Nix9to5

Moolala: 6 Months at E-Mealz.com for only $12

// March 23rd, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Budget, Cooking, Deals, Life in General, Money Matters, Organization, Time Management

I’ve heard about E-Mealz before (endorsed by Dave Ramsey, for all you Financial Peace graduates), but I’ve always been hesitant to pay for a subscription.  I mean, sure it gives you cost-effective meal plans to help you save money and give you dining ideas, but . . . well, I just wanted to see if I could cut costs on my own.  I will say that saving money on groceries has been more time consuming than I expected, and when push comes to shove, sometimes the coupons just don’t get clipped.   Today’s Daily Deal from Moolala is going to give me the chance to try E-Mealz at an attractive price.

Right now through Moolala, you can get a six month subscription to E-Mealz for only $12–60% off the standard price of $30.  Here’s what Moolala has to say about E-Mealz:

Until the advent of fast food, Americans deferred to the wisdom of the Meal Planning Committee, a congressional caucus tasked with handling such conundrums as ‘fish or chicken?’ Tap into some old-school wisdom with today’s Moolala deal: for $12, receive a six-month subscription to E-Mealz.com, a meal planning resource for busy families (a $30 value).

Breadwinning may not seem like an easy task, but wait until it’s time to put those loaves into the oven. E-Mealz takes care of the groundwork: the recipe testing, menu planning, and price comparisons. This isn’t a one-size-feeds all system: E-Mealz offers a cornucopia of meal plans, including gluten-free, low-fat, and vegetarian options. Popular stores (Wal-Mart, Publix, Kroger) are covered, as well as plans for food found at smaller grocers. Additionally, E-Mealz has unveiled specialty meal plans based on both the original and new Weight Watchers point system.

Although children may insist they’d be happy eating pizza, burgers, or baba ghanoush for every meal, the pros at E-Mealz know better. The site’s extra-special recipes are seasoned within the meal plans in the perfect proportions. E-Mealz also makes wrangling with picky eaters a breeze: dropping a potentially unpopular meal is as simple as crossing off a few ingredients. The plans arrive every week – just log onto the site with your username and download the plan. Each plan is posted for an extra week, which is a pleasant aroma indeed for busy noses.

With the mealtime makeovers from E-Mealz.com, caring cooks will have access to a graduate-level Home Economics course. Whether you’re preparing meals for two or a whole tableful, E-Mealz will help you make the right choices. Buy today’s Moolala deal for yourself – or as a budget-ballasting gift for a love one – and swap stress for togetherness.

I’ll definitely be taking advantage of this deal.  Don’t forget Moolala’s excellent referral program–instead of getting credit for a referral’s first purchase, you get commission on every sale . . . and their referrals’ sales . . . and their referrals’ sales . . . and so on!  Sign up for Moolala today to take advantage of this E-Mealz deal and the Moolala PayMatrix!

Walgreens and CVS Shopping Trip

// March 15th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Couponing, Deals, Money Matters

Last night I went to Walgreens and CVS after Bear went to bed.  I thought going after bedtime might be easier than lugging him to the stores and trying to keep him entertained and away from the Easter displays.  I had some Register Rewards that were going to expire if I didn’t use them last night, and since I was making a post-bedtime Walgreens run, I figured I’d hit CVS while I was out.

Unfortunately, Walgreens was out of EVERYTHING, which ruined some of my fantastic deals, and CVS was out of quite a few things, too.  There should be at least two free body washes and two more free deodorants in this picture, among other not-free-but-certainly-cheap items.

Still, it was a decent trip, even though it disappointed me.  Here’s the haul:

Out of pocket expense:  $29.18

Extra Care Bucks and Register Rewards received:  $15.99

Like paying $13.19 for everything.  Considering the 12-packs of Coke were on sale 3/$13, it’s like paying for the soft drinks and getting everything else for only $0.19, right?

Note:  Yes, there are nine Renuzit air fresheners there.  Did I mention HH is an elementary school teacher?  Those little kids can really stink up a classroom.

Another Note:  Yes, those are incontinence pads.  No, I am not incontinent.  These were a money maker, and I’ll donate the pads.

Chicken Thighs in a Crockpot

// March 14th, 2011 // 4 Comments » // Cooking

Here’s an update on my chicken thighs:

9:30 a.m.:

• microwaved 3 lbs. of frozen chicken thighs for 2 mins. (just long enough to pry the packaging off with a fork)
• placed frozen chicken thighs in a crockpot and sprinkled with garlic salt
• set crockpot to low and walked away

1:30 p.m.:

• added 1 c. brown rice to crockpot and stirred a little

4:30 p.m.:

• checked on thighs, which are perfectly done
• lifted each chicken thigh out of the crockpot with tongs, watched the meat slide off the bone back into the pot.  Okay, on a couple I had to use a fork, but just barely.  Most of these quite literally had the meat slide off the bone.
• Removed the skin from the thighs while removing meat from the bones (this was just as easy as the deboning, actually).
• stirred the meat and rice together, realizing that all the juices were absorbed and there was no one home to eat dinner yet.
• Pulled one cup of chicken stock (from Whole Chicken in a Crockpot) out of the freezer and microwaved one minute (to get it out of the bowl).
• Stirred chicken stock into the chicken/rice mixture in the crockpot to wait for HH and the Bear to come home and eat.

5:00 p.m.

• Sat back down to work and decided to blog about chicken thighs first.

I’ll let you know the final verdict after my boys get home and we eat, but so far, I think this So-Easy-It-Should-Be-Illegal recipe is a winner!  Plus, it was crazy cheap–$2.00 for a three pound package of chicken thighs, plus whatever a cup of not-instant brown rice costs–I’m guessing pocket change.  I’ll be interested to see how many meals we get out of my $2.50.

