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

Abby H.

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. 

March is frozen food month: What kind of food can you freeze?

Abby H.

It’s true: March is frozen food month. In previous years, there were deals and sales on frozen foods that you just couldn’t be beaten. But with the changing economic climate, a lot of these offers and deals have sort of dried up.

That brings us to what you can freeze. A lot of us are taking advantage of what little sales we can find, stocking up on pantry staples, and making sure that our pantries and freezers are full of food and ingredients. Freezing food is also a great way to keep leftovers that you may not want to eat within the next two or three days after making them.

I freeze a lot of stuff. When I make batches of soup, I tend to freeze 2 to 4 portions of it so that we can have a meal later, and all I have to do is defrost and heat.

When we have fruits and vegetables that are getting a little too ripe for us to eat, I will chop them and put them in Ziploc bags in the store in the freezer.

Here are other things that you can freeze with a little bit of prep work:

Shredded or grated cheese. Blocks of cheese tend to crumble when defrosted.

Milk: Unopened gallons of milk, can be stored. I recommend you open and pour off/drink about a quarter of a cup before you put the lid on tightly and put back into the freezer. This step is not needed with paper curtains. 

Bread/muffins/tortillas: Make sure you put it in a freezer-safe Ziploc container/bag to keep it from getting freezer-burnt. 

Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen. I recommend cutting everything up into bite-size pieces and storing them in zip-top/Ziploc bags. I do this with vegetables that I can put into soups and stews or casseroles and fruits that could be incorporated into smoothies later. Making sure everything is cut up into bite-size pieces means that it will cook more uniformly, and smaller pieces of fruit blend a little easier. Spinach and some heartier leafy greens like kale can also be frozen!

Soups: As previously stated I freeze portions of each batch of soup I make so that we can have a quick easy meal later on down the road. Just make sure that it is cooled it to room temperature before you put it into the freezer. 

Casseroles: Did you accidentally make too many potatoes? It’s OK, just store them in a airtight freezer safe container, and you could have leftovers down the road. When you reheat it just defrosted it in the refrigerator and then heat like you normally would. 

Pizza: You can freeze leftover pizza. Not that that happens very often to my house, but I have been known to put pieces of pizza between parchment paper in a Ziploc bag and toss it in the freezer. 

Pizza dough: Speaking of pizza, you can also freeze pizza dough or bread dough. I tend to make a triple batch of pizza dough, and once it has had its first rise, I punch it down, knead it, and separate it into greased Ziploc bags. You can either butter the inside of the bag, or you can spray it with spray release.

Once you’re ready to make pizza, just take the pizza dough out of the freezer, leave it in the bag on the counter, and depending on the ambient temperature of your kitchen, in about 4 to 6 hours. The pizza dough will be at room temperature. You can give it one last knead before you roll it out and bake it.

Now that you know how to freeze all sorts of things, you too can keep your freezer well stocked and cut down on food waste.

Recipe: Marry Me Cannellini Beans

Abby H.

Maybe you’ve seen videos or recipes online for marry me chicken. It’s a creamy Tuscan style dish that can be served with noodles or by itself.

Here is my version, but instead of using chicken, I substituted Cannellini beans. Why? Because I had cannellini beans, and I didn’t have any chicken.

If you want to use chicken, substitute about a pound of either boneless skinless trimmed thighs or boneless skinless trimmed chicken breasts for the beans.

Ingredients 

  •  2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons your favorite cooking oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
  • One small, yellow onion, diced
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans of Cannellini beans, drained, and rinsed
  • Three cloves of crushed garlic/3 tablespoons of Jarlic
  • 2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes 
  • 2 cups of chicken broth 
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • One cup evaporated milk, or half-and-half (choice) 
  • 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (use the freshly grated variety, not the powdered variety)

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter and mix oil in with butter.
  2. Sauté onions over medium heat until translucent, about five minutes.
  3. Add in garlic and stir frequently until garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add in rinsed and drained beans, sun-dried, tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning. Cook on medium, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil.
  5. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher gently mash up about half of the beans. This will add thickness to the sauce or without adding any additional ingredients. 
  6. Once a thickened mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, add in milk/half-and-half, spinach,  and about a half a cup of the grated cheese. 
  7. Stir and turn stove down to low. Simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes until mixture has thickened. 
  8. Serve with noodles of your choice, or serve mixture in a bowl with toasted/crusty Italian bread. Top each bowl with some of the remaining cheese.
  9. I prefer to serve this in a bowl and eat it with a toasted/crusty bread. 

Substitutions:

  • To make this recipe vegetarian, substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth/stock. 
  • To make this recipe vegan, substitute as above, and additionally substitute milk/half-and-half with your favorite dairy free variety, as well as your favorite dairy free variety of “Parmesan” type cheese. 

Kids Bowl Free- It’s Back for Summer 2025!

Abby H.

file0001910298986.jpgLooking for something fun, air-conditioned, and cheap to do this summer with the kids?

Kids Bowl Free has been around for years, and it’s a great way to get kids active, even when it’s hot outside. I’m so excited it’s back again.

Kids 2-12 can bowl 2 games for free each day the program is running at participating bowling centers all across the US and Canada. All you pay for is shoe rental- or bring your own if you have them!kidsbowlfree_logo-new-2019.jpg

This program is available all over the US and Canada. The complete list can be found here. Sign up is quick and easy. To get started, register here. If you live in San Diego, the only bowling alley participating is Aztec Lanes.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of this deal! It’s one of our favorite summer activities.

Saving Money with P&G!

Abby H.

Paper coupons are harder to come by and hard to use these day. Clipping, keeping track of them, using them before they expire. It’s a lot of work.

P&G has your back! New brandSAVER digital coupons are accessible to all P&G Good Everyday members and, once selected, are sent to the Coupons24 app to be used at participating retailers. Just scan the QR code when you’re checking out to start saving in-store!

And if you are looking for more ways to save:

Save $30+ on Tide, Crest, Bounty, and 60+ of your Favorite Brands.

Join P&G Good Everyday Rewards to Save $ and earn rewards on P&G brands.

Earn up to $150 + in Rewards annually.  And, P&G Donates to Charity on your behalf.  More participation = More Rewards and More Donations.

 

 

No purchase necessary. 18+. Rules/details: https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/offer-rules/
*Excludes Always Discreet Liners. Valid at Participating Retailers. Limit: 1 redemption per coupon

Upcoming JCP Kid’s Craft Events!

Abby H.

Are you heading to the mall on 3/8/2025? Check out this fun, free craft from JCPenney’s.

Visit the Kids Zone inside JCPenney and kids can crate this cute rainbow mobile.

Parents/Adults score a 10% off coupon, which can be combined with another coupon. JCP Coupons can be found here.

April’s Craft is a cute foam finger puppet collection. April 12, 2025.

JCPenney hosts a fun craft event in store for kids on the second Saturday of each month.  They are easy for kids, and fun, free activity.

While you are there, make sure to join their Rewards Program. There are a lot of great benefits, and it’s free to join. I do a lot of our shopping at JCP. They are very size-inclusive, have great prices/sales, and support diversity in the communities in which they are located.

In-store events are only where local mandates allow.  All kids must be accompanied by an adult.

New Sampling Opportunities from Tryazon!

Abby H.

I’ve been a fan of Tryazon for about 7 years. It’s an amazing company that works with manufacturers of toys, games, food, and recreational/sporting goods. Manufacturers supply their goods to consumers to try out and review for free.

The kids and I have received toys, games, craft kits, and art supplies to test and have fun with.

Right now, Tryazon has five different opportunities to which you can apply.

Applying to host a party is quick and easy. If you want to learn more about Tryazon, their website has tons of information about all of the cool campaigns, parties, and past events.

 

Upcoming Changes to Weekly Meal Plan Posts…

Abby H.

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.

Free Admission to SeaWorld for Preschoolers, Teachers, and Military!

Abby H.

SeaWorld has three amazing offers for free admissions.

 The 2025 Preschool Fun Card
The first park visit must occur on or before 04/28/2025 in order to activate the card. Preschool Fun Cards are valid for unlimited admission through December 31, 2025. Blockout dates apply*

All children must be accompanied by an adult with separate ticket admission, the 2025 Preschool Fun Card is not valid for adult admission. Preschooler’s age will be verified at the turnstiles upon park entry (please bring a copy of the child’s birth certificate, travel passport or other valid form of ID).

*Blockout date: 5/25, 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/31

The 2025 Teacher Free Annual Fun Card
SeaWorld® San Diego is proud to offer a complimentary 2025 Teacher Fun Card to all certified K-12 Southern California and Arizona credentialed schoolteachers.
Log In with your Teacher ID here to qualify for this promotion and see the offer.

Veteran Military Offer
SeaWorld is proud to support Veteran Military Members with special offers.
To show their appreciation for those who have served our country, SeaWorld San Diego offers FREE tickets to SeaWorld San Diego for U.S. Military Veterans and up to three friends or family members. You can also purchase up to six additional tickets at 50% off.

Get your tickets by verifying your military status through GovX.com here.

 

And if you qualify for none of these free passes, SeaWorld has the 2025 Fun Card on Sale!

Holiday Sale: Fun Cards Only $94.99!
Enjoy unlimited visits to SeaWorld San Diego NOW through 2025! Valid until December 31, 2025.

2025 New Years Sale from Yasukochi Family Farms!

Abby H.


If you are looking to eat healthier this year, and save time, and money, this offer will help with all three!

Yasukochi Family Farms is offering a deal on all of their CSA box sizes through January 4, 2025.

They have deals on subscriptions from 1 month, all the way to 9 months!

To learn more, and see pricing, visit their website here.

We’ve been receiving their boxes for 4 years and it’s an amazing value.