frugal

AO Opinions: Upcoming Skincare Project Pays $175

Abby H.

Summer must be the busy season for Research Studies! My inbox has been blowing up this week with opportunities to share.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the subject of Skincare.

  • To be considered, complete the pre-screener here. If you pre-qualify, you will receive a text or email from a Recruiter to call our office.
  • Online Webcam Group via Desktop/Laptop with Webcam (NO CHROMEBOOK/TABLETS/PHONES)
  • Date: Wednesday, July 7th, Thursday, July 8th, or Friday, July 9th, 2021 (various times)
  • Compensation: $175
  • Open to: Females 20-55 years old

 

 

 

 

Family Recipe: DIY Salad Bar

Abby H.

The post is dedicated to Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes… RIP.

One of our family favorite restaurants pre-pandemic was Souplantation. So many great veggie and salad options all in one place. This summer I’m trying to find easy, simple lunch options for the family, so this week I’m making a salad bar.

It might sound like a lot of work, but I spend about an hour a week prepping veggies as soon as the CSA box arrives, so it’s just a slightly different prep this week.

First I got out our Rubbermaid reusable containers and lids, and I chopped the various ingredients. At lunchtime, I’ll set all of the containers out, and put the salad greens in a large bowl that is nestled in a baking dish full of ice to keep the greens crisp.

If you are having a salad bar for your July Fourth celebration, consider using a cold ingredient caddy like this one.

It keeps the components cold and at their preferred temperature for an extended period of time.

Here are just a few of the ingredients that we’ll be featuring in our DIY salad bar:

  • Salad greens (spinach, romaine lettuce, butter bibb lettuce, mixed greens, kale)
  • Radishes
  • Brocolli
  • Cauliflower
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Celery
  • Red onions
  • Green apples
  • Strawberries
  • Beets (raw or pickled)
  • Bell pepper or other sweet peppers
  • Pickled veggies
  • Capers
  • Nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Cheese cubes (or crumbled feta or goat cheese)
  • Diced ham or diced turkey breast lunchmeat
  • Croutons
  • Salad Dressing- I like this vinagrette, and this one, and this ranch.

What do you like on your salads?

Have Your Hot Girl Summer on a Budget

Abby H.

I’m sure by now everyone has heard the phrase “Hot Girl Summer”, but do you know what it means? The phrase can be traced back to a Megan Thee Stallion song a few years ago.

On Twitter, she explained: “Being a Hot Girl is about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, being the life of the party, etc.”

A couple of my friends have embraced it, and I think that it’s a pretty amazing outlook to have, especially since last summer was, well, Sad Trombone Noise? I know the kids are looking forward to having fun, more adventures, and getting out of the house. Here are a couple ways I’m bringing Hot Girl Summer (and sharing it with the fam).

New Bathing Suits. Kids grow, but what about me? Well after having the same swimsuits for 3 years, it’s time. Especially since we swim daily.  I bought a few new suits from Amazon. Since I’m fair-skinned I picked up one with long sleeves, the kids tease me about working at SeaWorld. This is just one of the many suits I’ve got. It’s perfect for prime sun time.

 

New Pool Bag and New Pool Toys. Every Summer it seems, we need new pool toys and a new pool bag. The Chlorine wrecks our bag (which is mesh- this helps the pool toys dry quickly), and daily use of toys leaves them.. wrecked. Dollar Tree has a great selection of sturdy pool toys, including inflatables for kids (We have a cool cookie ring that has a “bite” taken out of it). For me, I picked up a sweet inflatable float pool chair. 

Plans to meet up with friends. Now that most people have access to the vaccine, getting together with friends is a lot more feasible. We are still limiting ourselves and staying away from large gatherings where we don’t know everyone, but dinner and drinks with friends sound amazing. I’m hosting dinners a couple times a month over the summer for a few reasons: 1. To keep all of our costs down (Dinner out with drinks costs $$$ these days), and honestly, I don’t feel super safe going out for dinner all that often, especially now that there are no mask regulations in our state. And I’m having a weekend getaway with some girlfriends in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to a weekend away in a vacation rental doing a whole lot of nothing!

Take Advantage of the season: What does that mean? Summer has all sorts of fun advantages: Long days, Amazing fruit and veggies are in season, nice weather. Spend time outside (poolside, at the beach, exploring nature), enjoy a big bowl of fruit salad, make a huge salad! Community events are starting to come back (with limited event sizes), and there are lots of free events throughout the summer. EventBrite is a great place to find community events.

Make Time for You: I know… So many blogs and social media tell you to get self-care time and spend time doing things that you love, but as a parent, it can be hard without staying up late or waking up before dawn. Finding a sitter can be tough too. It’s ok to lean on family and friends. The past year has been exponentially tough on parents, and you need time to yourself. Swap child care with friends, or if you want to have a night out, split the cost of a sitter. Your kids can hang out together, while you and your friends get some time away.

