$5 and $10 Clearance at JCP!

Abby H.

JCP is the master of clearance. They have incredible clearance online and in-store, and right now, JCP has clearance for the whole family starting at $5!

If you are looking for inexpensive cotton shirts to tie dye or craft with, this clearance sale is a great time to stock up. I know craft stores that sell cheap shirts, but I love these shirts instead:

If you are looking for more information about tie dying, check out my post here.

Save More with Walmart Cash!

Abby H.

Have you heard of Walmart Cash? I just learned about it today. I don’t shop there too often, and it seems like a good program for those people who shop at Walmart with regularity.

Similar to Ibotta, when you shop through the Walmart App, or on the website, visit the Walmart Cash page and clip any offers that appeal. When you purchase those items, you will receive Walmart Cash. Amounts vary by products, and offers change frequently. These offers cannot be stacked with Ibotta.

Here are a few of the current offers.

You can redeem your Walmart Cash on your next purchase, or you can head over to Money Center or Customer Service to cash out- you’ll need the Walmart app or be logged onto the website on your mobile device. More info can be found here.

5/10/2025 Weekly Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

This week has been great for summer freebies and deals!

  • The Summer Library Reading Program post can be found here.
  • The Summer Movie Deals can be found here.
  • Don’t forget about Cheap Stuff to do with Tweens and Teens here.
  • Kids Bowl Free is back for 2025- More info here.

I’ve updated my list of freebies for birthdays in 2025, which you can find here.

If you are looking for free food resources, my comprehensive list can be found here. It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are outside my area.

Let’s get onto the Freebies!!

FREE Capri Sun Single Serve Chatterbuy Kit
FREE Sample of L’Oreal Everpure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment
FREE Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Set at Sephora After Cash Back
FREE Paint or Stain Sample at Lowe’s
FREE Baseball Game Workshop at Home Depot
FREE MyONE Custom Fit Condom
FREE LEGO Classic Brick Box Set After Cash Back
FREE $35 Purchase at Target After Cash Back
$1 Million in FREE Chipotle for Cinco De Mayo
FREE Slider at White Castle on May 15th
FREE Frozen Drink at Casey’s Every Friday in May thru August
FREE Pack of EXTRA Gum – 1st 500
FREE Sample of Sunrise Strips Fabric Sun Protection Strips
FREE Ticket to the Movie Watch The Skies
FREE Planet Fitness Summer Pass for Teens
FREE Food & Beverage Products from the Nestle GoodNes Community
FREE Skinnygirl Avocado Oil Salad Dressings Chatterbuy Kit
FREE Starface Black Star Pimple Patches
FREE Groovies Dog Dental Chews
FREE 8×10 Photos at Walgreens
FREE Hootenanny Games Party Pack
FREE Air Wick Plug In Scented Oil Advanced Gadgets After Walmart Cash (Get 3 Free)
FREE Sample of BIODERMA Original Cleansing Micellar Water
FREE Cold Foam Days at Starbucks on May 7th – 11th

 

Deals

Doorbusters Sale at JCPenney: Save up to 55% Off Select Styles
Yankee Candles Mother’s Day Sale – Buy 2 Get 2 Free
Graphic Tees $6, $5 & $4 at Old Navy
Grab These Best Shoe Deals on Sale For Women, Men & Kids, Up to 75% Off
Ulta Coupon: $3 off $15
Up to 30% Off Fragrance & Beauty at Macy’s
Pizza Coupons, Promo Codes and Deals From Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Little Caesars and More!
Quick Dri Bath Towels $4.99 Each at JCPenney
Top Magnetic Building Tiles Under $30: Tested in 2025
Old Navy – Save up to 70% Off Clearance Styles – Prices Start at $0.96
JCPenney Scented Jar Candles ONLY $8.99 (Reg $26)

Free Mental Health Resources in California

Abby H.

This is a heavy topic. If you are not in the headspace to read this, please scroll on.

Mental health care is important to everyone, regardless of age or financial situation. Depending on your health insurance situation, most insurance plans provide coverage for mental health services.

If you do not have health insurance or cannot afford your mental health copays, there is still help out there for you.

Crisis Support:

If you and your family are low-income, you may be eligible for Medi-Cal (Medicaid in California). To learn more about Medi-Cal eligibility, visit the DHCS website here. 

 

5/10/25 PRC Research Study Round Up!

Abby H.

PRC aka iOpinion is a nationwide research study company. They are always running studies and looking for more respondents. They email me once a week about the online studies they are looking to fill.

