frugal living

Time to Buy a New Laptop (With Gazelle)

Abby H.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Last year or so, our desktop died (video card). I took it to the magical wizards at our local Apple Authorized repair shop and the very nice dude looked at my (at the time) 8-ish-year-old computer and said.. “Ma’am, I can’t fix that. Apple doesn’t make parts for it.”

In the meantime I’ve been using a laptop a friend loaned me. It’s time to rejoin the 21st century and buy a new laptop. As much as I appreciate the loaner, it’s older, and I need something faster and with a functioning webcam.

So I’ve been looking online. First, of course, I went to Amazon, because, well that’s where most people start these days. Honestly, I do not want to buy a laptop on Amazon. I bought an iPad through them last year and after 6 months, it died. I had insurance, so they replaced it for free, but it was a pain in the tuchus.

I remembered that Gazelle sells refurbished laptops! So, I took a look at their website. In addition to phones and tablets, you can sell and buy laptops through Gazelle!

And if you are a new customer, you can receive $20 off your first purchase of $200+ on Gazelle using Coupon Code AFF21NEW.

There are a few great options for my laptop needs, so I’ll be making my choice in the next week or so. I am so looking forward to a new laptop!

If you aren’t looking for a laptop, but a phone, check out this deal! Get $75 off Galaxy Note 20, 10+, 10; $50 iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max; and $25 off iPhone 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR at Gazelle (Through 4/12/2021)

I’ll update y’all as soon as I make a choice. I’m really looking forward to having something new (to me) that’s all mine. And if you have any recommendations on where to get a laptop, I’m all ears!

4/5/2021 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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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.

I usually spend time over the weekend getting the meal plan and prep started. Saturday I made banana bread (recipe here), and a big box of chicken brown rice. I portioned the cooked rice out so we can have it for lunch and dinner as a side dish a few times this week.

Sunday I made chicken stock using the rotisserie chicken carcass I had tossed in the freezer a few weeks ago, along with the veggie scraps I keep in a large bag in the freezer. It’s usually celery tops, carrots bits, onion skins, and the ends and pieces from various vegetables from my weekly veggie prep. I cooked the stock most of the day, strained off the solids, and used the stock to make a yummy chicken vegetable soup. I used this recipe, substituting the chicken stock for veggie stock.

I did a grocery trip on Saturday- Milk, eggs, cheese, and butter. We are pretty well stocked on most other stuff. I went to Costco last week and did the quarterly stock-up trip- Snacks for lunches, coffee, powdered peanut butter, trash bags, laundry soap, paper towels, and toilet tissue, and a few other things fell into my cart.

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.

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: Vegetable Soup, homemade apple sauce, sourdough toast/Banana Bread
  • Monday:  Poached Eggs with Hashbrowns, fruit salad, Protein shakes (Big kid doesn’t like eggs)
  • Tuesday:   Tamales, Salad, Rice
  • Wednesday:  Roasted Veggies, Baked Potatoes (with an array of toppings)
  • Thursday:  Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf, Roasted Broccoli, Noodles (or rice)
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

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?

Remote and Flexible Jobs with FlexJobs!

Abby H.

There are a lot of people looking for flexible work these days.

FlexJobs is a game-changing resource if you are interested in a professional job that also offers some kind of work flexibility – such as remote options, a flexible schedule, freelance work, or a part-time schedule.

For those of us who have kiddos doing remote learning, or are caring for family, or otherwise can’t do an in-person 9-5 or part-time job, FlexJobs may be a great opportunity for you.

Access to FlexJobs full service starts at $14.95/month and comes with a Satisfaction Guarantee. And when you use coupon code SPRING, you will receive up to 50% OFF.

If you are looking for other gigs, check out my post here for more ideas (and tips to avoid scams).

April 2021- New Month, New Coupons!

Abby H.

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!

April is here! Easter Sunday is this coming Sunday, so there will be deals for candy and egg dying supplies (and don’t forget markdowns in the days following the holiday). April is National Gardening Month, keep your eyes peeled for deals and sales at home improvement stores, as well as stores like Dollar Tree and Walmart. For a complete list of types of foods and items that will be on sale, check out this post on the cycle of sales.

