Back to School Deals!

Ok, so as much as I’ve been posting about summer fun and adventures, Back To School is lurking around the corner.

Here are some awesome deals and freebies:

Office Depot has a great selection of $10 backpacks, some of them (like the two above) come with pencil cases, lunch bags, and water bottles too!

Most office supply stores have great deals on markers, crayons, and markers right now too.  Deals are changing weekly.  If you don’t have time to chase deals, I’ve found a couple decent deals. Prices on Amazon change quickly, so I haven’t listed them, but you can click on each link and check them out.

 AmazonBasics Pre-sharpened Wood Cased #2 HB Pencils, 150 Pack
Elmer’s All Purpose School Glue Sticks, Washable, 7 Gram, 30 Count
Crayola Crayons Bulk, 24 Box Classpack, 24 Assorted Colors

If you are a teacher/educator, check out these three freebies:

If your kids are like mine, they lose stuff all the time, so I’ve invested in The back to school pack of label set from Mabel’s Labels.

If you need some help obtaining school supplies for your kiddos, there is help out there for you.

Free Backpacks with School Supplies at Boost Mobile

If you are an East County Area Resident (San Diego County), check out this awesome offer from the Santee Mobilehome Owners Association, INC (SMOAC) is handing out backpacks full of supplies for kids Kindergarten and up. Each backpack has age/grade-appropriate supplies.  This event takes place at the Santee Library from 10 AM until they run out. In addition, there will be free haircuts for girls and boys and many other surprises that day.

Talk Back: If you know of any free school supplies or deal, please share!

New Savingstar Rebates

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SavingStarhas some awesome new rebates available.

If you are new to SavingStar, it’s different from traditional couponing!

What makes SavingStar different is that you don’t receive money off at the register.  The savings in held in your SavingStar account, and once you reach at least $20.00 in savings you can transfer it to your Paypal Account or donate your savings to charity!

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SavingStaris the first national, fully digital, grocery eCoupon service, available for free at www.savingstar.com and on iPhone and Android mobile apps. There’s nothing to clip, nothing to print. Chose offers, shop, and save! SavingStar is currently available at over 70,000 locations!

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Here are the latest offers:

SAVE $2.00 off any ONE (1) Nexium® 24HR Product.Expires 8/20/2019.Save $2.00.

SAVE $5.00 off any ONE (1) 28 ct. or 42 ct. Nexium® 24HR Product.Expires 8/4/2019.Save $5.00.

Save $3.00 when you spend $15.00 on any So Delicious® Dairy Free Yogurt Alternative.Expires 9/15/2019.Save $3.00.

Buy ONE (1) Pure Leaf® Tea Pack (6 pack, any flavor / variety) and get ONE (1) FREE Stacy’s® Pita Thins (up to $3.00, 6.75 oz, any flavor / variety).Expires 8/30/2019.Save $0.00.

Save $1.50 when you purchase ANY TWO (2) BUSH’S® Baked Beans 16oz or BUSH’S® Savory Beans. Any Variety. Items must appear on the same receipt..Expires 8/29/2019.Save $1.50.

Save $1.00 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Whole Fruit® Frozen Novelties. Any variety..Expires 8/22/2019.Save $1.00.

Save $2.00 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Scotch® Brand Packaging Tape Multi-packs. Any Variety..Expires 8/21/2019.Save $2.00.(Only at Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Target, Walmart)

Save $0.50 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Scotch® Brand Packaging Tape Singles. Any Variety..Expires 8/21/2019.Save $0.50.(Only at Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Target, Walmart)

My Monthly Savings to do list, updated for 2019!

file000901554050I wrote about this topic 4 years ago, and my… how the savings game has changed. In addition to sharing how I save and earn money each month, I’ve included some other tips at the bottom of the post.

I still do a lot of the same things:

Weekly: Print coupons & Check Savings Apps. I print coupons from Coupons.comSmartSourceRedPlum, and check apps and add items that appeal before I hit the grocery store each week. Here is a list of the apps I use.

 

1st and 15th: Mail out SBKC junk mail envelopes. I process our mail when it all comes in and I put the junk mail in the envelopes as it comes in.

Daily: I spend a little time each day (usually while I drink my coffee in the morning working my points programs. This includes  Mypoints (I save all of my Mypoints emails and do them all at once, one time a day). I also check my Field Agent App to see if there are any quick tasks I can do to earn some extra money that day.

As I am notified via emailPaid View Point (some of the surveys are time sensitive- those usually pay extra!), PineCone Research (surveys must be completed 3-6 days upon receiving the email).

Last day of the month: Clean out coupon wallet and removed expiring/expired coupons.

As needed/codes become available: I use the Swagbucks tool bar to do most of my internet searches, so I earn Swagbucks points intermittently with that too. I also order free samples when I see them available online. I’ll be posting about what I do with all the samples coming up.

I try to do as much shopping online with discounts as I can.  That means I check with  Mypoints and Topcashback  to see who is giving the better points/cash back, and I shop online a lot (especially in the summer when I’ve got both kids at home- it’s easier on the budget).

 

Other ways you can save money: 

 

How do you keep track of all of your programs to save money?

