frugal living

Focus Group Connections: Kids11-17 Cell Phone Usage Project $50

Abby H.

Focus Group Connections is a research company located in Southern California. They conduct studies and surveys all over the US.

Focus Group Connection is looking for kids 11-17 to participate in a Focus Group on the topic of “Cellular Applications.”
This study requires the download of an informational app to your child’s cell phone for 9-days.

Focus Group Connection is doing a study to learn more about how pre-teens and teenagers use their mobile devices and how this usage may correlate with their health. To get this information, we would 11-to-17-year olds to answer a survey and download a study app onto their devices for 9 days. We expect it to take about 15 minutes to complete the survey. We expect it to take about 5-10 minutes to install and enroll into the study app, which then runs automatically in the background.

The study app, collects mobile device usage data from cellular devices. This app only tracks mobile device use in terms of whether the phone is on or off, which apps are running, and the time of day the apps are used. It does not collect personal information, phone contacts, the content of any texts or emails, what websites are visited, or other specifics such as which videos are watched on YouTube. For example, the app would know you used the Google Chrome app, but not what you searched for or what websites you visited.

 If you and your child are interested – they will send a short survey link for you (Parent) to complete. If you have a qualifying child, we will email the instructions for the app installation. If selected to participate, your child will receive $50 for their participation. 

If you would like to include your child in this study – Please click here to fill in a short pre-screen. Note it says “August/September”, but they are looking for candidates for October/November.

Sprouts Monthly Sampling Program is Ending!

Abby H.

That’s right, the Sprouts full-size sampling program has been canceled. Honestly, it was really hard to get them on the app or find them in the store, so I’m not at all surprised that this program is closing.

BUT- Never fear! With in-app coupons from the Sprouts app, as well as savings/cash back apps (find my favorites here), there are still tons of ways to save at Sprouts!

9/30/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals

Abby H.

It’s Friday, Friday.. something something Friday, or however that Rebecca Black song goes.

Anyway, I’m stoked about the weekend. The kids and I are going to the library and park after school, we’ve got martial arts tomorrow morning, and I’m going to a bachelorette party tomorrow night!

And- there are a lot of really great freebies and deals this week.

Don’t forget all of the 2022 Birthday Freebies! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

Freebies:

Text for $10 Off at Lane Bryant = Free Item
Free Home Security Camera
Free Culina Plant-Based Yogurt After Rebate
Free Baby Samples & Full Sized Products from Amazon
Free Blake’s Crispy Treat at Sam’s
Free Bottle of Super Coffee After Rebate
Free Sample of Sorion Herbal Cream
Free Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum Sample
Free Viktor&Rolf Good Fortune Fragrance Sample
Verizon Up Rewards – 4 Free Fandango Movie Tickets
Last Chance for a $1 Shipped Personalized Children’s Book
Free $5 Staples Rewards
Free Jar of Outrage of Love Spice at Penzeys
Free Gratsy Box
Free Motorola Baby Monitor
Free Planters Sweet & Spicy Peanuts at Select Stores
Possible Free $125 Beverages Research Study
Free LED Flashlight at Harbor Freight
Free Bluetooth Conference Speakerphone
Free Lupii Plant-Based Protein Bar
Free Rise Brewing Co. Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
Free Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet
Free Sample of Derma E Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner
Free Degree Dry Spray Sample
Free Core Barat Kroger & Affiliates
Free Subscription to W Magazine
Free Vanity Mirror or Spa Set
Free Aveeno Body Wash
25 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free Bloomingdale’s Little Freebies Box
Free Bath & Shower Set or Vanity Mirror for Tweens
Free Golden Wing Barley Milk
Free Food, Drinks & a Big Yellow Cup at Dickey’s
Free Simple Mills Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies
Free Smartypants Kids Multivitamins at Sam’s
Free Comvita Raw Manuka Honey
Free Purina EverRoot Calming Dog Supplement
Free Tea at McAlister’s Deli
Free Coffee Every Friday at Cumberland Farms
Free Sun-Maid Recipe Booklets
Free Nike Products

 

Deals:

Raffia Earrings ONLY $6 (Reg. $10)
Tie-Dye Pajama Set ONLY $10.34 (Reg. $23)
Sofia Active Fleece Shorts ONLY $7.48 (Reg. $18)
Wireless Charger ONLY $15.95 (Reg. $27)
Conair Vanity Mirror ONLY $28 (Reg. $90)
Wildfox Women’s Sweatshirt ONLY $16.61 (Reg. $88)
Bracelet Set ONLY $4.19 (Reg. $14)
100 Colored Pencils ONLY $13 (Reg. $27.49)
Women’s Apparel Clearance from $4 at Walmart
Cheap TV Deal – 65 inch 4K Roku Smart TV ONLY $368 (Reg $448)
Rimmel Eye Liner ONLY $0.69 (Reg. $4.49)
Professional Pedicure Kit ONLY $9.98 (Reg. $43.89)
Rimmel Eye Makeup Remover ONLY $0.69 ($4.49)
Rimmel Lip Gloss ONLY $0.39 (Reg. $3.99)

MyPoints: Refer Friends and You Both Earn 300 Points!

Abby H.

I’ve been using MyPoints since 2011, and I’ve earned a lot of cashback just by doing my normal online shopping through MyPoints. About $550, to be exact.

Right now they are offering a great deal! When you refer a new user, and they earn 300 points, you both get a 300-point bonus. It’s easy to earn 300 points!

I love using MyPoints. I can earn points shopping online and utilizing in-store pick-up with stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and JCPenney.

  • I ordered Christmas Gifts and earned 1200 points.

There are so many point-earning opportunities.

You can double dip on earning points or cash back by using a point earning credit card like American Express or Discover Cards or taking advantage of a points program that rewards you for purchases on their website, like JCP Rewards.

I love that I can earn gift cards which I use to offset the cost of holiday gifts.

Talk Back: What is your favorite Cashback program?

9/26/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI skipped meal planning last week. It was very busy, and there have been some kiddo-related issues that I’ve been dealing with, as well as working extra hours in the morning at my day job.

I hit up the grocery store on Sunday for milk, bread, and a couple things for school lunches. Again this week but we’re eating out of the pantry and our  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box, which will be delivered this afternoon.

I did a mini bundle at Dream Dinners this month, and we’ll be enjoying a few of those meals as well.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods. I picked up 5 new products to try this week at Sprouts last night using my Social Nature coupons!

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. These snacks make up most of the kid’s lunches during the school week. School lunches are still free, but on most days, they prefer to bring their lunches from home.

Dinner: Now that school is in session and our weekday schedule is cemented, I’m using one weekend morning to do some baking/side dish meal prep, and Monday afternoons after school/work to prep the CSA box goodies.  As the price of groceries goes up, I find myself buying less meat, relying more on sale/clearance prices, and repurposing leftovers.

  • Monday: Dream Dinners Jambalaya (no shrimp for me), roasted veggies

  • Tuesday:  Breakfast for dinner (bagels, fresh fruit salad, protein shakes)

  • Wednesday: Loaded Smashed Potatoes – we didn’t have them last week, Salad

  • Thursday:   Chef Salad, garlic cheese toast

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday:  Leftovers
  • Sunday: Dream Dinners Central Park Chicken with Creamed Peas, fruit salad

Recipe: Spicy Szechuan Style Green Beans (a la PF Changs)

Abby H.

In our recent Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box, we received 5 fistfuls (about a pound) of fresh green beans. I cleaned them, put them in a large ziploc bag in the fridge until I could be struck by inspiration.

I was doing the end-of-week veg prep Sunday morning (to make room for the new box arriving Monday), and I came across the green beans. I was watching tik tok last night and saw a video for spicy green beans. I decided to give it a go.

To start, I searched online for a bunch of recipes and Frankestein’d together a recipe using what we had on hand, which wasn’t much. Our fridge died last summer and I still haven’t replaced all of the condiments, in part because of supply chain issues, and also because of freaking inflation.

Spicy Szechuan Style Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 2 T. your favorite cooking oil (I used grapeseed)
  • 2 T. Diced Garlic (It’s ok to use the stuff in a jar)
  • 1 T. Chili Paste or Sriracha (whatever you have)
  • 2 t. onion powder
  • 1 green onion, white and light green parts only
  • 3 T. Soy sauce (I used low sodium)
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1 T. rice vinegar (or white- whatever you have)
  • Juice of half an orange

Optional, but tasty

  • Sesame Seeds
  • Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

  1. In a large pan or wok, heat oil.
  2. Cook green beans for 5-8 minutes, or until they start to brown and wilt. If your green beans have been stored in the fridge, it will take longer.
  3. While the beans cook, add the 1 T. garlic, chili paste, onion powder, and green onion to a small bowl and combine.
  4. After the beans have browned and wilted, add the chili/garlic mixture and combine/coat the green beans. Cook for 3-ish minutes on medium until the garlic is fragrant.
  5. Add the remaining liquid ingredients (I poured all of them into a mixing cup and set it aside until this step, but you can pour them directly into the pan/wok), cooking on low until some of the water evaporates. Remove from heat, and add sesame seeds and red pepper flakes (less than 1 tablespoon each).

This is a great side dish for any Asian food. I served it for breakfast -grown ups only- over basmati rice, topped with a jammy egg. It was very filling.

This recipe is vegan/vegetarian. If you are sensitive to gluten, replace your soy with tamari or coconut aminos.

9/23/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals

Abby H.

Again this week we’ve had a lot of kiddo-based stuff happen, and I’m picking up more hours at work, so I haven’t had the energy to blog much.

Never fear, I’ve got Freebies and Deals for you!

Don’t forget all of the 2022 Birthday Freebies! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

Freebies:

Free Moroccanoil Hydrating Mask & LesserEveil Puff Samples
Free Goody Bag at buybuy BABY Stores
Free Haircut at Sport Clips

Free Sample of TruSkin Vitamin C Facial Serum

Free Huggies Potty Training Kit
Free Ithaca Hummus Squeeze Hummus
Free Baby Samples & Full Sized Products from Amazon
Free Axe Antiperspirant Stick or Dry Spray Sample
Focus Group Pays with Visa Debit Cards
Free Sample of Enfagrow Toddler Formula
Educators – Free LGBTQ-Inclusive Books
Free Dunham’s Gift Card Giveaway
Free Body Care Gift at Bath & Body Works
Free Food & Drinks at Circle K
Free Chiki Organic Product
Teachers – Free Zollipops for Your Class
Free Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
Bed Bath & Beyond Wedding Registry Freebies
Free Natean Toothpaste at Walmart
Free Pizookie at BJ’s
Free Small Combo Meal at Taco John’s
5 Free Tickets to SeaQuest Aquarium
Free Big Zax Snak Meal at Zaxby’s
Free Bad Athletics Scary Strong Sticker
Free Tarte Foundation
Free Blind Fate: Edo no Yami – Dojo PC Game
Free Teach Your Monster to Read App
25 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points

 

Deals:

Womens Shoes 75% Off – Only $9 Free Shipping
Halloween Costumes for $5 at Walmart
Cookie Prep Set 17-Piece ONLY $10.13 (Reg $29)
Surprise Toy Mini Brands Collectors Case ONLY $5.70 (Reg $10)
Vitafusion Gummy Vitamins ONLY $6.99 (Reg. $15.99)
Get 3 Free Audiobooks
Men’s 2-Piece Pajama Set ONLY $10 (Reg $40)
Coach Umbrella’s Only $26.52 + Free Shipping (reg $78)
Flat Top Gas Grill Griddle ONLY $149.00 (Reg $300)
Ring Alarm Starter Kit 1st Gen ONLY $99 (Reg $200)
Lights & Easy Robot Vacuum Cleaner ONLY $149.99 (Reg $350)
Gibson 30-pc Ceramic Dinnerware Set ONLY $55.99 (Reg $120)
Get Rewarded for Paying Your Rent – Free $30 at Sign Up

Using CVS Offers to Your Advantage! How I Paid $5.47 for Over $50 in products!

Abby H.

I have posted about it before, and I am a huge fan of CVS. They have their CarePass, which is pretty inexpensive ($5-ish a month or $48/year if you pay for it all at once).  One of the perks is you get a $10 ExtraCare Bucks each month, for a total of $120 per year. I posted about it before but I got more information here, and overall I think it’s a pretty great deal.

You probably also remember one of the reasons that I love CVS is they have Pharmacy and Health Rewards. When you fill 10 prescriptions at their pharmacy you receive a $5.00 ExtraCare Bucks that you can spend any place in the store.

With the number of prescriptions my family has, we earn a $5.00 ExtraCare Bucks every two months. Which is pretty decent. Between the CarePass, and Pharmacy and Health Rewards, we usually have between 10 and $15 in “free“ money to spend at CVS at any given time.

I went in this morning to go pick up a prescription and noticed that they had a lot of snacks on sale/marked down, and with ExtraCare Bucks rewards. I quickly scrolled through my CVS app and noticed I had six dollars off any purchase of $30 or more and my $10 CarePass ExtraCare Bucks, and a $5.00 Pharmacy ExtraCare Bucks Reward.

Knowing that we needed both cereal and snacks and I walked up and down the snack/cereal aisle and quickly set upon a plan.

  • Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies are 2/$7 or 2/$8 (depending on the product) this week. When you buy two select, you’ll receive a $2 ExtraCare Bucks (limit one per person/account). My kids loved both Oreos and Chips Ahoy, so I picked two of each.
  • We were also out of Motts fruit snacks, and they are buy one get one free so I snagged two boxes as well.
  • Rice crispy treats are buy one get one free, so I grabbed two of those.
  • Cereal was on sale buy one box get one free with select Kellogg’s varieties, so I grabbed two boxes as well.

Now, this may look like a lot of junk food, but this is about three weeks’ worth of stuff to go in lunches (and about 2 weeks worth of cereal for me). The cereal is for me, but the rest is going to go in kid’s lunches or be available for snacks- I portion out the snacks and put them into the snack box in the cupboard. I will be hiding about half of it so that they don’t know we have tons of it and just mow through it.

As you can see by looking at the video about and all the stuff I got, it’s a pretty substantial amount. I ended up paying $9.47 out of pocket, and I received $4.00 back in ExtraCare Bucks.

$2.00 for purchasing to select Nabisco Oreo cookies, and a second $2 ExtraCare Bucks for purchasing two chocolate bars, cookies, select chips ahoy, or premium crackers.

Making my grand total after ExtraCare Bucks $5.47. That is one heck of a deal. I’ve also submitted my receipt to Fetch Rewards for points, and to Receipt Hog for points!

And I was in and out of the store in less than 20 minutes (including time to wait in line to pay). Doing drug store deals doesn’t have to be long and tedious. And sometimes it’s a small deal.

It’s worth the time to download the CVS app, join the ExtraCare club to save money, and join CarePass. You’ll find deals weekly (or monthly in my case when I go in). You’ll be saving money in no time!

9/16/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals

Abby H.

This week has been busy with kid and family stuff, and as a result, I haven’t had much time for blogging.

Never fear, I’ve got Freebies and Deals for you!

Don’t forget all of the 2022 Birthday Freebies! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

 

Freebies:

Free Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Foundation
Free Subscription to Elle Decor Magazine
Free Entree at The Old Spaghetti Factory
25 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free Domino’s Gift Card Giveaway
Free Highkey Dark Chocolate Candies After Rebate
Free $10 ThredUP Credit = Free Womens & Children Items
Free Gratsy Pajama Party Box
Free Let There Be Hemp Superfood Hemp Chips
Free 2023 Thrivent Calendar
Free ShiKai CBD Cream
Free Samples of ZURU Edge Dietary Supplements
Free Tena Sample Kits
Free Smile Movie Screening
Free Sample of Dark & Lovely Blow Out Cream
Free Fresh Cravings Salsa
Free Advil Dual Action at Select Stores
Free Free2b’s Allergy Friendly Halloween Party Pack
Possible Free Moonage Daydream Movie Ticket
Free Veeam T-Shirt
Free Sample of L’Oreal Brilliant Eyes Liquid Eyeshadow
Free Givenchy Irresistible Eau de Toilette Fraiche Sample
Free Body Skincare Product + $50 Amazon Gift Card
Free Welch’s Fruit Snacks Best Kids’ Lunch Box Party Pack
Free Sample of M&M’s Crunchy Cookie
Free Sample of Zaffi KETO Taffy Candy Snack
Free Subscription to LEGO Life Magazine
Free Sample of Xyzal Allergy 24H
PrismPop – Free Beauty Products
4+ Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free Goody Bag at buybuy BABY Stores
Free Holiday Gifts of Appreciation Sample Kit
250 Free Kool Rewards Points
100 Free Microsoft Rewards Points
Free Call of Duty Modern Warfare II for Xfinity Rewards Members
Free Crayola Fall Coloring Pages

Deals:

Halloween Costumes Extra 20% Off Coupon
5-Tier Heavy Duty Shelving Unit ONLY $59 (Reg $120)
Crafters Train Case ONLY $23.30 (Reg $67)
KidKraft Wooden Outdoor Playhouse ONLY $199 (Reg $449)
Learning Resources 12-Pc Learning Lab Set ONLY $15.49 (Reg $30)
Simpson’s Arcade Game ONLY $199 (Reg. $500) – Save 60%
Michael Kors Jet Set Zip Tote ONLY $99 (Reg $198)
Decathlon Mountain Bike ONLY $98 (Reg. $398)
Women’s Faux Suede Leather Jacket ONLY $28.79 (Reg. $48)
Dermablend Loose Setting Powder ONLY $14.50 (Reg. $30)
Sherpa Fleece Blanket ONLY $24 (Reg. $60)
Satin Neck Scarves 2-Piece ONLY $7.49 (Reg. $15)
Halloween Decor as low as $0.98 Shipped at Walmart
LED Halloween Lantern ONLY $5.07 (Reg. $18.84)
Fold-In-Half and Outdoor Table ONLY $29.68 (Reg $46)

New Freebies from Try Products!

Abby H.

Try Products is another free sampling program that I’ve used over the last year or so.

Sign up to try hundreds of wonderful products from brands who want to provide consumers with cleaner, greener, more natural, better-for-you choices, that you can feel good about putting in your body & home!

It’s 100% Free. No credit card is required EVER!

Here are a few of the products available to sample now: