PRC Research Study: Current or Retired Federal Employees $250!

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PRC is a nationwide research study company. They are always conducting studies and seeking additional respondents. They email me once a week about the online studies they are looking to fill. Research studies are a great way to earn a little extra money, and most can be completed from the comfort of your home using your computer or laptop.

Currently, they are looking for Current or Retired Federal Employees with kids to participate in an upcoming 3-day online discussion board on health topics.

Topic: Current or Retired Federal Employees-September 2026
Who: Parents of 12- 17-year-olds
When: 9/15-17/2026
Where: From the comfort of your home
Length: 135-mins total (45-mins each day for 3 days)
Incentive: $250

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

A few notes about PRC:

It is recommended to use Google Chrome or Firefox to complete the pre-qualification survey.
Only one participant per household.
Their surveys are open to U.S. Residents.
Incentives are paid via Digital Incentive unless otherwise stated.
To participate in any study that requires a webcam, please use a laptop or desktop computer ONLY—No smartphones or tablets.
If you use ChatGPT or any other AI assistance for your responses/feedback during any of the research projects, please keep in mind that you will not receive compensation and will be removed from the database.
If you pre-qualify, a PRC Global Market Research recruiter will contact you via phone.

Score Sweet Freebies with Your Library Card!

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Courtesy of https://arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Library_Card

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! If you don’t have a card, it’s one of the easiest things you can do to open the door to free (and cheap) entertainment.

Not only can you check out books in the library, but you can also gain access to apps like Libby, where you can borrow digital books, audiobooks, and digital magazines.

The following benefits are available from the San Diego County and City of San Diego Library networks. Check with your local library to see what benefits and events they host!

Get out on the Town: Reserve free or low-cost family day passes to local museums and attractions (like the New Children’s Museum, Museum of Us, and San Diego Museum of Art) using your San Diego Public Library or San Diego County Library card.

Get into Nature: CA State Library Parks Pass: Check out a physical vehicle-entry pass for free admission to participating California State Parks for 14 days. 

Digital Research Databases: Use your library card for free access to online subscriptions, language learning software, and digital archives.

Skill-Building & Wellness Classes: Access free instructional classes covering healthy aging, programs for adults with disabilities, and wellness activities like yoga or meditation.

Learning for the whole family: ABC Mouse is available for free with your library card, and it’s a great resource for young kids. There are resources for kids of all ages, including help with homework!

Free Events: Most local library systems host free events. Our local branch hosts activities for kids, families,  teens (laser tag once a month at the library after hours!), and seniors. There are tons of events every month– scroll through and find something that interests you!

 

Orgain Labor Day Sale

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If you are looking for a protein product for the dairy-free person in your family, take a look at Orgain. Their products are free of animal products. My youngest doesn’t digest milk proteins too well, so when I was looking for a protein drink to supplement with (ADHD sometimes leads to delayed hunger cues, and when it’s time to consume calories, it needs to be done NOW), I turned to Orgain.

Their premade shakes are great! They come in a bunch of great flavors, and now for Labor Day, Orgain is having a sweet sale.

25% off sitewide and a FREE mystery gift on orders $100+.

To get started, visit their website, and don’t forget to use coupon code ABBYHEWES at checkout to save 25% off at checkout. 

Focus Group Connection – $175 Paid Research Study

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Focus Group Connections is a research company located in Southern California. They conduct studies and surveys all over the US.

Focus Group Connections is looking for participants in their upcoming ONLINE discussions about meaningful advancements in the tech industry.

When: September 7th to September 24th

Length:  75-minute online interview

Incentive: $175 for your valuable contributions.

If interested, please fill in the pre-screen survey here.

Please note that not everyone will qualify to participate, and not everyone will receive a callback.

9/4/2026 Weekly Freebies and Deals!

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It’s Labor Day Weekend! A lot of you have fun plans, trips out of town, and some of you (like us) are staying close to home and chilling out.

This week the freebie list is small, which is par for the course after the back to school rush is over. But here are some freebies and deals that are available year-round!

For free food resources, see my comprehensive list here.  It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are available outside my area.

