frugal

Earn Cashback at Walmart with Zarty!

Abby H.1 Comment

I learned about Zarty on Reddit last week. I downloaded the app, and had to try it for myself. Last night I went to Walmart and decided to give it a shot.

There are three parts to earning cashback with Zarty.

  • First, scan the product in-store before you buy it.
  • Then scan the receipt after purchase, and answer a few questions.
  • Finally, a few days later, answer some additional questions about your experience with the product.

Some products have a 100% cashback rebate in the form of points. This week, it’s frozen veggies and crescent rolls. There was a Snickers bar too, but I missed out on that by a few hours.

What I like about Zarty is that it’s super easy to use. Once you earn 10,000 points you can cash out for a $10 Walmart Gift Card.

That’s it. It’s simple, it’s easy, and you can use it with other cash back apps. You earn points every time you scan in a Walmart receipt too, even if you don’t have any offers on your receipt.

We don’t have a great Walmart in our city. It’s not a supercenter or neighborhood market, so they don’t have a lot of groceries, but if you live in an area with either of those and you shop there, this app may be a really great way for you to earn even more cashback.

There is no referral link or code to download this app. Just go to the app store or Google Play store and download the Zarty app to get started!

5/23/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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This is a short meal plan week for me. I’m taking the big kid camping starting Wednesday afternoon. We are going to Potrero War, run by our local SCA branch. I’m on staff, so we are going early.

I went to the store last night and picked up some goodies to get us through the week. Little Bit and her daddy are staying home. She is not outdoorsy.

I’m so excited because our JUMBO CSA box is arriving today while I’m at work. That means this afternoon I’ll be prepping fruits and veggies to keep us healthy and fed for the week. I’m taking about half of the veggies with us to cook while we are camping. We cook a lot over charcoal in dutch ovens, and I’m excited to see how some of my recipes at home turn out in a dutch oven!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, 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 $28. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up milk and some misc. groceries last night. With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

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.

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. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: I picked up our Dream Dinners order last week, and we’ve got a couple on deck for this week. I’m leaving a lot of prepped foods for the rest of the family to enjoy while we are out camping.

    • Monday: Nug night- crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
    • Tuesday: Lemon Feta Turkey Sliders with Crispy Shoestring Fries, green salad
    • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, fruit)
    • Thursday: Pasta with roasted veggies
    • Friday: Takeout night!
    • Saturday:  Leftovers
    • Sunday:  Quesadillas, beans, rice, green salad

Saving Money on Alcohol!

Abby H.

I know not everyone enjoys or partakes of alcohol, but for those who do, saving money can be hard.

I’m here to show you a few ways to save money while stocking your bar for your next get-together!

First, let’s start with rebate apps.

  • FetchRewards partners with a lot of brands including Coors Banquet and Miller. So you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards, and frequently they have offers that make products free or heavily discounted.
  • Shopkick frequently has alcohol rebates.
  • BYBE is available in most states. This app has rebates for beer, wine, liquor, and more.
  • Target frequently has both coupons and Target Circle offers for alcohol. Check the app or website before heading out to shop. And you save 5% when you shop with your Target RedCard! Remember that you can stack Target app deals and coupons with Cashback apps to double and sometimes triple dip!

Check your grocey store’s app for further discounts, coupons, and rebates. Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs/Kroger frequently have digital coupons for alcohol.

Next up are good old fashioned rebates. Especially with alcohol, you may find rebates on products in store. There are also online rebates frequently. When searching for rebates, make sure to include your state in the search, as well as the year. “CA 2022 beer rebates” will bring you better searches than, “beer rebates”. Websites like phatwallet and slickdeals often have forums dedicated to rebates, where you can find more alcohol rebates.

I hope this helps!

 

 

Cents of Style: HUGE Accessories Collection 4 For $20!!

Abby H.

Summer Sale** 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 is offering FOUR accessories for ONLY $20 which makes each item ONLY $5 apiece when four or more are purchased! These items would normally be up to 4 for $60!

Remember to use Coupon Code SENSATIONAL at checkout.

The most important part: FREE SHIPPING OVER $40! The code is active until 5/30/22 at midnight.

5/19/2022 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

It’s Friday Already?? WOW. This weekend is busy for us again- getting ready to go camping next weekend over the holiday. This weekend is a lot of packing, prepping, and meal planning.

There are so many awesome freebies and deals this week, and the weather this weekend is supposed to be AWESOME (AND WARM) here in San Diego.

Mask Mandates are changing constantly in California and can vary by city and county, so please do your part if you are going to any in-person freebies.

