books

Score Sweet Freebies with Your Library Card!

Abby H.Leave a comment
Courtesy of https://arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Library_Card

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! If you don’t have a card, it’s one of the easiest things you can do to open the door to free (and cheap) entertainment.

Not only can you check out books in the library, but you can also gain access to apps like Libby, where you can borrow digital books, audiobooks, and digital magazines.

The following benefits are available from the San Diego County and City of San Diego Library networks. Check with your local library to see what benefits and events they host!

Get out on the Town: Reserve free or low-cost family day passes to local museums and attractions (like the New Children’s Museum, Museum of Us, and San Diego Museum of Art) using your San Diego Public Library or San Diego County Library card.

Get into Nature: CA State Library Parks Pass: Check out a physical vehicle-entry pass for free admission to participating California State Parks for 14 days. 

Digital Research Databases: Use your library card for free access to online subscriptions, language learning software, and digital archives.

Skill-Building & Wellness Classes: Access free instructional classes covering healthy aging, programs for adults with disabilities, and wellness activities like yoga or meditation.

Learning for the whole family: ABC Mouse is available for free with your library card, and it’s a great resource for young kids. There are resources for kids of all ages, including help with homework!

Free Events: Most local library systems host free events. Our local branch hosts activities for kids, families,  teens (laser tag once a month at the library after hours!), and seniors. There are tons of events every month– scroll through and find something that interests you!

 

2026 Summer Reading Programs

Abby H.

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’ programs 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’s summer reading program starts on 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 in 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, which 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!

Looking for a Gift for the Readers in Your Life?

Abby H.

I’ve got a couple of adult readers on my gift-giving list each year.

And it can be hard to find a book to give as a gift, but I recently discovered Book of the Month.

You can give a 3, 6, or 9-month membership, depending on what works for your budget.

Or, if you are the reader in your life, check it out for yourself! They have a pretty decent deal going right now: Join Book of the Month and choose your first book for $9.99 or make your pick later.

FINE PRINT: By clicking the checkbox above, you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy. You also acknowledge that you are signing up for a recurring monthly subscription. Unless you skip the month or cancel your membership using our site or app prior to the 21st of each month, you will be renewed for $16.99 plus tax next month and one credit will be added to your account redeemable for your next book. As part of your $5 enrollment offer, you acknowledge that you cannot cancel until after you are renewed at least once. As part of this transaction, you may see a $21.99 temporary hold on your payment method, which will be released in a couple of days.

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!

 

2024 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.

Here are a few of our favorite summer reading programs. I’ve listed the prizes that I could find, but at the time this post was published, not all of the prizes were known.

Unless specifically stated, the programs start June 1st.

Book It has a summer program called Camp Book it, 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!

The City of San Diego Library system program has published its prizes this year, and lemme tell you, it’s pretty amazing.

Children (Ages 0- 11)

  • 1 Book
  • Pass for 2 for The San Diego Natural History Museum (the NAT)
  • Pass for 2 for The San Diego Model Railroad Museum
  • Pass for 2 for the San Diego Automotive Museum
  • Pass for 4 for The San Diego New Children’s Museum
  • Free 3 oz yogurt from Yogurtland
  • Free kid’s meal from Mendocino Farms
  • Free kid’s meal from Panda Express

Teens (Ages 12-17)

  • 1 Book
  • Pass for 2 for The San Diego Natural History Museum (the NAT)
  • Pass for 2 for The San Diego Model Railroad Museum
  • Pass for 2 for the San Diego Automotive Museum
  • Free 3 oz yogurt from Yogurtland

Adults (Ages 18+)

  • Free book at participating Friends of the Library Book Sales and Used Bookstores
  • Pass for 2 for The San Diego Natural History Museum (the NAT)
  • 1 reusable utensil kit

For more information or to sign up, click 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 have a summer reading program starting July 1st. More info here.

Dolly Parton has established the Imagination Library, it is available in select regions (sadly not available in San Diego California), and those who live in participating areas can receive one book for their kids every month via mail.

Free, Frugal, Fun Adventures for Kids

Abby H.1 Comment

It’s the first day of Summer Break here, and I’ve already got a list of the fun stuff we can do to get the kids off devices and out of the house. I do not want to hear about boredom at all!

This list is very San Diego County-centered, but with a little bit of googling, I’m sure you’ll be able to find fun freebies and adventures near you.

Check with your local shopping mall, many of them offer free events for kids and families during the summer. For those of us in San Diego, Parkway Plaza in El Cajon has a twice-monthly event.

Kids Night Out
  Jun 23rd, 2023
  05:00 pm – 06:30 pm
Kids Night Out is back and better than ever!  The party continues right outside of Ulta Beauty every 2nd and 4th Friday from 5pm-6:30pm, starting in February.
There will be free crafting for kids,  dancing,  games,  giveaways, and more!
Registered guests will be entered to win rotating prize packages. Register here.
In La Mesa, Grossmont Center Mall has events for the entire family from summer concerts to Free Lego Building events.

2023 Summer Reading Programs (Free!)

Abby H.2 Comments

There are 6 days of school left for my kids, and maybe your’s too.  And you know what that means- keeping kids occupied so we don’t have to hear choruses of, “I’M BORED!” And how do we do that?

Around these parts, both kids go to summer school, but we also take advantage of free and low-cost summer programs. One of my favorites is the Summer Reading Programs that are sponsored by both the City of San Diego Library system, but also the County of San Diego Library system.

The City of San Diego Summer Reading Program started June 1st. You can find out more details 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.

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

Dolly Parton has established the Imagination Library, it is available in select regions (sadly not available in San Diego California), and those who live in participating areas can receive one book for their kids every month via mail.

Book It has a summer program called Camp Book it, 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!

And if you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to sign your kids up for the 2023-2024 school year Book It program. Teachers can sign their classes up too!

 

Talk Back: If you know of any other reading programs in the San Diego/Southern California area, please leave a comment!

Toys, Books, and Art Supplies Deals At Target This Week!

Abby H.

Target has some really great deals this week on toys and books- perfect for stocking up for the upcoming holidays!

Score a $5.00 Target Gift Cards when you spend $15+ on toys or books.

There are of course exclusions, click on the image and learn more.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can also score 25% off one toy with Target Circle here.

Target has started their Black Friday Sale early, and there are a lot of really great offers this week, as well as more planned throughout November.

If you have an artist in the fam, Target is offering 50% off selected Art & Writing kits this week. I know my littlest would totally dig this Sharpie set. 

If you are a military veteran or active duty member, Target has a thank you discount currently- just in time for Veteran’s Day! Get 10% off two separate purchases (restrictions apply). This discount is redeemable Oct 30 – Nov 12. Click here to learn more and details on how to verify!

And remember that you can save an extra 5% at Target every time you shop with your RedCard. You can learn more and apply here or in store. This 5% stacks with other coupons, discounts, and deals.

Target also gives you a discount of five cents per reusable shopping bag that you use per transaction- just remember to bring the bags in your car into the store!

2022 Summer Reading Programs

Abby H.

Summer is just around the corner. And you know what that means- keeping kids occupied so we don’t have to hear choruses of, “I’M BORED!” And how do we do that?

Around these parts, both kids go to summer school, but we also take advantage of free and low-cost summer programs. One of my favorites is the Summer Reading Programs that are sponsored by both the City of San Diego Library system, but also the County of San Diego Library system.

The City of San Diego Summer Reading Program starts June 1st. You can find out more details here.

The County of Sa Diego Library system has not yet released their Summer Reading Program at the time of this post, but their website should be updated with information closer to June 1st, the usual start date.

If you want your family to experience a multi-cultural 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.

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 (sadly not available in San Diego California), and those who live in areas that are participating can receive one book for their kids every month via mail.

Book It has a summer program called Camp Book it, where kids can read, and earn free personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut! Book It is the FAVORITE reading program in my house.

And if you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to sign your kids up for the 2022-2023 school year Book It program. Teachers can sign their classes up too!

 

Talk Back: If you know of any other reading programs in the San Diego/Southern California area, please leave a comment!

Q-insights- Books Study $200-$250

Abby H.

QI-logoNOslogan.png

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 interview on the topic of Books.

The study will run between February 21st to March 18th and you will be
compensated $200-$250 as a thank you for your time.

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.