AARP: Awesome Discounts!

Abby H.

Did you know you don’t have to be a senior citizen to join AARP?

Seriously. I’m 45 and I’ve been a member for 2 years.

Did you know that with an AARP membership, you can score discounts and deals on travel, car buying services, and even a lower price on your cell phone contract?

Perhaps my favorite deal is saving money at Denny’s. The cost of membership pays for itself when I take the kids to Denny’s twice in one year.

AARP provides many opportunities to save money, play, learn, and volunteer. And right now when you join here, you get a free gift. Your Choice-pick your FREE gift – Insulated Trunk Organizer or 6-Port Power and USB Charging Donut.

 

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San Diego Diabetes Study- $400

Abby H.

Taylor Research is a research company in San Diego, CA and I have done studies for them for over 20 years. I do 3 or 4 a year on various topics.

Taylor Research has a new research opportunity available for Adults with Diabetes.

• Study Topic: Diabetes Product Usability
• Study Type: In-Person Interview
• Study Location: San Diego, California
• Target Audience: Adults diagnosed with diabetes
• Available Date(s): August 13-15, 2024
• Session Duration: 4 hours
• Reward Amount: $400

The research will take place at a facility in San Diego. To be considered for this study, complete the pre-screener here.

 

8/5/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week I’m starting the back to school prep. Littlest Kiddo’s Bestie is visiting for a few more days, and I’m trying to cram in as much summer fun as I can, while staying on budget.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you 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 good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I 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.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these and these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick, and is favorites can be found here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. We eat lunch at home most of the time over the summer. Sometimes we take advantage of the kid’s free summer lunches (info here).

Dinner: It’s so hot here in Southern California, that I’m trying hard not to turn on the oven. We’re enjoying a lot of ready-to-eat sides (chips and fruit), so that time in the kitchen is minimized.

  • Sunday:  Snack Trays and smoothies
  • Monday: Bean, Rice, and cheese burritos

  • Tuesday: Dream Dinner, fruit salad

  • Wednesday: Chef Salad and smoothies

  • Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner (eggs, hashbrowns, fruit, toast)

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

Weekend Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

This week was busy, so we are having weekend freebies and deals instead of Friday. Littlest Kiddo’s Bestie is here for 6 days, and I’m finishing up some coursework for one of my jobs. My brain has been turned to jello.

If you are looking for stuff to do this summer, check out my 2024 guide to a fun, frugal Summer Break. It’s San Diego County-specific, but there are many great ideas if you aren’t local to me.

The 2024 Birthday Freebie post is here! Check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

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

 

Freebies:

Free Can of Accelerator Active Energy After Rebate
Free Hallmark Card Every Month
Free Real Food From The Ground Up Snack Product After Rebate
Free Cookie at DoubleTree Hotels on Aug. 4th
Teachers – Free Queso at Abuelo’s for the Whole School Year
Free IHOP Syrup Chatterbuy Kit
Free Sample Of Pamprin Max Pain + Energy
Free Nurishh Animal Free Cream Cheese at Select Retailers
Free Lil’ Gourmets Pouch After Rebate
Free Fries Every Friday at Wendy’s
Free Sample of Friskies Party Mix Original Crunch Cat Treats
Free Root Beer Float at A&W on August 6th
Free Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet
Free Sour Punch Candy & T-Shirt
Free NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit or NasaFlo Neti Pot
Free 2024 National Parks Entrance Days
Free Whiteboard Workshop at Home Depot
3 Free MYBAR Protein Bars After Rebate
Free Bubly Burst Sparkling Water at Select Stores
Free Museum Admission for Bank of America/Merril Lynch Cardholders – This Weekend
Free Modelo Chelada Summer Fiesta Party Kit
Free Perfect Bar at Aldi
Free Movie Tickets to Longlegs
Free Monopoly GO! Game Night Party Pack
Free Teachings of Buddha Books
Teachers – Free Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Kit
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Italian Favorites Classes at Williams Sonoma

 

Deals:

5-Piece Backpack Sets ONLY $21.99 (Reg $42)
Coach Outlet Sale – 70% Off Clearance
Nike Backpacks for School up to 40% Off + 25% Coupon
Scott Paper Products ONLY $2.75 (Reg. $5)
Nike School Backpacks & Lunch Boxes for $22 at Kohl’s
School Supplies UNDER $1 at Walgreens
Vitamins & Supplements BOGO Free on Amazon
Target has Bookbags NOW 30% Off – Prices start at $10
Nike – Up to 65% Off + Extra 25% Off Select Styles
Lauren Conrad Jewelry as low as $6

Free Fun at JCPenney’s Kid Zone (8/10/2024 & 9/14/2024)

Abby H.1 Comment

Y’all know I love JCP. They have great sales, an incredible loyalty program, and the Kids Zone!

The Kids Zone is an in-store program where kids can make and take a free craft in-store once a month.

Parents receive a 10% off in-store coupon. The best part is that the 10% off coupon can be stacked with other JCP coupons.

August’s craft is a cute pencil pouch and notebook!

Find your closest JCP location here.

And if you are a teacher, JCP is offering a 35% off coupon. You can learn more and sign up here. 

 

Need Help with Back to School Supplies?

Abby H.

The Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation is here to help!

For the past eight years, they have been hosting our annual Back-To-School Haircut Drive, where kids aged 18 and under can enjoy:
Free haircuts
Free school supplies
Free food
Tickets to local attractions throughout San Diego County

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, August 10
Time: 9am – 1pm (Last haircut starts at 12:30pm)
Location: Skyline Church (11330 Campo Rd, La Mesa, CA 91941)

For more information, check out their Facebook Page. 

SMOAC is hosting a FREE BACKPACK GIVEAWAY on 8/3/2024. More info can be found here.

Free School Supplies is a website with listings by state of charities and non-profits that provide free and low-cost school supplies.

If you are a military family, check out Operation Homefront. They have Back-to-School Brigade events all over the country.

 

Free Backpack Giveaway- 8/3/2024

Abby H.1 Comment

It’s back for 2024!

This event is SUPER popular, and supplies run out quickly.

A  backpack and school supply giveaway courtesy of SMOAC on August 3, 2024 at Rio Seco School in Santee. It is a drive-thru event.

I’m working on collecting more info on Back to School giveaways, and I’ll have another post coming up soon!

Check for Unclaimed Property- California Residents!

Abby H.

dollabillz

Did you know that the State Controller’s Office holds over NINE BILLION DOLLARS in unclaimed property (that includes money) in California? For some of us, it’s small amounts (in my case), and for others, it could be hundreds of dollars!

I checked the website and found about $75 in my name! I filled out the forms, printed them, signed them,  made copies of my ID, and mailed it all off this morning.  In 120 short days (or so, per the website), I should get my money.

It’s free to search, and free to claim your property, so it is 100% worth 5-10 minutes to see if you’ve got anything waiting for you!

Click here to get started!

If you live outside California, most other states have something similar- google your state and unclaimed funds. This process should ALWAYS BE FREE, and if you are being asked to pay for a service, it is not your state controller/comptroller/treasurers office.

 

Saving Money with Honey!

Abby H.

I love saving money. We all do, right? No one shows off when they overpay for something.

Lemme tell y’all about Honey! You’ve probably heard about them as they love to sponsor YouTube videos and other bloggers. Honey is a Browser extension, it takes a few minutes to download and install.

Honey has the coupon code hook up. They can help you with coupons or earning cashback. Honey works with thousands of websites from JCPenney to Walmart to Kohls.

I’ve been using Honey since 2020. I’ve saved over $1000, and earned about $300 in cash back, combined with my credit card cash back, rebate apps, and other offers I’ve combined.  What clinched Honey for me was saving $145 on my son’s bed.

I was checking my browser extensions last night, and realized I had some Honey Points sitting in my Honey account! I cashed them out for $15.29 to my Paypal account!

That’s a trip to Starbucks for me and the kiddos! They will be surprised with a fun treat, and it’s essentially free!

Honey is quick, easy, and unobtrusive. To learn more, or download the Honey Browser extension for Chrome, click here.

7/28/2024: Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI am trying hard to keep my grocery budget at $100 weekly for the foreseeable future. It’s super rough, but I’ll be cooking from scratch, and reaching into the freezer and pantry to use up what we’ve got and keep our out-of-pocket for groceries down.

I picked up a a few drinks and some smoothie ingredients courtesy of Aisle, and it’s been fun trying new beverages with my lunches.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you 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 good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I 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.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these and these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick, and is favorites can be found here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. We eat lunch at home most of the time over the summer. Sometimes we take advantage of the kid’s free summer lunches (info here).

Dinner: It’s so hot here in Southern California, that I’m trying hard not to turn on the oven. We’re enjoying a lot of ready-to-eat sides (chips and fruit), so that time in the kitchen is minimized.

  • Sunday:  Quesadillas, rice, fruit
  • Monday: Grilled Cheese sandwiches (cheese of your choice), fruit, chips

  • Tuesday: Dream Dinner, fruit salad

  • Wednesday: Tamales,  beans & rice

  • Thursday: Turkey Sandwiches, chips, fruit

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza