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5/10/2026 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.Leave a comment

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpg

May is a busy month for us, so it’s important to me that I plan out our meals on Sunday nights for the week.

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 skipped a grocery trip this week- We have plenty of food, and we had a  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box subscription drop off last Monday and have plenty of fruit and veg to get us through this week. I did a quick grocery inventory on Saturday morning to make sure we’d be ok.

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: Monday through Friday, I pack my own 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 a fridge clean-out. I saw a friend from out of town this weekend, and I have a lot of leftovers from cooking, plus some soup my mom gave me.

Dinner: This week, dinners are pretty simple. We have busy days, so I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. If one of the kids ends up not liking something, they can have a sandwich, a fruit, and a homemade smoothie.

This week’s available fresh fruits are: Gala Apples, cherries, and strawberries.

  • Sunday: Leftovers (We had a lot this week)
  • Monday: Cheesy Brats, chips, fruit, and smoothies

  • Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner (bacon and eggs)

  • Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner (I’m teaching that night)

  • Thursday: Quesadillas, beans/rice, fruit

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

5/4/26 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.Leave a comment

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpg

May is a busy month for us, so it’s important to me that I plan out our meals on Sunday nights for the week.

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 skipped a grocery trip this week- We have plenty of food, and we had a  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box subscription drop off last Monday and have plenty of fruit and veg to get us through this week. I did a quick grocery inventory on Saturday morning to make sure we’d be ok.

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 fridge and freezer clean out leftovers.

Dinner: This week, dinners are pretty simple. We have busy days, so I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. If one of the kids ends up not liking something, they can have a sandwich or a fruit and a homemade smoothie.

This week’s available fresh fruits are: Apples (3 kinds), oranges, and bananas.

  • Sunday:  Italian Night.
  • Monday: Chicken and Veggies

  • Tuesday: Tortellini Soup, Salad, and Bread

  • Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner (I’m teaching that night)

  • Thursday: Vegetarian chili, bread, and salad

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

April 2026 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 April. It was pretty busy for me, but I tried to make as much time as I could for my surveys and such.

  • MyPoints:  $20 in Amazon gift cards, mostly from my daily surveys, but I did do some shopping through their app and website to get points as well.
  • PaidViewPoint: $10.49 via PayPal
  • G2: $35 Amazon gift card
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Fetch: $6.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Galloway Research: $25 Amazon Gift Card for a Survey I did about school lunches for kids
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $22.46 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. $23.75

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:

May 2026: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.

 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.

This month, there aren’t a ton of free/100% Cashback offers available, but I’ve listed them below.

Wild Tuna in Olive Oil by Rio Mare
Multipack Sparkling Water by Sanzo

There are a lot more offers for BOGO or a percentage off, including brands like Daiyo, Ripple, Calafia Farms, SunButter, Back to Nature, and Javvy Coffee, to name a few.

If you are looking for other rebate sites, similar to Social Nature, check out Aisle,  WeStock, or Peekage.

March 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 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.

 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.

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.