Month: February 2022

AO Opinions: Upcoming Teen Project $250!

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the misc. topics for teens.

  • To be considered, complete the pre-screener survey here.
  • Compensation: $250 (if chosen)
  • Open to: 13-17 Year Olds: * PARENT TO COMPLETE FORM *
  • PART 1: Monday, February 14, 2022 – Sunday, February 20, 2022 – 5 ACTIVITIES TO COMPLETE OVER 7 DAYS, 3 HRS TIME COMMITMENT ($250, if chosen)PART 2: FOLLOW-UP WEB INTERVIEWS (1 HOUR) Monday, February 28, 2022 – Friday, March 4, 2022 (MUST BE AVAILABLE IF CHOSEN, $100)

Fetch Rewards: Earn Extra Points stocking up for the Big Game!

Abby H.

Fetch Rewards has a great deal just in time for the big game! I love these offers because I can redeem them Grocery Outlet, and There are a lot of brands that I already buy!

Earn big on Hellmann’s®, Knorr® & more. Spend $15 on popular Unilever brands at grocery stores and get 5,000 points*. Redeem up to four times for a total of 20,000 points.

Need a little help drawing up dinner plans? Elevate your spread with game-winning recipes from Hellmann’s.

Redeeming this offer is simple. Head to any of these 5,000+ participating grocery stores, buy your favorite products from these Unilever brands, and snap your receipts!

If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I earned $295 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).

It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!

And here is the fine print: *Offer valid 1/08/2022–2/28/2022. The offer will be live until 2/28/22 or until 150,000 offers have been redeemed. Limit 4 redemptions per household, equating to a maximum of 20,000 points. Offer is only available at these participating grocery retailers. This promotion excludes purchases made at mass/superstores, club stores, discount stores and drug store retailers. Offer valid in the U.S. only and open to legal U.S. residents 18 and older. Limits and restrictions apply. See Terms & Conditions for complete details.

Dream Dinners: Send a Dinner Care Package to Your Friends and Family

Abby H.

This is such an amazing idea- I love it! As many of you know, we lost my dad a little over a week ago, and so many people have reached out to support my mom. One of the ways is with a hot meal.

If you have someone with a loss in their family, or they are recovering from an illness, or maybe they’ve added to their family, bringing a meal is a great way to help.

Dream Dinners has a great option for February. It includes a complete, cook-from-frozen, vegetarian meal with no prep work:

Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli Bake Garlic BreadHope's Cookies

Available in 2 sizes. The medium bundle serves 2-3 and the large bundle serves 4-6. Ordering is easy, just email at lamesaca@dreamdinners.com, and Marsi’s amazing staff will work with you to schedule a pickup.

Want to send more than just one meal? Send them a Meal Prep Starter Pack with 3-6 freezer meals! For just $99, you’ll provide them with delicious, easy meals that they can thaw and enjoy any time they need a break. Marsi and her team at the La Mesa Dream Dinners location offer home delivery and can bring it right to their door for you. You can order a Meal Prep Start Pack online at DreamDinners.com.

If you aren’t in San Diego, it’s cool! There are Dream Dinners locations in 21 states, and many of those locations offer local delivery too!

Parents Helping Parents: Behavior Resources at Home Class

Abby H.

download.jpgOn February 22, 2022, the Santee School district is presenting a behavior training with a “Make it, Take it” for behavior resources at home.

Visual Schedules: Children benefit from increased structure and predictability. Help take the stress out of your daily routine by providing
your child with a visual schedule.

Behavior Contracts: Contracts help keep kids on track and reduce family battles. Let us help you create one for your home!

Zones of Regulation: Help teach your child how to identify how they’re feeling and then utilize a co teach them about self-control.

Positive Reinforcement: Learn how to shape your child’s behavior with positive discipline. This will help to reinforce behaviors we want to increase in the home.

Santee’s Behavior Team Come meet Santee’s behavior team and find helpful strategies to implement at home. You’ll leave with individualized strategies and resources that you can begin implementing right away. You’ll have access to three team members to help you create individualized systems for your child! Listed above are just a few of the strategies you’ll go home with!

This event is free- If you have any questions, or wish to RSVP, contact the school district office at (619) 258-2300

Date & Time: 2/22/22 9:30am-11am
Location: Santee School District 9625 Cuyamaca. Santee, CA 92071

Cents of Style: Comfiest Clothes on Sale This Week- Save an Extra 20%!

Abby H.

Pants** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

I’m a big fan of loungewear. This week Cents of Style is delivering the good, with an EXTRA 20% off of their comfiest sweatpants, layering tanks, biker shorts, and joggers!

And most of these items come in sizes xs-3XL.

TO take advantage of this deal, at checkout use coupon code  RELAXING and it makes ALL under $20 and MANY under $10! Don’t forget FREE Shipping over $40! The code is active until 2/15/22 at midnight!

PantsI picked up a couple pairs of the Lucille lounge pants, and the Alexis High-low tops. These layering pieces are perfect for cozy winter days at home.

2/7/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpg

I did a ton of meal prep yesterday. I cleaned the kitchen, made a big pot of vegetable soup, made a big salad, and cleaned out the fridge and freezer.

And the CSA Box will be delivered this morning too- I’ve got plans for most of that stuff too! I’m sharing the box with a family friend- sometimes it’s hard to get through all those fruits and veggies in 7 days!

Veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.

Dinner: The Dream Dinners I picked up 2 weeks ago are really helping with those nights where we’ve got so much going on. This week I’ll be making the salmon tarragon with crispy potatoes as lunch for grown-ups.

  • Monday: Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, Green Salad
  • Tuesday: Nug night- I’ve got 3 different types, crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
  • Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas, beans, rice
  • Thursday:    Cheese and spinach cannelloni with red sauce, garlic bread, roasted veggies
  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday:  Leftovers
  • Sunday:  Kentucky Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies

I’ll be hosting two Dream Dinners events, one virtual, and one in person at the La Mesa store later this month- It’s a great way for those of you who want to check it out for yourselves!

Q-insights- Books Study $200-$250

Abby H.

QI-logoNOslogan.png

Q-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. This upcoming survey takes place virtually!

Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online interview on the topic of Books.

The study will run between February 21st to March 18th and you will be
compensated $200-$250 as a thank you for your time.

If you are interested in participating please fill out the survey
Here. If you pre-qualify someone from Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional
qualifying questions.

Frugal Cleaning: “Magic Blue” Cleaner- Great for the Bathroom!

Abby H.

It’s not really magic, but it gets your bathroom (and kitchen) clean without much elbow grease or fuss.

I recently discovered this concoction, and It’s definitely worth sharing. And the best part, you probably have all of the ingredients in your home. If not, a quick trip to Dollar Tree will get you going!

I went to help my mom this week, and I thought I’d clean her bathroom. Our area has the worst hard water (lots of minerals in the water), so cleanings bathtubs and showers are a lot of work.

Enter our magic blue cleaner!

  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup blue dawn hand dishwashing detergent liquid (I know a lot of people call it soap, but technically it is a detergent).
  • 1 cup water (I used tap water)

Pour the vinegar and water into a spray bottle, add Dawn, screw on the lid and shake until the Dawn has dissolved.

Spray on the dirty areas, let sit for about 10 minutes, wipe off (I used a scrubby sponge), and rinse.

The recipe makes a lot, I tend to pour it into smaller spray bottles, so I can have one in each room (bathrooms and kitchen).

It also works great on cleaning toilets, countertops, and sinks too!

AO Opinions: Upcoming Vitamin Project Pays $125

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the topic of Vitamins.

  • To be considered, complete the pre-screener survey here. 
  • Compensation: $125 (if chosen)
  • Open to: 21-70 Year Olds 
  • Tuesday, February 15th 2022

Looking for Help? Check out Care.com!

Abby H.

Whether you need a babysitter, nanny, elder care, or a little help with chores/housework, care.com can help!

Care.com is the world’s largest online destination for care. They connect families with caregivers and caring companies to help you be there for the ones you love.

We’ve used Care.com to find Respite Workers to help us with the kiddos. Care.com has several plans, and they will help you find your perfect caregiver with 20% off Premium Membership (Discount applied at checkout- Use Promo Code: JOINCARE20).

It’s free to sign up and browse– I recommend that if you are looking for a helping hand around the house or an occasional date night sitter, check out Care.com.