Today is a very unique post. Meg Biram - entrepreneur, creative collaborator, blogger, consultant, artist, friend...and co-founder of the blog The Well from the B Bar - asked me to join a blog linkup to answer the question:

WHAT DID YOU PURCHASE IN THE PAST YEAR THAT BECAME INVALUABLE TO YOU? SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU THINK “HOW DID I LIVE WITHOUT THIS ITEM!?!”

The first things that came to my mind were apps. There are several apps I use every day (Notes, Google Drive, Instagram, EveryPost, Pinterest), but the one app that I would consider invaluable and life changing has been the Pact app, previously called GymPact. (FYI - It's free.) I've written about it before, and it's always been a bit tricky for me to explain, but here goes...

You create a 'pact' that you will work out X number of days a week and for each one of those days you pledge money committing you to those workouts. The minimum amount is $5 per workout day.

If you don't meet your 'pact' you lose that money for every day you miss. If you complete your pact for the week, then you split the money of those who didn't meet their pact.

To give you as sense of how much money we're talking about - with a 4 workout per week, $5 per day pact, I earn anywhere from $0.80 to $1.15 a week. The highest I've ever earned was the week of Christmas at $1.50 which probably means more people forgot to work out that week. So the motivation to work out is not about the money you will earn, it's about they money you could lose.

There are different ways to get credit for a workout. Here are the three ways I've received credit:

Syncing with Runkeeper \\
The method I use most frequently since becoming pregnant is syncing with my Runkeeper app. I don't run. I walk. To receive credit, the activity must hit 30 mins of movement within the first 1.5 hours and be GPS tracked over 1 mile. So even if I'm not feeling up for a major sweat session, waddling walking for 30 minutes is easy to talk myself into doing. Over the holidays, my husband and I would go on a walk together in the morning or right after dinner.

Checking-in to a gym or studio with GPS \\
When I was working out at a big gym or with ClassPass or now when I take prenatal yoga classes, I 'check-in' to those locations using the app and GPS. I've never had a problem with a gym location appearing on the app. However, due to signal strength in gyms\studios, I often have to check-in and out right outside the building. Again, the minimum workout time required is 30 min.

Using Motion Tracker \\
I also work out in my apartment building's gym. To get credit for working out at home, I'll use the 'motion tracker' feature in the app to track my movements (it works best with your phone in an arm band) for an active 30 mins. The app will 'ding' telling you if you're being 'active' enough.

Why can't I live without 'Pact'? From a practical perspective, obviously I can, but working out is such an important part of my life. When I work out I feel better. When I feel better my mind is clearer, I get more work done, my clothes fit better, I'm more confident, I'm happier...the list goes on and on. Even with all those benefits it's hard to continually stay motivated, and Pact has been my key motivator. So can live without it? Sure, but I think I'm going to live longer because of it.

There are other ways to get pact credit, and there are even food and veggies pacts that could earn you even more money (I don't use this part of the app). Check the app out for yourself and let me know what you think! Also, what about you? What was your best purchase last year?

Want to know what other bloggers are saying they can't live without? Here's the full list:
Girl in Betsey \\ Glitter & Bow \\ Pretty Much \\ White Cabana \\ Healthfully Ever After \\ Boulevard House \\ Always Craving \\ Southern Charm & Prints \\ Perfect Enough For Us \\ Modish & Main \\ Alessandra Marie \\ Jenn Inspired \\ Luv in the Bubble \\ A Little Leopard \\ All the Pretty Stars \\ York Avenue \\ PR Blonde \\ Alyssa J Freitas \\ The College Prepster \\ Burlap & Lace \\ Brunch on Chestnut  \\ Average Girl's Guide \\ The Yuppie Files \\ Cassandra Monroe \\ Always Anita \\ PR Girl Diaries \\ Life Modifier \\ Business Betties \\ Cake & Lilies \\ Little Wild Heart \\ The Not Quite Adult \\ Annie Reeves \\ Rossetto \\ Lemon Stripes \\ Meg Biram \\ Victoria McGinley \\ The B Bar