Freebies:

PinchMe has a ton of great freebies (sample and full sizes) right now. New Samples drop every Tuesday!
FREE $75 Amazon or Visa Gift Card for Test Driving a Cadillac
FREE School Bus Organizer Workshop at Home Depot
FREE VCF Sample
FREE BYOMA Skincare, Scunci Hair Items & More for Target Circle 360 Members
FREE Pembe the Pink Cat Party
FREE Sample of Heart Grown Wild Root Bath Soak
FREE Khloud Plus Protein Chips
How to Score Sticker Freebies – Sticker Mule, Keds, Netflix and More
The Best Free Sample Boxes to Request
2 FREE Advanced Screening Tickets to ONSLAUGHT
FREE Handcrafted Drink Every Monday at Capital One Cafe
FREE Sample of Hempz Serene Waters Lotion with Magnesium
FREE $10 Instant Bonus at Ace Hardware
FREE Shark Hair Styling Tools
FREE Haunted House Kit Workshop Event at Lowe’s
FREE Fidget Cube, Carabiner or Phone Stand
Get Free Nike Gear: How to Become a Nike Product Tester
FREE Depend Fresh Protection Advanced Sample Pack
Get The Top 17 Free Baby Boxes in 2026: Walmart, Target, Amazon
FREE Hape: Pixelz Little Rock Stars Party
FREE Bag of Real Good Breaded Chicken
Up to 4 FREE Movie Tickets to THE FIX
FREE Full-Size Snacks from TasteBud
The Ultimate Guide to Birthday Freebies for Kids and Babies
FREE Jose Cuervo Margarita + Win $1,500
Grubhub Labor Day Weekend – FREE Items, BOGO & More
FREE Mind the Skin Eczema Flare Patches – a $30.99 Value
FREE 2027 JDC Jewish Calendar
FREE Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food Roll Coupon
FREE LEGO Harry Potter Micro Castle Build Event
How to Score Free Feminine Hygiene Products and Save on Essentials
FREE Creed Iris Debonair Fragrance Sample
Free Baby Stuff – Ultimate Guide to Get Free Baby Stuff
FREE Febreze Odor-Fighting Fade Defy Plug-In at Walgreens
FREE Sample of ECRU New York Luxe Hair Gloss
FREE Fragrance Samples from Macy’s

 

Deals:

Kohl’s Labor Day Sale is LIVE – Save $10 Off, 15% Off & Kohl’s Cash
Best Target Dollar Spot Finds Today (Toys, Home Décor, and More)
LEGO City Advent Calendar 2026 ONLY $25 at Walmart
Gap’s Labor Day Sale – Up to 60% Off Select Styles + Extra 50% Off Sale
Crock-Pot Manual Design Series 4.5-qt Slow Cooker ONLY $15.49 (Reg $36)
BIC Xtra Smooth Bright Edition Mechanical Pencils ONLY $5.21 (Reg $16)
DSW Coupons and Promo Codes – Up to 60% Off Clearance Online, Up to 30% Off Select Adidas & More
Eddie Bauer Labor Day Sale up to 40% Off Including New Falls Arrivals
Petco 20% Off Site Wide Sale – Big Savings on Everything for your Pets
Buy 1 Get 2 Free Towels at JCPenney

Ripple Street: Apply to host a Color, Craft & Unwind House Party!

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Y’all know I love Ripple Street (Formerly House Party).

Check out this new event they just posted-

Color, Craft & Unwind is all about bringing friends together for a relaxing night of creativity — no pressure, no perfection required. Just good conversation and something fun to show for it at the end of the night.

200 hosts will be selected to host a Color, Craft & Unwind House Party and explore creative projects inspired by an activity booklet filled with ideas—from colorful journaling and personalized décor to crafts designed to help you unwind and enjoy the moment.

Selected hosts will receive a Party Pack with a Target GiftCard™ plus products from Newell Brands, including Paper Mate, Sharpie, Elmer’s, Ball, and Chesapeake Bay Candle — all available at Target.

After the party, hosts share photos and social content from the experience and write reviews!

Ready to get creative? Apply now through September 16. 

I’ve already applied. Fingers crossed I get it- it would make a great theme for a fall potluck!

August 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals

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Quests require compasses and treasure chests, right?Why am I referring to them as “quests” and not “hustle“?

Hustling indicates moving quickly to earn money. This year, I’m doing a little bit every day, approximately 20 minutes on small surveys and small tasks. I may earn less daily, but overall, I can use small tasks to earn more through compounding.

For about half of August, I could dedicate a consistent block of time each day to earning extra money. My day job started again, so I probably won’t be able to dedicate as much time each day to my side quests.

  • MyPoints:  $15 Amazon Gift Cards
  • PaidViewPoint:  $10.26 Venmo
  • Fetch:  $15 in Barnes and Noble Gift Cards
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ):  $38.94 in Aisle Rebates, $10.97 in WeStock Rebates, and $13.78 Social Nature Rebates
  • BrandClub:  $9.61 Venmo
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. $2.65 (My lowest of the year)
  • Verasight: $10 via Venmo
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Venmo
  • Ibotta: $25.00 Paypal
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • Gist: $20 Amazon Gift Card
  • Online Research Study: $25 Amazon GC
  • The Insiders: $30 Visa Gift Card

I spend about 20-30 minutes a day completing surveys, scanning receipts, and other tasks. It doesn’t take long, and it helps take a small load off our summer budget.

As always, the links above may be affiliate links, and I might earn money or points if you join any of the above apps or activities. This helps support my blog and family.

If you are interested in my full list of money-saving/money earning activites, I encourage you to check out:

September 2026: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

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 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I usually receive 4-6 offers/freebies per month, sometimes more if I have time to shop. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

In addition to the offers where they mail you a coupon for a free product, Social Nature has started offering 100% cash-back, similar to Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. I love this because I can select exactly what I want; Social Nature tells me which local stores have it, and I can add it to my next shopping list.

And it’s just as easy as Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. Snap a pic and upload it. You can select Venmo, PayPal, or an Amazon Gift Card for your rebate.

This month, there aren’t a ton of free/100% Cashback offers available, but I’ve listed them below.

    •  Sugar-Free Electrolytes by Instant Hydration
    • Wild Tuna in Olive Oil by Rio Mare
    • Functional Energy Drinks by Odyssey
    • Mental Performance Shots by Magic Mind
    • Ready-to-Bake Cupcakes by BunnieCakes
    • 12g Plant Protein Creamer by Laird Superfood
    • Skipjack Wild Tuna by Wild Planet
    • Italian Protein Pasta by BRAMI
    • Tuna + Red Bean Salad by Wild Planet

There are a lot more offers for BOGO or a percentage off, including brands like Daiyo, Ripple, Calafia Farms, SunButter, Back to Nature, and Javvy Coffee, to name a few.

If you are looking for other rebate sites similar to Social Nature, check out Aisle,  WeStock, or Peekage.

9/1/2026 It’s Sample Thursday with PinchMe!

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Love samples? Check out PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.

PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.

Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. PinchMe learns what you like and offers samples just for you.

Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.

I get PinchMe samples every month. Here is a box that I recently received.

What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!

Calling All Facebook Content Creators – Get Paid $400 For Your Time!

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I received this in my inbox this afternoon and I had to share. I know there are some of you who create content on Facebook, and this market research study is a great way to earn some extra money!

Are you a Facebook creator who enjoys producing unique, original content? ISG would love to hear from you!

Information Specialists Group (ISG), a market research company based in Bloomington, Minnesota, is inviting select Facebook creators to participate in an upcoming paid research study designed to better understand creators’ experiences and perspectives on the platform.

This is strictly market research — there are no sales pitches, no promotions, and nothing to purchase. They’re simply interested in learning about your experiences and perspectives as a content creator.

Study Details:

• Format: Complete a brief 30-minute digital activity followed by a 90 minute online group research session
• Dates: September 14th or 15th
• Incentive: $400, paid by your choice of a check or an Amazon eGift Card, if you qualify and are selected to participate
• Who: Social media content creators who post content on Facebook
• Purpose: Market research only

To get started, please complete the short screening questionnaire (just a few minutes) to see if you qualify. If you’re selected, an ISG team member will contact you by phone with all the details.

Click here to fill out the quick pre-screener.

Spots are limited, and not everyone who completes the questionnaire will qualify.