shopping

2/3/2020 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgToday is my birthday, we will be redeeming a lot of my birthday freebies with this week. Little Girl and I will be enjoying a free lunch many times, as we can still share an entree.

My shopping week for this week was small:

  • Cheese
  • Avocados (Always on the shopping list)
  • Milk
  • Fresh Rolls (The local Food4Less makes incredible rolls and at .25/each, they are a tasty bargain)

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 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 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: You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian (well, the big kid is, but the rest of us aren’t), but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

Breakfast: I’ve gone back to a protein shake or coffee with a scoop of protein powder and a few pumps of Sugar Free Syrup for me, and pancakes or something along those lines (Dave’s Killer Bagels are also a popular request for breakfast) for the kids (they love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  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.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his lunch. Usually on pizza day.

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For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked. We’ve got a bunch of stuff in the freezer, as I’ve been portioning out 2-3 adult-sized entree portions from several meals a week and freezing them for later meals.

  • Monday: Birthday Dinner (Not quite sure what this will entail)
  • Tuesday: Vegetable Soup- We’ve got a lot of little bits of veggies in the freezer and fridge- Time for soup!
  • Wednesday: Frozen Entrees
  • Thursday: Roasted Chicken and Veg
  • Friday:   Veggie Stir Fry & Brown Rice (We didn’t end up having this last week)
  • Saturday: Pizza
  • Sunday:  Leftover fiesta!

 

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

1/31/2020 Friday Freebies and Deals!

Abby H.

bright boxesI’m stoked for this Freebie Friday! My birthday is Monday, and my inbox has been flooded Birthday Freebies. The freebies and deal below are awesome!

Freebies:

Deals:

New To Costco? Join and Score a Free Gift Card!

Abby H.

We Love Costco. Seriously- Between the low prices on staples like toilet paper, trash bags, coffee creamer (I’m being serious), and PBFit, the samples (sometimes it’s the only way I can convince the kids to go with me), and their awesome return policy, if you havne’t joined Costco yet, I’ve got a really great reason- Free Gift Card.

Yup- Right now when you purchase a Costco Membership Activation Certificate to join as a new member (sorry current members, this deal isn’t for you) and you will receive a Costco Shop Card.

Gold Star Members receive a $10 Costco Shop Card, Gold Star Executive Members receive a $20 Costco Shop Card.

It’s quick and easy:

  1. Purchase your Costco Membership Activation Certificate Here.
  2. Receive your Costco Membership Activation Certificate by email.
  3. Bring your Costco Membership Activation Certificate to any U.S. or Puerto Rico Costco location to join as a new member.

You can use the Shop Card to buy anything in-store, online, or even at the Costco gas Station! WOO HOO- Free Gas!

My Hot Tip for Costco: Get a Rotisserie Chicken! They are $6 (or less), and they are so much bigger than the ones at the grocery store. We can get at least 3 meals from one chicken, and that includes using the carcass to make chicken soup from scratch. 

New Deals from Checkout 51!

Abby H.

Checkout 51 is rad! Most of the deals/cashback rebates are not store specific, so I can save at stores that don’t accept coupons, like Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only.  You can also stack with store sales and discounts.

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It’s the beginning of the year and that means lots of diet stuff is on sale or on cashback apps for additional savings.

This week on Checkout 51, there are lots of healthy foods and TONS of Atkins products!

New to Checkout 51? Check out my post with more details here.

Tips to Reign In and Out Of Control Family Budget: Taking Advantage of Discounts

Abby H.1 Comment

959b176d7a237c76fc19ff89cdfc6904.jpgPreviously we talked about shopping your Cell Phone service, Internet service, even your Auto/Home/Health insurance.

Sometimes switching companies doesn’t yield you any savings. At that point, turn to your current providers and see if there are any additional discounts or perks that you could be taking advantage of and are not currently receiving?

Example: Some cell phone providers (Like T-Mobile) offer perks or freebies weekly. Free tacos, backpacks, free Netflix subscriptions, and other swag are some of the other cool things that they have offered in the past. AT&T has a program called AT&T Thanks where customers can score varying freebies and deals depending on what type(s) of service they have with AT&T.

Some Auto Insurance companies offer discounts for good students (High school and/or college), safe driving/accident-free, defensive driving courses, and low mileage discounts. It’s worth a call in to see if you can score any extra discounts!

What about services that you can’t shop around?

Utilities are a big one- We can’t shop utilities here in San Diego. SDG&E is the only name in the game here.

BUT- there are ways you can save and even earn money!

Did you know that most local utilities (in San Diego county that means SDG&E) will come out and inspect your AC/furnace for free at the beginning of each season? They can let you know if your furnace or AC is running in tiptop condition, and they can also check to see if your pilot light is lit and safe to run your furnace.

If you are in a lower income or you have a medical condition that requires continue with usage of electricity, SDG&E and other utilities frequently have a medical baseline or low-income program that you can apply for to save money on your utilities.

Other ways that you can save money on your utilities include signing up for services like Ohmconnect, which help you conserve electricity during peak demand hours, which not only helps you save money, but you’ll be saving extra electricity as well.

We’ve been members of them connect for upwards of five years, and we earn about $100 a year cashback from home connect, in addition to the money that we save on our SDG&E bill. You can learn more about Ohm Connect Here.

 

 

 

New Year, New Opportunities to Save!

Abby H.

file0001219719004.jpgFor years, I’ve been posting about printable coupons, highlighting some of my favorites at the beginning of each month. As the years go by, sometimes it’s harder to find printable coupons or any coupons that excite me.

Couponing rules have become restrictive in-store, combined with the terms and conditions on each coupon, making the tried and true couponing advice of old (gather a lot of the same coupon, wait for a sale and stockpile items that you eat or use frequently), no longer a solid way to save money.

So this year I’ve decided at the beginning of each month, I’ll be highlighting some of the money-saving apps I use and their new offers. Their offers change monthly, just like coupons. Most of the money-saving apps also offer bonuses or deals from time to time as well.

 Ibotta has a new year referral bonus going on right now. You’ll earn 100% of what your newly referred friends earn through the end of January. Ibotta also has online offers too. You can shop through the app to earn more cashback. I love that they have offers at stores like Joann’s. I can earn cashback for my craft addiction!

refer.pngFetch Rewards has a pretty sweet deal right now- Refer friends with your referral code (mine is ND2TB), You’ll get 4,000 points for each referral, and your friends get 2,000 when they snap their first receipt! (In order for you to qualify for the increased referral bonus, they must enter your referral code and complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM PT on 1/7/2020. After 11:59 PM PT on 1/7/2020, the referral bonus will expire)

Checkout 51 is sweetening the deal too- When you sign up here and scan in your first receipt, you’ll get a $5 bonus! If you are already a Checkout 51 user, refer your friends and you’ll earn $10 when a new user scans in their first receipt (and they still earn $5).  Everyone wins!

And I’m not completely discarding the notion that printable coupons aren’t useful. In fact, while working on this post I discovered a couple printable coupons that I would 100% use and printed them out:

Save $2.00 when you buy FIVE (5) Smart Ones Frozen Meals

I try to keep some of these on hand for lunches or nights when I’m too tired to whip up what I’ve meal planned for that night. They have vegetarian entrees too!

Save 35¢ On Any California Dairy Product That Carries The Real California Milk Seal

For us CA peeps, this coupon is super useful!

Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) package of Green Giant® Veggie Tots, Riced Veggies, Mashed Cauliflower, Roasted Veggies, Harvest Protein Bowls, or Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Those Veggie Tots- So tasty!

Talk Back: How do you plan on saving money this year?

Tips to Reign In and Out Of Control Family Budget: Shopping Around to Save!

Abby H.

683459ee810703fe032903d2443bf58d.jpgToday I’ll be sharing some ways to save money that takes a little more work but can definitely pay off in the end.

For some of us, this may seem like too much work, and that’s ok. Just because it’s something that my family does, doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.

Insurance: Most companies offer a discount if you have more than one kind of policy. Example: State Farm offers a Multi-line discount. If you have your cars and another type of insurance (homeowners/renters/condo insurance, or a life insurance policy).

Some insurance companies serve a specific audience- for example, USAA is an insurance company for active duty or retired military. Because they serve a specific audience, they offer very competitive rates.

When you shop for insurance, have copies of all of the policies that you want to compare. That will help you see apples to apples. You can’t compare and try to save money if you don’t know what you’ve got. This is also a great time to go over all of your coverages and see if you need to increase or decrease coverages.

Due to state and federal regulations, you usually can’t shop for health insurance unless it’s open enrollment or you’ve had a qualifying life event (married, divorced, had a baby, retired, lost your job, etc.). Luckily, Tis the Season for open enrollment! We purchased insurance through the state exchange a few years back, before we had employer-sponsored insurance. It was not too difficult to navigate, and there are discounts available for a lot of people!

Cell Phones: This is my least favorite activity, but it can a money saver. Once again- have a copy of your contract or a copy of a recent bill that outlines everything your plan covers before you get started. If you are looking for a pre-paid plan, Tello has some great money-saving plans!

Internet: I hate dealing with our internet service provider. I always feel like they are trying to upsell me, no matter why I am calling in. We’re looking at changing our plan soon. The big kids school recently sent home information regarding a program that Cox offers called Connect2Compete. For those families that have qualifying social service(s), Cox can provide internet service for $9.95/month! That’s a great deal.

 

Talk Back: I’d love to hear your success story! Share how much you’ve saved by shopping around for your insurance, cell phone service, or internet service.

Cents of Style 50% off Site Wide TODAY ONLY!

Abby H.

downloadThis post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The peeps over at Cents of Style are hooking us all up with a 50% off sitewide all day… TODAY ONLY!

The Coupon code is HALFOFF and it’s valid 12/16/19 ONLY. Oh, and not only is everything half off, but you score FREE SHIPPING TOO!

Here are a few of my favorite items that make GREAT GIFTS:

beyou.jpgbefree

aintnobody
This Shirt might be my favorite…

Since everything is half price, it’s the perfect time to stock up on new jewelry, and accessories!

Checkout 51- New users get $5!

Abby H.

unnamed.pngCheckout 51 is a great cashback app that I don’t think I give enough attention to.

For the most part, you can use it at any store (which is great for those of us who shop at Grocery Outlet or other non-chain grocers a lot).

How Checkout 51 works

  1. Browse your offers and buy products at any store.
  2. Upload your receipt using Checkout 51.
  3. We’ll confirm your purchase and credit your account.
  4. When your account balance reaches $20, you can cash out and we’ll mail you a check. Please see Terms for more details.

Checkout 51 is sweetening the deal too- When you sign up here and scan in your first receipt, you’ll get a $5 bonus!

If you are already a Checkout 51 user, refer your friends and you’ll earn $10 when a new user scans in their first receipt (and they still earn $5).  Everyone wins!

To learn more about all of the Cashback apps I use, click here.

40 Piece Set Rubbermaid Set free with TopCashBack!

Abby H.

I’ve written before about how awesome TopCashBack is, and right now if you haven’t checked it out, you can score a Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers, 40 Piece Set, Ruby Red for free (after cashback)!

It’s quick and easy! Purchase is Required to Obtain Deal.

How to get this freebie:

  1. Visit the offer here
  2. Create your account with an email and password
  3. Click on the “Get Offer” button and it’ll take you to Walmart.
  4.  Add “Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers, 40 Piece Set, Ruby Red” to your cart and shop as you would normally then checkout.
  5. This is a Free In-Store Pick Up offer.
  6. Once you checkout, in about 14 days $9.98 will post in your TopCashback account.
  7. Congrats on your freebie!

* New TopCashback members with no previous purchases or cashback through TopCashback only. It ends December 27th at 23:59 PST!

Free In-Store Pick Up Offer!

How do you get it?  Visit Walmart through TopCashback, purchase a Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers, 40 Piece Set, Ruby Red for $9.97 and then shop as normal. Within fourteen days $9.98 cashback will post in your TopCashback account.

Who qualifies for it?  This offer is available to TopCashback members with no previous purchases or cashback through TopCashback only. However as TopCashback doesn’t limit accounts to one per household, if you’re an existing member now’s the perfect time to tell your husband or wife, mom or dad, roommate, neighbor or anyone else about TopCashback and perhaps they’ll share their freebie with you.

When do you get your money back? Within 14 days the $9.98 will turn payable in your TopCashback account and you can choose your payout method at that time.

Is there anything else important to know?  Transactions must contain at least one Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers, 40 Piece Set, Ruby Red from Walmart priced at $9.98 to ensure $9.98 cashback is credited to TopCashback accounts. If a different item is purchased under $9.97, the cashback amount awarded will be 1% or less (depending on the item(s) purchased) instead of $9.97.

The deal is:

  • Open until 23:59 PST on Friday, December 27th
  • Subject to Walmart’s Stock supplies and availability
  • Applicable for online sales only, for purchases made directly after clicking through TopCashback.com

Only one TopCashback account is permitted per member