NFL PLayoffs – Wild Card Weekend 2015

It’s that time again and while my beloved Giants did not make it this year, I am excited to see if my keen sense of what makes a winning team can make accurate picks this year.  This could come back to backfire, but this is one of those years, where it all seems to add up to me.

Arizona @ Carolina

Probably the most boring of all the match-ups this week, I expect Carolina to pull this one off.  Arizona was on a role at the beginning of the year and despite the injuries at QB, had a defense that could still keep them in the game.  Despite the good defense, they still found it hard to win their last 8 and only pulled of two of them.  On the other side of the coin, let’s face it, Carolina is only here because no one else in the NDC South wanted it more.  It’s a shame that they don’t even have a winning record and they get home field advantage in the first round.  I guess that’s also what makes the NFL great.  The one good thing going for them is the 4 game winning steak that got them here.  Let’s face it, the competition wasn’t all that great in those last games, but then again, Arizona’s offense is no better.  The defense might keep them in this game, but I expect Carolina to eventually pull it off.    Arizona 13, Carolina 20 

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

It’s true, team’s who have squeaked into the playoffs have done well.  It’s true, the Ravens have a decent track record in the playoffs.  It’s true to Ravens looked better in the second half of Week 17s Browns game.  The cold hard reality of it though is the Ravens are still not a good football team.  The last time they beat a team with a winning record this year was Week 2.  Incidentally, it was the only time.  Put that together with the fact that they struggled to beat the teams with bad records and I just cannot feel good about this team.  The good news is that team they did beat in Week 2 was Pittsburgh and the history has always shown you can throw what’s on paper out when these two meet.  For Pittsburgh, the loss of Bell will hurt, but not many teams could run efficiently on the Ravens anyway, so as long as Pitt can show the run well, I don’t think that will be as big of factor as perceived.  I also think Pittsburgh knows this and decided to rest Bell for what could be upcoming, when they do need him.  Big Ben has had some great games this year, but also has struggled.  I think neither team has a great defense, but I believe home field advantage and past performance this year gives Pittsburgh the upper hand.  Expect a physical, slow game to start, eventually turning into a shootout.  Ravens 24, Pittsburgh 31

Cincinnati @ Indy

Tough call here – Indy looked better over the second half of the season, but was it just a product of the weak teams they played?  There defense looks better on paper, but I have always felt Cincy had a better D.  Luck, when on, can make you look stupid, but has he really looked good recently?  Bottom line, this is one of the tougher games to call, but I don’t think Cincy has enough of a pass rush to ruin Luck’s day and given the fact Indy has home field and AJ Green might not play, I think Indy pulls this off.  Cincinnati 21, Indy 24  

Detroit @ Dallas

This is my reach pick.  I’m going off the beacon path here and not because I am an ant-Dallas fan.  True, I am not a big fan of Dallas, but even if I liked them remotely, I would be worried here.  Have they exceeded expectations in all realms this year – yes.  Is Romo at his best – probably.  Murray healthy and looking unstoppable – yep.  So why do I think it ends here – because they are due for a letdown and Detroit has what it takes to hand it to them.  Stafford and Johnson at their best can beat anyone and Dallas does not exactly have a lights out secondary.  Detroit’s defense, is better and I think they can hold Murray and company in check.  Will Dallas put up points – yes, but so will Detroit and now that everyone already has Dallas going to the Super Bowl, they have everything to lose.   Detroit 34, Dallas 28

Ricegate 2014 – Lets not lose sight of the real issue

This Ray Rice incident is getting me infuriated! Not because we are prying into the private lives of the Rices. Not because we didnt’t follow the normal protocol of sweeping it under the rug, but because some people are missing the main point behind all of this – someone did something really bad, his superiors tried to cover it up and everyone in the end got caught.  As a result, we are now trying to set a new precedent that might actually make us a morally better society.

You see, thanks to social media these days, you cannot just sweep anything under the rug.  The power today, is in the hands of the people. The common person now has a venue to voice their opinion and actually get it across, especially when the offending party knows they are doing wrong. This was the catalyst that finally helped move this terrible incident in the right direction. Rice is out and paying for his terrible actions. The NFL is taking harsh actions against other players with similar offenses. Eventually Executives will fall. You see – this is the way it should be. You get paid to play/manage a game – lots of money and then you do something stupid that hurts other people – you don’t deserve to just continue to live your dream. Yes, major corporations get away with stuff, our Government gets away with a lot, but that doesn’t make it right. We need to start somewhere and since entertainment is where people are finding roll models these days, then why not start there.

Let’s take it even further, as to why I am disgusted with this situation. Let’s pretend for a second…let’s pretend Rice does what he does. He feels terrible…the video goes to the proper authorities and those authorities, before even seeing the video are already notified by Rice that this incident happened. The authorities explain to the public that Rice made a horrible mistake and struck his wife (you’re a public figure, the public deserves that much info). They have the video, but to respect the privacy of the parties involved, they are keeping it private. As a punishment, Rice will get help and be suspended indefinitely with a minimum term of one year. The NFL then re-visits the domestic abuse policy and starts throwing the hammer down on other offenders. I bet this turns out a lot better.

Rice’s actions were bad, but the cover up and the way the League and the Ravens organization handled it were outright unacceptable. It’s becoming more and more obvious that both sides deliberately took proactive actions to cover this whole thing up. Not only that but they adamantly responded to the public with even more lies, selling out the Casino and eventually Ray Rice himself – showing in the end, their true colors of everyone for themselves.

To take it further, the icing on the cake was the personal e-mail from the Ravens Owner to all PSL Owners about how sorry they were for not being upfront and not taking the time to investigate this incident, as they should have from the start. He went on to explain in more detail the events that took place, which basically, were more lies. So not only did you lie to the public, but you lied to the very people that throw tons of money your way, wear your colors with the most pride and truly support this organization. You lied directly to our face and for that I am not sure you can be forgiven any time soon.

To those who are against the way this is being handled and think Rice received a bad deal and the Ravens did what anyone else would have done – Think if this was someone who didn’t wear your team colors or play in the NFL, the very venue we go to on Sundays to take our minds off real life problems. Think if this was an average person that did this or better yet someone who did this to your daughter – would your views change? Would you still say this was all acceptable behavior?

The pendulum needs to swing back to basics when it comes to our moral values – here is an opportunity to start moving in the right direction.

 

 

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Wild Card Weekend Part II

Wild Card Weekend started off on a wild note, with the Colts making the second biggest comeback in NFL playoff history and the Saints pulling off the win on a final play FG. So how do I see today playing out?

Sunday Games:

San Diego at Cincy – being invested in the Ravens, I have the pleasure of following the AFC North a bit more than other divisions (outside the NFC East, of course). I have watched Cincy grow and become that playoff team they have wanted to be the last few years and while I am not sure they are Super Bowl worthy yet, they certainly have it in them to pull off a first round home game win. San Diego has been on a stretch winning streak to get into the playoffs, but they really didn’t impress me at home last week against a second string KC team. Cincy’s defense is better equipped to stop SD in it’s track and their offense will put enough points on the board to pull this one out easily.

SD 14, Cincy 31

San Fran at Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers is elite. He proved this against the Bears last week on a 4th and long to win the game. He will have the luxury of playing at home, where he hasn’t done so since his injury this year. With that said, SF has a much better defense and I will take a team with a good defense over a powerhouse offense any day. Look for an exciting game, but this one goes to SF.

SF 21, GB 17

Wild Card Weekend 2013 – Part I

It’s that time of the year again and if the end of the 2013 regular season is any indication to how the playoffs will play out, we are in for an exciting month of football. So how do I see this weekend panning out – well, 4 teams will be moving on, while 4 will be going home – easy enough. But…which 4 will be going where? Let’s take a look at the match-ups:

Saturday Games

Chiefs at Colts – I had the privilege of watching Andrew Luck play in the playoffs last year against the Ravens. While the Ravens ultimately beat Luck, I was impressed with how he hung in there and gave them a run for their money. When Luck was drafted over RG III, I made the comment that Luck would win a Super Bowl before RG III. The bottom line is RG III is a better athlete than Luck, but Luck is a better QB. KC has the unfortunate pleasure of being one of the better AFC teams…that is in the same division as the best AFC team. As a result, they are rewarded with the wild card team tag and will head to Indy, where I believe they will meet their match – Andrew Luck. KC is a good team, but they are primed to be taken down in the first round, despite their strong season. Not only do they have to travel to Indy as the wild card team, but they are showing signs of decline with the 2-5 weak season ending finish. Unlike the Giants and Ravens, who got hot at the end of the previous two seasons and took that streak to the Super Bowl, KC is doing the total opposite. Look for this to be a close one, but I see Indy pulling off the win and heading to the division round.

Indy – 28, KC – 24

Saints at Eagles – As a Giants fan, I am not a big fan of the Eagles, but I think they pull this one off. The Saints are clearly a better team in the Superdome and they unfortunately, won’t be playing there. One could make the argument that the Eagles are the hot team this year going into the playoffs, but I make the argument that they just played a bad Cowboys team to squeak into the playoffs. The bottom line is the Saints defense is not that great, Brees isn’t super-human in cold non-dome stadiums and I am going to give the edge to the Eagles here.

Philly – 31, NO – 28

Super Bowl

So here we are at the final pinnacle moment of the 2012 NFL Season – the Super Bowl. In some areas, they like to call it the Harbaugh Bowl. After last year, you feel like this was just something meant to be. Almost like someone up there said, wow, a brother vs. brother matchup would be kind of cool – let’s get it done. After watching the Ravens do essentially what the Giants did last year, seeing the same teams in the Championship Round, minus the team that won last year, you get a sense that there is a higher power working these scenarios. It’s like watching a reality show, wondering how much of it is staged.

After the Ravens won, virtually every analyst started calling them the winners of this year’s Super Bowl. After two weeks of hype, many have changed their opinion. Here is mine – it’s hard to believe the Ravens won’t win this one. After all, when the season began, I made note that the last 3 Super Bowl winners played the Eagles in their home opener…who played them this year – Ravens. Then you have a team that looked terrible in many games, yet found a way to win. Can you say beating Cleveland by the skin of their teeth…4th and 29 in San Diego, then 3rd and 3…31 seconds in the playoffs.

I was watching the AFC Championship game, Brady was driving down the field, trying to make a comeback when I thought, it’s only a matter of time before that moment hits where something goes the Ravens way. Where you say, yep, karma is with them. It use to always happen when the Ravens played Pittsburgh and Pitt would eventually have that moment. It happened with Giants in both Super Bowl runs. Tyree’s helmet catch, Mannigham’s 4th quarter catch, the SF returner’s fumbles. Moments after thinking this in this year’s AFC matchup, it happened…Brady threw, it bounced off a defender, went up in the air and landed perfectly in a Ravens linebacker’s hands. It was like I knew it was coming. It was at that moment, that I knew the AFC game was over before it started. Now onto the Super Bowl.

Baltimore @ San Francisco – yes, the Ravens are technically the away team, but it means little here. This should be a battle of defenses, with one trying to stop the run and the other trying to stop the long ball. I will keep this to keys to the game because honestly, this script is already written – one way or the other. There is just too much karma around this game. Ray Lewis’ final game, Randy Moss’ curtain call, a rookie QB, a once starter QB who would love a chance to take over under center and prove a point and a battle between two brothers. So, to make it simple, here are the keys:

San Francisco – run…run…run. The Ravens D is not like it was a few years ago. You can run on this crew and if you do it successfully, you will wear them down. You will also keep the ball out of Flacco’s hand, which surprisingly is key these days. Stick to the run game, get ahead and things will go well. This will also be the first time the Ravens will face a dynamic QB in awhile. I would argue Andrew Luck is the most dynamic of the three QBs the Ravens faced in the playoffs, with Brady and Manning being more pocket passers. The Ravens do well against QBs who stay in the pocket, but I would argue the one problem they had with Luck was containing him. In fact, I would argue, Luck had the most success against them overall. His passers let him down a bit – not to say they would have won, but it would have been closer. In the regular season, RGIII, the most dynamic they faced, ate the Ravens for lunch – Look for Kaep to get in on the feeding frenzy.

Ravens – two words – Long Ball. If Flacco gets time and can get it downfield early and often, he could take SF out of the game to the point where they will be forced to throw. Taking the run game away from them is key. Both the Broncos and Patriots were throwing teams and they were able to hold them off, so if they can just be successful at what they are best at – long ball, they can win the battle on both sides of the field. Also, while RGIII had success against the Ravens, they also finally hit him and took him out. The Ravens could easily do that here, but unfortunately, I am not sure what that would mean. Do you want the dynamic rookie, or the once starter who would want nothing more to come into this game and prove the biggest point of his life…

So what do I think in the end. I think we are going to find out how important it is to actually beat the Eagles in their home opener vs. just playing them. I think we are going to find out that it’s not that important.

Baltimore 28, SF – 27

Championship Weekend

Here we go…so I must admit, I bought into the Denver hype. I called the Ravens a possible X-Factor team in the Wild Card post, but I basically said hell would freeze over before they came out of Denver alive. Well, I introduce you to this year’s X-Factor team. I have personally experienced this script twice with the Giants already. A team that looks done, a team that squeaks into the playoffs and then a team that shocks the world. The Ravens have gotten healthy, hot and on track…at the right time. A team of Destiny – well, maybe, but more like a team that got it all together, at the right time. That’s what wins Super Bowls. Now onto this the Championship Games:

San Francisco @ Atlanta – I didn’t think Atlanta would beat Seattle. I am still not bought into this Atlanta team. I have San Francisco going all the way this year and I am going to stick to it. Their defense is arguably the best in the league and they have the most dynamic Quarterback out there today. Atlanta will put points up being at home, but I expect SF to come out on top.

SF – 27, Atlanta – 17

Baltimore @ Ravens – on paper, this is another easy one for New England. They should pick apart the Ravens defense and be able to run all day. The defense should also be good enough to slow the Ravens to a point where Brady can easily out match Flacco. With that said, I am not sure now that I buy into the paper matchup. Mr. X-Factor team has it all going for them, they are in a position of revenge from a game they feel was stolen from them last year and you get a sense that the script is already written for this one.

Ravens – 34, New England – 27

Playoffs 2012 – Division Round

Wild Card Weekend is past us and here are some quick observations before getting into the Division Round.

Andrew Luck is for real. At the beginning of the season with all the RGIII hype, I made a bold prediction that as good as RGIII is Luck would win a Super Bowl first. After watching Luck first hand, I still say that is the case. While he didn’t throw a TD pass, he threw with confidence and made smart plays.

I wish a lot of the more seasoned players played with the heart of these rookies. I watch Luck and Wilson both make awesome tackles and blocks. Where most QBs would have given up on the play, I watched Luck prevent a pick 6 by chasing the Ravens D player all the way downfield. Wilson made some awesome blocks, which helped Lynch’s cause and in one case, score a TD. RGIII, while not a smart move to play, played through the pain. Again, not a smart move, but a true competitor.

I’m 4-0 in the playoffs so far…

Okay, on to the next round:

Baltimore at Denver – can Baltimore pull off an upset of unthinkable proportions in Denver this weekend – yes. Can the world end the next day – absolutely. Would I bank on either – no. I was at the Ravens game this past weekend. I saw what took place on the field first hand. While the Ravens pulled off the win, they didn’t look that impressive, especially in the first half. In fact, Indy had plenty of opportunities to put themselves in a good position to win. On the other side, the Ravens tried to give the game away a few times with fumbles and poor passing decisions. Add it all up, send it to Denver against a much better defense, an elite QB and an away venue at a high altitude, it all adds up to this one could be over at halftime. With that said, I could see the Ravens keeping this competitive for the first half or so, but unlike last week, they won’t have Luck in this game (haha – I had to say it). Eventually, Manning will get into a groove and pick this team apart like a Baltimorean picks crabs. Keep in mind, Baltimore won’t necessarily lose because Denver is the best playoff team in the mix, but more so because Baltimore is the weakest playoff team left in the mix.

Denver – 34, Baltimore – 20

Green Bay at San Francisco – this one is a tough one to call this weekend. Green Bay definitely looks better on offense and made a mockery of Minnesota last weekend. Of course, it didn’t help that Minnesota had Joe Webb as their QB, but that game isn’t much different with Ponder. I expect this to be a slow moving game at first, but I think the 49ers will eventually get the best of Green Bay’s defense. I also think San Francisco will have more success stopping Green Bay than Green Bay stopping the 49ers.

San Francisco 21, Green Bay 17

Seattle at Atlanta – what happens when you mix the X Factor team of 2012 with the Bye week blues team…you get the biggest upset of the year. Yes, I think this has upset written all over it. Seattle are the Giants and Packers of the last 2 years. They are red hot and ready to strike whoever gets in their way. Atlanta on the other hand has been on cruise control and is due to fail. Matt Ryan has a winless record in the postseason and I feel that this is a team where the bye week will work against it more than it will help. Seattle’s D, their beast like run game and their momentum will help them send the most overrated team of 2012 packing and wondering if Matt Ryan will ever win as many post season games as Tim Tebow.

Seattle 27, Atlanta 14

Houston at New England – this is probably the matchup I struggle with the most this week. Something says Houston can leave with the win this weekend. When you look at Houston on both sides of the field you wonder why they aren’t more dominating. They have one of the best RBs and WRs in the game. They have a great TE and a pretty solid defense. Then I think, they were a dominating team at the beginning of the year. Then they suffered a key injury on defense and they started to stumble a little. New England on the other hand has had some bad games, but for the most part, once again their dominate offense has lifted them into the playoffs as a top 2 seed. Although Houston looked better last week, I think the Patriots will pull this one off. I think Houston makes it close and although my gut says they win, I will stick with the safer bet. I think Foster commands the running game, keeping the ball out of Brady’s hands. I also think Houston has success in the passing game, especially Andre Johnson. This will be closer than people think, but Brady pulls off the win, sending the Patriots to Denver for a classic rematch of Manning vs. Brady…that’s unfortunately, Peyton…not Eli.

New England 31, Houston 28

Look ahead assuming everything goes as plans above:

New England at Denver – old school shoot out has Peyton heading to yet another Super Bowl. Gut check – if Houston pulls off the upset this week, they beat Denver here.

Seattle at San Francisco – sticking with the hot hand and the team with arguably the coolest uniforms in the NFL. Hawks win.

Playoffs 2012

So my Giants didn’t make the playoffs. Sad, but true because despite them having a letdown season, I really think they could have made another run. The good news is the schedule should treat them better next year and hopefully they can improve on defense.

Of course, there is always a bright side to every story and with the Giants out of the playoff picture, I get to make my playoff predictions. The last time I did this I was pretty dead on with all my picks and successfully picked the Super Bowl teams and winner from the start. Let’s see if I can do it again.

First, lets start with the fact that the field is wide open this year. I would be hard pressed to say there is an out right favorite, although there are certainly teams I feel I would put the money on over others. Even last year, despite being the last team in, many had that feeling the Giants were going to be that surprise team again. I am not getting that feeling this year with anyone in particular, although if I had to peg one, I would say the Seattle or the Ravens have the best chance to be that “surprise”.

As I did the last time around, I will look at each matchup for this week in detail, make my picks and then at the end explain how I see the rest of the weeks play out. I won’t go into much detail on the upcoming weeks, as I will save that for when we actually know who is playing who in the upcoming weeks.

So here we go…Wild Card Weekend:

Minnesota at Green Bay – let’s face it, Green Bay is not as good as they come off to be at times. They lost to Minnesota this past weekend and they have certainly had their ups and downs throughout the year. Here’s the thing though, they haven’t necessarily been firing on all cylinders either. They lost Nelson for most of the year, lost Cobb last week and had some weeks without Clay Matthews. Well, Nelson is back, Cobb should be back and the team should be more whole than they have been in weeks. This combined with a home game rematch in the first round against the team that forced their hand to play this week equals a fired up contender. I think GB comes out firing, taking an early lead and forcing Minnesota to go to the air, which is not their strength. Minnesota might put some points on the board, but I expect Green Bay to repay the favor of having to play this week in this rematch.

Green Bay 34, Minnesota 17

Cincinnati at Houston – boy, Houston has really slowed down since looking like the team to beat in the AFC earlier this year. In this rematch of last year’s wild card matchup, I expect a hotter Cincinnati team to put up a pretty good fight. Cincinnati has the weapons on offense and a much better looking defense of late. Houston on the other hand has been susceptible to the pass and has been struggling to put up points. Even so, I expect them to squeak by Cincinnati, making the difference maker here their home field advantage.

Houston 24, Cincinnati 20

Indianapolis at Baltimore – here is an interesting game. The Colts, led by Andrew Luck have in one year, went from the first draft pick to securing the #5 seed in the AFC. This game is an enigma, simply because the Ravens are also an enigma. I could make a case that the Ravens don’t even belong in the playoffs. They squeaked by bad teams all year, allowing them to secure the AFC North. I could also argue this is the X Factor team to look out for this year. Why? Because they have had everything go their way when they needed it. Because no one expects them to do much. Because they are healthier than ever this year and lastly because Ray Lewis has announced his retirement at a strategically perfect time to rally the troops. Home field advantage is also a huge factor here because simply put, the Ravens are a whole different team when playing at home. The Colts on the other hand have little to lose. Heck, they won 2 games last year – 2 game! Now they are in the playoffs. If the Colts stay in this game, then they have a good chance to pull off the upset.

Luck will not be on the Ravens side this upcoming weekend, but a better defense, a pumped up atmosphere and more experience will overwhelm the rookie QB…I see this one getting out of hand…quickly.

Baltimore 45 Indianapolis 10

Seattle at Washington – so my first impression was Washington could beat Seattle, go to Atlanta and upset the Falcons. After thinking about it though and looking things over, I realized…are the Redskins this good or are they a product of a soft schedule? Now you could make the argument that they had to play most of their division games in the last 2 months, during their winning streak, but it’s not like the division was all that great. Dallas, well…Tony Romo. Eagles…nuff said. And the Giants didn’t exactly look great towards the end…not to mention they only lost by one in that MNF game. I am not taking anything away from Washington; they have come a long way in one year, but I think Seattle is a better team. They have a better defense and matchup pretty evenly on offense. RGIII to Wilson and Morris (who is just as much of that offense as RGIII) to Lynch. The receiving core on both teams are nothing to write home about, but in the end this comes down to who has the better defense and I think Seattle clearly takes the cake.

Seattle 24, Washington 17

So how does it play out next week…here is a glimpse, assuming the above is correct:

Houston @ NE – Look for the Sith Lords to overtake the stumbling Texans in a battle that will come down to Brady throwing for 5 TDs, Arian Foster running for over 150 and Andre Johnson having a career day. As long as Belichick can wear his hoodie, no one outside of the Jedi’s are going to be able to stop him. If the over/under is 75, take the over.

Baltimore @ Denver – As a way to offset Lewis’ publicity stunt, Manning will announce his retirement at the end of the season. Denver will start out slow, giving the Ravens some hope, but the Ravens offense will thin out like the air at Mile High, as the Denver D heats up. Meanwhile Peyton will get into the groove, throw for a few TDs, rescind his retirement at halftime and whisper in Ray Lewis’ ear at the end of the game, I’ll see you on the other side buddy.

Seattle @ Atlanta – Upset of the week. Atlanta realizes they aren’t really that good and having home field advantage means nothing to them in January. Cause of death will be determined as the Bye Week Blues.

