family

Two free offers at San Diego area McDonald’s!

Abby H.

Right now there are two great free offers at McDonald’s! Both of which are on the healthy side.

screen-shot-2016-09-08-at-9-50-19-amThis week, Sept. 8-10 from 7 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visit a participating San Diego County McDonald’s restaurant to sample a Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait made with nonfat vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.

Combined with the sweet taste of strawberries and blueberries, and topped with granola, Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfaits are perfect for breakfast, as a side, or a mid-day snack – especially with the classic vanilla taste of Chobani® Greek Yogurt.  YUM! I think Bitty Bird and I will hit up our local McDo’s after the Y today and get a coffee and free Parfait!

And offer #2 is a favorite around these parts!

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On Tuesday, Sept. 13, participating restaurants will offer free breakfast from 6:30-9:30 a.m. to students in kindergarten through eighth grade when an accompanying adult uses the McDonald’s App. In San Diego County, students can enjoy an Egg McMuffin or Egg White Delight, apple slices and milk.

To redeem this offer, an adult must download or have already downloaded the McDonald’s App, present the offer to the cashier and ask the cashier for the free back-to-school breakfast. Students younger than 13 years of age are required to be accompanied by a parent/adult to redeem this offer at participating McDonald’s restaurants. This offer may vary throughout the state and only one breakfast is allowed per student.

The MCDonald’s App is pretty cool. You can earn free McCafe Beverages, and there are coupons that are only available on the app (like BOGO happy meals and free upgrades!).

So there you go! Two tasty deals. Thanks to my Friend Su for the heads up on the second offer!

#Brickortreat is Coming to LegoLand!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2016-09-02 at 12.03.21 PMOk, I’m not sure who is more excited about Brick Or Treat this year, me of Big Man!

If you are scratching your head, lemme tell you all about how Awesome Brick or Treat at LegoLand is!

After the gates close and the visitors have left, LegoLand California turns into an enchanted and haunted party for kids (and adults too!). On October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29  Halloween fun and extended Park open hours (5-9pm)! Here are just a few of the fun activities that will take place:

  • Ghost Cruise adventure
  • A new pop-badge challenge through Fun Town
  • A new theater show in Castle Hill
  • A fall festival complete with a LEGO® pumpkin patch building activity and blue-grass style music in LEGO Friends Heartlake City
  • Treat stations with specialty items including a LEGO®commemorative Brick
  • Roaming candy carts throughout the Park and two bonus treat stations inside SEA LIFE® Aquarium.

_EP_5609And the best part is, right now there are Early Bat Specials where you can get tickets to Brick or Treat Nights for just $35 a Person! That’s 4 hours of trick or treating, rides, crafts, and dance parties! Wanna Play all day and party all night? Full day packages start at just $60!

_EP_5355 Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram feed for photos of our LegoLand Adventures!

New Month,New Coupons!

Abby H.

file000786402730Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks!

Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:

$0.50 off ONE BOX Reese's Puffs cereal
$1.00 off any ONE PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Brick
$0.60 off any 2 Lipton Recipe Secrets
$2.00 off one Persil
$1.00 off one Jennie-o

San Diego Fire Rescue 5K & Kids Run October 8!

Abby H.

SDFRF_5K_medal_finalI am so excited to share this great event with you all!

Fire danger is real here in San Diego, and as a result, San Diegans have a special affinity for Firefighters and other emergency workers. To help these firefighters train and continue to hone their skills, The San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation is proud to sponsor the San Diego 5K & Kids Run.

The event is on October 8, 2016- It’s also a great way to kick off Fire Prevention Week!

The San Diego Fire Rescue 5K & Kids Run is for everyone and offers several divisions including:

  • 5K Run/Walk,
  • 5K Run/Walk Stroller Division,
  • 5K Public Safety Division,
  • 1-mile Kids Run and a 100 meter Sparky Sprint

Firefighters will run along with participants and meet them at the finish line to hand out finisher’s medals.

Families, the community and race participants can also enjoy the interactive Fire Safety Expo. The Expo features firefighter demonstrations, SDFD specialty divisions including Bomb Squad, Hazmat and Heavy Rescue. Also present will be Sparky the Fire Dog, San Diego Project Heart Beat, CERT San Diego, San Diego Lifeguards, SDG&E Fire Safety House and more.

Race Details:

When:  Saturday, October 8, 2016   First Race Start: 8:30 am

Where:  Embarcadero Marina Park South 200 Marina Park Way San Diego, CA 92101

Admission:      Entrants may sign up online here. I have a special for my readers,  Save $5 off your entry fee with coupon code: SDFIRE5K 

  • $40 – July 1 through September 11
  • $45 – September 12 through October 1
  • $50 – October 2 through October 7
  • $25 – 1 Mile (Kids ages 6 – 12)
  • $10 – Sparky Sprint (Kids ages 3 – 5)

Entry fee includes: race shirt, drawstring goodie bag, custom finisher’s medal, access to the safety expo and beer garden (21+). Individuals, families, and kids are welcomed participants. Awards will be presented for first place male and female in each division!

As the course is very flat and stroller friendly, we’ll be walking as a family, and I’d love to see readers out there as well! If you participate, please let me know!

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School is Back in Session- Time to Start Saving!

Abby H.

Bus2I don’t know about you, but when I’ve got both kids home all the time, it’s a lot harder to keep on my frugal goals.

I’m all about taking advantage of local free and cheap fun (like events at our local library or community center, local parks and splash pads), but for some reason summer vacation always distracts me from frugality. Maybe is the 100+ degree temps we’ve been having most of the summer.

Well, we are into our second week of school and I’ve re-committed to my frugal lifestyle for my family.  Here are just a few things I’ve done over the past two weeks:

  • Meal Plan using what’s on hand in out cupboard before heading the the store. I’ve also planned out school lunches too!
  • Committed to taking drinks with us when we leave the house.  This doesn’t sound like a lot, but when it’s over 100 degrees in the shade, we go through a lot of water on our daily adventures. Check out the cool growler I got on Amazon. It’s supposed to be for beer, but I fill it with ice cubes and water each day and it comes with me in the car- it’s an easy way to get your 8 glasses in! I also take iced coffee with me in the morning to school drop off.
  • Set a schedule for Bitty Bird and I.  Again, a schedule doesn’t sound like a way to save money, but now I know what we are doing each day after Big Boy is at school. I have time each day while she is napping to write, research, and do Amazon Reviews.
  • Plan out shopping trips a little better.  Now that I don’t have two extra sets of hands helping me shop (especially a 5 year old who is constantly near death starvation when in proximity to a grocery store), I can look at ads, check my smartphone apps for rebates and deals. I also have more time to print coupons! This really saves me money (and time).

Now that school has started, I’d love to hear how you’ve recommitted to your goals (whatever they might be).

 

Daniel Tigers Neighborhood – LIVE is coming to San Diego!!

Abby H.1 Comment

Lil’ Man is stoked! Daniel Tiger and all of his friends are coming to town!!

The legacy of the beloved “Mister Rogers” lives on with the hit television series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, from The Fred Rogers Company and airing daily on PBS KIDS. Now, Daniel and all of his friends are hopping aboard Trolley to delight live audiences with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live! coming to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido on Friday, October 28th at 6:30pm. Tickets at artcenter.org, 800.98.TICKETS, or the California Center for the Arts Escondido Box Office.

Donning his iconic red sweater, Daniel invites the audience on an interactive musical adventure as he and his friends explore the vibrant world of their much-loved Neighborhood of Make-Believe, sharing stories of friendship, helping others, and celebrating new experiences. This live theatrical production filled with singing, dancing, laughter and “grr-ific” surprises will warm the hearts of multiple generations.

And to make this show even more affordable, my readers can Save $5 on Daniel Tiger tickets in Escondido!

@usfg

My hustle: How I make Part Time Income as a SAHM!

Abby H.6 Comments

When I started this blog, it was to get back to my roots- Helping people save and earn money. As a result, I don’t make a lot of money from this blog. So, I needed to bump up my side hustles to make the part-time income that I’d grown accustomed to. I thought I’d share my best hustles with you.

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If you are unfamiliar with the term hustle, Urban dictionary defines it as, “Anythin you need to do to make money… be it sellin cars…… If you makin money, you hustlin.”

I have two littles to take care of, so keep that in mind. If you don’t have kids, you might be able to spend more time doing each of these activities, which in turn could yield more money!

Surveys online. Here are two fer shure, legit companies that I use. Pinecone Research (they are always looking for 12-24 or Hispanic demographics) pays $3.00 paypal per survey! My other favorite is PaidViewPoint– They only send you surveys that you qualify for, so there is no wasted time. Payout is only $15.00, so I make payout about once a month. It’s not tons of work, and every little bit helps! What I like about these companies is that they only send you surveys that you are qualified for. No time wasted to find out a quota is full or that you don’t fit their criteria. 

Some survey companies also do paid trials: They send you a product, you use it then complete a survey and give your opinions on the product. And you get paid! So it’s a win win. You get a free product, and you get paid!

Secret shopping. There are tons of apps and websites that will help you find secret shopping gigs. I recommend checking out Volition.com for a listing of secret shopping companies (and reviews). A few of my friends recommend jobslinger.com as a great resource. I earn about $75.00/week doing secret shopping and that’s for less than 1 hours work! Some companies don’t need you to buy anything, just go in an evaluate customer service, or audit shelves to make sure items are in stock. Oh, and I can take Bitty Bird along with me!

Turn your Junk Mail into Cash! I’ve been doing this for YEARS, and I love it. You can learn all about Small Business Knowledge Center here.  I just got another $20 Visa GC in the mail yesterday! My forth this year! We get tons of junk mail right now because we refinanced our mortgage not long ago.

Focus Groups. I wrote about them here. They are not a constant source of money, but I do one about once a month or so, and they tend to pay $75 or more for just a few hours of your time. It’s a fun way to share your opinion with companies and earn some great money.

And of course, I use cashback apps. My full list of favs can be found here. No lie, I cash out about $50.00 a month between all of the apps downloaded onto my iPhone!

Then there are of course the old stand-bys to make money:

  • Garage sale (seriously, everyone has too much stuff),
  • Utilizing Resale Shops (Kids clothes, ladies clothes, sporting goods, etc.)
  • Recycling bottles and cans,
  • Driving for Uber or Lyft,
  • Babysitting or pet sitting
  • Selling your plasma. In San Diego, Scantibody Labs is the main company that does this.  There are some pretty strict rules about this so if you have a lot of tattoos or piercings you may not qualify. I have super tiny veins, so I am unable to do it.
  • Selling your stuff on Craigslist, or apps like Close5 or OfferUp.
  • Tutoring kids or offering lessons in an area that you excel in (musical instruments, art, sewing, math, cooking, etc.)
  • Finding items at thrift shops or garage sales and re-selling them on eBay or other sites for a profit.

A lot of these can be done from the comfort of your home, or can be done in conjunction with your normal errands, so there is no extra money spent on gas.

What is your hustle? How do you make extra money?

Win a family vacation to the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort from Little Passports!

Abby H.

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.**

 Win a trip to the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and a prize package worth more than $3,500!

Little Passports is partnering with the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and Southwest Vacations to give away a family vacation that’s #builtforkids!

One Grand Prize Winner will enjoy:

  • A 2-night stay for 4 people at the LEGOLAND® Florida Hotel.
  • A family four-pack of tickets, good for use at the LEGOLAND® Florida Theme Park + the LEGOLAND® Florida Water Park.
  • Round trip air travel for 4 people via Southwest Airlines® to Orlando (MCO) compliments of Southwest Vacations®.
  • (2) 12-month Little Passports subscriptions.

 

This Sweepstakes ends on July 31st 2016! Enter the Little Passports and LEGOLAND® Florida Resort Sweepstakes today!

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configuration, the Minifigure and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. @2016 The LEGO Group. No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of USA, age 21 and older at the time of entry. Approximate retail value of prize $3787. Sweepstakes will be open from 7/1/16 at 8:00am PT through July 31, 2016 at 11:59pm PT. For complete details, odds, and official rules, www.littlepassports.com/sweepstakes. Sponsors: Little Passports, LEGOLAND Florida and Southwest Vacations.

 

 

Having a Safe Summer with Patch-Up First Aid Kit!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 8.14.59 PMSo, if you are a mom, specifically a mom of little boys, you should probably own stock in a bandage company.

I was pretty excited when I was offered a First Aid Kit from Patch-Up. I am CONSTANTLY re-stocking our family first Aid kit. Between Lil’ Man’s damn near constant desire for bandages, and other household injuries (we’re all pretty accident prone), The ladies at the check-in desk at Urgent know several of us by name!

This kit has EVERYTHING I could need!

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I love how small the case zips down. It’s tri-fold, and really contains everything I might ever need to use! The best part is that it’s really affordable. There is no way I’d be able to put together this kit on my own for less than what this kit costs! This first aid kit would make a great baby shower gift, or even a housewarming gift.

You can pick it up here on Amazon.

I received this product for free to in order to facilitate my review, all opinions are mine and I received no financial compensation.

How to get stuff for free…

Abby H.1 Comment

bright boxesEveryone loves free stuff, right?

There are all kinds of sites on the web that tout tons of free samples and full size products, but once you read the fine print, you discover that you have to sign up for monthly subscription services, pay a crazy shipping/handling free, or some other crazy thing.

Here are some sites that I like that have hooked me up with free samples and free full sized stuff in the past that I recommend.

Sample Sized Products

Pinchme– They put samples out about once a month. Answer a bunch of demographic questions and they’ll email you when they have samples available. In exchange, they ask you questions about how you liked the samples.

MySavings Free Samples– MySavings has a great database of free sample offers that changes daily. I check it at least once a week!

Full Size Products

Tomoson– Tomoson helps brands get their products out into he hands of social media influencers. If you have a large social media following, check out Tomoson! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen some of the amazing stuff I’ve gotten!

Discounts and sometimes free full size stuff– These next website I am signed up with, but I have yet to find anything I am excited about signing up for. They offer deep discounts and sometimes free stuff in exchange for Amazon reviews.

Amazon Review Club

This website has a great list of review sites and how they suss out.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about how you get free stuff in the mail! Leave me your top tips and favorite freebie websites!