frugal

Easy, Family Friendly Water Saving Tips

Abby H.

file0001379338996

You may have heard, California is in a pretty severe drought situation, which has led to some pretty severe water use restrictions.

As a California Native, I honestly don’t remember a time when we haven’t been actively conserving water. However, now it’s more important than ever.

How can you and your family help out? Like most things, small tweaks can lead to big  changes, especially if many people pitch in.  Here are a few examples of ways YOU and YOUR FAMILY can help out:

Fix any leaky faucets. It may be as simple as replacing a worn out gasket in the faucet. Depending on how many drips you count per minute and how many faucets you have that are drip drip dripping, you could be wasting up to 5 gallons of water A DAY!!!

Limit showers to 5 minutes or less.  I know take a long, hot shower is nice, but realistically, most ladies don’t need to wash their hair every day, and all that water is just going down the drain. If you need to relax, take a bath.  Once you are done… try the next tip.

Got kids who still take a bath? Once they (or you!) are done, scoop the some of the water out of the tub in a bucket (I like the 5 gallon Homer Buckets from Home Depot) and use it to water your lawn, houseplants, or even your garden. For more tips and info on how and when it’s ok to use gray water in your garden, check out this segment from KPBS Midday Edition.

Only run the dishwasher when it’s full. That seems like a no-brainer, but it really does save water!

Use the correct setting on your washing machine! If you don’t have a large load, remember to change the load size on your washing machine. Using Energy Star rated appliances will not only help you save electricity, but it will also help you save water! Read the washing machine  manual to learn about which water settings should be used.

Turn off the sink while you are brushing your teeth or shaving. You could save up to 8 gallons a day per person who brushes their teeth.

Consider removing your lawn. I know having a lush, green lawn is a source of pride for some homeowners, but now is not the time!  You can Xeriscape, which is where you pull out the lawn and replace it with decorative rocks or mulch and native, drought tolerant plants. It’s really pretty. And you’ll be saving tons of water!

Pick up some rain barrels. I know, I know, we’re in a drought! But it still does rain here from time to time. The City of San Diego has a rebate program for those who purchase and install rain collection barrels. For those of us who can’t install barrels, you can always set out buckets to collect water and store it appropriately.  We always set out a few buckets to collect water for our patio garden.

Take your car to the carwash! Most commercial carwashes use  recycled water, so taking your car to the carwash is a great way to conserve water. It’s a lot more water efficient- the average commercial carwash uses 30-50 gallons of water per carwash (and most of it is or can be recycled), whereas a DIY at home car washing can use upwards of 100 gallons of water!

Compost your kitchen scraps! Instead of running your garbage disposal (which requires water!) to dispose of organic waste (that includes food waste), start a compost pile/bin.  You can find small compost bins (including table top versions!) at Home Depot for those who don’t’ have a large yard (like us). In addition to most food waste, yard waste, newspaper, and cardboard can be added to compost piles/bins. You can learn more about composting here.

So, there are just a few ways you can be water wise. How do you like to conserve water?

Review & Giveaway: Dial Sugar Cane Husk Scrub Hand Soap

Abby H.6 Comments

290x188-Dial-Sugar-Promo-SigI love being a Purex Insider! It’s a blogging program where I get to try out new products and share them with you! The latest product I was able to sample was the Dial® Sugar Cane Husk Scrub Hand Soap. It’s  the newest member of the Dial® Boutique Collection Hand Soap line, bringing luxury to your hand washing experience.

IMG_2966With an indulgent scent inspired by freshly cut Sugar Cane, this premium formula with gentle micro scrubbers cleanses deeply while moisturizing and smoothing skin.

When it arrived, I put it in the hallway bathroom, which is the one that Lil’ Man uses most.  He’s really into washing his hands right now, because it, “Makes the yucky germs go away!”

Everyone who has used it over the past 2 weeks loves it. The little micro scrubbers really help get your hands clean (which is great since Lil’ Man and I have been gardening a lot recently and we get pretty gross!), but it’s very moisturizing (thanks to the Sunflower oil).

I’m super excited to share this new product with you, in fact, you can enter to win a coupon for a free bottle.  Just check out the Rafflecopter widget here to enter!

Dole Fruit and Oatmeal Money Maker Deal!

Abby H.1 Comment

 

IMG_2969Right now, most 99 Cents Only locations  have Dole Fruit & Oatmeal for 99 Cents a 2 pack.

A Facebook fan told me these retail for $2.00 a pack at the mainstream grocery store- that’s nuts!

Here is a way you can score these little beauties for free- and make .50 on each package!

 

 

Screen Shot 2015-03-31 at 9.59.34 AMThere is a Snap By Groupon rebate for $1.50 back! Which means you pay $.99, submit for the $1.50 Snap Rebate and it’s a .50 Money maker (and there is no limit as to how many you can purchase and receive the rebate on).

Not a SNAP by Groupon member, You can sign up here! SNAP by Groupon is an app for your enabled device that gives you cash back when you buy specific items (at any store!)- items change about once a month, and there is always in interesting mix of items, including fresh fruits and veggies! You can cash out once you reach $20 in savings!

I tried one of these oatmeal cups this morning, and it was pretty good (but a little sweet). They’d be great to stash in your desk at work, or to donate to a food bank or shelter. Deals like this are just one way that you can help others and maintain your food budget!

The Pricebook: A Frugal Shoppers Best Friend!

Abby H.6 Comments

One thing that I get asked a lot when I’m shopping (besides, “Where’d you get all those coupons!”) is, “What’s that’s little book?” The Answer: It’s my price book! It’s a little spiral bound notebook, like this one.

Screen Shot 2015-03-27 at 11.42.40 AM A price book is a list of the items you use and the prices they sell for in the stores in your area.

It is a perfect tool for tracking price per ounce, which will help you determine the best price. Prices in a price book should be listed by cost per unit so you can easily compare different size packages from different stores. Your price book is a great tool to help you determine if a sale is really a deal.

Your price book can be as complex or as easy as you want it to be. You can calculate price per unit, or just list the regular price of each item at each of the stores you visit in your area.

If you have an iPhone or other smartphone, there are several apps available for purchase that take the guess work out if it.  If you are computer savvy, you can do a price book in Excel and print a copy when you go to shop. There are several available for download free on the Internet.  Google search “Excel Price Book download”.

Your price book can be as simple or as complex and you want it to be.  If you are new to the concept of prices books, you may wish to add as much detail as possible, to track your savings to the penny.

Basic information for every price book should include:

  • Date (you can date the top of each page or note it somewhere within the columns)
  • The brand– i.e. Hunt’s
  • The item– i.e. stewed tomatoes
  • Size -in ounces or pounds, however the item is listed on the container (i.e. 14.5oz, 2 lbs.)
  • Price- for the entire package. i.e. $1.89

Name of store– This is helpful if you are trying to find the cheapest price for an item within a range of stores.  Is deodorant really cheaper at the grocery store, Target or CVS in your area?  Start price book and find out!

Because of my price book, I know the cheapest place to get bananas is 99 Cents Only: .49/lb all the time! We eat about 2-3 lbs of bananas per week. Most grocery stores charge .69-.79/lb for bananas. By buying the least expensive bananas each week I am saving approximately $30.00/year. That’s just on one item we shop for each week!

Additional info:

  • Sale price (if any)
  • Date of sale (if any)

Listing sale information may assist you in tracking when sales occur, and plan your shopping trips throughout the year.  Knowing when to stock up on specific items may save you a couple hundred dollars a year.

Your price book will help you determine if that 50-gallon drum of yogurt at Costco is a better deal than the 32-ounce tub from the supermarket. Not all bulk purchases are a better deal.

I have a sheet in my price book for each store that I shop at. One page is for food items, and the second is for HBA/toiletries. I tend not to buy toiletries at Costco, as they are generally NOT a good deal.

My grocery stores include: Albertsons, Costco (so I can determine what is a good deal), 99 Cents Only, Wal-Mart, and Target.

I update my price books once a quarter.  When it’s time to update, I take a little extra time when I visit each store and just double check prices and sizes. Sometimes the size of the product changes too.

Here are some websites that talk about price books and give examples:

 

Clothing Swaps: Family Frugality at it’s best!

Abby H.4 Comments

VRj6VzFtGot piles of clothes stashed in a closet that the family has outgrown or are no longer worn? Have you thought about participating in a clothing swap? For those who aren’t familiar with clothing swaps, it’s a pretty cool concept:

Gather friends, family, co-workers and everyone brings their unwanted clothes, shoes, and accessories. For each item you bring, you receive 1 ticket. Each ticket is exchangeable to another piece of clothing, accessory, or pair of shoes. You bring ten items, you get ten tickets, you leave with ten items.

You can do kids clothing, women’s, men’s, whatever your group of friends is interested in doing.

There are a bunch of already established clothing swaps in San Diego.

Kinders Keepers is a fun clothing swap group in San Diego that meets quarterly.  You can learn more on their Facebook page here.

The Sonrise Church in Santee has a clothing swap too! One for kids clothes, and another for women’s clothing. Miss Charity’s Closet & Little Blessings Boutique 2nd Saturday of every month at 9:00 am
Contact Charity Murphy for more info clmurphy71@gmail.com

Not strictly clothing related, there is the San Diego Really, Really Free Market. They also meet about once a quarter in various areas around town.

Also not strictly Clothing Related, but one of my favorite give back orgs is the Buy Nothing Project. There are chapters all over the US, and we have a few here in San Diego.  I’ve been able to share clothes, panty staples we no longer needed, Lil’ Man’s outgrown toys and clothes.

If you don’t want to wait for an upcoming swap, check out consignment or resale shops! Just last week, I took some items over to Conceptions Children’s Resale. It’s a nice resale shop in Santee, I take a lot of Lil’ Man’s outgrown clothes and toys. In exchange I get 50% of the price they will sell the items for when I chose to receive Store Credit. Since #2 is on the way, I’ll usually take store credit. You can keep credit on file too. I’m saving mine up! There are tons of kid’s resale shops across the US, I bet there is one close to you. There are consignment or resale shops for adults too!

And of course… don’t forget Freecycle. Do a quick google search for Clothing swap + the name of your city.

What are some of your favorite money saving strategies when it comes to keeping the family clothed?

Review: Reusable Baby Food Pouches

Abby H.

When Lil’ Man was younger, that kid was all about the squeezy pouches, which was great! They are easy to carry, come in lots of varieties, and are overall a million times more convenient than glass jarred baby food.  HOWEVER, they make a lot of trash.

Recently I discovered the Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches. These pouches are incredible.  IMG_2886
You can refill the pouch again-and-again. No accidental spills with the reinforced double zipper. No more spending a lot of money on store bought pre filled pouches (over $1.00/each at most stores!).  It’s made of sturdy but very flexible material that’s environmentally friendly (BPA-free, PVC-free & phthalate-free).

If you’ve got kids that don’t eat a lot in one sitting, you’ll never waste food in a pouch again with the convenient window at the back of the pouch!

They are easy to use too. Pour your delicious homemade purees (Or you could use pudding for a fun dessert) easily into the large opening on the top of the Pouch. You don’t need any special appliances to fill the pouch. No weird, rounded corners that are difficult to clean. Just use a bottle brush to clean the pouch and pop it into the washing machine.

We used ours at the zoo last week. I filled one with chilled pudding, and a second with homemade applesauce.  These pouches would be great for backpacking or camping as well.

I’ve already picked up another set to share with a friend who is expecting soon! These make a pretty cool gift.

I want to thank the great people over at Easy Anywhere Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a four pack of Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

Birthday Freebies!

Abby H.7 Comments

file851348626627UPDATED 2018 My birthday has already passed, and this year was the first year I didn’t redeem all of my birthday freebies. Between all the awesome things going on in life (Preschool, the new baby coming, and not having the energy to get off my butt and cruise all over town), I stuck mostly to the awesome free stuff that was close to the house. I wanted to share with ya’ll all the sweet stuff you can score for free just fer having a birthday!

I recommend signing up for these freebies at least a month before your birthday, so there is enough time for you to be added to their list. I have included only the freebies that I have signed up for and personally received in 2015, so there is no bunk.

Most of these offers can be redeemed any time during your birthday month, so no need to cram all of this excitement into one day! I try to pull together offers that are close to one another 3-4 a day once or twice a week in February, combined with my regular errands.

birthday-border-edges

Non-food Goodies:

  • Free goodies at Sephora (It changes every year)
  • Free swag at Aveda (Free special blended body product),  Now you pay $10 and receive a product valued at $23+… No thanks.
  • $3.00 ECB at CVS when you register online for the CVS ExtraCare Beauty Club
  • DSW Shoe Warehouse – $5 off birthday coupon, plus 500 points for signing up for their loyalty club.
  • If you’ve got kids, sign up for Geoffry’s Birthday Club at Toys R Us. Your child will receive a card in the mail, a gift certificate and coupons to use in store.
  • Members of the Cost Plus World Market Explorers program get a surprise birthday gift, among other perks; you will also get a 10% off coupon upon enrollment.
  • Members of the AMC Theater loyalty club, AMC Stubs receive a special surprise for their birthday.  (Stubs costs $12/year to join)
  • As a member of Swagbucks, you’ll get 50 Swagbucks on your birthday.
  • Torrid– Members of the DivaStyle Club will receive $10 off their next purchase of $10+
  • K-Mart Kids Club: Your kiddo will get $5.00 coupon to spend in the store and other birthday goodies!
  • Old Navy: Sign up for their email list and they’ll send you a $5.00 off coupon to use in store.  You can also sign your kids up too! Scroll all the way to the “Sign up and Save” box at the bottom of the page.

birthday-border-edges
Free Food Noms:

  • Red Robin:  FREE burger on your birthday and all the latest Red Robin news.
  • Cold Stone Creamery:   Free ice cream on your birthday when you buy one at regular price.
  • Rubio’s   Free plate/combo
  • Del Taco  Free Shake (You also get something free when you sign up!)
  • Starbucks – register a free Starbucks Card and get a free birthday handcrafted beverage of your choice(as well as other goodies throughout the year).
  • Benihana Japanese Restaurant – complimentary meal up to $30 when you purchase an Adult meal at Regular Price (You must sign up for The Chef’s Table club) . This used to be a FREE meal, no strings attached, it was changed last year.
  • Baskin Robbins Ice Cream – One free scoop (2.5 oz),.
  • Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream – Free single scoop.
  • Sonic Drive-in: Free Medium beverage (OMG- Cherry Limeade FTW!)
  • Denny’s: Free Grand Slam for your Birthday. They also email out other freebies and coupons.
  • IHOP: Free Meal (It varies by year) on your birthday.
  • Arby’s Birthday Club: Offers a “surprise” This year I think it was a shake. yum!
  • Dunkin Donuts Birthday Club will kick down with a free coffee.   I’ve included DD’s, even though we don’t live near one, I love their coffee.
  • Burger King Crown Club for Kids: Free Surprise for your kiddo’s b-day!
  • Daphne’s Pita Points Club Members:  on your Birthday receive $5 added directly into your Pita Points account.
  • Jersey Mike’s: Free Sub for your Birthday!
  • Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt: When you sign up for a Smile-age Account, you’ll score a free Fro Yo for your B-day!  (I love Menchie’s!)
  • Weinerschnitzel: Free Corn Dog for your Birthday!
  • Cinnabon: Free Mochalatta Chill for your birthday, and a free minibun when you sign up.
  • Nothing Bundt Cakes: Join their email list and receive a FREE Bundlet on your Birthday. (look for the link at the bottom of their website)
  • Sbarro Rewards Club: Free piece of pizza for your birthday when you purchase a drink. You’ll also get a coupon for a free slice when you sign up.
  • Pick up Stix: Free order of Cream Cheese Wontons for your Birthday with any purchase.
  • Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt: Free Frozen Yogurt on your birthday.
  • Sprinkles: Get a free cupcake for your birthday when you join the Sprinkles birthday club.
  • Pita Pit: Free Pita for your birthday when you join the Pita Pit E-Club!

Some offers that I have been told about but no longer exist include: free tokens for the b-day kid at Chuck E. Cheese, free cheeseburger at Fuddruckers (now it’s a BOGO), Free cake at Corner Bakery Cafe (It’s a free dessert WYB an entree), free brow wax at the Benefit Brow Bar.

I live in Southern CA, so I have different offers than other websites, because not all establishments that offer freebies are nationwide. Please leave your favorite birthday freebies in the comment section of this post!

Infused Water: Adding flavor to Hydration without adding Calories!

Abby H.1 Comment

Recently the awesome people over at Tomoson and Big Easy Brands gave me the opportunity to try out the FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid. Most of you know I love water, but sometimes I need a little flavor. I’m over the powdered packets of drink mix- with my amazing pregnancy super taster status, they all have a weird aftertaste, and even my formerly beloved Mio!

When the bottle arrived, Lil’ Man and I washed it, and set to work. He chose raspberries to infuse our water. He grabbed a ziploc baggie out of the freezer, and told me he was going to, “Little Chef cook the waters.” Ok. Being the cool mom I am, I stood back and let the 4 year old do it. And I took photos.

IMG_2844
Step one: Disassemble the bottle (assistance from Mommy required)
IMG_2846_2
Step 2: Load fruit of your choice (fresh or frozen) to the little infuser basket.
IMG_2849
Step 3: Re-assemble the infuser basket into the lid, add water, and shake. We stored ours in the fridge for the fruit flavor to infuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I love about the FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid is that it’s 26 ounces- more than just a few sips.

It’s BPA & Lead Free and made of PET Plastic – the Safest Plastic in Drinkware. No worrying about Toxins and Chemicals Seaping into your Drink. The bottle isn’t as rigid as some of the double walled water bottles in our collection, but this bottle is perfect for packing in our snack bag when we visit the zoo (I just toss a few ice cubes into the bottom of the bottle to keep the water cold).

So far we’ve enjoyed raspberry, strawberry, and pineapple. Tomorrow we will be enjoying green apple! It’s a great alternative to flavored waters that contain artificial flavors and colors. Plus, you can eat the fruit when you are done! You can use whatever fruit you have on-hand! It’s a great way to use up the last few lingering berries, orange segments, or mango tidbits.

I want to thank the great people over at Big Easy Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

San Diego, CA families: Complimentary Water And Energy-Savings Kit from SDG&E

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-03-19 at 9.01.32 AMA freebie from your utility company? Sounds weird, but it’s true. If you live in San Diego County, you can score a Complimentary Water And Energy-Savings Kit. It includes a brochure with tips, three faucet aerators, and a low-flow showerhead to help you save energy and water. These devices allow air to enter into the water stream, maintaining a high-pressure flow while reducing water usage.

To get started, fill out the form here.

Try Products for free with BzzAgent!

Abby H.1 Comment

I get asked a lot, “How do you get so much awesome stuff for free?” I could lie and tell you it’s my good looks, but really, it’s because I belong to a couple of  really awesome Word of Mouth Marketing companies. Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing- It’s not a new concept, but nowadays companies are starting to realize how powerful consumer recommendations can be.  Remember the “I told two friends, and they told two friends” commercial from the 1980’s? That’s word of mouth marketing.  Since the invention of the internet, WOM marketing has been amplified.

There are companies that connect consumers with companies and products looking to market directly to a specific cross-section of the population.  What does that mean for you?  Sign up with a WOM Marketing company and when they have products that someone like you would like and use, and they will have you complete a brief survey and send you the product.

Often times, the product they will send you will be full size.  Additionally, they will send marketing materials with talking points for you to share with friends.  Depending on the product, samples and coupons may be included! Once you receive your kit, you try out the products and “bzz” about them by posting on FB, Twitter, G+, or on your blog. You can also “bzz” face to face. When I get a lot of coupons in a kit, often times I’ll “Coupon Fairy” when I’m at the store (that’s a term for leaving coupons on the shelf next to the corresponding item). You report back to Bzzagent when you share/”bzz”.

bee_logo_100px
The BzzAgent bee looks Angry, but he’s just determined to find some sweet deals

My favorite WOM Marketing by far is Bzzagent. Bzzagent was founded in 2007 and they work with a lot of great national brands. In the past I’ve received diapers, wipes, beer, frozen food, razors, cereal, and tons of other awesome stuff to try and share with my friends.

The Campaign I’ve got right now is for Kroger brand products. For those of you who are thinking, “Kroger??” Kroger is the company that owns a bunch of grocery stores across the US, including Ralphs and Food4Less here in So. Cal. Like most major grocery store chains, they have quite a number of private label (formerly known as generic or store) brands.

Kroger is no slouch, check out the wide variety of their Private Label Brands:

Kroger® Brand: The classic Kroger® Brand has you covered with the products you love most in every section of your local store.

Private Selection™: Each Private Selection item has been carefully crafted to delight your senses — from the artisanal breads and cheeses to prime meat cuts and decadent desserts.

Simple Truth™ & Simple Truth Organic™: Every Simple Truth product is free from 101+ artificial preservatives and ingredients — taking the worry out of what’s in your food.

HemisFares: Kroger’s culinary explorers traveled the globe to bring you an extraordinary collection of authentic, regional food specialties.

Everyday Low Price Brands: On a tight budget? Look for P$$T…™, Check This Out…™ and Heritage Farm™ items throughout your local store to discover great prices on everyday essentials.

My BzzKit contained:

  • Kroger® Brand Tomatillo Lime Flavored Tortillas
  • Simple Truth™ Banana Chips
  • P$$T…™ Brownie Mix
  • Private Selection™ Coffee (I got Breakfast Blend)
  • Coupons for FREE Bacon, Pasta, and Mexican Cooking Sauce

This morning I made the Brownies up as cupcakes (perfect for portion control). They are super fudgey and chewy- YUM! I’m setting the rest aside for dessert tonight- I’ll be pairing them with fresh berries and Fat Free Cool-Whip.

I’ll be cutting up the tortillas and baking them to give them some crunch to top our taco salads tonight.

There are quite a few other WOM Marketing Companies such as Smiley 360, Houseparty, Influenster, MomsMeet, and VocalPoint, but I find that overall Bzzagent provides the better campaigns and they have more kits to supply so more people can try out products. Some other WOM Marketing companies make you jump through hoops to get campaigns for example:  Locate products on shelves and take a selfie with them in store, post to your blog, FB, or other Social Media outlets before you are considered or approved for a campaign. That’s just too much work for my tastes, especially when you aren’t guaranteed a spot if you do all of those things!

WOM Marketing is just one way I score free stuff to share with others and stretch our family budget.