frugal

4/9/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.
bright boxes

By the time this post goes live, we’ll know if our kids here in my town are going back to school full-time for the rest of the year. I’m really excited for them. I have full faith in our local school district- they have the kids’ (and teachers’) best interests in mind.

The highlight of this week is that I got my first dose of the Covid-19 Vaccine (Team Pfizer here). If you are still waiting for your vaccine, or are having a hard time finding a vaccine appointment, keep at it! More vaccines and appointments are becoming more available each week.

A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list 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!

Freebies:

Free Subscription to LEGO Life Magazine
Free LifeToGo Sampler Pack
Free Subscription to HGTV Magazine
Free Subscription to Parents Magazine
Free Hercolubus or Red Planet Book
Free Coffee Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Doc Hale’s Unflavored Protein Powder Sample
FREE Amazon Baby Box Samples Back in Stock
Free Mr. Lee’s Congee Rice Porridge
Free Medela Breastfeeding Product Sample Box
Possible Free Pair of Haggar Pants
Free Kratom Wave Sample Pack
Free Werther’s Original Caramels at Select Stores
Free Subscription to People en Espanol
Free Subscription to People Magazine
Free $7 from Samuel Adams Beer Starting April 12
Free Sample of Xyzal Allergy 24H
Free 3 Pack of Complete Essentials Vitamin Packets
Free Subscription to Food Network Magazine

Deals:

Sesame Street Abby’s Butterfly Maker ONLY $6.75 (Reg. $20)
Outward Hound Fun Feeder ONLY $10.75 (Reg. $20)
Electronic Interactive Alphabet Wall Chart $21.20 (Reg. $40)
Disney Ideas Book: More than 100 Disney Crafts $10.99 (Reg. $25)
KidKraft Children’s Pastel Coffee Set ONLY $8.99 (Reg. $20)
DYMO LabelWriter Labels 220-Count ONLY $16.07 (Reg. $41)
Plackers Dental Floss Picks & Travel Case ONLY $1.61 (Reg. $7)
Kids Headphones ONLY $10.99 (Reg. $17)
LEGO BrickHeadz Easter Sheep ONLY $9.99 on Amazon
Disney Moana Sound Book ONLY $6.79 (Reg. $14)
Paint by Sticker Kids: Christmas ONLY $5.02 (Reg. $10)
Martha Stewart 8-Piece Bowl Set w/ Lids ONLY $14.99 (Reg $50)
Martha Stewart 7-Pc Utensil Set w/ Stand ONLY $5.99 (Reg $22)
Heated Neck & Back Massager ONLY $31.99 Shipped (Reg $50)
Hempz Herbal Body Lotion ONLY $9.99 (Reg $20)
The Big One Solid Bath Towel ONLY $3.39 (Reg $10)
Lego Sale up to 50% Off + Extra 15% Off
Sonoma Ankle Leggings ONLY $7.99 (Reg $20)

April is Financial Literacy Month! Budgeting and Savings Tips

Abby H.

Today I learned that April is Financial Literacy Month. Which is just in time for tax day (which has been extended this year, but it traditionally April 15th).

One of my favorite topics for this blog is how to save money. So I thought I’d put together a post with links to some of my best ways to save money and throw out some tips and tricks that work for me.

Last year I wrote a three-part series about making a practical budget that a family can adhere to and how to get some extra help if you need it. This was written during the pandemic, so there is a lot of information and resources especially for those feeling the financial panic that many felt during the height of the pandemic last year.

If you already have a budget or feel that your spending is out of control and you aren’t to the point yet where you feel that you need a budget, I did a series of posts in late 2019 about how to reign in the out-of-control spending.

  • Part One- Start in the Kitchen
  • Part Two- Entertainment Some of these tips may not be applicable right now, as so many public places are still closed or have limited services (Like gyms and libraries).
  • Part Three- Shopping Around to Save. Internet, cell phones, health insurance (and that’s just three examples), a lot of times you can save money with a few clicks or a phone call.

Keeping an eye on your Credit Score is another great way to be financially literate. I wrote this morning about Credit Sesame, which I personally have used for at least 9 years.

And finally, if you feel like you need a little more help than the posts above to get a handle on your finances, check out Simplifi by Quicken. To celebrate Financial Literacy Month, Simplifi is offering a 30-day FREE Trial of Simplifi by Quicken.

  • Simplifi by Quicken was named the Best Budgeting App & Tool by the New York Times’ Wirecutter!
  • The app helps you stay on top of your money in less than 5 minutes per week.
  • After your free 30-day trial save 38% off the regular price. That’s $29.99 billed annually for the first year. For the cost of one lunch date, you can have a year of budgeting at your fingertips.

Talkback: What are your tips and tricks to saving money and staying on budget?

Today is National Beer Day!

Abby H.

Today is National Beer Day! What better way to celebrate an awesome day than with my favorite beer-related recipes, crafts, and DIY fun?

  1. Beer Bread. Seriously- It’ll change your life. It’s quick, easy, versatile.
  2. Ever buy a six-pack and realize after a beer or two that it isn’t your cup of tea? Beer makes great snail and slug bait. Pour one out into a shallow pan (like a disposable pie tin) and set it in your garden. Turbo and his buddies will be drawn to the smell and fall in. No poison, no gross traps to deal with, and if the neighborhood squirrels or gophers find it, they will just get a little drunk.
  3. If you don’t have a garden but have an unwanted beer, take it into the shower with you! Because most beer has an average pH of 4 (acidic), it makes a great clarifier for hair that gets a lot of styling products in it daily. Wash with your regular shampoo, rinse with water, apply beer and allow to sit in your hair for a few minutes, rinse out and follow up with your conditioner. If that’s not your bag, Amazon sells a lot of beer-based shampoo and conditioner. 
  4. More than ever, beer bottles are being painted or printed on instead of a glued-on label. Some bottles have cool art. Instead of saving the bottles to gather dust on a shelf, why not use a glass cutting kit like this one, and make cool glasses or a vase?  I have a friend who does this, and she has a collection of incredible beer glasses.
  5. All this talk of beer got you thirsty? My favorite beer cocktail is a shandy. Depending on where you are from a shandy is either beer and lemonade or beer and lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. It’s delicious.  A lager or pilsner are the best choices for beer. Something light (in color). Its 1/2 beer and half lemonade/lemon-lime soda/ginger ale.

Celebrate Día de los Niños All April Long with The San Diego County Library!

Abby H.

 

Día de los Niños is a celebration of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. San Diego County Library extends its celebration of Día throughout April.

At 19 parks throughout the county, you can read stories and enjoy nature at San Diego County Library Story Trails! These original stories were written and designed by library staff and we are so excited to share them with you. Choose your location, choose your Story Trail! Each site has two stories for your enjoyment. To find the park closest to you, click here.

And kids and teens 18 and under can stop by your local County Library location any time in April and pick up a Dia de los Ninos activity pack! I’m taking the kids to get theirs this week!

 

Remote and Flexible Jobs with FlexJobs!

Abby H.

There are a lot of people looking for flexible work these days.

FlexJobs is a game-changing resource if you are interested in a professional job that also offers some kind of work flexibility – such as remote options, a flexible schedule, freelance work, or a part-time schedule.

For those of us who have kiddos doing remote learning, or are caring for family, or otherwise can’t do an in-person 9-5 or part-time job, FlexJobs may be a great opportunity for you.

Access to FlexJobs full service starts at $14.95/month and comes with a Satisfaction Guarantee. And when you use coupon code SPRING, you will receive up to 50% OFF.

If you are looking for other gigs, check out my post here for more ideas (and tips to avoid scams).

4/2/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.
bright boxes

The second week of spring break is in the books. We went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, played with friends in our bubble, had an egg hunt, and we’ll be doing some crafts today.

A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list 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!

