Monthly Side Hustle Totals- April 2021

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 April. I did a few Field Agent gigs since both of the kids are back to school full time and that gives me a few more hours each day to work my hustle (and research and write for the blog).  I have been doing a lot of reviews and such but don’t pay cash, but rather pay in-kind (Tryit, InfluensterSocial 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: $40
  • Research Study/Focus Group: $100 (I did 1 online)
  • Capterra: $50
  • Pinecone Research: $6
  • Field Agent: $35.50
  • PaidViewPoint: $15.02

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. 

5/3/2021 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 each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

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.

Over the weekend, I did some meal prep: I made a batch of Copycat Zuppa Toscana, caramelized onions and peppers, Roasted veggies, made a crumble-top coffee cake, and refilled the snack/school lunch box to make morning lunch prep even easier.

The grocery trip for the week was fairly small- Milk, coffee creamer, a few snacks for the kids lunches, meat-free nuggets, and a few other misc. items. We’re still working through our Dream Dinners order, and I’ve been making bigger batches of soups and entrees and stashing them in the freezer for busy nights.

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: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

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: Dream Dinner (Honey Mustard Chicken), Spinach Salad, Roasted Veg
  • Monday:  Fritatta, Salad/Fruit
  • Tuesday:   Soup & Biscuits
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday: Dream Dinners and Roasted Veg
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

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

Free Sample Offer from Kabrita!

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

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When my littles were wee, they both had delicate tummies. It’s hard to know what kinds of formula to trust, so after lots of research, trying samples, and talking to other moms (really our pediatrician was ZERO help- she’s a nice lady, but formula wasn’t her wheelhouse), I stumbled upon Kabrita.

Our pediatrician is really big on making sure babies get prebiotics and probiotics, especially if they are formula fed. Kabrita has prebiotics, which are a natural digestive aid.

I like Kabrita because it doesn’t have any added white or processed sugar- just lactose, the sweetener from milk! Also, Kabrita formula smells like goats milk and tastes like goats milk. I will confess: after smelling some formulas I wouldn’t want to taste them, but I tried an ounce of Kabrita once just to see. It tastes like goats milk.

I’ve been telling moms about it for a few years now, and one thing I love is that they have a really great sample program.

Sign up here, and you’ll receive:

  • 5.3 oz carton of Goat Milk Toddler Formula
  • 7 oz bag of Organic Goat Milk Porridge
  • 0.53 oz bag of Snack Puffs with Goat Cheese

*$4.99 Shipping & Handling applies at check-out, limited to one offer per household. This is not a subscription. Please note, our Trial Offer may include either the Apple Cinnamon or Multigrain Porridge.

All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. I’ve used Kabrita for both of my kids. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Free Food Resources for May 2021 (San Diego County)

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.

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.

Neighborhood Distributions for May 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.

New PinchMe Samples Drop 5/4/2021

Sample Tuesday is Coming 5/4/2021- Mark your calendars, set an alarm on your phone!

Don’t have any idea what I am talking about? PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.

PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.

May’s Samples include:

Moroccanoil, ONE MINIS™ Bars, Nature Nate’s, Eva NYC, Organic Valley, Hartz, John Frieda, Bella, Compeed®, Lumify, Sebastian, Bahlsen, Biotrue®, Living Proof, SSkeeter Hawk, and MORE!

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

Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.

What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!

4/30/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

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I’m a little slow moving this morning. I had my second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday afternoon (Team Pfizer!), and I feel like my arm lost a fight. We’ve got some good freebies and deals this week.

If you are looking for birthday freebies, fret not! I put together a list new 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, get vaccinated when it’s your turn!

Freebies:

Free Vita Liberata Tanning Product
Free SeaWorld Parks Admission for Active Duty & Veterans
Free Más Agave Premium Hard Seltzer Chatterbox Kit
Free PurKratom Sample Pack
Free 16 oz Fresh Cravings Salsa
Free Okelani Beauty Abundance Hair and Beard Oil
Free 16 lb. Bag of ClimateGard Fertilizer
Free Bodyarmor Edge Drink at QuikTrip
Free Moisturizer Skincare Product
Free Anti-Itch Lotion
Free Oil Control Moisturizer
Free One by Poise Liner & Pads Sample Pack
Free Schar Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
Possible Free $125 Household Products Research Study
Free Sunscreen
Free $5 Off $5 at Ace Hardware = Free Item
Free Kids Sunscreen Stick or Lotion
Possible Free $150 Cooking Oil Research Study
Free Adventure Force Dinosaur & Slime Toy
Free Fast and Furious Movie Tickets
Free Chloe’s Pops Kids’ Marvel Pops
Free Beauty Products with 0.8L
Free Ponds Chatterbox Kit
Free 2-Year Subscription to Parents Magazine
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Chloe’s Pops Salted Caramel Oatmilk Pops
Free Hayneedle Kitchen and Dining Furniture

Deals:

Girls Full Length Leggings ONLY $2.99 at JCPenney (Reg $14)
Non-Contact Forehead Thermometer ONLY $7.99 (Reg $26)
Ninja Professional Plus Blend ONLY $48.99 After Kohl’s Cash
Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer ONLY $9.99 (Reg $60)
Kohl’s Outdoor Pillows ONLY $9.59 – Free Ship to Store
55% Off Keen Toddler to Adult Shoes + Extra 15% Off
Olay Cleanser & Moisturizer Mother’s Day Gift Set ONLY $21.24
Care Bears Interactive Figure ONLY $4.44 (Reg. $9)
PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Lookout Tower ONLY $38.99 (Reg. $78)
Coach Daisy Stud Earrings Set ONLY $35.40 (Reg $118)
Dash Cold Press Juicer ONLY $59.99 Shipped (Reg $100)
Target Women’s Sandal Clearance + Free $10 Gift Card
Clarks Shoes Up to 70% Off + Extra 15% Off
Calico Critters Yellow Labrador Family ONLY $9.88 (Reg. $25)
Coach Daisy Ring Set ONLY $29.40 (Reg. $98)

$20 Referral bonuses from BitmoPerks!

Bitmo is an app that I don’t use too often, but when I do, I save money and it makes me feel good!

It’s an app that you can use to send and receive gift cards.

You can also earn rewards when you shop through the app at specific retailers, like a lot of other apps (Dosh and Ibotta to name a few).

And one other thing that Bitmo does is it donates 2% of your gifting spend (that’s how much you spend on gift cards for others) to a charity- there are currently eight, including the San Diego Zoo, Rady’s Children’s Hospital, Feeding America, and The Salvation Army.

Right now they are offering bonus points when you refer new friends. 20,000 bonus points (that’s a $20 gift card) for everyone that joins, connects a card, and does a transaction. THey run referral bonuses a few times a year, but it’s usually for a $2-$5 Dunkin’ gift card or something small- Never a $20 bonus! And as far as I can tell, there is no limit on how many bonuses you can earn!

They are a San Diego, CA area business too. It’s cool to support local businesses, especially right now when a lot of small, local businesses could use the help.

 

Pizza Hut Book It Enrollment (2021-2022) is Open!

BOOK-IT.pngWoo Hoo! My Kids are stoked.

Enrollment is now open for the 2021-22 BOOK IT! Program year. Homeschool parents can now enroll their children!

Enrollment is also open to all parents for Camp BOOK IT!, which will run June-August, 2021.

PreK students (age 4 by Sept. 1st, 2021) are now eligible for all BOOK IT! programs. Be sure to include those students in your enrollment!

The nice part about BOOK IT is that each teacher can choose to participate, it’s no longer a school wide program. Everything is done online, and certificates are emailed when they are earned.  With the digital program, parents can use digital certificates in person, over the phone, or online, for carryout, delivery or dine in providing even more ways for them to celebrate their child’s reading accomplishments.

Get Started here!  And remember to share this post with your teacher friends!

Everyone loves pizza- and nothing is better than FREE PIZZA!

Wayfair Sale! 80% off & Free Shipping!

It’s Way Day!

Today and tomorrow (4/28 & 4/29), Wayfair is having an incredibly HUGE sale! With deals that will save up to 80% on everything for your home and FREE SHIPPING, it’s time to give your home a little refreshing.

I’m excited- we need to replace a few things around the house, and this is my chance to do it and stay on budget!

 

 

5 Reasons To Try Reusable Menstruation Products 

There are many types of reusable menstruation products on the market these days. Cups, discs, cloth pads, “period panties”.  Here are five reasons to give them a try!

1-While they may have a higher out-of-pocket, over time they cost less than disposable/one-use menstruation supplies. My Diva cup cost $35, but I’ve used it consistently for a year. On average, those who menstruate spend $159 or more per year on menstruation supplies, which equates to $6360 over the reproductive lifetime.

2- Reusable menstruation products are better for the environment. Some disposable menstruation products can’t be recycled, and often aren’t environmentally friendly. The plastics take a long time to biodegrade. Reusable pads can be rinsed out after use and then tossed into the washer and dryer.

3- Some reusable menstruation products can be used/left in for a longer amount of time than disposable. For example, I can wear my diva cup for up to 12 hours (discs have about the same time), but tampons need to be changed every 4 to 6 hours.

4-  Many companies of reusable menstruation products help those in need, or donate a portion of their profits to those who would not otherwise be able to afford menstruation products, People in underserved communities, schools, and homeless shelters.

5- It’s always good to try something new. People have been menstruating since the dawn of time, and until the past five or six years ago, there weren’t too many different ways to “deal” with the flow. Now those who have periods have choices. Try a new product, try a new brand, you might be surprised, you might find something new that you fall in love with. If you told me 10 years ago I would use a cup, I would laugh in your face. But, it has really helped with my cramps.

If you are interested in checking out some of the reusable menstrual products that I talked about, here is link to my Amazon list with tons of products.