 

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:


Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES any flavor/variety Betty Crocker™ Fruit Shapes OR Mott’s® Fruit Flavored Snacks
Save $2.00 when you buy ONE (1) Nature’s Own® Perfectly Crafted Loaf and ONE (1) Sabra 8 oz – 10 oz Hummus (Available at Walmart)
Save $1.50 any ONE (1) Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Nutritional Product
Save $3.00 ONE Venus® Razor (excludes Venus® Disposable Razors and trial/travel size)

4/2/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.
bright boxes

The second week of spring break is in the books. We went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, played with friends in our bubble, had an egg hunt, and we’ll be doing some crafts today.

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 Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Free CBD Unscented Deodorant + $25 Amazon Gift Card
Free ClarityRX Probiotic Serum
Free Wish Garden Herbs Herbal Sleep Supplement
Free Gardening Gifts at Lowes in April
Free P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Dressing at Walmart
Free Hot or Iced Coffee at Pret A Manger on Fridays
Free Febreze Plug-In at Walmart
Possible Free Quay Polarized After Hours Sunglasses
Free Dr. DZEC Daily Immune Support Gummies Sample
Free Alpha Foods Chik’n Nuggets
Free Wild Cherry Luna Bar
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Women’s Incontinence Products
Free Cold-Eeze Chewable Gels or Lozenges
Free Bud Light Seltzer Out Of Office Chatterbox Kit
Free The Honest Stand Plant-Based Dip
Free Goody Bag at buybuy BABY Stores
Free Rip Van Wafel Cookies
Verizon Up Rewards – Free $3-$5 Gift Card
Free Eco Lips Mongo Kiss Lip Balm at Walmart

 

Deals:

Stanley Classic Thermos ONLY $19.82 (Reg. $40)
Tonka Mighty Metal Fleet Garbage Truck ONLY $8.24 on Amazon
Pampers Splashers Swim Diapers ONLY $5.97 on Amazon
Tonka Mighty Metal Fleet Dump Truck ONLY $7.49 (Reg. $15)
MUK LUKS Slipper Socks With Tassels ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $22)
Melissa & Doug Mega Race-Car Carrier $16.30 (Reg. $30)
Home Expressions Bath Towels ONLY $3.49 at JCPenney
Double Heart Necklace ONLY $1.25 Shipped
3-Piece Set Chain Link Bracelets ONLY $9.96 (Reg $75)
Men’s Adam Duck Boots ONLY $36.99 (Reg $75)
Nintendo Switch Super Mario Case ONLY $10.99 (Reg $20)
Dove Men+Care Soap Bars 14-Pack ONLY $9.08 Shipped
Fisher-Price Giant Rock-a-Stack ONLY $10 (Reg $20)
Peter Rabbit Book and Toy ONLY $9.98 (Reg. $17)
Motivational 1-Gallon Water Bottle ONLY $11.39 (Reg. $19)
Primrose Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Earrings ONLY $20.40
Zodiac 10-In Forged Aluminum Frypan ONLY $14.99 (Reg $40)
L.O.L. Surprise! Electronic Journal ONLY $10.99 (Reg $25)

Monthly Side Hustle Totals- March 2021

Abby H.

I decided that at the end of each month in 2021 I’m going to post the breakdown of how much I made doing each side hustle/cashback app. My complete side hustle list can be found here and my complete list of Smartphone Apps can be found here.

I know some of you are curious about how much I make doing all of the hustles that I wrote about, and while I do a year-end update, I know some of you don’t wanna wait till the end of the year and that’s understandable.

Some of the side hustles I do frequently, like using the Fetch Rewards App every time I go shopping. Some of them I don’t do as often like Field Agent. I haven’t been really any Field Agent tasks that I’m interested in as of late. Most of them are alcohol-based and since I don’t drink because I’m not exercising to burn off the calories of the liquor I consume, I’m not terribly interested in bringing alcohol into my house.

Some of the hustles are more passive but have cumulative rewards so even though I do them each month, I may not receive a payout each month. It doesn’t make them any less valuable to me, they just take a longer amount of time to earn the reward. Honestly, those are fairly low-time investments, so I don’t feel bad that they take a long time to earn a payout. SBKC and Achievement are two of these.

And some I do in fits and starts. For example, I may not spend a lot of time doing PaidViewPoint surveys for a few weeks, and then I’ll get two or three emails telling me that I have time-sensitive or higher-paying surveys. Then I’ll rush over to the site and do five or 10 surveys and earn five or 10 bucks. It just depends on what’s available at the time.

Some of you might notice from this list that there are a number of research studies, I’ve been trying to do at least 1-2 a month because they tend to pay a lot better than surveys. I have been posting research studies and opportunities on the blog whenever they come across my email. I hope some of you are also applying for them and receiving opportunities to do them too.

Below is my list for March. This was another crazy month- 2 weeks of Spring Break has kinda messed with my side hustle, but we did have a lot of fun! I have been doing a lot of reviews and such but don’t pay cash, but rather pay in-kind (Tryit, Influenster, Social Nature, and BzzAgent). Each one of those sends a product or samples.

I try not to take the sample only offers because it’s not worth my time to review a bunch of sample size stuff, especially when I can be working with brands and companies that offer me products that are full-size, or they pay me with cash. Because really, as nice as say five dollar tube of deodorant might be, I can’t really pay my utility bill with it.

  • Fetch Rewards: $20
  • Research Study/Focus Group: $75 (I did 1 online)
  • Capterra: $50
  • Paidviewpoint: $15.20
  • Dream Dinners GC: $100
  • Pinecone Research: $6

Talk Back: How much do you make each month on your side hustles? Do you have any that you love and want to recommend? Leave a link in the comments below! Please no MLM or Direct Sales Opportunities. 

Free Food Resources for April 2021 (San Diego County)

Abby H.

A new month means that it’s time for the monthly update of free food resources in San Diego.

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

Neighborhood Distributions for April 2021:

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.

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

Q-insights Pet Study: Pays $125

Abby H.
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Q-insights is another company that I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. These days they are doing most of their studies online via chat or online surveys.

Right now Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online blog study among pet owners

The study will run from April 12th to April 18th and you will be compensated $125 as a thank you for your time.

If you are interested in participating please fill out the survey here. If you pre-qualify Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional qualifying questions.

So Cal Utility Customers: Expect a credit on your April bill!

Abby H.

The Climate Credit that we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing on our April and October bills has been moved to August and September when most Californians have higher utility bills due to the weather.

However, the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) is giving every California ratepayer a credit of $17.86 on the GAS portion of their utility bill this month.

In August and September, there will be a credit each month of $34.60 on the Electricity portion of each ratepayer utility bill.

Changing the distribution months will not change the total value of the climate credits you receive in a year. The shift will provide bill relief for customers and reduce bill volatility.

Visit my post here to learn about ways to lower your energy usage, and learn more about money-saving programs SDG&E has that your family may qualify for.

And if you want to save energy and earn money, check out my post about Ohm Connect.

3/29/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.
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I usually post this First thing on Monday morning or late Sunday night, but I was waiting for our CSA box to arrive to firm up our meal plan for the week. To learn more about Yasukochi Family Farms and our first CSA box, click here. We partnered with Yasukochi Farms for a month and we enjoyed it so much that we’ve subscribed! For $25/week, we get a box of quality produce! It keeps us out of the store, I don’t have to pick the best of the overpicked offerings, and the box is all local and farm fresh!

The kids and I hit up the grocery store this morning and picked up some snacks and some pantry staples that we had gotten low on (brown sugar- I’ve been making a lot of cookies).

This week is our second week of spring break. It’s warm, so we’ve pulled out our kiddie pool, and we’re visiting the Platypus at the San Diego Safari Park on Wednesday. We’re spending a lot of time playing with the neighbor kids in our bubble. In fact, water balloons have been requested, so we may have a water balloon battle later in 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 (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  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: Soup, Roasted Veg, garlic flatbread
  • Monday: Quiche, Fruit Salad, blueberry muffins (blueberries from our CSA Box)
  • Tuesday:  Veggie Burgers, Nuggets, Potato Faces (these things), Salad/fruit
  • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, Fruit
  • Thursday : Pollo Asada Taco Salad with Beans and Rice
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

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