family

Fun (and some free) Stuff to do this weekend around Comic Con!

Abby H.
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Yup, this is Hubs as Louise Belcher from Bob’s Burgers last year at SDCC. Yup, I made the dress and the hat.

Didn’t get tickets to Comic Con? Don’t feel bad, a lot of people didn’t. BUT- that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun and festivities going on downtown.  There are lots of free activities going on in the Gaslamp and surrounding areas.

Here are links to a few resources. Not everything is free, and not everything is kid friendly or kid appropriate. I suggest you vet all of the activities first either with a phone call or a quick google search. Comics aren’t just for kids anymore.

2015 Comic Con off-site event Index

How to Enjoy Comic Con without a Badge

Top 10 Things to Do Outside Comic Con (FYI The walking Dead thing has been cancelled for this year 😩 )

If you decide the venture down there: Be safe, have fun, and take lots of photos!!

Exciting Science fun: Little Passports Coral Reef Kit

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.

I am super excited to share this deal. Lil’ Man and I are up to tons of sciencw-y fun this summer, and I JUMPED on this cool kit when I saw it!

Are you looking for a fun science project for your kids to do? What about one that can spark conversations regarding different ecosystems around the world? Sound like something for your Little Explorer? Little Passports has you covered!

With simple step-by-step instructions, this easy science activity for kids demonstrates how crystals form and encourages an understanding of underwater ecosystems.

Set up your trays with the paper coral forms, add the terraforming solution, and enjoy your child’s amazement as you both watch the transformation!

The Companion Guide features new adventures in Australia with Sam & Sofia as they explore the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef.

The kit includes:

  • Three coral forms, trays and terraforming solution
  • Instruction booklet with easy to follow step-by-step instructions
  • Companion Guide, featuring more Australia adventures with Sam and Sofia

    The Coral Reef Kit is recommended for ages 6+

    This fun science project is only $12.95 + shipping! Click here to purchase your very own Little Passports Coral Reef Kit .

 

 

Free Photo book from Shutterfly!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 7.11.03 PM(**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.)

 

SQUEE! So I’m a little behind on some of the deals going on right now, but here is one I am super excited to share! Now through tomorrow at midnight, you can score a free 20-pg 8×8 hard cover photo book from Shutterfly when you use Coupon Code SUNNYBOOK at checkout.

I’m ordering one tonight!!

Here is the super boring (but important) fine print: Offer expires June 30, 2015 (11:59 P.M. PT). Offer is good for one free 20-standard finish page 8×8 hard photo cover photo book through shutterfly.com, our mobile-friendly site or Shutterfly apps. Offer cannot be redeemed more than once per account and/or billing address. Taxes, shipping, and handling will apply. Customer may add options to their 8×8 book (additional pages, StorytellingTM styles and elements, photo book accessories, other cover types, etc.) at additional cost. Alternatively, customer may apply the current price of a 20-standard finish page 8×8 hard photo cover photo book (after taking into account any current discounts on shutterfly.com) toward the purchase of a larger photo book. Not valid on 5×7, 7×9, or 8×8 soft cover photo books, TripPix, prepaid plans, other products and prior purchases. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with other offers or credits. Not valid for resale.

Crockpot Recipe: Moosie’s Pot Roast!

Abby H.1 Comment

This is a family recipe that’s been around for years. Moosie was a friend of my great-grandmother who lived up in Chicago.

This pot roast recipe is what Moosie served when they had company from out of town.  It’s easy enough to make for your family any night of the week.  The leftovers (if you have any) make a great open faced sandwich.

Moosie’s Pot Roast

Ingredients

  • 1 2-3 lb. pot roast, your favorite cut (I like Chuck Roast)
  • 1 can reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 envelope powdered onion soup mix (I like Lipton’s)

Directions:

  1. Brown the pot roast, place it in the crock pot.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the soups, and pour over the roast.
  3. Place cover on crock pot and cock on low for 6-8 hours.
  4. Before serving, shred the roast with a fork.
  5. If you would like creamier gravy, add 4-6 tablespoons of low fat sour cream 20-30 minutes before serving.

Serves about 6-8. Serve with mashed potatoes  or broccoli.

You can also place 1 whole onion, sliced in the bottom of the crock pot, then the roast, and then poured the gravy sauce overall of it.

I’m Back!

Abby H.1 Comment

Margaret Announce
We welcomed our Daughter into the world on June 10th, and we came home from the hospital on the 12th. I’ve been busy getting the family adjusted to the new member, as well as visiting with relatives that have come to visit.

I’m trying to get some posts scheduled over the next few days. I’ve got fun, easy crafts and easy, delicious recipes to share!

 

 

Trips and tricks for saving money on your next car purchase…

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe had to replace Mr. C’s 14 year old Pontiac last year.  It was time. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of friends talking about replacing their older cars that aren’t as fuel efficient or that are starting to need some pretty costly repairs.

We knew the time to replace the old, creaky Pontiac was coming, so to prepare for the new car I did the following step

  • We made a list of cars that met our qualifications: price, specific gas mileage, features (safety & comfort). With a price range in mind, we could make sure that we had enough saved for a down payment.
  • We made sure that we had room in our budget for a car payment. We paid my car off last year (an entire year early!! I rounded up payments each month to the closest $10 and when we had extra money from rebates or bonuses, I sent a few extra hundred dollars to the finance company- those things really do help!).
  • I had been saving money each paycheck for a down payment.  It wasn’t a lot of money each month, but we’ve known for about a year that the Pontiac was on it’s last legs.
  • We filed our tax returns as soon as we were able- We wanted to use the majority of our refund toward the downpayment.
  • We looked online for vehicles that fit our qualifications, we used connections (that would also provide us discounts) through our credit union, insurance carrier, and through sources like UPromise to find vehicles within our price range.
  • We went into the dealerships pre-approved for a loan through our credit union.
  • We knew what was on our credit reports and our scores (Thanks to using CreditSesame), so we knew that we could leverage that if needed to try and get a better APR.
  • I checked with our insurance carrier prior to purchasing the new car to see what the insurance premiums would look like on several cars on our list.  We needed the premiums to stay pretty much the same.

In the end we purchased a 2011 Prius from Toyota of El Cajon. The process was easy, fast (4 hours, but if you’ve bought a car, you know how long it takes), and our sales consultant, Jason Mongold, was awesome. He and his managers helped us find a car that met our criteria and budget, and they gave us a great amount for our trade-in.

Take your time and make sure you review all of your options when buying a car. Whether you buy new or used, from a dealership or private party, do your research!

Carfax Reports– learn all about the car you are about to buy (accidents, title status). Most dealerships that sell pre-owned cars will show you the CarFax report before you purchase.

KBB.com– Find out the value of your trade-in, and the value of the car you are about to purchase.

Little Man sitting in Daddy's Pontiac one last time!
Little Man sitting in Daddy’s Pontiac one last time!

What are your tips and tricks for purchasing a car?

Mixing up hydration with Soda Stream!

Abby H.

Recently, a friend asked me for some non-soda uses for her Soda Stream machine. Since I use ours at least 2 times a week to whip up liter bottles of fizzy water, I figured I’d share some of my concoctions!

Screen Shot 2015-05-31 at 6.58.19 AMThis is the Soda Stream Machine we have.

Here are a few ways to use your Soda Stream besides adding the Soda Stream syrups.

  1. Fill a fancy pitcher with 2-3 cups of chilled, sliced fruit. I like Apples, oranges, lemons, Kiwi, and berries (not necessarily all together). Pour 1 liter of chilled carbonated water from the Soda Stream. It makes the best fruity fizzy water!
  2. Try Torani Syrups in place of Soda Stream syrup.  It comes in tons of flavors, in both regular and sugar free, including fun fruit flavors!
  3. Instead of adding syrup, why not try ice cubes made of fruit juice?  Fill an ice cube tray with orange juice, pomegranate juice, or whatever you have on hand.  Add ice cubes to your carbonated Soda Stream water and enjoy!
  4. If you are looking for a different taste, try the powdered beverage mixes in your carbonated Soda Stream water.  Mix slowly, and carefully, since some of the powders may cause the water to get a little extra fizzy.  I like Crystal Light sticks, Snapple Sticks, and a few store brands that come in cranberry and cran-pear.
  5. Mio or other concentrated liquid beverage mixes are also great in your your carbonated Soda Stream water, and since you control how little or how much you add, your drink can be different each time!
  6. If you are looking to jazz up your beverages, try an Italian Cream Soda.  It’s a pretty easy recipe:

Italian Cream Soda

Ingredients:

  • Ice,
  • 1 ounce syrup,
  • carbonated Soda Stream water (8-12 oz, depending on your glass size),
  • 1 ounce cream,
  • whipped cream (optional, but everyone loves whipped cream).

Directions:

  1.  Scoop ice into glass
  2. Pour your carbonated Soda Stream water over the ice cubes
  3. Pour 1 ounce syrup over the ice and water.  Stir with a stir stick.
  4. Pour 1 ounce of cream over the top- Do not stir.
  5. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

How do you use your Soda Stream Machine?

Shopping for real food on a budget!

Abby H.

IMG_3236As you can see from the photo, we buy a lot of fruit.

I bought this fruit late last week, and within 3 days, the raspberries and cantaloupe were GONE.

So why am I sharing this photo of my fruit purchases? To illustrate that you can eat healthy on a budget.

I visited Our local Ralphs, armed with 8 $1/1 Driscoll Coupons (Internet printable coupons from their surveys), a $5/$15 Produce E-coupon on my Ralphs card (like them on Facebook here and you’ll be notified when new produce coupons are added- usually once a month), and a free Muller Yogurt E-coupon (Free Friday Download).

For $4.19 Out of Pocket, I brought home:

8 containers of driscoll’s raspberries
2 bananas
1 mango
1 personal sized watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 muller yogurt
1 carton coolwhip

The raspberries are $1.28/carton, so after $1/1 Q they are a paltry .28/carton. SCORE. I saved over $50 with my coupons and ralphs club card. UGH. I can’t imagine paying full price for anything.

The only not so “real food” purchase was the whipped topping. I made the Cool whip into Bachelor Mousse (1 small box instant chocolate pudding, 1 1/2 cups milk, whole carton of cool whip, beat together and serve with fruit) and we had it for dessert a few times. It’s quick, easy, and the boys LOVE IT.

So you can do it- keep your eyes open for sales on produce, meat, whole grains, and other stuff your family likes to eat. Don’t forget to take advantage of printable coupons and rebate/money saving apps!

Frugal Cooking: Italian Sausage Casserole!

Abby H.
Tomato Sauce MGD©
Homemade Sauce- Yum!

This is a family favorite, even little man loves it!

You can make as much of it from scratch as you’d like, or if you’re in a hurry, you can use pre-made sausage and sauce.

This recipe is also great because you can make it vegetarian with soy crumbles, or even vegan if you use alt. cheese. Use Gluten Free Pasta and this dish Gluten Free!

This is a great dish to take to potlucks!

Italian Sausage Casserole

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of pasta, your choice, cooked al dente and drained
  • 1 jar of your fav pasta sauce, or 4 cups home made sauce
  • 1 lb bulk Italian sausage, crumbled, cooked and drained (or 1 package soy crumbles) You can use ground beef if you prefer.
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or 1 cup vegan cheese)

Directions

  1. In a large baking dish, mix the pasta, sauce, and sausage.
  2. Top with cheese.
  3. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melty.
  4. Serve hot with crusty bread and a green salad.

 

Big Sale Weekend!

Abby H.

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Memorial Day is the 25th (this upcoming Monday), and that means there are going to be all kinds of really great deals and sales.

I try not to post a lot of sales and deals, but this week I’ll be posting 1-2 per day when I find some really great deals that I personally think are worth taking advantage of.

These companies are all ones that I shop at regularly, and really like.

So hold on to your hats, It’s about to get crazy and frugal.