“Free Stuff” Archive
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I know I brought this up last year but I love it so much, I think it’s important to mention again.
More than 15 years ago, my parents decided to dedicate Christmas Eve to spending time with the family. Just after the sun came up that Christmas Eve morning, we all piled into the family Suburban, went out to breakfast (a rare treat), walked around the big Christmas decorated mall in downtown San Diego, saw a movie (another rare treat), and went to dinner at a family friendly Chinese restaurant (yet another rare treat). Even though there were seven of us kids, I don’t remember fighting that day. That night, I crawled into bed and stared out my window at the Christmas lights, feeling as though life couldn’t get any better. For years afterward, I couldn’t sleep on the night of the 23rd because I was so excited about Christmas Eve.
Over the years, not much has changed. We shift around the plan a little on the lean years, skipping meals or picking cheap spots. Marriages and kids added to the happy crowd. Christmas slowly turned from a holiday where we looked forward to the gifts to one where we looked forward to spending that day together.
I encourage you to find that ‘sweet spot’ with your kids this holiday. The one that makes them forget they want the latest iPad or PlayStation. The one that makes them remember that when the day is over, it’s the people not the things that make you happy. When I say I’m not buying gifts this year, it’s because that’s not what Christmas is to me. It’s not about spending money – it’s about spending time.
This Christmas, if you see a massive hoard of folks young and old with smiles that would make the Cleaver family jealous, it’s probably us.
Start planning your day now, and have a Merry Christmas.
I’m starting to see an accidental theme on my posts this week – looks like it’s family week!
E-mealz notified me that this week is their family week. You can get a free recipe and download a game each night to play with the family. I checked out the activities and recipes and let’s just say Monday’s ‘Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles’ look awfully delicious! Hmmm… I’m wondering if it’s too early to run to the grocery store and have them for breakfast.
Check out the fun at: http://www.e-mealz.com/family-week
E-mealz is also offering discounts on their meal plans if you enter the code FAMWEEK
Click the photo below if you’d like to sign up
Tonight is National Family Game Night according to the folks at Hasbro. They encourage families to turn off the electronics and spend quality time together.
My parents have always been huge proponents of family time without electronics. Growing up, we were VERY limited on TV and gaming console time. Weekends were intended for family and that meant playing card games and outdoor sports together. Nearly 40 years later, not much has changed. Most of the time at my parents’ home is spent in the kitchen cooking together or in the dining room around the family table playing a hand of Skip-Bo.
Sure, there were disagreements and yes, dad may have once thrown the Monopoly game into the air and lost half the pieces… but that’s where the folks at Hasbro come to save the day! Hasbro is offering to recycle those old games with missing pieces. In exchange, you can get coupons for savings on new games (you can get coupons without recycling as well). Worried about paying postage? Hasbro has that covered too! Pre-paid shipping labels can be printed directly from their website.
For more info, check out: http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/familygamenight_promo.cfm
Every so often, my husband’s health insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, mails us a magazine called Healthy Solutions. Admittedly, I only browse this magazine in the short trip from the mailbox to the recycling bin, but an article caught my eye. The article was titled, ‘Wondering how to stay healthy in an economy that’s not?’
The article shared ways Anthem is working to save you money by helping you stay healthy. Sure, healthier members save Anthem money, but there’s nothing wrong with a little win-win right?!?
I browsed the website was surprised at the free offerings from his insurance provider including free workout plans by Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser, health tips, ways to save on prescriptions, free health assessments, members only discounts on vitamins/eyeglasses/hearing aids/gym memberships/etc., doctor ratings, and lifestyle improvement programs.
I checked into my health insurance provider and they offered tons of freebees as well. Save a little cash and check with your health insurance company. You may very well be paying for something you could get for less!
I’ve forgotten a birthday or two. I have 11 nieces and nephews, 11 siblings and their spouses, 9 immediate family members on my husband’s side, 3 grandparents, 2 parents, and a husband. I’m not going to even remotely try to add up aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Sooo, yes. I forget birthdays here and there.
Add on the stress of day job work, night job work, baby classes at the hospital, doctor’s appointments, graduations, my grandmother’s 90th birthday/family reunion, and weeklong work training trips, and I was a bit surprised to receive an e-mail this morning from Rubio’s Baja Grill…
‘In celebration of your birthday, enjoy a meal on us!’ with an attached coupon.
Huh? Whose birthday?!?
I frantically glanced at the calendar. ‘What month is it?!?!’ I wondered aloud. And there it was, scribbled in bright pink on the department calendar by one of my co-workers, ‘Beks Birthday!’
I’m giving my husband a pass this year. No gifts, cards, or birthday acknowledgement required. If I can’t remember my birthday, I don’t expect him to remember it. He can put the cash into our savings account and we’ll call it a wash.
But thanks for the $7.00 burrito with no strings attached Rubio’s Baja Grill. You guys rock!
My husband grinds his teeth in his sleep. If you’ve ever had the ‘joy’ of sharing a bed with a grinder, you know the noise can keep you up just as easily as snoring.
We purchased a $5 mouth guard from Walmart… which worked for about 2 days before it fell apart.
We purchased a custom mouth guard from the dentist at a whopping $350… which works a little, but still keeps me awake since it the sound he makes while wearing it resembles a dog chewing an annoying squeaky toy.
Since my husband is an aggressive teeth grinder, his mouth guard needs replacement every six months. I’m not looking forward to squeezing another $700 annually out of my budget.
I was watching Dr. Oz while getting ready for work a few mornings ago and he was discussing the dangers of teeth grinding and cheap solutions to fix it.
All he had to do was say ‘cheap’ and he had my attention. Since a few of my family members and friends are also teeth grinders, I figured maybe some of you might save a few bucks with his tips.
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/1-habit-destroying-your-health
One of the tips is to relax your jaw by using a wine cork to stretch the muscles. Jazzed about the idea of preventing painful head and tooth aches, my husband carries a wine cork everywhere now.
This is what I found in the shower this morning…
I may have trouble convincing folks he doesn’t have a drinking problem when there are wine corks on the patio set, on his bedside table, near the television, in his truck, in his office, and in the shower. But hey, it has helped a little so I’ll just have to deal with the questions about my husband’s apparent ‘alcoholism’.
I read about a crazy new trend called ‘Urban Sharecropping’ a few months ago. Urban sharecropping is, ‘homeowners who lack free time or gardening skills are teaming up with would-be farmers who lack backyards. Around the country, a new crop of match-makers are helping the two groups find each other and make arrangements that enable both sides to share resources and grow their own food’ according to the Wall Street Journal.
I thought this sounded like a great way to develop my large backyard. I’d look for a farmer needing space and graciously offer my backyard.
The problem?
LOTS of people in San Diego have large yards and we aren’t exactly known for our plethora of farmers – not ones that grow legal plants anyway.
I checked out Urban Garden Share, the site recommended in the Wall Street Journal article, but alas, the closest city with listings is in Washington. The daily commute needed for watering may be a touch too far.
I found another article with more helpful links and it said, ‘Garden-sharing remains relatively new but there are signs that it’s becoming more mainstream. The City of Santa Monica recently set up a municipal garden-sharing site in an attempt to alleviate its 200-person long wait list for community gardens. “I don’t know why every city doesn’t implement something like this,” Botsman told me. “It’s a no brainer. It’s low-cost and you can lay it on to any existing social network.”’
County of San Diego? No dice. Especially in my area of town where most yards are a half an acre.
I might not have found my solution but maybe you can get a farmer, or a plot of land, this spring.
Best of luck!
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
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