4/22/2021 New Deals from Checkout 51!

unnamedCheckout 51 is one of my favorite cashback shopping apps! Most of the deals/cashback rebates are not store specific, so I can save at stores that don’t accept coupons, like Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only.  You can also stack with store sales and discounts.

Here are just a few of the offers for this week!

And in addition to sweet deals on groceries, you can also save on gas at select stations. Information and specific participating stations can be found in their app.

To learn more about all of the Cashback apps I use, click here.

2021- It’s Earth Day, Y’all!

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Once again, there are not too many freebies for Earth Day. Between the pandemic and stores not being open or making a lot of money, there are barely any freebies. I’m not posting deals for Earth Day, because really, do we need to go out and shop?

While the free day to visit the National Parks has passed for earth Day/National Parks Week, don’t fret. There are several other days as well. You can find the complete list here. The only National Park in San Diego is Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma. If you have a 4th grader in your home (We do!!), Check out Every Kid Outdoors. It’s a free program for 4th graders and their families to visit National Parks for free through August 2021!

The next Freebie isn’t super fun, but it might be needed. We’ve been doing a lot of deep purging and cleaning the past year, and I’ve got a bunch of papers that need to be shredded (oh hi 20-year-old tax paperwork!). Check out your local Office Max/Office Depot- Armed with this coupon (Scroll to the bottom of the page)  you can score up to 5 lbs of shredding for FREE!! This deal is valid through 4/24/2021.

And perhaps my favorite freebie this April: if you live in Southern California and have utilities with SDG&E, PG&E, or SoCal Edison, you can join OhmConnect for free and start conserving electricity and earning money (as well as saving on your utility bills). And through the end of April, when you sign up and connect your utility account (it literally takes 5 minutes), You’ll earn $25 straightaway! You can learn all about OhmConnect here. We’ve been using it for 5+ years, and have saved hundreds on our SDG&E bill, and earned almost $1000 from OhmConnect.

And once again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…

Despite what you read online there are NO Origin Freebies, Disney Store Freebies, Free milkshakes on the west coast, Mac Freebies, Sephora Freebies, Ice Cream Freebies, or free coffee from Starbucks. 

So, that’s it. I know, it’s kinda depressing, but I’ll be on the hunt for freebies for you this week, and I’ll report back on Friday morning.

 

DIY Party Fun with Hostess with the Mostess (and a Giveaway!)

Recently I learned about Hostess with the Mostess, and wow! I love throwing parties, and Hostess with the Mostess makes doing DIY parties a cinch and looks AMAZING.

There are invitations and printables for so many types of events and themes!

If you are like me, I host 5-8 parties a year (pre and post-pandemic, but the post will def. be different/smaller). Birthdays, Girls Nights, Holidays (Our family 4th of July Party is LIT). In the past, I’ve handwritten labels, signs, and all sorts of party stuff. I love doing calligraphy, but with a Design Hero All Access Pass from Hostess with the Mostess, I have access to over 120 themes to make any event or party awesome! The Design Hero All-Access Pass also includes:

  • The entire PREMIUM LIBRARY of designer printables, including new designs added regularly.
  • An easy-to-use online customizer, so you can add your own text – instantly.
  • Freedom! No waiting on others for text customization & corrections. Make the edits you want, when you want. 💪
  • TONS of creative fonts, curated & licensed for use in the Design Hero Customizer.
  • THOUSANDS of dollars worth of graphic designs – for a price specifically designed to make them accessible.

And the price- Incredible! Only $99 for a one-year pass, and my readers can save an extra $10 off with coupon code: hewesfamilyfun. If you love hosting parties, making special events even more special with customized printables (including invitations, cards, and wrapping paper), you have to check out Hostess with the Mostess!

Here are a few of the recent pieces I’ve made Hostess with the Mostess. My friend’s birthday is this week, and she loves Champagne. I made printables to go with her gift (which is a case of her favorite sparkling white wine).

Bonus! I’m giving away a one-year pass to one of my readers! Entering is easy. Leave a comment on this post with a memory of your favorite party. I’ll choose a winner on April 27, 2021. The winner will be notified via email!

 

4/16/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals

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This week I took it easy. I picked up a couple UFC’s (Unfinished Crafts) and finished them. No pics, as they are gifts.

I’ve been working so hard for the past few months and I’ve been feeling a little burned out, so this week you may have noticed fewer posts this week.

A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list for 2021. Check it out here.

Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced!

Freebies:

10 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free BBQ with Rollors Party
Free Ultra Slim Computer Monitor
Possible Free Bliss Skincare Products
Possible Free 12 Piece Makeup Pencil Set
Free Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt
Free Lamination of COVID-19 Vaccine Card at Office Depot/Max
Free Bai Boost at Select Stores
Free Lane Bryant Gift Card Giveaway
Free Planters
Free Rise Brewing Co. Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
Free AHC Sensitive Antiperspirant Pads Sample Pack
Free Dentemp Oral Care Product
Free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Magnet
Free Life is Better with Clean Hands Magnet
Free Xyron Glue Gun
Free Maker’s Mark Ambassador Gifts Every Year
Free Hunter Athletics Products
Possible Free $150 Restaurants Research Study
Free Life is Better with Clean Hands Window Cling
Free $5 Debit Card for Those Who are Vaccinated
Free Subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine
Free La’Re Boudoir Beauty Body Balm & Mocha Scrub Sample
Free Moosejaw Flag
Free Sample of Michael Kors Wonderlust Sublime
Free Subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free 8×10 Photo Print at Walgreens
Free Urban Decay All Night Setting Spray – TikTok Users
Possible Free IL MAKIAGE Skincare Products
Free Gardening Gifts at Lowes in April
Free InfinitiPRO by Conair Luxe Pro Dryer
Free Jr. NBA Magnet
Teachers – Free School Mate Planners, Agendas, Folders & More
Free Sample of Astroglide Toy ‘N Joy

 

Deals:

My First Library Board Book Block 12-Book Set $9.59 (Reg. $16)
Fingerprint Smart Deadbolt Door Lock ONLY $134.99 (Reg $240)
Minimalist RFID Blocking Wallet ONLY $4.99 (Reg. $20)
Outdoor Tackle Box ONLY $9.88 (Reg. $19)
MUK LUKS Women’s Cheyenne Slippers ONLY $18.99 (Reg. $40)
Lunch Box Stove ONLY $34.95 Shipped (Reg. $60)
Time and Tru Women’s Feather Flats ONLY $9.00 (Reg. $15)
Mom Heart Shape Pendant Necklace ONLY $15 (Reg $75)
Comfort Insole Slip-on Sneakers ONLY $16.99 (Reg $50)
MUK LUKS Women’s Chiara Slippers ONLY $14.99 (Reg. $30)
ionvac SmartClean 2000 Robovac ONLY $99 (Reg. $180)
BioShock The Collection for Nintendo Switch $19.99 (Reg. $50)
MUK LUKS Women’s Groove Music Sandals ONLY $29.99 (Reg $60)
Rubbermaid 42-Piece Food Storage Set ONLY $19.98 at Walmart
Mom Heart Bangle Bracelet ONLY $15.99 at JCPenney (Reg $60)
Shark ION Robot Vacuum ONLY $149 (Reg $300)
Instant Pot VIVA 6-Qt 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker ONLY $59 (reg $99)

Mid-Month Coupon Round Up April 2021!

I was cruising my favorite coupon sites this morning and I found some great stuff.

The two sites I use the most for printable coupons are:

Here are a few coupons that have me kinda stoked:
Save $1.00 on ANY ONE (1) Garnier® Fructis® shampoo, conditioner, treatment or styling products (exclusions apply)
Save $1.00 on ANY ONE (1) Garnier® Whole Blends® shampoo, conditioner or treatment product (exclusions apply)
Save $1.00 on ANY ONE (1) L’Oreal Paris Elvive or Ever conditioner (excludes any 1oz. & 3oz. product, twin packs, value packs and kits)
Save $2.00 on any ONE (1) Degree Maximum Recovery Body Wash & Soak, Massage Bar Soap, Epsom Salt Muscle Soak, Deep Clean Bar Soap, or Body

And if you are looking for more ways to save, check out my Smart Phone App Page. It’s got all kinds of great apps to help you save and earn cash back on all of your grocery and home essential shopping!

It’s National Grilled Cheese Day

Yum! It’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

To celebrate, I’ve got a recipe and a deal from Fetch Rewards!

Instead of Wonder Bread and American Cheese Singles, let’s get a little more adult and celebrate with a 4-Way Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

4-Way Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (The kind in the green can)
  • 1 stick softenend butter
  • 4 slices good bread (I like sourdough bread)
  • 2 slices cheddar cheese
  • 2 slices provolone
  • 1 package herbed spreadable cheese (Boursin, Alouette cheese, etc.)

Directions:

  1. Mix parm and softened butter in a small bowl.
  2. Spread one side of each piece of bread with cheesy butter.
  3. In a frying pan,  place two slices  (butter side down) in pan.
  4. Layer cheddar, provolone on the bread in pan.
  5. On the remaining slices of bread, spread spreadable cheese on the unbuttered side and top each sandwich in pan. Buttered sides face out.
  6. Cook sandwiches on medium, turn sandwich to ensure proper cooking and cheese is melting. Don’t squish the sandwiches with the spatula!
  7. Serve with yummy soup. Here are some of our yummy family recipes for soup.

Fetch Rewards is hooking us up with a great deal to celebrate the day!

Buy 1 Sargento Sliced Cheese and 1 Sara Lee product, any variety through 4/12/2021 and you’ll earn 1000 points!

And if you are new to Fetch Rewards, you can sign up and earn a 2000 point bonus when you scan in your first receipt. And you probably have a receipt in your purse or wallet.

If you are new Fetch Rewards, learn more about it here.    What I love is that it is not store specific, which is great.  Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and share the love (and referral points!). When you sign up, leave your referral code in the comments!

4/12/2021: Weekly Meal Plan!

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The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes on Monday, so that’s helped me be able to meal prep and write up this post last night.. But I went to bed early and forgot to hit POST.

I picked up a full order from Dream Dinners on Friday afternoon, and I’ve got three DD meals planned for this week. I’m working through the freezer too, and I’m planning on making vegetable soup with some homemade stock in the freezer and some freshly frozen veggies. I freeze fresh veggies towards the end of the week so that we have room in the fridge for all of the new CSA goodies.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday 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. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

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. If you are looking for a 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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling, lately it’s been sandwiches on croissants, and strawberry yogurt.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

Dinner: 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: Roasted loaded cauliflower, Salad, Garlic Baguettes
  • Monday:  Orange ginger chicken, rice, roasted veggies
  • Tuesday:   Vegetable Soup and Cheddar Biscuits
  • Wednesday:  Meal o’ Snacks!
  • Thursday: Chicken tikka Masala, rice, salad or veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit)

Please stay safe you guys!

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

Tryazon Event- Organize the Kids’ Clutter with Deflecto!

Tryazon has another really cool party/event opportunity- perfect for families that are homeschooling, distance learning, or are a teacher in school.

Clean up the kids’ clutter while fighting germs with Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Deflecto. Featuring a diverse line of antimicrobial storage and organizational products for kids specifically designed for the art, craft, and education markets. Deflecto’s kids storage now includes SteriTouch® an antimicrobial agent used to inhibit the growth of odor-causing microorganisms, mold and mildew. Durable, stackable and washable storage to keep parents and teachers organized!

