ice cream

Freebies and Deals- 7/20 is National Ice Cream Day!

Abby H.

National Ice Cream Day is next week!! I recommend that you download any apps required for these deals at least 1 day prior to ensure that you have the app and are all signed up for any clubs or offers. Not all of these offers are available in my specific area, but I included them because I have readers outside of San Diego.

Dairy Queen: Score a free Dilly® Bar on any order of $1 or more.
Exclusively through the DQ® app and website, DQ® rewards members can enjoy the delicious sweet treat (one per fan) from July 14 to 20. Order digitally, earn rewards, and unlock more all summer!

Dipping’ Dots: Dippin’ Dots is giving away FREE mini cups of Dippin’ Dots (any flavor!) during a two-hour window at their franchise locations. Plus, the first 100 people in line will score a super cool, collectible take-home cup, in addition to the free mini cup of Dippin’ Dots. Find your closest location here.

Marble Slab Creamery: Download their app because on July 20, loyalty members will receive a free small Ice Cream offer, valid for seven days. Find your closest location here:

Burger King: Check your app for this offer- free soft serve with a purchase of $1 or more at Burger King on National Ice Cream Day, Sunday, July 20.

Baskin-Robbins: Check your Baskin-Robbins app for an offer; offers may vary by app, including a discount on ice cream cakes or shakes.

And while there are no deals right now, check the following apps in the days before the 20th for possible freebies and deals: McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Del Taco, Wendy’s, and Yogurtland.

And if you want to make your own ice cream at home, you can find my recipe here. It’s very easy, and you can make it your own with a few tweaks!

TODAY ONLY: 99¢ Sundaes at Sonic!

Abby H.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with 99¢ Sundaes.

This tasty deal is available today only, so be sure to stop by your local SONIC® and enjoy. This deal automatically applies in the app.

Already at the drive-in? Mention this deal to redeem!*

*Each Sundae is 99¢ plus tax. Valid only on October 20, 2022 at participating SONIC® Drive-In locations while supplies last. Add-ins cost extra. Limit 5. Valid when you order online or in the SONIC App as a registered user or mention deal while ordering. Not valid with Combos, delivery or any other offers.

Checkout 51: SAVE on Real California Milk products!

Abby H.

Dairy loving peeps! Check out these sweet deals from Checkout 51! Earn Cash Back on cheese, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and ice cream—and feel good about it! When buying a product with the Real California Milk seal, you’re supporting Golden State farms and the farm families that run them. Now go dig into some dairy!

Checkout 51 is one of my favorite cash-back 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 other discounts!

  • Real California Milk Chunk/Block Cheese & Specialty Cheese $1.00 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk $0.50 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk Drinkable Yogurt $0.50 Cash Back
  • Buy 2: Real California Milk Yogurt $0.50 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk Cream Cheese $0.75 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk Sour Cream $0.50 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk Cottage Cheese $0.50 Cash Back
  • Real California Milk Ice Cream $1.00 Cash Back

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.

Free Cones at Dairy Queen 3/21/2022!

Abby H.

I could have posted this in my Friday Freebies and Deals post, but this deal needs its own post.

Looking for something to do on March 21, 2022? Head to your local Dairy Queen.

With the DQ® 2022 Free Cone Day, a free small vanilla cone is the perfect way to start spring. Come join us on March 21, 2022.

Whether your technique is the lick, the lap, the sculpt, the bite, or something uniquely your own, all it takes is a DQ® cone in your hand to bring out your special cone-eating artistry. And with DQ® Free Cone Day, you can get in on a traditional fit for families of all sizes, kids of all ages, and fans of all things DQ®. Cold, creamy, delicious, and – best of all – FREE!

Recall memories of days past, make memories for the days ahead — and it’s free at your local DQ® store. Happy Tastes Good.™

Free small vanilla cone at participating non-mall locations. All-day, limit one per person. While supplies last. May not be valid on delivery or mobile orders. Contact your local DQ® restaurant for participation.

Apply to be a Chatterbox™ for Alden’s Organic

Abby H.

California Peeps- Check out this amazing opportunity!

Alden’s Organic is America’s Favorite Organic Ice Cream and here’s your chance to try it free, plus share great offers with friends and family, too.

