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10/14/19 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

I won a $25 Grocery Outlet Gift card on Friday, so I used it to pick up some snacks and goodies for school lunches this week. Thanks to my frugal buddy Brooke from Crying Out Loud, we’ll be eating a lot of eggs this week (3 dozen eggs- woo hoo!). We hit up the Harvest Festival over the weekend, and we picked up some seasoning kits from Whatcha’ Got Cookin’ that we’ll be using this 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, 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 in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked. I did a lot of prep for the coming week over the weekend. I cut up the produce, bagged it for meals, made up some smoothie kits, and cut up cantaloupe to have this week. Thanks to some frugal shopping over the weekend, I’ve only spent half the grocery budget for the week. I will probably use it all.

  • Monday: Happy Meals on the way home from weekly group autism therapy for the kids. Grilled Cheese and Chicken and Rice Soup for the grown-ups. Soup is in the freezer from a previous batch.
  • Tuesday:  Fritatta with so many eggs (and veggies too)
  • Wednesday: Welcome Home Chicken in the crock pot (with seasoning kit from Whatcha got Cookin)
  • Thursday:  We’ve got respite, so it’ll be something early and light, probably what I like to call a “meal of snacks”- it’s all kind of different things on a cafeteria tray.  Previous Meal of Snacks include: Chicken Nuggets, goldfish crackers, cut up fruit, hardboiled eggs, glasses of milk, and cookies.
  • Friday:   Date Night!
  • Saturday:  Pizza Night
  • Sunday:   Leftover night

 

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

Funovation Panel is looking for Members!

Abby H.

I’ve been a member of the Funovation Panel for a few years now, and we’ve tested several toys for them, and won a couple gift cards!

  • The Funovation Panel is a community of families that provide their feedback about new toys, videos, images, and much more. We’re looking for new members to help us understand what families want from toys today.
  • Members are invited to participate in projects such as in-home toy tests, early screening of TV shows, trend identification, and providing input on toys and ideas in the early stages of development. Help shape what will appear in stores and on screens across the world to better suit your family!
  • Also, to show our appreciation, for every Funovation survey you complete, you will be entered into a drawing for one of three $50 Amazon gift cards. That starts with this one, so click below!

California Climate Credit- Savings on Your October Utility Bill!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-10-10 at 10.10.07 PM.pngWOO HOO!! It’s back! The second California Climate Credit  is back for it’s second installment of the year!

And if you have any of the following utilities: PG&E, SDG&E, SCE Pacific Power and Liberty Utilities, your October bill will have a credit.

The California Climate Credit. From the CPUC website:

“Twice a year, millions of California residents receive a credit on their utility bill identified as the “California Climate Credit.”  The California Climate Credit is part of California’s efforts to fight climate change.  This credit is from a state program that requires power plants, natural gas distributors and other large industries that emit greenhouse gases to buy carbon pollution permits.  The credit represents residential utility ratepayers’ share of the payments from the State’s program.  The credit program was created by the CPUC, which also oversees the program’s implementation.

Currently, all residential and eligible small business electricity customers of PG&E, SDG&E, SCE Pacific Power and Liberty Utilities receive the credit, as do all Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) customers.  In addition, natural gas residential customers of PG&E, SoCalGas, Southwest Gas, and SDG&E also receive the credit.  Customers don’t need to do anything to receive the credit – it is automatically applied to their bills.  The credit amounts vary among utilities, CCAs and from year to year.

If you’re not sure whether you’re receiving the Climate Credit, the first thing to do is contact your utility or CCA, the same as you would do with any billing questions.  That’s because although the CPUC oversees the credit and can help with any remaining questions you have, your utility or CCA is best positioned to access your individual records and answer questions about individual accounts.”

In addition to this credit, we also use the TIME OF USE billing to our advantage. Here is an article I wrote about last summer with some tips about how to save on your utility bill. Time of Use billing isn’t for everyone, but we use it as I am able to do the bulk of our energy using chores during off-peak hours, such as dishes and laundry.

And one thing that I find super helpful- We signed up for Ohm Connect a few years ago and it texts and/or emails you when you should conserve more power due to the demand on the power grid. It’s a win-win situation: You save money on your power bill, and you earn points from Ohm Connect that you can cash out for Paypal, Amazon or Target Gift Cards, OhmConnect store credit (to buy energy-efficient thermostats, smart plugs, etc.) You can learn more about OhmConnect here. When you sign up here and link your utility account, you’ll earn $10 in rewards! We’ve earned over $50 in 2019 so far!

 

**Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you click on links or make purchases. However, I only post about stuff that I like and use for my family.

Fashion Friday: Sweaters 50% Off Lowest Marked Price + FREE Shipping

Abby H.

Sweaters

Friday means Fashion Friday from Cents of Style!

The cutest sweaters all set up and ready to go!!

These sweaters are to die for, meeting all of the fall fashion needs…ease, comfort, and style! Today until Tuesday at midnight your readers can take 50% off the lowest marked price + FREE shipping! There are 12 styles to choose from (one for each day of the week, with 5 extras just in case! Haha) and starting at $19.97 SHIPPED! These styles are new and on-trend!

Remember to use Coupon Code: SWEATERS50 at checkout.

Here are a couple of my favorite styles:

Sweaters

Sweaters

Sweaters

10/11/19: Weekly Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

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Woo Hoo! Friday means Freebies and deals! There are a lot more freebies and deals this week. I’m excited to share!

Samples

In-Store Events/Freebies

Magazines

Deals

Make Your Own Book With Blurb!

Abby H.

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

Have you been collecting family recipes for years? Time to turn the scraps of paper and old recipe cards into a family recipe book with Blurb!

Blurb easy it is to create a travel book, memoir book, wedding book, children’s book and so much more. Blurb makes it easy to self-publish a book to last a lifetime whether it’s for personal or professional needs.

Photo books, memoir books, or cookbooks make great holiday gifts!

PinchMe: Sample Tuesday is Coming 10/8/19!

Abby H.

Every time I post about PinchMe, someone says that they miss the window of freebies, so I’ve decided to start posting heads up when I get the emails!

Sample Tuesday is coming up on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, and they’ve got a bunch of amazing new samples you won’t want to miss!

Click here to RSVP to the Official Facebook event to get a reminder on Sample Tuesday and a chance to win 1 of 5 amazing deluxe PINCHme boxes.

P.S. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the samples for you to claim:

  • Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo & Conditioner
  • Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream
  • Scotch-Brite Glass Cooktop Pads
  • Clorox® Scentiva® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths
  • Garnier SkinActive Fresh-Mix Sheet Mask
  • Barilla Creamy Ricotta & Arugula Pesto
  • Rael Organic Tampons
  • Peace Out Dark Spots
  • Heinz Mayochup Saucy Sauce
  • Move Free Joint Health Ultra Triple Action Tablets
  • Chlorphen-12 Allergy
  • Heinz Tomato Ketchup with a Blend of Veggies

Remember to fill out your advanced profile in order to boost your chances of receiving samples! Don’t forget, the new samples go live on Tuesday 12pm ET!

Giveaway: A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN at San Diego’s Balboa Theatre

Abby H.7 Comments

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Y’all know how much I love theatre- and I am so excited to share this!
Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. you can experience the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical A Night With Janis Joplin rocks the Balboa Theatre – San Diego for two shows only!
Tickets and more info available here.
And my readers can

save 20% on Tickets* when you use coupon code: JANIS20 at checkout!
A Night With Janis Joplin is a musical journey celebrating Janis Joplin and her biggest musical influences – trailblazers like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, all of whom inspired Joplin to become one of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s greatest legends.
Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Her unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made Joplin a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock. Audiences will enjoy Joplin’s favorites, including “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry Baby,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” and many others.
And it gets better, I am giving away two tickets to the 2pm show! Entering is sooo easy- Just leave a comment! Tell me who you would take to the show with you.
I’ll choose a winner on 10/11/19 in the evening and notify the winner by email.
*Not applicable to $140.00 tickets.

Paypal: Invite Friends and earn up for $50!

Abby H.1 Comment

unnamed-1.pngPaypal sent me an email last night and I had to share it! Paypal members-1 cent now to a friend who doesn’t have PayPal.

Pretty simple, really.

When your friend signs up to PayPal (and claims the $$ you sent them), links their bank account or credit or debit card, and sends or spends at least $5, you can both get ten bucks!

Plus you can do this with 5 friends so you could get up to $50. Ends October 10th. Terms apply.

 

Pretty sweet deal, right? If you don’t have a Paypal account and want in on this, let me know and I’ll send you $1.00 via Paypal to get started!

Dosh offers Cashback on Hotels too!

Abby H.

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Booking a hotel? Don’t miss out on up to 40% cash back!

Book your first hotel through Dosh now and get cash back on your stay, PLUS, an extra $20 cash back bonus.* Promo ends November 11th!

To learn more about Dosh, click here.  Right now when you sign up and link at least two cards, you’ll get a $10 bonus!  Refer friends and receive $10 per referral that signs up and receives their first cash back!