Author: Abby H.

Coming to Netflix: Jingle Jangle A Christmas Journey

Abby H.

If you haven’t heard about this movie, Be prepared to be wowed! I’ve seen stills all over Facebook (mostly in my costuming groups- the costumes you guys, THEY ARE FABU!) and I am so excited to share Jingle Jangle with you!

First off, here is the official trailer (on youtube).

A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.

SERIOUSLY- LOOK AT THIS COAT!

From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.

This movie looks like it is going to be a hit with our family. And one thing I love is that it’s so different from the traditional holiday movies- There is no Santa Claus, no small town where the holiday love story happens (sorry Hallmark movies, you get no love from me).

I can’t wait to watch this movie with the kids- Jingle Jangle comes to Netflix on November 13th.

 

UCSD Eyemobile for Children- Free Eye Exams and Glasses!

Abby H.

The UCSD Eyemobile for Children will be making its way around San Diego County this month offering free eye exams and free eyeglasses to kids 3-16-years old. Call to make an appointment (858)822-2585.

  • Chula Vista 10/13/2020
  • National City 10/15/2020
  • City Heights 10/20/2020
  • Barrio Logan 10/22/2020
  • El Cajon 10/27/2020

For more information, please visit their website. Thanks to Lena at San Diego Regional Center for the heads up on this program!

 

And if you are looking for freebies and deals on glasses and contacts for adults, check out my post here from July 2020.

Meal Kit Round-Up (Reviews and Deals/Coupons)

Abby H.

In my 10+ years as a blogger, I have reviewed a fair number of meal kits on the market. With the seemingly never-ending quarantine and the new normal being social distancing, something different is now more appreciated than ever.

I love trying out meal kits, they are a great way to try new recipes with new ingredients that I may not already have on hand. Here are a few of the meal kits that I’ve tried, links to reviews, and any deals or coupon codes I could find.

Overall, my favorite meal kit company is Dinnerly.

They have a nice mix of kid-friendly dishes and stuff that is decidedly more “grown-up food”. I wrote a review here. In addition to having a nice mix of dishes to choose from, the other thing I like is that Dinnerly is the first subscription meal kit service to offer $4.49 per serving. My big qualm with meal kits is that the meals can sometimes be upwards of $8-$10/per serving. At that point, you might as well go out for dinner!

Freshly is the next up on our highly received Meal companies. I reviewed Freshly in 2016, and it’s a little different that most of the other meal companies in that all of the food comes already cooked. All you do is heat and eat.

The portions are big, so if you wanted to stretch them, all you would need is an additional side, like a green salad.

Right now when you use Promo Code: LAUNCH15 you will save $60.00 on your first 4 orders($15 per order).

Here is one that I did not get a really great impression of…Home Chef. Maybe it’s because I picked recipes that had a lot of delicate ingredients (read my review here) that don’t transport well, but that was a few years ago, and they may have different recipes and perfected their shipping packaging by now.

If you want to give it a shot I found a deal for you: Right now when you order Home Chef and receive $60 OFF. That’s $10 OFF your first six orders.

I will say the thing that has changed and that I like is that you choose from up to 38 chef-inspired, customizable recipes each week — including oven-ready meals, quick-prep options, and grill packs.

Here is one that I personally haven’t tried, but I’ve seen pictures all over Instagram and a few of my blogger friends rave about- Martha & Marley Spoon.

It seems pretty simple: Each week, 10 days before your delivery day, you’ll receive an email with meal choices. If you’d like to swap recipes, you can do so under “My Account”.

Everything is shipped to arrive fresher than you might see at the supermarket. They guarantee you’ll be able to use the ingredients for at least 4 days after you receive them, with the exception of fish which should be cooked within 48 hours.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about Meal Kits that you have tried and which ones have worked for you and your family!

10/5/2020 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI’ve started doing weekly meal planning on Sundays, but yesterday was a busy day, so I didn’t have a chance to post.

It’s easier to do it while I’m writing up the weekly calendar/schedule and prepping the snack box for the week.

I didn’t have a chance to shop over the weekend, so this morning after school drop off, I’m hitting up Food4Less for a few things. I stocked up on fresh fruit last week (there was a produce giveaway locally, and that filled both fruit bowls). Big Kid has requested home made apple sauce, so I’m going to make it this morning as well as Kodiak Chocolate Muffins.  The free school lunches that our school is providing gives us some yummy stuff the kids like (baby carrots, milk, and apple slices to name a few), and the stuff that they don’t care for or contains meat we share with some of our friends who have kiddos that aren’t able to stop and pick up free lunches.