Topic: Beverages – Online Shopping
Who: Adults aged 21-59.
Format: Online Focus Group
Date of the study: May 23 or 27, 2025
Duration: The group will last 60 minutes
Incentive: $125 + $25 Homework

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

Topic: Holiday Activities
Who: Adult holiday enthusiasts nationwide.
Format: Online Interview + Video Tasks
Date of the study: May 15-31, 2025
Duration: 2-week video tasks + 30-minute webcam interview prior to the start of the 2-week video tasks (3.5 hours max across 2 weeks)
Incentive: $450

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Business Owners-May 2025
Who: Business Owners 18+
Format: Online Interview
Date of the study: May 28-30, 2025
Duration: The interview will last 90 minutes + 15 minutes early check-in
Incentive: $400

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

Topic: Travel Options
Who: Adults aged 18 and older.
Format: Online Individual Interview
Date of the study: May 19-22, 2025
Duration: The interview will last 1 hour.
Incentive: $125

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

A few notes about PRC:

It is recommended to use the web browsers Google Chrome or Firefox to complete the pre-qualification survey.
Only one participant per household.
Our surveys are open to U.S. Residents.
Incentives are paid via Digital Incentive unless otherwise stated.
To participate in any study that requires a webcam, please use a laptop or desktop computer ONLY—No smartphones or tablets.
If you use ChatGPT or any other AI assistance for your responses/feedback during any of the research projects, please keep in mind that you will not receive compensation and will be removed from the database.
If you pre-qualify, a PRC Global Market Research recruiter will contact you via phone.
Due to the many survey responses, PRC can only contact those who seem to fit well.

2025 Summer Reading Programs!

Abby H.1 Comment

Summer break from school means summer reading programs from the local library systems, plus a few other places.

At the time of the publication of this post, the City of San Diego has not officially posted their information, however, I spoke to a librarian at a city library, and they said it would be almost identical to the program offered in years past.  For more information on prior years’ program and prizes, click here.

Here are a few of our favorite summer reading programs. Unless specifically stated, the programs start on June 1st.

Book It has a summer program where kids can read and earn free personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut! Book It is the FAVORITE reading program in my house. parents can enroll their kids for the summer! All logging of reading and prizes is now done on an app. Learn more here.

The County of San Diego Library summer reading program started June 1st. They have all sorts of prizes for kids and adults.

If you want your family to experience a multicultural world through reading, I  recommend PJ Library.  PJ Library sends free, award-winning books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to families with children from birth through 12 years old.

My kids love learning about faraway places and experiences different from their own. The PJ library books have opened their eyes to new holidays, customs, and ways of life.

Read Conmigo provides free books for kids by mail in Spanish and English to children ages preschool to fifth grade. They are only available to kids in CA, TX, and Florida. We used to receive the books, and they are ok, but my kids aren’t interested in learning Spanish. The books were super useful for me learning to read in Spanish (Beyond what Duolingo teaches).

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program starting July 1st. More info here.

Dolly Parton has established the Imagination Library, it is available in select regions, and those who live in participating areas can receive one book for their kids every month via mail.

Many of you have told me about Nothing Bundt Cake’s reading program. Books & Bundts is their youth reading program for pre-K through elementary students that celebrates the joy of reading. It’s easy and free with delicious results. Contact your local bakery to see if they are participating and to learn more.

If your kids like Chuck E. Cheese, this offer is great!  When they read every day for two weeks, they can fill out and turn in this calendar for 10 free play points!

 

2025- Summer Movies for Kids on the Cheap!

Abby H.1 Comment

One of the kid’s favorite summer activities is to hit up the local theater for a showing of one of their favorite movies.

Big buckets of popcorn, snuck in candy (shhhh), and a drink and they are ready for 2 hours of fun in the Air Conditioning.

AMC Theatres is bringing back Summer Movie Camp starting 6/23/25. Tickets are just $3.oo/each at the box office!

 Summer Movie Clubhouse at Cinemark starts June 2, 2025. Bring the kids and enjoy exciting family-friendly big-screen entertainment for just $1.75 (plus taxes) per ticket for each movie.

Lots of smaller theatre chains have also joined this bandwagon! Marcus Theatres, MegaPlex, Epic Theatres are just a few. These theatres do not have locations in California

Theatre chains that have not published their schedules yet, but in the past have had family/kids movies in the summer:

Reading Cinemas usually has the Reel Kids program, with ticket prices reduced to $2/ticket!

Regal Summer Movie Express usually offers tickets for $2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, featuring summer movies the whole family will enjoy.

UltraStar Cinemas doesn’t have anything posted yet, but they do offer discounts on tickets and popcorn on Thursdays year-round.

Talk Back: What summer movies are you looking forward to seeing?

Saving on Summer fun with Tweens and Teens with Groupon!

Abby H.1 Comment

We’ve got less than 30 school days left, and the kids are already asking what we’re doing this summer.

In the past I’ve written posts about free stuff to do in San Diego over the summer, and I’ll have one up later this week, but Tweens and Tweens sometimes are “too big/too cool” for the splashpads at parks, or don’t want to go to the library for craft events.

I headed over to Groupon this morning to see what I could find that might appeal to my posse.

If you are looking for different activities, new restaurants to try, or maybe even a massage, check out Groupon. They have all sorts of cool deals available!

Mending Clothes to Save Money: The Tiny Holes

Abby H.

Mending clothes is a simple way to save money. Knowing a few stitches is a good skill. In a previous post, I wrote in 2018, I discussed what to have a basic sewing kit and how to repair a hole in the back pocket of a pair of jeans using a commercially available denim patch.

Today we will be discussing mending tiny holes in clothes. These are tiny holes that can be caused by catching on jewelry, work badges, or lanyards, or clothes rubbing together in an overloaded washing machine or dryer.

Zippers, buttons, and other clothing fasteners can cause holes to form and clothes when they rub on fabrics in the washer or dryer. This is why it’s important when you put your clothes into the washing machine that you button, zip, or otherwise fasten your clothes shut before washing them. Cleaning out pockets can help too- especially if you have a rock collector in your family (I do with mine).

Things like bras or clothing that has sharp edges like rhinestones or beads should be washed either by hand, or put into lingerie bags. Remember to clasp up your bra so the hooks do not snag on anything- even in a lingerie bag.

Clothing moths, or carpet beetles, can also nibble holes and clothing. They prefer natural fibers like wool, rayon or ramie, cotton, bamboo, or tencel.

Perfect type of rip/tear for a satin stitch

Tiny holes can be mended with a satin stitch. A satin stitch is a close back-and-forth stitch over the hole with the stitches close together.

Longer tears or rips along the seam are best secured with the back stitch. It is a very secure stitch, and very easy to do. There is a great tutorial on YouTube from Sewn Company here.

I spent about an hour a month mending clothes. Between kids, being kids, and the fact that I get the majority of my own clothes secondhand, and therefore don’t know the exact age of them, it is not uncommon for me to wear holes in elbows of sweaters, or in pockets. I do spend a lot of time mending pockets.

One thing I do not mend is socks. Socks are inexpensive enough that when they develop holes, they become rags for dusting, or cleaning up spills. When T-shirts become too holy, they also become rags for cleaning up, spills in the kitchen, or wiping off counters, or cleaning the bathroom mirrors.

5/3/25 PRC Research Study Round Up!

Abby H.

PRC aka iOpinion is a nationwide research study company. They are always running studies and looking for more respondents. They email me once a week about the online studies they are looking to fill.

Topic: Baby Food
Who: Adults aged 18 and older who have a child aged 1- 3.
Format: Online Interview (webcam required)
Date of the study: May 1-9, 2025
Duration: The group will last 45 minutes
Pays: $150

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Shopping Habits
Who: Adults aged 18 and older.
Format: Online Interview (webcam required)
Date of the study: May 8, 2025
Duration: The group will last 45 minutes
Pays: $100

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Diagnosed Health Conditions-May 2025
Who: Adults aged 18-75 with specific health conditions. ***Must provide proof of health conditions.***
Format: Online Individual Interview
Date of the study: May 15-23, 2025
Duration: The group will last 60 minutes (plus 15 15-minute early check-in)
Pays: $125

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Fast Food
Who: Aadults aged 18-65.
Format: Online Bulletin Board
Date of the study: May 15 – June 5, 2025
Duration: The online bulletin board will last 4 hours total
Pays: $500 (must complete all required activities)

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Personal Purchases
Who: Adults aged 18-66.
Format: Online Individual Session
Date of the Study: May 19-20, 2025
Duration: The session will last 60 minutes
Incentive: $150

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Insects
Who: US residents nationwide, aged 18 and older.
Format: Online Bulletin Board
Date of the study: April 28 – May 7, 2025
Duration: The online bulletin board will last 10 days, 10-15 minutes each day
Incentive: $175

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Kid’s TV Shows
Who: Adults aged 18 and older.
Format: Online Focus Group
Date of the study: May 1-9, 2025
Duration: The interview will last 90 minutes
Incentive: $150

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Paint
Who: Adults 18 and older.
Format: Online Bulletin Board (OLBB – everyone) and Online Focus Group (some will be chosen from the online bulletin board)
Date of the study: May 7th – June 5th, 2025
Duration Online Bulletin Board: The online bulletin board will last 75 minutes over 2 days.
Duration Online Focus Group: The online focus group will last 75 minutes (if chosen).
Incentive for Online Bulletin Board: $400 for Architects, $300 for Designers, $225 for Painters/Construction Related/Remodelers/Handyman, $150 for Consumers
Incentive for Online Focus Group: $450 for Architects, $350 for Designers, $275 for Painters/Construction Related/Remodelers/Handyman, $125 for Consumers

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Topic: Personal Care Products
Who: Adults aged 18 and older.
Format: Product Test + Online Activities
Date of the study: May 19-22, 2025
Duration: The product test will last 4 days + 60 minutes of online activities
Pays: $200

If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

A few notes about PRC:

  • It is recommended to use the web browsers Google Chrome or Firefox to complete the pre-qualification survey.
  • Only one participant per household.
  • Our surveys are open to U.S. Residents.
  • Incentives are paid via Digital Incentive unless otherwise stated.
  • To participate in any study that requires a webcam, please use a laptop or desktop computer ONLY—No smartphones or tablets.
  • If you use ChatGPT or any other AI assistance for your responses/feedback during any of the research projects, please keep in mind that you will not receive compensation and will be removed from the database.
  • If you pre-qualify, a PRC Global Market Research recruiter will contact you via phone.
  • Due to the many survey responses, PRC can only contact those who seem to fit well.