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March Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.Leave a comment

Quests require compasses and treasure chests, right?Why am I referring to them as “quests” and not “hustle“?

Hustling indicates moving quickly to earn money. This year, I’m doing a little bit every day, approximately 20 minutes on small surveys and small tasks. I may earn less daily, but overall, I can use small tasks to earn more through compounding.

Here are the ways I earned money, and how much I earned on each side quest in March. March was a slow month for side quests. I’ve been working on blog stuff, and then Spring Break!

  • MyPoints: I have earned $20 in Amazon gift cards, mostly from my daily surveys.
  • PaidViewPoint: $10.72 via PayPal
  • Fetch: $10.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $6.50 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $23.52

As always, the links above may be affiliate links, and I might earn money or points if you join any of the above apps or activities. This helps support my blog and family.

If you are interested in my full list of money-saving/money earning activites, I encourage you to check out:

April 2026: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.Leave a comment

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I usually receive 4-6 offers/freebies per month, sometimes more if I have time to shop. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

In addition to the offers where they mail you a coupon for a free product, Social Nature has started offering 100% cash-back, similar to Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. I love this because I can select exactly what I want, Social Nature tells me which local stores have it, and I can add it to my next shopping list.

And it’s just as easy as Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. Snap a pic and upload it. You can select Venmo, Paypal, or an Amazon Gift Card for your rebate.

There are so many offers this month! Here are the Free/100% Cashback offers available now:

Organic Chocolates by VGAN
Fluoride-Free Toothpaste by Davids
KBBQ Fried Rice Roll by Ocean’s Halo
Organic XL Seaweed Snacks by Ocean’s Halo
0 Sugar Grape Energy Drink by Black Rifle Coffee
0 Sugar Energy Drink by Black Rifle Coffee
Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew by Black Rifle Coffee
Lightly Sweet Biscuits by Effie’s Homemade
Whipped Feta dip and Spread by Athenos
Skipjack Wild Tuna by Wild Planet
Wild Tuna in Olive Oil by Rio Mare
Neuro+ Smoothie Blends by Brainiac Foods

Proctor & Gamble: It’s Our Home Rebate Up to $15 Back!

Abby H.Leave a comment

Everyone loves to save money, right? Check out P&G brandSAVER Perks! Save on brands you love, earn rewards, and make an impact. Here are a few of the offers/deals available:

  • NEW It’s Our Home Rebate: Up to $15 Back.
  • Join P&G brandSAVER to unlock up to $15 back when you shop Tide and 20+ more brands.
  • Take quizzes, answer surveys, or scan your receipts featuring P&G Products.
  • Collect points for each engagement and redeem them for prizes like digital rewards and sweepstakes entries.

January Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.

Quests require compasses and treasure chests, right?Why am I referring to them as “quests” and not “hustle“?

Hustling indicates moving quickly to earn money. This year I’m doing a little bit every day, approximately 20 minutes on small surveys and small tasks. I may earn less daily, but overall, I can use small tasks to earn more through compounding.

Here are the ways I earned money, and how much I earned on each side quest this month. I have done some side quests, but I have not yet received the reward.

  • MyPoints: I have earned $20 in Amazon gift cards and approximately $25 in pending points. They should be available by the end of February.
  • PaidViewPoint: $11.45 via Paypal
  • G2: $10 Amazon gift card
  • Fetch: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $12.50 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Class action lawsuits (I use SettleMate to help me find ones that I might qualify for): $14.70
  • SBKC: $ 20.00 visa gift card (this was from envelopes that I had mailed back to them in December 2025)
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • BrandClub:  $10.29
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $42.44.

I can use my Amazon Gift Cards to pay for my monthly subscriptions for two months. I use Amazon subscriptions to buy household items that are cheaper on Amazon than local store prices.

As always, the links above may be affiliate links, and I might earn money or points if you join any of the above apps or activities. This helps support my blog and family.

If you are interested in my full list of money-saving/money earning activites, I encourage you to check out:

Do We Really Need 64 Ounces of Water!

Abby H.

Everybody knows the adage about drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, but where did it come from?

According to this NPR article, in 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board decided that 1 mL of water per calorie was what people needed to stay hydrated. This is approximately 64 ounces of fluid per day. And this stuck.

Per the Mayo Clinic, whats counts as water may surprise you: Any liquid, including foods that are high in liquid, like soups, smoothies, fruits, and vegetables like melons, citrus, and tomatoes, are excellent sources of liquid. This means you don’t need to chug a huge 64-ounce bottle of water every single day. As long as you are consuming foods that are high in liquid, you are getting enough hydration for your body

Too much of a good thing? Yes, you can be overhydrated, and that can cause an electrolyte imbalance, which can lead to cloudy thinking, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and even muscle cramps. This isn’t gonna happen unless you’re drinking over 4 L of water an hour. Overhydration does not happen often, but it can occur.

If you’re looking for ways to add hydration to your day, here are a few ways:

 

National Peanut Butter Day Recipes!

Abby H.

Today is National Peanut Butter Day. For those of us who love Peanut Butter, this is definately a day to celebrate.

I’ve rounded up a few recipes for y’all to try:

If you love Peanut butter but need to avoid the natural fat/oil, I use PB2 in my protein shakes. If you also need to avoid added salt, Peanut Flour is a great option in place of PB2.

I love having Peanut butter on hand in my car snack box, so I use these Jif Cups or these By Nutz pouches.

Recipe: Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Abby H.

This is a very simple recipe, and it has a lot of variations for budget, and if you are trying to use up what you have in your pantry and fridge.

I got a package of rotisserie chicken pulled off the bone from Costco not long ago. I defrosted it, and now I’m ready to start using it.  If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken, you can substitute 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken or 2 small cans/1 large can of canned chicken, drained, rinsed, and shredded.

Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked/shredded chicken
  • 1 19-ounce can green enchilada sauce
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded sheese, divided (I used 1/2 Cheddar and 1/2 Asadero)
  • 10-ish corn tortillas, cut or ripped into bite-sized pieces (You may need more or less depending on how big your pieces end up)
  • Topings/Garnishes: Salsa, Sour Cream, shredded lettuce, diced onions, or picled onions (Your choice)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together the enchilada sauce and sour cream. Taste and add any additional seasoning as desired (onion or garlic powder, white pepper).
  3. In a 13×9 pan, coat the bottom with 2-3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce.
  4. Layer tortilla pieces, chicken, cheese, tortilla, and sauce until your pan is full.
  5. Top with any remaining cheese.
  6. Tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake covered for 35-40 minutes.
  7. Remove foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is browned and bubbly.
  8. Serve with toppings/garnishes as desired.

 

This meal serves 6-8, depending on the sides you choose to serve.

Leftovers can be frozen.

 

 

Score Deals with Amazon Haul!

Abby H.

I had never heard of Amazon Haul until earlier this week, when a co-worker told me she scored a box of 40 name-brand mechanical pencils for less than $10.

Amazon Haul is Amazon’s take on discount goodies, similar to Temu and Shein. Most everything is $20.00 or less. There is a section at the top of the Amazon Haul page with $1 & under deals! These items are limit 3 per customer.

I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive pencils for work and for my kids, so I had to give it a gander.

Here are a few of the sweet deals I ran across. I separated them by less than $1 and over $1.

In the $1.00 or less category-

Over $1.00, and still a good deal:

And there are thousands more deals in almost every category on Amazon Haul– It is definately worth a peek.

Regal Cinemas: Celebrate National Popcorn Day on January 19!

Abby H.

National Popcorn Day is January 19th, and Regal Cinemas is helping you celebrate!

Dress up in your favorite costume and head to a Regal near you on January 19 to score a FREE large popcorn.

To sweeten the deal, tag them at your local Regal in costume on National Popcorn Day in an Instagram post (IG Username: Regalmovies) for a chance to win 3 FREE months of Regal Unlimited.  10 winners will be selected starting at 10 AM ET on 1/20/26.

1/11/26 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgMeal Prep and Meal Planning is back for 2026!

I prepped Taco bowls for my work week lunches, I’ll taco home made guac and tortilla chips with me as well.

I’ll post the taco bowl recipe this week. They are super good (I had one yesterday for lunch).

I also cut up a lot of fruit for the week- I’ve found if it’s grab and go, the kids and I are more likely to eat it,

To keep my grocery budget down, I shop at Aldi (using Instacart, I wrote about how to do it here), our local Grocery Outlet, and use cashback rebates that offer a lot of 100% back (I wrote a post about some of my favorite apps here).

I hit up Aldi on Saturday and restocked a lot of pantry staples- canned tomatoes in various forms, several types of beans, and rice. I also picked up corn tortillas, cheese, and bread. We go through a lot of bread because my oldest has a sandwich every day for lunch. I was out the door for $74.13, just under my budget of $75.00.

Breakfast: The kids tend to eat cereal, a bagel, or an MBS (Mrs. Bear Special) each morning for breakfast. I usually have a proffee and a slice of toast with goat cheese and spicy honey.

Lunch: M-F I pack myself and the kids’ lunches. I bring 5 lunches to work on Monday and stash them in the fridge. I pack the kids’ lunches each night before bed, except for the cold stuff and ice pack- those I put in when I get up in the morning. This week, my lunch is taco bowls.

Dinner: This week, dinners are pretty simple. I’m easing back into meal planning in 2026, and not planning any complicated dinners that involve a lot of steps.

If there is something that one of the kids ends up not liking, they can have a sandwich or a fruit and yogurt smoothie.

  • Sunday:  Homemade Soup (thanks mom!), and homemade bread. The big kid had a smoothie.
  • Monday: Mac n’ Cheese, Meatloaf, and Fruit

  • Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner (Waffles, Eggs, & Fruit)

  • Wednesday: Skillet meal- Maybe Chicken Tetrazini

  • Thursday: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, fruit smoothies

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza and whatever leftover fruit is hanging around.