Alden’s Organic sources their organic milk and cream from family-owned farms and is certified Organic, Non-GMO, and contains no artificial sweeteners, flavors or high fructose corn syrup. So you’ll enjoy true to flavor taste of favorites like Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Chocolate Chip where only authentic flavors shine through. And with more than 50 organic treats to choose from, Alden’s Organic makes something for everyone right from its home in Eugene, Oregon. Find Alden’s Organic at your local Ralphs store.

If you’re selected as a Chatterbox, you’ll get a great Chat Pack:

  • 1 Free coupon to purchase Alden’s Organic from your local store
  • 3 $1 off discount coupons for Alden’s Organic to share with friends and family
  • 3 Alden’s Organic stickers
  • 3 Alden’s Organic shareable recipe postcards

Apply now!

Have Your Hot Girl Summer on a Budget

Abby H.

I’m sure by now everyone has heard the phrase “Hot Girl Summer”, but do you know what it means? The phrase can be traced back to a Megan Thee Stallion song a few years ago.

On Twitter, she explained: “Being a Hot Girl is about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, being the life of the party, etc.”

A couple of my friends have embraced it, and I think that it’s a pretty amazing outlook to have, especially since last summer was, well, Sad Trombone Noise? I know the kids are looking forward to having fun, more adventures, and getting out of the house. Here are a couple ways I’m bringing Hot Girl Summer (and sharing it with the fam).

New Bathing Suits. Kids grow, but what about me? Well after having the same swimsuits for 3 years, it’s time. Especially since we swim daily.  I bought a few new suits from Amazon. Since I’m fair-skinned I picked up one with long sleeves, the kids tease me about working at SeaWorld. This is just one of the many suits I’ve got. It’s perfect for prime sun time.

 

New Pool Bag and New Pool Toys. Every Summer it seems, we need new pool toys and a new pool bag. The Chlorine wrecks our bag (which is mesh- this helps the pool toys dry quickly), and daily use of toys leaves them.. wrecked. Dollar Tree has a great selection of sturdy pool toys, including inflatables for kids (We have a cool cookie ring that has a “bite” taken out of it). For me, I picked up a sweet inflatable float pool chair. 

Plans to meet up with friends. Now that most people have access to the vaccine, getting together with friends is a lot more feasible. We are still limiting ourselves and staying away from large gatherings where we don’t know everyone, but dinner and drinks with friends sound amazing. I’m hosting dinners a couple times a month over the summer for a few reasons: 1. To keep all of our costs down (Dinner out with drinks costs $$$ these days), and honestly, I don’t feel super safe going out for dinner all that often, especially now that there are no mask regulations in our state. And I’m having a weekend getaway with some girlfriends in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to a weekend away in a vacation rental doing a whole lot of nothing!

Take Advantage of the season: What does that mean? Summer has all sorts of fun advantages: Long days, Amazing fruit and veggies are in season, nice weather. Spend time outside (poolside, at the beach, exploring nature), enjoy a big bowl of fruit salad, make a huge salad! Community events are starting to come back (with limited event sizes), and there are lots of free events throughout the summer. EventBrite is a great place to find community events.

Make Time for You: I know… So many blogs and social media tell you to get self-care time and spend time doing things that you love, but as a parent, it can be hard without staying up late or waking up before dawn. Finding a sitter can be tough too. It’s ok to lean on family and friends. The past year has been exponentially tough on parents, and you need time to yourself. Swap child care with friends, or if you want to have a night out, split the cost of a sitter. Your kids can hang out together, while you and your friends get some time away.

Take Care of Yourself: And I don’t mean the stereotypical self-care of putting on a mud mask and drinking water with lemon slices. That’s fun, but I mean the simple acts that we often overlook as caregivers.

  • Sunscreen for your face and any exposed areas when you’ll be outside for more than 10 minutes during peak sun hours (usually 10am-4pm). Don’t forget the tops of your ears. Being super fair-skinned I also wear a sun hat too. Not super sexy, but I don’t want skin cancer.
  • Take something to drink with you. I know most of you pack snacks for your kids when you leave home, but take a few extra minutes to make yourself something that you like (bonus if it’s a snack that your kids do not like- No sharing!), and fill your water bottle. This is the water bottle I use. If you like fruit-infused water, bottles like this are great.  You can also opt for an infuser to go into your favorite bottle or insulated cup.
  • Find Something to Keep You Occupied.  Besides your kids. Pick up a book, grab a craft kit (I like embroidery- it’s easy and portable), Craftsy has some cool online classes to get you started.

I’d love to hear about how you are bringing Hot Girl Summer. Leave a comment below!

 

 

 

Wienerschnitzel: Get a FREE Root Beer Float on 8/6!

Abby H.

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Every day it seems there is a National Day of… And tomorrow is one of my favorites- National Root Beer Float Day!

It’s the fizziest, foamiest, and floatiest day of the year! Celebrate National Root Beer Float Day by picking up your FREE Root Beer Float with any purchase at Wienerschnitzel. There’s so much to love about creamy and swirly Tastee Freez soft serve swimming in Mug Root Beer—but hurry in, this deal is only available Thursday, August 6th!

Get your coupon here!

5/10/2020 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI’ve started doing weekly meal planning on Sundays. It’s easier to do it while I’m writing up the kids at home learning schedules, and prepping the snack box for the week.

I’ve been buying snacks in bulk and only putting weeks worth out in the snack box. It keeps us out of the stores, and its healthier.

And I’ve been trying to visit the store once a week or less. I stocked up yesterday on stuff the kids love (and eat a lot of), so we should be good for 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 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 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: Right now our local school district is serving lunch for a drive-through service for kids 18 and under M-F. It’s great because it helps stretch our budget and it gets the kids out of the house for a few minutes. They also include a cold lunch (usually cereal and milk and a piece of fruit) for the next morning. Often times, the cereal ends up being a snack for late afternoon.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  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. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

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.

We’re on week 4 of distance learning. It’s finally become a habit, and there are plenty of chances to play and get our wiggles out. I bought the kids a kiddie pool for the patio and that is totally helping them get out the pent up energy.

  • Sunday:  Cheeseburger Salad (It’s a cheeseburger served sans bun on a bed of greens). The kids will have chick’n nuggets as Big dude is a vegetarian, and Bitty doesn’t like red meat.
  • Monday: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli casserole, fruit salad, Texas Toast and leftover nuggets. The casserole has a very small amount of chicken, so I can scoop some out for the big kiddo and he can have some meat-free.
  • Tuesday: Bean, Rice, and cheese bowls with grilled veggies
  • Wednesday:BBQ chicken and veggie bowls (with rice)
  • Thursday: Pizza Night!
  • Friday: Leftovers
  • Saturday: Waffles and fruit salad

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?

3/19/2020 is the First Day of Spring- It’s Freebie Time!

Abby H.

71974a65b7f49aee0070fc46f9a63d4aSpring brings warmer weather, flowers, baby animals, and freebies.

Two of our favorite freebies will be available on the first day of spring:

Free Italian Ice at Rita’s on March 19th: Celebrate the arrival of spring with our favorite annual tradition – FREE Rita’s Italian Ice!

Stop by Rita’s for the First Day of Spring FREE Italian Ice giveaway on THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020, from noon to 9 PM (local time)

All guests who visit Rita’s will receive a FREE Italian ice in the available flavor of their choice served in our special First Day of Spring cup!

Free Small Ice Cream Cone at Dairy Queen on March 19th: Keep your eyes peeled for more details on their social media channels, but this deal has been going on for YEARS.

9/2/19 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

IT’S SO FREAKING HOT!! It’s supposed to be in the mid-nineties all week, so I am planning on keeping the oven off and cooking on the stovetop only, and/or planning as many cod dishes as I can.

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 and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his 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: Rice-a-roni, black beans, fruit salad
  • Tuesday:  Shashuksa (recipe will be posted tomorrow), homemade bread (a friend shared a loaf of homemade bread with me- It’s heaven),  fruit salad
  • Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, green salad
  • Thursday: Protein shakes and Dave’s Killer Bagels
  • Friday:  Date Night
  • Saturday: Ordering pizza-it’s going to be too hot to cook!
  • Sunday: Leftover night

 

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?