I found out about Stay Well US recently while researching for another post. This offer is 100% free and is only for those with Medicaid (Remember, in California, Medicaid is called Medi-Cal).
If you live in California or Utah and you have Medicaid, this offer is for you!
Stay Well US has three types of wellness kits available for free:
COVID-19 Tests: At-home test kits delivered to your door monthly.
Wellness Kits: OTC meds, vitamins, and first aid, all covered by Medicaid.
Quit Smoking Support: Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges—plus support to help you quit.
The process to obtain any of these is easy:
Submit a Quick Form: Tell Stay Well a little about your health needs.
They Verify Coverage: They work directly with Medicaid, so there’s no cost to you.
Receive Your Kit: Your approved COVID tests and wellness items are delivered discreetly and securely.
These offers have no out-of-pocket cost to you. As I find more deals and offers like this, I will post them.
Southwest is having a sale on fares through 11/13/25! Perfect for planning holiday travel or beyond- Travel valid December 3, 2025 through April 29, 2026.
The most important part of the fine print: 21-day advance purchase required. Purchase from November 10, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) through November 13, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. PT (“Booking Period”). Continental U.S. travel only. Travel valid December 3, 2025 through April 29, 2026.
Wanna just escape your home for a weekend or longer? Is Vegas calling? Whatever and wherever, it’s a great time to pack a small carry-on/personal bag and head out of town!
21-day advance purchase required. Purchase from November 10, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) through November 13, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. PT (“Booking Period”). Continental U.S. travel only. Travel valid December 3, 2025 through April 29, 2026. Knoxville travel begins March 5, 2026. Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) travel begins April 7, 2026. Travel blacked out December 23, December 30, and December 31, 2025. Travel is valid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fares valid on nonstop service where indicated; if not indicated, fares are valid on single connecting service. Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees. Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one-way flight. Seats, days, and markets are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of the week and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods. Travel is available for one-way Basic fares unless otherwise specified. Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare’s rules apply. Advertised fares may be available on other days of the week, but that’s not guaranteed. Basic fares are nonrefundable and non-changeable except as allowed by our 24-hour cancellation policy. Customers may be eligible for a flight credit if their flight is canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the flight’s original scheduled departure time. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation. Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel may require a fare upgrade depending on fare purchased and Rapid Rewards® tier status. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Offer applies only to published, scheduled service. Additional fees and charges for optional products and services may apply.
Are you a Teacher/Educator? EXCLUSIVE TEACHER OFFER
25% back in Bonus Rewards on a qualifying purchase.
Limit $100 back in rewards per member per week (details here).
Are you in the military? EXCLUSIVE MILITARY OFFER
25% back in Bonus Rewards on a qualifying purchase.
Limit $100 back in rewards per member per week (details here).
RECYCLING REWARDS Get $2 back in recycling Rewards the next daywhen you recycle your Ink & Toner Cartridge and make a $10 purchase in the same month.
Earn 2% back in Rewards on supplies, technology, furniture, and more.
And this is a new perk to me: Earn $2 Back in Rewards for reviews
Up to 3 reviews per month. Online only. Learn More
Thanksgiving is coming up, and even if you don’t celebrate it, this is a pretty good deal to fill your pantry or the pantry of someone you know.
Aldi, my favorite grocery store as of late, has a pretty amazing deal, and with Instacart store pickup, it’s even sweeter.
For $40, you can buy the following to create a tasty feast, or honestly, several great meals. I see ingredients that would make a few meals and hearty dishes, besides the usual holiday feast.
Whole Turkey
Chicken Broth
Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Evaporated Milk
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Miniature Marshmallows
Cut Green Beans (x2)
100% Pure Canned Pumpkin
Shells & Cheese (x2)
Brown Gravy Mix (x3)
Poultry Spices & Herbs
French Fried Onions
Pie Crust
Chicken or Cornbread Stuffing (x2)
Whipped Dairy Topping
Yellow Onions (3 lbs.)
Baby Peeled Carrots
Celery
Cranberries
Sweet Potatoes (3 lbs.)
Russet Potatoes (10 lbs.)
All of this is about $40 at your local Aldi. If you use Instacart store pickup through the Instacart app, you’ll save yourself about an hour of shopping (maybe a little more), and the groceries will be packed and loaded into your car for only $3.99
If you are new to Instacart, I’ve got a deal for you! Get $10 off your first Instacart order! Use my code AHEWES1A5 at checkout! Terms apply.
And yes, if you have any remaining SNAP/EBT benefits available to you, there is no pickup fee.
Ibotta has an offer for new Ibotta members, where they can redeem cashback offers to make part of their Thanksgiving feast free after rebate.
If you are already an Ibotta user, have no fear- there is a freebie for you, it just requires a little work.
Existing members can earn a free turkey when they refer their friends to Ibotta to claim their 100% cash back turkey offer! Just make sure they sign up using your referral code, and your turkey offer will be available once they redeem their first offer!
If you are new to Ibotta, you will receive the following rebates loaded into the app:
New members will receive offers for:
Any brand Turkey Roast up to $13.65
McCormick Gravy Packet
Edwards Whole Pie
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
You can download the Ibotta app here. When you use my referral code qmo4a, you will receive the amazing offers above! If you are looking for a good starter offer? Here is a free after-rebate offer I found in Ibotta!
I use Ibotta in conjunction with other apps like Fetch Rewards- I add all of my receipts to Fetch, each one gives me at least 25 points, and gets me closer to rewards like CVS Gift Cards, Darden Restaurant Gift Cards, or Vons/Albertsons Grocery Store Gift Cards.
Disclosure: this Post contains my referral code. I may earn a referral credit or bonus if you sign up through my link. I do not need the Turkey Roast, however if the offer becomes available to me because someone signs up, I will purchase it and donate it to someone in my community via my local Buy Nothing group.
Hey friends- I haven’t been posting much because I’ve been doing a lot of stuff away from the computer.
The holidays are soon upon us, and I’ve been stocking up on items to donate. I’ve been using the CVS app to find the best deals and the best way to get the most bang for my buck when it comes to my monthly $10 Extra Care Pass rewards. I pay for the Extra Care Pass program annually. It has a lot of great perks, including getting my prescriptions mailed to me for free. Between that and the free $10 in-store each month, it definately pays for itself.
So far, I’ve picked up shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, and body wash, all using my October 2025 $10 reward, as well as some $4 rewards I had on my CVS account from getting the kids’ prescriptions filled.
I’ve also been taking advantage of other sales and deals at Bath & Body Works. They have a great program where you can earn free full-sized products, access to free travel-sized products, and extra percent off deals. I recently had a free full-sized product, a free travel-sized product, and an additional 25% off coupon on my account. I was able to use all three and combine the 25% off coupon with the sale on $5.95 single-wick candles. I was able to buy presents for 5 people on my holiday gift list, including stocking stuffers for the kids.
I’ve also been taking advantage of grocery sales and rebate offers through WeStock, Social Nature, and Aisle to pick up free and less than $1.00 groceries to fill the local blessing box and donate to the local high schools’ food pantry.
Yes, these are clown beads. Littlest Kiddo loves clowns.
And because the holidays are coming up soon, I’ve kicked up my sewing and jewelry making. I’m going through my dwindling stash of fabric and craft supplies to make gifts for people on my gift list. I’m committed not to buy any new craft or sewing supplies unless I have a gift card and a coupon, or in the case of fabric, I can find it at a thrift store. There is a distinct lack of fabric stores in my area. I recently had a credit on my Temu account, and I was able to pick up some really cool beads.
I spent a few hours yesterday making bracelets and a few Paternosters for holiday gifts, and I pulled out the sewing machine and finished up some stuff lingering in my sewing inbox. One of the items was a medieval tunic that I made from an upcycled cotton tablecloth- I picked it up at a thrift store on 50% off day. And the trim was from a bag of misc. craft supplies at the same thrift shop on another day.
And of course, I do have a full-time job outside of the house, and I’ve got my kids 90% of the time.
