saving money

Fetch Rewards: Mix & Match Grocery Rewards are Back!

Abby H.

Fetch Rewards is hooking us up again with sweet grocery rewards!

Tons of points and lightning-fast rewards! Now through 2/21/2021, spend $15 on a wide range of popular Unilever brands and get 5,000 points*. Redeem this Special Offer up to 4X for a total of 20,000 points.

If you aren’t sure which brands are included, here is a list of brands that are made by Unilever:

Redeeming this offer is simple. Head to any of these 5,000+ participating grocery stores, buy your favorite products from these Unilever brands, and snap your receipts!

And if you are wondering how fast it is to earn Fetch Rewards, I’ve earned $20 in Fetch Rewards since 1/1/2021.

If you are new to Fetch Rewards, download the app and get started. It’s super easy! Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2000 points ( that’s the equivalent to $2 in rewards) after you scan in your first receipt with Fetch Rewards. You can find Fetch Rewards in your app store.

1/25/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgMy Word- It’s cold outside! The forecast for the week here in San Diego is cold, rainy, breezy weather. I’ve planned meals around warm, filling, comfort meals.

I did my weekly trip to the store yesterday for bread, milk, eggs, and snack/lunch items.

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: The kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school. He’s been digging on Bear naked protein granola in his lunch lately. It’s his new favorite.

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:  Lasagna Soup and Sourdough toast (Dream Dinners)
  • Monday:  Hashbrowns, Egg/veggie scramble, Fruit
  • Tuesday:  Soup (we’ve got a batch of Potato Cheese soup in the freezer)/Meal of Snacks
  • Wednesday: Chicago Style Chicken, Roasted Veggies, Salad (Dream Dinners)
  • Thursday: Grilled Cheese sandwiches, Salad, Soup
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

1/22/2021 Friday Freebies & Deals

Abby H.
bright boxes

I’ve been going going going all week, which is why you haven’t seen a lot of blog posts. I’m glad to report that I’ve had some time to look for some sweet freebies and deals for you today! And I’m elbow deep in my updated 2021 Birthday Freebies, which should be done sometime over the weekend.

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 Multi-Surface Disinfecting Wipes
Free Wonder Drink Prebiotic Kombucha
Free Haven’s Kitchen Fresh Sauce
Free Sample of Orgain Protein Powder
Free Year of Vooks for Teachers
Banfield Pet Hospital – Free Office Visit & Consultation
Free Subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine
Free Goody Bag at buybuy BABY Stores
Free MOO Sample Pack
Free Sample of La Roche-Posay Vitamin C Serum
Free Morgan & Morgan Hand Sanitizer & Face Mask
Free Sample of Malin + Goetz Body Moisturizer
Free Bag of Canidae Dog Food at Petco
Free Llama Stickers
Possible Free Hasbro Toys
Free Wings for Your Birthday Buffalo Wild Wings
Free Whimsical Wolf Stickers
Free Hair Craft Co. Hair Clay
Free Lasko Hybrid Tower Fan with Remote Control
Free Revitalash Products
Free Hallmark Card Every Month
Free Carlson Pet Products
Free Beachwaver Dry Shampoo
Free Sample of Yes Life CBD Oil & Hemp CBD Pain Relief Cream
Free No7 Lift & Luminate Primer
Free Sample of Aveda Botanical Repair Masque
Free Madam Vice President Sticker

 

Deals

adidas Alliance II Sackpack ONLY $7 (Reg $18)
Clorox Disinfecting Cleaning Wipes 3-Pack $11.37 Shipped
60% Off Custom Engraved Dog & Cat Tags $3.99 + Free Shipping
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaners ONLY $1.17 Each at Amazon
Save $5 when you buy TWO Snuggle SuperCare Liquid Softener
Women’s Leggings as low as $8.40 at Kohl’s (reg. $26)
Apple Magic Keyboard 11-inch iPad Pro ONLY $199 (Reg $300)
Back in Stock – Clorox Wipes $2.89 at Target
Tea Tree Lavender Mint Conditioner ONLY $17.99 (Reg $43)
Ralph Lauren Pillow ONLY $7.99 at Macy’s (Reg $20)
NYX Ultimate Utopia Shadow Palette ONLY $22.75 at Ulta (Reg $35)

Reset, Recycle, and Refresh and get up to $100 off New Clothes!

Abby H.

Universal Standard is a pretty cool clothing company that I learned about from a friend a few months ago. What I like is that are very inclusive- They sell from size 00-40.

Right now they are partnering with Marimole (a clothing recycler) to help keep your unwanted clothes out of a landfill. Pay $4.50 for postage, and you’ll receive a bag- fill it with up to 4 pieces of clothing, seal it up and send it off (postage is paid- the $4.50, remember?).

Universal Standard will credit you $25 per item, up to $100. A $100 merchandise credit at Universal Standard is pretty cool! You can definitely find something nice. I’ve got my eye on a few pieces!

So if you’ve got some clothes that you’ve been meaning to drop off at the local charity/thrift shop, try this instead! You’ll be helping the planet.

Purchase of $4.50 + tax (if applicable) recycle bag required to redeem offer. Promotion expires 3/1/21 at 3:00 AM ET or while supplies of Reset, Recycle, Refresh bags last, whichever is sooner. All credits expire 4/1/21 at 3:00 AM ET. US, 18+ only. Limit 1 per person. Terms apply.

1/18/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThe kids have off today for MLK Day, so we’re planning some socially distanced shenanigans (shell collecting at the beach, picnic lunch, and picking up our Dream Dinners order). The past few weeks have been so busy, and this week plans to be jam-packed as well.

My friend Brooke recently hosted a Dream Dinner Virtual Party, and I took advantage of one of the deals- 6 dinners (each dinner serves 2-3 adults) for $99.00. I’ll be posting more info and details in the coming weeks, but for those of you who want to meal plan, but don’t know if it’s for you, Dream Dinners is a great resource.

I did my weekly trip to the store yesterday for bread, milk, salad, and ice cream. The kids have requested chocolate chip cookies, I’ll try to make a batch tomorrow.

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty.  It can be a struggle, but I shop sales, discount grocery stores, and use my cashback apps.

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.

No school tomorrow, but I think we’ll have a picnic while we’re out and about. The rest of the week it’s 1/2 days for the littlest bit, and full days for the big dude. This afternoon I need to pop over to the store and pick up some lunch goodies. Big kid takes his lunch to school, but little bit has lunch at home after school.

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:  Veggie Burgers on Salad (that’s what we ended up having, I had planned to do smoothies and caulifries too, but nah…)
  • Monday:  Pasta, Salad, and Garlic Bread
  • Tuesday:  Frozen Entrees & Salad
  • Wednesday: Protein shakes/smoothies, toast, and fruit
  • Thursday:  Dream Dinners Meal & Veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Dream Dinners Meal & Veggies

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

1/11/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgWe’re starting to get into the swing of our 2021 schedule, and this week is going to be my OMG busy week. Have you ever noticed that there is usually 1 week each month that is crazy busy? Lots of appointments, phone calls, errands, etc.? This is my week- Insanity.

I had some free time over the weekend, and I spent it in the kitchen doing some meal prep for this week. I made a lot of lunch stuff for the littlest kiddo and myself. I also prepared veggies and stuff for stir fry.

I’ll go to the store this morning and get some more fruit and veggies. And Milk. Always milk.

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty.  It can be a struggle, but I shop sales, discount grocery stores, and use my cashback apps.

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.

The kids go back to school tomorrow! 1/2 days for the littlest bit, and full days for the big dude. This afternoon I need to pop over to the store and pick up some lunch goodies. Big kid takes his lunch to school, but little bit has lunch at home after school.

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:  Leftovers (we all had big lunches, so it was mostly light snacking)
  • Monday:  Salad and Soup (We’ve got leftover beef stew from a few weeks ago- I stashed the extras in the freezer)
  • Tuesday:  Chicken and Cauli-rice casserole (It’s a frozen meal from Birdseye)
  • Wednesday: Veggies Burgers, Veggies Nuggets, fruit, and chips
  • Thursday:  Stir Fry with Veggies and rice
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Egg scramble (with veggies and cheese), Toast/Bagel, and Fruit Salad

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

1/3/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgWe stayed home a lot last week, so I really need to hit the grocery store for snacks and lunch food today.

I batch cooked a few things yesterday, so we have ready to go dinners for two nights this week, but additional meals for later weeks.

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty.  It can be a struggle, but I shop sales, discount grocery stores, and use my cashback apps.

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.

The kids go back to school tomorrow! 1/2 days for the littlest bit, and full days for the big dude. This afternoon I need to pop over to the store and pick up some lunch goodies. Big kid takes his lunch to school, but little bit has lunch at home after school.

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:  Hot Beef Sandwiches and salad (I cooked the beef in the crockpot yesterday during my batch cooking day)
  • Monday:  Spaghetti Bolognese, steamed veggies, and garlic bread (I made the bolognese sauce yesterday during my batch cooking day)
  • Tuesday:  Frozen Entrees and salad
  • Wednesday: Waffles and fruit salad
  • Thursday:  Chicken Satay, salad, rice
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

A New Month (and Year!) Means New Coupons!!

Abby H.

A New Year means that a lot of us are starting off with goals like saving money, eating better, and spending more time with family. I’m here to help you with the first two this morning!

file000786402730Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

Here are just a few coupons to help support healthier eating!

Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) Rao’s Sauce
Save $1.00 on any TWO (2) Kellogg’s® Special K® Cereals

12/28/2020- Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgWe were given a Grocery Outlet Gift Card for Christmas! I used most of it yesterday to stock up on pantry staples, but I also bought us a few treats too.

There is a balance on the card, so I’ll be using it over the next few weeks to pick up some deals.

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty. This week, we are having a lot of easy to make meals that will give us leftovers for lunches.

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.  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

This is the second (and final) week of Winter Break. It’s cold and rainy today and will continue for a few more days. Our plan is to stay inside, play with new toys and games, read, and cuddle under warm blankets. If the weather clears up, towards the end of the week we’ll go check out some cool places that have water features after rain (Adobe Falls area for sure). Don’t Forget- I am giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card- Entering is super easy!

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: Leftover Beef Stew, Garlic baguettes, Fruit Salad
  • Monday: Vegetarian Chili, cornbread, salad
  • Tuesday: Bean, Rice, and Cheese bowls
  • Wednesday: Skillet casserole (probably Chicken Tetrazinni)
  • Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner (fruit salad, protein shakes, toast with butter)
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

This Weeks Freebies!

Abby H.
bright boxes

Since Friday is Christmas Day, I’m taking the day off blogging. Instead, I’m posting the weekly freebies post today. I skipped deals this week, I have a feeling most of us are shopped out.

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:

2 Free Pints of Nightfood Ice Cream
Free Beauty Partners Nail Polish Remover
Free Sample of Breathe Right Extra Clear Nasal Strips
Free Primal Kitchen Salad Dressing
Free Organica Naturals Full Spectrum CBD Capsules Sample
100 Free Kellogg’s Family Rewards Points
Free Mouthwash
Free Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatment Mask & Dry Shampoo
Free Sample of Sol de Janeiro SOL Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum
Free Flow Alkaline Spring Water at Walmart
Free Pint of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
Free Medium Fries w/ Any $1 Purchase at McDonalds – Every Friday
Free Shu Uemura Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil
Free Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce
2 Free Fussie Cat Dry Cat Food Samples
Free Carnitas or Carnitas Bravas at 7-Eleven & Stripes
Free H.E.R.L. Stickers
Free Core Bar at Walmart
Free $50 Amazon Gift Card with Nissan Test Drive
Free Hercolubus or Red Planet Book