fun

October is Free Kids Month in San Diego!

Abby H.

October in San Diego means free fun for kids!

kidsfree2015Kids are invited to explore San Diego’s diverse museums — for FREE! From October 1 – 31, children ages 12 and under receive FREE admission with a paid adult (limit 2) at any of our three-dozen participating museums. Just download the coupon (available here) and present it upon arrival.

Explore the hidden treasures of the ocean or the far reaches of outer space. Delve into local history, visual arts, botanical gardens, architectural treasures — and more! Note: This offer does not include special events/exhibits or field trips.

 

Participating museums:

 

Barona Cultural Center & Museum
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Cabrillo National Monument
California Center for the Arts Museum
California Surf Museum
Coronado Museum of History & Art
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
Heritage of the Americas Museum
Japanese Friendship Garden
La Jolla Historical Society
Living Coast Discovery Center
Lux Art Institute
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Marston House Museum & Gardens
Mingei International Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
Museum of Making Music
Museum of Photographic Arts
Oceanside Museum of Art
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (galleries only)
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Archaeological Center
San Diego Automotive Museum
San Diego Botanic Garden
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
San Diego History Center
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT)
Santa Ysabel General Store
Serra Museum
The New Children’s Museum
The San Diego Museum of Art
The Water Conservation Garden
Tijuana Estuary
Timken Museum of Art (FYI- this museum is always free)
USS Midway Museum
Veterans Museum & Memorial Center
Visions Art Museum
Warner-Carillo Ranch House
Women’s Museum of California

Kids Free in October is presented by ScholarShare, California’s 529 College Savings Plan, with additional support provided by Time Warner Cable, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture.

** The coupon allows up to two children 12 and under to get in FREE with one full-price paid adult. Children must be accompanied by the adult during the visit. This coupon cannot be used for specially ticketed events, Maker Faire San Diego, special exhibitions/exhibits, field trips or group visits. Coupon cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. Coupon is valid October 1-31, 2015.

 

Oh, and as part of free October, Kids can get into the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park free when accompanied by a paying adult!  WOO HOO!

There is another list of free stuff for kids (including kids eat free) here on the San Diego Tourism Authority website.

Frugal Costumes!

Abby H.2 Comments

Halloween is coming, are you ready? If your family is like our family, there are times throughout the year when you need a costume. Prior to being mommy and Mrs. Bear, full time, I owned a costuming company, specializing in medieval and renaissance costumes, but I made all kinds of stuff, including a few wedding dresses (never again!), costumes for exotic dancers (helped me learn how to sew velcro in really well!), and pieces for local theatres.

Here are some tips on putting together inexpensive (and awesome) costumes:

1- Plan each costume.  Start with a sketch.  You don’t have to be Bob Mackie, it can be as simple as a stick figure wearing the costume you want or a collage of photos from magazines or the internet.

2- Make a list of everything you need, including accessories (shoes, hats, jewelry), and makeup.

3-Check your closets before you shop.  You might be surprised at what you alredy have and how it can be re-purposed.

4-Ask friends if they have anything you can borrow.  We were able to borrow a lab coat for one of Hubs Comic Con costumes last year and that saved us about $20!

5-Start at your local thrift stores.  Most thrift stores have a great selection of clothing, shoes, accessories, and even fabric!

6- If you find piece(s) that fit, but require minor alterations (hemming, shortening sleeves) and you have the skills, consider buying the piece(s).

7-Give yourself time to plan, sew, and shop. It may take a few trips to various shops to find what you need.

8-Set a budget and stick to it. If you are making an expensive costume, make sure that you will wear it multiple times.  You want to get your moneys worth!

9-Know your limits. If you can’t sew, don’t plan an ambitious costume without assistance!

10-Check estate sales, yard sales, garage sales and Craigslist.

11-If you are planing children’s costumes, check with your mommy friends to see if someone has a costume you can borrow. One of my local mommy groups does a costume swap each August. It’s a great way to score new to you costumes without breaking the bank!

12- If you are going to be sewing your costume, pre-wash the fabric, and follow the pattern directions!

