Category: Freebies

How to Score a Free Breast Pump

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How to Score a FREE Breast Pump

Now that the baby is almost here, the anxiety of being a parent is setting in.  I’m sure I’m not the only first-time mom that feels this way.  I’m not worried about the delivery mainly because I will be in a hospital and know that I can trust God to make sure me and the baby are okay.  However, I am starting to freak out about leaving the hospital.  I’m going to be a mom.  It’s a scary thought!

Deep down I know I will be a great mom and can’t wait to meet my little boy.  But I just want to make sure we have our bases covered.  After having some amazing baby showers, we really did get most of what we need or what we think we’ll need.  One thing still puzzled me … a breast pump.  I really had no experience with them and didn’t know what to look for or what to avoid.  Luckily I had a few friends recently have a baby and they were a huge help.  I had even heard that some insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump, too.

I love a good deal and do you know what’s better than a good deal?

When you can get something for FREE!

So I decided to checkout the possibility of getting a free pump.  Because breast pumps aren’t cheap! They can range anywhere from $150 to $300 depending on the brand, style and gear you get to go with it. That’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re pregnant and the cost of diapers, wipes, clothes, and everything else is starting to sink in.  Now I want to share…

How to score a free breast pump with just a few clicks:

free breast pump

I really wanted a Medela breast pump after talking to a few people. First, it was a brand I recognized and second, I heard good things about them. So I went to their website where they have a handy look up to see if your insurance covers the cost of a breast pump.

insurance covers breast pump

You enter in the name of your insurance carrier and the state you live in. Then it will take you to suppliers. I clicked on the first one I saw because again, I recognized the name and I tend to overthink things a bit. So it was just easier to go with the first.

For me the first on the list was Aeroflow Breastpumps. You can go to their website and see if you qualify through insurance.  The whole process is really easy. Seriously!

how to get a free breast pump

I filled out my contact information and insurance information. The next day I received an email letting me know which pumps I qualified for.  There were some that were free and some that I could upgrade to for a discounted price. I decided to stick to the 100% free since this was my first-time and I had no idea about any of these.

free breast pump

They even sent me a few free storage bottles, too!  So excited about that freebie!

score a free breastpump

Tip: I would do some research on the different pumps that are offered to you.  That way you can really know the benefits about each one before making a decision.  You may decide it’s worth upgrading to a different pump or doing a breast pump package.  

Tip: When you register for your baby shower, go ahead and add some accessories that fit your free breast pump. I added some medela freezer bags, breastmilk bottle, sterilizer and other goodies.

30 Free Weekend Activities

30 free weekend activities

I love having free time on the weekends and with tax season winding down… I’m going to enjoy having both Saturday and Sunday back.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful to be busy during tax season and I really don’t mind working longer hours. But it will be nice not having to set an alarm on Saturday morning anymore.

I came up with 30 free weekend activities for us to do. I can’t wait to get started on my list.

30 free weekend activities

Free weekend activities to do at home

1) Movie Day at home – we have a ton of old movies that we haven’t watched in a long time. We can have a movie marathon, curl up on the couch and just enjoy some down time.
2) Try some new baking. This past summer, I got really into baking cookies and decorating with royal icing. I need more practice, but it was super fun to mess with during those long summer days. There are even some Youtube tutorials you can check out.
3) Catch up on your favorite Youtube stars. I have a few Youtube channels that I follow and I’m not the best on staying current with them. So it’s nice to just take some time to catch up on them all.
4) Read a good book. You can head to your local library to rent a classic or something that catches your eye.
5) Start a new DIY project or if you’re like me… finish a DIY project that’s been in limbo for awhile
6) Go for a long walk. I love this idea. There is a nice walking trail not too far from us. We usually only take 1 or maybe 2 dogs with us. It’s too hard with all three, especially since one doesn’t like to walk long distance, one wants to play with everyone, and the other one doesn’t like strangers. So we typically stick to where we each control one and we’re good to go.
7) Go for a picnic – no boat and don’t like fishing, then just have the picnic!
8) Go swimming at the community pool, neighborhood pool, or a friend’s house
9) Start a garden
10) Catch up on your favorite TV shows

30 free weekend activities

Free activities to do with others or out and about:

11) Geocaching – if you’ve never heard of it, then look it up. It’s awesome! It’s basically a scavenger hunt. You can do it with kids, without kids, with a group, or by yourself. You just need a GPS tracker (preferably not a cell phone in case you lose signal). We’ll take our old Garmin GPS with us. You type in your coordinates and then go hunting for a little token. You can keep track of everything through their website.
12) Have a game day with friends. Invite some friends over to play games. We have a few outdoor lawn games, bag toss, washers, etc. It’s nice to get together and just play.
13) Visit a free museum. Around here there are a few art or history museums that don’t charge admission.
14) Go camping. This one might not be entirely free depending on where you camp since some campsites charge a small fee. But it’s never very much and it’s fun to just get out for the weekend.
15) Go boating. I understand not everyone has a boat, but for J and I this is a favorite past time. I pack a picnic lunch and then we’re off for the day.
16) Go fishing. Last summer we found a few good spots that don’t require a boat. So we like to pack our lunch, grab some snacks and take off for the day. Make sure you have your fishing license though!
17) Volunteer at a local charity
18) Go sledding (if in the winter)
19) Have a bonfire with friends and neighbors
20) Go for a hike

30 free weekend activities

Here are some great free activities to do with kids, besides a few from up top:

21) Attend the free movie at the public library
22) Go to the park
23) Ride bikes
24) Work on a puzzle together
25) Create a play or story together
26) Organize a scavenger hunt
27) Read stories at the public library
28) Create science experiments
29) Make a giant slip in slide using a tarp in the backyard
30) Create a scavenger hunt around the house or park

Stay On Top of Your Monthly Bills {Free Monthly Bill Tracker download!}

Stay on top of your bills with a monthly bill tracker

You’re probably like me and are really busy from day-to-day.  It’s hard to keep everything straight that’s on your plate.  You have work to get done, errands to run, bills to pay, and probably even play dates to be at.  You’re trying to do it all and stay on top of everything, but sometimes things slip through the cracks.

You wrote out the check for your car loan, but a week later you find it buried in the bottom of your purse.  Now it’s late.  You panic.  You rush to the post office to get out in the mail.  Now you feel bad because it’s your husband’s car that’s getting hit with the late payment.  You tell him and he seems upset.  It’s the car he bought before the marriage and it’s only in his name.  Now he has a late payment and you don’t.  You said you would take care of it, but obviously you couldn’t.

What he doesn’t realize is that this past week was a doozy for you.  You’re lucky that you remembered to wash your hair that morning (or if you’re like me.. within the past few days).

You need something to help you out.  A tool that’s on your side.  A monthly bill tracker that’s easy to see at a glance.  Not too much information that makes it distracting.  Just the right amount so you can quickly see where you are at for the month.

monthly bill tracker download

That’s where this monthly bill tracker comes into play.  You simply write out the bill’s name, the date it’s due and then mark off when it’s paid.

There’s not even a distracting space to put the amount.  Most amounts like car payments, cell phone bills, cable bills don’t change from month-to-month.  You probably have those amounts memorized by now.  No need to write them down again and take up space on the page.

monthly bill tracker download

There is room in each month’s box if you want to keep track of changing monthly amounts.  I do write down our monthly utilities so I can keep an idea of how much it fluctuates in the cold and warm months.  As you can see it really works great for those payments that are quarterly or annually, too.  Like for us, our trash bill is only due every 3 months.  So each month I transfer money into a savings account that more than covers our trash costs.  When it’s due on the 10th of every month, I transfer $35 from our savings account into our checking account.  I draw an X on the months it’s not due so I don’t confuse myself.  I also added the transfer as a monthly bill to track to make sure I transfer the money.

You really can do anything you want with this monthly bill tracker to make it work for you.

You can either cross off when the payment is made, or do what I do and highlight the box.  I think it’s easier to see with just glancing if a bill has been paid.  I keep this monthly bill tracker with our budget information.  It’s in a file behind my desk so when I pay bills, update our budget or reconcile our check register it’s pulled out.

To download your free monthly bill tracker download

To download your free monthly bill tracker download, click here.

Get it done… (daily to do list and free printable)

It’s no secret the love I have for being organized.  I’ve shared my top tips on getting more organized and my top time management tricks.  Over the years, I’ve learned the hard way when I don’t keep my thoughts together.

daily to do list, free printable

I had found online all of these wonderful daily planning sheets.  But let’s be honest, I wanted something FREE.  Why would I want to pay for something that I could create myself?  So I kept looking, mainly because I was being lazy.  I didn’t want to take the time to create a daily to do list.  There had to be something out there that was perfect, right?  WRONG.

I couldn’t find anything I liked.  I would find one and print it out.  I would try it out for a few days, but never liked it.  I didn’t need one broken up by the time of day.  I don’t care if I get something done in the morning or afternoon.  That’s what I have my Google Calendar for.  I needed something that was daily.

I was fed up.  I had enough.  I finally created my own.  I’ve been using it for well over a month now and I couldn’t be happier.  It’s exactly what I needed.  If only I would have bit the bullet and created it months ago!

Here’s what it looks like.  It has a box for every day of the week, except Sunday because I try not to work on Sundays.  There is even a box to jot down to dos for next week.  I even love the check-off capability.  The OCD side of me loves checking off when things get done.  You can even jot down which week you’re working on in case you’re a planner and have multiple sheets going.

daily to do list, free printable

Click here to download the template to print it out.

If you’re looking for even more ideas on organizing your life, check out how I organize my desktop to be more efficient (there’s even a free template included!).