family

MIDAS: Oil Change Deals!

Abby H.

Summer means road trips! Before you hit the road, make sure your car is road-ready!

MIDAS wants to help you with a sweet deal.

Find a participating MIDAS location near you to get the coupon and request an appointment.

Once you find a location near you, you can print a coupon for a Conventional Oil Change & Tire Rotation for only $29.99 plus a disposal fee at MIDAS. Prices and fees in Hawaii/Alaska are $49.99.

I printed my coupon off this morning, I’m getting Princess Sparkle Cupcake (this is what happens when you let the 4-year-old name the new car) ship shape, and ready to get outta town!

 

5/30/2022 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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I came back from my camping trip a few hours ago, and I’m already done with the meal plan for the week.

I’ll hit up the store tomorrow AM after I take the kids to school. We need just a few things… like MILK!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $28. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: I picked up our Dream Dinners order last week, and we’ve got a couple on deck for this week. I’m leaving a lot of prepped foods for the rest of the family to enjoy while we are out camping.

    • Monday: Nug night- crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
    • Tuesday: Savory chicken with sesame honey butter, corn, broccoli
    • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, fruit)
    • Thursday: Charhouse Chicken Sandwiches with Heirloom Potatoes,
    • Friday: Takeout night!
    • Saturday:  Leftovers
    • Sunday:  Breakfast Burritos, fruit

My Savings Checklist: Before and After The Shopping Trip

Abby H.

One of the ways I save money on groceries is to utilize cashback apps. But I’ve never shared how I do my cashback “work”.

When it’s time to hit the store, I’ll scroll through Ibotta, Shopkick, and the Coupons.com apps to see if there is anything on my list. If so, I click the offer/coupon (only needed on Ibotta and Coupons.com, no work is needed beforehand for Shopkick). Sometimes I’ll check Fetch Rewards to see if there are any extra point offers. Last week there were two offers for hand soap in the Fetch Rewards app, which was on my list. It ended up making the handsoap free!

If I’m going to Target, I’ll also check the Target app for any coupons or Target Circle offers for anything on my list.

The nice thing about all of these apps is that you can scan the barcode of items if you aren’t sure they qualify for a rebate offer.

Once I get home and get everything put away, I take my receipts out and start scanning.

With Ibotta, Walmart and Target are no scan stores. Just make sure your payment card and Walmart/Target accounts are linked to Ibotta (It’s pretty easy and directions are available in the Ibotta App). For other stores, just open the app and follow the directions.

I scan my receipts through the following apps each time, regardless of what I buy:

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but really, it’s about 10-15 minutes once a week and I’m saving thousands of dollars a year. For the apps that offer gift cards instead of Paypal or Venmo payouts, I select gift cards for the stores I buy groceries or other goods frequently.

I love getting Target Gift cards. I can load them directly to my Target App, and use them at checkout straight from the app, no need to carry around printouts or remember to open emails or other apps at checkout.

Talk Back: If there are any apps that you like that I didn’t mention, please leave a comment!

 

 

 

5/23/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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This is a short meal plan week for me. I’m taking the big kid camping starting Wednesday afternoon. We are going to Potrero War, run by our local SCA branch. I’m on staff, so we are going early.

I went to the store last night and picked up some goodies to get us through the week. Little Bit and her daddy are staying home. She is not outdoorsy.

I’m so excited because our JUMBO CSA box is arriving today while I’m at work. That means this afternoon I’ll be prepping fruits and veggies to keep us healthy and fed for the week. I’m taking about half of the veggies with us to cook while we are camping. We cook a lot over charcoal in dutch ovens, and I’m excited to see how some of my recipes at home turn out in a dutch oven!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $28. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up milk and some misc. groceries last night. With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: I picked up our Dream Dinners order last week, and we’ve got a couple on deck for this week. I’m leaving a lot of prepped foods for the rest of the family to enjoy while we are out camping.

    • Monday: Nug night- crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
    • Tuesday: Lemon Feta Turkey Sliders with Crispy Shoestring Fries, green salad
    • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, fruit)
    • Thursday: Pasta with roasted veggies
    • Friday: Takeout night!
    • Saturday:  Leftovers
    • Sunday:  Quesadillas, beans, rice, green salad

Kids Night Out at Parkway Plaza!

Abby H.1 Comment

Parkway Plaza is back at it with kids’ events!

Gather the kids and take a night off!
Bring them out to Parkway Plaza on the 2nd & 4th Friday of every month for kids’ night out! Craft, dance and play with friends and family in our Channel 93.3 Lounge. Experience the real radio station set up and take family photos at one of the selfie stations throughout the lounge.
The next event is on May 27th!

Luck- Coming to Apple TV+ on August 5, 2022

Abby H.

We love Black Cats, and we also love Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek), so when I found out that the new feature Luck was coming to Apple TV+ on August 5, 2022, I was stoked.

You can check out the trailer here.

From Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation comes the story of Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world, who when she stumbles into the never-before-seen Land of Luck, sets out on a quest to bring some good luck home for her best friend. But with humans not allowed her only chance is teaming up with the magical creatures who live there to do it.

We have Apple TV+ as part of our Apple subscriptions, and we love their original programming.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with over 244 wins and more than 961 award nominations and counting, including this year’s Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

5/16/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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The end of the school year is coming, and that means one of my jobs is coming to an end for a few months. I’m going to be doing some budget re-tooling this week, and you may notice some posts here or on IG about budgets.

I spent the weekend with the family at a wedding, and then also at a school event. It was a lot, and the kids had a great time.

This morning I’m cleaning out the fridge and making room for our next CSA Box!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $28. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up milk and some misc. groceries last night. With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: We’re working our way through our monthly Dream Dinners order, and I am making two this week. We’ve got our usual Monday Nuggets and Friday Pizza planned, but other than that I’m cooking a lot this week!

Dream Dinners Fundraiser: Feed 37 people when You Buy 3 Meals for $50!

Abby H.

This just popped into my inbox, and I had to share.

You could feed a classroom full of children when you buy 3 Meals for $50 at the Dream Dinners Foundation Fundraiser.

When you buy 3 Medium Meals for only $50 for you to take home to enjoy with your family, the Dream Dinners Foundation will match the donation. The money raised from this fundraiser will go directly to pay for the supplies needed to pack 20,000 meals! The meals will be distributed to families with food insecurities both locally and abroad.

There are 5 options to choose from, and they are all GREAT. We love the Central Park Garlic Chicken with Oven Roasted Broccoli.

Meals will be available for pick up on Wednesday, May 18th, Curbside Pick up 4pm -6pm.

If you are interested in attending the volunteer meeting to learn more about how you can participate, you can also purchase this fundraiser special and attend the meeting. Call/Text 619-460-6800 or email lamesaca@dreamdinners.com for more details about that meeting.

hand to handmeal packing volunteer tablegirls with plates

Tryazon: Sweeten Lunchtime with Zollipops and Lunch Notes!

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

Brighten your kids’ lunchtime with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Zolli Candy and MyWish4U. Zolli Candy is all sugar free and is supercharged with smile-friendly, natural ingredients that are actually good for your teeth! Zolli naturally balances your pH and reduces acid in your mouth making it the perfect way to end lunch! ZolliPops and Zaffi are diabetic friendly, keto, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. Lunch Notes From Me® are a series of notes to tuck in your kids’ lunch to make sure they know they are loved and thought about when they are at school. They have a variety of notes including Facts & Funnies, Riddles & Giggles, Brainteasers & Giggles, and more!

Tryazon has 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack valued at $75+ with a variety of Zolli Candy and Lunch Notes From Me® to share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

Tryazon: Five Crowns & Farkle Game Night from PlayMonster

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

It’s game nighttime with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from PlayMonster. Featuring the award-winning card game, Five Crowns, and an additional bonus game, Farkle! Five Crowns is a five-suited rummy-style card game that is sure to become a favorite.  Its unique double-deck contains five suits: spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds, and stars! The rotating wild card keeps players on their toes! The game isn’t over ‘til the Kings go wild!

They have a total of 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with Five Crowns and Farkle, to sample and share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.