shopping

Exciting Science fun: Little Passports Coral Reef Kit

Abby H.

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

I am super excited to share this deal. Lil’ Man and I are up to tons of sciencw-y fun this summer, and I JUMPED on this cool kit when I saw it!

Are you looking for a fun science project for your kids to do? What about one that can spark conversations regarding different ecosystems around the world? Sound like something for your Little Explorer? Little Passports has you covered!

With simple step-by-step instructions, this easy science activity for kids demonstrates how crystals form and encourages an understanding of underwater ecosystems.

Set up your trays with the paper coral forms, add the terraforming solution, and enjoy your child’s amazement as you both watch the transformation!

The Companion Guide features new adventures in Australia with Sam & Sofia as they explore the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef.

The kit includes:

  • Three coral forms, trays and terraforming solution
  • Instruction booklet with easy to follow step-by-step instructions
  • Companion Guide, featuring more Australia adventures with Sam and Sofia

    The Coral Reef Kit is recommended for ages 6+

    This fun science project is only $12.95 + shipping! Click here to purchase your very own Little Passports Coral Reef Kit .

 

 

Free Photo book from Shutterfly!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 7.11.03 PM(**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.)

 

SQUEE! So I’m a little behind on some of the deals going on right now, but here is one I am super excited to share! Now through tomorrow at midnight, you can score a free 20-pg 8×8 hard cover photo book from Shutterfly when you use Coupon Code SUNNYBOOK at checkout.

I’m ordering one tonight!!

Here is the super boring (but important) fine print: Offer expires June 30, 2015 (11:59 P.M. PT). Offer is good for one free 20-standard finish page 8×8 hard photo cover photo book through shutterfly.com, our mobile-friendly site or Shutterfly apps. Offer cannot be redeemed more than once per account and/or billing address. Taxes, shipping, and handling will apply. Customer may add options to their 8×8 book (additional pages, StorytellingTM styles and elements, photo book accessories, other cover types, etc.) at additional cost. Alternatively, customer may apply the current price of a 20-standard finish page 8×8 hard photo cover photo book (after taking into account any current discounts on shutterfly.com) toward the purchase of a larger photo book. Not valid on 5×7, 7×9, or 8×8 soft cover photo books, TripPix, prepaid plans, other products and prior purchases. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with other offers or credits. Not valid for resale.

Money Saving Tips for Parents!

Abby H.1 Comment

With the arrival of Bitty Bird, saving money has never been more important for our family. Here are just a few ways we save money and earn rewards! Kids are expensive, that’s a fact of life! With coupons, shopping sales, and the myriad of programs that manufacturers run to entice and keep consumers coming back, you will never pay full price for anything baby or kid related again!


Diapers: Huggies and Pampers both have a long running loyalty programs. Each package of diapers and wipes contains a code that can be entered on the manufacturer’s website. Codes are worth points, and those points can be redeemed for gift cards, toys, even free diapers and wipes! Depending on the size of the package, the amount of points varies. Larger packages yield more points. Visit Huggies and Pampers websites to learn more each program and the amount of points that can be earned from each package. Make sure to sign up for their newsletters too. Codes are sometimes in the newsletters too.

Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 9.43.18 AMFrom Left to Right: Sample Pampers and Huggies Codes found in diaper and wipe packages.

Some stores (Target, Babies R’ Us, and Walgreens to name just two) allow you to stack a manufacturer coupon and store coupon.  Frequently Target has printable store coupons on their website.
Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 9.43.12 AMTarget store coupon from Target.com/coupons

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 9.43.31 AMFormula: For those that will be formula feeding their baby, three of the major formula manufacturers (Enfamil, Similac, and Gerber Good Start) offer high value coupons and/or formula checks and usually samples. Formula checks can be defined as a combination of coupon and an item specific gift certificate. They look like checks and are usually for a high value. Retailers accept them and deposit them like the checks you write from your own checkbook. The formula manufacturers honor the check and the retailer receives the face value of the formula check. Many stores allow you to pair a formula check with a coupon for even more savings.  Target allows you to use a formula check, a manufacturer coupon and a target coupon!

If you are interested in receiving samples and formula checks, visit the infant formula websites and sign up:

Once your baby is old enough to eat baby food, Gerber will send you coupons for cents and dollars off jars of baby food and snacks (like puffs and yogurt melts). Sign up with Beechnut and they will send you some great coupons for rice cereal, baby food and snacks.

Clothing, Toys, and misc. baby stuff: Babies need a lot of STUFF.  If you have friends or relatives with babies, you may receive a lot of hand me downs, and that is great.  It will save you a lot of money and time.  Another cost saving measure is to visit consignment shops tailored to babies and kids. Most consignment shops buy and trade clothes, toys, and furniture. Craigslist is also a great choice! Learn more about clothing swaps and consignment shops here.

Before buying or accepting a carseat, crib, stroller, or baby carrier, check to make sure that it has not been a part of a recall. In the case of carseats and bases, check to make sure the carseat is not expired. Carseats are safe for 5 years.  After that time, the components can break down, the plastic can weaken,  the straps can stretch and no longer hold in the child safely.

When your child grows into the next size, you can take the outgrown clothes to a consignment shop and exchange the outgrown clothes for new (to you!) baby clothes.  We have done that with Little Mans’ clothes since he was little tiny, and it’s a great way to save money! I recently saved up a bunch of store credit at our local baby consignment store so I could purchase a new to us Baby Ergo infant carrier. They can be pretty pricey, so I was saving my credit wisely. I turned outgrown clothing and toys into something that we needed!!

 

Helping Others: 1st Annual Cinch Sack for Scarlett’s Kids Fundraiser!

Abby H.

This year I have been fortunate enough to meet two really awesome ladies (Candi and Barbara), both of whom have children suffer at the hands of a horrible disease called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (that is a link to wikipedia- warning there are some kinda graphic photos, so it’s NSFW).

They have banded together to help other kids who are sick, and you can help too! Help sponsor a child through Scarlet’s Kids and buy cinch sacks that can be filled with goodies for children hospitalized at Rady’s Children Hospital – San Diego. Candi is partnering with Scarlet’s Kids on a yearly basis and raise funds for as many Thirty-One cinch sacks as possible. Sponsor a local child and receive a picture and their story in return. Order through Candi or online here.

You can learn more by checking out the fundraising flier below! If you have any questions, please contact Candi at cdemarestr@gmail.com.

Screen Shot 2015-06-24 at 9.19.08 AM
I am not affiliated with Thirty-one, or Scarlett’s Kids. I wanted to share an opportunity to help others with you. If you’d like to help Scarlett’s Kids in any other way, please contact Barbara at ScarletsKIDS@gmail.com. They are always looking for donations to help support their mission!

If you have a Non-Profit Project that is near and dear to you and you’d like to get the word out, shoot me an email at hewesfamilyfun@gmail.com.

Red Hot Sale: Flirty Aprons Irregular Sale (as low as $4!!)

Abby H.

cherrycherry(**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.)

I love aprons. Between all of the cooking and other messy stuff we do (like crafts), I wear an apron almost every day (after I lost a bunch of clothes to glitter glue- which doesn’t come off, btw, I started wearing an apron at craft time).

I’m all about the cute aprons too. Boring, utilitarian chef’s aprons hold no appeal. I want frills and ruffles, and sometimes even pearls!!

So I let out a tiny squee when I got the email that Flirty Aprons is having a blow out sale on irregular aprons. The flaws in these products are so minor that you probably will not even notice what they are. You gotta hurry, quantities are limited and the sale is over on the 27th of June (that’s Saturday). In addition to ladies aprons, they also have oven mitt sets and even little girls aprons! If you are looking for an awesome mother/Daughter gift, there are a few matching ladies and kiddo sized aprons!

To take a look at what’s available, click here.

Little Passports: Only 1 day left to save 15%!

Abby H.

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

I love Little Passports! It’s a super cute program designed to help kids learn about the world around them.  Henry and I checked it out earlier in the year and it was really fun. They have three programs based on your child’s age.

It makes a great gift: It’s affordable, educational, and it’s not something that clutters your house with one more piece of  plastic schtuff (which right now, I feel is super important- we’ve been purging out all of the plastic, icky, broken, or neglected toys in favor of more educational, creative play toys and crafts).


Your Cool Summer Savings are here! Little Passports is offering 15% off ANY subscription plan. All you need to do is use code:SUMMER15 at check out. But hurry- these cool summer savings end tomorrow June 16th!!

**This promotion is valid online only at www.littlepassports.com. To redeem enter code SUMMER15 at checkout. Offer valid on new subscriptions only and cannot be combined with any other offers and/or applied retroactively to previously placed orders. Offer applies only to the first month on a Monthly Plan. Offer not valid on Personalized Products and Shop items. Offer excludes shipping and taxes. Offer valid from June 10, 2015 at 8:00AM EST to June 16, 2015 at 11:59PM EST.

 

 

10 Reasons I shop at Target

Abby H.2 Comments

There are a lot of couponers who don’t shop at Target.

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“It’s too hard.”, “It’s too much work.” “They aren’t Coupon Friendly.” Those are some of the reasons I hear. To that I say, I love Target. I am a convert, I used to hate shopping at Target, but when we moved, I discovered that the two Target locations that are close to my home are both coupon friendly and always have plenty of sale items.  I think it all depends on the Target you shop at.

Here are my 10  (now 9) reasons for shopping at Target:

1. You can stack Target coupons and manufacturer coupons.  Target has printable coupons on their website here. 99% of them are Target coupons, meaning they are only redeemable at Target.  Stacking coupons leads to greater savings. If you are looking to print manufacturer coupons (redeemable at any store), click here.

2. I save 5% every time I shop by using my Target Red Card.  It’s a debit card and it’s Target branded, so I can only use it at Target, just like an ATM card (with a PIN).

3.  I’m a member of Target Pharmacy Rewards (it’s free).   This program has gone KAPUT at the end of 2015 when Target and CVS joined up to provide pharmacy services. SIGH.

4. When you sign up for a Target Red Card or start a registry at Target, you get added to their mailing list and about once a month, they’ll send you a packet of really great Target coupons.

5.  Target rewards you for using reusable shopping bags. For every re-usable shopping bag you use on your shopping trip, you’ll save .05! It may only be a nickel per bag, but it can add up!

6. They have a great markdown/clearance section! And they mark their clearance down pretty methodically too.

  • Monday – Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, GiftWrap, etc.)
  • Tuesday – Domestics, Women’s Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
  • Wednesday – Men’s Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items
  • Thursday – House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor and Luggage
  • Friday – Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

7. Target Price Matches.  Currently, Target matches prices from  Walmart.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUs.com, and BabiesRUs.com. You can use coupons on a price match too! This is great if you have a Target Coupon and a manufacturer coupon to go with your price match! To learn more about price matching at Target, click here.

8. Their return policy is pretty good. Especially if you have a Target Red Card.

9. If you want to know if your local Target carries an item or has a specific item in stock, you can check online.  That saves you time, energy, and gas! (Thanks to Samantha for that tip!)

10.Target Cartwheel: Instead of the traditional dollar or cent off coupons, Target Cartwheel offers savings in a percentage.  You choose specific offers, based on what you buy, and there are new offers all the time! The best part is that you can use Target Cartwheel, a Manufacturer Coupon, and a Target Coupon all on the same item.

And you know what, here is another one- Target is a participating partner in most of the rebate apps (you check out a full list here). So, you’ll be saving a few extra pennies (or dollars) in no time.

Helping San Diego, CA area women in need: Naomi’s Closet

Abby H.4 Comments

If you are a San Diego, Ca area resident, female and in need, I have a great resource for you.

Screen Shot 2015-05-31 at 7.29.30 AM

Naomi’s Closet is run through the Santee United Methodist Church (Located at 8964 N. Magnolia Ave., Santee, CA 92071). They provide up to five items of clothing per month (Your choice from a very good selection in a wide variety of sizes), and 2 toiletries.

Naomi’s Closet is open on the following days and times:

  • Wednesdays 10am-12pm
  • 1st & 3rd Saturdays 9am-1pm

No appointment is needed, just show up during open hours. You do not need to show proof of need.

Donations of women’s clothing and toiletries are gladly accepted. I personally donated about 90% of my former wardrobe when I started losing weight.  My coupon club donates items that we are able to obtain for free (by combining sales and coupons). Recently I have donated hair color, shaving cream, nail polish, and razors.

If you have questions, or you would like more information, you can contact Naomi’s Closet at naomiscloset@cox.net.

The church also has a free pancake breakfast on the 1st Saturday of each month from 8am-10am.

I am not a parishioner, but I support Naomi’s Closet and the good works that the members of the Santee United Methodist Church do.

Trips and tricks for saving money on your next car purchase…

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe had to replace Mr. C’s 14 year old Pontiac last year.  It was time. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of friends talking about replacing their older cars that aren’t as fuel efficient or that are starting to need some pretty costly repairs.

We knew the time to replace the old, creaky Pontiac was coming, so to prepare for the new car I did the following step

  • We made a list of cars that met our qualifications: price, specific gas mileage, features (safety & comfort). With a price range in mind, we could make sure that we had enough saved for a down payment.
  • We made sure that we had room in our budget for a car payment. We paid my car off last year (an entire year early!! I rounded up payments each month to the closest $10 and when we had extra money from rebates or bonuses, I sent a few extra hundred dollars to the finance company- those things really do help!).
  • I had been saving money each paycheck for a down payment.  It wasn’t a lot of money each month, but we’ve known for about a year that the Pontiac was on it’s last legs.
  • We filed our tax returns as soon as we were able- We wanted to use the majority of our refund toward the downpayment.
  • We looked online for vehicles that fit our qualifications, we used connections (that would also provide us discounts) through our credit union, insurance carrier, and through sources like UPromise to find vehicles within our price range.
  • We went into the dealerships pre-approved for a loan through our credit union.
  • We knew what was on our credit reports and our scores (Thanks to using CreditSesame), so we knew that we could leverage that if needed to try and get a better APR.
  • I checked with our insurance carrier prior to purchasing the new car to see what the insurance premiums would look like on several cars on our list.  We needed the premiums to stay pretty much the same.

In the end we purchased a 2011 Prius from Toyota of El Cajon. The process was easy, fast (4 hours, but if you’ve bought a car, you know how long it takes), and our sales consultant, Jason Mongold, was awesome. He and his managers helped us find a car that met our criteria and budget, and they gave us a great amount for our trade-in.

Take your time and make sure you review all of your options when buying a car. Whether you buy new or used, from a dealership or private party, do your research!

Carfax Reports– learn all about the car you are about to buy (accidents, title status). Most dealerships that sell pre-owned cars will show you the CarFax report before you purchase.

KBB.com– Find out the value of your trade-in, and the value of the car you are about to purchase.

Little Man sitting in Daddy's Pontiac one last time!
Little Man sitting in Daddy’s Pontiac one last time!

What are your tips and tricks for purchasing a car?

Shopping for real food on a budget!

Abby H.

IMG_3236As you can see from the photo, we buy a lot of fruit.

I bought this fruit late last week, and within 3 days, the raspberries and cantaloupe were GONE.

So why am I sharing this photo of my fruit purchases? To illustrate that you can eat healthy on a budget.

I visited Our local Ralphs, armed with 8 $1/1 Driscoll Coupons (Internet printable coupons from their surveys), a $5/$15 Produce E-coupon on my Ralphs card (like them on Facebook here and you’ll be notified when new produce coupons are added- usually once a month), and a free Muller Yogurt E-coupon (Free Friday Download).

For $4.19 Out of Pocket, I brought home:

8 containers of driscoll’s raspberries
2 bananas
1 mango
1 personal sized watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 muller yogurt
1 carton coolwhip

The raspberries are $1.28/carton, so after $1/1 Q they are a paltry .28/carton. SCORE. I saved over $50 with my coupons and ralphs club card. UGH. I can’t imagine paying full price for anything.

The only not so “real food” purchase was the whipped topping. I made the Cool whip into Bachelor Mousse (1 small box instant chocolate pudding, 1 1/2 cups milk, whole carton of cool whip, beat together and serve with fruit) and we had it for dessert a few times. It’s quick, easy, and the boys LOVE IT.

So you can do it- keep your eyes open for sales on produce, meat, whole grains, and other stuff your family likes to eat. Don’t forget to take advantage of printable coupons and rebate/money saving apps!