// May 29th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Couponing
I promised I’d post a picture of my latest batch of free groceries:
That’s right. All of that was free. I’m actually a little irritated that I bought several bottles of the barbecue sauce when it was 19 cents, because if I’d just waited a bit, I could have brought them all home for free.
I also promised I’d fill you in on the details of my encounter with Nicky the cashier.
// May 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Time Management
I’ve become quite busy with work again, and so I’m getting a little behind. Once again, the blog that doesn’t pay me is having to take a backseat to the writing that does pay me. Also, we have company this week, as Bear’s grandma and grandpa are in town looking for a house. Poor Grandma and Grandpa are being ignored while I work, but I’m really not the draw around here, anyway.
Anyway, stay with me. I’ve only got a week and a half left at my “day job,” and then–theoretically–I should have a little more time to spend on Nix9to5. In the meantime, I’ll soon be posting a pic of my latest pile of free groceries and relating the little story of my cashier, Nicky, who is completely unworthy of that name, and not just because she spells it all wrong.
// May 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Children and Babies
Bear’s toys are really making a mess of our living room. He has so many, and we don’t have good storage for them in the living room. Since his toys are in the main area of our house, I want something that doesn’t look like a toy box. I’d like something that can coordinate with the furniture and make it look presentable after Bear is sleeping and the toys are put away. I also wanted something safe, without a heavy lid to slam down on my little Bear and either hurt him or trap him. I did lots of research on toy boxes to find out what would be considered safe, because I knew there had been problems. (more…)
// May 19th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Couponing, Life in General, Opportunities
I signed up to be a BzzAgent a while back, which is not a way to make money, but it is a way to get to try products for free. I recently got my first BzzCampaign, which means I got a product to try and report to my friends on what I think about it.
I received a full-size Cover Girl Shine Blast lip gloss and Smoky Shadow Blast eye shadow duo. The lip gloss is bright pink in the tube, and while I thought it would be way too bright (but would be a fantastic toenail polish color for summer) it was actually quite sheer and pretty. Like all lip glosses, though, it didn’t last particularly long. Still, it is something I would probably buy again.
For the eyeshadow, I got Smoky Shadow Blast in Silver Sky. Looking at the shadow in its packaging, it looks like dark, dark purple and charcoal–almost black. However, when I put it on, I was surprised at how light and sheer it was. I actually had to apply more than I thought I would, because it was so pale and shimmery. It’s not my usual look, but I liked it a lot, and I think it will be a very nice look for spring and summer–very feminine. My one problem with the shadow stick was that it broke right away. It’s still usable, but I just hate it when my makeup breaks, whether it is a broken lipstick or a shattered blush.
Now let’s make this blog interactive. Head over to Cover Girl Blast’s homepage and check it out. Post a comment here or on my Facebook page telling me what you think of it and/or which color of shadow or lip gloss you are most likely to try. I have several two more $2 off coupons to give to readers who comment while supplies last.
(By the way, some Cover Girl products are BOGO at CVS this week, so if you hurry, you could get a great deal!)
// May 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Couponing, Money Matters
Since the last time I posted about my grocery shopping, I’ve had a couple of really good trips. I was too busy to get pictures of the best ones, but here is a sample:
All of that cost about $23, and I got a catalina (register coupon) for $3 off my next purchase. That’s not even the best trip!
This weekend, I got a receipt that says, “You saved 101%.” My total was 14 cents, and the tax alone should have been 28 cents. For my dime and four pennies, I got 4 lbs. sugar, a half dozen eggs, and a package of Tornados (kind of like taquitos, only bigger). I also had a transaction that was $8.04 and got $1 back on my next purchase. So for a total of $8.28, I got probably 10-12 bags of groceries, including a roast, 2 packages of smoked sausage, 8 pounds of sugar, and 1-1/2 dozen eggs, and got $2 off of my next purchase. Basically, $6.28 for everything–which, interestingly enough, was the full price of the roast (that I got for $1.28).
I think when I have time to finally get my coupons organized and have time to really pay attention to my trips, it will get even better.
I heart free groceries.
// May 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Children and Babies, Cooking
A while back I told you that my recipe for sweet potato fries was forthcoming. Well, finally it is here, although it’s not much of a recipe. Basically, I just peel a sweet potato and cut it into sticks. If you’ve never cut a sweet potato before, they are way tougher than a regular potato. I think the easiest way to cut them is to cut them in half, slice the halves, and then cut each slice into french fry-sized pieces. There is a video of how to make sweet potato fries on Weelicious if you want to see how to cut the fries, or if you’d rather use her recipe than mine.
Once you’ve cut the potato, spread the pieces on a foil covered cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. You don’t have to do the foil-lined pan, but it sure makes clean up easy.
Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the potatoes and kind of swirl them around to make sure they are coated. Then sprinkle the fries with cinnamon. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.
They’ll look like this:
When they cool, give them to your toddler, who, with any luck, will love them. Bear did not like them at first, but now he really does. He’ll even eat them cold out of the refrigerator the next day. I think his new-found love of sweet potato fries stems from this very important step in the recipe:
When your toddler sees the fries and yells, “CHEETO!!” do not, under any circumstances, correct him. As long as he thinks they are Cheetos, he will continue to eat them.
// May 17th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Work at Home
I realized last night that it has been a week since I’ve updated the blog. I’ve been posting updates on Facebook, but I forget that not all of my readers are Facebook users. This morning before 8:00 a.m., I had two readers ask me about my lack of posts, which made me realize I needed to get on here and let you all know I have not really disappeared–it only seems like it.
The last couple of weeks have been terribly busy as I try to balance my outside-the-home job, my work at home jobs, and raising a toddler. The overlap has about done me in, but beginning June 4, I’ll exclusively be a work at home mom. That will give me a little more time to give Nix9to5 the attention its readers deserve.
I have completed one project, and I had to decide between losing another project or losing my mind, so I just let the project go. While I’m nowhere near caught up right now, I have freed up enough time to get some posts in this week. In fact, I should even have something for you later tonight.
Stay tuned . . . and thanks for sticking with me.
// May 9th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Children and Babies, Family, Life in General
My own mother sent me this on Mother’s Day, and I’m going to share it with you. I’m just going to warn you: I lasted all of about 3 seconds before I was bawling.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mommies out there and a special “Happy Mother’s Day” to Auntastic, who is the best “mommy” my little Bear could have when I’m not around.
// May 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life in General, Time Management
I have really had to neglect the Nix9to5 blog lately, and I hate that. There is a short span of time here where I have to overlap my full time job with my new work-at-home jobs, and it is leaving little time for anything else. Keep hanging in here with me. We’ve got big things ahead as the school year winds down and I get ready to start the next leg of my work at home journey on June 4.
I do want to share one thing that made me smile today. After Bear’s 18-month checkup, I had to schedule his 2-year appointment. When the receptionist asked me if 10:45 would work, I had to smile, because any time works now. I won’t have to take sick leave or personal leave or try to schedule for after work or anything else. I’m so ready to begin this next chapter!
// May 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cooking, Life in General
I’ve been shamefully out of touch the last couple of days. I’m still swamped with work, and lately, I’ve been obsessed with keeping up with the news about the flooding in Nashville. I grew up in Nashville, and it’s heartbreaking to me to see it so devastated right now. Fortunately, my family members still living there are fine and suffered little to no property damage. However, many of my friends and other Tennesseans weren’t so lucky. Many people lost everything. If you’ve been stockpiling your fantastic deals, this would be a great opportunity to share with those who really need it. You can visit Hands On Nashville for more information on how you can help in the relief effort.
I’ll post some pictures that my brother-in-law took when I have more time. In the meantime, you can see pictures of the damage on The Tennessean online.
In unrelated news, Charla over at Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom has posted a new freezer recipe for spaghetti sauce. Her version has both ground beef and bulk sausage, and it sounds super yummy. I know first-hand that Charla, a former Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec.) teacher, is a fantastic cook. I can’t wait to add her freezer spaghetti sauce to my stash.
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