Max #YourTaxCash With Walmart Family Mobile + D.I.Y Smartphone Stands

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #YourTaxCash #CollectiveBias

Momma Told Me: Sometimes success is painful.

It's that time again. Tax time.

This year I reached a milestone in taxes owed- something those older than me are quick to remind me is in fact a blessing in disguise, not a curse to be lamented over. After all, when one's taxes go up that means their income has also increased. More profit, more taxes. Somehow I'm not quite at the jumping up and down phase of acceptance, yet. On the other side, Jay seems to have balanced his deductions, at last, to actually break even with the IRS come tax time. He no longer sees a Federal refund, but had a decent sized State refund coming back to him. Since we're not married, I had the solo joy of watching my piggies fly out of my bank account as Jay watched them fly into his.

Whether you're paying taxes or enjoying a refund we can all agree that this is one time of the year when we all want to stretch our buck a little extra further. Thankfully Walmart Family Mobile, and their wide selection of affordable plans and phones can help me max my tax time dollars.

Our family is no stranger to Walmart Family Mobile, we've blogged many times about several of our family member who have joined their money saving plans. One of the things I love most, as a customer, is the wide range of handsets the store carries, and the constantly improving and growing range of mobile service plans to fit every type of consumer. Their Walmart Family Mobile Plus Plan offers Unlimited Talk, Text and Data which includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE service, followed by unlimited 2G service, as well as a FREE VUDU movie credit every month, per line, for $49.88 (*
All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/7e-jr or your local Walmart for current pricing.) Signing up for the Walmart Family Mobile Plus plan is as easy as visiting your local Walmart and picking up a $19.88 SIM Kit. The SIM Kit, and your phone of choice, is all you need to get started making calls, and enjoying unlimited* data right away!

At the end of last year my old phone began to reset itself multiple times a day and lock up- so I was excited to find the Samsung Galaxy On5 on rollback for $69 at my local Walmart. It offers all the same features as my old smartphone, such as a high quality camera, WiFi connection, Bluetooth, responsive touch screen, and more. Even better, I get amazing service in and around my with Walmart Family Mobile's network. (Check your coverage here!) And I love that I can be single and on my own smartphone plan without breaking the bank each month, or signing a contract!

I'll admit- I use my phone a lot to keep up with work and social media, but I use it even more to keep myself entertained while on the go. Yes, I'm that one girl who's stopping on the sidewalk to swipe her screen up a million times trying to catch a rare creature, or pulling out her battery pack and earbuds in line at the DMV. I use a LOT of data, and data doesn't grow on trees (it grows on clouds, silly!) Which is why having unlimited data (*Includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE† data then 2G) for one flat monthly rate, with Walmart Family Mobile, is worth it's weight in gold to me.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for snagging an amazing deal on a new phone, and putting my lack of tax return to good use by saving money on my mobile plan, that I got a little inspired. I really wanted to dress my new phone up a little with something I didn't see in every store or boutique, so I picked out a few children's animal figures from the toy department at Walmart. I also grabbed some crafting suction cups, super glue, and a box cutter. For those who want to go truly all out you can find clear acrylic dust plugs to make your own smartphone charms online.

The concept's simple, really, on a flat, stable, blade ready surface (such as wood or a polypropylene cutting board) carefully slice the head off your chosen animal figure. Use slow, targeted, strokes and be patient. Good quality toys will be made from a rubberized material that will be easier to cut, while cheaper figures may have a harder plastic finish with a hollow center. Depending on the animal you may want to cut the head at an even horizontal cut, and then cut the remainder of the neck to leave a flush vertical surface.

Use a drill bit to carefully create a small hollow on the inside of your animal's head for your dust plug to rest in and glue it in place. Depending on the materials you may need to use hot glue. Male sure your suction cup has a flat back and glue it to your animal's neck/body. Viola! Instant animal accessories for your smartphone!

After making your own smartphone stands and charms you might be feeling pretty smart- I know I sure did. But there's nothing smart about paying too much for your smartphone service. Or, even worse, paying too much for too little service. On top of patting yourself on the back when your bill comes in each month, Walmart Family Mobile even gives you that extra reason to celebrate with the FREE VUDU credit (a $7 value, the equivalent of a new release) so you can spend some serious family time celebrating each month as well. Yes, Walmart Family Mobile is kind of a tax time tradition in our home- upgrade our phone, upgrade our plan- we always find a way to max our taxes just a little more with Walmart. Now, tell me, are you paying taxes or enjoying a refund this year?

What Daughter Says: Whether you're paying or getting money back this tax season, max your tax dollars with smart decisions such as a great mobile plan.

(* All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/7e-jr or your local Walmart for current pricing.)

Anyone Can Benefit From Prepaid With The American Express Serve Cash Back Card #IC

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for American Express Serve. I applied for the Serve Cash Back card to facilitate my review and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Momma Told Me: Spend smart to save smart.

I opened my first bank account at 10 with a $5 deposit and the intent to save up for a SONY Walkman. While it was merely a joint parent/child savings account, Momma taught my how to balance a checkbook and was sure to see that I visited weekly to deposit a portion of my chore allowance. It even had the benefit of a minute interest rate, which I only ever saw pennies of, seeing as my highest balance was somewhere around $40. Regardless, financing, saving, and money management are skills my parents were sure to instill from an early age. As I've aged, I've learned that, no matter your income or lifestyle, keeping track of your money and managing your finances is never an easy task.

I'll admit, I rely on online baking solutions for a lot for my money transactions- they offer me a lot of securities outside of my primary bank account that prove useful; but there are a few drawbacks, such as limited funding methods, and singular accounts that can limit the benefits for my purposes. When I heard about the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card I was immediately excited to learn I could enjoy the discount and special offer details associated with an American Express branded card in addition to 1% cash back on all purchases. And I'm not talking about an annual cash back deposit or a gift card, 1% of all online and in store sales is immediately deposited back into your American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit account at the time of transaction completion!

But you may be wondering why a seemingly financially responsible adult with a bank account in good standing would want to use a prepaid account and card. For us, it has been a matter of managing our 'expendable' income versus necessary bills, and savings. In total, we have 4 household debit accounts; 2 of which will remain on our American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit account (as secondary accounts are free and even allow unique cardholders.) Whenever possible I prefer to not even keep my bank card on hand, as that is our 'savings' and 'necessary' funding source. It's the account we desire to keep in good standing to help build interest and maintain for first time homeowner purposes. Using a prepaid debit card like with benefits like these allows us to experience more freedom in financing when traveling, or recreating, as we can never overdraw the card or go outside of our monthly budget.

Using the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card for day to day purchases, utility payments (a secondary sub account with set spending limits,) and even direct deposit is easy with the online user portal or smartphone app. I love that I can do everything I can do online through my smartphone's app, so I can truly manage my finances in the go. I even receive balance updates and payment receipts regularly, and can locate the nearest FREE ATM when traveling or shopping. And all of those amazing discounts and deals you see advertised exclusively for American Express cardholders? I now get to take advantage of those too, simply by showing my card or using it for specified purchases. That's an amazing savings on top of the already generous 1% cash back!

Traveling and planning vacations while saving to buy a house can be stressful, but having our American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card on hand to prevent theft or fraud while abroad provides priceless piece of mind. Vacation is one of those times where it;s easy to get caught up in the revelry and over-spend, but this account can keep you on track with spending limits and charge notifications every step of the way. At some point during every vacation I find myself longingly looking at some over-priced local artisan goods and am tempted to reach into my wallet and pay well over what I normally would without the margaritas and Mai Tais running through my veins. This past trip I clearly understood my budget and knew, once it was gone, I would not be able to dip into the bank account to fun such frivolous purchases.

There are many more reasons why we're excited to explore everyday uses for American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit cards, but, primarily, we are optimistic this will be a powerful budgeting tool to separate our savings and household finances from our fun money and impulse buys. And, did I mention, we see our direct deposits up to 2 days faster when using the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card (over other prepaid cards?) Yes, its not only convenient, but the extra bonuses built in truly help extend the value of this card beyond 'just another prepaid card.' We look forward to sharing our experiences over the next few months but, for now, you can learn more on Serve's Facebook and Twitter pages. Have you ever used a prepaid debit card to help manage finances?

What Daughter Says: Save while spending with 1% cash back and exclusive American Express cardholder benefits with the American Express Serve Cash Back prepaid debit card.