I’m spending a lot of weekends hanging with kids, baking, meal prepping for the week ahead, and trying to teach the cat tricks- the last one isn’t terribly successful.
So while I may not be posting here multiple times a day any more, I am out there doing frugal stuff and trying to help as many people as I am able.
Costco.com has a lot of great deals and offers that aren’t available in the local warehouses. And don’t forget to check the banner at the top of the page once you get to the Groupon site for any extra coupon codes to save money!
Here are my top five Costco Bargains:
Rotisserie Chicken
Butter
Premier Protein Shakes
Kodiak Cake Flapjack Mix
Krusteaz Pancake Mix
Bananas
(Bonus) Their Gas Stations frequently are .20-.30/gallon cheaper than the “discount” stations.
This October 1-31, kids 12 and under receive free admission at many arts, cultural, and science museums and historical sites in San Diego County.
For those of us with curious kids, this is perfect! Kids can get into over 40 museums in the San Diego area for free with paying adults (all the info can be found here).
A full list can be found here. Oh, and as part of free October, Kids can get into the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park free when accompanied by a paying adult! Other Kids go free attractions include: Legoland, Sea World, and the USS Midway!!
*Some museums charge fees for special exhibitions, programs or films. Some museums may limit offer use to once per month per guest. Purchase of a Balboa Park Explorer Pass does not qualify as a paid adult admission for the Kids Free in October program. Purchase of a Go San Diego Pass or card does not qualify as a paid adult admission for the Kids Free in October program at most museums; call museum(s) before visiting to enquire.
Next Monday, 9/29/2025, is National Coffee Day. In the past, this meant free coffee flowing like water.
This year, there are a few fewer offers, but the available offers are pretty good.
I’ve separated the list into two categories: the first is offers that are available in the San Diego/Southern CA area (where I am), and the second is the rest of the country.
I am unable to confirm these beyond finding them online, so if you go into a store and it’s not an available deal, please let me know.
FYI- Many of these deals require a purchase.
If you are unsure if a local coffee shop or coffee chain in your area is participating, check the app or ask in your local store.
Deals available in San Diego/Southern CA:
7Eleven – FREE hot coffee with purchase for 7Rewards loyalty members in the 7Now app
85°C Bakery Cafe – FREE coffee in the app
Circle K – FREE hot or iced coffee in the app
Bruegger’s or Einstein Bros Bagels – FREE coffee with any purchase in the app
Burger King – FREE medium iced coffee for Royal Perks members with a $1+ online or in-app purchase
IKEA – FREE coffee or tea with IKEA Family
Wendy’s – Watch for a Hot, Cold Brew, or Frosty Cream Cold Brew for only 99 cents offer
Paris Baguette – FREE medium hot or iced coffee for Rewards members with any purchase from 27-29th
Deals available throughout the US:
Kwik Trip – FREE 12 oz Coffee with the app
Lamar’s – FREE small coffee
GetGo – FREE coffee when you scan your Giant Eagle Advantage Card
QuickChek – FREE hot or iced coffee with a purchase for rewards members
QuikTrip – FREE small coffee with the app
RaceTrac – FREE medium coffee via the app with the promo code: COFFEEDAY25
Wawa – FREE coffee for Rewards Members. Offer may vary by location, so check with yours
Shipley – FREE Cold Brew Donut or Original Glazed for loyalty members with the purchase of any coffee
I found out about Stay Well US recently while researching for another post. This offer is 100% free and is only for those with Medicaid (Remember, in California, Medicaid is called Medi-Cal).
Southwest is having a sale on fares through 11/13/25! Perfect for planning holiday travel or beyond- Travel valid December 3, 2025 through April 29, 2026.
I’ve also been taking advantage of other sales and deals at 
And of course, I do have a full-time job outside of the house, and I’ve got my kids 90% of the time.
October is a great time to be a kid in San Diego!
Next Monday, 9/29/2025, is National Coffee Day. In the past, this meant free coffee flowing like water.
Hewes Family Fun 