free

New Birthday Freebies!

Abby H.2 Comments

file3141334714768.jpg

Ya’ll know I love a good birthday freebie (you can see my previous posts on the subject here and here).  I discovered a new site with tons of great offers:I Birthday Club. They have offers in San Diego, Orange, LA, San Bernadino, Riverside, and Santa Clara Counties.

There are so many great restaurants and other businesses (free car wash, heck yes) offering birthday freebies.

Just a few that sparked my interest:

If you know of other cool Birthday Freebies, please share in the comments!

Baby Deals and Freebies

Abby H.

file0001971678256.jpg

I know so many people who are either expecting or adopting in the next few months. I thought I’d share some really great deals and freebies, since we all know kids are super expensive!

Free Walmart Baby Box! Includes samples and coupons

Regardless of any personal beliefs, a fed baby is best. I always recommend having a stash of formula samples and different types of bottles on hand. Thankfully, there area few formula companies that send samples and coupons! Similac and Enfamil are the two that send goodies most often.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, check out this free baby box of goodies!

And don’t forget that there are always great printable coupons for much-needed baby supplies! Save $1.00 on any (1) JOHNSON’S® (Excluding 1oz to 4oz, trial sizes and gift sets) or any (1) DESITIN® product (Excluding 1oz size)

Looking for more tips on how parents can save money? Check out this post.

Upcoming Clothing Swaps

Abby H.

IMG_4703.JPGI’ve written about clothing swaps before, and I wanted to alert my local San Diego readers to a couple upcoming clothing swaps!

Screen Shot 2018-01-03 at 4.04.24 PM.png

The Skyline Clothing Swap is back! January 13th, 2018. Drop off in advance and receive credit for 5 extra items!

I love this swap- they always have TONS of great kids books in addition to clothes and household items.

It does cost $2 to enter, but the entry fee supports Skyline Church’s Youth Camps.

If Skyline isn’t your cup of tea, maybe you are looking for something a little smaller, Finders Keepers is hosting a swap the same day! January 13, 2018


Early drop off for 5 extra clothing items on Friday, January 12 6 pm – 7 pm.

$1 admission to swap. Location is The Shelter Church 8111 Orange Ave, La Mesa. They are looking for volunteers to help sort and put out clothes. You can contact them via their FB page if you want to help out.

Finders Keeps asks that you donate no event T-shirts, and no items with stains or holes. 50 item limit. You can purchase clothes too for $1 each.

If you are looking for a group that hosts clothing swaps more frequently, check it out the Thread Bumpin’ Meet up Group. They host a monthly swap in OB area.

And Finally, the Closet of 54th isn’t a clothing swap per se, but they do help those in need with new to them clothes. They are open once a few times each month. You can find them on Facebook. They are located at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA. Contact The Closet at thecloseton54th@gmail.com.

 

Talk Back:  I’d love to hear about other San Diego area clothing swaps that you know of! Favorite swaps and/or what your best score has been!

Looking for Free Fun? 10 Local Community Events

Abby H.

IMG_20120331_163227We love getting out of the house to have adventures, but, being frugal means that I have to get creative.

Thanks to local publications like The San Diego Reader and San Diego Family Magazine (both are free and available all over), as well as Facebook, we are never wanting for free fun.

Here are our Top Ten Community Events that are for kids and families for Q1 2018:

  1. 1/2/18-1/4/18 Santee Library hosts the most fun, creative events for kids. They are starting the year off with 3 events, January 2-4 in the afternoon.  We are very excited to go to Imagination Day. If you aren’t in East County, check out your local San Diego County, or City of San Diego Library branch. Most branch libraries have fun events for kids after school and during holidays.
  2. 1/6/18 Free Family Fun Fest at the Kroc Center.  The Kroc Center hosts a lot of great programs and events each month. The Kroc Center Free Family Fun Fest – Meet & greet with the San Diego Sockers, sports challenges, arts & crafts, inflatable park, costume dress up, giveaways and more
  3. 1/16/18 Family Read and Play Day. Again the Kroc Center is hosting this event. They host a reading event usually once a month. Sometimes the kids get to take home a copy of the book as well. Family Read and Play day, featuring the book, “Children Around the World” by Donata Montanari.
  4. 1/20/18 Santee Active Life Expo.  From 9am-2pm, some of the free activities include: Watch professional athletes compete, Health & wellness activities, Extreme obstacle courses, Trial fitness classes, Firefighter challenge,  BMX trick shows, Free breakfast (while supplies last), Learn how to race walk
  5. 2/3/18 The Water Conservation Garden over at Cuyamaca Community College offers Free Docent lead tours of the gardens. Tours begin promptly Saturday mornings at 10:00 am in the Plaza. No reservation required. 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West
    El Cajon, California 92019 My kids love this place- There are tons of fun areas to explore and learn all about nature.
  6. 2/6/18 is National Frozen Yogurt Day.  There are no concrete details yet, but in past years Menchie’s and Yogurtland both gave away free froyo. I will for sure be posting more details as they become available.
  7. 2/9/18 is National Pizza Day.  In the past there have been great offers for free slices and free whole pizzas. Sbarro and Pizza Hut usually participate.
  8. 2/13/18 is Shrove Tuesday which means that FREE PANCAKE DAY will be around that time. IHOP is the only restaurant in our area that offers free pancakes.
  9. 2/14/18 is Valentine’s Day. There are usually free events for kids at local libraries.
  10. And finally- Henry’s Birthday is in March. While there are no specifc free events for his birthday, here are my lists of birthday freebies (for kids and adults). Original List and the updated list with some fun new stuff.

