If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.
Neighborhood Distributions for May 2021:
These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.
Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.
If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.
I’m a little slow moving this morning. I had my second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday afternoon (Team Pfizer!), and I feel like my arm lost a fight. We’ve got some good freebies and deals this week.
If you are looking for birthday freebies, fret not! I put together a list new for 2021- Check it out here.
Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced, get vaccinated when it’s your turn!
Today and tomorrow (4/28 & 4/29), Wayfair is having an incredibly HUGE sale! With deals that will save up to 80% on everything for your home and FREE SHIPPING, it’s time to give your home a little refreshing.
I’m excited- we need to replace a few things around the house, and this is my chance to do it and stay on budget!
There are many types of reusable menstruation products on the market these days. Cups, discs, cloth pads, “period panties”. Here are five reasons to give them a try!
1-While they may have a higher out-of-pocket, over time they cost less than disposable/one-use menstruation supplies. My Diva cup cost $35, but I’ve used it consistently for a year. On average, those who menstruate spend $159 or more per year on menstruation supplies, which equates to $6360 over the reproductive lifetime.
2- Reusable menstruation products are better for the environment. Some disposable menstruation products can’t be recycled, and often aren’t environmentally friendly. The plastics take a long time to biodegrade. Reusable pads can be rinsed out after use and then tossed into the washer and dryer.
3- Some reusable menstruation products can be used/left in for a longer amount of time than disposable. For example, I can wear my diva cup for up to 12 hours (discs have about the same time), but tampons need to be changed every 4 to 6 hours.
4- Many companies of reusable menstruation products help those in need, or donate a portion of their profits to those who would not otherwise be able to afford menstruation products, People in underserved communities, schools, and homeless shelters.
5- It’s always good to try something new. People have been menstruating since the dawn of time, and until the past five or six years ago, there weren’t too many different ways to “deal” with the flow. Now those who have periods have choices. Try a new product, try a new brand, you might be surprised, you might find something new that you fall in love with. If you told me 10 years ago I would use a cup, I would laugh in your face. But, it has really helped with my cramps.
If you are interested in checking out some of the reusable menstrual products that I talked about, here is link to my Amazon list with tons of products.
If you’re like me, you’ve been socially isolated/staying home for the better part of a year, wearing the same clothes, and it’s getting a little repetitive.
But at the same time, you don’t want to go to the mall. And as much fun as shopping on Amazon is, it’s hard to buy clothes on Amazon sometimes.
Last week, after I dropped the kids off at school and ran a couple errands, I found myself in South Bay. I remember that there used to be a discount/mark-down clothing store off of Palomar Road and interstate five, so I decided to drive down and see if it was still there. It is! And it’s even better than I remembered. It’s called Everything’s A Deal (it used to be Everything’s $5.00) and they’ve changed their store again.
The address is: 1141 Bay Blvd, Chula Vista, CA 91911
In a true wholesale try store the more you buy the cheaper the price per item becomes. If you buy between five and 10 items it’s $27.50+ tax for all 5 to 9 items. And the prices go down from there. Unlike a lot of discount clothing stores (I’m looking at a Ross) it’s not mostly trash/fast fashion/awful sweatshop crap.
Originally $44, marked down to $5.99!I love this brand! They make such cozy sweaters and jackets. Originally sold at Nordstrom’s Rack.
Everything’s A Deal buys lots from well-known retailers (Sears, JCPenney, Nordstrom‘s Rack, or fifth Avenue, just to name a few) and they have a large warehouse-style store where everything is separated by size. All the plus sizes are together, all the small, medium, large, etc.
The nice thing is that the sale prices are for everything. Shoes, accessories, purses, close. They have kids’ clothes in men’s clothes too. So conceivably you could read your entire family there and some really cute outfits and not break the bank. Everything is new with tags. I bought five items and spent $29.99 after tax out the door. I got a jacket, address, two new T-shirts, and a really cute vest that I’m going to tie-dye.
All five items are name brand, and the jacket is a brand that is sold at Nordstrom rack. I googled the RN number and discovered that the original price of my brand new coat was $89.99. My two shirts had the tags still attached, my vest is from a brand I remember seeing at Macy’s, and my new dress, which is adorable, is from a brand that target sells.
Super Cute Sweater from A.N.A. a JCPenney BrandThis sweater, originally from JCPenney started out life at $47, and is now $5.00! Such an amazing deal!
There’s another location on Broadway in Lemon Grove (7696 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA) if South Bay is too far of a jog for you. Honestly, the stores are a great help for us, they help me stretch our clothing budget for new items. I’m able to afford better quality items for the same price that I would be paying at Walmart. And because the clothing swaps are going to be not happening for probably the next year or two, we won’t be able to pick up hand-me-downs or other secondhand clothing and household goods.
Clothing swaps are one of the ways that we are able to save a lot of money and keep the kids’ clothes. The kids are starting to grow out of the clothing that they have been wearing, and because there’s been no clothing swap this year, I don’t have clothing in the next size ready. I am going to have to purchase clothes.
I have been doing buying clothes and replacing our wardrobes little by little when I find stuff on sale and clearance that kids and I will like. This is mostly through jcp.com because they have such great sales and coupons. And I can combine those with cashback deals from online aggregators like top cashback, MyPoints, and Honey.
I’ve been hunting freebies and deals all week! Earth Day was this week and there were a few freebies to take advantage of. You can check out my Earth Day post here.
A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list for 2021. Check it out here.
Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced!
Checkout 51is one of my favorite cashback shopping apps! Most of the deals/cashback rebates are not store specific, so I can save at stores that don’t accept coupons, like Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only. You can also stack with store sales and discounts.
Here are just a few of the offers for this week!
And in addition to sweet deals on groceries, you can also save on gas at select stations. Information and specific participating stations can be found in their app.
To learn more about all of the Cashback apps I use, click here.
I just learned about P&G Good Everyday Rewards– It’s a pretty great way to save on products you love, help others, and earn cashback!
P&G Good Everyday is a Rewards Program for your favorite brands, like Tide, Crest, Dawn Bounty, and 60 more. Earn up to $150 + in Rewards annually for Brands you already use and love. Enter for chances to win Free P&G Products. And, P&G Donates to Charity on your behalf. More participation = More Rewards and More Donations.
Once again, there are not too many freebies for Earth Day. Between the pandemic and stores not being open or making a lot of money, there are barely any freebies. I’m not posting deals for Earth Day, because really, do we need to go out and shop?
While the free day to visit the National Parks has passed for earth Day/National Parks Week, don’t fret. There are several other days as well. You can find the complete list here. The only National Park in San Diego is Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma. If you have a 4th grader in your home (We do!!), Check out Every Kid Outdoors. It’s a free program for 4th graders and their families to visit National Parks for free through August 2021!
The next Freebie isn’t super fun, but it might be needed. We’ve been doing a lot of deep purging and cleaning the past year, and I’ve got a bunch of papers that need to be shredded (oh hi 20-year-old tax paperwork!). Check out your local Office Max/Office Depot- Armed with this coupon (Scroll to the bottom of the page) you can score up to 5 lbs of shredding for FREE!! This deal is valid through 4/24/2021.
And perhaps my favorite freebie this April: if you live in Southern California and have utilities with SDG&E, PG&E, or SoCal Edison, you can join OhmConnect for free and start conserving electricity and earning money (as well as saving on your utility bills). And through the end of April, when you sign up and connect your utility account (it literally takes 5 minutes), You’ll earn $25 straightaway! You can learn all about OhmConnect here. We’ve been using it for 5+ years, and have saved hundreds on our SDG&E bill, and earned almost $1000 from OhmConnect.
And once again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…
Despite what you read online there are NO Origin Freebies, Disney Store Freebies, Free milkshakes on the west coast, Mac Freebies, Sephora Freebies, Ice Cream Freebies, or free coffee from Starbucks.
So, that’s it. I know, it’s kinda depressing, but I’ll be on the hunt for freebies for you this week, and I’ll report back on Friday morning.
Hot Damn! I love garlic. I decided to celebrate with a new recipe: Roasted Garlic (below), and a round-up of recipes that feature garlic.
Roasted Garlic is easy to make and is great in recipes that call for garlic. It’s very mellow, rich, dare I say, creamy? It’s also super good on toast or warm, crusty bread.
Roasted Garlic
Ingredients:
1 or more (I suggest more) heads of garlic
Your favorite cooking oil
Directions:
Remove the excess papery skin on the garlic heads, leave the bulb intact.
Slice off the pointy tops (about 1/4-1/2 inch)of the garlic bulbs. You want to expose the garlic.
Brush the heads of garlic with oil and wrap them in foil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The garlic is cooked once it is tender (poke it with a toothpick or knife usually after 40-ish minutes). but you can continue to roast it until all of the sugars caramelize, and it turns a light brown color. This caramelization makes the garlic very mellow and slightly sweet.
You can store the garlic in the fridge for 10-14 days, but it won’t last that long. It’s good in dips (like hummus), on its own, in soups, or any recipe that calls for garlic. Use roasted garlic in recipes where garlic is called for 1:1.
A new month means that it’s time for the monthly update of free food resources in San Diego.
These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.
There are many types of reusable menstruation products on the market these days. 
Hot Damn! I love garlic. I decided to celebrate with a new recipe: Roasted Garlic (below), and a round-up of recipes that feature garlic.