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 update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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 love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunches will be whatever the kids want for the time being. The big kid has lunch at school, so it’s whatever he chooses from the lunch box in the cupboard, plus some fruit and juice or milk. Since the little girl is in the morning cohort at school, she has lunch at home. Buttered noodles, yogurt, apple slices, and a popsicle are her go-to lunch.

Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Leftover Extravaganza
  • Monday:  Entrees & Salad
  • Tuesday:  Pancakes and fruit
  • Wednesday:   Patty Melts made with Veggie Burgers
  • Thursday: Salsa Chicken and veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner  (I’ve been itching to make blueberry waffles with vanilla ice cream)

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

10/24/2020 Free Paper Shredding Event! (San Diego and LA)

Abby H.

 

If you are like us, you’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing during the quarantine. That might mean you’ve got a box of paperwork to dispose of. Thankfully, North Island Credit Union and California Credit Union are hosting a Shred Day on October 24, 2020 from 9am-2pm at the following locations-

LOS ANGELES

  • Glendale HQ 701 N. Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA 91203
  • Rosenell Branch 420 N. Rosenell Terrace Los Angeles, CA 90026

SAN DIEGO

  • San Diego HQ 5898 Copley Dr. San Diego, CA 92111
  • South Bay Branch 45 N. Broadway Chula Vista, CA 91910

Shred Day will be a PAPER ONLY event. No electronic items will be processed.
At this contactless drive-thru event,   all members must stay in their vehicles and have their shred items packaged in a bag(s) or box(es) in their back seat or trunk.

For more information, please visit the North Island Credit Union website.

Earning Money with Surveys!

Abby H.
Kitty is on the prowl for surveys!

I know a lot of us right now are unemployed or underemployed. There are a lot of Get Rich Quick scams out there (here are few to avoid), and I wanted to share with you some ways you can earn money at home in a legit way.

I do a lot of surveys online through various companies. Some of my favorites can be found here on my Side Hustles page.

Recently, a few more survey companies have been brought to my attention, so I thought I’d share them too.

Inbox Dollars is a company where you can earn cash by doing the following:

    • Online activities: Take Surveys, Watching Videos, Shopping, and More.

And when you sign up, you get a $5 bonus!

 

Kashkick is another company that I’ve heard about from several readers and friends.

Receive cashback from Kashkick when you read emails, complete surveys, take quizzes, referring your friend, and subscribing to special promotions.

 

 

LifePoints comes highly recommended by my friend Lisa.

Join one of the largest influencer communities in the world. They’ve rewarded over $20 million to our members in the last year alone.

Share your opinions on numerous products and popular brands. Complete surveys and get paid for it!

Earn points that can be redeemed for rewards of your choice. Join today and get 10 LifePoints to kick off your earnings!

I’ve been a member of MyPoints for over 10 years. In addition to using Mypoints to shop online to use points, you can earn points for searching the web, reading emails and visiting websites.

I earn about $15/month using Mypoints for my online shopping, in addition to surveys, and reading emails from them.

 

Opinion Outpost is another company that comes highly recommended.

Someone contacted me via my Facebook page and during the course of our chat, he told me he makes approx. $400 USD per WEEK using Opinion Outpost. Ok, so obviously this isn’t common, but, if you have a lot of time to dedicate to surveys and doing work online, anything is possible!

10/2/2020 Friday Freebies & Deals

Abby H.
bright boxes

This Friday’s freebies and deals: This week is chock full of Freebies! I’m stoked. Both kids are back to school (part-time), so I’ve got a little wiggle room in the morning to get some writing and deal-hunting done! Also, now it’s October- Time to get Spoopy!

If you find a cool deal or freebie, please leave a comment!

Free Chips and Guacamole at Rubio’s

Free Red Chocolate Bar at Walmart

Free Digital Issue of Clean Eating Magazine

Free Ice Cream at Baskin Robbins

Free Sample of Wanderer Eau de Parfum

Free MegaFood Women’s One Daily Multivitamin Soft Chews

Make Money from Home

Free Taco at Rubio’s

Free Tub of Enfamil NeuroPro

Free $3 VUDU Movie Credit

Free Cards Direct Greeting Cards

FREE Amazon Baby Box Samples Back in Stock

Free Beauty Spatty Tools Spatula

Free Sample of Giorgio Armani My Way Fragrance

Free Sample of La Roche-Posay SPF 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk

Free Pint of Nightfood Ice Cream

Free 1 Year ShopRunner Membership

Free Copy of Amazing Me It’s Busy Being 3! Book

Free Coloring Book for Adults App

 

Deals:

Get A Slice for $5.00 on October 1st at The Cheesecake Factory

3 Grilled Chicken Tacos for ONLY $2.49 at Del Taco

Starting Friday 10/2, Get $10 Off $40 at Cheesecake Factory

Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Footlong Subs at Subway

Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Boneless Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub ONLY $3.69 (Reg. $9)

Germ-X Hand Sanitizer In Stock – Large 32oz Bottles NOW $3.99

LEGO Disney Frozen II Olaf Kit ONLY $7.99 (Reg. $15)

Essentials Cotton Bath Towel ONLY $2.80 (Reg $8)

Disney Toy Story 4 Add-A-Charm Jewelry Set ONLY $5.99 (Reg $15)

Gaming headsets with Noise Canceling Mic ONLY $16.99 (Reg $30)

Melissa & Doug Luke & Lucy Twin Dolls ONLY $20.99 (Reg $40)

 

Fetch Rewards: Want 4,000 easy points? Refer friends!

Abby H.

 

 

 

One of the reasons I love Fetch Rewards is that they run incredible referral bonus offers. And I LOVE telling everyone all about Fetch Rewards. It is my #1 favorite cashback app. There are thousands of referral bonus points just waiting to be claimed.

Now through 10/6/2020, you’ll get 4,000 points for anyone who signs up using your code. And the deal is sweet for your friends too! Each friend who signs up gets 2,000 points.

 

 

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, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points.

In 2020, I’ve earned $75 in Amazon Gift cards! Sometimes there are extra point offers for buying specific brands or items, which is how I’ve earned extra points- but it was stuff I was buying anyway!

In order for you to qualify for the increased referral bonus, your friends must enter your referral code and complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM PT on 10/6/2020. After 11:59 PM PT on 10/6/2020, the referral bonus will expire. Your custom referral code can be found in app under Me.

*See Rewards page in the Fetch Rewards app for specific redemption details.

Sad News! Radial Insight Receipt Rewards Program is Ending!

Abby H.

I received an email earlier today and I’m bummed, but honestly, I’m not all that surprised. Like all awesome programs that pay well, they have to come to an end.

Unfortunately, the Receipt Rewards program will be ending on October 1, 2020. Current members can continue to take advantage of the other great programs, including traditional email surveys and Radial Insight On Demand.

After October 1st, rewards will no longer be issued for submitted receipts. For instructions for deleting the Receipt Rewards browser extension, please click here if you use Chrome, or click here if you use Firefox.

If you are on the hunt for some easy to do rewards programs, I suggest UpVoice (more info here).

Shopping Smartly: Using the Cycle of Sales to Save Even More!

Abby H.

Manufacturers and stores use holidays or events to entice people to spend more in their stores by offering sales, coupons, cashback offers. I have listed below, by month which types of items are on sale. Not only food, but home goods, furniture, and electronics.

I recommend checking out sale flyers (most can be found online) and cashback apps (A list of my favorites can be found here) before each shopping trip.

JANUARY

  • Diet Food and Weight Loss Equipment (New Year’s Resolutions)
  • Gyms have sales and free trials
  • Healthy Food including Veggies
  • Television and other Electronics (Super Bowl Sunday)
  • OTC Medications (FSA’s expire in Jan./Feb.- Use it or Lose it!)
  • Winter Clothing and Shoes (Formal clothes are usually 75%+ off)
  • Organizers (totes, Christmas ornament storage containers)
  • White Sales (Sheets/Towels)
  • Snack-y food for Super Bowl parties: chips, dip. Velveeta, salsa, taquitos. There are often times really great rebates for snack food and beer or soda around the Super Bowl.

FEBRUARY

  • Diet Food and Weight Loss Equipment (New Year’s Resolutions)
  • Healthy Food including Veggies
  • Furniture and Housewares
  • Candy and Chocolates

 

MARCH

  • March is National frozen food month. Many Stores like Albertson’s have a “fill a bag” sale where you are given a paper or plastic bag and you receive a discount (typically 15-25%) on each frozen item in that bag.
  • Spring Apparel (Easter Dresses and Suits)
  • Depending on when Easter falls, look for sales on Easter Dinner food: Ham, Prime Rib, stuffing, veggies, eggs, and Easter Basket Supplies.
  • Luggage and Travel (Spring Break)
  • Spring-cleaning sales will start and there will be rebates for cleaning supplies- especially with SC Johnson Products.
  • Between March 13-17th (St. Patrick’s Day) Corned Beef, Potatoes and Cabbage are all Dirt Cheap. Stock up!
  • During Lent, seafood is inexpensive.

 

APRIL

  • More Spring cleaning sales and rebates
  • Paper products (plates, napkins) start to have really good sales.
  • Paint & Wallpaper (In the same vain as spring cleaning, a lot of people start to spruce up their homes in the spring)
  • Jewish Foods and Eggs (Passover)

 

MAY

May is the start of picnic season. Barbeque food, Hotdogs, hamburgers, ribs, condiments will all be on sale throughout the summer and will be until September.

  • Auto Maintenance (tires, oil changes, tune ups)
  • Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)
  • Bug repellents – Sprays and Candles
  • Home Maintenance (carpet cleaning, duct cleaning)
  • SPF and After Sun products (like Aloe)

 

JUNE

  • Summer Clothes
  • June is National Dairy Month- Dairy Products
  • Summer Activities (local attractions sometimes have “locals only” days or rates)
  • Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)

 

JULY

  • Air Conditioning units
  • Summer Sports Equipment & Craft Supplies (things for families to do together)
  • Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)

 

AUGUST

  • BBQ and Patio Equipment (Just in time for Labor Day!)
  • White Sale – Linens and Towels
  • Back to School Supplies – Sales may Start in Late July, Depending on when school starts in your part of the world)
  • Bathing Suits and the last remnants of summer clothes
  • Back to school clothes
  • Jackets and light coats for fall
  • Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)
  • Breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, juice, bars) Cereal sales will start this month and continue into September as school starts up.
  • Lunch box food- juice boxes, lunchables, snacks, chips, yogurt

 

SEPTEMBER

The traditional Back to School Sales will start. For most schools, classes begin the Tuesday after Labor Day. This is a great time to stock up on snacks that are healthy and shelf-stable. 100 calorie snack packs, fruit leathers, 100% juice boxes, bottled water, peanut butter. Watch the inserts for Lunchables coupons too- they will start going on sale!

  • Back to School Supplies (Office Depot, Staples, and Walgreen’s often have Freebies)
  • Canned Goods. Canned soup and spaghetti sauce also starts to go on sale in September.
  • Frozen Pizza

There are LOADS of rebates and special cashback offers through apps like Ibotta and Checkout51 in the last quarter of the year. Why?

The last three months of the year are packed full of holidays and entertaining possibilities. Sales, rebates, and cashback offers will most likely be for the types of food and beverages that are associated with entertaining: crackers, cheese, wine, beer, candy, nuts, etc. Many of these food items are shelf-stable and it can be a good opportunity to buy a few extra to stock up, especially if it’s something that your family consumes regularly.

OCTOBER

  • Home goods such as serving dishes, and glassware (to prepare you for the onslaught of entertaining you will be doing for the holidays)
  • Candy, nuts
  • Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)
  • Fall/Winter clothing
  • Fabric, Patterns, sewing machines (Halloween)
  • Coats/Jackets

NOVEMBER

  • Winter Clothing
  • Blankets and flannel sheets
  • Heating Devices
  • Turkey, ham
  • Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies, etc)
  • Baking goods (flour, sugar)
  • Baking wear

DECEMBER

  • Toys- there are usually deals through Target’s app, and online as well
  • Gift Items-Stock up and fill your stockings and keep your wallet full.
  • Post-Holiday Sales- I like to stock up on plain colored paper goods after each holiday and stockpile them to use throughout the year for parties and events. No one will know the red napkins are from Valentine’s Day, not from Christmas. Light Blue gift paper from Chanukah will wrap a present for a baby shower gift just the same.
  • Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat There will be a lot of rebates, keep your eyes open!
  • Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)
  • Prime Rib, Turkey, Ham

 

Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough. Cookie dough freezes really well for about two months.   You can also find plain colored paper goods, including plain-colored wrapping paper and tissue paper after each holiday in the clearance section.