help

2025 Holiday Resources

Abby H.

As more information about Holiday assistance programs becomes available, I will be updating this post.

Before I get into specifics, here are a few general ways that you can find some holiday help with resources that you may already take part in:

  • If you receive WIC or SNAP benefits, check in with your social worker to see if they have any information on holiday help programs. Events like Toys for Joy are being held on a referral basis only. You have to receive an invitation from the event to attend. These are being given out by social workers and those with connections to the group.
  • If you attend church/synagogue/mosque, check with your religious leader or the secretary/office staff. They may have referrals to programs offering holiday help.
  • Check with your kids’ school. Talk to the school counselor, resource teacher, or school secretary.
  • If you frequent local food charities or co-ops, they may have some resources on holiday events or toy giveaways.

Resources in San Diego County:

  • The Salvation Army does an Angel Tree program to gather gifts for children in need. For more information about this program, contact your local Salvation Army location.
  • 211 San Diego has a listing of all sorts of holiday assistance, from food to toys, and events- all free. Some programs/events require proof of need, but not all.

  • Hope for San Diego helps with many non-profits throughout the holiday season. For more information on events they sponsor, visit their website.

  • Women’s Resource Center for those residing in Northern San Diego County.

  • Foundation for Developmental Disabilities: Clients of the Regional Center whose families are facing financial difficulties can apply for help.

  • If you live in Santee and need help with food and gifts for the holiday, contact Santee Santas. Applications are done online and are available in multiple languages.

Talk Back: If you know of any additional resources for holiday help in San Diego County, Please leave a comment!

2025 Summer Lunch Programs for Kids (And Other Free Food Resources in San Diego)

Abby H.

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I’m back with as many free summer lunch resources as I could find for 2025!

Y’all know I love to keep everyone’s kids fed.

San Diego Unified School District has partnered with San Diego Parks and Recreation to have food available at neighborhood schools and Recreation centers throughout the city of San Diego. The complete list of locations can be found here. Times vary by location.

Feeding San Diego has a list of locations in San Diego County offering free food for kids 0-18 here.

Feeding San Diego has many other programs to help families and individuals all over San Diego County. You can learn more about all of their programs here.

Lunch at the library:

City of San Diego library has two locations participating; more information and hours/times can be found here.

County of San Diego library locations include Ramona, Casa de Oro, and Spring Valley. Check to see if your county library branch is participating here.

Lunch at the Park is hosted by several libraries throughout the City of San Diego!

To find schools near you participating in free summer lunches for kids, the California Department of Education website has a map for the entire state of CA, separated by County with free lunch locations for children.

If you need assistance feeding yourself and/or your family beyond these free meals, and you are looking for free and low-cost food resources, check my page here.

 

Natural Disasters: What to do in the Aftermath

Abby H.

For information about how to prepare for evacuating in an emergency, check out my post here. It is specifically aimed at Southern California natural disasters (wildfires being chief among them), but the information is pretty solid for anyone having to leave home in an emergency situation.

After the disaster, there is so much to do. It is extremely overwhelming.

 Use your Insurance coverage: Renters, homeowners, condo unit owners depending on your living situation. There are coverages for personal property and loss of use (pays for food and housing when your home is uninhabitable, up to a dollar amount specified in your insurance policy). These may be subject to your deductible.

Paying the Bills: Contact your creditors and let them know you have been affected by a natural disaster. Many times they can defer your payments.

Power: Contact your Gas and electric utility provider for information on payment assistance programs.

There are a lot of government entities that can assist you:

The IRS can also help with disaster assistance/ emergency relief. This website has more information. 

Feeding your family: SNAP benefits (food stamps) may be available to you after natural disasters.

Homeowners, business owners, and even renters may qualify for a Small Business Administration loan after a disaster. These loans have low interest rates. More info can be found at SBA.gov.

Per the FEMA website for those in immediate need after an emergency: Check with your local emergency management officials, and voluntary agencies or call your local 2-1-1. The FEMA Helpline (800-621-3362) may be able to provide additional referrals. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.

If there is a natural disaster and you want to help from afar, contact your local blood bank to donate. Blood is in short supply after most natural disasters and it’s a great way to help if you can’t afford to donate time or money. 

Donations of used household goods are frequently not helpful. Getting trucks full of used goods into disaster zones can be hard. Local nonprofits and agencies local to the disaster zones have access to low-cost goods directly from distributors.

 

April is Financial Literacy Month

Abby H.

Financial literacy is near and dear to my heart. I’ve spent much of my adult life working hard to save money, pay bills on time, and live within my means. It is a lot of effort and work, but, it’s made my life less stressful.

In 2020, 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.

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.

 A big part of financial literacy is tracking where you stand financially. With identity theft happening to 22% of Americans (per a 2022 Bureau of Justice Statistics study), knowing what’s on your credit is important.  Obtaining your free annual credit report is easy.  Free Annual Credit Report is the site that I use.

Once you receive it, go over and verify all of the open accounts are yours. Contact the credit bureaus immediately if there are any incorrect names, addresses, or accounts.

If you are saving for your future, or your kid’s future, here are two great savings opportunities:

Savings bonds- Savings Bonds: The gift that keeps on giving!

529’s/ Educational Savings Accounts- September Is College Savings Month!

Managing Difficult Health Situations Within your Family

Abby H.

Note: This is a lot different from my usual content, however, I feel this type of information is important. A lot of us are starting to deal with aging family members. It can be difficult. There isn’t a lot of readily available information out there. As someone who has spent the past 13 years advocating for my kids, I feel that I have a unique perspective and insight into how we as healthy, able-minded folks can help our ill and infirm relatives navigate tough health issues to receive care.

A lot of us Gen X and older Millenials are starting to reach the age where family members are having age-related illnesses, and or passing away. My dad passed away about 2 years ago, and he was sick for almost a year. Managing and navigating illness in the 21st century is very different than it was even 40 years ago. Here are a few things that I’ve learned on this journey:

The doctor/specialist who is dealing with or managing health issues (like cancer, mental health, or cognitive issues) may not be equipped to deal with all aspects of the patient’s health.  This is especially true if the patient is seeing a specialist.

Part of the Team: Make sure to loop in your family member’s primary care physician. The primary care physician may not communicate with other doctors in your care team otherwise. They may not know that you have a long-term illness if they did not diagnose you. Your primary care physician can also help you with any side effects or additional issues that may arise from the treatment of your new condition. For example, some medication can cause G.I. issues, and your primary care physician may suggest prebiotics and probiotics, or changing vitamins and supplements to be a little more gentle on the stomach.

Getting help from an Expert: All hospitals and medical centers have social workers. The social worker is your best resource for help navigating the healthcare system. They are an incredible resource, they have so many ideas and suggestions, ways to help your family, and they have access to help you obtain services that you may not otherwise be aware of. They can refer you to services within the health care system, and frequently they have connections externally as well for other resources to help the patient and the family.

If you have a family member who is ill at home and requires constant care or attention, you may qualify for respite services. Respite is for the caregiver of the sick individual. It pays for someone to come into your home and provide care, so the usual familial caregiver can rest or spend time out of the home alone, doing errands, etc.

Some insurance companies provide respite for their patients. Many states offer respite services for specific groups of individuals (such as people with developmental disabilities, dementia patients, or those on in-home hospice). Contacting the medical group social worker or insurance company is a start to finding out if respite is available to you.

Some insurance companies also offer assistance with pick up or drop off if your family member is at home and needs to visit the doctor or hospital frequently.

Medication: Make sure that all of the medication the patient is taking goes to the same pharmacy. Pharmacists are trained to look and make sure that medications are safe to be taken together. Especially when dealing with a long-term illness or something that affects several parts of the body, it’s good to know that all of the medication being dispensed is appropriate and safe for your loved one. You can also ask if over-the-counter medications (such as NSAIDs, single-letter vitamins, or herbal supplements) can still be taken with new medications.

Medication delivery is sometimes available either through the hospital pharmacy, or chain pharmacies like CVS. CVS Care Pass Members can get most of their medications delivered for free.

Other changes and getting help: Are you worried about your ill family member eating properly now that their life has changed, and their nutritional needs may have also changed? Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist. Also if your family member is insistent on maintaining their pre-illness/condition way of life, they may need to see a physical therapist, or an occupational therapist to make sure that their body is strong and able to maintain independence.

It’s not all in your head: In addition to physical health mental health is important as well. Getting a psychiatric or psychological consult to meet with a psychologist or psychiatrist may be beneficial. A lot changes when you receive a diagnosis. And it can be hard on the entire family. Not just the patient. Having resources and an impartial person to talk to and help you is definitely something that everyone involved should seek out.

If your family member isn’t sleeping well, or they have started developing nightmares or are not getting restful sleep, see if you can see a sleep consultant. They can check for sleep apnea or help with strategies (beyond just medication) that will help the patient get restful sleep. Sleep is definitely important when your body is dealing with an illness.

You are not alone: Many specific illnesses (types of cancers, specific neurological illnesses/disorders) have support groups, and nonprofits that can help family members too. So if you are dealing with a specific issue, a quick Google search can help find a community of caregivers and patients in your area that have gone through what you and your family are going through, and they can provide a wealth of specific helpful resources in your area.

Free Resources for San Diego County Families in Need

Abby H.

This is my annual post to help point you toward some free resources for San Diego County residents.

Food:

Clothing:

  • Naomi’s Closet is located in Santee, and they provide clothing and toiletries to women in need.
  • The Sonrise Church in Santee has a clothing swap/free clothing resource. One for kid’s clothes, and another for women’s clothing. Miss Charity’s Closet & Little Blessings Boutique 2nd Saturday of every month at 9:00 am Contact Charity Murphy for more info clmurphy71@gmail.com
  • The Closet of 54th. They are open once a few times each month.  They have women, men, and children’s clothing. You can find them on Facebook. They are located at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA. Contact The Closet at thecloseton54th@gmail.com.

If you know of any other clothing resources, please leave a comment!

Happy Holidays Y’all!

Abby H.

As you can tell from the lack of blog posts and social media posts/shares lately, I’ve been swamped. Getting ready for time off school for the kids, traveling to visit friends between Christmas and New Year, shopping, helping family, and busting out my end-of-year to-do list has been exhausting.

I did not do a New Year’s Resolution series this year, but I have done them in the past, and you can find that series of articles here. It includes the top ten NYR’s including saving money and getting organized.

I’ve been using a lot of Canva‘s really great templates for my new organizing stuff (Yes I have paper copies- the ADHD folks in my house need the reminders). It’s free and it’s so easy to use. In addition to the organizing sheets, I’ve made pantry and freezer inventory sheets, calendars, stuff for my day job, birthday party invitations, tutorials- Canva is pretty amazing. And it’s free!

 

Have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate. After the first of the year, there will be a Target Gift Card giveaway!

Let’s Get Storm Ready!

Abby H.

As I’m sure of you have seen, Southern California is about to get slammed with the tail end of Hurricane Hillary.

Most of us here in SoCal have never been in this kind of weather storm, so here are a few tips to get your home ready.

For those of us who have been here through wildfires, you may notice that some of these tips are the same, but this time for different reasons. We won’t be worried about ash debris, instead leaves, branches, and maybe items that have not been secured (depending on how high the winds are gusting).

Outside your home:

  1. Secure any loose items. Bikes, scooters, plants, patio furniture, outdoor toys, and play equipment. If it can be put inside the house or garage, great! If not, make sure it’s secured into the ground.
  2. Close your windows and doors. Make sure they can lock. Caulk any gaps. Water stays out!
  3. If you live on the ground floor, sandbags might be needed. Check with your local Public Works department for free sandbags.
  4. Pick up any fallen branches, large rocks, or loose wood- Anything that can be picked up in the gusts of wind and can turn into a projectile.

Inside your home:

  1. Charge everything. Phones, laptops, tablets, portable gaming devices, portable batteries, flashlights, walkie-talkies.  I also have a portable battery that charges via a small solar panel. I am charging that in my front window right now. If power is lost, you can still keep in touch and stay entertained.
  2. If you have tablets and streaming services, download some movies or cartoons to keep the kids entertained and their minds off the storm. I downloaded a bunch of movies and books onto the iPad and tablets last night.
  3. Everyone needs to take a shower or bath. Wash your hair, shave your shaveables. Clean out your tubs afterward and fill the tubs (Or fill some buckets) so you can flush the toilet if there is a disruption in water service.
  4. Speaking of water, everyone in the house needs at least a gallon of water to drink. Fill up pitchers for hand washing and any minor dishwashing and keep them near sinks.
  5. Put some bottles of water inside the freezer. If the power goes out, the frozen water bottles can keep your food cold. also- DO NOT keep opening the fridge and freezer if the power goes out. You are letting the cold air out!

Personal matters:

  1. Make sure you have a week’s worth of meds. We use the daily med boxes (like these). I filled them all last night.
  2. Stock up on any personal care items you may need- especially TP. Body cleaning wipes (don’t flush them). If you are or will be menstruating, make sure you have supplies.
  3. Don’t forget the pets. Make sure you have enough food, water, and treats for them.
  4. Have a plan in case you need to leave your home. Coordinate with someone on higher ground or contact the Red Cross to see where shelters may be located.  This also means you may need to pack an emergency bag to go.  My post about wildfire bug-out bags can be found here. Most of the info is transferable.
  5. Snacks- check your cupboards to ensure that you have ready-to-serve snacks that your family will eat. We took a quick trip to Dollar Tree yesterday. Each kid got $20 to spend on storm snacks.
  6. Fill up your gas tank. Each car/vehicle. If there is an extended amount of time without power, the gas stations will be closed.
  7. Check your car’s windshield wiper blades and replace them if needed.
  8. Check the tires and inflate them as needed.

We are spending our morning getting ready for back to school. I’ve been doing these prep activities when the kids are occupied, so they don’t get the feeling something is off. They know a storm is coming, but beyond that, they are excited for the rain.

How I’m Saving Time and Money in 2023 and Beyond!

Abby H.

I’m posting a lot less these days because I now have a full-time job outside the house, and y’all- I’m freaking exhausted at the end of the day. weekends are spent doing family stuff (mostly playing with legos and drawing), and doing kid activities like martial arts and girl scouts.

I wanted to share with you some ways you can save money, score freebies, and even earn some money each month without running all over town, spending hours of time doing little penny surveys, or scanning your entire grocery order to earn points for junk (looking at you Neilson panel).

This is how I’ve been doing it for years, and now that I have even less time, I’m leaning on these more.

Automate

  •  Use the calendar in your phone to remind you of appointments, neighborhood free food distributions, sales, and even coupon events: I seriously put the Bath and Body Works coupon dates in my calendar so I remembered to use them.
  • I bought a subscription to  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA boxes. This way my fresh fruit and veggies are delivered to my door each week.
  • Set up auto-shipments for most needed household items. Vitamins/supplements, specialized food, and even pet food. There are all sorts of companies that offer this service including Amazon, Chewy, and Vitacost are just a few.
  • I order from Dream Dinners once or twice a quarter. Now that they have lower minimum orders, I can grab a few favorites and try a new meal with greater ease. I order online, and pickup is so easy- I drive up and they deliver to my car!

Organize

  • I reorganized the kitchen over Winter Break. I have printables available for free. If you are interested, please drop me an email and I can send them to you. They print in color or black and white.
  • I meal plan weekly. I may not have time to post them on the blog each week, but I’ll still have pics up on Instagram each week- it helps keep me accountable. I spend about an hour on Monday evenings meal prepping fruit and veggies that come in our weekly CSA box.
  • For more organization tips that work in our home, check out my post about managing a household with neurodivergencies here.

Disconnect

  • This one is hard, but I am trying to consume only meaningful media. Don’t be afraid to disconnect from Social Media Platforms, people, or advertising that does not serve you or your life. Unfollow people and brands, delete or pause apps as you see fit. Engage with media in a manner that serves you and fulfills you. Do what feeds your soul and makes you a better person.
  • Unsubscribe from emails that don’t serve you. It will make your inbox smaller and you won’t miss information and freebies that you actually want. In my case, it’s freebies from Social Nature, PinchMe, and research study invitations.
  • In the same vein, I am trying to consume less physical media, specifically, mail and advertisements. If I don’t see sales, I won’t be tempted to shop. Junk mail and sale fliers go directly into the recycling can next to our group mailbox.

Saving Money

This is the big one, the reason you wanted to read this post. All of the above will help you save money, but here are a few specific ways that I use to save money on top of all of the above.

  • Use the notes section on my phone to keep a running list of our stockpiles: Toiletries, laundry soap, canned goods, and paper products.
  • Use the notes section of my phone to keep a running grocery list for the week. As we run low on items, I add them to my list. Right now I shop at three stores: Food4less, Grocery Outlet, and Dollar Tree (for specific items that are cheaper there). Unless I have coupons or freebie offers for other stores-usually from Social Nature, I stick to those three. At this point with inflation, we eat meat once or twice a week.
  • Use money saving/rebate apps. My list is here, and it’s pretty up-to-date. Fetch, Ibotta, and Shopkick are my go-to apps, and they yield me the biggest payouts.

 

Are New Years Resolutions on Your List?

Abby H.

I’m personally not doing any NYR this year, but. I know a lot of you are.

If you are on the fence and feel like it might cause you more stress than it’s worth, it’s ok to skip New Year’s Resolutions or anything else that causes undue stress. We all have enough stress in our lives.

If you want to do them, I did a round-up of the top ten NYRs in 2018 (for 2019) here. Some of the links within the articles may be outdated, but if you are looking for something specific, please feel free to reach out to me either via email, Instagram, or Facebook.

You may have noticed that my posting has slowed. I’m spending time with the kids this winter break, and I start my full-time job in the new year. I’ll still try to post here a few times a week, however, it won’t be daily unless I’ve got time. I’ll be posting more on Instagram and FB than blogging.