 If your baby is breech, you know how emotionally intense it can be hoping they’ll turn before it’s time for their birth. 3% to 4% of babies are still breech at 36 weeks. As a doula, this is something that I have seen time and time again and I’m here to share with you some things that can help. Before we get into all the good tips, I want to share some do nots.
I personally have not created any of these techniques. So, throughout this blog I will be linking to the sources that I have learned from. I want to give honor to these women who have chosen to freely share their wisdom to help women around the world. If you’ve got time, explore their websites and social media. There are some wonderful resources here. One more thing before we get into the techniques. I do want to mention that in recent years I am seeing more and more social media posts about this topic. Some of them are just looking to get views and are not sharing accurate information. Look for relevant credentials. If you are able to work with a midwife or doula who is familiar with the position of your baby and can assess for imbalances or tightness that could be hindering baby from getting into a better position, that’s really ideal.
|
 |  |
There are also more gift card options with Fetch. With most receipt scanning apps, you can choose an Amazon gift card or a Visa debit card. I absolutely love Amazon. I am always up for earning gift cards to there, but I love that with Fetch I can also get gift cards to a lot of other stores including grocery stores (Walmart, Meijer, Kroger). You can also use this to get gift cards at certain pharmacies such as CVS. Help pay for your medications. My favorite retail stores are on there including JcPenney. And you can get gift cards to restaurants. Or snap those receipts and go buy books at Barnes and Noble. They have a ton of options. Chances are I’m going for the Amazon gift card, but I love that I can get iced coffee and donuts for free from Dunkin or Starbucks.
If you’re looking to save on groceries, that’s a triple deal. Choose the current grocery deals. Scan your receipts. Then choose a gift card for the grocery store. Remember you can still use coupons if you’re using Fetch or other receipt apps. Plus you can use the same receipt for other apps from separate companies such as Ibotta.
You also have the opportunity to refer people and get points for each referral. I genuinely use this app often, and tell people about it when I get the opportunity. I actually enjoy referring people to this app because I feel like it’s going to help them get a little money back from their shopping. It’s a bit painful to buy groceries in this inflation, and Fetch makes it a little more light-hearted when we get to scan the receipts.
You don’t have to have a referral link. You can sign up directly to this app. If you do sign up with a referral code, you get points! My code is EPWF14. Get signed up with that. Then you’ll get your own code to share with your friends and earn bonus points. The more people you share it with, the more it will help your household afford what you need.
I have fun with the receipt scanning apps. They are my favorite type of frugal app. If you’d like to learn more about which apps I’ve tried and my honest thoughts, check out this blog.
Are you looking to save money and be more frugal? I’m the author of the workbook, Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. Get your copy today and get to saving money so you can meet your financial goals and live more comfortably.
If you’re looking to save on groceries, that’s a triple deal. Choose the current grocery deals. Scan your receipts. Then choose a gift card for the grocery store. Remember you can still use coupons if you’re using Fetch or other receipt apps. Plus you can use the same receipt for other apps from separate companies such as Ibotta.
You also have the opportunity to refer people and get points for each referral. I genuinely use this app often, and tell people about it when I get the opportunity. I actually enjoy referring people to this app because I feel like it’s going to help them get a little money back from their shopping. It’s a bit painful to buy groceries in this inflation, and Fetch makes it a little more light-hearted when we get to scan the receipts.
You don’t have to have a referral link. You can sign up directly to this app. If you do sign up with a referral code, you get points! My code is EPWF14. Get signed up with that. Then you’ll get your own code to share with your friends and earn bonus points. The more people you share it with, the more it will help your household afford what you need.
I have fun with the receipt scanning apps. They are my favorite type of frugal app. If you’d like to learn more about which apps I’ve tried and my honest thoughts, check out this blog.
Are you looking to save money and be more frugal? I’m the author of the workbook, Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. Get your copy today and get to saving money so you can meet your financial goals and live more comfortably.
Click the button above to get introduced to Happily Frugal.
Click the button below to buy it on Amazon.
Sign up for Fetch and scan receipts to earn an Amazon gift card and get my book for free!
Click the button below to buy it on Amazon.
Sign up for Fetch and scan receipts to earn an Amazon gift card and get my book for free!
Don’t forget to head over to my frugal living page to check out the series on frugal apps to save money or make money.
Holidays are a wonderful time to gather with loved ones and celebrate. It can also be a challenge to attend every gathering when you are on a tight budget. Christmas especially can be a financial obstacle for many families. Remember being together is more important than material items. Live simple. Make memories with a from-scratch holiday gathering.
Let’s talk about ways to save money on Christmas expenses.
Let’s talk about ways to save money on Christmas expenses.
Budget
- Set a budget before you start Christmas shopping. This is a good time to utilize envelope budgeting. Shopping with cash is an effective way to stay on track.
- List out who you want to buy for. Narrow it down to who you are able to buy for. Allot a budget for each person.
- Make a reasonable limit to the number of gifts for your kids that fits your budget this year without going into debt.
- It’s okay to keep it simple. Kids don’t need dozens of gifts. You don’t need to go over your budget and put yourself in a tough spot financially to be able to spend time together.
- Siblings can draw names to see who buys one gift for someone. Get one gift item within your budget for only one person. This helps a lot with big families.
Shopping
- Make your own Christmas cards.
- Buy next year’s Christmas gifts after this Christmas if you can find a good deal.
- Skip the electronics.
- Shop the sales! The prices drop in early November. Many stores now extend their Black Friday sales to be for several days. There’s also Cyber Monday. Look at the ads. Have the apps for your favorite stores on your phone so you can scan the barcode to catch unlisted sales.
- Shop thoughtfully. Choose gifts with a purpose to be used.
- Make homemade gifts.
- Gift food and make it cute with nice jars and holiday decoration.
- Do white elephant gifts for needed household items.
- Check rebate apps for cash back on gift cards before purchasing any gift cards as a Christmas present.
- Don’t forget to mail in any rebates. There are still some companies that do paper rebates to mail in (knowing many will forget to send them in).
- It’s okay to shop vintage and pre-owned. Gifts do not have to be brand-new. Thrift stores can have great gift options.
Gifting
- Reuse gift bags, boxes, wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbon, bows, and tags when you are able to. Gift bags and boxes that have not been taped are very easy to reuse year after year.
- Buy fabric gift bags. Reuse them for gift bags every year. There are holiday-themed gift bags that are reusable.
- Wrap gifts in fabric that can be reused. Use fabric instead of tissue paper.
- Instead of buying gift boxes, utilize boxes that you already have at home. Cereal boxes, oatmeal boxes, and other boxes your groceries come in make for a free and somewhat humorous gift-wrapping package.
Decor
- An artificial tree will last years, but a live tree is only for one year. Choose a Christmas tree that is reusable.
- A pre-lit tree does not last as long. Pick the trees that last longer.
- Unplug or turn off all the Christmas lights before you go to bed. Save on electricity by not leaving them on all night long.
- If your electric bill needs to be kept as low as possible, be more on the minimal side with electric decorations especially outside.
- Purchase decorations that are not intended to be disposable. Buy things that will last. Don’t throw it away when you’re done with it for this year!
- Choose quality products. Sometimes the cheaper items only last a short time before they fall apart. Invest in products that you won’t have to replace for a long time.
- Shop clearance after the holiday/season is over.
- Buy pre-owned decorations. Thrift stores often have holiday decorations.
- Make your own decorations. If you have kids, this is a fun one.
Holiday meals
- Gather at home instead of a restaurant.
- Skip the convenience of disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Use your nice dishes and silverware for holiday meals.
- Cook from scratch.
- Do potluck style and have each guest bring a dish.
- Choose low-budget side dishes.
- For Thanksgiving and Christmas, grocery stores may have deals to get a free turkey or ham when you spend a certain amount of money. There are always stores that offer low prices per pound on turkeys the week of Thanksgiving. You could buy two turkeys on sale and save one for Christmas.
- Shop in bulk and larger packages for the main dish, side dishes, and condiments.
- Near the end of summer, start buying your usual side dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas a little bit each grocery trip. Doing this requires less of a dent in the food budget for November and December.
- You can also envelope budget for holiday meals throughout the year.
Also
A realistic tip for holidays:
If you need to, it’s okay to decline. You don’t have to attend every gathering you’re invited to. Gifts and contributing food can get expensive.
Don’t forget to scan your receipts to make money back. Learn more about that here.
If you need to, it’s okay to decline. You don’t have to attend every gathering you’re invited to. Gifts and contributing food can get expensive.
Don’t forget to scan your receipts to make money back. Learn more about that here.
Over 1,000 ways to save money
Another option to save for Christmas is to save money on your regular monthly expenses so you can give more to others during this season.
Learn over 1,000 ways to save money in my workbook, Happily Frugal. Click the button below to learn all about my book.
Learn over 1,000 ways to save money in my workbook, Happily Frugal. Click the button below to learn all about my book.
There are ways to make extra money here and there or on a regular basis. Some of these are from home. Some of these you choose to go somewhere to offer services. Some are freelance work. A few are for companies. There are things listed here that will make a little bit of money and things listed that make a lot of money. Here’s the beauty of “side money”. You can choose what you want to do and choose what hours work for you. You choose how much time you need to put into it. The schedule is flexible, and your family can come first. These things can vary from one-time options to seasonal to regular. Do whatever works for you. When it comes to extra money earned in addition to your primary job, there are so many reasons we may need to do this. As you look through this list, be reasonable with how much you can do. Try out things and see what you like. Most of these things don’t need to be like traditional shift work. For example, you can do a freelance delivery service such as DoorDash after your regular job and only do 1 or 2 runs on your way home. If you work 5 days a week, that’s 20 runs a month. You don’t have to go out on your day off and work an 8-hour shift doing a side job. You can still have a day off. There are a lot of options to make extra money. If this is something you need to do, I hope you find something that fits you well and you can maintain a healthy work/life balance. Without further ado, let’s look at the options to make extra money. Find a way (or multiple ways) that work for you!
If you are going into people’s homes to provide services or are working in a way that puts you alone with people, please be safe. Take precautions.
If you are going into people’s homes to provide services or are working in a way that puts you alone with people, please be safe. Take precautions.
One time or occasional methods to make money
- Turn in your used ink cartridges.
- Collect and turn in aluminum cans.
- Some states pay you for recycling. You can make money from cans and bottles. Some companies will pay a small amount for your old cell phone and other electronics.
- Selling scrap metal can get you some extra money. When your washer, dryer, water heater, etc… goes out don’t throw it away. Take it to the scrap yard. If you replace piping, cash it in.
- Donate your plasma and receive compensation.
- Participate in psychological studies.
- Some companies offer free products or cash compensation for testing their products.
- Sell your items to a thrift store that pays cash for good products.
Ways to make occasional or regular money working independently in-person
- Home care
- Childcare is a classic choice. You can do this in your home or theirs.
- A mother’s helper is someone who comes to a family’s home and assists the parents with child care, cleaning, and cooking while the parents are still in the home.
- Pet sitting actually makes decent money.
- Cleaning houses as a profession makes good money.
- Offer your services in cooking and meal prep. There are people who hire for this. You can cook at their house or menu plan and prep for them.
- Are you good at organizing? Sell home organization services helping people get their household in order.
- Spend time with the elderly who need entry level home care.
- House sit for people out of town.
- Yard work is something people are always hiring for.
- Mow lawns.
- Rake leaves.
- Shovel snow.
- Offer shrub removal or tree stump removal.
- Do landscaping.
- Help someone plant their garden.
- Handyman skills are always needed. Can you do any of these things?
- Car wash and detailing
- Routine car maintenance or basic repairs and replacements
- Paint
- Carpentry
- Home remodel
- Routine house maintenance that the owners don’t know how to do or don’t have time for
- Haul stuff or help with moving… for a fee.
- Light installation assistance is needed by some for Christmas lights or other decorative outdoor lighting.
- If you have the proper training for more advanced work including plumbing, electric, and HVAC, you can offer those services around your regular work schedule.
- You can do freelance work on your own or through a company to offer handyman work, furniture assembly, help with moving or delivering, etc.
- Sell firewood from trees you cut down.
- Services can be offered in-person around your schedule.
- Work as a tutor.
- Is there anything you can teach classes on?
- Is there anything you are qualified to coach on?
- What are you passionate about? Is your passion something you can offer as a service? Many services can be offered around your regular job schedule or your family’s schedule when it works for you.
- If you happen to be musically talented, you could sing or play music at events for a fee.
- If you’re a natural at organizing and enjoy hosting, consider being an event planner.
- Do you enjoy photography? This can be offered around your family’s schedule.
Work independently from home around your schedule
- If you’ve had the proper training to be an editor, that makes good money.
- If you are good at typing, you can offer transcription services.
- Write blogs or articles for companies.
- If you enjoy writing, consider becoming a published author.
- If you have graphic design skills, offer it for hire.
- Sell illustrations or custom-make them if you can draw.
- Create fonts and sell them for commercial use.
- Do website design. This is something people are often seeking to hire for.
- Offer photo editing services to busy photographers.
- Create art and sell it.
- Market your talents. What are you good at? Do it for hire.
Domestic skills you can sell
If you have mastered any domestic skills that are no longer common knowledge, use that. The ability to do these things will always be needed.
- Have chickens and sell the eggs.
- Be a beekeeper and sell the honey.
- Garden. Sell some of your leftovers. Set up a home produce stand.
- Sell seeds you’ve gathered from your garden food.
- Start extra seedlings in the spring you can sell.
- You can also grow flowers to sell. Sell individual flowers. Make bouquets. Start spring flowers in the pot and sell them.
- Offer food preservation as a service for those who don’t know how to can and dehydrate their food.
- Make homemade jams, jellies, preserves, spreads, and condiments to sell.
- Sell baked goods. You can also offer a menu that’s made to order.
- Offer homemade meals made to order.
- Make homemade cleaning supplies.
- Make bar soap.
- Sew. There are countless things you can sew that will sell for a good price. Remember you don’t have to buy fabric that is brand-new. You can buy clearance fabric and choose what to make because of what’s on sale. You can buy clothes and other fabric from thrift stores.
- Offer your services as a seamstress for repairs, modifications, and handmade clothes.
- Offer embroidery services.
- Crochet. There are numerous possibilities. Homemade blankets are a good thing to sell.
- Knit. Try knitting scarves to sell.
- Weaving is also a domestic skill you can use to make products.
- Make candles.
- Make crafts. There are endless possibilities when it comes to crafting.
- Build furniture.
- Flip furniture. Freshen up thrifted finds. Reupholster chairs.
- Make home décor. This could be as simple as painting pickle jars or making garland. You could also do pottery. There are a lot of possibilities.
Set up shop
- Yard sales are a traditional choice to make extra cash.
- Sell things online. Facebook can be an easy and free place to sell items.
- Is there anything you enjoy making that you could sell? List your ideas.
- Consider having a booth at a consignment shop you don’t have to be at while it’s selling. This could be anything from yard sale type items to antique stores.
- Set up at a flea market. Some markets do short-term rent and others do month-to-month.
- Sell at a Farmer’s Market. It’s fairly low-cost to be a vendor for the season, and it’s often only one day a week that you have to go somewhere in-person.
- Have a table at a Christmas bazaar.
- What kind of vendor events are relevant to what you want to sell? This could be a regular thing or a yearly event.
- Sell print-on-demand products that are printed and shipped by another company. The creator gets a portion of the sale.
- Many people start stores out of their home. Is there any niche of merchandise that you would like to invest in and sell from home?
- What could you make or sell that is wanted by the communities you are connected with? For example, a cloth diapering momma could start selling cloth diapers out of her home or from a store people can visit.
- Have a website that sells digital downloads.
- Use an e-commerce website to sell digital downloads. This could be books, digital art, handwritten fonts, customized items.
- Rent out tools if you have a decent selection.
- Rent out décor such as wedding décor or themed baby shower décor.
Make money from your property
- Do you own property you want to sell? This is a one-time way to make a large amount of money.
- If you happen to own a home you are not living in, you could rent it out. This can be a big money maker and regular monthly income.
- If you have property that would work for this, rent out your rustic barn for weddings or part of your land for events.
- If you’ve got the land for it, grow a pick-your-own flower farm.
- What could you use your land for? You could rent it out, let a farmer use some of your acreage, build something, start a campground, have a pay lake to fish at, and more.
Get connected to the world
- Connect with affiliate marketing. You can promote someone’s product or program for a bonus when they get business through you. Or you can create the class that offers affiliate marketing to encourage others to promote you.
- Create podcasts that are paid or monetized with ads.
- Make money from a website. This often requires regular blogging.
- Have ads on your website.
- Have ads in your blogs.
- Use affiliate marketing links.
- Earn commission.
- Promote sponsored content.
- Get paid to do reviews.
- You can get paid to do book reviews and participate in things like book blog tours. Connect with other bloggers who review similar items.
- Use social media to promote your blogs and increase traffic to your website.
- Have an email list.
- Sell digital downloads.
- Sell physical products.
- Sell services that you promote through your website.
- Have ads on your website.
- If you gain a large following on social media, you can make money at it. This does take a tremendous amount of effort to gain followers and maintain each account. However, it’s something you can do from home to make money.
- Several social media platforms offer content creators the ability to monetize their account.
- Earn commission through affiliate links.
- Earn ad revenue.
- Get paid to do ads or sponsored content.
- Be a brand ambassador.
- Offer exclusive content for subscribers (monthly fee).
- Be open to donations.
- Sometimes they launch businesses once they are popular. They may write books, introduce a clothing line, or offer something their fans can buy.
Do delivery
- Some companies allow you to deliver packages as needed with the ability to sign up for shifts when it works for your family. You can do this locally or you can travel. (example: Amazon flex)
- Work for a company that does food delivery. You decide your availability. (examples: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grub Hub)
- Deliver groceries when it works for your schedule. There are several grocery stores that offer this. (examples: Instacart, DoorDash red card, Spark Driver, Shipt)
- Be a personal shopper. There are apps for this as well. You go shopping for them and then deliver their items to their house. (All of the companies in the above option offer delivery for retail shopping as well.)
- Use your car for rideshare driving. Pick people up and deliver them to their doorstep. (examples: Uber, Lyft)
DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Instacart, Spark Driver, Shipt, Uber, Lyft, and Amazon flex are all companies you can freelance for when it works for your schedule.
Extra money working for a company
- Virtual assistant work is becoming popular.
- Social media management is something you can do from home.
- If you like to teach, there are programs you can teach under someone’s brand that uses their curriculum and they take a percentage of your class fee.
- Direct sales for a company that sells exclusively through members instead of directly to the public is an extremely popular thing to try out for extra cash.
- Work for day to day hire around your schedule.
- Check the temp agencies in your area. They may have short term jobs available.
- Work seasonal jobs. Retail jobs always hire seasonal workers for the holidays. A garden center or farm may need extra help for the summer. Search seasonal jobs in your area.
- If it works with your needs and family’s schedule, consider working a PRN job where you can pick up shifts on days/nights that work best for your scheduling needs. It’s a very flexible way to make decent money without having to start a business.
There is a lot of flexibility in this type of work
Many of these things can grow into a full income. Many of them can be a supplemental income. While it is hard to have small businesses or put in the time for side jobs, there is a lot of flexibility. You set the pace for how much you want to do. You decide when you want to do these things. Live frugally. Make extra money when you need to.
Also consider apps
- Earn cash or gift cards by scanning your receipts. I have a blog on that here.
- Get rebates on your groceries through apps. I have a blog on that here.
- Make a little bit of money with referral codes. I have a blog on frugal apps I use that offer referral codes here.
There is a blog series on frugal apps to save money and make money on my frugal living page.
Better yet
Better than any of these options, save money in your budget so you don’t have to go out and work extra. Learning ways to save on your monthly expenses can make the difference between mommas being able to stay home or having to leave their babies. Developing your skills in feeding a family frugally can be what lets you be a homemaker so you don’t have to work outside the home if you don’t want to. I would love to teach you over 1,000 ways to save money. It’s all in my workbook, Happily Frugal.
Get your copy today!
What do you do to make extra money when you need to?
Tell me in the comments below.
If you’re looking to make a little bit of extra money from home or earn gift cards here and there, referral codes and links are one way to do that. Of course, recommend apps you genuinely use and think are worth recommending.
I’ll give examples below of apps I have on my phone that offer a referral bonus. Most of these offer a bonus to those signing up, and the majority of them give a reward for referring someone.
Once you get signed up with these apps, you’ll get your own referral code to make a little extra money or points for gift cards. All of these are apps you can sign up for directly without need for referral. However, most offer a bonus when you sign up with a referral. I’ll link to my code for each one.
In alphabetical order, here are 15 apps I have that you could make money from too.
Coin Out is a receipt scanning app. Earn points when you scan your receipts.
I’ll give examples below of apps I have on my phone that offer a referral bonus. Most of these offer a bonus to those signing up, and the majority of them give a reward for referring someone.
Once you get signed up with these apps, you’ll get your own referral code to make a little extra money or points for gift cards. All of these are apps you can sign up for directly without need for referral. However, most offer a bonus when you sign up with a referral. I’ll link to my code for each one.
In alphabetical order, here are 15 apps I have that you could make money from too.
- Be frugal
- Box Tops
- Casey’s gas station
- Coin Out
Coin Out is a receipt scanning app. Earn points when you scan your receipts.
- Fetch
- Flashfood
- Frisbee
- GasBuddy
- Ibotta
- Inbox Dollars
- Rakuten
- Receipt Hog
- Shopkick
- Swagbucks
- Upside
How can you make money like this?
I’ll be honest. It’s not big money. It’s just a little bit here and there. If I didn’t genuinely have the apps on my phone for my own use, it wouldn’t be enough money to motivate me to sign up for the codes. That said, I actually use these apps and make a little extra at referral codes.
Here’s how you can do it.
Tell me in the comments what your favorite frugal apps are. I have a whole blog series on frugal apps over on my web page for frugal blogs. Check that out and see how you can make a little or save a lot. Don’t forget to read my book, Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. It’s all about living the frugal lifestyle and meeting your goals.
Here’s how you can do it.
- Tell your family and friends in person.
- Post about it on social media.
- If the conversation arises for certain apps, tell people about how you are saving money or making a little money with such and such app. For example, Fetch is an easy app to talk about and so is GasBuddy.
- If you have a blog or website, see if you can add it in with your niche.
- Share this blog to get started talking about frugal apps to make passive money from home.
Tell me in the comments what your favorite frugal apps are. I have a whole blog series on frugal apps over on my web page for frugal blogs. Check that out and see how you can make a little or save a lot. Don’t forget to read my book, Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. It’s all about living the frugal lifestyle and meeting your goals.
I am not a political blogger. I don’t like to talk about politics. It’s a stressful topic. However, there comes a point that it’s necessary. We are in crisis here in Clark County. Springfield has made national news repeatedly due to the extremely large amount of immigrants that have come here. There’s a lot of talk, a lot of emotion, a lot of division, facts, and false information, and claims without evidence. As someone who actually lives here, I can tell you we were talking about this growing issue long before the election season came.
It's not about the cats. It’s about the numerous car accidents by thousands of Haitians driving without a license or car insurance. It’s about the American families being kicked out of rental homes so Haitians can be moved in with large groups at higher rent. It’s about the crime rising us to one of the most dangerous cities in Ohio. It’s about the “invaders” buying assault rifles and being aggressive. It’s about the city leaders profiting off this mass immigration. It’s about the women being followed by groups of Haitian men in grocery store parking lots. It’s about our drowning healthcare resources and hours-long lines at the welfare office that now has armed guards at the door for their 9 to 1 ratio of Haitians to Americans. It’s about what’s really happening here.
To be clear, I do not want any violence or threats of harm. I do not want hatred at the Haitians. I am a Christian and I do not desire violence at anyone especially for the sake of addressing excessive immigration of people escaping a terribly violent country. I’m writing this because I want the American voters to be aware of what the media isn’t telling them – as told by someone who actually lives in an “invaded” county. People need to know the truth. If millions of immigrants are going to come into our country, the issues here need to be addressed and worked on.
It's not about the cats. It’s about the numerous car accidents by thousands of Haitians driving without a license or car insurance. It’s about the American families being kicked out of rental homes so Haitians can be moved in with large groups at higher rent. It’s about the crime rising us to one of the most dangerous cities in Ohio. It’s about the “invaders” buying assault rifles and being aggressive. It’s about the city leaders profiting off this mass immigration. It’s about the women being followed by groups of Haitian men in grocery store parking lots. It’s about our drowning healthcare resources and hours-long lines at the welfare office that now has armed guards at the door for their 9 to 1 ratio of Haitians to Americans. It’s about what’s really happening here.
To be clear, I do not want any violence or threats of harm. I do not want hatred at the Haitians. I am a Christian and I do not desire violence at anyone especially for the sake of addressing excessive immigration of people escaping a terribly violent country. I’m writing this because I want the American voters to be aware of what the media isn’t telling them – as told by someone who actually lives in an “invaded” county. People need to know the truth. If millions of immigrants are going to come into our country, the issues here need to be addressed and worked on.
This is home
I grew up here. This is home. I’ve lived here over 30 years. I’m familiar with the places being talked about in the news and on social media. I’m here to tell you none of the mainstream media is reporting what’s actually happening or mentioning the most important issues. They’re hyper-focusing on viral statements made without evidence, and dismissing the validity of the entire matter. Or they’re calling it racism and xenophobia when that’s not it at all. Springfield Americans – both white and black – are united in opposing how many Haitians are coming here. Nobody cares what color they are.
Before the “Haitian invasion”, Springfield had about 58,000 people. It’s not a big city. I live in a small town halfway in between Springfield and Dayton. My grandparent’s generation moved up from Kentucky because this area was booming with jobs. This used to be the place to be for working class folks. This was certainly never a rich area. It’s been on the run-down side my whole life. It’s often described as an impoverished area. I don’t remember the days it was a booming economy. I’ve watched this area struggle more and more over the years as businesses close left and right. No one would disagree that we were struggling…. and then 20,000+ immigrants moved in from a third world country who came and took over the welfare office with lines hours long. These people are coming on a refugee program that offers significant cash assistance, getting housing vouchers, and getting all the welfare programs available to Americans including “free” health insurance and quite a lot of money in food stamps. This area was already struggling. We already had one of the highest poverty rates outside of the Appalachian counties. And now we have tens of thousands more taking up resources paid for by American tax dollars.
They started arriving in 2018. The population growth has exploded within the last year or two. Any kind of population growth of 20,000 in a city that had just under 60,000 is going to be hard for the area to adjust to especially with housing and jobs. They continue to come. Busloads of them get dropped off at the Love’s truck stop just off I-70. More come every day.
As with any population that size, there are a variety of people. There are good people. There are well-educated, college-degreed people. There are business owners. There are people desperate to escape a hellacious country and start over in the land of opportunity. There are also criminals in the mix. There are gang members that have slipped in. There are rapists from Haiti here now. We can see that there are a lot of thieves in their community. There are dangerous people in the mix. They aren’t all bad. They aren’t all good either. There are people who are thankful to be here, and others who don’t like America. There are some worth welcoming, and others who are a threat to our community.
Why here? They say they were told there are jobs here. A temp agency in Springfield employs many of them. Or you could say exploits many of them with low wages, shady contracts, and high rent. This temp agency owner also owns dozens of rental properties. Others suspect the city officials are getting paid for it somehow. The mayor of Springfield also owns rental properties and rents to the Haitians. He is making money from them being here. Many people suspect the city officials allow this because they profit from it.
Most of them are here legally. They are under temporary protected status until 2026. A lot of them are asylum seekers. We don’t know what will happen when their protected status is up. Will they be deported or given citizenship?
The Haitians come from a third world country – the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere – and they struggle to assimilate to the American way of life. Their country is suffering extreme political unrest and violence as they are run by gangs. The people living in Haiti struggle with hunger, violence, kidnappings, rape, gang crime, and horrible conditions as they try to survive. Needless to say, they are escaping a terrible place. There is no question about that. But is it good for our country to welcome in so many millions of immigrants? How many can we take in and how quickly? We can all agree that our melting pot of a nation was built by immigrants, and most of us descend from them. What about when huge populations of them arrive in one area? What happens when 20,000 immigrants in need of assistance gather together in a struggling, impoverished city of just under 60,000? A city full of poor folks who are barely able to buy groceries, families have moved in together, and the homeless community grows, children are hungry, and the city slowly crumbles before our eyes?
Some Springfield citizens welcome them with open arms.
Others resent them taking up resources taken from the American taxpayer who is struggling to survive. (And the state just keeps sinking more of our tax money into non-Americans.) Some resent that Americans aren’t put first by our politicians they elect in a government they pay into. Foreigners are being put first over struggling American families.
While others fear them, many feeling we have been invaded sheerly due to the numbers.
Before the “Haitian invasion”, Springfield had about 58,000 people. It’s not a big city. I live in a small town halfway in between Springfield and Dayton. My grandparent’s generation moved up from Kentucky because this area was booming with jobs. This used to be the place to be for working class folks. This was certainly never a rich area. It’s been on the run-down side my whole life. It’s often described as an impoverished area. I don’t remember the days it was a booming economy. I’ve watched this area struggle more and more over the years as businesses close left and right. No one would disagree that we were struggling…. and then 20,000+ immigrants moved in from a third world country who came and took over the welfare office with lines hours long. These people are coming on a refugee program that offers significant cash assistance, getting housing vouchers, and getting all the welfare programs available to Americans including “free” health insurance and quite a lot of money in food stamps. This area was already struggling. We already had one of the highest poverty rates outside of the Appalachian counties. And now we have tens of thousands more taking up resources paid for by American tax dollars.
They started arriving in 2018. The population growth has exploded within the last year or two. Any kind of population growth of 20,000 in a city that had just under 60,000 is going to be hard for the area to adjust to especially with housing and jobs. They continue to come. Busloads of them get dropped off at the Love’s truck stop just off I-70. More come every day.
As with any population that size, there are a variety of people. There are good people. There are well-educated, college-degreed people. There are business owners. There are people desperate to escape a hellacious country and start over in the land of opportunity. There are also criminals in the mix. There are gang members that have slipped in. There are rapists from Haiti here now. We can see that there are a lot of thieves in their community. There are dangerous people in the mix. They aren’t all bad. They aren’t all good either. There are people who are thankful to be here, and others who don’t like America. There are some worth welcoming, and others who are a threat to our community.
Why here? They say they were told there are jobs here. A temp agency in Springfield employs many of them. Or you could say exploits many of them with low wages, shady contracts, and high rent. This temp agency owner also owns dozens of rental properties. Others suspect the city officials are getting paid for it somehow. The mayor of Springfield also owns rental properties and rents to the Haitians. He is making money from them being here. Many people suspect the city officials allow this because they profit from it.
Most of them are here legally. They are under temporary protected status until 2026. A lot of them are asylum seekers. We don’t know what will happen when their protected status is up. Will they be deported or given citizenship?
The Haitians come from a third world country – the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere – and they struggle to assimilate to the American way of life. Their country is suffering extreme political unrest and violence as they are run by gangs. The people living in Haiti struggle with hunger, violence, kidnappings, rape, gang crime, and horrible conditions as they try to survive. Needless to say, they are escaping a terrible place. There is no question about that. But is it good for our country to welcome in so many millions of immigrants? How many can we take in and how quickly? We can all agree that our melting pot of a nation was built by immigrants, and most of us descend from them. What about when huge populations of them arrive in one area? What happens when 20,000 immigrants in need of assistance gather together in a struggling, impoverished city of just under 60,000? A city full of poor folks who are barely able to buy groceries, families have moved in together, and the homeless community grows, children are hungry, and the city slowly crumbles before our eyes?
Some Springfield citizens welcome them with open arms.
Others resent them taking up resources taken from the American taxpayer who is struggling to survive. (And the state just keeps sinking more of our tax money into non-Americans.) Some resent that Americans aren’t put first by our politicians they elect in a government they pay into. Foreigners are being put first over struggling American families.
While others fear them, many feeling we have been invaded sheerly due to the numbers.
Let's talk about the issues
- The most obvious issue is that there’s too many too fast. This is not a big city like Chicago or New York. We can’t handle a population growth like this. If they had immigrated in smaller numbers, this would barely be noticeable. If they dispersed, it wouldn’t be as hard to handle. Yet they continue to pour in daily (yes, I literally mean daily).
- A new issue that has quickly risen to one of the most serious is election fraud. These people who are not American citizens are trying to vote. It caught my attention when people started mentioning places telling them to vote. It was found that the library in Springfield was handing out illegal voter registration forms. Then the Ohio Secretary of State caught an illegal absentee ballot sent out by a Haitian refugee. This was publicly reported in a press release. The Secretary of State said it was distributed by the welfare office and actually printed by the Ohio Department of Medicaid. They were told to cease and desist. Now it’s rumored that the BMV is telling them to register to vote? In interviews, some have said they plan to vote. Now do you understand why Kamala is welcoming in immigrants at insanely high rates in the months leading up to the election? Now do you see why they are being sent to red states? Thankfully, Ohio is being more diligent on election integrity. It is unclear if the immigrants actually know it’s illegal for them to vote and such lawbreaking could get them deported. This is fact not fiction, folks. These attempts at election fraud have been publicly reported by government agencies and covered by conservative media outlets. How can they get an absentee ballot unless they were accepted as a registered voter? And how many of them have slipped through the registration process and sent in absentee ballots? Perhaps, we need to do away with absentee ballots.
- One of the most important issues is the daily car accidents making our roads unsafe. The majority of people in Haiti walk to their destination. These immigrants may have never driven a car before they got here. We’ve noticed their…newness… to operating a motor vehicle. There are 6-10 accidents a day. They’re not going to driving school. They are driving without licenses or car insurance. There are literally multiple accidents a day in Springfield because of the Haitians. Several local Americans have already been killed because of them, including one hitting a school bus. While it’s bothersome enough that they don’t get in legal trouble for driving without a license, we are mostly concerned for our safety driving on roads with unlicensed drivers who don’t actually know how to drive. People fear their children and loved ones will be hit every time they leave their house. And this is wild, y’all. This is not the new driver experience we had as teenagers. This is a group of people that don’t understand how our roads even work. They go the wrong way on one-way streets all the time. They go off the road. One local tells of watching her DoorDash driver on the app arrive to a closed road and then proceed to take the railroad tracks instead. We have never seen road safety issues like this. They hit parked cars. They hit houses. Locals post pictures and videos and collages. Keep in mind if you can’t afford to fix your car, that person has just lost their transportation to work and may lose their job because of it.
- Many locals are irritated that we would get in trouble for breaking the law by driving without a license and without car insurance, but they don’t. We would get our cars towed, charged with a misdemeanor on first offense, and maybe even go to jail. They don’t get in trouble though. Some of them even drive cars without plates.
- Speaking of car insurance, most Clark County residents have suffered their car insurance nearly doubling because of the massive increase in car accidents in our area. One local resident shared a video about how his car insurance for two vehicles is now so high it’s basically a third car payment. Let me emphasize again this was already a high poverty area and most of us are struggling. So now we have to pay more for insurance and also pay out of our own pockets if they smash our cars because they don’t even have car insurance. Thousands of them… driving without a license or car insurance. Yet it’s against the law for us to not have car insurance.
- Homeowners insurance is also going up. I’m just going to go ahead and assume it’s because the Haitians are wrecking their cars into houses.
- Obviously, we didn’t have 10,000 houses sitting empty when they showed up. A lot of the Haitians live in large groups with 20 to 25 people to a house.
- Rent has gone through the roof. The surge in demand for housing has driven up the cost. Landlords are kicking out Americans and moving in Haitians. Yes, landlords are actually kicking out American families in favor of Haitians. Why? They make more money off them. The rent is being raised significantly all over the area – far more than being from the inflation. The Haitians live in groups and get cash assistance for being a refugee. They can pay a higher price. We can’t.
- This is contributing to the significant increase in homeless Americans here in Clark County.
- Some Springfield residents report Haitians making homeless camps in public places such as behind schools. This has repeatedly been mentioned at city council meetings. I have also seen photos of this posted on Facebook several times.
- There have been claims of homeless Haitians being squatters on residential property. One video went viral of a woman speaking at the city council meeting saying they were squatters in her yard and threatening her.
- One of the biggest issues is that they don’t follow our laws and they don’t get in trouble when they break them. Reportedly, Clark County courts have dismissed their cases because of the inability to provide them with the right to a speedy trial due to not having a translator.
- The crime has risen. Springfield has risen to the top 5 for most dangerous cities in Ohio. It surpassed Dayton and Cincinnati! It wasn’t that long ago the rate of violent crime in Springfield was half that of Dayton. I never in a million years would have thought that Dayton would become the safer place to be. In 2022, Dayton was ranked as the 5th most dangerous city in the entire country. To my knowledge, they don’t publicize crime statistics by citizenship status.
- There have been so many reports of women saying they were followed by groups of Haitian men when they were at the store or in the parking lot. I can’t even begin to count how many times this has been posted locally. None of the media has acknowledged that. Some women get walked to their cars by the employees. Not enough call the police when this happens. Clark County residents know the police are short-staffed and can’t respond to every call. That has been an issue for a long time.
- American women are being raped by Haitian men, some of them being gang raped. Is that why they call Springfield “Little Haiti” now? This has been a verified issue in Lima and Columbus. It has been posted about happening here in Springfield. I don’t know of any arrests yet for this area. I do believe women when they say they were raped or assaulted, even if they didn’t report.
- Many, many Springfield area residents no longer feel safe going in public in their own community. They are taking their business elsewhere. People that live in Springfield are traveling to Urbana or London or even all the way to Beavercreek to do their grocery shopping, retail shopping, and even banking. Businesses in Springfield are losing customers. This will lead to decreased hours/pay for employees due to low sales and possibly closed businesses. We have had a shocking number of businesses close this year.
- Speaking of shopping in Springfield, one frequently mentioned issue is how often the Haitians steal from the grocery store. They are well-known for opening bags/containers and eating what they want. They are also well-known for eating fruit even out of the containers in the produce section….and then laying it down. Springfield residents are sick of going to pick out fruit and seeing it already bitten out of. That is theft. There’s plenty of photo evidence and eyewitness testimony for that one. The Haitians seem to favor the two Walmart locations over other stores. The employees can’t keep a handle on it. One local resident posted about witnessing a Haitian bagging items he didn’t scan at the self-checkout. When the cashier said something, the Haitian man screamed obscenities at her. Welcome to the new Springfield. We need armed security in every store.
- Those that do shop in Springfield are often going in groups now and carrying guns. This used to be a friendly place, country folk with manners that would smile and strike up a conversation in the store. Now we feel like we need guns and backup fighters just in case we are attacked in the parking lot. It’s so weird to feel like we’ve been transported to some third world country, but this is our home and our home is turning into a war zone. It doesn’t feel like America anymore. It feels like a movie.
- Parents are upset about adult Haitian men being enrolled in the high schools here. Our school system now has hundreds of new Haitian students who don’t speak English. There are 18- and 19-year-olds being enrolled as high school freshmen. Some parents don’t want 19-year-old men in class with their 14-year-old daughters.
- They receive excessive benefits compared to Americans. They get loads of cash assistance and food stamps. Americans who are struggling to buy food with these insane grocery prices are getting angrier and angrier that these people get $1,000+ a month in food stamps on our dime.
- They have practically taken over the welfare office. There’s so many of them! There is now armed security at the door. When interviewed, one guard said the ratio of Haitians to Americans is easily 9 to 1. The lines are several hours long now. There used to be no line at all. Drive by and see all the Haitian immigrants waiting to get their free stuff on our dime. At the same time, Americans are reporting not getting the help they need because of how long it takes now. The Americans are taking a back-burner as Haitians become the priority.
- People are upset that the government is taking tax money out of our hard-earned income to freely give to people from other countries before they take care of the needs of Americans. We have homeless vets sleeping on the streets. We have hungry children here. And we have no say-so in where our money goes when they take it. I think a lot of people are angry the politicians choose to help non-Americans first but they’re using our money to do it. We work so they can have things “for free” that we can’t afford.
- It is common in our area for the manufacturing industry to use temp agencies. It’s cheaper for them because they don’t have to pay any benefits, health insurance, sick days, etc. We know the Haitians are working in some of Springfield’s warehouses. (I’m certainly not against them working.) Some are reporting these warehouses are letting go of Americans in favor of employing low-paid Haitians.
- I’m not the only one who has noticed wages for jobs has actually gone down in this area despite the inflation and the desperate need for better pay. Some think the decrease in wages is because there are so many immigrants here now who will work for cheaper.
- Americans are losing jobs.
- Unemployment is on the rise.
- Somehow the Haitians are pulling together the money to buy rental properties. They’re raising the rent. When the Americans can’t pay the higher rent, they kick them out and move in more Haitians. (This is happening over time and once a person’s lease is up.)
- They are also somehow getting the money to buy buildings for hundreds of thousands of dollars. How are they buying million-dollar properties? They just bought a church out on 41 that is not zoned for residential use. It appears they plan to live there.
- While I’m glad to see them owning businesses that could make them self-sufficient, some residents express confusion as to how desperate refugees coming from a third world country have the money to come here and start businesses when most of us can’t afford to rent a commercial space. I’m not against them owning businesses while they are here. I am against them being rude to American customers.
- Some residents are concerned about infections they bring. HIV is sadly more common in Haiti. For Americans, approximately 0.3% have HIV. In Haiti, it’s approximately 2%. It is not massively high numbers as in parts of Africa. That seems to be a stereotype some locals think. They’re not coming from a country with 20% HIV or anything extreme like that. They have brought tuberculosis here and people are commenting about that, but it’s really not excessive. Anytime you’re taking in people from a third world country that has limited access to quality medical care you’re going to be taking in people with infectious illnesses and chronic diseases that have gone unmanaged. I am concerned that there may be an increase in respiratory illnesses such as the flu and covid especially when they are living 20 people to a normal size house. If we become a hot spot for covid due to this, how will that affect us? Will our jobs shut down again? Will the mandates come back in this area because of them?
- Our healthcare resources are drowning. The hospital, private practices, and the free clinic are overrun with more than they can take. The community health center in particular is beyond swamped. Long-time locals are now reporting they can no longer get an appointment at Rocking Horse unless it’s urgent or a yearly well-visit because the Haitians have flooded the gates. The clinic keeps adding on staff, but they also keep losing staff from burnout. I do wonder if the hospital may close. I say that because I know how little Medicaid reimburses. Private insurance is essential for hospitals to stay in business. Will the hospital be able to sustain the weight of this many new Medicaid patients? Will they be able to keep sufficient staffing?
- The Haitians aren’t all friendly. There are countless stories of the Haitians yelling at Americans, being rude, cussing people out in stores, being aggressive, and making Americans feel unsafe. The media isn’t running those stories because it goes against the narrative that this opposition is racially motivated. As I mentioned, with any group this size there is going to be a variety. When individuals in the Haitian community here are posting things like “We own this city.” and “We’re not going anywhere” with a threatening tone or some saying they are going to take over this area (gang life, much?) … Obviously, there’s cause for concern. I know the bad behavior doesn’t reflect on all of them, but this is what people are seeing. The more stuff like that happens, the more division there is. Many Springfield Americans already see them as invaders due to how many came here. When they act like that, they come across as hostile invaders. The tension is escalating. I’m sure there are wonderful Haitians mixed in the mass immigration. However, the more aggressive encounters residents have the more people want them all deported.
- They don’t show love for America. On the contrary, they don’t seem to have much appreciation for the country that has taken them in. One cashier told the story around the 4th of July that a Haitian wouldn’t buy a case of water because it had the American flag on it. Not to mention, some of them have publicly said we need to assimilate to their culture. Now that this is getting national attention, I wish I had taken screenshots of these things as I saw them over the recent months. They are now flying Haitian flags in Springfield.
- Rumor has it that they are buying guns. I thought non-citizens could not buy guns here. It turns out they are actually legally allowed to! There are more than a few people saying they have witnessed them buying guns including assault rifles. Reportedly, citizens have witnessed them buying AR15s! I can see how they may feel a handgun would protect them against possible hate crimes, but assault rifles are a bit much especially when the politicians who let them in want to take that kind of gun away from law-abiding Americans. Stuff like that is what is making people think about warring against them. They have also been reported to be at the range on Leffel. Curious citizens have talked to employees at stores that sell guns and all report being told they have to treat them like everyone else. Allegedly, one Rural King employee stated they have 4 or 5 Haitians a shift trying to buy guns but some of them get denied because they can’t fill out the paperwork. As we are quickly becoming outnumbered by immigrants from a country run by gangs who only know a life of violence, the idea of them being armed is a scary thought – especially with the kind of assault rifles immigrant gangs are using to terrorize Aurora, Colorado. With the growing declarations the “invaders” are being seen buying guns, it is fueling the fear that we as a nation will come to literal battle because so many millions of illegal immigrants and millions of asylum seekers from dangerous countries have crossed our borders. We are not naïve to the crime brought to America by illegals, Venezuelan gangs in Colorado taking over apartment complexes, and the human trafficking going on. It would be ignorant to think everyone is here with joy and no bad intentions. Make no mistake – criminals have crossed our borders too. I will say Springfield is a bit redneck and mostly come from country folk that have patriotism in their blood. This isn’t liberal Colorado. Outside of the city, this is a heavily conservative area. While there are some liberals in Springfield, it’s far more conservative (and big on gun rights).
- It is suspected that there are gangs here now. We’ve heard about the Haitian gangs being housed near each other as refugees in Columbus and how that led to third world country gang violence on American streets. We wonder if the numbers continue to grow will we end up seeing Haitian gang rivalry here?
- The littering is an issue. They throw trash everywhere.
- There are certainly cultural clashes. One of those cultural clashes is public urination and defecation. In some parts of the world, voiding your bladder in public against a building or such is considered normal. We find that inappropriate here when they whip it out in a parking lot as if there aren’t public bathrooms everywhere in America. There have also been a few stories of them pooping on the floor in stores…. and people saying they’re doing that in the parks. That’s one of those things that are hard to believe until you’ve heard it repeatedly from multiple sources. It happens often in Haiti. It’s unacceptable here.
- We have all noticed the geese and ducks disappearing from the parks. Many suspect the Haitians are eating them. I grew up going to the park that is talked about the most. There used to be so many geese and ducks there. When I was little, we would go there to feed the ducks. Now there are very few. This was being talked about here last year. I don’t know of any photos or videos taken specifically in Springfield. This is something a lot of people thought was happening long before election season and any mention from politicians. Is there proof that some Haitians eat geese and ducks? Yes. Is there proof specifically from Springfield? Not much. There have been some police reports. There’s a shortage of evidence. Most people suspected or believed they were doing this before 2024.
- I’m not going to get into the cat thing. Here’s the thing. I am an animal lover… to the point that I don’t even eat red meat. It’s hard to think about. It’s reality though that different countries and cultures have different perspectives on which animals are okay to eat. There are parts of Asia that eat cats and even some parts that eat dogs. China is actually the biggest consumer of dog meat and one of the biggest consumers of cat meat. (I can’t handle it!) Some sources say it’s normal to eat cats in Haiti, and other sources say it’s not. Given that they are a third world country and some of them are literally starving, I can’t say it’s surprising that desperately hungry people would take desperate actions. I have never been to Haiti and I am not friends with anyone from there. I can’t tell you if they do or don’t. It’s this huge controversy now. That said, there was a Facebook post that went viral. It was posted in a group for Springfield. She said her neighbor told her that her daughter’s friend’s cat went missing and was found hanging from a tree being butchered like a deer by a Haitian. I saw the post before it went viral. I read the comments and saw multiple people telling her to contact J.D. Vance’s office. Vance is not the one who made this up for some political gain. I will say this allegation of Haitians eating pets had been mentioned more than a few times before. There have been some very sad pictures and videos out there on social media, but people always disagree on where they are from. I’m not saying it’s not happening. I’m saying I can’t prove that it is. I’m also saying people are hyper-focusing on this one allegation because it is horrific and barbaric and all kinds of awful.
- One final thing I will say is a growing number of Springfield area Americans do not want tens of thousands of immigrants coming here who practice voodoo. Haiti practices voodoo more than anywhere else in the world. It is an actual religion originating from Africa. In Haiti, it is often mixed with Catholicism. Voodoo is not focused on dolls and pins. It’s about spirits. Their goal is actually to be possessed by spirits. There are rituals and sacrifices in voodoo. Some of those sacrifices require blood or bones. Some residents have claimed the Haitians have threatened to curse them with voodoo.
- On a side note, we’re not a big fan of the Haitians acting like they “built this city” and restored it to some former glory. They turned it into a ghetto slum with higher rent, more crime, theft left and right, and homeless everywhere in sight. It really wasn’t our goal to model ourselves after Dem big cities like Chicago. We just wanted to live safely in our hometown where it used to be a peaceful and friendly place to shop.
I know that was a lot of bullet points to talk about, but there’s a lot going on here!
The American response has been mixed
This crisis started getting a little national attention not too long ago. Now that it’s election season, this issue here in Springfield is getting a lot of attention. We’re watching. We keep seeing all the articles and reports. Us locals are crying out for help. We see it getting national attention…but nothing is being done. Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, did say he was going to help the Haitians with driving. He also said he was going to send additional police. At first, we thought the extra police would help with all the car accidents and maybe the crime. Instead, they showed up to guard the mayor’s house. No one is helping us. No one is stepping in to help the homeless Americans or any of the Americans in need.
By far the most shocking thing from all of this – as a resident of Clark County – is to see people tell us it’s not true because they heard on TV or from their preferred political party that it’s not happening. For people who do not live here and are not from here to tell those of us who are actually living here that there’s nothing wrong is mind-blowing. They censor us or gaslight us with labels of racism and xenophobia even though black Americans are just as against it as the white Americans are. Denial is a strong force.
It seems most people who aren’t here learn a little about the invasion, think it’s sad, and then go back to their daily life. I realize now I did the same thing these last few years as the million of illegals crossed our border and we heard about border states being overrun. I knew people in Texas were facing this issue. I foolishly thought it wouldn’t come to Ohio because we’re so far north.
A lot of people (again, people who aren’t even here) are denying that it’s happening and calling us liars. Most of these fired-up mouthpieces want to get angry at some hatefulness that doesn’t exist but they aren’t willing to have logical discussions about the real issues such as so many drivers without licenses crashing their cars, people being killed, people being made homeless by soaring rent, the crime rising, and the political tension escalating. They don’t want to talk about any of that. They just want to be mad at us for being upset that we’re suffering a massive immigration our city can’t handle.
Americans nationwide are making memes because that’s what the younger generation does now. Men used to fight wars. Now they make memes. Most of the younger generation has no backbone anymore. They’ve made this into a laughing matter. It’s not funny.
This has drawn another type of crowd – one that we very much do not want here. Racist groups are coming here to protest. The KKK is passing out flyers. (Is this really 2024?) The Blood Tribe has been here several times, marched downtown, and even spoken at city council meetings. The Proud Boys showed up the other day to protest. I didn’t know there were so many organized groups of racists in this country. To be clear, Springfield area residents are not joining them. We don’t want them here. We are afraid they will get violent. We are not interested in uniting with them.
The number of citizens coming to city council meetings keeps increasing and increasing. They’re not really listening. Speakers get their 3 minutes, but none of the officials care what they say. City leaders ignore, dismiss, and deny. Remember some of these people own rental properties with high rent they are financially gaining off the Haitians. There are so many people going to the meetings now that some aren’t being let in due to the meetings being full. Haitians have started showing up to the meetings.
People have taken to protesting. The protests are growing. The tension is escalating. Police are now guarding the homes of city leaders. The protests aren’t going to stop. Protests are now being scheduled at the houses of politicians.
Clark County citizens are doing their own investigating. They’re taking their phones to document the above issues. They’re going out to the truck stop where the Greyhound bus drops off Haitians every day, and people are taking pictures. We have noticed it’s mostly men of war age. There’s not very many children or elderly.
We watch the news reports as they lie about what’s happening here and make it look like we are all a bunch of bullies and racists….for not wanting to be invaded by literally tens of thousands of refugees in a small city.
And the response from those of us who are here? There’s some that are welcoming the mass immigration. Not very many of those, but a few. Of course, the landlords making money off them are loving their 6-figure income. The people actually living in the areas overtaken are living in fear now. The citizens are afraid to leave their homes. Americans are afraid to go to the store.
After Springfield started making national news and things really exploded in the media, many reporters and social media investigators came here to see for themselves. The day that they showed up at City Hall with intention to interview the city leaders there was conveniently a bomb threat. (Many locals think it was fake.) The bomb threats continued. I saw on the local news yesterday that there have been 33 bomb threats in Springfield in the last week. Colleges closed. Public schools dismissed. Cries of discrimination and bullying can be heard, but the cries of unsafe roads and women in danger do not seem to be heard. I can’t help but notice the places with bomb threats are places reporters would have possibly gone to investigate. I haven’t seen any news of who’s doing the threats though. Usually, they’re able to track them down and they announce it. We somewhat expect that sideshow to continue until the reporters have lost interest in Trump’s statements from the debate last week. Update: they announced the bomb threats were all fake. They claim the threats came from overseas… all of them. When the news showed the map of exactly where the threats came in, it was obvious those are all places reporters were going to interview and investigate. The City Hall, DMV, schools. Those locations had to be evacuated because of bomb threats. Reporters had to leave. It was a distraction. Now the news is focusing on swarming the schools with police. They insinuate it’s because of conservatives this is happening. None of the conservatives have done anything to harm these people or call for such harm. The media is intentionally making it look like Trump and his voters are dangerous the same way they played out and dragged out the Capitol Hill event.
And the tension escalates…
The more the tension escalates and the more we hear rumors of them buying guns and being at the range the more Americans are thinking this will come to literal battle.
Some residents have decided to move. Those who can afford to move are getting away from the city… after asking in Facebook groups if there are Haitians in Urbana or Xenia or wherever else they’re considering moving. Surprisingly, some of the smaller cities have faced the same issues. It seems none of the cities are safe. I wonder what will happen to the budget for resources when the higher income families move leaving behind the low-income households. Less money going into taxes will surely affect the budget for city resources, schools, and improvements. This area will become more impoverished.
Meanwhile, they bus in more and more. We are becoming outnumbered.
By far the most shocking thing from all of this – as a resident of Clark County – is to see people tell us it’s not true because they heard on TV or from their preferred political party that it’s not happening. For people who do not live here and are not from here to tell those of us who are actually living here that there’s nothing wrong is mind-blowing. They censor us or gaslight us with labels of racism and xenophobia even though black Americans are just as against it as the white Americans are. Denial is a strong force.
It seems most people who aren’t here learn a little about the invasion, think it’s sad, and then go back to their daily life. I realize now I did the same thing these last few years as the million of illegals crossed our border and we heard about border states being overrun. I knew people in Texas were facing this issue. I foolishly thought it wouldn’t come to Ohio because we’re so far north.
A lot of people (again, people who aren’t even here) are denying that it’s happening and calling us liars. Most of these fired-up mouthpieces want to get angry at some hatefulness that doesn’t exist but they aren’t willing to have logical discussions about the real issues such as so many drivers without licenses crashing their cars, people being killed, people being made homeless by soaring rent, the crime rising, and the political tension escalating. They don’t want to talk about any of that. They just want to be mad at us for being upset that we’re suffering a massive immigration our city can’t handle.
Americans nationwide are making memes because that’s what the younger generation does now. Men used to fight wars. Now they make memes. Most of the younger generation has no backbone anymore. They’ve made this into a laughing matter. It’s not funny.
This has drawn another type of crowd – one that we very much do not want here. Racist groups are coming here to protest. The KKK is passing out flyers. (Is this really 2024?) The Blood Tribe has been here several times, marched downtown, and even spoken at city council meetings. The Proud Boys showed up the other day to protest. I didn’t know there were so many organized groups of racists in this country. To be clear, Springfield area residents are not joining them. We don’t want them here. We are afraid they will get violent. We are not interested in uniting with them.
The number of citizens coming to city council meetings keeps increasing and increasing. They’re not really listening. Speakers get their 3 minutes, but none of the officials care what they say. City leaders ignore, dismiss, and deny. Remember some of these people own rental properties with high rent they are financially gaining off the Haitians. There are so many people going to the meetings now that some aren’t being let in due to the meetings being full. Haitians have started showing up to the meetings.
People have taken to protesting. The protests are growing. The tension is escalating. Police are now guarding the homes of city leaders. The protests aren’t going to stop. Protests are now being scheduled at the houses of politicians.
Clark County citizens are doing their own investigating. They’re taking their phones to document the above issues. They’re going out to the truck stop where the Greyhound bus drops off Haitians every day, and people are taking pictures. We have noticed it’s mostly men of war age. There’s not very many children or elderly.
We watch the news reports as they lie about what’s happening here and make it look like we are all a bunch of bullies and racists….for not wanting to be invaded by literally tens of thousands of refugees in a small city.
And the response from those of us who are here? There’s some that are welcoming the mass immigration. Not very many of those, but a few. Of course, the landlords making money off them are loving their 6-figure income. The people actually living in the areas overtaken are living in fear now. The citizens are afraid to leave their homes. Americans are afraid to go to the store.
After Springfield started making national news and things really exploded in the media, many reporters and social media investigators came here to see for themselves. The day that they showed up at City Hall with intention to interview the city leaders there was conveniently a bomb threat. (Many locals think it was fake.) The bomb threats continued. I saw on the local news yesterday that there have been 33 bomb threats in Springfield in the last week. Colleges closed. Public schools dismissed. Cries of discrimination and bullying can be heard, but the cries of unsafe roads and women in danger do not seem to be heard. I can’t help but notice the places with bomb threats are places reporters would have possibly gone to investigate. I haven’t seen any news of who’s doing the threats though. Usually, they’re able to track them down and they announce it. We somewhat expect that sideshow to continue until the reporters have lost interest in Trump’s statements from the debate last week. Update: they announced the bomb threats were all fake. They claim the threats came from overseas… all of them. When the news showed the map of exactly where the threats came in, it was obvious those are all places reporters were going to interview and investigate. The City Hall, DMV, schools. Those locations had to be evacuated because of bomb threats. Reporters had to leave. It was a distraction. Now the news is focusing on swarming the schools with police. They insinuate it’s because of conservatives this is happening. None of the conservatives have done anything to harm these people or call for such harm. The media is intentionally making it look like Trump and his voters are dangerous the same way they played out and dragged out the Capitol Hill event.
And the tension escalates…
The more the tension escalates and the more we hear rumors of them buying guns and being at the range the more Americans are thinking this will come to literal battle.
Some residents have decided to move. Those who can afford to move are getting away from the city… after asking in Facebook groups if there are Haitians in Urbana or Xenia or wherever else they’re considering moving. Surprisingly, some of the smaller cities have faced the same issues. It seems none of the cities are safe. I wonder what will happen to the budget for resources when the higher income families move leaving behind the low-income households. Less money going into taxes will surely affect the budget for city resources, schools, and improvements. This area will become more impoverished.
Meanwhile, they bus in more and more. We are becoming outnumbered.
What happens if it continues to grow?
If it continues to grow at this rate, we will literally become outnumbered with more refugees/immigrants in this city than American citizens.
All of the issues discussed will get worse. The car accidents will keep killing people and hurting the personal finances of Americans. The crimes they commit will grow. The businesses will suffer their theft and loss of customers. Some businesses will close or relocate. The welfare office will have lines that are even longer.
The budget for resources will run out. At what point does Clark County run out of funding for welfare? Surely, there must be a budget. Will they cut off non-citizens from benefits? Or will they stop taking new clients? Most likely they will raise taxes on Americans so the immigrants can be provided for. That’s what the liberals do. They raise taxes so they can spend your money however they want even if it causes you harm.
I fear things will turn violent. It’s terrifying to think about. I don’t want to see a civil war of citizens versus immigrants. I don’t want to see this come to a battle. I fear the racist groups such as the Blood Tribe will attack our community. I fear Americans are in danger. I fear Haitian children in school are in danger (and I acknowledge they are being bullied). I fear businesses will close and more people will lose their jobs. I fear what this area is becoming. It’s not safe here anymore. I don’t want to see violence or crime of any kind against Americans. I also don’t want to see violence or crime of any kind against the immigrants. I would like to see this handled lawfully and peacefully. I know that entirely depends on who wins this presidential election. When did we get to a point in American politics that our lives would be so drastically different if one party won vs the other? It feels like the whole nation is at stake.
All of the issues discussed will get worse. The car accidents will keep killing people and hurting the personal finances of Americans. The crimes they commit will grow. The businesses will suffer their theft and loss of customers. Some businesses will close or relocate. The welfare office will have lines that are even longer.
The budget for resources will run out. At what point does Clark County run out of funding for welfare? Surely, there must be a budget. Will they cut off non-citizens from benefits? Or will they stop taking new clients? Most likely they will raise taxes on Americans so the immigrants can be provided for. That’s what the liberals do. They raise taxes so they can spend your money however they want even if it causes you harm.
I fear things will turn violent. It’s terrifying to think about. I don’t want to see a civil war of citizens versus immigrants. I don’t want to see this come to a battle. I fear the racist groups such as the Blood Tribe will attack our community. I fear Americans are in danger. I fear Haitian children in school are in danger (and I acknowledge they are being bullied). I fear businesses will close and more people will lose their jobs. I fear what this area is becoming. It’s not safe here anymore. I don’t want to see violence or crime of any kind against Americans. I also don’t want to see violence or crime of any kind against the immigrants. I would like to see this handled lawfully and peacefully. I know that entirely depends on who wins this presidential election. When did we get to a point in American politics that our lives would be so drastically different if one party won vs the other? It feels like the whole nation is at stake.
If you wait until it's in your community too...
The immigration issues and border control affect all of US because America is OURS. Unite together for border control with well-managed immigration. I think a reasonable inflow of immigration is a beautiful thing. This is the best country in the world. This is the land of freedom. This is the land of opportunity. We also need to make it a safe land. No more criminal immigrants should be allowed to stay. No more gangs from other countries should get the privilege of being here. No more rapists from third world countries should be prowling our parking lots. We need to be careful with who we let in, and we need to welcome them at a rate that does not cause harm to American cities and towns.
If you wait until this level of influx is in your community too, the harder it will be to fix.
If we wait until it’s everywhere, America will be gone. A country this big and great can only be destroyed from the inside out. Open borders will do that.
If you wait until this level of influx is in your community too, the harder it will be to fix.
If we wait until it’s everywhere, America will be gone. A country this big and great can only be destroyed from the inside out. Open borders will do that.
How can you make a difference?
- Become aware of what is happening in areas that have been invaded with extremely high numbers of immigrants.
- Bring awareness to this issue. Be willing to talk about it. Be willing to post about it on social media. I know politics is an unpleasant topic. It’s also unpleasant to have your hometown turn into a third world country. Choose your hard. We’re there. You have to choose to talk about it or be silent while it takes over.
- Vote for politicians who care about this issue and will strive to make our communities safer. This is about voting for politicians on all levels from local to presidential.
- Be involved in your community. Know what is going on.
- Document and report issues in your community to local police and also to the community through Facebook groups.
Stay safe. Stay aware. Be prepared. And VOTE in every election!
Make America SAFE again!
Solutions
- Border control is essential for our safety!!
- Build the wall! They can use the right door if they want to come in.
- Lawful immigration should be welcome at a reasonable number each year that does not cause harm to American cities and towns by relocating too many people in one area.
- Do better at keeping track of immigrants.
- All states should have strict election integrity. Only American citizens who are registered voters with photo ID should be allowed to vote. Perhaps, we need to do away with absentee ballots for anyone not in the military.
- Lock up the criminals that have crossed our border.
- Deport the gangs, the rapists, the criminals, and the illegals.
- Focus initial help in areas hardest hit such as Aurora and Springfield.
- Focus initial deportation on groups that are more likely to be aggressive against American citizens such as Venezuelans, Columbians, and Haitians.
- Stop taking money from the American taxpayers to prioritize the needs and support of foreigners over the needs and support of Americans.
Get involved in your community. Speak out about this issue. Let your voices be heard! Vote for safe immigration control. Be safe. Take precautions. Be prepared. SPEAK UP.
Has this affected you?
If you are local, tell me how this has affected you in the comments below. Or if it’s near you, tell me how you feel about it. If you’re not local, I still want to hear how massive immigration has affected your community.
(I won’t allow comments to be posted that are racist, hateful, or threatening.)
(I won’t allow comments to be posted that are racist, hateful, or threatening.)
I’ve tried over 80 apps to save money or make money. I talk about the different types in this blog and if they are worth the time. While some are not worth the effort, others are easy to use and really do save money. Here are my favorites.
There are other apps that are useful which I talk about in the blog series on apps you can find on the frugal living page.
If you’re into the frugal lifestyle, check out the book Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. It teaches frugal principles, budgeting, debt-reduction, hundreds and hundreds of ways to save money, goal setting, and being content with a frugal lifestyle.
Learn more here.
- Good Rx
- Gas station reward cards
- Gas Buddy
- The apps for the grocery stores I go to: Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, and Aldi
- Fetch
- Frisbee
There are other apps that are useful which I talk about in the blog series on apps you can find on the frugal living page.
If you’re into the frugal lifestyle, check out the book Happily Frugal. It has over 1,000 ways to save money. It teaches frugal principles, budgeting, debt-reduction, hundreds and hundreds of ways to save money, goal setting, and being content with a frugal lifestyle.
Learn more here.
I have downloaded and explored over 80 apps to my phone to save money or make money. Here are the different types of money-saving or money-making apps, and my honest thoughts on if they are worth the time. Some of them are awesome and everybody should try it out. Others are not worth the time it takes. Here are 16 different types of apps to save money or make money.
To learn more about different apps for saving on gasoline, read this blog.
To learn more about apps for saving on groceries, read this blog.
To learn more about where to find coupons, read this blog.
To learn more about rebate apps, read this blog.
To learn more about receipt apps, read this blog.
To learn more about apps to save money on retail shopping, read this blog.
- Gas station reward cards
- Gas price comparison
- Cash back on gas
To learn more about different apps for saving on gasoline, read this blog.
- Grocery store accounts/apps
To learn more about apps for saving on groceries, read this blog.
- Couponing
To learn more about where to find coupons, read this blog.
- Rebates
To learn more about rebate apps, read this blog.
- Receipt scanning
To learn more about receipt apps, read this blog.
- Food/restaurants
- Online deals
- Third party app shopping
To learn more about apps to save money on retail shopping, read this blog.
- Brand feedback
- Opinions
- Surveys
- Games
- Health/fitness
- Prescriptions
Conclusions
I have tried a lot of apps to save money or make money. Some of these I was already using. Others were new to me as I researched for the blog series. There are a lot of apps that are a waste of time and there are apps that are luring you into shopping more, but there are also apps that are absolutely money-savers.
Prescription medication – out of pocket should use GoodRx
Gas station apps – everybody should do this
Gas price comparison – if you have more than one option, use this
Grocery store accounts – get those coupons and deals
Receipt apps – it takes a few minutes, but it’s worth the gift cards
Prescription medication – out of pocket should use GoodRx
Gas station apps – everybody should do this
Gas price comparison – if you have more than one option, use this
Grocery store accounts – get those coupons and deals
Receipt apps – it takes a few minutes, but it’s worth the gift cards
Over 1,000 ways to save money
If you’re looking to save money, read Happily Frugal. The money management workbook has over 1,000 ways to save money. Get more with the money you have.
In addition to sale ads from the newspaper and coupons from a variety of places (learn where to get coupons here), there are apps for your phone that can save you money on groceries.
Flashfood is an app available in some areas that lets you buy food close to expiration at a discounted price directly from grocery stores. Even with chain stores, each individual store offers different deals.
- Flashfood
Flashfood is an app available in some areas that lets you buy food close to expiration at a discounted price directly from grocery stores. Even with chain stores, each individual store offers different deals.
- Flipp
- Grocery store apps
- Coupon apps
- Rebates apps
- Receipt apps
Over 100 ways to save on groceries
Learn over 100 ways to save on groceries and over 1,000 money-saving techniques in my book, Happily Frugal.
Aside from Amazon, I don’t do very much online shopping. However, some of these apps have cash back high enough that I would look here before making any large purchases even if I had picked it out in person. If you are someone who does online shopping often, these are worth looking into to get back some money each time you shop.
Be Frugal is an app that shows low-price deals and offers cash back for shopping through the app. If you shop online, this is one app that’s worth checking out. There is also a browser extension option to use on the your laptop or desktop.
If you shop online, check out the variety of stores this company offers cash back on.
The GasBuddy fuel card is free. You'll save several cents off every time you get gas. If you look at the offers in your app, there are cash back options with multiple retailers if you shop online through their app. They call this "GasBack". It gets applied as a credit to your Gas Buddy account.
- Free Stuff Finder
- Krazy Koupon Lady
- Be Frugal
Be Frugal is an app that shows low-price deals and offers cash back for shopping through the app. If you shop online, this is one app that’s worth checking out. There is also a browser extension option to use on the your laptop or desktop.
- Retail Me Not
- Rakuten
If you shop online, check out the variety of stores this company offers cash back on.
- GasBuddy card
The GasBuddy fuel card is free. You'll save several cents off every time you get gas. If you look at the offers in your app, there are cash back options with multiple retailers if you shop online through their app. They call this "GasBack". It gets applied as a credit to your Gas Buddy account.
Save $$$$ money
If you’re looking to save money, make a plan with the financial lifestyle workbook, Happily Frugal. Learn more here.
Gasoline is the easiest expense to save money on with apps. Here are different ways to get discounts or the best price.
Lowest prices
- GasBuddy
- Gas Guru
- Waze
Rewards cards
This is the easiest way to save on gas. Get rewards cards for all the gas stations you go to. You no longer have to carry around a physical card. Use the app and go with a digital card. With most of them, your ID number is your phone number. All you have to do is put your phone number in at the pump for points and/or discounts. Some companies give you cents off each gallon always and other companies make you earn points to get discounts on fuel.
Several gas stations offer higher discounts if you pay with the app by connecting your bank card.
A few offer credit cards specifically for their gas station that offer higher discounts.
Here are several examples of gas stations in my area and the discounts they offer if you have a rewards card.
Several gas stations offer higher discounts if you pay with the app by connecting your bank card.
A few offer credit cards specifically for their gas station that offer higher discounts.
Here are several examples of gas stations in my area and the discounts they offer if you have a rewards card.
- BP – 5 cents off always
- Casey’s – earn points (use referral code Leanno292 for 100 bonus points when you sign up)
- Circle K – 3 cents off for everyone, 5 cents off if you spend $500 in 365 days, and 10 cents off if you connect your card and pay with the app
- Kroger – 3 cents off each gallon with a Kroger grocery card
- Marathon – earn points to get 10 cents off to $1 off, and I will say it’s very quick to earn points that get 10 cents off each gallon
- Sheetz – 3 cents off always
- Shell – 3 levels: silver level gets 3 cents off, gold level gets 5 cents off if you fill up at least 6 times in 3 months, and platinum level gets 10 cents off if you fill up 12 times in 3 months. If you connect your card and pay with the app, you get 10 cents off every gallon.
- Speedway – 7 cents
- Sunoco – 3 cents off if you use the app to pay
- UDF – 6 cents off if you have the app, 3 cents if you only have a physical card
Stores with gas stations
If you have a Sam’s Club membership, you can get gas at Sam’s Club which is often a lower price.
If you have a Walmart+ membership, you can get discounts on gas at Murphy’s.
Also, check your grocery stores that have gas stations. Buying groceries can earn points towards fuel discounts. Kroger and Meijer both do this. For example, at Kroger you earn 1 fuel point for every dollar you spend in store.
If you have a Walmart+ membership, you can get discounts on gas at Murphy’s.
Also, check your grocery stores that have gas stations. Buying groceries can earn points towards fuel discounts. Kroger and Meijer both do this. For example, at Kroger you earn 1 fuel point for every dollar you spend in store.
Discounts on gas
- rewards cards or loyalty cards with individual gas stations
- Amazon Prime
- GasBuddy card
The GasBuddy fuel card is free. It is a physical card they mail to you at no cost. They do offer plus and premium plans with monthly fees for higher discounts. If you get the free GasBuddy card, it takes off anywhere from 2 cents to 25 cents. You’ll pay with the card which is linked to your debit card. The savings come off automatically. You don’t have to wait for cash back. One of my favorite things with this is I can use it in combination with my rewards cards for double discounts. If I get 7 cents off at Speedway and then 20 cents off a Speedway location with this fuel card, I do actually get a 27 cent discount. You can also earn points in the app by reporting gas prices. Additionally, there are some cash back options on gas station merchandise, restaurants, and online shopping through the app.
Note: You can combine rewards cards discounts with GasBuddy fuel card discounts.
Cash back on gas
When it comes to apps to get cash back on gasoline, I have learned that they don't always work. I treat these as an extra bonus and I do NOT choose my gas station based on the cash back offers.
It’s a cash back app that reminds me of Ibotta. You have to select the deal before you purchase. Then you have to purchase with a card that is connected to the app. When you’re done, you’ll confirm you purchased using a specific card. After a few days, you’ll get your cash back processed. You do have to hit $10 before you can cash out though. So, it may take a couple of times using this before you actually get the money back. Here is my experience with this app. I'm coming back to edit this blog to tell you my experience with Upside. It's November. I started using this app in July. It does NOT work most of the time. When I first downloaded it, the discounts were around 60 cents off a gallon, but it was only showing the more expensive gas stations. I used it with no problems. It took a few days for the cash to show up. Two days after I used it, the app was showing discounts around 72 cents a gallon. Of course, I didn’t need gas yet. I got so excited about this app. Then the app crashed. I started reading more reviews and a lot of people have had issues with cash back not going through or not being the amount it was supposed to be. When it came time to get gas again, the offers were only about 6 cents to 10 cents off. It does show offers for the more expensive gas stations. If it’s only around 10 cents off, it’s cheaper to go to the less expensive gas stations even without a discount. I have it used it or attempted to use it 3 times since then and all of the deals expire without giving me any cash back. For now, I still have the app on my phone and I try to use the deal BUT I do not choose my gas station based on this app at all. I will go to wherever is cheapest. I appreciate that I can use Upside with my GasBuddy fuel card and with rewards cards discounts combined.
- Upside
It’s a cash back app that reminds me of Ibotta. You have to select the deal before you purchase. Then you have to purchase with a card that is connected to the app. When you’re done, you’ll confirm you purchased using a specific card. After a few days, you’ll get your cash back processed. You do have to hit $10 before you can cash out though. So, it may take a couple of times using this before you actually get the money back. Here is my experience with this app. I'm coming back to edit this blog to tell you my experience with Upside. It's November. I started using this app in July. It does NOT work most of the time. When I first downloaded it, the discounts were around 60 cents off a gallon, but it was only showing the more expensive gas stations. I used it with no problems. It took a few days for the cash to show up. Two days after I used it, the app was showing discounts around 72 cents a gallon. Of course, I didn’t need gas yet. I got so excited about this app. Then the app crashed. I started reading more reviews and a lot of people have had issues with cash back not going through or not being the amount it was supposed to be. When it came time to get gas again, the offers were only about 6 cents to 10 cents off. It does show offers for the more expensive gas stations. If it’s only around 10 cents off, it’s cheaper to go to the less expensive gas stations even without a discount. I have it used it or attempted to use it 3 times since then and all of the deals expire without giving me any cash back. For now, I still have the app on my phone and I try to use the deal BUT I do not choose my gas station based on this app at all. I will go to wherever is cheapest. I appreciate that I can use Upside with my GasBuddy fuel card and with rewards cards discounts combined.
- Checkout 51
- Trunow
- credit cards with cash back
Want more tips on saving money on gasoline?
Don't forget to get your copy of my book, Happily Frugal, to learn over 30 ways to save on gasoline. How much do you spend on gas each year?
Over 1,000 ways to save money
My book, Happily Frugal, has over 1,000 ways to save money. Whether you’re looking to meet certain budgeting goals, learn how to manage your money better, or pinch pennies, this workbook will help you improve your personal finances.
Learn more here.
I started trying out receipt scanning apps last month, and I already have enough to cash out for two gift cards on Amazon. You can use multiple apps for the same receipt. I will list the ones I’ve tried in order of my most recommended.
For all receipts
These apps are for any type of receipt. It can be groceries, retail shopping, restaurants, pharmacy receipts, gas stations, or online shopping.
- Fetch
This is the best receipt scanning app out there. If you don’t use any other one, you should try this. It’s quick to get points. They give bonus points for certain groceries. You can also earn points for shopping online through the app. There is the option to play games as well.
- Frisbee
I like how simple this one is. No fluff. Nice color theme. It’s simple and straightforward. You earn cash and get to cash out whenever you want. I cashed out the first time at $1.22 just to see how it worked. It was very easy. I chose an Amazon gift card and it was sent through my email straight over to the Amazon app where the gift card came off my cart’s total.
- CoinOut
This one is all about receipts and easy to use. It doesn’t take long before you can earn a gift card.
- Receipt Hog
I like that they show your receipt history and how many points you got for each receipt.
- Copper
I also tried Receipt Jar and Receipt Pal, but I deleted them because they required email access to cash out. They don’t just want your email. They want the password to your email so they can scan it for receipts. I’m not comfortable with that. I won’t use any app that requires such violation of privacy. Most of the receipt apps offer extra points for connecting your accounts – your email, your Amazon account, your Walmart account, all the big places you shop. They are offering cash for receipts because these companies are doing marketing research on spending habits. Do be aware that cash back from apps like this is because they are paying you for your data. If you’re comfortable with that, I absolutely think they are worth taking the time to do. Some of them require email access. Some apps like this even require access to your bank card and credit cards to scan your spending. That level of privacy violation is not worth earning points and putting your bank account at risk for hackers. So, be careful what apps you choose if you want to scan receipts.
Fetch and Frisbee are definitely worth trying. Coin Out and Receipt Hog are quick to add to your receipt scanning time of the day. I don’t mind adding Copper to the list because I’m already using the other ones. If you just want to do one or two apps, I definitely recommend trying Fetch and Frisbee.
They’re easy and straight to the point. Of all the types of apps I’ve tried to save money or make money, the receipt scanning apps are the easiest to use. There’s very little time invested. I enjoy being able to get gift cards for sharing my shopping habits.
Specifically for groceries
There are also apps that are specific to groceries where you scan the receipt to get rebates or points for certain foods. You can use these in addition to the general receipt scanning apps. Read this blog for more information on apps for rebates and cash back on groceries. Also check out the frugal living page for blogs on more apps in this series and ways to save money.
If you’re looking for ways to save money, there are over 1,000 ways to save money in my book, Happily Frugal. Every penny counts. Get your copy today, and get more with the money you have.
Learn more here.
There are apps that will give you cash back for groceries (like a coupon that comes off after the purchase) and apps that will give you points. Some of these offer direct deposit to your bank account. Others let you choose from gift cards. They all offer Amazon gift cards. Some of these apps only have a few gift card options while others have a lot. These take a little time to plan out your groceries, but are worth looking at if you need to save as much money as possible on your groceries. I know it's not fun to have to go through these, but shopping the sales and using the coupons and checking for rebates can add up the savings. You can combine some of these apps such as Ibotta rebates with Fetch points.
Dollar-based
- Ibotta
Ibotta is *the* cash back app for groceries. They have so many offers from so many different stores. The way it works is you choose your store, select the rebates you want, and then scan your receipt after you’ve shopped. Read the terms carefully. Some you can combine with coupons and some you can’t. This is one of the best apps out there to save on groceries. It’s definitely worth trying, and it’s free to use.
- Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars is a little different than Ibotta. They have surveys, offers, cash back shopping, and a lot going on with their app. If you go to the receipts tab from the bottom of the app, this is where you can get a little bit of money back for the groceries that you buy. They don’t have a ton of rebates like Ibotta does, but things like bread and eggs always seem to be on the list. You might as well get those 50 cents back. Every dollar counts.
- Checkout 51
- Shopmium
- Makeena
- Tada
Point-based
- Fetch
This is a great app! You can scan your receipts here to get points. You’ll get more points for getting certain groceries. Scroll through the list on the home page. There are some pretty good offers here. You can also shop through the app to earn points for every dollar you spend. You can even get points by using GoodRx. I’ve found it’s quick to get points with this app. In less than a month of using it, I had already earned a gift card to Amazon. You can redeem your points with numerous gift cards to choose from.
- Swagbucks
You may know Swagbucks as an app for surveys and games, but they also have what they call “magic receipts”. It’s similar to Ibotta. You select the store, add the items you’re interested in to the list, and then scan your receipt. The catch is this can’t be combined with coupons and can’t be used with multiple cash back programs.
- Shopkick
This one is a little different. They call points “kicks” and they give kicks for walking into stores, scanning barcodes, and scanning your receipts if you bought certain items. I’m definitely not going to be scanning barcodes in store. There aren’t a lot of items to get points on. If you want to get easy points, you can open the app every time you walk in a store. They also do points for online shopping and watching videos.
Also
- Box Tops
Remember when we were kids and we would cut the box tops off the cereal boxes? Box Tops is an app now and you can scan your receipts to give money towards the school of your choice at no cost to you. Even if you don’t have kids in the school system, you can help kids in your community get the school supplies and resources they need just by scanning your receipt. The money goes to the kids in need.
Concluding thoughts
I will admit it’s a bit of a hassle to take the time to scroll through rebate apps after already looking through sale ads and coupons. It’s not my favorite thing to do. With these grocery prices though, I think it’s worth at least downloading and looking at. A lot of times it is cheaper to buy store brand and buy in bulk. Of course, it’s often cheaper to cook from scratch and there’s many coupons/rebates for things we don’t need. If you have a brand-name you do like though, it’s worth using these. You can also use the search bar for what is already on your grocery list.
Of all the apps I’ve tried to get money back from groceries, Ibotta and Fetch are my favorite. I appreciate Box Tops as well. I like being able to contribute school supplies and such for kids in my community when I can’t afford to actually buy anything. If you don’t try any other apps to get back grocery money, try Ibotta and Fetch.
There are over 100 ways to save money on groceries in my book, Happily Frugal. The workbook contains over 1,000 ways to save money. If your household is struggling in this 2024 inflation, you need this book!
Learn more here.
Of all the apps I’ve tried to get money back from groceries, Ibotta and Fetch are my favorite. I appreciate Box Tops as well. I like being able to contribute school supplies and such for kids in my community when I can’t afford to actually buy anything. If you don’t try any other apps to get back grocery money, try Ibotta and Fetch.
There are over 100 ways to save money on groceries in my book, Happily Frugal. The workbook contains over 1,000 ways to save money. If your household is struggling in this 2024 inflation, you need this book!
Learn more here.
In today’s digital world, it can be confusing to know where to find coupons. Gone are the days that they were mainly only in the Sunday paper and we’d flip through the inserts searching for our favorite products or the best deals. Let’s talk about over 20 different places you can find coupons.
Learn more about saving money in the money management workbook, Happily Frugal. There are over 1,000 ways to save money! Get your copy and see how much you can save when you put it into action.
- Newspaper
- Local papers/publications
- Pizza boxes/delivery bags
- Food apps for restaurants you like
- Grocery store apps/websites
- Grocery ads
- Peelies
- Blinkies
- Tear pads
- Emails from the business
- Ordering inserts
- By mail request
- Manufacturer website
- Coupon apps
- Websites for printables
- Receipts
- On the Amazon product page
- Browser extensions
- Coupon books
- School district discount cards
- Good Rx
Learn more about saving money in the money management workbook, Happily Frugal. There are over 1,000 ways to save money! Get your copy and see how much you can save when you put it into action.
