AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of PTSD.
To be considered for this study, complete the pre-screener here.
Not everyone who completes the pre-screener will qualify.
We are big zoo go-er’s and have been for decades! We’re always looking to live on the frugal side, and for us having zoo memberships is a great way to support our local zoological society, their conservation efforts, and see the cool animals whenever we want.
Here are a few ways to save money and get the most out of your visit when you visit the San Diego Zoo:
And with the new Children’s Zoo area, there is a fun water feature for kids to play in- so if you anticipate your kiddos wanting to play, bring extra clothes and/or a towel.
The San Diego Zoo is an awesome zoo full of animals and plants of all kinds! It is definately a must visit for Southern California.
Talk Back- How do you and your family enjoy your favorite places on a budget?
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Now through Monday 7/18, the Trade-in store is offering a $20 Bonus on all products valued at a minimum of $200!
Additionally starting today, Gazelle is offering the opportunity to save 10% on all AT&T phones with code SAVE10ATT!
You can sell your unwanted smartphones and laptops to Gazelle to earn money! I’ve sold a couple of our old phones and iPads to Gazelle. It’s a great way to earn some cash and keep electronics out of the landfill.
Q-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.
They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. This upcoming survey takes place virtually!
Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online study on the topic of tech.
The project will last about 2 hours, and you will be compensated $150 as a thank you for your time. It will take place on 7/11/22 and 7/12/22.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey here. If you pre-qualify someone from Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional qualifying questions.
We’ve gone to this event in the past, and it’s always a fun time with great resources.
FREE community event with activities, games, crafts, raffles, shopping, and resource booths for families of all abilities.
Activity Stations for kids including favorites:
Family Resources & Networking – Resource and service providers will be on-site to speak with parents and offer helpful information. Be sure to pick up a copy of Flourishing Families and San Diego Family at the Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego booth.
Sample Tuesday is Coming on 7/12/2022- 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!
Fuel your next free gift card with referrals! Invite your friends to Fetch and earn 4,000 points when each of ‘em snaps their first receipt. The offer ends 7/6/22 so move fast!
And right now there are some really great bonus point offers!
If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, 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 4,000 bonus points. I’ve earned $145 so far in 2022 just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).
It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!
I took Sunday and yesterday off to hang out with the family and play with the kids. But we’re back, and ready to get down to work!
Summer break is here! We’ve got all sorts of adventures planned, you can check out some of our adventures here.
We’re having two dream dinners this week, and I’m making the pesto bbq pizza, but I’ll be cooking it in the oven (we don’t have a bbq).
I’m trying to stay out of the store this week, and rely heavily on why we have on hand. I do need to do a quarterly Costco trip, but that’s mostly to get essentials (sturdy trash bags, ziplocs, paper towels, etc.). However, a rotisserie chicken may end up in my cart…
We’re taking a break from the CSA. It’s been so hot here, and we’re not home when they are delivered and I don’t like leaving the box out in the heat. It’s been almost 100 at our house for the past week.
As soon as my summer job is over and I’ll be home during the delivery time slot, we’ll be back to it.
And the big kid decided that maybe he wants to try meat after being a vegetarian for 6-ish years. So, we are slowly trying to introduce meat back into his diet. I’ve planned meals this week that have some meat but also allow him to eat semi-vegetarian if he wants.
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. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind.
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. This is really helpful for the summer when for some reason, kids are starving all the time. We’ll be hitting up the free lunch sites several times a week over the summer.
Dinner: We finished our last Dream Dinner last week! I’ll be ordering more next month once the new menu comes out. I’m trying to get us to eat together as a family more often and get the kids into eating more fruits and veg, so you’ll notice that our meals are pretty simple this week.
Sprouts is hooking us up and helping us stay healthy! Every month on the Sprouts app in the Digital Coupon section, there are between 4-6 free items (they are marked “SAMPLING PROGRAM”).
Quantities are limited on the app, so if you are interested in any of these, I recommend that you add these coupons (by opening the Sprouts app, click on digital coupons, and click on each coupon in the lower corner where the little green circle is) to your app ASAP.
Not all Sprouts locations will have these freebies, so I suggest trying larger Sprouts locations in your area.
These are full-sized freebies- not small sample-sized products. they are located in the store with the other products of the same type.
Not all accounts will receive all the same products.
Woo! A new month means a reminder about all of the free food options there is here in San Diego County.
Keep in mind there are still supply chain issues, so there may not be a lot of food at some distributions, especially those that serve a large portion of the community.
I recommend showing up a little early with a bottle of water and a book and waiting in line. Time passes quickly in these lines, and it’s a great time to learn from others about community food options. Remember to socially distance and follow local masking regulations.
You can find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.
Our friends at Faith Chapel are super ahead of the game and sent out information regarding their 2022 food distributions early on in the year.
If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.
San Diego Food Bank Distributions for July 2022 can be found here. Enter your address (or just your zip code) and the map will show you all of the distributions in your area or closest to you. You can filter by the days of the week to find food when you are available. If there is an income requirement/limit to participate, each location/listing will say such. You can learn more here about the Feeding San Diego Together Tour.
Neighbor distributions are intermixed with the San Diego Food Bank Distributions, however, they have no income requirements, and you come as you are. These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.
Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.
All kids in public school K-12 in the State of California are eligible for free breakfasts and lunches at school. More information can be found here. I’ll have more information on 2022 summer feeding programs as soon as they are available.
If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.
Hewes Family Fun 