freebie

Free Food Resources for June 2022(San Diego County)

Abby H.

Woo! A new month means a reminder about all of the free food options there is here in San Diego County.

Keep in mind there are still supply chain issues, so there may not be a lot of food at some distributions, especially those that serve a large portion of the community.

I recommend showing up a little early with a bottle of water and a book and waiting in line. Time passes quickly in these lines, and it’s a great time to learn from others about community food options. Remember to socially distance and follow local masking regulations.

You can find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.

Our friends at Faith Chapel are super ahead of the game and sent out information regarding their 2022 food distributions early on in the year.

If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.

San Diego Food Bank Distributions for June 2022 can be found here. Enter your address (or just your zip code) and the map will show you all of the distributions in your area or closest to you. You can filter by the days of the week to find food when you are available. If there is an income requirement/limit to participate, each location/listing will say such. You can learn more here about the Feeding San Diego Together Tour.

Neighbor distributions are intermixed with the San Diego Food Bank Distributions, however, they have no income requirements, and you come as you are. These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.

All kids in public school K-12 in the State of California are eligible for free breakfasts and lunches at school. More information can be found here. I’ll have more information on 2022 summer feeding programs as soon as they are available. 

If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.

5/30/2022 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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I came back from my camping trip a few hours ago, and I’m already done with the meal plan for the week.

I’ll hit up the store tomorrow AM after I take the kids to school. We need just a few things… like MILK!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, 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 $28. 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.

With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

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.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: I picked up our Dream Dinners order last week, and we’ve got a couple on deck for this week. I’m leaving a lot of prepped foods for the rest of the family to enjoy while we are out camping.

    • Monday: Nug night- crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
    • Tuesday: Savory chicken with sesame honey butter, corn, broccoli
    • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, fruit)
    • Thursday: Charhouse Chicken Sandwiches with Heirloom Potatoes,
    • Friday: Takeout night!
    • Saturday:  Leftovers
    • Sunday:  Breakfast Burritos, fruit

My Savings Checklist: Before and After The Shopping Trip

Abby H.

One of the ways I save money on groceries is to utilize cashback apps. But I’ve never shared how I do my cashback “work”.

When it’s time to hit the store, I’ll scroll through Ibotta, Shopkick, and the Coupons.com apps to see if there is anything on my list. If so, I click the offer/coupon (only needed on Ibotta and Coupons.com, no work is needed beforehand for Shopkick). Sometimes I’ll check Fetch Rewards to see if there are any extra point offers. Last week there were two offers for hand soap in the Fetch Rewards app, which was on my list. It ended up making the handsoap free!

If I’m going to Target, I’ll also check the Target app for any coupons or Target Circle offers for anything on my list.

The nice thing about all of these apps is that you can scan the barcode of items if you aren’t sure they qualify for a rebate offer.

Once I get home and get everything put away, I take my receipts out and start scanning.

With Ibotta, Walmart and Target are no scan stores. Just make sure your payment card and Walmart/Target accounts are linked to Ibotta (It’s pretty easy and directions are available in the Ibotta App). For other stores, just open the app and follow the directions.

I scan my receipts through the following apps each time, regardless of what I buy:

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but really, it’s about 10-15 minutes once a week and I’m saving thousands of dollars a year. For the apps that offer gift cards instead of Paypal or Venmo payouts, I select gift cards for the stores I buy groceries or other goods frequently.

I love getting Target Gift cards. I can load them directly to my Target App, and use them at checkout straight from the app, no need to carry around printouts or remember to open emails or other apps at checkout.

Talk Back: If there are any apps that you like that I didn’t mention, please leave a comment!

 

 

 

Baby in your life? Check out Enfamil Family Beginnings®

Abby H.

If you are expecting or have a little one, check out this awesome offer from Enfamil!

Join Enfamil Family Beginnings® and get up to $400 in FREE gifts including coupons, formula samples, Belly Badges™, and more! (Available while supplies last!)

Earn Cashback at Walmart with Zarty!

Abby H.1 Comment

I learned about Zarty on Reddit last week. I downloaded the app, and had to try it for myself. Last night I went to Walmart and decided to give it a shot.

There are three parts to earning cashback with Zarty.

  • First, scan the product in-store before you buy it.
  • Then scan the receipt after purchase, and answer a few questions.
  • Finally, a few days later, answer some additional questions about your experience with the product.

Some products have a 100% cashback rebate in the form of points. This week, it’s frozen veggies and crescent rolls. There was a Snickers bar too, but I missed out on that by a few hours.

What I like about Zarty is that it’s super easy to use. Once you earn 10,000 points you can cash out for a $10 Walmart Gift Card.

That’s it. It’s simple, it’s easy, and you can use it with other cash back apps. You earn points every time you scan in a Walmart receipt too, even if you don’t have any offers on your receipt.

We don’t have a great Walmart in our city. It’s not a supercenter or neighborhood market, so they don’t have a lot of groceries, but if you live in an area with either of those and you shop there, this app may be a really great way for you to earn even more cashback.

There is no referral link or code to download this app. Just go to the app store or Google Play store and download the Zarty app to get started!

5/23/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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This is a short meal plan week for me. I’m taking the big kid camping starting Wednesday afternoon. We are going to Potrero War, run by our local SCA branch. I’m on staff, so we are going early.

I went to the store last night and picked up some goodies to get us through the week. Little Bit and her daddy are staying home. She is not outdoorsy.

I’m so excited because our JUMBO CSA box is arriving today while I’m at work. That means this afternoon I’ll be prepping fruits and veggies to keep us healthy and fed for the week. I’m taking about half of the veggies with us to cook while we are camping. We cook a lot over charcoal in dutch ovens, and I’m excited to see how some of my recipes at home turn out in a dutch oven!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, 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 $28. 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.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up milk and some misc. groceries last night. With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

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.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: I picked up our Dream Dinners order last week, and we’ve got a couple on deck for this week. I’m leaving a lot of prepped foods for the rest of the family to enjoy while we are out camping.

    • Monday: Nug night- crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
    • Tuesday: Lemon Feta Turkey Sliders with Crispy Shoestring Fries, green salad
    • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, fruit)
    • Thursday: Pasta with roasted veggies
    • Friday: Takeout night!
    • Saturday:  Leftovers
    • Sunday:  Quesadillas, beans, rice, green salad

5/19/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

It’s Friday Already?? WOW. This weekend is busy for us again- getting ready to go camping next weekend over the holiday. This weekend is a lot of packing, prepping, and meal planning.

There are so many awesome freebies and deals this week, and the weather this weekend is supposed to be AWESOME (AND WARM) here in San Diego.

Mask Mandates are changing constantly in California and can vary by city and county, so please do your part if you are going to any in-person freebies.

2022 Birthday Freebies are here!

Freebies:

Free Webcam
Free Kazi Electrolyte Infused Seltzer Drink
Free Ink Cartridges
Text for $10 Off at Lane Bryant = Free Item
Free IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Serum
Free Wildgood Plant-Based Ice Cream
Free Cleansing Balm + $75 eGift Code
Free Pet Finn Wellness Products
Free Chex Party Mix Seasoning Packet at Walmart
1 Million Free Flag Giveaway at Ace Hardware on 28th
Free Buona Beef Sandwich – May 27th thru 30th
Free Tiny Tate’s Bake Shop Cookies at Publix
Free Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet
Free Taos Bakes Trailblazer Granola at Publix
Free Sample of ECOS Liquidless Laundry Sheets
Free Big Mountain Foods Plant-Based Alternatives Products
Free SOS Hydration Electrolyte Drink Mix
Free Tie Dye Rocks Craft Event
Free TruSkin Vitamin C Super Serum+ Sample
Free ClarityRx Down + Dirty Detoxifying Charcoal Micro Exfoliant
Free Butterfly Bead Craft Kit at Joann
Free Baby Samples & Full Sized Products from Amazon
Free Persil ProClean Discs at Select Stores
Free Cool Beans Frozen Wrap
Free Dirt Kitchen Pressed Bars
Free Appetizer at O’Charley’s
Free Wowables Paper Towels
Huggies Rewards Free 3,500pts for an Amazon Gift Card

 

Deals:

Play Tent for Kids ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $30)
Barbie Cutie Reveal Puppy Doll ONLY $12.52 (Reg. $25)
Frigidaire Portable Retro Mini Fridge ONLY $22.48 (Reg $40)
Ball Glass Mason Jar Set 12-Count ONLY $8.98 (Reg $16)
70% Off Wine Tumbler Cups on Amazon
Mainstays Baker’s Rack with Wood Shelf ONLY $77.88 (Reg $110)
50% Off Volcom Women + Extra 15% Off at Checkout
Rockland Rolling Duffel Bag ONLY $19.99 (Reg. $69)
Bath Fun Pack 12-Piece ONLY $4.45 (Reg. $13)
50% Off Tupperware + Extra 15% Off at Checkout
40% Off ShopDisney Twice Upon a Year Sale + Extra 25% Off
MUK LUKS Sequoia Moccasin Slippers ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $34)
Hot Wheels Mega Construx Rodger Dodger ONLY $12.74 (Reg. $25)
Sun Joe Indoor/Outdoor Bug Zapper ONLY $19.99 (Reg. $39)
Shark Cordless Pet Stick Vacuum ONLY $159 (Reg $279)

Samples from LifeToGo and Sampler

Abby H.

New samples are here but they won’t last long! Click here to sign up! Throughout the year, LifeToGo gives you the chance to match with name brands and discover new favorites through free samples and exclusive discounts. They’ve got plenty of amazing samples lined up!

This month you could match with M&M, Soom Foods, Natreve, and much more!

At Sampler they email you when you’re most likely to match, so make sure you’re subscribed to their emails so they can keep you in the loop.

Shopper Army: Try A Free Olay Regenerist Product!

Abby H.

I received an email from Shopper Army this afternoon inviting me to apply to try for free and review one of four Olay Regenerist skincare products, and I thought I’d share the offer with you too!

Why I love Shopper’s Army: You get to test full-size products from leading brands and earn rewards by completing surveys, watching videos, and much more! I love the free products- Right now in addition to the Olay campaign, they have several other products you can review.

Kids Night Out at Parkway Plaza!

Abby H.1 Comment

Parkway Plaza is back at it with kids’ events!

Gather the kids and take a night off!
Bring them out to Parkway Plaza on the 2nd & 4th Friday of every month for kids’ night out! Craft, dance and play with friends and family in our Channel 93.3 Lounge. Experience the real radio station set up and take family photos at one of the selfie stations throughout the lounge.
The next event is on May 27th!