Things To Do In SW Florida

By Courtney Frazer, Bankrate.com (TNS)

Food costs represent a significant portion of household budgets, and rising grocery prices make strategic shopping essential. While cutting back isn’t the only solution, smartphone apps can provide substantial grocery savings through cash-back rewards, digital coupons, discounts and loyalty programs.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to 10 effective food savings apps for both grocery shopping and dining out.

Top food savings apps

1. Ibotta

Ibotta is one of the most popular cash back apps available. It’s known for offering cash-back rewards on everyday purchases at major retailers. The app allows users to select offers before shopping and earn rewards by scanning receipts afterward.

Its browser extension enables cash back on online grocery purchases, and partnerships with retailers provide exclusive deals on essential household items.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Multiple redemption options, including PayPal and gift cards
• Wide acceptance at major retailers
• Bonus rewards for reaching specific goals, such as trying new products or completing a certain number of offers in a month

Cons

• Requires pre-selecting offers
• The cash-out minimum takes time to reach
• The interface can be overwhelming with numerous offers

2. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards allows users to earn points on any receipt from grocery stores, pharmacies and even gas stations, making it a versatile option for shoppers. read more

By Sara Rathner, NerdWallet

Last year was dominated by a dramatic presidential election and an economy that, while strong on paper, didn’t feel that way for many Americans. Here’s what we saw in 2024 when it came to credit cards and debt:

• Interest rates began to fall, but credit card APRs are still catching up: The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates three times toward the end of 2024, but it took a few months for average credit card interest rates to follow suit and come down slightly from a record high.
• Debt and delinquencies rose, but things could be stabilizing: According to NerdWallet’s 2024 American Household Credit Card Debt study, revolving credit card debt increased just 1.5% from September 2023 to September 2024. But when you look at that same timeframe for the year prior, debt levels increased by 15%. Credit card delinquency rates rose steadily since the latter half of 2021, but they leveled off a bit between the third and fourth quarters of 2024.
• Attempts at certain industry changes stalled. The Credit Card Competition Act — first introduced in 2022, but still hotly debated in 2024 — aims to indirectly lower the credit card swipe fees merchants pay, by allowing them more choice among payment processing networks. Opponents, though, argue that any savings are unlikely to trickle down to shoppers, and they note that history suggests the plan could also negatively affect credit card rewards programs. Regardless, the legislation hasn’t meaningfully advanced in Congress. Separately, attempts by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2024 to cap credit card late fees stalled out when a federal judge blocked the new rule.

And just like that, we’re a quarter of the way through the 21st century. Here’s what’s coming in 2025 that could have unexpected impacts on credit cards.

1. A new presidential administration

The second Trump administration is here. While that news seems more political than financial, decisions made in Washington can affect banks, financial technology companies and, of course, consumers.

One big unknown at this point is the fate of the CFPB, as the new Department of Government Efficiency — co-led by businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — takes aim at federal spending deemed to be wasteful. Musk has called for the elimination of the CFPB, which was originally created to enforce federal consumer financial laws.

But if the CFPB’s future is at risk, it’s going out with a bang. Since December alone, the CFPB has been busy: read more

By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn’t totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it.

“I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Musk said during a speech at Capitol One Arena on Monday afternoon, referring to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Then he slapped his hand on his chest, extended his arm straight outward and upward with his palm facing downwards. He turned around and made a similar gesture facing the other way.

“My heart goes out to you,” he said.

Many social media users noticed that the gesture looked like a Nazi salute. Musk has only fanned the flames of suspicion by not explicitly denying those claims in a dozen posts since, though he did make light of the criticism and lashed out at people making that interpretation.

“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” Musk posted on X several hours after he left the stage. read more

If Space Mountain were a person, it could be eligible for AARP benefits. The Magic Kingdom coaster turned 50 this month. Although it’s nowhere near retiring, it seems like a good time to round up Central Florida’s thrill rides and present them chronologically by opening date.

We used the online Roller Coaster Database as our primary source for these dates, and we stuck to the thrill rides in Orange and Osceola counties for this list.

It’s fun to look at the flurries of coasters, like the turn of the century Hulk-Rock ‘n’ Roller-Kraken era (and that’s not counting the departed Dueling Dragons). We might be in a golden age right now. The area has had a coaster debut every year since 2016, with the exception of 2020, and blaming the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be the right thing to do.

This list gets bulkier in the near future. Epic Universe will open with four coasters – Stardust Racers, Mine-Cart Madness, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and Curse of the Werewolf – on May 22.

But here are our current roller coasters, including the under-refurbishment Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom, from oldest to newest. read more