Freebies:

Free Subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Free CBD Unscented Deodorant + $25 Amazon Gift Card
Free ClarityRX Probiotic Serum
Free Wish Garden Herbs Herbal Sleep Supplement
Free Gardening Gifts at Lowes in April
Free P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Dressing at Walmart
Free Hot or Iced Coffee at Pret A Manger on Fridays
Free Febreze Plug-In at Walmart
Possible Free Quay Polarized After Hours Sunglasses
Free Dr. DZEC Daily Immune Support Gummies Sample
Free Alpha Foods Chik’n Nuggets
Free Wild Cherry Luna Bar
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Women’s Incontinence Products
Free Cold-Eeze Chewable Gels or Lozenges
Free Bud Light Seltzer Out Of Office Chatterbox Kit
Free The Honest Stand Plant-Based Dip
Free Goody Bag at buybuy BABY Stores
Free Rip Van Wafel Cookies
Verizon Up Rewards – Free $3-$5 Gift Card
Free Eco Lips Mongo Kiss Lip Balm at Walmart

 

Deals:

Stanley Classic Thermos ONLY $19.82 (Reg. $40)
Tonka Mighty Metal Fleet Garbage Truck ONLY $8.24 on Amazon
Pampers Splashers Swim Diapers ONLY $5.97 on Amazon
Tonka Mighty Metal Fleet Dump Truck ONLY $7.49 (Reg. $15)
MUK LUKS Slipper Socks With Tassels ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $22)
Melissa & Doug Mega Race-Car Carrier $16.30 (Reg. $30)
Home Expressions Bath Towels ONLY $3.49 at JCPenney
Double Heart Necklace ONLY $1.25 Shipped
3-Piece Set Chain Link Bracelets ONLY $9.96 (Reg $75)
Men’s Adam Duck Boots ONLY $36.99 (Reg $75)
Nintendo Switch Super Mario Case ONLY $10.99 (Reg $20)
Dove Men+Care Soap Bars 14-Pack ONLY $9.08 Shipped
Fisher-Price Giant Rock-a-Stack ONLY $10 (Reg $20)
Peter Rabbit Book and Toy ONLY $9.98 (Reg. $17)
Motivational 1-Gallon Water Bottle ONLY $11.39 (Reg. $19)
Primrose Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Earrings ONLY $20.40
Zodiac 10-In Forged Aluminum Frypan ONLY $14.99 (Reg $40)
L.O.L. Surprise! Electronic Journal ONLY $10.99 (Reg $25)

Monthly Side Hustle Totals- March 2021

Abby H.

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 March. This was another crazy month- 2 weeks of Spring Break has kinda messed with my side hustle, but we did have a lot of fun! I have been doing a lot of reviews and such but don’t pay cash, but rather pay in-kind (Tryit, Influenster, Social 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: $20
  • Research Study/Focus Group: $75 (I did 1 online)
  • Capterra: $50
  • Paidviewpoint: $15.20
  • Dream Dinners GC: $100
  • Pinecone Research: $6

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. 

Free Food Resources for April 2021 (San Diego County)

Abby H.

A new month means that it’s time for the monthly update of free food resources in San Diego.

You can still find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.

Neighborhood Distributions for April 2021:

These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.

If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.

So Cal Utility Customers: Expect a credit on your April bill!

Abby H.

The Climate Credit that we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing on our April and October bills has been moved to August and September when most Californians have higher utility bills due to the weather.

However, the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) is giving every California ratepayer a credit of $17.86 on the GAS portion of their utility bill this month.

In August and September, there will be a credit each month of $34.60 on the Electricity portion of each ratepayer utility bill.

Changing the distribution months will not change the total value of the climate credits you receive in a year. The shift will provide bill relief for customers and reduce bill volatility.

Visit my post here to learn about ways to lower your energy usage, and learn more about money-saving programs SDG&E has that your family may qualify for.

And if you want to save energy and earn money, check out my post about Ohm Connect.

Recipe Round-up: Fruit and Veggie Extravaganza!

Abby H.

Spring is upon us, and that means that there will be all sorts of fruits and veggies coming into season.

Here are some of our family’s favorite recipes featuring fruits and veggies! These are all easy to make and will satisfy everyone in the family- even the pickiest eaters.

Fruit:

 

Veggies: