fun

Review: Obol- Never eat soggy cereal again!

Abby H.

logoA few weeks ago, Obol sent me two bowls to try out. They are great for keeping your milk and cereal separate right until you are ready to eat. No more soggy, mushy cereal!

IMG_2384But beyond cereal, it’s great for yogurt and cereal (or yogurt and granola, shown here), yogurt and fruit, even desserts like ice cream and cookie topping!

Lil’ Man loved it for yogurt and berries- his berries “rode the slide” into the yogurt. It definitely made breakfast more fun. He asks to eat out of the “slide bowls” all the time!

I like using Obols for stir fry and rice!

Obols are easy to clean and dishwasher safe too!

Obols come in two sizes, so there is one for everyone on your gift list.

Right now you can save 10% at obol.co Signup for instant discount code.

Thanks to Obol and USFG for sending me the complimentary Obols to facilitate my review! All opinions are my own and I was not financial compensated in any way.

#obolco

Review: Lovely Candy Co. Tasty holiday treats!

Abby H.

The Lovely Candy Company sent me a box of their super yummy treats recently, and oh my goodness are they tasty!

The favorites were The Fudgee Rolls and the Sea Salt caramels. They were so decadent and rich, without having too many calories or fat. The cherry licorice were a follow up favorite. Lil’ Man devoured them!

What I really liked is that Lovely candies are all natural, certified gluten free, tested non-GMO, certified kosher and contain no high fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients. So while they are a sometimes treat, I can feel better knowing they are a better choice than other candies out there!

We still have a few bags to try, but I’m sure they will be super tasty. We don’t eat a lot of candy, so it takes us a while to get through treats! These would be a great addition to any holiday gift basket or stocking!

Lovely Candy Co and US Family Guide provided me with complimentary candies to facilitate the review. I was not financially compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own.

 

New Year’s Resolution #5 & #6 Exercise & Lose Weight

Abby H.3 Comments

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Throughout December, I’m going to be posting about New Year’s Resolutions. Each post will have tips and tricks to help you navigate through your resolutions to become more successful at all of your frugal endeavors!
The Number 5 & 6 New Year’s Resolutions on most top ten lists are: Exercise and Lose weight.  I decided to tackle both of these at the same times since they can go hand in hand.

I am not a doctor or dietician.  I will share with you what works for my family, but YMMV, and remember to go to the doctor and get the OK before starting to exercise or diet. Seriously.

#5: Exercise without breaking the bank:  Starting in probably 2 weeks, even before January 1st, there will be ads in the paper, magazines, on the internet and of course commercials on TV advertising free 7-day trial passes for every gym on earth.  Take advantage.  If you haven’t worked at a gym in a long time, or are thinking about joining one, Check out a bunch of different gyms and see which one is a good fit for your goals.  BTW, when those free deals go live, you know I’ll be posting them.

If you aren’t a gym person, check out your local parks. Lots of parks in our local area have special walking loops and even fitness stations (Mast Park in Santee has both!). Other parks in San Diego with fitness/exercise stations include: Mission Bay Park,  Embarcadero Parks North & South, Tidelands Park near the base of the Coronado Bridge as you arrive in Coronado, Hilton Head Park in Rancho San Diego, Chollas Lake Park, and Morley Field (near Balboa Park). If your local park doesn’t have a fitness course, play on the jungle gym or go for a walk!

Luckily in So. Cal. we are blessed with pretty good weather, so outdoor exercise is almost always an option. On those extremely rare days where the weather sucks, try indoor mall walking.  I know, it makes me sound like an old lady, but when it’s cold or rainy, I strap the kiddo in the stroller and we walk a few laps over at Parkway Plaza. A few laps around the mall and I’ve gotten almost 4 miles under my belt! There is also a play area where the kiddo can let his energy out while mama recuperates.

Everything seems to go better with a partner in crime- enlist the help of a friend or family member.  Exercise with a buddy.  Go for a walk, look at holiday lights.  Keep each other accountable!

#6: Lose Weight without losing your shirt.  Losing weight doesn’t have to cost a fortune.  Here are some tips, tricks and deals you can use to save while you lose.

Sign up for free websites that can help you be accountable: Spark People is a great site that can help you track your calories and exercise. I also like Map My Run.  It helps you log activities and gives you a rough idea of how many calories you burn when you are active. And you can use it to log all kinds of physical activity, not just running! I also use Achievement– It syncs with your fitness device and you earn points for being active, logging water and food in your device. Points are redeemed for money via paypal.

If you are changing your eating habits, your doctor may recommend that you take vitamins.  And they can be expensive.  Keep your eyes open for sales at the drugstores in January and there will be coupons too!

There will be tons of sales and coupon available in January for healthy foods and supplements!

What are your frugal  tips and tricks for exercise and losing weight?  I’d love to hear from you!

Look on trend with Color-Changing Nail Polish! (Review and giveaway)

Abby H.2 Comments

delsolpolishI love nail polish. I was stoked when Del Sol asked me to review two of their nail polish colors.

I chose May I? and Graffiti. Screen Shot 2015-12-12 at 8.22.15 AM Screen Shot 2015-12-12 at 8.22.35 AMMay I? is a light purple that turns dark when exposed to sunlight, and Graffiti is clear with silver, red, and black glitter that turns reddish pink in the sun. What I like about Del Sol is:

  • 5-Free: No harmful toxins added
  • Never tested on animals
  • Lifetime Color Change Guarantee

The nail polish is long lasting, and I’m really tough on manicures. I’m going on day 5 without chips!

Ok, so I’m sure you are asking… How does it work? Well,  it’s simple: Spectrachrome® Crystals reveal hidden colors when exposed to ultraviolet waves; i.e., sunlight. When a flower blooms, the result is the exposure of the inherent color of the flower. A Spectrachrome® crystal is similar in that an energy-shift occurs causing the color of the dye to become visible to the human eye. The dye does not actually “change” color; rather, it becomes visible to the human eye.

Check out the photo I posted on Instargram! I’m excited that Del Sol is giving away 2 bottles of their color change polish to ONE of my readers! Entering is easy: Leave a comment with a your favorite color nail polish! I’ll choose a winner on December 16th!

I received these bottles of nail polish to facilitate my review, I received no monetary compensation and all opinions are my own.

New Year’s Resolution #4- Spend More Time with your Family (without breaking the bank)!

Abby H.3 Comments

Throughout December, I’m going to be posting about New Year’s Resolutions. Each post will have tips and tricks to help you navigate through your resolutions to become more successful at all of your frugal endeavors!
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The Number 4 New Year’s Resolution on most top ten lists is: Spend more time with your family.

There are lots of fun, free or low cost activities you can do with your family.

  • In San Diego, there is free museum Tuesday in Balboa Park.  Here is a list of museums that are free and when they are free. 
  • Also in San Diego, October is kid’s free month at tons of museums, parks, and attractions (including the zoo!!). Here is a list of events and attractions that were free in October 2012.
  • Lots of Daily Deal sites have free credit when you sign up to defray the cost of your first purchase.  Here are just a few that I use and really like:
    • LivingSocial- They sell local gift certificates (like Groupon) as well as merchandise. When you sign up, you’ll receive a credit (it varies, but it’s usually between $5-$15).
  • Instead of eating out at full price, use coupons from websites like Get1Free, or if you’ve got an Entertainment book, USE IT!
  • If you’ve got kiddos, check out these great lists of restaurants where Kids Eat Free. For San Diego restaurants where kids can eat free try here, here, here, here, and here.
  • Is your birthday coming? Of course it is…. Well, then check out this post about Birthday freebies!

There are fun, free events all year long for the family. Here is a list of just some of the holidays each month:

  1. January: New Year’s Day, MLK Day
  2. February: President’s Day, Some communities have Valentine’s day events too.
  3. March: Saint Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras
  4. April: Easter
  5. May: Memorial Day and Mother’s day
  6. June: End of school/beginning of summer events, graduation, Father’s Day.
  7. July: Independence Day
  8. August: Back to School, Labor Day
  9. September: Back to School
  10. October:Halloween
  11. November: Thanksgiving
  12. December: Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza

New Year’s Resolution #3- Live a richer, fuller life (without spending more money)

Abby H.3 Comments

Throughout December, I’m going to be posting about New Year’s Resolutions. Each post will have tips and tricks to help you navigate through your resolutions to become more successful at all of your frugal endeavors!
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Of the Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions, number three on several lists is to live a fuller life.  What does that mean?  Get out, do more.  Don’t just sit on your couch, watching WWE and eating microwave popcorn. Of course, I want you to get out there and live it up, but, I don’t want you to spend a lot of money.

Here are some tips to live better and keep your budget in check.

  • Use all of the perks and benefits afforded to you by your job.  Some employers offer on site gyms, discounts on cell phone contracts, discount movie tickets, discount attraction passes.
  • Take advantage of free community events.  Check your City’s local Parks and Recreation Department website for free movies in the park, city events around holidays (Our local municipal Lake has a fun Easter event each year that is free).
  • Speaking of Parks, use of community parks is free.  Take a picnic, go for a walk, heck, go play on the playground equipment! Some local parks have walking trails or exercise paths.
  • Many businesses offer discounts to military, seniors, and other professional groups. Don’t be afraid to ask!
  • When you go to the doctor or dentist, don’t be afraid to ask for samples of medications or toothpaste/floss. When we take Lil’ Man to the pediatrician for his wellness check ups, she’s always giving us coupons and samples.  Doctors receive coupons and samples from companies and reps to give out- take advantage of it!
  • If you are looking for a way to experience theatre for free and have some time to give, consider volunteering to be an usher. In most areas across the Unites States, many of the larger theatre companies are actively seeking ushers. If you are unsure if your local theatre or musical organization needs volunteer ushers, call their administrative office and ask, or check their website and drop them an email. Many theatres, orchestras and symphonies are non-profit organizations. They rely on volunteers to help their organization succeed. Museums need volunteers as well to be docents, hand out brochures, and help with special events. If there is a local museum you like, think about volunteering. You will get to spend time in a place you like, and you will be helping an organization.

2016 New Year’s Resolution #2: I want to save money!

Abby H.3 Comments

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Over the next two weeks,  I’m going to be posting about New Year’s Resolutions. Each post will have tips and tricks to help you navigate through your resolutions to become more successful at all of your frugal endeavors!

One of the most common New Year’s Resolutions is to SAVE MONEY. Here are just a few simple ways to save money throughout 2016:

1. Make a budget and stick to it.  We have a pretty tight budget at our house- It keeps us on track!

2. Use coupons for everything.  Coupons aren’t just for groceries. Check out sites like Get1Free for coupons to restaurants, day spas, golfing.  If you buy an Entertainment book, there are tons of great coupons for all kinds of meals and activities.

3. Back to coupons (again).  Carry a plastic envelope or coupon wallet with you at all times with coupons that you know you will use.  That way if you decide to have a spontaneous adventure- you can still save money money.

4. Try free activities.  Every community has free activities, check out your local Cragislist (under Community then click Events), community newspaper, or your local Patch for upcoming free events. Or Google “free events +name of your city +month of the year”.

5. Have a goal for your savings.  Saving to save is fine, but if you are saving money towards a goal, it’s harder to blow off the budget.  I mean, really… Would you rather have a new car or a cheeseburger? I thought so.

6. Wait. If you see a big ticket item that you want to buy, wait 10 days and see if the price drops.  Here is an article about the Sales Cycles that take place throughout the year.

7.  This is an oldy, but a goody.  Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without.   Use what you have on hand (substitutions in a recipe are OK, the writer of the cookbook doesn’t care!), repair broken toys, mend clothes.  Add a little water to the last bit of laundry soap to stretch it (You probably use too much anyway!). You don’t need every latest gadget, do dad and thingamagigger. Keeping up with the Joneses is so 1980′s.  Frugality is the new IN thing.  You want to be cool, doncha?

How do you plan to save money in 2016?

2016 New Year’s Resolution: #1 Make More Money!

Abby H.3 Comments

file000267804564Throughout December, I’m going to be posting about New Year’s Resolutions. Each post will have tips and tricks to help you navigate through your resolutions to become more successful at all of your frugal endeavors!

For a lot of us, one of our New Year’s Resolutions is to make more money.  And unless you plan on winning the lottery, that can be hard.

Here are a few ways that you can make some extra money in 2016.  I have done all of these and they have worked for me to one extent or another, however, YMMV.

  • Why wait until spring to clear out the clutter?  Have a Garage Sale and earn some extra money!  Whatever doesn’t sell, consider donating it to a charity and taking the tax deduction.
  • Sell items on your local Craigslist. Always remember to meet in a public place!
  • Check out resale groups on Facebook. Just go to Facebook and search Your city + resale.  There are a ton in San Diego!
  • If you have unwanted silver, gold, or platinum most malls have kiosks or stores that will buy the metal from you on the spot and give you cash. Some jewelers also buy metal and jewelry.
  • Have a skill? Can you babysit, mow a lawn, bake a cake?  Are you handy with a sewing machine? Let your friends and neighbors know. Make up a flyer or post on your Facebook.
  • Before you head out to go shopping, check to see if anything you are going to buy has a rebate.  Doing rebates is easy!  To learn more about how rebating works, check out the article I wrote here. It also includes a link to my favorite rebate website!  I get about $250 back each year just through rebates. Most of the time you can use coupon on an item that you are submitting a rebate for- talk about win-win!
  • Want to get paid for your opinions?  Why not try a focus group or a research study?  Learn more about them here. I participate in about once per month and earn approximately extra $50-$100 in cash each time.
  • Mogl– This site is a little different.  Sign up and register your credit/debit cards.  When you eat out at participating restaurants, you’ll receive 10% cash back!  You can use this in addition to any other cash back offers your credit or debit card offers.  I’ve earned $25 in the past year and we don’t eat out very often! I also like at Mogl donates money to local food based charities every time you use one of your registered cards.
  • I’m a HUGE fan of Small Business Knowledge Center.   Do you get lots of junk mail?  Is your inbox full of spam? Insurance, credit card offers, banking, credit cards, investing, telecom, mortgage or other loan type junk mail and spam?The Small Business Knowledge Center (SBKC) studies marketing techniques and practices.  They securely dispose of your junk mail after they are done with it- no need to worry! You can also put stickies on paperwork that you would like back and they will return it to you! SBKC mails you postage paid envelopes, you stuff your junk mail into it and drop it into the mail.  You will receive points for your junk mail, and once you receive 2000 points, you will receive a $20 Visa Gift Card. You can also forward emails to them as well.  They occasionally have special projects where they are looking for special items like welcome packets for credit cards.  Special projects offer additional/bonus points.I’ve done SBKC for 4 years and I consistently earn one  $20.00 gift card per quarter, that’s $80.00 in gift cards per year! That’s free money that I did no work for.  Just forward some emails before I hit “delete” and toss my junk mail into an envelope as it comes into the house and mail an envelope once a week.Unlike many other programs, you can sign everyone in your home who is over the age of 18!If you are interested in signing up, here is the link. In the box next to: How did you here about the SBKC Consumer Panel? Please type my name: Abby Hewes. I get points for each referral and that brings me closer to my next reward!

If you are looking to make money online, here are a few of my favorites:

  • Earn Cash with Paid View Point. Surveys are short (less than 5 minutes).  Earn cash with each Survey.   You get $1.00 when you sign up! The pay out is $15.00, and it takes about a month to earn $15.00. I earned about $60.00 in 2013.
  • Earn Gift cards with Mypoints. I take surveys, click links in emails, and do all of my online shopping through Mypoints. I’ve earned $80 in gift cards in 2013!
  • I also use Swagbucks. I use their search engine toolbar, take a daily poll, watch a video and click a few links each day! In 2013 I earned about $120 worth of Swagbucks rewards. Swagbucks has tons of rewards, you can receive cash via paypal too!

And updated for 2017: Here are a few more ways to earn money- My Hustle: How I make Part Time Income as a SAHM

Whether you want to earn extra money for a vacation, holiday gifts, or just to have some extra play money, with a few minutes each day, you can earn some serious money.

This page contains affiliate links.  Please see my Affiliate Disclosure here.

Get paid for your opinion: Focus groups!

Abby H.4 Comments

There are lots of online survey companies, but their payouts can be small and take a lot of time to accrue the amount of points needed to cash out.

In most large cities, there are research companies that run focus groups weekly.

How to find them?  Google “Your city name focus group”.

In San Diego there are the following research companies:

Another way is to look on Craigslist.  Go to Jobs and in the search field type “Focus Group”.  Some smaller companies may post ads for focus groups.  Recently I participated in a mock jury style focus group and was paid $90 for 5 hours of work.  Yesterday I participated in a focus group relating to housewares and received $40 for just an hour! I found both on Craigslist.

Right now on Craigslist there are a couple great opportunities in the San Diego area.

Holiday Cookie Recipe: Chocolate Yum Yums aka Poop Cookies!

Abby H.

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My mom makes these awesome cookies that we referred to as Poop Cookies as kids. But they are really called Chocolate Yum Yum’s. And Oh, Lord are they delicious…..

They are delicious, chewy and chocolately. You’ll have a hard time keeping them around.

Once you make them, you’ll see why we called them Poop Cookies.

Chocolate Yum Yum’s (aka Poop Cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. chocolate chips (your fav. variety- Vegan, GF)
  • 1/3 c butter (You can use coconut oil if you are vegan, don’t use spread)
  • 16 large marshmallows (You can use vegan marshmallows)
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1c. coconut
  • 2 c. oatmeal (GF oats are a great substitute. Don’t use Steel cut oats)

Directions:

  1. Over medium heat, combine chips, butter, and marshmallows. The mixture may separate when melting, but that’s ok. Stir frequently to prevent chocolate seizing.
  2. Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
  3. Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper on a cookie sheet.
  4. Refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
  5. Serve with cold glasses of milk

Mom has made them with lemon marshmallows and white chocolate chips.  With all of the marshmallow and chip flavors, the combinations available are endless!

If you are looking for another Poop Cookie Recipe, Check out Seraphina’s Unicorn Poop Cookie recipe here. They are really good!