Green Bay @ SF – honestly, I could go either way here. First I thought GB, but I am going to go with the team that has the better D and the home field advantage. I see this one being close, but SF will find a way to pull it out.

Awards of the Year thus far:

X Factor Team – Seattle
Most Overhyped/Rated – Washington
Upset Central – Atlanta
Team that will look and say, what happened? – Texans
The Hoodie that Couldie – Mr. B
Best Strategic Publicity Stunt since promoting the Blair Witch movie as a true story – Ray Lewis

To be continued…

Savings on the Go!!!

As the economy begins its recovery, many of us are looking for ways to save a few bucks.  The other day, while shopping with my daughter at the mall, I saved over $20, just by using the very device that is by my side everywhere I go – my mobile phone. 

Remember the days when you had tons of coupons from mailers, newspapers etc and you forgot them at home?  Now all you need to do is turn on your mobile device, download one or many of the apps below and start searching for coupons, while you’re in the store!  No printing is usually required and many of the sales associates are aware of this common practice, which requires you to simply show the coupon on your phone. 

Here are some of the apps I would recommend (all of which were free in the Android Marketplace – other App Worlds/Stores might charge a fee, but these apps will pay for themselves):

GeoQpons

This app can be used along with your GPS to figure out where you are and what stores are in the vicinity.  If your store doesn’t show up or GPS is off, you can do a search for the store.  If a coupon exist, it will likely be on this application.  The app also has some nice additional features, including a Shopping list, a Wish List, Savings Calculator and Barcode integration to check pricing.

  

Coupons

Similar to GeoQpons, Coupons will also use GPS to figure out your location, if turned on.  Coupons also provides discounts that can be used right from the phone, but also shows discounts that can be obtained via e-mail sign-up.  Coupons main page provides the average gas price in your area, making you want to use the coupons provided, even more…

  

AAA Discounts

 

If you are a AAA member, you can get this app and it will provide all the AAA discounts offered in your area.  I didn’t know this, but apparently, New York and Company offers a discount for AAA members (don’t hold me to it, I am only going by what the app tells me).  You can also put your AAA membership number in the app, so if you need assistance, you can call right from the app and they will know your location.

 

Entertainment App

Do you have one of those Entertainment books and always forget the book when you are out?  Well, the app cannot act as a replacement for coupons in the book (it will tell you that there is a coupon for the store, but direct you to your book), but it can help for coupons that don’t require the book itself.  In addition, if you are in a store and you see there is a coupon, it will at least make you aware and you have the ability to save the offer, so you remember to clip the coupon (I am not sure about you, but I get overwhelmed whenever I start looking through the book itself).  What I have also found helpful, is letting the app find my location, so I can note all the coupons in my area.  I then go and save these under saved offers, so I know to clip, when I go to those retailers.  Membership number can be put right in the app, to validate you are a member.   

 

Foursquare

I reviewed this app awhile back and a lot more has been done to it since that time.  I will not go into a lot of details on the app itself other than to say there are some nice deals that can come out of Foursquare.  For example, I was once the mayor of Sports Authority in my area.  As a result, I received 10% off my purchase, any time I walked into that store!  There is also a coupon for a free Chips and Dip any time you go into a Chilis.  Some might think Foursquare is just a gimmick to check into places and let your friends know where you are, but as I wrote in my review, there are many practical uses – like saving money!!!

While there are probably many other apps out there, these are some of the ones I have found most helpful.  Even if you can save a little along the way, it can make a big difference in the end.  Happy savings!

Amazon App store is now live – free Angry Birds Rio today!!

The much-anticipated Amazon App store for Android has finally gone live today (link provided below).  Even better, to entice people to use the site, Amazon is offering Angry Bird Rio, an all new exclusive Angry Birds game to the Amazon store, for free! 

I haven’t had much time to check out the site myself, but I will be checking things out today, and getting my copy of Angry Birds. 

When you get a chance today, head on over to the Amazon App store, let us know what you think and get your copy of Angry Birds today!   

http://www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b/ref=sa_menu_mas2?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011

*Photo above taken from Amazon.com