Tryazon has100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack valued at $75+ with a variety of Deflecto products to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

If, you’ve never heard of Tryazon (pronounced Try-uh-zon ☺), Tryazon is a service dedicated to getting innovative products into people’s hands and mouths, in fun settings like the party we had today. They offer excellent product samples and savings for all who participate.

Tryazon: Host a Spin Master RC Race Party

There is a new Tryazon Party opportunity!

Get ready to race with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Spin Master,  featuring the BIGGEST RC Grave Digger ever – The Monster Jam, Official MEGA Grave Digger – measuring at over 2 feet long! This opportunity also includes the gravity defying Air Hogs Zero Gravity Laser race car, and the Monster Jam, Official Grave Digger Remote Control Truck with a range of up to 250 feet!

They have 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a variety of Spin Master RC cars and other extras to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

If you’ve never heard of Tryazon (pronounced Try-uh-zon ☺), Tryazon is a service dedicated to getting innovative products into people’s hands and mouths, in fun settings like the party we had today. They offer excellent product samples and savings for all who participate.

We’ve had so many Tryazon sampling events and parties in the past two years.

4/9/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

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By the time this post goes live, we’ll know if our kids here in my town are going back to school full-time for the rest of the year. I’m really excited for them. I have full faith in our local school district- they have the kids’ (and teachers’) best interests in mind.

The highlight of this week is that I got my first dose of the Covid-19 Vaccine (Team Pfizer here). If you are still waiting for your vaccine, or are having a hard time finding a vaccine appointment, keep at it! More vaccines and appointments are becoming more available each week.

A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list for 2021. Check it out here.

Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced!

Freebies:

Free Subscription to LEGO Life Magazine
Free LifeToGo Sampler Pack
Free Subscription to HGTV Magazine
Free Subscription to Parents Magazine
Free Hercolubus or Red Planet Book
Free Coffee Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Doc Hale’s Unflavored Protein Powder Sample
FREE Amazon Baby Box Samples Back in Stock
Free Mr. Lee’s Congee Rice Porridge
Free Medela Breastfeeding Product Sample Box
Possible Free Pair of Haggar Pants
Free Kratom Wave Sample Pack
Free Werther’s Original Caramels at Select Stores
Free Subscription to People en Espanol
Free Subscription to People Magazine
Free $7 from Samuel Adams Beer Starting April 12
Free Sample of Xyzal Allergy 24H
Free 3 Pack of Complete Essentials Vitamin Packets
Free Subscription to Food Network Magazine

Deals:

Sesame Street Abby’s Butterfly Maker ONLY $6.75 (Reg. $20)
Outward Hound Fun Feeder ONLY $10.75 (Reg. $20)
Electronic Interactive Alphabet Wall Chart $21.20 (Reg. $40)
Disney Ideas Book: More than 100 Disney Crafts $10.99 (Reg. $25)
KidKraft Children’s Pastel Coffee Set ONLY $8.99 (Reg. $20)
DYMO LabelWriter Labels 220-Count ONLY $16.07 (Reg. $41)
Plackers Dental Floss Picks & Travel Case ONLY $1.61 (Reg. $7)
Kids Headphones ONLY $10.99 (Reg. $17)
LEGO BrickHeadz Easter Sheep ONLY $9.99 on Amazon
Disney Moana Sound Book ONLY $6.79 (Reg. $14)
Paint by Sticker Kids: Christmas ONLY $5.02 (Reg. $10)
Martha Stewart 8-Piece Bowl Set w/ Lids ONLY $14.99 (Reg $50)
Martha Stewart 7-Pc Utensil Set w/ Stand ONLY $5.99 (Reg $22)
Heated Neck & Back Massager ONLY $31.99 Shipped (Reg $50)
Hempz Herbal Body Lotion ONLY $9.99 (Reg $20)
The Big One Solid Bath Towel ONLY $3.39 (Reg $10)
Lego Sale up to 50% Off + Extra 15% Off
Sonoma Ankle Leggings ONLY $7.99 (Reg $20)