The 2013 Guide To The Checkpoints App

People still search on the old Checkpoints guide that I wrote a few years back. Checkpoints has since changed quite a bit, but the overall premise is still the same: scan items, check into places, and do other things via the app in exchange for coins and points. The coins can be used to play in-app games to earn more points. The points can be exchanged for gift cards from places like Amazon.com, Macy's, Target, and more.

What has changed:

• There are fewer points and coins being assigned to each store and item. In most stores, you can earn coins with specific items, and the point spread you can earn is between five to thirty or forty points. Sometimes if there is a specific ad campaign going on, you can earn even more points. 
• The app opens with the following screen below, which tells you the "Scan Of The Day", and other ways to earn points on the app. 

• In the previous guide, I mentioned a bunch of cheats where you could gain extra points and coins by scanning the same item multiple times or checking into multiple locations at the same area. You should know that this is against Checkpoints' terms of use, and if caught, could lead to getting your account banned from the app. Before you get banned, though, you will get a warning, and have to agree to use the app as it was intended. You still get to keep the points you already earned.

• I didn't find this out until recently, but you can register your airline rewards cards to earn extra miles. Registering your Alaska Airlines miles account nets you 1000 airline miles, while the other airline loyalty programs will net you 500 miles or points. Just add your airline loyalty membership card number 

• The fastest way to earn points, which I haven't really done, is to refer people for points. The new rules allow you to earn up to 7500 points for every friend you refer. What happens is that you earn the points that your friends earn for the next two weeks. (As noted in the screenshot below, my bonus code is "cheekyang".)

Other miscellaneous notes:

• Scan At Home no longer exists. You can no longer scan items from the comfort of your own home, unless you live right above a grocery store. 
• Whereas before there was a two-minute delay before you could scan stuff in a different store, or check into a different location, now there is at least a five-minute delay before you can scan new items in a different store. 
• You can now earn points by signing into Checkpoints.com online and completing offers, such as watching videos, registering for different sites, or answering questions or surveys. I do not recommend signing up for different sites - some of them require money upfront or later, and some of them end up deluging your email inbox with spam. The surveys are not worth the time investment, as you have to answer a few questions to qualify, and most of the time you spend five minutes answering questions only to find out that you don't qualify. I wish they would screen these better. 
• Installing apps no longer seems to net you any coins. Instead you get points for every app you download. Some of the apps will require you to complete a task before you can earn any points.

• If you decide to install the Checkpoints toolbar, you can earn points from doing your searches through Yahoo! and shop via your account to earn extra points when you buy things online. For example, shopping at Barnes & Noble will net you three points for every dollar you spend. There is a daily limit to the number of searches you can do via the Checkpoints toolbar. It appears to be seven searches, according to my history. That's kind of low if you ask me. Make it at least ten searches!

• To check the history of your scans and points, log in on Checkpoints.com. From there, you can check your history, collect points by completing tasks like watching videos or completing surveys, and checking your history by clicking on "My History". 

"Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow" - Sir Ian McKellan & Patrick Stewart's Interpretations Of Macbeth

While searching for "Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare", I came across the following video of Patrick Stewart as Macbeth and the famous "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy. This particular version appears to be a modern version with the original lines intact, and the atmosphere created is a menacing, dark one.




Patrick Stewart talks a little bit about the soliloquy, and how Sir Ian McKellan gave him a bit of advice on how to do it. "The important word in the tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow is the word 'and'." And that was the key for him. The NYT review of the Macbeth interpretation is very positive. Apparently you can watch the whole thing on the PBS website for free.



It's a bit jarring to see a young Sir Ian McKellan doing the same soliloquy. This is a more classic interpretation of the play. They both give pretty riveting performances, and I can't decide which version I like better. (Though it's not like I have to choose.)



Below, Sir Ian McKellan does a brilliant explication of the soliloquy, expanding on each word, and what's going through his mind as he interprets the work. If you look closely, Patrick Stewart is in the background. Kids, if you are doing your English homework on Macbeth, you should pay close attention to what he says.

Spontaneity Is The Spice Of Life

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Calabasas Farmers Market Favorites

I try to go to the Calabasas Farmers Market every Saturday with my daughter. I love getting her fruit samples, and trying out new foods. Lately, I've discovered a few things that I intend to purchase regularly. 

• Mills + Company Meats makes delicious homemade charcuterie. I tried to sample everything while I was there, and I was partial to the chicken liver mousse (and I HATE liver), and pork pate. They also have a housemade mustard, as well as pickled fruits and veggies. Every week they run a special, and unfortunately last week I missed out on the pork rillete. I picked up a pork pate jar for $10, which is a few bucks cheaper than what you can get for it online at goodeggs.com. 
• Cappy's Dry Rub is a delicious spice mixture that we use on our grilled meats. It works well on anything - chicken, beef, or pork. There are three blends - original, hot, or salt-free. The salt-free one works really well, because it allows you to control the amount of salt. Last week I saw that they also had a blend that was created specifically for fruits and vegetables. It tasted awesome. 

Everything You Need To Know About Target's Cartwheel App

It is no secret that I love Target - I have written many articles detailing the different ways you can save money there. But what really got me to make Target a permanent part of my actual shopping was their new app, Target Cartwheel, which is shockingly underused, considering how awesome it is, especially with the latest update.

Although Cartwheel is available on both Android and iOS, you don't necessarily need a smartphone or tablet to use it. You can also go directly to http://cartwheel.target.com and log in using your Facebook account.

The whole point of Cartwheel is to add items that you want to buy to your "cartwheel" that you want to save money on. Depending on the item, you can save anywhere from five to thirty percent. You can add up to seventeen items to your cartwheel to use at one time. The best deals usually are for Target's generic brands, such as Up & Up, Simply Balanced, Market Pantry, or Archer Farms.

When you are finished selecting all your items, click on the redeem in store button on the top right corner. You can then print out your Cartwheel-specific bar code, along with the list of items you want to buy. The list includes the item, the amount of, the number of items you can buy per offer, and the offer expiration date. Once you've found all your items, you can show the list to the cashier, and the cashier will scan the bar code to give you the discount.

Of course, if you know how to stack your coupons and various Target-related discounts, you can save even more on your purchases. Here are some good tricks I discovered since I've started using the app:

• The latest update allows you to use your phone's camera to scan items in the store or at home. Once the item is scanned, then the Cartwheel app searches its database for a match, and if there is a match, you have the option of adding it to your Cartwheel. This feature is perfect for last-minute purchases. 
• Stack your coupons. Target allows you to stack Cartwheel savings with one Target coupon, plus one manufacturer coupon per item. Target coupons can be found at http://coupons.target.com, and manufacturer coupons can be found at sites like Coupons.com, or SmartSource. In order to print the coupons, though, you will need to install the printer apps from the websites. The printer app tracks how many coupons you've printed, as some coupons have limits. 
• Additional savings can be had when you bring in your reusable tote bags and use your Target Red Card. For every tote bag you bring in to hold your groceries, you get a five cent discount. Many cashiers often forget, so remind them if they don't give you the discount. Your Target Red Card will net you 5% off every purchase.
• You can only use one Cartwheel barcode per transaction, but you can do up to six Cartwheel transactions a day. 
• You are limited to seventeen items per Cartwheel. If you try to add more items than allowed, you will be asked to remove an item before adding new ones.