great selection of food and a very popular event, I would go to something like this again.  The use of technology and social media is growing
Cons: Prices were a little steep at all the vendors and efficiency of line management was not good, crowd entertainment would have helped the lines go by faster.

What similar events have you been to and what was your experience?

What do you Play?

I read a recent article on www.LifeHacker.com that helped me understand how these "free" games affect my devices' batteries.  Take a look when you get a chance.

Free Apps kill your battery

On a more personal note, I just recently got an iOS device and have started playing games more.  I use Game Center and my username is: RedHeadKev87

Games that I play are: 
Words with Friends
Scramble
Monopoly Hotels
Tiny Heroes
Texas Hold'em


Hit me up!

Being Smart with your Smart Phone

I have an iPhone that I really enjoy using.  Its something that I wanted for a long time and saved up for.  Smart phones today are becoming more and more of a necessity: Business, personal, keeping up with friends.  There are so many uses for these handheld computers and we put so much trust in this little device, to lose it, or worse have it stolen, would make us freak out.  

There are three settings that I enabled, that are really easy to set up, that without them, I have no hope, but with them I have some hope for: recovering a lost/stolen phone and/or recovering my data. 
*This is mainly for iPhone users running iOS5

Too Long Didn't Read: Summary of what is to come

1) Find my iPhone- Get your phone back if it is lost or stolen

2) Passcode Lock- Keep others out of your personal information

3) iCloud- Recover your data/backups if anything happens to your device 

Number One: Find my iPhone

In my mind, this is must have to protect your investment*.  To provide any chance of recovering a stolen phone this must be turned on.  In order to have this you have to have iCloud set up and if you are running iOS 5, it most likely is turned on.  This will also allow you to have your phone make a sound if it is lost in your house! 

It settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone > On

 

For a great free way of tracking any of your apple products down download the Find My iPhone App

*By the Way, in case you ever lose your phone or get it stolen and chose not to turn this on, your phone is not "only $200." You pay ATT/Verizon/Sprint that subsidized cost by signing up for a 2 year contract.  The value of an iPhone starts at $649.  You won't be able to get a new phone for less than that within two years (carriers can offer discounts to loyal customers prior to the full commitment has been reached in some situations)

Number Two: Turn on Passcode Lock

I strongly recommend enabling this feature because it will help keep your information safe.  I have my Mint.com account, and bank/credit card apps on my iPhone and I would rather people not have the freedom to look at that.  This is a security feature that can prevent others from accessing your phone right away and can potentially turn off a thief because they know it will be harder to manipulate your device. 

Settings > General > Passcode Lock > Turn Passcode Lock On (1) > Enter in a unique 4 Digit Passcode > Reenter the same passcode.  

Next time you press the sleep awake button you have to put in your passcode.

    

One thing that I enabled, that I have grown to enjoy is found in number 2) Require Passcode After __ Minutes.  This is great for when I accidentally press the Sleep/Awake button or had just set it down and got another text message.  Keeps me from having to constantly put in my 4 numbers.  I think a minute is great for most.  I use 5 because I tend to go back to my phone within that amount of time.

Number 3: iCloud

I have heard of some people saying they don't understand the cloud or what its purpose is.  I have found this to be of extreme benefit for me.  The purpose: To be able to access your backed up data from the internet (Wifi or 3G/LTE).  Backing up your phone is a must and many people are disappointed when the worst of the worst happens: Lost/Stolen device, Water Damage, Freak accident and your logic board on your device crashes (that happened to me).  "iCloud backs up your iOS device daily over Wi-Fi when it’s connected to a power source." Apple's Website.  I believe there is no reason not to enable this.

For more information on all that it can do:  Apple iCloud

I hope that you consider these setting adjustments because I want you to protect the investment that you have made.

Helpful Headphone Handling

Cable management is something that always bothers me.  From having headphones to all the wires behind a TV or computer desk there has got to be a better way to manage my cables!  As I find more ideas I will post them here, but one video I watched recently has helped me with my headphone cables.  Less than a minute video and takes less than 25 seconds to wrap your cords to have them not get messed up in your pocket or bag.

