Targeted Ads

Dear Social Media,

You Think You Know Me….

Facebook. Instagram. Google. Twitter. TikTok, and more. It seems I can’t get away from targeted ads. It all depends on what I’ve clicked on. That handy little ellipses at the upper right corner I’ve used more than once to remove all the ads of a certain type. I’ve had targeted ads come in stretches of content: dating, financial, food and vitamins, subscription boxes, environmentally friendly items, clothing, diabetic items, and real estate and furniture. Of course, they all eventually cycle out. I’ve highlighted some of the financial ones I’ve liked.

Now, during the financial stretch I was seeing ads for banks, loans, credit cards, investing, and financial advisors. While I take too long to decide to spend money for any targeted ad to see that I'm making a purchase, I actually signed up for some of these. Stash, Webull, Robinhood, and SoFi were all ones I got free stocks from, and sold a while after. I do most of my investing via Personal Capital – letting all of that go to the experts was one of the best decisions I had ever made for myself. Recommend over 100% – I find Personal Capital essential to my financial past, present, future, and sanity.

Did not go for the loans or credit cards, as I don’t care to borrow money when I don’t need to, much less the unhealthy standard 17-23% interest rate associated with credit cards is more than a little unattractive. How anyone allows themselves to keep a balance beyond a month with the means to pay it off is beyond me. For every $100, you pay an extra $17 just because you didn’t pay off your statement when you could have? That’s bad money management. If you do need a good credit card though there’s some that offer a good amount of money for spending a certain amount the first few months, along with cashback. Be careful signing up for too many of these, as it can hurt your credit score and sometimes the credit limit is unattractive. Also look out for the ones that charge an annual fee – there’s so many that don’t charge these now that it doesn’t make sense to sign up for one that does. Talk about washing that sign up bonus down the drain.

What can I say – I like free money. The banks were interesting. Apparently there are people who do make a good amount in interest yearly just from the sign up bonuses. Of course, there’s still taxes on these later, and you need to be careful to meet direct deposit, minimum balance requirements, along with dates of closure and opening/re-opening. Facebook caught on and started showing me more of these. Usually they came via articles from The Penny Hoarder, Nerd Wallet, Money's My Life, and Money Crashers. If you just type in “bank sign up bonus” in Google once a month, you’ll mostly see the big banks, but these sites have some of the more obscure ones. Monthly because the promotions only last for a few months at a time. This is also a good way to find a different bank if you’re tired of the one you use, and be rewarded for it.

Speaking of making money via targeted ads – that’s how I got sucked into Vocal+. They kept showing me the challenge rewards (not that my writing is yet good enough to win). I subscribed, (hey! My first “add to cart!”) wrote for challenges, did not win, wrote some of my own pieces for no reason at all, and I’m here to stay. Turns out, I like writing. I’m trying in vain to grow my readership via Instagram and Facebook. It’s still early, but I find myself doing this more because I enjoy the direction that the challenges give, and sharing my thoughts, more than anything else. I’m so used to writing scientifically that I’m still working on remembering my long-lost other writing abilities here. I’m happy to have the space to do it and will be continuing my membership. 100% recommend signing up if writing is a good outlet.

Now, if physical goods are more your thing, I've clicked "add to cart" during many a diet/exercise/lifestyle betterment desire for Flat Tummy Tea, Fit Affinity, Verb Energy Bars, MCTCo, Blake's Seed Based, RxSugar, Bite Toothpaste Bits, and Vialsafe Insulin Protector.

At Flat Tummy Tea, I bought something similar to their Ultimate Bundle during a Black Friday Sale. In the bundle at the time, I got the shaker bottle, some weight loss supplements, the large tin of protein powder, cleanse and bloat teas, and a months worth of single protein powder shakes. Now over a year later, I'm still working on finishing the last of the protein powder by mixing it into oatmeal with fruit for a balanced meal. Zero regrets - their protein powder is filling, and I felt great on their supplements. The tea was the most spectacular part of the bundle - after a brief and uncomfortable period of adjustment, I was bloating less and had more energy. Bonus - Rakuten offers cashback for this website.

At the same time, I also tried out Fit Affinity's Quick Shake and Weight Loss Bundle. In comparison, I enjoyed the protein powder immensely more than the Flat Tummy tea ones, but felt lethargic with particular supplements. Now that I know more about how my body reacts to these, I'd try out Fit Affinity's fat burner again, alongside a more consistent workout regimen, and making it through caffeine withdrawal using Flat Tummy Tea.

Recently, I've used "add to cart" from targeted ads on social media to buy Verb Energy Bars, MCTco, Blake's Seed Based, and RxSugar.

Verb Energy Bars are an amazingly over-caffeinated energy bar. They're quite tasty and have so much caffeine that even my caffeine resistant body goes into jitters. I hesitate to keep these in a hot car given the texture of the bar, much like other snacks. They're great in a morning pinch and are low carb. My favorite part is the bottom of the package, "Go Live Your Life." They have generous expiration dates as well. Never eat more than one in a day.

Both MCTco and Blake's Seed Based are delicious, low carb, healthy snacks that I find essential to living life on the go. MCTco bars are fantastic for workouts because of their protein content, while Blake's Seed Based are a great option for vegetarian/vegan folks. Like Verb Energy Bars - generous expiration dates, and do not leave in a hot car.

I've also tried out RxSugar, which is a plant based, low carbohydrate maple syrup/sugar. I love it because it does not impact my blood sugars. Full intent to finally try pancakes with maple syrup. Because it is plant based, it's ideal for people trying to go organic or vegan.

Speaking of things that are great for glucose control - insulin. Now, insulin is a fairly stinky chemical that comes in little glass vials. We all know what happens when glass falls on the floor - it breaks. The guys at Vialsafe made these silicone reusable protectors that make it very difficult for insulin vials to break when dropped. This is 100% essential to my life, as insulin is expensive. Vialsafe insulin protectors are very cheap and come in a variety of colors. I immediately shared this purchase with my diabetic community and everyone who bought one is very happy with it.

Last but not least, targeted ads also had me buying Bite Toothpaste Bits, which are an environmentally friendly toothpaste solution that coincidentally means you can pack WAY more toothpaste in a carry-on without triggering a TSA issue. Double win!

Happy earning, and happy shopping!