 

July: New Month, New Coupons!

file000786402730Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

One of my favorite websites is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:


SAVE $1.00 When you buy any ONE (1) jar of Barilla® Sauce


Save $1.00 on any TWO MorningStar Farms® Veggie Foods Products

Save $1.00 when you buy ONE PACKAGE any flavor/variety Godiva® Baking Mix

Save $0.50 on ONE Frigo® Cheese Heads® 8ct or larger Snack Cheese Product

Save $2.00 on ONE (1) package of Purina® TIDY CATS® Free & Clean™ brand Cat Litter, any size

7/1/19 Meal Plan Monday!

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I wrote last week 10 Tips to Stay on Budget for Groceries, and I noted that it’s ok to go over budget sometimes. Well, I took my own advice. There were some things that we had run out of, so I did a big stock up shopping trip last night. Snacks, pantry essentials, and meat (we were down to 1 pound of bacon, sweet, sweet bacon).

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, 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.

You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian, but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

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

Breakfast: Coffee with heavy cream 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.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me. The kids will be enjoying free lunches all over the county with free activities and playtime before or after lunch.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot (I am picking up my new crockpot this week) in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked.

  • Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit salad
  • Tuesday: Bombay Potatoes, cauliflower rice
  • Wednesday:  Veggie and bacon omelets
  • Thursday: Baked chicken Parm with homemade red sauce and zoodles
  • Friday:  Date Night
  • Saturday: Homemade Pizza Night 
  • Sunday: Leftover Night

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?

Sam’s Club – Join for $45 Get $50 in Savings


We have a Sam’s club close by, so I just signed up for this deal!

Join Sam’s Club for $45 and get $50 in savings. GET A $20 GIFT CARD AND $30 IN INSTANT SAVINGS*

  • Member’s Mark all beef franks 3 lb. 12 ct. Discount $7.00 off
  • Member’s Mark 80/20 or 90/10 ground beef Discount $10.00 off
  • Member’s Mark Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns 24 ct. Discount $3.00 off
  • Member’s Mark Loaded Potato Salad 48 oz. Discount $4.00 off
  • Member’s Mark Purified Bottled Water 45 or 80 pk. Discount $3.00 off
  • Member’s Mark Cookies – 18ct. various in Deli ($5.98 retail value) Discount FREE

There are tons of awesome things about Sam’s Club, including free samples from Freeosk, in-store offers, and Field Agent frequently has audits at Sam’s Club Locations!

 

Talk Back: What’s your favorite thing from Sam’s Club?

Fetch Rewards: Earn 10,000 Points!

unnamed.pngI am so stoked about this offer! 10,000 points is a $10 gift card (there are 20+ brands to choose from. I usually get Amazon)

Complete 3 referrals. Get 10,000 points.

 

Get 4,000 bonus points* when you share Fetch Rewards with three people from June 13 to June 23! You know three people, right?

Here’s how it works:

  • For each completed referral, you get 2,000 points when your friend scans a valid receipt. They get 2,000 points, too!
  • Complete three referrals, get a 4,000-point bonus. 
  • Congrats, you earned a total of 10,000 points!

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To get started, click here, or download the app from the app store or wherever you get apps. Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score points after you scan in your first receipt with Fetch Rewards. Then you can refer friends and earn up to 10,000 points!

Just by doing my usual shopping this year, I’ve earned $30 in Amazon GC trough Fetch Rewards!

 

My disclosure statement is here. I’m here to help ya’ll save money, not make a million dollars!

This Week Only! $5 off $5+ at Michaels!

Screen Shot 2019-06-17 at 8.15.46 AM.pngJust in time for summer crafts! Now through 6/22/19, you can find and use a $5 off $5+ (restrictions apply of course) on the Michaels website here.

This coupon is valid in-store only. If you need to shop online, there is a 40% off any one regular price item here. It also has restrictions.

I’m taking the kids this morning to find supplies for a project to work on this week! And don’t forget that Camp Creativity is in full swing! $3 craft classes where kids can make and take a project! Details can be found here.

Friday: Freebies, Deals, and & Free Events!

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Friday means- Freebies, Deals, and Free Events!

Free Samples:

Free Food:

Magazine Subscriptions:

Deals:

Free Events/In-store Deals:

Save Time & Money This Summer with Online Shopping!

e6d40b7bc536c9a8b6f32ebd3b6730efDo you dread taking your kids shopping in the summer? I love my two weirdos, but I dread taking them to Target, Wal-mart, basically any place I need to run errands that has toys, candy, treats, impulse buy items.

I can stick to my list and budget while shopping solo, but add my two smalls into the mix, and stuff “mysteriously” makes its way into my cart. The whining, crying, begging. It’s enough to drive me to day drink.

So, I try to shop online and do in-store pick up as much as possible. I use all of the tools available to me to save money:

Smartphone Apps 

A lot of the stores available through Mypoints and Topcashback  offer in-store or curbside pick up.

Target has their Redcard which has tons of perks. I save 5% every time I shop by using my Target Red Card.  It’s a debit card and it’s Target branded, so I can only use it at Target, just like an ATM card (with a PIN).

Today I’m running to Target to pick up an order of stuff (face wash, cotton balls, stuff like that).

Then it’s off to 99 Cents Only to refill the snack box!

Talk Back: How do you Navigate the stores in the summer while staying on budget?