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7 Frugal Ways to Beat The Heat!

Abby H.
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Ok, so it’s not *that* hot, but close…

This week has been slightly hellish. It’s hot, humid, and just so gross no one wants to move.

It’s too expensive for us to run our AC all the time (Thanks SDG&E!), and really, I don’t want to spend all day in the house, so here are my top 7 Frugal Tips to Beat the Heat in San Diego!

  1. Check out your local library. Both County Libraries and City of San Diego Libraries have awesome summer programs for kids and adults!
  2. There is still time to sign up for Kids Bowl Free All Summer! Just pay for bowling shoe rental!
  3. Visit Balboa Park for Free Tuesdays at various museums each week. Another free activity in Balboa Park is the Botanical Garden and Lily Pond. Right next door is the Spanish Art Village, which is fun to explore as well. Pack some snacks and make a day of it.
  4. Check out your local indoor mall for fun family activities. In San Diego, we’ve got a couple- Plaza Bonita, Parkway Plaza, and Westfield North County (the mall formerly known as North County Fair). Each one has monthly fun activities for kids and families- just check your local mall’s website.
  5. Have you seen the kinds of Groupons that are available lately? Uptown Jungle has 6 options! There are all kinds of fun activities from Axe throwing to waterparks, you’ll be having all sorts of frugal adventures in no time.
  6. Get in the Water! Beach, lake, river, local pool… whatever. Heck, get in a kiddie pool and splash around. Don’t forget the SPF and snacks.
  7. If you want to stay home, close up all the windows, draw the shades/curtains, turn on all your fans, set the AC to something comfy but not arctic (for us, that’s 80-82 degrees when it’s going to be over 100 outside). Once the house is chilled out, pop some popcorn and assemble some awesome snacks (We had this pumpkin/fuck it bucket because I received it in the mail to review), make a pillow fort and watch some fun movies. We did that the other day. We watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Zootopia.

If you are looking for a way to cool down in your pillow fort, this little dude is pretty cool (haha, temperature pun!)

Talk Back: What are your favorite ways to beat the heat?

Top 5 Freebie Sites that Actually Deliver!

Abby H.

Y’all know how much I love freebies, I post them at least once a week.  There are a lot of sites out there that promise to deliver freebies, but fall short.

Here are my top five favorite freebie sites:

  1. PinchMe– Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. They learn what you like and offer samples just for you.

Once you’ve had a chance to try your samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell Pinchme what you think of the samples.   New samples are available once a month!

2. MySavings– MySavings updates their freebies and deals daily! I love the variety of samples they post. And if the offer is no longer valid, you just click the Expired button and notify them.

3. Social Nature- If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

4. Smiley360  is a Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing website. Sign up for campaigns and you will receive samples to use, and coupons to share with friends. Report your sharing and earn points! I’ve received Laundry detergent (full-sized bottles), vitamins, supplements, tampons, and razors all in the last year.

5.  Home Tester Club is pretty cool. They are one of my new favorites. You sign up to review items and they send you something. A lot of the time they don’t notify you prior to shipping, you’ll get a package in the mail and a few days later, you’ll get an email notifying you that you were selected and a link to the survey to complete once you have sampled the product. I’ve gotten a Changing Pad Cover, Flushable Wipes, Makeup Remover, and a moisturizer.

BONUS- Looking for some freebies to celebrate your birthday? Check out my list here. 

 

Weekend Freebies!

Abby H.2 Comments

8101f95433a1458fa8c2371f3b11b849I didn’t get a chance to post my usual Freebie Friday Round up- I was busy doing other stuff (mostly making costumes for an upcoming production of Treasure Island at Pickwick Players in Santee).

But it’s never too late for fun free stuff!

Samples

Food

Magazines

 

Choose 5 Freebies from Shutterfly!

Abby H.

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I love Shutterfly– and tomorrow until midnight Pacific Time, you can choose 5 out of 15 freebies with code YOUPICK.

Choose From:

  • 1 Desktop plaque 5×5 or 5×7
  • 1 Cotton Tote (limited quantities)
  • 1 Phone Card Holder
  • 1 Key Chain
  • 1 5×7 easel back Canvas
  • 1 5×8 Notebook
  • 1 Phone Ring Holder
  • 1 Phone Case
  • 1 Metal Ornament
  • 1 Puzzle
  • 1 Mouse Pad
  • 1 Set of Playing Cards
  • 1 Bottle Opener
  • 1 Small Luggage Tag
  • 1 Can Cooler

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Just pay shipping/Handling & tax! To get started, click here. 

These items make great gifts, and this is a perfect way to make photo gifts for the holidays and stay on budget!

Freebie Friday Round-Up!

Abby H.

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It’s that time once again, dear readers!

Misc. Freebies

Free Books, Journals, Stickers & More (I did this one not long ago and got a free journal)

Free Lens Cloth & Cleaner at Walmart Vision Centers

Free Root Beer Float Day at A&W

Free Sample of Sasmar Personal Lubricant

Free Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Creme

Free think! Bar for Kroger & Affiliates

Free I Give 2 Save Lives T-Shirt

Free Sample of Born Sweet Zing Organic Stevia

Free Sub & Drink at Jersey Mikes

 

Free Magazine Subscriptions:

Free Subscription to Arthritis Today Magazine

Free Subscription to Ride Icon Limiter Magazine

Complimentary Subscription to Sports Illustrated for Kids

Free Subaru Drive & Drive Performance Magazine

Free Subscription to Men’s Health Magazine

 

Complimentary Make-Up Services at Sephora inside JC Penney!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-07-06 at 10.17.10 PM.pngSephora Insiders- Check your email for this sweet offer, a free sample sized Too Faced Lip Injection lip plumper. Offers of freebie change frequently, so keep your eyes peeled for different deals!

Most Sephora inside JC Penney locations have special events with free sample offers, or if you can’t make one of the events, stop by any time for a free 5-minute or 15-minute minis where you can learn new beauty tips and application tricks!

5-minute minis include:

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15-minute minis include:

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Another thing I love about Sephora in JCP is select locations offer Color iQ– You can get your skin scanned to reveal the most scientifically precise foundations, concealer, and lip matches FOR FREE!

If you are looking strictly for skincare, take advantage of the free Moisture Meter! This tool gives a free, instant hydration reading- plus skincare picks just for you!

Fine Print: †Receive a trial size, free with any merchandise purchase of $25 or more at Sephora inside JCPenney stores only. Must be a registered Beauty Insider to redeem.

I love checking out Sephora inside JCP. It’s a great way to stay on trend with cosmetics and skincare and check out colors in person. It’s how I learned all about my favorite Primer- Tatcha The Silk Canvas (perfect for us with dry skin).

Free Slurpee Day is Coming!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-07-04 at 1.53.57 PM.pngI look forward to this day every year like a sugar-obsessed child. July 11th, one week from yesterday is Free Slurpee Day.

Whether you choose Cherry, Coke, Blue Raspberry, Banana (Eeeewww),  or one of the other less popular flavors, you can score a free small sized Slurpee from 11am-7pm and your local participating 7-11 location on July 11th.

The kids and I will be at our local 7-11 location at 11am on the dot, ready to get our slurp on!

 

Talk Back: What is your favorite Slurpee flavor?

7/5/19 Freebie Friday Round up!

Abby H.

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I hope you all had a great Fourth of July! Let’s keep the fun four day weekend rolling with some freebies and deals!

It’s a pretty light freebie week, but it’s a holiday weekend, and it’s the middle of summer, so get out and enjoy the fresh air! If you are looking for ideas, check out my article here.

Enjoy the YMCA for free this Thursday!

Abby H.

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Ya’ll know my love of your local Y. This Thursday, July 4th, you can check out any San Diego County YMCA for FREE!  Thursday, July 4 YMCA locations are open 7:00am-2:00pm (Holiday Hours). Childwatch times vary by location, so call ahead or check the branch locations before heading out.

The kids and I will be hitting up the Y to get our wiggles out before heading out to party with family Thursday afternoon!

And if you are looking for a job, many YMCA locations are hiring! Year-round and seasonal positions currently available. Learn more at www.ymca.org/careers

 

7/1/19 Meal Plan Monday!

Abby H.

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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?