I’d love to hear about what your favorite free local events are!  Please drop a comment with details and a link!

2 freebies from Kroger Stores!

Abby H.

I love that the Kroger Stores do a free Friday Download coupon most weeks. It’s a chance to try new food for free.

This week both Food4less and Ralphs have a different freebie!

Screen Shot 2017-12-29 at 4.59.12 PM

The Food4Less freebie is a spicy one!FREE Doritos Dinamitas Receive ONE (1) FREE Doritos Dinamitas, any variety (4.25 oz.). Available in most stores. Exp 01/14/2018

Screen Shot 2017-12-29 at 4.59.23 PM

Ralphs Freebie is for those of us trying to eat a little healthier!FREE Del Monte Fruit Refresher or Fruit & Chia Receive ONE (1) FREE Del Monte Fruit Refresher or Fruit & Chia (14 oz.). Available in most stores. Exp 01/14/2018

If you are new to Free Friday Downloads from Ralph’s, here is more info about how it works:

WHAT IS FREE FRIDAY DOWNLOAD? An exclusive benefit to having an account online at ralphs.com is FREE products (yes, we said FREE!). When you download the free product coupon, it will be loaded directly to your Shopper’s Card and applied at checkout in-store.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Visit this page on Fridays

DOWNLOAD the digital coupon for the free product (make sure to download between 12:01 am and 11:59pm PT). View the coupon under ‘My Coupons’ in your account online or in the mobile app.

You have two weeks to redeem this coupon in store! Pick up the product at your local Ralphs store and digital coupon will automatically apply at checkout.

 

Free Magazines from Mercury Magazine!

Abby H.3 Comments

I post free magazine offers all the time and the majority of those offers come from Mercury Magazines.

You are just 4 quick (and I mean it) steps away from scoring tons of free magazines:

  • Fill out a brief demographic profile
  • Your profile will determine the magazines presented.
  • Choose your magazines
  • Select up to three magazines of your choice from the list.
  • Complete subscription forms.

Mercury Magazines sends you FREE magazine subscriptions. No shady “Get 1 free trial issue” then get bombarded with calls and invoices begging you to sign up for a paid subscription.

I receive about a dozen magazines each month and they are from Mercury Magazines.

Get started by clicking the banner above! Leave a comment and let me know which free magazines you are receiving!

End of the Year Freebie Round-up!

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

10 days left of this year, and I don’t now about you, but I’m renewing my Annual New Year’s Goal to remain as frugal as I can.

Part of how I do that is to pick up free samples of products whenever I can- Most of the time those samples come with some pretty high value coupons! So I get to try out new products and score coupons!

Here are just a few that I’ve recently signed up for:

 

And I love free Magazine subscriptions too!

 

It’s Back! Free Coupon Class in San Diego 1/24/18!

Abby H.

deals_and_Coupons_version_2.jpg

It’s been a few years since I’ve taught for the San Diego Library, but they’ve asked me back, and I can’t wait to share with you all my tips and tricks to saving money with coupons and more!

Date: January 24, 2018
Time: 6:00-8:30PM
Location: North Park Library,  3795 31st St, San Diego, CA 92104

Want to learn the secrets of couponing and saving money?
You’ll learn tips and tricks in my 90 minute class!

NO MORE EXCUSES!! Saving Money is for everyone! Regardless of your budget, eating habits, or dietary concerns, you can save money (that includes those with food sensitivities/allergies, vegetarians and vegans)!

Here is what you’ll learn:

  • How to save 60-100% off regular retail prices
  • Where to find Coupons and how to organize them
  • The low down on rebate apps like Ibotta and Fetch Rewards
  • Real, useful, tips to stretch that hard earned dollar
  • How to avoid paying full price for anything ever again
  • How to find Local Groups and Programs to help you on your savings journey

The class is taught by Abby Hewes (Formerly of the blog CA Coupon Diva, now writer at Hewes Family Fun). She has taught hundreds of people how to save and is passionate about saving money. Today, with her family of 4, she spends no more than $300 a month for her Groceries & Household items (including organic produce and diapers)!

 

To Sign up for the class, call the library at (619) 533-3972 to RSVP!

Looking for Frugal Fun for Christmas? Check out Neighborhood Light Displays!

Abby H.2 Comments

file2901261162927.jpgIt’s back… We’ve already been through a few areas, and Henry is itching for a big cuppa Cocoa from Starbucks and a ride in Miss Sally (my car) to go check out all the lights in ONE NIGHT!

We love looking at holiday light displays, and I’ve noticed more neighbors than in past years are putting up lights all over east county! If you want to get out and check out the sites (and lights), here are our favorites:

EL CAJON, 92021

  • Jingle Bell Hill (also known as Pepper Dr. Lights). Solomon Ave./Pegeen Pl. and surrounding area. Off 67 & Bradley. Dec. 8-26, Mon-Th 6-9 pm, Fri-Sun 6-10 pm. There is usually a Nightmare before Christmas house, but we didn’t see it the other night. Henry was bummed.

LAKESIDE, 92040

  • 10248 Paseo Palmas Dr. Nicknamed “Tinsel Town”. Dec. 1-25, 5:30-9 pm. Most of the houses on this street are very well decorated with lights and moving displays!

SANTEE, 92071

  •  Starlight Circle, East and West Glendon Circles. Through December 26th, 7-10 pm. This is extremely popular! You can park and walk through. There are neighbors selling cocoa, coffee, popcorn, and cotton candy. If you walk, take money with you! Starlight Circle even has a facebook page!
  • 9773 Roe Dr. 27,000 Christmas lights dance to 10 songs over 128 computer channels. Food Bank and St. Jude donations accepted. Dec. 3-Jan. 2. Sun-Th, 6-10 pm and Fri & Sat, 6-11 pm.www.DBChristmas.com It is very impressive!
  • I haven’t been by to see if it’s up this year, but in years past…. If you love South Park, after you stop by Roe, cruise down Lake Canyon Drive (in the 9400 block, East of Carlton Hills Blvd) and check out the Woodland Critter Christmas Display.

 

We pack the kids into the car after dark with cocoa and snacks and head out for a drive. It’s a fun way to spend time together, and it’s pretty frugal!

What holiday traditions do you want to share with your kids?

 

San Diego Area Readers: Donate Canned goods receive a free facial or massage!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2017-11-11 at 8.44.30 PM.png

Firefly Wellness is having our seventh annual holiday food drive to support the San Diego Food Bank. Items can be dropped off  through December 20th at their location in North Park.

Screen Shot 2017-11-11 at 8.44.59 PM.pngThe best part of this offer is that not only are you helping others with your food bank donation, but when you donate ten or more food items off at Firefly Wellness, you’ll receive a certificate for a free 30-minute massage or facial. You can use it yourself or give it as a gift.

I know most Frugalistas have at least ten extra (and unexpired) items in their cupboard they could part with. If you are unsure what kind of items to donate, here are items that the food bank always needs:

  • Canned Meats
  • Canned Vegetables
  • Canned Fruits
  • Canned Soup
  • Peanut Butter
  • Cereal & Oatmeal
  • Rice & Pasta
  • Powdered Milk, beverage mixes (like shelf stable juice concentrate, instant coffee, hot cocoa pouches)
  • Infant Formula (The sample sized canisters or sample pouches that you may have received free in the mail are perfect donations!)

(if you are looking for coupons to help you shop for donation, check out the coupons here)

Food Drive Information:
 
When: Now through Dec 20, 2017
Where: Firefly Wellness
How: Drop off items on your next visit, or call 619.249.4323 to schedule a drop-off or pick up or your items.
BONUS: Receive a THANK YOU GIFT CERTIFICATE when you donate ten or more items.  (Limit one per person.)
Please comment if you will be taking advantage of this great deal (and what you’ll be donating). I’ll be donating Oatmeal and Peanut Butter among other things.