How do you wrap your headphones?

http://youtu.be/klkBc9rFX5M

Trusting and Saving: My Balance

This is an excerpt from my journal this week.  I have been trying to read through the notes that I take during church and allow God to make them more real for me and not just words I heard in a building on Sunday:

“Financial freedom does not mean we can stop trusting in God to provide for us each day” - Isaac Hunter Pastor of Summit Church in Orlando, FL on March 4th 2012

Regardless of how we are doing financially, we can never stop trusting in God to provide for us daily.  Lydia and I are doing pretty well financially right now, saving money, and we don’t have too many expenses.  We are trusting God to provide a house for us when we get to Kennesaw as we live with her parents now finishing our support raising.  

The Enemy wants to use money and have a hold over us, he wants to control us and bring us down when we put our trust in anything other than God.  If we put our trust in Christ to provide for us, whether or not we have a large emergency fund, we will always have what we need; not necessarily everything that we could want but that which we need in order to do what God has called us to do.

This is a tough mindset/balance for me because I want to provide as much as I can for my family, providing stability and security as God has called me to as the head of my household.  To invest in our future, to prepare our kids for their future and to glorify God with our finances are all things I desire to do and want to do them while trusting in God to provide on a daily basis: "Give us each day, our daily bread" Luke 11:3 (from the Lord's Prayer)

  

What is the balance of trusting God to provide everything that we need daily and planning and saving to provide for my family?

It boils down to where we put our trust: Do we put our trust in the things of this world that moth and rust can destroy, or do we constantly trust in God to meet our needs?  Matthew 6:19-21

Where does all my money go?!

So, a few years ago I couldn't keep track of where all my money went.  In paying rent, purchasing groceries, having two credit cards and a debit card plus a check book was getting really stressful.  A friend of min told me about Mint.com and since I have set it up, it has been such a relief.

The idea of Mint.com is that you allow Mint to view your finances from all your accounts into one.  I agree that you might find this a little scary, and the issue is not that you are giving someone access to your money, you are making it easy for you to see where all of your money goes!  Wouldn't you prefer to know where your money went then to look at your account and think someone stole your wallet?

Here is a great CNN Money Report on Mint and how it can save you money.
"Coolest feature: With one click, turn your average spending into a monthly budget -- and then adjust amounts in each category until you find a balance you can live with. "   -CNN above link

I now use mint to track my spending, make sure I have paid my credit card off in time with its "Alerts" and am saving for large purchases with its "Goals" application.  It is free and easy to use and I have found that I am more at ease using Mint.com than trying to balance multiple accounts and get fees for forgetting this or that.  And there's an App for that!

What would you do if you knew where your money went and what would you save up for?

iOS 5 Quick Tips

So, I am using an iPad 2 and iPhone 4S both on iOS 5.  One of the cool tricks I have found out is free texting.  This is done through Apple's iOS 5 Update using iMessage.



Now in order for this to be free, you have to text from one iOS 5 Device (iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S/iPod Touch 3 and newer/iPad 1 and 2 are capable of being updated*). Example: iPhone 4 can send a text to an iPad with someone's Apple ID (how you buy Apps and use iCloud), all for free!

This is a great explanation for anyone interested in keeping your conversations in sync through your multiple iOS 5 devices.  Please give it a read and ask me if you have any questions.  I hope this quick tip helps you get the most out of your devices!

Using iMessage to its Potential

More on iMessage

What makes things Interesting?

"If you think God boring, that is not primarily His fault.  If we believed God to be interesting, how much more would we get out of our prayers?" -Isaac Hunter (from what I remember him saying on 2/19/12)

Something so majestic should give me insight to a Creator so Creative

 VS   

Something that is fun to use but I could break very easily  

I like a lot of things and with that, I am easily distracted whenever I think about any of those "things".  This tends to keep me from doing things that I value or want to do but just need to focus more on doing.  You know how it is when you are in the middle of doing something productive, and then have a thought and run with it, yet the thing you were doing, or were about to start never got finished.... or even started.

In thinking about this quote, I can humbly say that I have fallen victim to this mindset.  Choosing to pass my time with my vices: MacRumors.com, games on my computer or iPad, trying to fix something when it doesn't need to be fixed, but I want to see if I can make it even a little better, I realized that these things interest me more than the God of the Universe.

That is not ok.

I believe that God puts passions and desires in our hearts, and I far too often allow these to distract me from what is beneficial to my mind, heart and soul.  God wants us to realize that He loves us, that He desires us.  The kind of desire that we cannot fathom.  Like that of a good father with his newborn son... times infinity!  Loving us more than we can ever know and more than we can imagine!  And in all that love, He created everything to show off His creativity, and I look past it so often.

The truth of the matter is that I believe He created everything.  He truly is the most interesting One in the universe.

How would my life look different if I believed that daily?

How would yours?

Macbook Pro Short Cuts

I love using my Apple products because of all of the short cuts.  Don't you just love when you know something so well and enjoy how it makes your life easier?  I know I do and I want to know what short cuts you use often too!

Here are a list of the making-my-life-easier short cuts that I use daily:
Key:  Command=CMD  /  Option=OPT  /  Shift=SHFT  /  `=next to the number 1  / Control=CTL
What you do is press and hold the first key and (+) then press the second key and something happens.

Spotlight- CMD + Spacebar
This allows you to locate ANYTHING on your computer.  Now, when I say anything, I don't just mean an application or something on your desktop.  This is a quick search for anything written exactly as you write it.  When you "spotlight" something, on the top right of your Mac a magnifying glass turns blue and you can start typing.  I use this for opening applications, contact cards from Address book, my journal that I work on in pages.  The possibilities are endless..

Application Switching- CMD + Tab (don't let go of CMD but do let go of Tab after you press it)
You will see a list of all the open apps pop up on your screen.  If you look at your dock (the list of apps typically on the bottom of your screen) any app that has a blue dot under it is considered open and running, even if no window is open.
How I use this is to alternate between applications, going from Safari to Mail and then from Mail to iPhoto.  Every time you tap the Tab button while holding down Command you move apps.  Then when whatever app you end in, that app opens when you let go of Command.

Quick Look- highlight a file + spacebar
This is one of the hidden tricks that I love about my Mac.  Say you receive an email for a spreadsheet document for work.  You just need to take a quick glance at it now and really work on it later.  Single click the attachment (using Apple Mail, not in a web browser like Safari or Chrome), then just tap space bar once.  This will open a snapshot of that document.  This works when in finder, looking for that picture to upload to Facebook.  No need to know exactly where it is, just find a photo, press spacebar.
It is a quick look without opening the application needed to manipulate that file.  Great for PDFs in email and checking to make sure the file you want to edit is the right one.

I hope that you enjoyed these.  What are your favorite short cuts?

For more here is Apple's List of Commands.

RedLight RedLight

Day two and I don't know what I really want to write about.  I want to try to get into a habit of using social media more effectively and I think getting a post out today will help me in that direction.  If you blog often and enjoy it, I'd love to hear some pointers because I know that I won't get better on my own.

So tonight I am going to hang out with some people that I used to work with.  It is a going away party at Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour near downtown Orlando.  I have been there once before and thought the atmosphere was not the best for talking, you know the kind of atmosphere that is loud and dimly lit and in order to talk to the person next to you its nothing less than yelling.  But the beer selection was great and I am looking forward to trying a new Brown Ale tonight.  I am also looking forward to seeing friends from the Fruit Company and wishing Chris off well.

When it comes to beer, I like darker beers, wheat, slight bit of fruit: Blue Moon (all varieties), Samuel Adams, Guinness, New Castle.  So if you enjoy beer, specifically a darker beer and/or have been to Redlight Redlight a few times, what do you recommend I try?

Now, what should I do in order to save up some calories so that I don't go over my "calorie budget" too much today?

Getting Started and Updated

I am one who loves technology and understand the benefits of social media, yet I have not yet pursued using it to my advantage. So I am going to start... You have to start sometime and so I am going to jump in.

Friday I pulled into our driveway (aka my in-laws drive way because we are living with them right now). Cool thing about my car: I had to roll my window down in order to open my door because the inside latch was broken. Then, I tried to roll my window back up and guess what... It wouldn't shut!

Saturday I began the process of fixing my window and door. Turns out that it would cost $45 to fix and I was already looking to sell my car. I don't think I will get that much if I were to fix it so I decided to fix the original issue: My window wouldn't shut.... Now, my window won't open- Problem solved!

I learned more about my car than I ever thought I would. How to take the door off, what connects to this that controls that. It was a good experience. I wouldn't have been able to do most of it without my help from my Father-in-Law. Thanks!

So, there is my first post. Thanks for sticking through it and look forward to my other posts. I am going to work on the about me and interested and stuff now.