5/10/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

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Last week on Tuesday night our fridge started acting up, and by Wednesday afternoon, it was no longer blowing cold air. the fan was broken. Thankfully we have the extended warranty, so they came out Thursday afternoon and repaired the fridge (replaced the fan).

As a result, we lost most of the food in the fridge, including all of the condiments. The meal plan for the rest of last week was scrapped.

I hit up the store to replace what was lost, but I wasn’t able to replace all of it, for some reason, there are some food shortages, probably because some items are made overseas and there are some countries that are seeing surges in Covid Cases as of late.

The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

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. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Take out (It was Mother’s Day after all)
  • Monday:   Big Ol’ Salad, fruit, protein shakes
  • Tuesday:    Salsa Chicken, Rice, roasted veg
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday:  Steak, potatoes, roasted veg
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

5/7/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals

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This week has been busy- The compressor in our fridge died hard on Wednesday. The meal plan for the week changed drastically. The kids were stoked that they got to eat an entire box of popsicles in one sitting though.  I’m hunting for some good deals today to restock the fridge and freezer. I’m going to need all new condiments. TIP: If your fridge dies, don’t try to save the mayo. Warm mayo is not a good thing!

Luckily, 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!

Freebies:

Free Southern Flavor Charbroil Seasoning Sample
New Sampler Samples – Eye Liner, Orgain Powder & Frozen Sides
Free Domino’s Gift Card Giveaway
Free Quest Squad Swag, Products & More
Free Screening of In the Heights
5 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free Sweet Earth Awesome Burger at Select Stores
Free Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds at Select Stores
Free Cookie at Insomnia Cookie for Teachers & Nurses
Free Subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free 8×10 Photo Print at Walgreens
Free Cliradex Face Wipes or Foam Sample
Free Botzees Toddler Young Coders Party
Free Sweet Earth Marinated Chik’n at Select Stores
Free Sample of Tom Ford Black Orchid
Free BareFoot Wine for Your Birthday
Walmart Mother’s Day Event – Free Crafts, Goody Bag & More
Free Terrain D.O.G. Stickers
Free Abundant Natural Health Ocean Soothe Gel & Lotion Samples
2 Free Meridian Dog Food Samples
Free Hartz Home Protection Odor Eliminating Dog Pads
Free Sample of Nateen Baby Diapers
Free Sample of StriVectin Eye Cream
Free Subscription to Shape Magazine
Free Sample of Combat Ready Friction Shield Tape
Free Subscription to Wine Spectator Magazine
Free Matrix Socolor Permanent Dye Or Toner
Free Sweet Earth Mindful Chik’n at Select Stores
Free No-Cost Heart Health Screenings
Free Wonder Woman Mother’s Day Craft Event at JCPenney
Free Juice or Freeze at Pressed Juicery
Free Ink Cartridge
Free Sample of Cheez-It Grooves
Possible Free 12 Piece Makeup Pencil Set

Deals:

Up to 85% Off XTRATUF Shoes ONLY $9.99
Gel Pens 30-Pack ONLY $7.64 (Reg. $16)
Giant Backyard Waterslide ONLY $99.98 (Reg. $180)
Buy 2 Get 1 Free Cosmetic Bags + Free Shipping
Paint by Sticker Zoo Animals ONLY $5.01 (Reg. $10)
MUK LUKS Women’s No Show Sport Socks 6-Pack $16.99 (Reg. $28)
Jumbo Down-Alt Comforters ONLY $16.99 (Reg. $85)
Morgan Home Fleece Throws ONLY $10.20 (Reg $20)
Kate Spade Cameron and Staci Bundle ONLY $109 (Reg $378)
OPI Nail Polish Scotland Collection ONLY $5.25 (Reg $11)
Deep Tissue Massage Gun ONLY $37.99 Shipped (Reg $75)
Lighted Vanity Mirror with Shelf ONLY $69.90 Shipped (Reg $120)
Martha Stewart 11-Inch Grill Pan ONLY $43.99 Shipped (Reg $110)
A Cloud-Soft Mattress Pad up to 75% Off
Art & Cook Steak Knives w/ Tie-Dye Handles ONLY $7.93 (Reg $22)

SheSpeaks: Free Knudsen Cottage Doubles!

If you or your family like cottage cheese and have a Walmart nearby, check out this cool cashback deal from SheSpeaks and Walmart!

I did this Knudsen Cottage Doubles offer last week, and it’s super easy!

Now this offer isn’t available at every Walmart, so before you get excited, check this list to see your local location is participating.

To get started, click here to enroll in the program.  It’s free, easy, and takes just a few minutes.

Apply to be a Chatterbox™ for Cutwater® Tequila Canned Cocktails & Frozen Margarita Spirit Pops

When warmer weather hits, it’s officially tequila season. And there’s no better way to celebrate tequila season than with ⁠Cutwater® Spirits Tequila Canned Cocktails and Cutwater® Frozen Margarita Spirit Pops. You’ll love the classic, refreshing flavors and how easy they are to enjoy wherever your celebrations bring you. Visit the product locator to find a store near you.

You must be 21 or older to be a Chatterbox for this event.

This event is only open to residents of AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NV, OH, OK, OR, TN, TX, WA, WI and WY.

If you’re selected as a Chatterbox, you’ll get a great Chat Pack:

1 $20 Gift Card

Apply now and if selected, you’ll receive a Chat Pack delivered right to your doorstep. Invite a friend over, who is at least 21 years old, to try Cutwater® Tequila Canned Cocktails & Frozen Margarita Spirit Pops with you. You don’t have to throw a party, but you’ll want to celebrate when it arrives! After you try Cutwater® Tequila Canned Cocktails & Frozen Margarita Spirit Pops, chat about your experience, share your opinions and post a review on the site. That’s it!

Get the chatter started! Apply now.

CUTWATER TEQUILA SEASON SWEEPSTAKES
No Purchase Necessary. Open to AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NV, OH, OK, OR, TN, TX, WA, WI and WY 21+. Begins 5/3/21 and ends 5/26/21. See Official Rules here for additional eligibility requirements, prizes and details. Message and data rates may apply. Void where prohibited.

Monthly Side Hustle Totals- April 2021

I decided that at the end of each month in 2021 I’m going to post the breakdown of how much I made doing each side hustle/cashback app. My complete side hustle list can be found here and my complete list of Smartphone Apps can be found here.

I know some of you are curious about how much I make doing all of the hustles that I wrote about, and while I do a year-end update, I know some of you don’t wanna wait till the end of the year and that’s understandable.

Some of the side hustles I do frequently, like using the Fetch Rewards App every time I go shopping. Some of them I don’t do as often like Field Agent. I haven’t been really any Field Agent tasks that I’m interested in as of late. Most of them are alcohol-based and since I don’t drink because I’m not exercising to burn off the calories of the liquor I consume, I’m not terribly interested in bringing alcohol into my house.

Some of the hustles are more passive but have cumulative rewards so even though I do them each month, I may not receive a payout each month. It doesn’t make them any less valuable to me, they just take a longer amount of time to earn the reward. Honestly, those are fairly low-time investments, so I don’t feel bad that they take a long time to earn a payout. SBKC and Achievement are two of these.

And some I do in fits and starts. For example, I may not spend a lot of time doing PaidViewPoint surveys for a few weeks, and then I’ll get two or three emails telling me that I have time-sensitive or higher-paying surveys. Then I’ll rush over to the site and do five or 10 surveys and earn five or 10 bucks. It just depends on what’s available at the time.

Some of you might notice from this list that there are a number of research studies, I’ve been trying to do at least 1-2 a month because they tend to pay a lot better than surveys. I have been posting research studies and opportunities on the blog whenever they come across my email. I hope some of you are also applying for them and receiving opportunities to do them too.

Below is my list for April. I did a few Field Agent gigs since both of the kids are back to school full time and that gives me a few more hours each day to work my hustle (and research and write for the blog).  I have been doing a lot of reviews and such but don’t pay cash, but rather pay in-kind (Tryit, InfluensterSocial Nature, and BzzAgent). Each one of those sends a product or samples.

I try not to take the sample only offers because it’s not worth my time to review a bunch of sample size stuff, especially when I can be working with brands and companies that offer me products that are full-size, or they pay me with cash. Because really, as nice as say five dollar tube of deodorant might be, I can’t really pay my utility bill with it.

  • Fetch Rewards: $40
  • Research Study/Focus Group: $100 (I did 1 online)
  • Capterra: $50
  • Pinecone Research: $6
  • Field Agent: $35.50
  • PaidViewPoint: $15.02

Talk Back: How much do you make each month on your side hustles? Do you have any that you love and want to recommend? Leave a link in the comments below! Please no MLM or Direct Sales Opportunities. 

5/3/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

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The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

Over the weekend, I did some meal prep: I made a batch of Copycat Zuppa Toscana, caramelized onions and peppers, Roasted veggies, made a crumble-top coffee cake, and refilled the snack/school lunch box to make morning lunch prep even easier.

The grocery trip for the week was fairly small- Milk, coffee creamer, a few snacks for the kids lunches, meat-free nuggets, and a few other misc. items. We’re still working through our Dream Dinners order, and I’ve been making bigger batches of soups and entrees and stashing them in the freezer for busy nights.

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. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Dream Dinner (Honey Mustard Chicken), Spinach Salad, Roasted Veg
  • Monday:  Fritatta, Salad/Fruit
  • Tuesday:   Soup & Biscuits
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday: Dream Dinners and Roasted Veg
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

4/30/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

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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!

Freebies:

Free Vita Liberata Tanning Product
Free SeaWorld Parks Admission for Active Duty & Veterans
Free Más Agave Premium Hard Seltzer Chatterbox Kit
Free PurKratom Sample Pack
Free 16 oz Fresh Cravings Salsa
Free Okelani Beauty Abundance Hair and Beard Oil
Free 16 lb. Bag of ClimateGard Fertilizer
Free Bodyarmor Edge Drink at QuikTrip
Free Moisturizer Skincare Product
Free Anti-Itch Lotion
Free Oil Control Moisturizer
Free One by Poise Liner & Pads Sample Pack
Free Schar Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
Possible Free $125 Household Products Research Study
Free Sunscreen
Free $5 Off $5 at Ace Hardware = Free Item
Free Kids Sunscreen Stick or Lotion
Possible Free $150 Cooking Oil Research Study
Free Adventure Force Dinosaur & Slime Toy
Free Fast and Furious Movie Tickets
Free Chloe’s Pops Kids’ Marvel Pops
Free Beauty Products with 0.8L
Free Ponds Chatterbox Kit
Free 2-Year Subscription to Parents Magazine
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Chloe’s Pops Salted Caramel Oatmilk Pops
Free Hayneedle Kitchen and Dining Furniture

Deals:

Girls Full Length Leggings ONLY $2.99 at JCPenney (Reg $14)
Non-Contact Forehead Thermometer ONLY $7.99 (Reg $26)
Ninja Professional Plus Blend ONLY $48.99 After Kohl’s Cash
Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer ONLY $9.99 (Reg $60)
Kohl’s Outdoor Pillows ONLY $9.59 – Free Ship to Store
55% Off Keen Toddler to Adult Shoes + Extra 15% Off
Olay Cleanser & Moisturizer Mother’s Day Gift Set ONLY $21.24
Care Bears Interactive Figure ONLY $4.44 (Reg. $9)
PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Lookout Tower ONLY $38.99 (Reg. $78)
Coach Daisy Stud Earrings Set ONLY $35.40 (Reg $118)
Dash Cold Press Juicer ONLY $59.99 Shipped (Reg $100)
Target Women’s Sandal Clearance + Free $10 Gift Card
Clarks Shoes Up to 70% Off + Extra 15% Off
Calico Critters Yellow Labrador Family ONLY $9.88 (Reg. $25)
Coach Daisy Ring Set ONLY $29.40 (Reg. $98)

$20 Referral bonuses from BitmoPerks!

Bitmo is an app that I don’t use too often, but when I do, I save money and it makes me feel good!

It’s an app that you can use to send and receive gift cards.

You can also earn rewards when you shop through the app at specific retailers, like a lot of other apps (Dosh and Ibotta to name a few).

And one other thing that Bitmo does is it donates 2% of your gifting spend (that’s how much you spend on gift cards for others) to a charity- there are currently eight, including the San Diego Zoo, Rady’s Children’s Hospital, Feeding America, and The Salvation Army.

Right now they are offering bonus points when you refer new friends. 20,000 bonus points (that’s a $20 gift card) for everyone that joins, connects a card, and does a transaction. THey run referral bonuses a few times a year, but it’s usually for a $2-$5 Dunkin’ gift card or something small- Never a $20 bonus! And as far as I can tell, there is no limit on how many bonuses you can earn!

They are a San Diego, CA area business too. It’s cool to support local businesses, especially right now when a lot of small, local businesses could use the help.

 

Wayfair Sale! 80% off & Free Shipping!

It’s Way Day!

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!

 

 

Cents of Style Spring & Summer Henley Top Collection Starting at $7.99

Favorite Tops

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

This week Cents of Style has a huge deal on a collection of their all time BEST-SELLING Henley tops and tanks! These tops are incredible on their own or under your favorite cardigan.

One of the best parts about this collection is that they come in sizes S-3XL and tons of great colors making it perfect to snag a few! This deal is simple and priced crazy low strating at just  $7.99 with coupon code: SPRINGDEAL.

Favorite TopsDetails: