Buying Sewing and Craft Supplies Frugally

Abby H.

I love sewing. I have been creating clothing, costumes, and home goods for decades.

Losing stores like JoAnn Fabrics means turning to online retailers or looking for supplies in thrift stores, apps like OfferUp, or even on Facebook marketplace. 

Brick and mortar fabric stores have been disappearing for about the last 10 years, and for some of us stores like JoAnn fabrics were the last place that we could go in person and buy fabric to make clothes, notions like thread and sewing machine needles, and patterns.

I love shopping at thrift stores for fabric and notions, but it can be hit or miss.  I frequently pick up flat sheets to make mock ups for fitted clothing, as they are less expensive than muslin by the yard. When I need something specific, I look online for deals.

Did you know that apps like Temu and Alibaba partner with small and local businesses in addition to large overseas factories? On Temu, you can select “local warehouse stores” to shop local companies. Not only will you be shopping locally but you may experience faster shipping times. 

I recently purchased bias tape, which I needed for some upcoming projects, and I was able to find a local warehouse store that had two of the colors that I needed. And in less than five days, I had two spools of black and white biased tape in my hand. And it was shipped from Indiana, which isn’t local to me, but was at least purchased by a company in the US.

In fact, if you look at the bottom of the front page of Temu, it has a link to click where you can learn more about selling your products on Temu. It’s not just gigantic faceless mass manufactured factories overseas, anyone can sell their products on Temu.

I have purchased T-shirts in the past that have come from a small business in Orange County California through Temu. I’ve also purchased 3-D printed items from a small company in the Midwest that sells via Temu.

Fun, Free, & Frugal Events for Kids & Families in San Diego, CA

Abby H.

With better weather and Spring Break on the horizon for most of us, it’s time to get out of the house and find some fun, free stuff to do!

San Diego is full of fun outdoor adventures. If you are looking for places to take your kids for some hikes or walks, Hidden San Diego has a list of 40 kid-friendly hikes here. Hidden San Diego also has some amazing information about San Diego’s history, locations to explore, and even some creepy lore surrounding America’s Finest City.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know about the JCPenney Kids Zone free crafts that occur every second Saturday of the month in selected JCPenney stores.

You probably also know about the Home Depot Kids Workshop, which takes place every second Saturday of the month. However, some stores do one every single week; you just need to check your local Home Depot store to find out.

Did you also know that Lowe’s Hardware store does a similar activity on the third Saturday of each month? 

Lakeshore, the educational store, holds free kids events, including storytime with Pete the cat and sensory events.

If you are in the eastern part of San Diego County, the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College offers free admission on Fridays from 9am-4pm.

While not always free, Michaels offers in-store classes for both Kids and adults. Sometimes, the classes are free, and sometimes there is a class fee (usually $15 or less). Classes run for about an hour, and you need to take something really cool home with you.

The San Diego Craft Collective at Liberty Station has a free class on the first Friday of each month from 5 to 6 PM.

Don’t forget their resident free days at Balboa Park every single Tuesday.

If you’re looking for more fun, free events, check your local shopping center or mall. Parkway Plaza in El Cajon has a free kids event every month. It usually involves a craft and some sort of fun games where you can win prizes. 

Groupon always has discounted admissions to local attractions like Legoland, Birch Aquarium, and indoor trampoline/play places.

 When I find more, I will definitely post more. 

Where do I find good, quality freebies?

Abby H.

I’m always on the lookout for good, quality freebies. What I mean by that is items that have value. Not just monetarily, but items that I will use. That can be anything from free food to a brand new washing machine and dryer.

A lot of of the freebie programs I have used in the past are no longer around (Example Tryit berged with Influenster), so those are not included in my list; however, here are some that I use today and recommend to others.

This list does not include rebate apps or anything where there is any sort of out-of-pocket where you are reimbursed later.

JCPenney All-Star advisors: While this program is around, I don’t think they are currently accepting any new members. I couldn’t find any info online about how to sign up or join their waiting list.

Home Tester Club is pretty cool. They are one of my new favorites. You sign up to review items, and they send you something. A lot of the time, they don’t notify you prior to shipping. you’ll get a package in the mail, and a few days later, you’ll get an email notifying you that you were selected and a link to the survey to complete once you have sampled the product. I’ve received all sorts of great skincare, cosmetics, food, and clothing from Home Tester Club.

Tryazon: The kids and I have been participating in Tryazon events for 5-ish years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, organizational products, and food.

Influenster: To get all of the products and free stuff offered by Influenster, you have to download the app.  When they send an offer for a free product, you have to jump on it right away. Their offers go fast! I’ve gotten clothing, cosmetics, perfume, and household appliances through Influenster.

Ripple Street: this company rebranded recently and was previously known as House Party. You can learn about them here. 

Smiley360  is a Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing website. Sign up for campaigns and you will receive samples to use, and coupons to share with friends. Report your sharing and earn points! I’ve received Laundry detergent (full-sized bottles), vitamins, supplements, tampons, and razors in the past.

If you are looking for apps or companies that offer 100% rebates on food, check my post here.

Talk back: What is your favorite website for getting free stuff?

3/17/25 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.

Please note that PRC requires proof of identity for all studies!!!

Topic: Military Affiliation- March 2025
Who: Consumers 18-80
When: March 26-27th, 2025
Where: Online focus group from the comfort of your home
Length: 1.75-hours (plus 15-min early group check-in)
Incentive: $125 for the group, extra $25 if you join 15+mins early
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: Beverages.
When: The study will take place March 1-31, 2025.
Who: Males and females aged 15-22 and parents with kids aged 8-17. If you qualify for the study, you will participate in an online discussion board with 1-2 monthly activities (12 months). 
Once the study is completed, you will receive up to $200 (Amazon Gift Card) as an incentive for participating.
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

March is frozen food month: What kind of food can you freeze?

Abby H.

It’s true: March is frozen food month. In previous years, there were deals and sales on frozen foods that you just couldn’t be beaten. But with the changing economic climate, a lot of these offers and deals have sort of dried up.

That brings us to what you can freeze. A lot of us are taking advantage of what little sales we can find, stocking up on pantry staples, and making sure that our pantries and freezers are full of food and ingredients. Freezing food is also a great way to keep leftovers that you may not want to eat within the next two or three days after making them.

I freeze a lot of stuff. When I make batches of soup, I tend to freeze 2 to 4 portions of it so that we can have a meal later, and all I have to do is defrost and heat.

When we have fruits and vegetables that are getting a little too ripe for us to eat, I will chop them and put them in Ziploc bags in the store in the freezer.

Here are other things that you can freeze with a little bit of prep work:

Shredded or grated cheese. Blocks of cheese tend to crumble when defrosted.

Milk: Unopened gallons of milk, can be stored. I recommend you open and pour off/drink about a quarter of a cup before you put the lid on tightly and put back into the freezer. This step is not needed with paper curtains. 

Bread/muffins/tortillas: Make sure you put it in a freezer-safe Ziploc container/bag to keep it from getting freezer-burnt. 

Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen. I recommend cutting everything up into bite-size pieces and storing them in zip-top/Ziploc bags. I do this with vegetables that I can put into soups and stews or casseroles and fruits that could be incorporated into smoothies later. Making sure everything is cut up into bite-size pieces means that it will cook more uniformly, and smaller pieces of fruit blend a little easier. Spinach and some heartier leafy greens like kale can also be frozen!

Soups: As previously stated I freeze portions of each batch of soup I make so that we can have a quick easy meal later on down the road. Just make sure that it is cooled it to room temperature before you put it into the freezer. 

Casseroles: Did you accidentally make too many potatoes? It’s OK, just store them in a airtight freezer safe container, and you could have leftovers down the road. When you reheat it just defrosted it in the refrigerator and then heat like you normally would. 

Pizza: You can freeze leftover pizza. Not that that happens very often to my house, but I have been known to put pieces of pizza between parchment paper in a Ziploc bag and toss it in the freezer. 

Pizza dough: Speaking of pizza, you can also freeze pizza dough or bread dough. I tend to make a triple batch of pizza dough, and once it has had its first rise, I punch it down, knead it, and separate it into greased Ziploc bags. You can either butter the inside of the bag, or you can spray it with spray release.

Once you’re ready to make pizza, just take the pizza dough out of the freezer, leave it in the bag on the counter, and depending on the ambient temperature of your kitchen, in about 4 to 6 hours. The pizza dough will be at room temperature. You can give it one last knead before you roll it out and bake it.

Now that you know how to freeze all sorts of things, you too can keep your freezer well stocked and cut down on food waste.

Searching for Deals for Teens’ First Phone Plan…

Abby H.

I’ve been reading and researching the best deals for my newly 14-year-old. He needs a phone. I don’t have a landline, and he needs to be able to reach me, his dad, and other family members.

He doesn’t need a lot when it comes to a phone. More than a flip phone but less than the most up-to-date iPhone. More than anything, I’m concerned about the cell phone plan.

I recently discovered  Lyca Mobile. They offer a reliable 5G/4G high-speed network with over 99% population coverage (I checked the map; it covers anywhere he’ll be), and Lyca offers FREE Unlimited Calls & Texts to 100 Countries (for when his dad is traveling and he wants to text with him).

With Lyca Mobile, you bring your own phone, which I love. We can use one of our older phones or get one from Gazelle or another seller of pre-owned phones without the hassle of a long-term contract.

For only $12.25/month, he will have unlimited everything!

Thanks a great deal!

Recipe: Marry Me Cannellini Beans

Abby H.

Maybe you’ve seen videos or recipes online for marry me chicken. It’s a creamy Tuscan style dish that can be served with noodles or by itself.

Here is my version, but instead of using chicken, I substituted Cannellini beans. Why? Because I had cannellini beans, and I didn’t have any chicken.

If you want to use chicken, substitute about a pound of either boneless skinless trimmed thighs or boneless skinless trimmed chicken breasts for the beans.

Ingredients 

  •  2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons your favorite cooking oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
  • One small, yellow onion, diced
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans of Cannellini beans, drained, and rinsed
  • Three cloves of crushed garlic/3 tablespoons of Jarlic
  • 2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes 
  • 2 cups of chicken broth 
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • One cup evaporated milk, or half-and-half (choice) 
  • 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (use the freshly grated variety, not the powdered variety)

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter and mix oil in with butter.
  2. Sauté onions over medium heat until translucent, about five minutes.
  3. Add in garlic and stir frequently until garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add in rinsed and drained beans, sun-dried, tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning. Cook on medium, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil.
  5. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher gently mash up about half of the beans. This will add thickness to the sauce or without adding any additional ingredients. 
  6. Once a thickened mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, add in milk/half-and-half, spinach,  and about a half a cup of the grated cheese. 
  7. Stir and turn stove down to low. Simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes until mixture has thickened. 
  8. Serve with noodles of your choice, or serve mixture in a bowl with toasted/crusty Italian bread. Top each bowl with some of the remaining cheese.
  9. I prefer to serve this in a bowl and eat it with a toasted/crusty bread. 

Substitutions:

  • To make this recipe vegetarian, substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth/stock. 
  • To make this recipe vegan, substitute as above, and additionally substitute milk/half-and-half with your favorite dairy free variety, as well as your favorite dairy free variety of “Parmesan” type cheese. 

3/15/25 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: Tools & Supplies (Professionals)-March 2025
WHO: Decision-Makers/Owners in Construction, Automotive, HVAC, Paint, Plumbing, Roofing, Carpentry, Landscaping, etc.
*** Proof of occupation will be required***
Format: Online Individual Interview
Date of the study: March 18 & 19, 2025
Duration: The interview will last 1 hour + pre-task
Incentive: $300
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: Health & Wellness Products
Who: Adults, 35 and older
When: March 24 & 25, 2025
Where: Online focus group
Length: 90 min
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: Household Services Providers
Who: Adults, 18 +
When: March 24-25, 2025
Where: Online individual interview
Length: 1 hour + pre-task
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: Facial Skin Care
Who: Female 18-60
When: March 27 – April 8, 2024 (Part 1); April 16 & 17, 2025 (Part 2)
Length/Pay: 9 days Product Testing/ $250 (Part 1) & 90 min online focus group/ $150 (Part 2 if chosen)
Where: At home product trial (Part 1)+ Online webcam (Part 2: if chosen)
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: Homeowners
Who: Homeowners age 24-74 (*Proof of address will be required)
When: Various dates and times in March
Length/ Pay: 45 min Interview/ $175
Where: Webcam via Zoom
*You MUST have a working webcam on your desktop or laptop to participate in this study. You CANNOT participate using a tablet, I-pad or the camera feature on your smartphone.

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: Insurance Employees
Who: Adults 18+ years of age whom are decision makers for their agency / brokerage
Date: March – June
Duration/type: 45-minute webcam interview
Incentive: $250 digital incentive
Location: From the comfort of your home
If you are interested in participating, complete the intake survey here. If you pre-qualify, a recruiter from PRC will contact you via phone.

 

Fetch Rewards: Earn up to 10,000 Points!

Abby H.

This is a BIG DEAL. If you use Fetch Rewards, you could earn up to a 10,000-point bonus! Check your email for this offer!

Refer 5 friends by 3/19/25 for 10,000 extra points—on top of the 2,000 points for each friend who snaps a receipt.

Signing up is quick and easy if you aren’t already using Fetch Rewards! You learn more when you check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up, and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I scan all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it) and take advantage of extra point offers- the points really rack up!

 

FINE PRINT: In order for you to qualify for the 10K referral bonus, you must refer at least 5 friends and have them complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM CDT on 3/19/2025. Max of 50K bonus points. Bonus points will be awarded on or before 3/21/2025.

Advanced Opinions is Recruiting for an Upcoming Project on Breast Cancer

Abby H.

Advanced Opinions (A market research firm located in New York) is recruiting for an upcoming Online Project about breast cancer.

To be considered, complete the intake survey here.

  • Compensation: $125.00 (if chosen) for full participation.
  • Open to Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
  • Date: March 17 & 18, 2025
  • Total Length of project participation: 1 hour
  • This is an Online Project. You must use a Computer with working webcam and working mic to participate in a quiet, well-lit indoor room without any interruptions.