shopping – Page 46 – Hewes Family Fun

Fashion Friday from Cents of Style

November 4, 2016November 3, 2016Abby H.

I love Cents of Style. They have really nice stuff and it’s inexpensive too. This week you can score a free shirt that embodies the essence of this season “Thankful. Grateful. Blessed” for free when you spend $25 or more. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping (or treat yo’ self), and score a free shirt!

The coupon code is THANKFUL1 and it will make each t-shirt FREE with any $25 purchase, + FREE SHIPPING! Anything on the site is free game – any purchase that totals $25 qualifies for the free t-shirt. Here are steps for purchase:

1-Find products you love (jewelry, clothes, shoes, whatever you have to have) and add it to your cart.
2-When the cart totals $25, add the Thankful Grateful Blessed shirt from our Fashion Friday page to the cart.
3-Hit Checkout.
4- Put the code THANKFUL1 in the “Gift Card or Discount Code” Box to make your t-shirt FREE!

I can’t wait to order mine!

Big Holiday Meals on a Budget!

November 2, 2016November 2, 2016Abby H.

imgp8302 Now that we’ve gotten through with Halloween, we can start focusing on Thanksgiving and Christmas. That means two big family dinners, and most likely, countless other get togethers, potlucks, and shared meals.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare some healthy meals and stay on budget!

Ask for help! Everyone has a dish that they excel at making. Ask friends and family to bring their best dish. It will make everyone feel included and cut down on your budget. Each Thanksgiving, my parents make a turkey, rolls, stuffing and potatoes (I make the gravy as soon as my mom pulls the the turkey out of the roasting pan to rest!). Our guests bring all sorts of other awesome dishes. We all end up stuffing ourselves and taking home tons of leftovers. But the best part is trying all of the great, different dishes! Just make sure that everyone tells you what they are bringing.. You may just end up with 10 green bean casseroles!

Make a Budget and stick to it Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses! If you can’t afford everything that you think you need, just do with what you can afford. Trust me, you don’t NEED 5 different types of dessert!

Shop at discount stores. You all know my love of 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet by now, so I shouldn’t have to remind you, but don’t forget to shop at discount stores too! You’ll find all kinds of deals! I love starting my weekly shopping trip at 99 Cents Only. While they don’t accept coupons, I frequently find great deals on produce from name brands like Dole, Del Monte, Foxy, Driscolls, and Earthbound Organics! Check your local stores websites to see what’s on sale before you leave home.

Stretch your budget with low cost items. Potatoes are usually very inexpensive, so stretch your menu with a tasty, filling potato dish. Despite their bad reputation as being full of carbs, potatoes are also high in vitamin c, potassium, vitamin B6, and manganese. Roasted spuds tossed in olive oil and fresh herbs- YUM! Other inexpensive foods this time of year are apples. Apple crisp is one of my favorite dishes. I’ll be posting the recipe later this week!

Don’t forget your coupons! Starting in the next week or so, printable coupon sites (like the ones listed here) and coupon inserts will be peppered with coupons for holiday feast foods. Canned soups, french fried onions, stuffing, pantry staples. And don’t forget rebate/couponing apps (like these) too! You will be saving money left, right, and center!

Prepare food that is in season. For the fall, that means root veggies, gourds (yeah, that includes pumpkins!), apples, dark leafy greens (think kale, etc.), and for those in warmer climates oranges and pomegranates! Buy meat that is on sale (typically turkey, ham, and prime rib). Tons of baking supplies and pantry staples go on sale in the fall and winter too. Stock up when prices are low- most pantry staples have a long shelf life. It will help you stretch your budget through the spring.

Bake/cook from scratch! Not only is home made food more cost effective and healthier than pre-packaged foods. Bonus- home made baked goods like bread and cookies always taste better, right? Here is my go to beer bread recipe and my families favorite cookie recipe

My favorite: Use what you have on hand! Before you hit up the stores, write out your menu for these special occasions. Make a list of ingredients needed for the recipes and check your pantry. You’d be surprised what you may already have.

I’d love to hear your tips for saving money on food this holiday season!

New Month, New Coupons!

November 1, 2016Abby H.

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

Check out the following sites:

Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
Redplum (printable),
SmartSource (Printable),
SavingStar (E-Coupons)

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 of the new coupons that have me excited:

SAVE $1.00 off any ONE (1) package of Hefty® Trash Bags

SAVE $0.55 off ONE (1) package of Reynolds Wrap® Foil (25 sq. Ft. or larger, excluding Wrappers™ foil sheets)

Save 35¢ on ONE (1) Flav-R-Pac or Westpac Veggies bags, any variety or size

How to Save Money on Prescription Glasses and Contacts!

October 23, 2016Abby H.

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Glasses and contacts can be expensive, especially if you don’t have vision insurance. Here are just a few ways that we’ve managed to save money while getting Hubs glasses that are totally stylish.

Eye Exams: If you don’t have vision insurance, call around to find one that fits your budget. There are two types, depending on what type of corrective lenses you wear- Glasses or contacts). Many Wal-marts have independent optometrists inside, as do some JCPenney locations. Then there are stores like Lens Crafters. Don’t forget there are also stand alone doctors of optometry all over too. All of these places will preform an eye exam without buying glasses. If you are 65+, you can obtain a free eye exam from Eye Care America. Kids 6 months-1 year can obtain a free eye exam from InfantSEE.

We buy glasses from Coastal. Hubs has a crazy rX, so he can’t get the $35 glasses, but a new pair usually runs him about $50 (which includes both the lenses and frames!), which is a pretty sweet deal. And the best part of Coastal is, once you sign up for an account, you can score $20 off for every friend you refer who makes a purchase! They also sell sunglasses too. In addition to the glasses, each order comes with some pretty cool extras.

A pretty sweet new hardshell glasses case (which he needed!) and a Eyeglass Maintenance and repair kit:

1 20ml spray bottle of anti-reflective eyeglass lens cleaner
1 cleaning cloth
2 silicone nose pads with 2 screws
25 eyeglass frame screws
1 CC key chain accessory that contains slotted and Phillips hex head screw drivers

If you are looking for more styles of glasses, Warby Parker has a lot of on trend styles of frame, however they can be a little more expensive than Coastal. They also have a few in store location across the country.

I’m always on the look out for vision freebies. Walmart has a freebie here for a free lens cleaner and cloth. When contact lens freebies are available, I will post them. They are usually available once a year or so.

We buy a years supply of contacts at Costco from their vision department. Costco has the cheapest contacts around. If you don’t have a Costco membership, the next cheapest place is Coastal.

If you are thinking to yourself, “I’ll just get the lenses replaced in the frames I already have, that’s got to be cheap!” Think again. I looked into it last year because hubs has two sets of frames he LOVES. It was over $300 per pair. OY VEY. And that was the cheapest after calling around, including the place we bought the glasses originally.

And if you are wondering what to do with all of the old eye glasses in your house that are no longer your current prescription…. The Lions Club helps recycle eyeglasses and get them into the hands of the needy. You can find out more about how and where to recycle your unwanted eyeglasses here. You could help a person in need get the glasses they can’t afford!

What are your tips for saving on glasses and contacts?

**This post may contain affiliate links, for more information about how we use affiliate links, please visit our Disclosure page.**

Save time and money with Google Express ($10 Free!!)

October 10, 2016March 20, 2017Abby H.1 Comment

Have you heard of Google Express? It’s an awesome way to shop from home (or from your phone too) and have groceries, office supplies, and more delivered to your door.

Google Express has partnered with 20+ stores to bring you an easy solution to busy living!

AND- New customers can score $10 off their first purchase of $10+! Just click here and you are all set to go! There is a $4.99 delivery fee, but you can get that waived if you do the free trial of Google Express shipping. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to cancel before the trial is up- and canceling is easy,just a few clicks and you’re done (We tested it on a friends account after her order was delivered!).

Here are the stores partnered with Google Express:
I like that I can order diapers from Target and use my referral credit- in fact, that’s what I’ve been ordering! Bitty has sensitive buns and the UP&UP brand are the only ones that work for her.

I’ve also been using my referral credits to pick up stocking stuffers for the kids. Boy Child is obsessed with Legos (so is his Daddy), so I’m trying to pick up a few small sets for his stocking.

And once you sign up and place your first order, you’ll get a referral link too! You can share it with friends and family and start earning more $10 credits!

Another reason I love Google Express is that we live upstairs… Carrying all that stuff upstairs with a wiggly little strapped to my front is hard. Having boxes of diapers delivered to my door is a huge help!

Disclaimer: My referral link is in this post, if you sign up and use your $10 credit through the links above, I’ll receive a $10 credit, which is awesome, because diapers don’t grow on trees. That being said, I only recommend products and services that I feel are a good value for my family and readers.

New Month, New Coupons!

October 1, 2016Abby H.

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

Check out the following sites:

Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
Redplum (printable),
SmartSource (Printable),
SavingStar (E-Coupons)

Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:

Club Cards: An Easy Way to Save Money

September 26, 2016September 25, 2016Abby H.

Every time I teach a couponing class, there is one person who announces that they are too busy or important to print or clip coupons. They need to save money but it can’t be too hard or involve any actual work. Basically they are lazy but won’t cop to it.

For those people, I ask them if they are too busy to spend 5 minutes filling out a form that can save them thousands of dollars over their lifetime. Most people say that they would spend 5 minutes to save thousands. I present…. The store club card.

This is my keychain. Yup. I have tons of club cards. Grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, office supply stores, department stores, movie theaters. There are even more in my wallet for those stores that don’t have a key fob. I save money where ever I go, and you can too. These cards are free to apply for and use.

Stores utilize the information they gather when consumers scan their cards to look at shopping trends. Grocery companies look at sales trends to help them decide what items should be sold, put on sale or completely discontinued. Cards also offer information about what each consumer purchases, and coupons tailored to the individual cardholder can be mailed or emailed to each card holder.

screen-shot-2016-09-25-at-8-30-15-pm — Two of the coupons I loaded to my Shop Your Way Rewards Card

Most stores allow you to link up your card number to an online account, and you can add coupons to your card (via the store website or app) to save you even more.