Here is Mr. C. in his Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. Costume (thanks to the Frame Guy for the Pic):

Screen Shot 2015-09-12 at 9.13.13 PM

If you are looking for some books about easy costuming (and no sew costumes) here are a few titles that are in our collection:

Babywearing: Getting stuff done with the Mamaway Ring Sling Baby Carrier!

Abby H.

I’m a baby wearing mama. Why? Well first off, both my kiddos did really well being close to me. They slept well, and were less fussy when I was wearing them, in contrast to the times when they were in their stroller or carseat. There is something to be said for the comfort of being close to Mommy.

IMG_0880Secondly, you can get more stuff done when you are baby wearing. You aren’t trapped in the room with the baby swing or whatever contrivance the kiddo is chilling in. Washing dishes, folding laundry, doing crafts with Lil’ Man. All of these things are possible while baby wearing.

Recently I got the chance to try out a new ring sling from the cool folks at Mamaway. Their ring sling is made fron 100% Pima Cotton, so it’s super comfy, breathable and machine washable!

Mamaway Ring Sling is an all-around baby carrier perfect for your newborn. The right fit and customizable shape gives your baby the perfect comfort, snugness and love they deserve. Position your baby any way you want; upright or lying down, in front, on your hip or behind your back. Ideal for hands-free cuddles- as you can see from my photos in this post.

IMG_0878You can also nurse your kidlet in this sling too, which is a plus in my book! While this ring sling can hold up to 100 pounds, I don’t think I’ll still be toting around Birdy when she’s that big!

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 7.21.23 PMI chose the striped “Cesar Salad” Color because I’m trying to keep everything gender neutral. I’m just not into pink. The rings are STRONG, and there is a little pocket in the sling too- perfect for stowing a few things (like my sunglasses!). This is a must have, and would make a great Baby shower gift!

I was given a free Mamaway Ring Sling to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and I received no financial compensation for this review.

Make Money doing Surveys!

Abby H.1 Comment

I love to earn money, I mean who doesn’t?

Taking surveys online is a quick, easy way to make some money in your spare time.  I do surveys when I’ve got downtime (nap time, waiting for school pick up, on nights when Hubs has dinner meetings with clients or is out of town, etc.)  I don’t watch a lot of TV, so surveys are a good way to pass the time and make a little scratch. I work on surveys about 15-20 minutes each day, usually in the morning while Birdy is still asleep and Lil’ Man is watching Sesame Street and enjoying a warm cup of milk.

Here are a few of the survey panels that I am crazy about. I also included how much I’ve earned doing surveys from each one this year.
Valued Opinions sends my emails about twice a week to do quick surveys that take 10 minutes or less. : $25 so far in 2015

 

 

 

MySurvey.com is a group of consumers from throughout the United States who influence future products and services by volunteering to participate in consumer research. By sharing your opinions about products and services, you are rewarded with Reward Points to redeem for cash and merchandise. $30 so far in 2015

 

 
Opinion Outpost conducts surveys because businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. Take Surveys to give your opinion and shape the future.

Rewards include get cash, Amazon gift cards, game points, donations to your favorite charities, and more. Everyone is also automatically entered to a $10,000 sweepstakes by joining and taking surveys. The minimum cash out for Paypal is $10 and only $5 for Amazon gift cards. $60 so far in 2015.

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. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $75.00.

Earn Gift cards with Mypoints. I take surveys, click links in emails, and do all of my online shopping through Mypoints. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $45.00.

I love to do surveys with Pinecone Research. They aren’t always looking for new participants, but check out their website and see if you fit their open demographics. I make about $20/Month doing short surveys (10 minutes or less).

With all of these survey companies, these are surveys I am pre-qualified for. No spending 10-30 minutes only to learn that you aren’t getting paid and they don’t want your opinions (that’s the #1 reason I do not do Swagbucks surveys and I don’t recommend you waste your time doing them either). All of these companies will email you when they have surveys for you to do. Take surveys, and collect points towards rewards (like Paypal payouts or gift cards).

Which survey companies do you use and like?

 

Review: Disney Pink Minnie Costume from Wholesale Halloween Costumes

Abby H.

Halloween will be here before we know it. So I’ve started the hunt for costumes early. Lil’ Man is presenting a challenge because he keeps changing his mind every 20 minutes, but Birdy is easy. Whatever I want to put her in works!

So this year she’s going be Minnie Mouse! Wholesale Halloween CostumesIMG_0731 IMG_0730 IMG_0729 has TONS of great, quality licensed Disney costumes. It was hard to chose, but after lots of hemming and hawing, we settled on Minnie. Right now it’s too big, but by Halloween it should be perfect!

The Minnie Mouse Costume Includes Onsie Tutu with Headband with Ears. It comes in two sizes: Fits 6-12 months or Fits 12-18 months.

What I love most is that the costume is based on a onsie, so in case of diaper change, it’s a quick job, no fussing to get the entire costume off and back on.

The fabric is excellent quality, and after inspecting it from head to tail (figure of speech, there is no actual tail on this costume) and I couldn’t find an errant thread or missed stitch.

I can’t wait to pair this dress up with a pair of white lace ankle socks and a cute pair of patent leather Mary Jane shoes (or maybe I’ll just get her a pair of Trompette socks)!

Wholesale Halloween Costumes has tons of incredible costumes new for 2015, including this cute Minnie Mouse costume. If you don’t have a little girl, don’t fret, they have costumes for little boys, teens of both genders, and and great variety of adult costumes.

If you order your costume before 4pm EST and your costume is shipping THE SAME DAY!

You can catch up with Wholesale Halloween Costumes on Twitter, Facebook, and of course, their website!

Lil’ Man is carefully weighing his costume options. We go to a bunch of Halloween events before the big day, including the Boo Parade, local community carnivals, and our play group halloween party. What do your kids want to dress up as for Halloween?

Disclosure: I was provided this costume in exchange for my unbiased, honest opinion. I was not financially compensated to write this review.

 

Recipe: Corned Beef in the CrockPot

Abby H.2 Comments

file291242792789I usually save this recipe for right around St. Patrick’s Day, but there are people who enjoy Corned Beef all year, so I thought, Why not post this now?

I know a lot of people don’t like corned beef because every time they’ve had it, it was chewy or tough.  I’ll share a secret with you: bake it, don’t boil it!  When you bake the meat at a low temperature in a crock pot for hours and hours, the heat breaks up the collagen and fat, leaving you with a tender, falling apart yummy corned beef, not the rubbery mess you got at the pub last year with your annual Guinness.

If the crock pot isn’t your speed, you can bake the corned beef in the oven at a lower temperature over several hours and get the same effect.

Baked Corned Beef

Ingredients:

  • 1 Corned Beef Brisket (2-4 lbs),
  • 1 cup (not packed) brown sugar- Light or dark, use whatever you have
  • 1 jar Stone Ground Mustard (I like Ingelhoffer or Moorehouse)- DO NOT USE DIJON. USE STONE GROUND MUSTARD ONLY.

Directions:

For Crockpot: line your crockpot with a Crockpot liner and turn on to LOW.

For Oven: Preheat oven to 250 degrees

  1. Remove beef from package. Rinse meat. Discard packaging and spice envelope.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar and mustard. Stir until combined. It’s ok if it’s lumpy.
  3. Place beef in crockpot or baking dish.
  4. Pour sugar/mustard mixture over meat.

Crockpot: Put lid on pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Oven: Cover loosely with foil and bake at 250 degrees for 3-4 hours.  Remove foil for last hour of baking.

Serve with baked or boiled New Potatoes, cabbage, and carrots.  I dislike boiled cabbage, so I usually make Coleslaw with Walden Farms Coleslaw dressing.

If you have any leftovers (you probably won’t) it makes great corned beef hash too.

Oh, and Corned beef stays pink after it’s cooked because of how it is cured (or corned), so if you are squiffy about stuff like that, get a food thermometer. It should read 160 degrees or higher.

 

Save 15% on iTunes gift cards $25 or more at JCPenney! #iTunesJCP15

Abby H.

file0001262541721I’m a big fan of gift cards, especially when they are on sale, so this deal is right up my alley!

Starting today through August 29th at JCPenney’s you’ll save 15% on iTunes gift cards $25 or higher! If you haven’t finished your Back to School shopping, make sure to stop by JCPenney’s and check out this deal.

But wait… It gets better. You can double dip if you’ve got a rewards credit card. We’ve got the American Express Blue Cash credit card and we receive  2% cash back rewards on purchases made at department stores including JCPenney. Check your rewards credit card to see if you get a special amount or even extra rewards at department stores.

And here is a triple dip idea: If you’ve got the Receipt Hog rebate app (learn more about it here) you can scan in your receipt to earn points towards an Amazon Gift Card or cash via Paypal.

I love buying gift cards on sale because it’s like getting money for free. I am always on the hunt for gift cards on a discount- it helps stretch our gift giving budget.

Whether you opt to give these discounted gift cards as gifts (they’d be well paired with some new earphones or as a stocking stuffer), or keep them for yourself to purchase apps, music, movies or ebooks. Did you know iTunes Gift Cards can be used in the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or Mac App Store? iTunes gift cards make a great gift for pretty much anyone- especially college kids, teachers, or that hard to shop for teenager on your holiday shopping list.

To celebrate this awesome deal, the sponsor of this post is hosting an awesome giveaway of a $25 Amazon e-gift card. Everyone could use an extra $25, right?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I had to share this deal with you and I hope you’ll share it with your friends!

This deal is only valid on iTunes gift cards available for purchase in JCPenney stores that have a $25 value or more. This deal specifically excludes $15 iTunes Gift Cards. For more details, check with your local JCPenney store. This is a sponsored post from our friends at Tatu Digital Media, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I do with all the free samples I receive….

Abby H.

bright boxesOn Saturday, my mailman asked me, “What’s up with all of the free samples?” She’s not the only one who asks. It’s one of the questions I get a lot when people find out I coupon and we live frugally (the other question I get a lot  is: “Do you have TP under your bed?”

Well, here’s the deal: I donate them. And no, there is no TP under my bed. Just out of season shoes and dust bunnies.

I donate about 90% of the free samples I receive in the mail. The local American Legion post collects small sized toiletries to make into care packages which are distributed to local homeless vets.

Additionally, the other local charity that my coupon club supports (Naomi’s Closet) also collects and distributes small sized toiletries to women’s in need.

If that sounds like something that appeals to you, you can collect travel/sample sized products and donate them to your local charity of choice.

I like MySavings to find top quality freebies. I also sign up for the P&G Brandsaver (it’s a collection of free samples from P&G available once a quarter).  Once the samples arrive, I take them out of their shipping container and I have a small box under my bathroom sink where I store samples and donation goodies.  I donate the contents of the box each month.

I also regularly donate full size products too.  For example, my donation budget is $5.00/month.  That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but when I match sales with coupons, I am able to save big, and that $5.00 goes pretty far!

So the next time you that I’m posting free sample offers here or on Facebook, know that there will be one headed my way, to help someone in need!

Vacations of the Cheap, Part 3: Saving Money at the Park

Abby H.

Today we’re going to talk about saving money inside the park.  Specifically FOOD, but also souvenirs and other goodies.

I like most of the food choices at Disneyland (OMGoodness Gibson Girl Ice Cream), but it can get a little expensive. So here is what we do: Rent a locker and bring a picnic.

I pack a soft side cooler (like this one from Thirty-One) with a few frozen water bottles, lunch meat, fruit, frozen yogurts, and a small re-usable grocery bag with bread, individual packets of condiments (you can buy them at Smart and Final), and Ziploc bags with snacks, and we put all this stuff, plus our jackets and a few other misc. things into a locker.

We like the lockers on Main Street, but if you have a larger group going with you, there are bigger lockers immediately outside of the park.  More info about Lockers, including prices, and locations can be found here. Reviews of the lockers can be found here (I love Yelp!)

Screen Shot 2015-07-22 at 10.23.18 PMThere are various picnic areas inside the park (there is one up by Big Thunder Mountain, and various tables and benches scattered throughout the park), as well as one right outside the main gate by the large lockers.

For snacking during the day, I pack snacks that fit in our pockets (we both usually wear cargo shorts) like bags of pretzels, hard candy in Ziploc bags, and a 16oz. or so size bottle of water that we refill at the various water fountains throughout the park.  We’ll stop back at the lockers for fruit or a larger nosh if we’re nearby and hungry.

That doesn’t mean I’ll go without my beloved Ice Cream. We usually pick one treat a day and share it. Ice cream, frozen banana on a stick, Dole Whip…. Whatever we both can agree on.

We also save money by buying our Disneyland shirts before we go on vacation. The Disney Store usually has an end of summer sale, and I can stock up of D-land shirts for 50-75% off retail prices. The mall closest to our house has a Disney Store, so we cruise in frequently (Lil’ Man is obsessed with Mickey Mouse).  Other Disney Souvenirs like sippy cups I’ll buy in advance and sneak in our bags so he doesn’t see them until we arrive. In the past, I have scored a sweet new Disney shirt for $2.00!

99 Cents Only has a great selection of Disney Branded and Licensed items like crayons, coloring books, sippy cups, sandwich boxes, and other lunch/food storage containers. I’ve been sneaking 1 or 2 items into the cart each week when Lil’ Man isn’t looking!

We also set a budget when we go on a trip and stick to it. Bring cash with us each day of the trip, and when it’s gone we’re done spending. It’s just that simple.

 

 

My monthly Savings to do list…

Abby H.

file000901554050I get asked a lot about how do I manage to stay on top of all of the deals and programs that I take part in?

I calendar it.  I use my Google Calendar to remind me each month.  Here are just a few of the types of reminders I have set up:

 

 

 

 

1st (then once a week after that): Printable coupons refresh. Print new coupon from Coupons.com, SmartSource, RedPlum, Hopster. Check apps and add items that appeal. Here are a list of the apps I use.

1st: L’Oreal Gold Rewards– enter 2 more codes. I do love free hair color!

1st and 15th: Mail out SBKC junk mail envelopes. I process our mail when it all comes in and I put the junk mail in the envelopes as it comes in.

Daily: I spend a little time each day (usually when Lil’ Man is napping) working my points programs. This includes Swagbucks (doing surveys, watching videos) and Mypoints (I save all of my Mypoints emails and do them all at once, one time a day). I also try and do MTurk work too (about 20 minutes, usually while I’m on hold calling someone, or while Hubs and I watch a movie n the evening.

Once a Week: Log onto Recyclebank to see what new point earning opportunities there are to do, check BzzAgent and Smiley360 to see if there are any new campaigns to get in on (and score some sweet freebies).  I also clip out the coupons I need when I get coupon inserts. I stopped getting the paper, so I usually get inserts from friends and family who don’t coupon, or who use different coupons than I do.  I go through the cupboard and meal plan for the coming week.

As I am notified via email: Paid View Point (some of the surveys are time sensitive- those usually pay extra!), PineCone Research (surveys must be completed 3-6 days upon receiving the email).

Last day of the month: Clean out coupon wallet and removed expiring/expired coupons.

As needed/codes become available: Enter Pampers points, Huggies codes. I use the Swagbucks tool bar to do most of my internet searches, so I earn Swagbucks points intermittently with that too. I also order free samples when I see them available online. I’ll be posting about what I do with all the samples coming up.

I try to do as much shopping online with discounts as I can.  That means I check with Mypoints, Swagbucks,  and UPromise to see who is giving the better points/cash back, and I use my Upromise Master Card to make purchases online (which earns me even more cash- up to 5%, when I shop through the UPromise website at selected merchants). I also check Retailmenot for coupon codes before shopping online too.

How do you keep track of all of your programs to save money?