2022 Birthday Freebies are here!

Freebies:

Free Webcam
Free Kazi Electrolyte Infused Seltzer Drink
Free Ink Cartridges
Text for $10 Off at Lane Bryant = Free Item
Free IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Serum
Free Wildgood Plant-Based Ice Cream
Free Cleansing Balm + $75 eGift Code
Free Pet Finn Wellness Products
Free Chex Party Mix Seasoning Packet at Walmart
1 Million Free Flag Giveaway at Ace Hardware on 28th
Free Buona Beef Sandwich – May 27th thru 30th
Free Tiny Tate’s Bake Shop Cookies at Publix
Free Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet
Free Taos Bakes Trailblazer Granola at Publix
Free Sample of ECOS Liquidless Laundry Sheets
Free Big Mountain Foods Plant-Based Alternatives Products
Free SOS Hydration Electrolyte Drink Mix
Free Tie Dye Rocks Craft Event
Free TruSkin Vitamin C Super Serum+ Sample
Free ClarityRx Down + Dirty Detoxifying Charcoal Micro Exfoliant
Free Butterfly Bead Craft Kit at Joann
Free Baby Samples & Full Sized Products from Amazon
Free Persil ProClean Discs at Select Stores
Free Cool Beans Frozen Wrap
Free Dirt Kitchen Pressed Bars
Free Appetizer at O’Charley’s
Free Wowables Paper Towels
Huggies Rewards Free 3,500pts for an Amazon Gift Card

 

Deals:

Play Tent for Kids ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $30)
Barbie Cutie Reveal Puppy Doll ONLY $12.52 (Reg. $25)
Frigidaire Portable Retro Mini Fridge ONLY $22.48 (Reg $40)
Ball Glass Mason Jar Set 12-Count ONLY $8.98 (Reg $16)
70% Off Wine Tumbler Cups on Amazon
Mainstays Baker’s Rack with Wood Shelf ONLY $77.88 (Reg $110)
50% Off Volcom Women + Extra 15% Off at Checkout
Rockland Rolling Duffel Bag ONLY $19.99 (Reg. $69)
Bath Fun Pack 12-Piece ONLY $4.45 (Reg. $13)
50% Off Tupperware + Extra 15% Off at Checkout
40% Off ShopDisney Twice Upon a Year Sale + Extra 25% Off
MUK LUKS Sequoia Moccasin Slippers ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $34)
Hot Wheels Mega Construx Rodger Dodger ONLY $12.74 (Reg. $25)
Sun Joe Indoor/Outdoor Bug Zapper ONLY $19.99 (Reg. $39)
Shark Cordless Pet Stick Vacuum ONLY $159 (Reg $279)

Samples from LifeToGo and Sampler

Abby H.

New samples are here but they won’t last long! Click here to sign up! Throughout the year, LifeToGo gives you the chance to match with name brands and discover new favorites through free samples and exclusive discounts. They’ve got plenty of amazing samples lined up!

This month you could match with M&M, Soom Foods, Natreve, and much more!

At Sampler they email you when you’re most likely to match, so make sure you’re subscribed to their emails so they can keep you in the loop.

Kids Night Out at Parkway Plaza!

Abby H.1 Comment

Parkway Plaza is back at it with kids’ events!

Gather the kids and take a night off!
Bring them out to Parkway Plaza on the 2nd & 4th Friday of every month for kids’ night out! Craft, dance and play with friends and family in our Channel 93.3 Lounge. Experience the real radio station set up and take family photos at one of the selfie stations throughout the lounge.
The next event is on May 27th!

5/16/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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The end of the school year is coming, and that means one of my jobs is coming to an end for a few months. I’m going to be doing some budget re-tooling this week, and you may notice some posts here or on IG about budgets.

I spent the weekend with the family at a wedding, and then also at a school event. It was a lot, and the kids had a great time.

This morning I’m cleaning out the fridge and making room for our next CSA Box!

Our veggies and fruit are delivered by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $28, 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 $28. Seriously. It’s a deal. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up milk and some misc. groceries last night. With the increase in food costs, we are leaning more and more on our CSA box each week as the base of most of our meals.

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.

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. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.  The big kid still brings lunch from home.

Dinner: We’re working our way through our monthly Dream Dinners order, and I am making two this week. We’ve got our usual Monday Nuggets and Friday Pizza planned, but other than that I’m cooking a lot this week!

Dream Dinners Fundraiser: Feed 37 people when You Buy 3 Meals for $50!

Abby H.

This just popped into my inbox, and I had to share.

You could feed a classroom full of children when you buy 3 Meals for $50 at the Dream Dinners Foundation Fundraiser.

When you buy 3 Medium Meals for only $50 for you to take home to enjoy with your family, the Dream Dinners Foundation will match the donation. The money raised from this fundraiser will go directly to pay for the supplies needed to pack 20,000 meals! The meals will be distributed to families with food insecurities both locally and abroad.

There are 5 options to choose from, and they are all GREAT. We love the Central Park Garlic Chicken with Oven Roasted Broccoli.

Meals will be available for pick up on Wednesday, May 18th, Curbside Pick up 4pm -6pm.

If you are interested in attending the volunteer meeting to learn more about how you can participate, you can also purchase this fundraiser special and attend the meeting. Call/Text 619-460-6800 or email lamesaca@dreamdinners.com for more details about that meeting.

hand to handmeal packing volunteer tablegirls with plates

PinchMe: it’s Free Sample Friday!!

Abby H.

Surprise!! It’s Free Sample Friday!  PINCHme is hooking us up with a surprise freebie giveaway! I just logged onto my pinchme account and didn’t have any available samples, but you might!

Don’t have any idea what I am talking about? PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.

PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.

Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. PinchMe learns what you like and offer samples just for you.

Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.

I get PinchMe samples every month. Here is what arrived at the end of June for the June 2021 boxes. The One Bar was really good.

What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!