Take Care of Yourself: And I don’t mean the stereotypical self-care of putting on a mud mask and drinking water with lemon slices. That’s fun, but I mean the simple acts that we often overlook as caregivers.

  • Sunscreen for your face and any exposed areas when you’ll be outside for more than 10 minutes during peak sun hours (usually 10am-4pm). Don’t forget the tops of your ears. Being super fair-skinned I also wear a sun hat too. Not super sexy, but I don’t want skin cancer.
  • Take something to drink with you. I know most of you pack snacks for your kids when you leave home, but take a few extra minutes to make yourself something that you like (bonus if it’s a snack that your kids do not like- No sharing!), and fill your water bottle. This is the water bottle I use. If you like fruit-infused water, bottles like this are great.  You can also opt for an infuser to go into your favorite bottle or insulated cup.
  • Find Something to Keep You Occupied.  Besides your kids. Pick up a book, grab a craft kit (I like embroidery- it’s easy and portable), Craftsy has some cool online classes to get you started.

I’d love to hear about how you are bringing Hot Girl Summer. Leave a comment below!

 

 

 

6/27/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week have some fun afternoon plans: Swimming, hanging out with friends, a trip to get fro yo, and our weekly library trip. We’re working our way across the county libraries.

The kids have been digging the free school lunches- It’s a great way to encourage them to try new foods. That’s great because the price of groceries has gone up exponentially over the past few weeks, so I’m leaning more on stores that have good deals like Grocery Outlet, and using my cashback apps like Fetch Rewards. I’ve been cashing out Fetch rewards for Target Gift Cards. I’ve been combining the Target Gift Cards with grocery sales and deals in the Target app, and picking up via curbside pick up. It’s a great option if you’ve got kids and you’ve got a busy summer.

And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

The CSA Box comes tomorrow AM, but they send out a preview email over the weekend. It is very helpful for menu planning.

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.

I’m doing some meal prep today: A batch of cookies, roasting zucchini, defrosting and marinating chicken, and defrosting ground beef so tomorrow I can make a big batch of red sauce.

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: We pick up free school lunches during the summer for the kids, I also 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.

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: Pulled BBQ chicken, rice, salad.
  • Monday: Spaghetti with red sauce (I am making some without meat for my vegetarian kiddo).
  • Tuesday:  Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, bacon, and fruit-probably melon)
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night: Nuggets, crackers, cheese, fruit
  • Thursday: Italian Herb and Lemon chicken, rice, salad, roasted corn
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit, salad

Please stay safe you guys!

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

6/25/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals

Abby H.
bright boxes

Good morning!

This week has been busy, but we are settling into our summer schedule. There are a lot of cute PDF summer schedules that you can print online, and I’ve seen a lot of people post them on Social Media. I’ll be making a slightly more realistic one this weekend for our family. If it turns out ok, I may post it.

As summer is upon us, here are a few freebies to keep your kiddos occupied and fed this summer:

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. While the State of California is open, I’m not recommending that we all pile into the car and hit the mall. Please remember that most states have not yet reached herd immunity rates. Be safe, be careful.

Freebies:

Free Sample of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Spin Scooter Rides & Helmets for Healthcare Providers
Free Sample of MiN New York CODA Fragrance
Free $5 Twitch Gift Card
Free Wildflower Seeds from AirWick
Free Dose & Co. Collagen Supplements
Free Bromley’s Smooth Operator 7-Blade Razor
Free Bag of Country Archer Beef Jerky Sticks
Free Sample of Downy Unstoppables at Sam’s
Free Chomps Original Beef Stick
Free Subscription to Esquire Magazine
Free Subscription to Parents Magazine
Free Killer Creamery Ice Cream Sandwiches
Free Coffee Grounds for Your Garden at Starbucks
Free Skin Microbe Test Kits
Free Spin Master Extreme Sports Megathon Party Kit
Free Sample of Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club Fragrance
Free Eczema HQ Magazine
Free Kids Organizational Storage Item
Free Hallmark Card Every Month
Free Sample of Coach for Men Cologne
Free Skin Discoloration Products + 100 eGift Card
Free Karma Rub Elemental Pain Relief Lotion Sample
Free Sample of Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club Fragrance
Free Sample of IT Cosmetics Hello Results Retinol Cream
Free Subscription to Shape Magazine
Free Biggby Coffee
500 Free Tickets at Chuck E Cheese
Free Bottle of Frunutta Melatonin
Free Samples of Herbal Zap Health Drink Mixes

Deals:

Steve Madden Men’s Crossbody Bag ONLY $23.04 (Reg $36)
Sonoma Goods For Life Patriotic Tees ONLY $3.99 (Reg $10)
Thermo-Electric Water Dispenser ONLY $57.02 (Reg $100)
Hanging Cosmetic Bag ONLY $5.99 Each Shipped (Reg $20)
Disney Princess Vanity Toy ONLY $29.88 (Reg $50)
Kate Spade Darcy Small Slim Crossbody ONLY $89 (Reg $249)
Insignia 10-Qt Digital Air Fryer Oven ONLY $59.99 (Reg $150)
Remington Men’s Body Hair Trimmer ONLY $26.30 (Reg $50)
Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection Box Set ONLY $28.99 (Reg. $60)
Fisher-Price Train Ball Pit ONLY $19 (Reg $40)

6/21/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week marks the first week of summer school for the big kid and a reading summer program for the little one. I’m excited for them to get out of the house and be with other kids.

We hit up the county library last week and picked up our summer reading stuff and checked out a huge stack of books.

Last weeks’ trip to the grocery store combined with the free summer lunches meals that I didn’t have to go to the grocery store over the weekend for this week. That’s great because the price of groceries has gone up exponentially over the past few weeks, so I’m leaning more on stores that have good deals like Grocery Outlet, and using my cashback apps like Fetch Rewards.

We usually get a CSA box on Mondays, but I opted to skip this week because we have so much leftover from last 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.

I did a little meal prep over the weekend, mostly cutting up melons, making salads, and cooking a batch of beans and rice for lunch this 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: We pick up free school lunches during the summer for the kids, I also 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.

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: Burgers and fries
  • Monday: Spinach Salad, Chicken Tikka Masala, rice
  • Tuesday:   Pulled BBQ chicken, roasted veg, noodles
  • Wednesday:  Meal o’ snacks: Fruits, crackers, cheese, granola bars
  • Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, bacon, and fruit)
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit, salad

Please stay safe you guys!

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

Become a Just Egg Ambassador!

Abby H.

Have you heard of Just Egg? 

It’s an egg substitute made from plants. And now you can share Just Egg with your friends and family!

Your friends might not believe an egg made from a plant is possible, let alone delicious. But you know it is. Now’s your chance to prove it to the skeptics: gift free JUST Egg to up to three friends. And JUST egg will reward you with a free product too.

When you share JUST Egg with your friends and family, you’re being a force for change in our food system. Because it’s made from plants, JUST Egg is free of cholesterol and it uses less water and carbon emissions than chicken eggs.

Here’s how it works

Step 1: Get your ambassador code and forward it to 3 friends

Step 2: Your friend buys JUST Egg (and saves the receipt)

Step 3:Your friend uploads the receipt and gets reimbursed

Step 4: Then, you get a free JUST Egg product too

 

You understand how a better world is created one bite at a time. So JUST egg is giving you this free JUST Egg to start a conversation that will spark change. Join the bigger conversation at #ShareJUSTEgg. Full terms and conditions here and if you have any issues or questions, please reach out to wecare@ju.st.

Free Donuts for Father’s Day!

Abby H.

You know what Dad’s like?

Donuts. And saving money (or maybe that’s just me dad).

This deal is pretty sweet- Two free donuts for all dads on 6/20/2021 at either Mary’s Donuts location (Santee or Lakeside).

You have to bring your kiddos with you.

Sign up for this deal here.

Freebies: Lip Gloss and Protein Bars!

Abby H.

These freebies are pretty sweet- This must be the summer of freebies.

Free Rejuva Minerals Organic & Vegan Lip Gloss colored with minerals and plant-based ingredients including beautiful crushed red rose petals and cocoa! No carmine or FD&C dyes. Infused with cool and refreshing organic peppermint oil. Just click the ‘Apply to Try’ button and if you’re selected you will get a Free Organic & Vegan Lip Gloss!

Sign up for a chance to get Free Rowdy Bars! High in protein, low in carbs, low GI, and deliver hard-to-find plant prebiotics from Yacon Root. They’re also dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and an awesome way to fuel up. Just click the ‘Apply to Try’ button and if you’re selected you will get Free Rowdy Bars!

 

 

If neither of these freebies tickles you, check out Try Products. Try products for Free, tell us what you think! 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 required EVER!

Grocery Outlet: $5 Off Coupon When You Shop Through June 22nd

Abby H.

Grocery Outlet is hooking you up two ways!

First: Saving you money every day on groceries that your family needs.

Second: Make a purchase of $20 at Grocery Outlet today through June 22, 2021 and you’ll receive a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more for use between June 23, 2021 and June 29, 2021.

Qualifying purchases will be given a coupon during their purchase. See store for additional details.

Pretty sweet, right? And you can earn cashback on your purchases at Grocery Outlet and any other store you shop at with Smartphone Apps. You can learn about all the ones I use here.