My son plays just about every sport, so we are always on-the-go. It’s not uncommon for us to eat lunch or dinner away from home. Right now it’s baseball season, so we are spending a lot of time at the baseball fields. I try to pack us food whenever possible to save money. The only problem is it can get pretty hot here in the summer. I get annoyed with having to pack ice or ice packs to keep our food cold. That’s why I was so excited to learn about an awesome new product that makes packing your food so much easier!

Introducing PackIt — a patented, innovative line of freezable lunch bags, grocery bags, baby bags, wine bags, etc.

The concept is simple — all of the products are lined with a freezable gel liner that is integrated directly into the lining material. All of the products fold compactly for storage right in the freezer. When you pull them out, the walls of the bags are completely frozen, keeping food and drinks cold for up to 10 hours!

 

For my review, I received a Social Cooler in zebra print. Knowing how often my family packs food for games and other outings, I was interested in seeing how well the Social Cooler kept our food cold.

The Social Cooler has enough space to pack for a fun family picnic, and the built-in shoulder strap makes it easy to carry. Simply store the cooler in your freezer for a 12 hour period, pack with the items you want to keep cool and enjoy!

We’ve used the Social Cooler several times now and I love how easy it is to use. We simply wrap it up and keep it in our freezer until we are ready to use it. It has plenty of room to hold food and drinks for my family of five. I’ve never had to keep our food cold for longer than a few hours. During that time, the walls of the cooler have stayed frozen and cold. I have been very impressed with it so far! I am looking forward to trying it out this summer when we take day trips to the zoo and amusement park to see if it keeps our food cold for the entire day.

Buy It

You can purchase PackIt freezable coolers directly from the PackIt website or from places like Amazon. They retail for approximately $19.99 for a Personal Cooler and $27.99 for a Social Cooler. Check out the PackIt website for more details!

Win It

One lucky PennyWiseMama reader will win a Personal Cooler in the print of his or her choice. Retail value is $18.99.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends on 6/10 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to US mailing addresses only. Must be 18+ to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner that is not only delicious, but also healthy, you have got to try this recipe for baja-style fish tacos. I’ve made them a couple of times now and they are AH.MA.ZING! Seriously. They are so good and they are perfect if you are trying to eat clean. You will be surprised that they are actually healthy! My husband raves every time I make them and even my kids love them. The best part is they only take about 30 minutes to make!

I use cod fillets because I think they taste the best, but you can use any type of white fish. If you don’t have cabbage on hand, mixed greens are a perfect substitution. I’ve tried them with both and actually prefer to use mix greens. If you want to spice yours up a bit, you can add minced jalapeno to the yogurt sauce or you can use spicy guacamole. Homemade guacamole is best, but if you are trying to save time, Wholly’s Guacamole is a natural and delicious option.

Try them out and let me know what you think!

Are you planning on watching a movie this weekend? If you have a Redbox kiosk near you, you can get a FREE movie rental with code DVDNIGHT (expiration unknown). This code is not valid online or via mobile app. It will only work at a kiosk. I tested the code out earlier and it worked for me. Enjoy!

MiO is celebrating 1 million Facebook fans by giving away FREE bottle of their all-new MiO Fit! Head on over here to request yours. Hurry, I don’t think this freebie will last long!

Pampers has released a new Gifts to Grow code worth 5 points. If you haven’t started collecting, you should start! Join Pampers Gifts to Grow Rewards program and receive 100 free points. You can find codes on Pampers diapers and wipes packages, or you can simply collect the free ones that are released.

TWITB5T17PAEM13 (5 PTS) EXP 5/22

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Dunkin’ Donuts. I received a Dunkin’ Donuts Party Kit to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I have loved coffee for as long as I can remember. My parents always drank it every morning and eventually I started drinking it as well. When I was in high school, we had a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shop right down the street from our house. My best friend and I used to look forward to going there on Saturday mornings for breakfast. When the coffee shop went out of business, I was really bummed out. Now we no longer have a Dunkin’ Donuts near us, so I have had to resort to buying Dunkin’ Donuts coffee at the store.

I have always liked Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I have tried a lot of different brands and I think Dunkin’ Donuts has the best flavor. I usually just buy the Original blend, but recently I had the opportunity to try out Dunkin’ Donuts new seasonal flavors — Coconut, Triple Berry, and Strawberry Shortcake. I wasn’t so sure I would like the flavored varieties, but I couldn’t wait to try them out!

Dunkin’ Donuts sent us everything we needed to have a coffee-inspired party, including all three of the new flavors to try and goodie bags for my guests filled with coffee, tumblers, and coupons. Since Mother’s Day was this past weekend, I decided to have an afternoon barbeque accompanied by some Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee. My parents, sisters, nieces and in-laws all came, along with a couple of my girlfriends.

It was a hot day, so I was glad I made iced coffee for my guests to enjoy. I made all three of the seasonal flavors using the iced coffee recipe that was sent to me in my party kit. Everyone agreed that the new flavors were delicious! The overall consensus was that the Coconut flavor was the best, followed by Strawberry Shortcake. A couple of people liked Triple Berry the best. I’m pretty sure everyone at my party was already a Dunkin’ Donuts fan, but now even more so!

I tried all three flavors and have to say that Coconut was my favorite, although I thought they were all yummy! I was really surprised at how good they were. The flavors reminded me of summer and how much I love iced coffee on hot summer days!

Do you love iced coffee? Try the Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee Recipe below! It is super easy to make!

If you love coffee, I would encourage you to check out Dunkin’ Donuts new seasonal flavors available in grocery stores for a limited time!

The following is a guest post by Nick Anderson, a financial writer for Forths Online.

Many stay-at-home moms are looking for ways to earn money while taking care of the kids. Though there are various success stories, many moms still feel a bit skeptical about the possibilities. After all, is it possible to earn a decent income and to remain safe from scams?

There are various work-at-home opportunities that you can benefit from. Some of them will earn a lot, while others will generate a nice residual income that will contribute a bit to the family budget.

Do Some Research

For a start, do some research. There are specialized forums and website where stay-at-home moms exchange work ideas and write reviews of the most popular opportunities.

Such research can be lifesaving, when it comes to money-making opportunities. Some websites offer great suggestions for legal options and work opportunities that will result in a nice pay. Research every idea, especially if it appears to be exceptionally lucrative.

Part-Time Freelance Job

Freelancers work from home and they complete all kinds of projects for their clients. Writers, translators, website developers, designers, university teachers, journalists and scientists can all find amazing freelance job options.

There are websites that connect clients to freelancers. Start by creating your profile in several such websites. The work volume and the amount of money you will request depend entirely on your preferences and needs. Becoming a freelancer is one of the most flexible work-at-home possibilities for moms.

Sell Items Online

Do you have old items that you never used and you want to get rid of? Alternatively, do you have a hobby like jewelry making or greeting card creation? Such items can be easily sold online.

Websites like eBay and Amazon provide great opportunities. You will get rid of the items that you have no need for and you will also get to make some money. Although such efforts will result in sporadic income generation, they require very little effort on your behalf.

Write eBooks

Moms that are passionate about specific topics or that have a lot of knowledge in a particular area can write eBooks. eBooks have made it possible for everybody to self-publish. You can write fiction or you can create useful guidebooks that will help the readers deal with a particular problem.

Many of the bestselling authors on Amazon are stay-at-home moms. Some of these women have created incredibly popular books, which resulted in sales totaling millions of dollars. Even if you fail achieving the same success, you can still get a steady income out of eBook creation.

Affiliate Marketing

Website and blog owners can join affiliate programs. The principle is very simple and it has been around for some time.

In the case of affiliate marketing, a product owner or a website that sells items pays an affiliate or a website owner to do promotion. A banner or a text ad appears on the affiliate’s website. Usually, the ad is contextual and relevant to the website or the blog’s theme.

The affiliate gets paid each time someone clicks on the link. Alternatively, affiliates could be paid a percentage for each sale generated through their website. There are various affiliate marketing networks that website owners can choose among. This type of marketing is a great way to passively monetize the website. The more popular the website is, the higher the chances of affiliate marketing success become.

Be Careful about Scams

Try to be extra careful when choosing your stay-at-home money making possibilities. If you are trying it for the first time, there is a risk of becoming the victim of a fraud scheme.

A general rule of thumb is that anything appearing too good to be true probably is. Stay away from investment options or money making offers that promise risk-free returns within a short period of time.

Avoid giving out your financial or personal data. Never share a credit card number, a social security number or another piece of important information. It could be used in a fraud scheme. Reputable websites have security certificates that protect your personal data. Always go through the terms and conditions to make sure that your information is protected.

When in doubt, talk to a professional. Forensic accountants investigate all types of fraud. If you have uncertainties about a specific money making opportunity, schedule an appointment with a forensic accountant. Talking to a professional will keep you safe and it will give you a chance to make the most of such options without endangering your financial security.

Stay-at-home moms can contribute to the family budget in a number of easy and efficient ways. When choosing your making money from home option, think about the things that you enjoy doing. Being happy about the activity will make you more productive, and ultimately it will give you a chance to earn a nice income for your family.

Pampers has released a new Gifts to Grow code worth 10 points to celebrate Mother’s Day. If you haven’t started collecting, you should start! Join Pampers Gifts to Grow Rewards program and receive 100 free points. You can find codes on Pampers diapers and wipes packages, or you can simply collect the free ones that are released.

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I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

My family is blessed to have great medical insurance through my husband’s employer. Our monthly premium is very affordable and we have a low deductible for our family of five. Should we have a medical emergency, our insurance will cover a large portion of the bill. With that said, I don’t think my family is prepared to cover the additional expenses that would come with an unexpected illness or injury.

My husband is the main provider for our family. If he was unable to work due to an illness or injury, we could only survive so long on our savings. Eventually, we would run out of money to pay for everyday expenses such as our mortgage, utilities and car payment. It’s so easy to overlook the real cost of health care and forget about all of the day-to-day expenses that would start to pile up.

The reality is not many Americans are prepared for an unexpected medical emergency. When the average hospital visit costs almost $10,000, it’s not surprising that medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy.

With medical costs on the rise, what can you do to prepare yourself?

One of my favorite things about having twin girls is I get to buy them cute clothes. My girls are only 3.5 but they already love shopping and dressing up. It’s not uncommon for them to change their outfits multiple times per day. They love wearing pretty dresses, but they also love wearing casual clothes as well. That’s why we love shopping at Gymboree! They have a wide selection of dressy outfits and comfortable, everyday attire. I can get everything I need for my girls in one place!

Recently, we were given the opportunity to review Gymboree’s spring collection. Gymboree sent us a $100 gift card to spend on anything we wanted. The girls and I had so much fun picking out their outfits. I realized after the fact that everything we picked out was from the Rainbow Cabana Spring Collection. The collection is full of bright colors and fun designs. I feel happy just looking at them!

We ended up picking out a Sequin Sunshine Ruffle Tank Top and a Sequin Ice Cream Bow Tank Top to match two pairs of Rainbow Stitch Chambray Shorts. I am very impressed with the quality of the tanks and shorts. The detail and stitching on the shirts is flawless and I can tell that they are made to last. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but the shorts have rainbow stitching in different colors. They are adorable!

We also picked out two casual dresses — the Dot Trim Tiered Dress and Rainbow Dot Stripe Dress. The Dot Tiered Dress is made out of thick, soft cotton. It is a longer dress, falling to about mid-calf length. It is not only comfortable, but also really pretty! We have received a lot of compliments on it!

The Rainbow Dot Stripe Dress is absolutely adorable! It is made out of a lightweight cotton that is perfect for hot summer days. The colors are bright and vibrant. It is shorter than the Dot Tiered Dress, falling to about knee-length. We have received a lot of compliments on it as well!

All of the items we picked out are a girls size 3. They fit my girls well, with some room to grow. Considering that my girls are 3.5 and tall/skinny for their age, I would say that the clothing runs a little big.

I am very impressed with the quality and durability of Gymboree’s clothing. My girls have each worn all of the items multiple times now and they all still look brand new. I am confident that my girls will outgrow the clothing long before they get worn out!

Buy It

Now is a great time to shop Gymboree if you are looking for cute spring/summer outfits for your boy or girl! For a limited time you can save 30-40% on all of Gymboree’s spring and summer collections. All of the items we reviewed can be purchased online from Gymboree.com or from a Gymboree retail store. Because the items are currently on sale right now, you may not be able to find all of the items in the color/size that you need.

Gymboree Giveaway

One lucky PennyWiseMama reader is going to WIN a $75 Gymboree Gift Card to spend online at Gymboree.com or at a Gymboree retail store!

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends on 5/26 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to US mailing addresses only. Must be 18+ to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway