frugal

Dave & Buster’s Holiday Deals!

Abby H.

main-module-6-2.jpgThis is a great deal, even if you don’t plan to give it as a gift!

When you download the new Dave & Buster’s app (in the App Store or Google Play), you’ll score 50% off your first purchase. This offer ends 12/4/19.

 

If you need to buy a gift for someone on your list who loves video games, yummy bar food, and tasty drinks, this second deal is pretty good too! Buy a $50 Gift Card and get a $10 Free Game Play Card.

sub-module.jpg I love this deal because you can buy this as a gift, and keep the $10 card for yourself/your family and keep it for when you need a family night or a date night out, especially when you combine it with some of the deals/values below.
Here are a few everyday deals you can take advantage of:

The Eat and Play Combo is a great deal.

I recommend joining the Dave & Buster’s Rewards Club.  I love taking the kids during the summer when we get coupons.

  • $10 FREE Game Play with $10 game play purchase for joining
  • MONTHLY EMAIL SAVINGS and a first look at what’s new (the past few months it’s been deals like $20 free when you load $20 on a card!)
  • EARN $10 FREE Game Play for every $100 spent in-store†
  • PROTECTION for lost or stolen cards when registered online
  • 24/7 ONLINE ACCESS to your Power Card® or Power Tap® chip, ticket and Rewards point balances

Cross Country Cafe: Black Friday Deal on Keurig® Coffee Gift Bundle Available Now!

Abby H.

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

Cross Country Cafe has an awesome deal for Black Friday! They’ve started their sale early, so you can get it now.

Keurig® Coffee Gift Bundle

The bundle includes:

  • 1 K1500 Keurig® coffee maker
  • 4 boxes of K-Cup® coffee (96 pods total) including Holiday Blend, Cinnamon Sugar Cookie, and Peppermint Bark Mocha
  • 1 wire K-Cup® storage rack (holds four boxes)

Sale ends Friday 12/6/19 at midnight EDT. 

If that’s not your cup of tea (or coffee), Cross Country Cafe has all sorts of other deals on tea, coffee, K-cups, Nespresso pods, non-dairy creamers, and more! They have a great gift guide here.

One of my favorite gift ideas is the monthly subscription to the K-cup of your choice!

FREE Printable Christmas Coupon BookAnd if you are looking for a cute printable, check out the FREE Christmas coupon printables from Cross Country Cafe!

11/25/19 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

This week is Thanksgiving here in the US, so the kids are off school all week, and I’ve got tons of fun stuff planned! Zoo, making Turkey Cookies with the kids and my niece, playing at the park, and of course, daily visits to the YMCA. Meals will probably be light because we’re super stoked for all the yummy treats on Thursday.  I’m taking this dish on Thursday!

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 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 kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian (well, the big kid is, but the rest of us aren’t), but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

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 love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his lunch.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked. Last week I did a lot of veggie prep and I’ve got a bunch of bags of veggies in the freezer for meals this week.

  • Monday: Breakfast for dinner: Smoothies and Dave’s Killer Bagels with Cream cheese.
  • Tuesday: Quesadillas, green salad, fruit
  • Wednesday:  Chicken and Veggie soup
  • Thursday:  THANKSGIVING FEAST WITH FAMILY
  • Friday:  Some sort of Thanksgiving leftover based meal (perhaps a Moist Maker Sandwich- Friends fans know what I mean)
  • Saturday:  Pizza time (also salad will be served)
  • Sunday:   Leftovers, as per usual

I had someone ask me how we always have enough of anything for leftovers. I always cook enough of the main dish for 6-8 servings, that way we have leftovers for lunches later in the week or leftover night. And really when you make stuff like soup, it’s hard to make a batch of soup that only feeds 4 people.

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?

Frugal, Tasty Meals with Dinnerly!

Abby H.

To facilitate this review, the awesome folks at Dinnerly provided our family with 3 meals (4-6 servings each). I received no financial compensation to write this review- All opinions are my own.

I’ve reviewed dinner/meal kits before, and my complaint is always that they are so expensive, upwards of $10 per person, per meal. At that point, I better be going out to dinner, and I am not washing dishes! Secondly, the meals are usually not child-friendly, especially if you have a kid on the spectrum (like we do), who also happens to be a vegetarian.

Enter Dinnerly! At $4.49 per adult-sized serving, Dinnerly is so much less expensive than other meal kits. But how? digital recipe cards instead of paper, fewer ingredients per dish (which means less chopping and cleaning), simple packaging, and no fancy marketing campaigns.

The big kid and I looked at the website and he chose two meat-free recipes, and I chose one with meat.

  • Mediterranean Meatball Stew with Carrots & Couscous
  • Coconut Curry Ramen with Snow Peas & Jammy Eggs
  • Baked Squash & Kale Risotto with Parmesan

recipeWhat I really like is that the recipe tells you what is in the kit for your recipe, and what you will need from your own kitchen (and trust me, it’s nothing special or fancy).

The directions are great for those who don’t have a lot of cooking experience. My 8-year-old was able to read the steps and follow them. He helped me cook the Risotto, and he measured, stirred, poured, and ripped up the kale into bite-sized pieces.

The 4-6 adult-sized servings are pretty generous, by the way. With every meal, there were closer to 7 servings. I always serve side dishes with the main dish. Most nights we had salad or some kind of veggie side dish. When we had ramen, I picked up a bag of pork potstickers from 99 Cents Only for the grown-ups, and also made a miso dressing coleslaw. If you want to stretch meals further, I suggest adding sides, or maybe sneaking in some extra veggies (I added 1 cup of peeled, diced crook-neck squash to the Mediterranean Meatball Stew).

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Tamari Sauce for Ramen

Some of the recipes needed a little “kick”- especially the ramen- so we added ginger, red chili flakes, and a bay leaf to the broth. BUT, since everyone has different levels of spice tolerance, Dinnerly Kits are a great place to start if you want to explore different flavors and cultures without having the buy a bunch of new and/or different spices. For example, the ramen kit comes with two of these cute little packages of Tamari sauce. I did clean one of them out when I was done and now it’s in the kid’s toy kitchen.

Everything is pre-measured and ready to go, even the spices. This is another reason I love Dinnerly- It cuts down on food waste.

75557570_10157525826901061_3062456495460319232_n75443029_10157525826876061_5954310997228388352_nThe veggies are all super fresh and ready to be cut up! The risotto came with two little cubes of parmesan cheese, that my 8-year-old grated and sprinkled like a pro!

I made the Mediterranean Meatball Stew with Carrots & Couscous and took it to a friend for a night in. It was cheaper, healthier, and tastier than stopping to grab takeout. It was so tasty and filling.

If you want to check out Dinnerly, they have been nice enough to create a promo code just for my readers! The code to use at check out is hewesfamily15, and it’s active through the first week of December and only valid for first-time users. The coupon code is worth 15% off! To get started, visit Dinnerly here.

I think Dinnerly would also make a great gift for a family that just has a baby,  or someone who might need a little love.

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Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto
75429695_10157525826651061_6446603043503865856_n
Coconut Curry Ramen
76730116_10157525827111061_8430036417018593280_n
Meatball Stew and Cous Cous

11/18/19 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

I didn’t make the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes I had hoped to make last week, but I am eyeing them for this week’s baking, in addition to chocolate chip cookies (always the kiddos favorite).

This week is starting off with a trip to the YMCA for yoga and some time at child watch. There is a lot going on over the next few weeks around here, so I’m trying to get us into a new routine with meal planning and getting more exercise for all of us.

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 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 kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian (well, the big kid is, but the rest of us aren’t), but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

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 love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his lunch.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked. Last week I did a lot of veggie prep and I’ve got a bunch of bags of veggies in the freezer for meals this week.

  • Monday: breakfast for dinner: Everything bagels with various toppings (options will include scrambled eggs with cheese, avocado slices, bacon crumbles, sliced sharp cheddar, cream cheese), and smoothies.
  • Tuesday: Leftover Kale and Butternut Squash Risotto from Dinnerly (It made a HUGE amount). This time I’ll be adding bacon crumbles and serving it with fresh rolls.
  • Wednesday:  Chicken fajitas with onions and peppers, rice, and refried beans (quesadillas as the main dish for my vegetarian kiddo)
  • Thursday:  Veggie Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
  • Friday:  Date Night (Dinner out- Woo)
  • Saturday:  Pizza time (also salad will be served)
  • Sunday:   Leftovers, as per usual

I had someone ask me how we always have enough of anything for leftovers. I always cook enough of the main dish for 6-8 servings, that way we have leftovers for lunches later in the week or leftover night. And really when you make stuff like soup, it’s hard to make a batch of soup that only feeds 4 people.

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?

Sonic- $1 Hot Dogs Tomorrow!

Abby H.

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Tomorrow, November 14, 2019 is $1.00 Hot Dog Day! 6-inch Chili Cheese Coneys or All-American Dogs all day! Pair them with your favorite Drink or Slush for half price when you order in the app.***

This is a perfect dinner out with the kiddos! For less than $10 you can have hot dogs and Chery Limeades!

**$1 Dogs: Each Hot Dog is $1. Tax not included. Add-Ons cost extra. Limit 5 per customer. Valid only for 6″ Chili Cheese Coney and All-American Dog. Offer vaild only on November 14, 2019, at participating drive-in locations while supplies last. Not good in conjunction with Combos, delivery or any other offers. Hot Dogs are approximately 6″ pre-cooked.

***Happy Hour Any Time: Get ½ Price Drinks and Slushes Every Time You Order in the SONIC® App. Includes Soft Drinks, Iced Teas, regular Lemonades and Limeades, Frozen Lemonades and Limeades, Ocean Water® and Famous, Real Fruit and Candy Slushes. Add-Ins cost extra. Excludes Mini size, Ice Cream Slushes, Combos, Wacky Pack® Kids Meals and other offers. Discount based on menu price. Mobile ordering available only at select locations. Offer good for a limited time only at participating SONIC® Drive-Ins.

11/11/19 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

I haven’t gone to the grocery store for this week, and I’m holding off, as we’ve got all kinds of stuff in the kitchen. I’ll be making some chocolate peanut cupcakes this afternoon, and pumpkin donuts later this week.  And we’ve got two meals from Dinnerly to cook this week!

No school today, so I’m a little late in posting this. We slept in until 8:15. Ahhhh.

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 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 kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian (well, the big kid is, but the rest of us aren’t), but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

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

Breakfast: Coffee with heavy cream for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids (they love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his lunch.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked. I did a little meal prep over the weekend, chopped and bagged veggies soups and chili, and made cookies for the kids.

  • Monday: Birthday dinner for my dad with the fam
  • Tuesday: Kale and Butternut Squash Risotto (From Dinnerly)
  • Wednesday:  Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Soup
  • Thursday:  Coconut Curry Ramen with Jammy Eggs (Also from Dinnerly)
  • Friday: Pasta Free Lasagna (I have TONS of zucchini), garlic bread
  • Saturday:  Chicken and veggie stir fry with rice
  • Sunday:   Leftovers, as per usual

 

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?

New! Claim your spot on the OhmNow waitlist!

Abby H.

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If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you know I love earning money and saving energy with OhmConnect (You can read more about it here). OhmConnect is sweetening the deal with a new program.

 OhmNow finishes what you started with #OhmHours. Sign up for this new premium add-on service, and we’ll upgrade your OhmConnect account so your smart devices respond to extra valuable #OhmHours. You’ll get paid extra without lifting a finger.

For just $4.99 per month you can automatically save energy when electricity prices surge, even if that’s just for five minutes.

No commitment or credit card required today, you can join the waitlist here.

Working Behind the Scenes for You

OhmNow works behind the scenes so you can rest easy knowing that you’re making extra money without lifting a finger. Join OhmNow and you can earn by:

  • Connecting key appliances
  • Setting your preferences
  • Automatically reducing energy during surges

Just like the standard OhmConnect service, you don’t need to change anything on your utility account.

Disclaimer: If you aren’t a member of OhmConnect and join, I may earn extra points that will help me earn my next reward.

November is Military Family Month at the YMCA!

Abby H.

ymcaOne of the things I love about the YMCA is that they support military families with discounts and special programs. Through November 11, The San Diego County YMCA’s are directing 50 percent of new-member join fees toward financial assistance for military families.

Military families get extra membership benefits at the YMCA, including a waived join fee ($60 value), 10% off monthly membership fees, and access to child care referrals and the Exceptional Family Member Program for Navy families who have children with special needs.

If you haven’t checked out your local YMCA location recently, The Y will be free and open to all during regular hours, Monday, November 11. Veteran’s Day is just one of the many free community days the Y has throughout the year.

We love our local Y. With 2 hours of childcare each day, so I can exercise (or really, sometimes I just want to take a shower in peace), or make phone calls/catch up on emails/write in the newly remodeled lobby of our local Y (#nomomshame, I see lots of other moms do it too before or after their workouts), free classes, events, and weekly open gymnastic so the kids can play and get wiggles out- no matter the temperature outside, there is something for every family.

I’ve always got free passes too- so if you can’t make it on Monday, November 11, 2019 to your local Y, let me know and I can slip some passes your way!

California Residents: Unclaimed Property and Money!

Abby H.2 Comments

This is the postcard we received over the weekend. On the back is information about the State Controller’s Office, and how they are holding over NINE BILLION DOLLARS in unclaimed property (that includes money).

I checked the website and found about $27 in my name! I filled out the forms, printed them, signed them,  made copies of my ID, and mailed it all off this morning.  In 120 short days (or so, per the website), I should get my money.

It’s free to search, free to claim your property, so it is 100% worth 5-10 minutes to see if you’ve got anything waiting for you!

Click here to get started!