New PinchMe Samples Drop 1/18/2022

Abby H.

Sample Tuesday is Coming 1/18/2022- 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.

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.

I get PinchMe samples every month. Here is what arrived at the end of June for the June 2021 boxes. The One Bar was really good.

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!

AO Opinions: Upcoming Mental Health Project $75

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the topic of Mental Health.

  • To be considered, complete the pre-screener survey here. 
  • Compensation: $75 (if chosen)
  • Open to: 50-60 Year Olds
  • Mon/Jan 10th or Wed/Jan 12th at various times.

MyPoints: Refer Friends and You Both Earn 300 Points!

Abby H.

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I’ve been using MyPoints since 2011, and I’ve earned a lot of cash back just by doing my normal online shopping through MyPoints. About $550, to be exact.

Right now they are offering a great deal! When you refer a new user, and they earn 300 points, you both get a 300 point bonus. It’s easy to earn 300 points!

I love using MyPoints. I can earn points shopping online and utilizing in-store pick up with stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and JCPenney.

  • I ordered Christmas Gifts and earned 1200 points.

There are so many point-earning opportunities.

You can double dip on earning points or cash back by using a point earning credit card like American Express or Discover Cards or taking advantage of a points program that rewards you for purchases on their website, like JCP Rewards.

I love that I can earn gift cards which I use to offset the cost of holiday gifts.

Talk Back: What is your favorite Cashback program?

1/3/2022 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI did a big year-end fridge/freezer/pantry cleanout (did you know White Claw expires?) last week and we were in need of a lot of groceries.

I had a big shopping week, including a trip to Costco to pick up some staples, and of course… a rotisserie chicken.

We finished up the week yesterday consuming leftovers. And I prepared a pot of chicken stock to make chicken soup today.

We are back on the CSA train- We need some fresh produce in our lives and I hate carrying more groceries upstairs!

Veggies and fruit are delivered 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.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

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.

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. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.

Dinner: I’ve got some tasty (and quick) meals planned for this week! It’s going to be cold this next week, so Soup will be on the menu a few times. I’ll make big batches and freeze the extra.

Please stay safe you guys!

TikTok “Side Hustles” Tested (so you don’t have to).

Abby H.

This post has been like 6 months in the making. It really took me that long to try a majority of these “easy side hustles” as so many are advertised on TikTok.

Disclaimer: Most of these are fairly easy, however, they do take time, and many of them have high payouts, so it will take time to earn enough to cash out. If you wanted to make a go of it and work through several of these sites, you could make good money. But keep in mind there are a lot of people doing the same thing, so there may not be a lot of tasks or potential jobs/freelance opportunities in your area. Also, these are all independent contractor positions, meaning if you earn over $600 per site, you will have to pay taxes on earnings (I’m not a tax guru, consult yours with specific questions).

Some other suggestions that TikToker’s had to earn money:

  • Manage a Bird.com fleet (Those are the electric scooters- they are only available in limited areas)
  • Sell with Amazon FBA
  • Flipping stuff (buying at a low price at thrift stores, garage sales, even FB marketplace) and selling it online for a profit.
  • Selling books from Dollar Tree/thrift stores (Scan UPC through Amazon app to see if the books have a good selling price).
  • Make Coloring books, journals, worksheet books in Canva and upload them to Amazon to sell. This one takes a while to do.
  • Upload free art from Canva to sites like redbubble or other print-on-demand sites where you can earn money when people buy items with images you’ve uploaded (journals are pretty popular recommendations).
  • Make educational worksheets, family binder sheets, or organizational worksheets and sell them via Etsy as PDF’s.

Bottom Line- I tried about 10 of these, and I didn’t make tons of money (less than $100 over 6 months all told). A lot of these sites have received a large influx of new users and they don’t have tasks/jobs that I was interested in/had time for. I made worksheets and had them on my Etsy store, but after three months and not selling any, I took them down (It was costing me money to have them listed). I have a part-time day job and some gigs/side hustles that I already do, so I don’t think I’ll be adding in any of these in the near future.

My 2022 plan is to work the gigs I already do and look for some new endeavors over the summer to make money, and of course, if I come upon anything new and cool, I’ll definitely share it with you.

12/32/2021 Freebie Friday!

Abby H.

It’s Friday! And the last Friday of the year, and usually that would mean a blowout freebie and deal post, but not so this year. Between supply chain shortages, the uptick in the new variant, there aren’t tons of great freebies or deals, but I’m always on the lookout.

But, fear not friends, I’ve still got some good stuff for you!

 

Freebies:

Deals:

Starting off 2022 Right: How to save money at the grocery store and beyond!

Abby H.

Saving money is my bag. It’s what I’m good at, and I’ve made a name for myself as the resident frugalista in many of my friend circles.

A lot of people want to save money as one of their New Years Resolutions, and with the price of everything going up (thanks to inflation and the global pandemic), it’s becoming more important for people to learn and use some frugality skills.

So let’s get started on saving you some money at the grocery store and other places as well. Since I’ve been writing about these topics since 2016 on various blogs, I have tons of great posts that will be linked to throughout this post.

Start by making a list of what you already have at home. I use inventory sheets that I made on Canva.  I have one for the Pantry, one for the fridge, and one for the freezer. They live in plastic page protectors, and I update them when I am cooking (or afterward). It makes seeing what we’ve got on hand a breeze.

  • Shop sales- Buy and eat what is in season. This doesn’t only mean produce. Various items are on sale during the year, usually to correspond with holidays. My list of sales cycles can be seen here.
  • Buy in bulk if you are able.
  • Utilize Store apps to save money- CVS, Walgreens, Target, Vons, Ralphs, Food4less, Sprouts, etc.) all have apps with digital coupons and savings. With a few clicks, you’ll be saving money without clipping coupons! This tip is a great way to save on cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, and OTC meds. 
  • Utilize cash back apps. My list of favorites can be found here.
  • Take advantage of local farms and CSA’s. I love Yasukochi Farms CSA. They are a local farm and have great produce boxes.

Right now they are having a New Years Sale! Choose either a 1-month regular box subscription for $88, or a 1-month jumbo box subscription for $120. To learn more or order, check out their website.

For less than $30 a week, we get a big box of produce delivered to our door. It helps us stay on budget and eat healthy!

Basically, it boils down to being organized, which can be hard. Choosing 1 or 2 of the above to get started and adding them to your routine until they become second nature, and then adding in 1 or 2 more, and so on and so on.

 

Tryazon: Give a Room a Refresh with Deflecto

Abby H.1 Comment

It’s time to love your space with the Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Deflecto. Featuring storage and floor protection products to transform your home. Stackable cube organizers make organizing easier, clean up the clutter, and stack to save space. The Deflecto FashionMat floor protectors come in three unique designs and are great for hard floors or flat pile carpets. Update your craft room, child’s room, or home office!

Tryazon has 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack valued at $300+ with a variety of Deflecto products to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here. 
We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

Free Food at Faith Chapel throughout 2022!

Abby H.2 Comments

Pastor Josiah emailed this morning with some great news to share!

Faith Chapel will be having free food distributions on the 1st & 3rd Mondays throughout 2022 at 10:00am.

Faith Chapel
9400 Campo Rd.
Spring Valley, CA 91977

This is a drive-thru-style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles. The types of food vary, but in the past, there has been milk, cheese, eggs, canned goods, seasonal fresh produce, shelf-stable dry goods (beans, pasta, etc.).

In addition to free food, there is also a boutique open to be shopped at during these distribution times. Everything in our boutique is FREE and available to any guests that come through. You can find everything from clothes to household furnishings, kitchenware, toys, etc.

To speed up the food lines, please RSVP here. 

Chatterbox Opportunity: Try Maple from Canada

Abby H.

While mass-produced syrups come from highly processed ingredients, real maple syrup comes from mother nature. If it’s not real maple, you’re consuming loads of sugars, artificial flavors, and corn syrups which is what you’ll typically find in regular pancake syrup.

Apply to try Pure Maple Syrup from Canada and discover the sweet, delicious flavor of real maple. Use it as an alternative to sugar in a variety of dishes such as desserts, baked goods, beverages, and so much more!

If you are selected for this Chatterbox, you will receive:

  • 1 Bottle of Pure Maple Syrup from Canada
  • 3 Pure Maple Syrup from Canada recipe cards

You must apply and complete the required activity by January 18th to be considered.