June 2025: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 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.

Here are just a few of the offers available now:

  • Gluten-Free Whipped Feta by Athenos
  • Neuro+ Smoothie Blends by Brainac Foods
  • Swirl Smoothie Bowls by Pitaya Foods
  • Mental Performance Shots by Magic Mind
  • Gorgie Sparkling Energy Drinks

Save More with Walmart Cash!

Have you heard of Walmart Cash? I just learned about it today. I don’t shop there too often, and it seems like a good program for those people who shop at Walmart with regularity.

Similar to Ibotta, when you shop through the Walmart App, or on the website, visit the Walmart Cash page and clip any offers that appeal. When you purchase those items, you will receive Walmart Cash. Amounts vary by products, and offers change frequently. These offers cannot be stacked with Ibotta.

Here are a few of the current offers.

You can redeem your Walmart Cash on your next purchase, or you can head over to Money Center or Customer Service to cash out- you’ll need the Walmart app or be logged onto the website on your mobile device. More info can be found here.

Weekly Reset- Preparing for the week ahead (family edition)

This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything I do each weekend to reset, but it does hit all the major points.

On Saturdays, I do the weekend prep for the week ahead. This includes the following:

Laundry. I try to do a few loads of laundry during the week so that it doesn’t pile up, but Saturday is my day to fold clean clothes, hang things up, and make sure everything gets put away. And mate socks. I usually listen to a podcast or watch something on my phone while I do this. I keep my eyes open for deals on laundry detergent. One of my favorite deals is the Buy one, get two free Arm and Hammer detergent deals that happen every 6-8 weeks or so at Walgreens. The deal starts again tomorrow, May 4, 2025.

Put outfits together. I started doing this about a year ago, and it saves me time every morning. I can just go into my closet, pull off an outfit off the hanger, and I will have a top and a bottom already to put on. My youngest picks out their clothing before bed every night, and my big kid does not care what he wears to school. So most of his clothes are mix and match athletic shorts or exercise pants, and a funny graphic shirt or a sweatshirt if it’s cold.

Clean out the fridge. I was up this morning before 7:30, and I reorganized the fridge and pulled out the food that was starting to look a little beyond its days. I prep the fruits and vegetables that may expire or go bad first. For me, that means roasting vegetables, making a fruit salad, or making applesauce if we have some apples that are starting to bruise or go soft. Applesauce is super easy to make and does not take that long at all. If you have a lot of apples, you can make it in the crockpot. My crockpot applesauce recipe can be found here.

Restock the lunch/snack bins. I keep two plastic bins in my pantry full of lunch components for the kids lunches.  I tend to buy snacks in bulk when they are on sale, and then stash the extras downstairs in the garage in a plastic tote so they don’t all get consumed quickly.  For us that includes: Granola bars, goldfish crackers, bags of popcorn, gogosqueez pouches, lunch-size bags of preferred chips, freeze-dried fruit, dried mangoes, crackers, beef jerky, and individual bags of cookies. 

Restock the drinks and the protein shakes. I have a premier protein premade protein shake every morning for breakfast with 20 ounces of cold brew. Every weekend, I go down to the garage, grab enough for the week, and stash them in the fridge.  I will also put drinks in the fridge if we have premade drinks (that does not happen very often), and more juice boxes/Arizona iced teas in the fridge for the kids’ lunches for the following week. I will usually also make a pitcher of lemonade.

I make a batch of cold brew. Previously, I used my French press, but that was taking a while, and it takes up a lot of room. So I started making bundles with oversized coffee filters and cotton twine, but that just made too much waste. So this weekend, I’m gonna make some cold brew filter bags that are reusable. I’ll be using muslin and cotton twine, and I am hoping to make several of them. You can also buy cold brew bags online.

Clean out the kids’ backpacks. Usually, they will do it themselves, but every once in a while, I peek in there and find piles of crumpled papers and broken pencils and other stuff. This also includes pulling out their lunchboxes and making sure that their school iPads are charging. Once a quarter or as needed, I will throw their backpacks and lunch bags into the washer. Nothing is worse than a stinky backpack/lunchbox.

I clean the bathrooms each weekend. This includes taking out the garbage, sweeping, cleaning the toilets, and spraying down the showers. 

Vacuuming and sweeping. My cousin gave me a Roomba recently, and Roomba is currently doing its thing in the living room. And it does a really good job, much better than the Shark iRobot we previously had. Also, this Roomba has the cat on high alert. She sits and supervises to make sure that none of her toys get sucked up. 

Changing the sheets. I changed the sheets every weekend. I usually do one bed on Friday, one bed on Saturday, and one bed on Sunday. And put the bedding in the washing machine as soon as I strip it off the bed, that way I don’t have that much more laundry to do. These are my favorite sheets from JCP. They are on sale frequently, and cotton sheets are great for warm or cool weather!

I’m sure you are asking: What do the kids do? The big kid takes the trash and recycling down. The smaller kid helps gather dirty cups/dishes and gets them ready to load into the dishwasher. They both help with laundry. They pick up their belongings, and they keep their rooms tidy.

5/3/25 Weekly Freebies and Deals

This weekend is starting off right! Getting housework done, blog posts written, and of course- drinking a big iced coffee!

I’ve updated my list of freebies for birthdays in 2025, which you can find here.

If you are looking for free food resources, my comprehensive list can be found here. It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are outside my area.

Let’s get onto the Freebies!!

FREE RESCUE! Pest Control Party Pack
FREE Bulgari Allegra Fragrance Samples
FREE Sample of Cesar Warm Bowls Dog Food
FREE Ionvac Hand Vacuum Cleaner at Walmart After Cash Back
FREE Sample of Redken Naked Gloss Lightweight Shine Oil
FREE Petmate Chuckit! at Walmart Chatterbuy Kit
FREE Craving Cheesecake Donut at Krispy Kreme
FREE Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
FREE Sample of Lunar Hot Sauce
FREE Chocolate Dipped Fruit Cone at Edible Arrangements
FREE Sample of Sheba Selections Filets Cat Food
FREE Sample of Erborian CC Creme
Unlock Your Wellness Journey with Free Nutrition Samples: Try Before You Buy
FREE Salonpas Lidocaine FLEX Patch Sample
FREE Pet Travel Water Bottle & Food Container
FREE Movie Ticket to Fight or Flight
FREE 4pk of Mother’s Day Greeting Cards & Poise Liners
FREE Sample of Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen Lotion
FREE Sample of Carol’s Daughter Goddess Strength Curl Restoration Concentrate
FREE Sample of Narrow Gate Coffee
FREE Fiona Grey Beer Drunk Glory Days Koozie

 

Deals:

Kate Spade Leila Medium Crossbody ONLY $59 (Reg $299)
PROfit Handheld Massage Gun ONLY $34.99 (Reg $75)
NEW Smashburger Coupon! 50% Off Shakes Every Friday from 2–5pm
Save Up to 70% Off on Clearance Items at JCPenney – Prices From $1.99
SKIMS Discount Codes & Coupons: Up to 60% Off an Order of Panties, Bras and Shapewear

April 2025: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 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.

Here are just a few of the offers available now:

    • Small Batch Pasta Sauces by Sauz
    • Double Cold Brew Latte by Pop & Bottle
    • Gluten-Free Whipped Feta by Athenos
    • Natural Cleaning Solution by Cleanery
    • Mental Performance Shots by Magic Mind
    • Gluten-Free Twin Bar by Schär
    • Gluten-Free Cookies by Schär
    • Korean Chile Sauce by Mother-In-Law’s
    • Italian Protein Pasta by BRAMI

Saving and Earning Money for College with Upromise!

I’ve had an Upromise account for almost 20 years.

It’s a great way to earn and save money for college. I used my earnings/savings to pay for my college textbooks and parking pass when I finished my AA’s after a long break from college.

The Upromise savings tools and automatic transfers let you set goals and transfer your earned rewards into college savings plans.

Receive a $5.29 bonus when you sign up for a free Upromise account.

Receive a $30 Welcome Bonus when linked to a 529 account. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs.

Upromise® Mastercard® – Cardmembers earn 1.529% cash back rewards on purchases when their Upromise Program account is linked to an eligible College Savings Plan, or 1.25% cash back rewards on purchases if their Upromise Program account is not linked. Apply today at upromisemastercard.com

There are a lot of ways to earn money with Upromise: Shop online through their portal or add their Chrome Shopping extension to earn extra money. Upromise also has a Dining program, where you can earn cash back for dining at specific restaurants and paying with linked cards. I recently had dinner at a new restaurant with some friends and received an email that I earned cash back with  Upromise!

If you are looking for more money saving tips for college, check out my post here. 

Fun, Free, & Frugal Events for Kids & Families in San Diego, CA

With better weather and Spring Break on the horizon for most of us, it’s time to get out of the house and find some fun, free stuff to do!

San Diego is full of fun outdoor adventures. If you are looking for places to take your kids for some hikes or walks, Hidden San Diego has a list of 40 kid-friendly hikes here. Hidden San Diego also has some amazing information about San Diego’s history, locations to explore, and even some creepy lore surrounding America’s Finest City.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know about the JCPenney Kids Zone free crafts that occur every second Saturday of the month in selected JCPenney stores.

You probably also know about the Home Depot Kids Workshop, which takes place every second Saturday of the month. However, some stores do one every single week; you just need to check your local Home Depot store to find out.

Did you also know that Lowe’s Hardware store does a similar activity on the third Saturday of each month? 

Lakeshore, the educational store, holds free kids events, including storytime with Pete the cat and sensory events.

If you are in the eastern part of San Diego County, the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College offers free admission on Fridays from 9am-4pm.

While not always free, Michaels offers in-store classes for both Kids and adults. Sometimes, the classes are free, and sometimes there is a class fee (usually $15 or less). Classes run for about an hour, and you need to take something really cool home with you.

The San Diego Craft Collective at Liberty Station has a free class on the first Friday of each month from 5 to 6 PM.

Don’t forget their resident free days at Balboa Park every single Tuesday.

If you’re looking for more fun, free events, check your local shopping center or mall. Parkway Plaza in El Cajon has a free kids event every month. It usually involves a craft and some sort of fun games where you can win prizes. 

Groupon always has discounted admissions to local attractions like Legoland, Birch Aquarium, and indoor trampoline/play places.

 When I find more, I will definitely post more. 

February 2025: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

 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.

Here are just a few of the offers available now:

      • High Protein Gluten Free Bread by Unbun Foods
      • Italian Protein Pasta by BRAMI
      • Gluten-Free Fajita Dip by Fresh Cravings
      • Organic Cara Cara Oranges by Sunkist
      • Organic Kimbaps by Ocean’s Halo
      • Afia Foods Falafel
      • Zero Sugar Collagen Tea by Pretty Tasty
      • Probiotic Kombucha by Humm Kombucha
      • Natural Cleaning Solution by Cleanery
      • Protein Shakesby Rebbl

Upcoming Changes to Weekly Meal Plan Posts…

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI’ve been posting weekly meal plans here and on IG for over 7 years. I was reminded by an IG memory today of our weekly meal plan 7 years ago this morning.

I kinda stopped about Thanksgiving. I’ve been busy with my day job, juggling the children’s various weekly appointments, and life besides being a parent (spoiler: it’s hard y’all).

Here are a few changes I’ve made to save time, and money, and keep food waste down.

I have changed our Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box subscription to twice a month. I prep all of the produce the afternoon we receive it. That looks like:

  • Make a fruit salad
  • Make Salsa
  • Roast two sheet trays of veggies
  • Chop and prep any Cruciferous vegetables (specifically broccoli and cauliflower) for stir fry or soups.
  • Make up 2-3 bags of mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) for soups.
  • Make a veggie-based soup, this one is a current favorite.

Next up: I spend a few hours on Sunday  (or Monday in the case of three-day weekends), doing the actual prep. Planning meals, pulling recipes, making lunches for myself for the week, and making a few main dishes, or at least putting them together.

This week I prepped Pot Sticker bowls. a bag of frozen pot stickers, a bag of peas and carrots, rice, water, and teriyaki sauce. I had little takeout packets of teriyaki left, but if I needed to, I would use the tiny condiment containers I have (like these) to store the teriyaki sauce.

I made rice, fried the potstickers, and steamed the veggies. Portioned out four servings into reusable containers, and set on the counter to cool. Once they are room-ish temp, they get stashed in the fridge. DO NOT PUT HOT FOOD INTO THE FRIDGE.

I also cut up Cara Cara oranges, divided mini carrots into Ziploc bags, and pulled tiny hummus cups from the freezer. Yes, you can freeze hummus.

I also made sure that we have all of the veggies cut up for stir-fried orange chicken this week (chicken is already grilled and cut up in the freezer, all I have to do is defrost and heat it). I’ll cook some rice while the veggies are cooking, and dinner will be ready to go in less than 30 minutes.

I pulled a couple soups from the freezer this week too. When I make a batch of soup I freeze half of it for a future meal. This is an easy dinner that I can pull together with a fruit salad, a green salad, and garlic bread.

This week’s soups are: Split Pea and Chicken Noodle.

I pulled the half package of breakfast sausage I had in the freezer and we’ll be having breakfast for dinner one night: Sausage, fruit salad, hashbrowns, and waffles. The waffles I make using Kodiak Flapjack mix, milk, and an egg for a little added protein. I usually buy it at Costco, but Amazon has it too.

One night we’ll have a quick dinner: Beans and rice bowls, grilled cheese and fruit, salad, macaroni and cheese.

Friday is take-out night, and one night we do leftovers.

Because I have been prepping and planning for years and I have a pretty good inventory of our pantry and fridge, this process is fairly streamlined.

I do 99% of my shopping at Aldi these days, with a quick stop at Grocery Outlet if needed. I cook a lot more from scratch as of late to keep our grocery budget to a small fortune (about $150/week). That’s for three people, three meals a day, plus snacks.

Just like before, breakfast and lunch are pretty much the same:

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. While lunches are free in California schools, my kids prefer to bring their lunches from home.

So, overall, not much has changed here for me, just streamlining systems, and I feel like unless I make something really yummy and cool, I may not come back to posting weekly meal plans for a while.

Earn up to $50 Referring Friends to Venmo!

This offer is back. I use Venmo all the time, it’s perfect for splitting bills when you go out with friends, or use it when you do rebate apps, or Aisle rebates. I also pay our sitter with Venmo.

Head to the You page of the app and tap Invite Friends, Earn $5.  Then, using the share link, invite 10 new peeps to Venmo!

Everyone you refer will earn $5 for signing up after you make a bank- or card-funded payment of at least $5 within 14 days.

If you are new to Venmo, Click my link here or use my QR code!

This post contains affiliate links,  For more information about the use of affiliate links and partnerships, visit my disclosure page.