Sears and KMart have a great program called Shop Your Way Rewards. You earn points on every purchase and points are converted to dollars off future purchases. They have coupon on their website all the time!

Both Vons and Ralphs have easy to navigate apps where you can load coupons to your card, including quite frequently freebies (Ralphs has a Free Friday Download most Fridays). Ralphs sometimes has games you can play online to win free grocery items. I won Goldfish crackers and BBQ sauce last week, which just two clicks of the mouse!

Regal Cinemas has the Regal Crown Club. Download their app or visit a local theater to pick up a card. Present the card to be scanned at the box office and when you buy concessions and earn points that you can redeem on free snacks or tickets. The points add up really fast!

Some clubs like the Ikea Friends and Family card offer discounts and extra perks.. check it out:

With these clubs, if you do not present the card or your phone number, you will not receive a discount, which is usually advertised at the sale price. Some stores don’t even require that you present your card, you can just punch your phone number into a Credit Card terminal or give it to the cashier.

Later in the week, I’ll share with you my favorite club card and how I use it to get free gas every month!

What is your favorite club card?

Life is… Shirts from Cents of Style!

September 23, 2016September 22, 2016Abby H.

I love the great deals from Cents of Style- Recently they sent me a Life is an Adventure shirt.

They have a whole line of Life Is shirts on sale today for Fashion Friday!

I chose the Adventure shirt because being the mom of two busy kids really is an adventure. I had planned on wearing my shirt on the day were were going to hike at Old Mission Dam, but it was raining and not too safe (the rocks are really slippery when wet, not fun to traverse while wearing a 25 lb. baby).

Instead we started the day with donuts, Lil’ Man headed to school and Bitty Bird and ran errands. Bitty and I got into the outdoor play while Big Boy was at School. She wanted to spend some time outside in the “waa-woo” (water), so we tidied up the patio and splashed in the rain collection bucket.

I also baked some cookies during nap time.

After school we went to the YMCA for exercise and play time, and then headed home to play on the patio in the rain. We have a hand me down water table (It’s this one). It was a perfect adventure to end a fun day. Lil’ Man and and Bitty Bird splashed, measured, and made “science potions”. Afterwards the kids cleaned up in a warm, bubbly tub and had some yummy milk (hot cocoa for Lil’ Man and warm white milk for Bitty)…

My adventure is that each day is never the same! And plans change- The weather thwarted our hiking plans, but we were still able to make the day fun! We were able to be active and play in nature!

Covered in flour from baking cookies and raindrops, my day was full of hugs, laughter, and love. And that’s a pretty great adventure!

If your life is an Adventure, check out the awesome shirts Cents of Style has available for their Fashion Friday this week!

With five styles and phrases, you are sure to find your “life is…” Shirt! This weekend, the coupon code is LIFEIS1 and it will make the new Life Is Tees for $15.95 + FREE SHIPPING!!

I received this shirt free to facilitate this post, all opinions are my own. If you happen to buy a Life is… Shirt I will receive a small commission, which I will spend on another adventure with the kids!

Two free offers at San Diego area McDonald’s!

September 8, 2016September 8, 2016Abby H.

Right now there are two great free offers at McDonald’s! Both of which are on the healthy side.

screen-shot-2016-09-08-at-9-50-19-am This week, Sept. 8-10 from 7 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visit a participating San Diego County McDonald’s restaurant to sample a Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait made with nonfat vanilla Chobani^® Greek Yogurt.

Combined with the sweet taste of strawberries and blueberries, and topped with granola, Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfaits are perfect for breakfast, as a side, or a mid-day snack – especially with the classic vanilla taste of Chobani^® Greek Yogurt. YUM! I think Bitty Bird and I will hit up our local McDo’s after the Y today and get a coffee and free Parfait!

And offer #2 is a favorite around these parts!

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, participating restaurants will offer free breakfast from 6:30-9:30 a.m. to students in kindergarten through eighth grade when an accompanying adult uses the McDonald’s App. In San Diego County, students can enjoy an Egg McMuffin or Egg White Delight, apple slices and milk.

To redeem this offer, an adult must download or have already downloaded the McDonald’s App, present the offer to the cashier and ask the cashier for the free back-to-school breakfast. Students younger than 13 years of age are required to be accompanied by a parent/adult to redeem this offer at participating McDonald’s restaurants. This offer may vary throughout the state and only one breakfast is allowed per student.

The MCDonald’s App is pretty cool. You can earn free McCafe Beverages, and there are coupons that are only available on the app (like BOGO happy meals and free upgrades!).

So there you go! Two tasty deals. Thanks to my Friend Su for the heads up on the second offer!

New Month,New Coupons!

September 1, 2016September 1, 2016Abby H.

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

Check out the following sites:

Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
Redplum (printable),
SmartSource (Printable),
SavingStar (E-Coupons)

Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:

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