Gearing up for this weekend’s Kentucky Derby?

Okay, so we can’t all look like Kate Bosworth. But we can still hit the derby in style. Here are some of my fave looks for this year. Can you tell I’m loving white?

We all want to save as much money as possible, especially when we shop. But we also know that print-out coupons can be a hassle, just like the flash flood of emails offering discounts and promos codes.

Luckily, smartphone apps are making the process of saving money easier. Here’s how they’re doing it:

• By aggregating retailer discounts, these smartphone apps allow you to compare product prices at different retailers to ensure you’re getting the lowest price.  This certainly beats scrolling through emails to search for promos codes and discounts.
• Some of these apps offer you special rewards, like freebies at your favorite merchants, for shopping. Others even offer cash back. Who doesn’t want to be paid to shop?
• Many use geolocation technology to present local deals, or the cheapest price on a product at a retailer closest to your location.

There’s no question these smartphone apps are making it easier than ever before to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck. Plus, many of these apps offer digital coupons, which certainly beats cutting out paper ones and potentially losing them.

Below are some of my favorite FREE apps for saving money, available on both iPhone and Android.

IDEALO: Get your product for the cheapest price 

Want to ensure you’re getting the best price for the product you want to buy? Idealo can help with that. Idealo allows you to easily scan a product’s barcode (or enter its name into the search bar) to find the retailer that offers the product for the best price. This is the ideal app for saving money if you’re not making an urgent purchase.

mySupermarket: Ensure you’re paying the lowest possible price for your groceries

We all know grocery shopping can add up…especially for me! This is why I love mySupermarket. This free app allows you to create my shopping list and tells me which major supermarkets are offering what I need at the lowest price. Similar to Idealo, you can also scan the product’s barcode to make sure you’re getting it for the lowest possible price.

CheckoutSmart: Get cashback on your purchases

If you’re going to search for the best deals, you might as well also claim cash back on what you buy to save even more! CheckoutSmart provides a list of daily items with cashback rewards. How does it work? Simple take a photo of the receipt of the item you’ve found on CheckoutSmart’s list and upload it to the app to start saving.

TIP: Wait until you’ve accrued a good amount of cash rewards before transferring money to your bank account, as CheckoutSmart charges a 5% fee when you withdraw money from your account.

CouponSherpa: Get in-store and online discounts 

Who doesn’t love a good coupon? CouponSherpa offers coupon codes for major retailers that can be scanned at checkout. Simply type in the name of the retailer and scroll through their special promos and discounts. If you’re old school and prefer print-out coupons, CouponSherpa offers this as an option, too.

With so many negative headlines surfacing lately related to hatred, terrorism, uncertainty, violence, bigotry and racism, both domestically and globally, it seems exceedingly difficult to remain optimistic about society. It appears perfectly practical to live a life filled with fear and uncertainty. But practicality does not produce beauty. ◊

Some think it’s idealistic to remain optimistic and hopeful in these uncertain times, but I think it’s a necessity. I’d rather live knowing that goodness still exists, and that we continue to strive for it collectively using the potency of love. I’d rather live knowing that we all possess the power to inspire and understand one another – not in spite of, but because of our differences. Our differences are, after all, the material that threads the beautiful fabric of our cultures. ♥

I’d probably a terrible politician because I’d like to tell Washington that love and compassion is what can heal our culture and our relations with others. It sounds like a total stretch to relate policy to the power of love and compassion, but in my opinion, they are inextricably tied. Humans, at their core, our loving beings. Somewhere along the road of materialism, imperialism and industrialization, we seem to have forgotten this simple fact. ⇓

“Love is the most potent power we possess. Love is the road to forgiveness and acceptance. Love is the universal force that connects us, that reminds us that we are all human. Love lies at the center of all religions, but it remains of at the core of the non-religious, too.” – Christina Lee 

Below ↓ is a little excerpt I wrote awhile back about love. While we all have different interpretations and experiences with love, here is mine. I’d love to hear yours in the comments below.

“You can have too much of everything but love. There is no such thing as too much love. Love is the infinite force that transcends all. Love is the overflowing fountain that can quench all of the world’s thirst. Love never offends or judges, and it certainly doesn’t keep count. Love demands no specific religion or sect. Love is all-inclusive and infinitely empowering. Love is the passion that fuels your purpose. If you have only love to give, what else is there to receive? Love is the compounding investment that only increases. Our explanations of love will always fall short, because it can only be felt. Love trumps definition but demands explanation and action. Love is the answer to questions you have yet to ask. Love is brimming inside of you and love is you. Love is you and me.” – Christina Lee 

How do you explain love? 

| For more of my work, feel free to check out @Lit_Poems or my new book, River. |