UPDATE: The chicken and rice were moist and flavorful after cooking on low for about 7 hours and then leaving on warm for an hour or so until HH and the Bear got home.  I used regular rice, not instant, and there were a few crunchy bits, so if that bothers you, be sure to use instant rice and add it only an hour or so before serving.  The only complaint I have is that it was too greasy.  Next time, I’ll remove the skin from at least half the thighs before cooking instead of after.

Spring Break Plans

// March 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Children and Babies, Cooking, Life in General, Time Management

Well, today is the official start of Spring Break around these parts, which means that Hot Husband is home with his Hot Wife and the Bear all week long.  In theory, that means I should be able to get a lot accomplished with my copywriting, but generally, it means I want to play with Hot Husband and the Bear instead of working.  Unfortunately, I’ve managed to get behind (again), so I really do need to work.

Luckily, I have a “new” freezer and it’s stocked with lots of good things, including an insane amount of chicken, so cooking should be fairly easy this week.  In fact, I bought a package of chicken thighs (3+ pounds) for about $0.60 pound, so we’ve got a super cheap meal coming our way today.  I’ve never actually bought chicken thighs before.  Until the Whole Chicken in a Crockpot Conversion, I think I’ve only bought chicken with bones once in my life (drumsticks super cheap–we threw free BBQ sauce on them and grilled them).  I was wondering what to do with the chicken thighs, when my sister happened across this chicken thigh crockpot recipe that just fits the bill for my cooking style:  lazy.  The only work involved thus far has been prying the packaging off the frozen chicken.  To make this recipe, just put frozen thighs in a crockpot, sprinkle with garlic salt, and cook on low all day.  Then, an hour or so before dinner, throw a cup of rice in the crockpot with all the chicken juice.  I’ll be interested to see how it turns out, and I’ll be sure to report back to you!

In addition to catching up on copywriting work, I plan to get the house clean and rearrange the office so it is a hybrid office/playroom.  That will allow us to get some of the toys out of the living room, keeping it looking neater, and it will also give Bear a place to play close by while I work, maybe letting me get a little more done when he’s around.

I’ll also be working on coming up with a schedule that will allow me to keep the house cleaner by doing just a little bit each day.  I have several ideas in the works, and I just need to tweak some of the schedules I found to fit my needs.  I’ll share that with you–as long as the model schedules–as soon as I get it figured out.

I also used to work out, believe it or not, even though I haven’t done much of anything for exercise since I got pregnant in Feb. 2008 (if I was going to get fat anyway, why bother, right?).  Well, the excessive flabbiness is starting to get to me, so I’m going to also try to figure out how to incorporate working out into my already packed schedule.

I was also thinking we’d use this week to start potty training, but after the marvelous start we’re off to in the last two hours, I’m thinking I may give up before lunch.

Finally, my favorite plan for Spring Break?  Duran Duran in concert!  Did I just tell you how old I am?  Doesn’t matter . . . I’m inordinately excited.

What are you doing for Spring Break?

Thirty-One Giveaway Winner!!

// March 12th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Deals, Life in General

Thank you all for entering the giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Thirty-One Gifts sponsored by Billie.  I really wish I could have entered this contest, myself!  I LOVE all of the organizers and totes and the gorgeous fabrics, and it’s so hard to choose.  Hopefully, this giveaway will help our winner get a little something from her wish list.  And now, the part you’ve been waiting for . . .

The winner of the Thirty-One Gifts giveaway is Stephanie L., who says,  “I have lots of things on my Thirty One wish list…like the soft wallet and the fold and go organizer!”  Stephanie was selected via random number on Random.org.

Congratulations, Stephanie!  Billie will be in touch soon with details on how to redeem your gift certificate.

Inspiring Blog: Sara Walker

// March 11th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Balance, Family, Life in General

I want to thank my sister for sending me this link.  It is a CaringBridge site for a young mother named Sara Walker.  Now, for those of you who don’t know, CaringBridge.org is a site designed to help people keep up with the treatment, progress, and daily life of their critically ill loved ones with whom they cannot be physically close.

Sara is truly an inspiration as she overcomes her struggles with the most amazing sense of peace and joy and a fullness of faith despite her hardships.  We all have struggles in our lives; we all deal with tragedy.  However, Sara’s tragedies help me put my own in perspective, and if she battles through them with such a joyful spirit, then surely, we can all not only endure, but prevail.

You see Sara gave birth to a stillborn daughter two weeks before her due date.  If that wasn’t enough grief to bear, through the testing to see if they could determine what caused the death of her baby girl, it was discovered that Sara had stage 4 colon cancer that had already metastasized to her liver and lymph nodes.  She was diagnosed four weeks after the death of her daughter.

Sara is a 33 year old wife and mother with five-year-old and three-year-old sons at home.  She fights for her life and for her family with an optimism and faith that is beyond inspiring.  Read her story and be uplifted by her journals at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarawalker. If nothing else, take a moment to read her March 3 entry, “Be Still.”

Thank you for sending me this, Amanda!

MooLaLa: $10 for $50 Worth of Photo Books and More from Mixbooks

// March 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // Deals, Money Matters, Opportunities

A while back I told you about a new deal site that would be coming soon–MooLaLa.  Well, MooLaLa is finally here and publishing deals–in fact, they have been for a little while, but I’ve just been a little slow about bringing them to you.  Today’s deal from MooLaLa is really good and saves you 80%.  Get $50 worth of photo books, announcements, baby books, and more for only $10 from Mixbook.

The great deals aren’t the only reason to sign up with MooLaLa.  They also have a fantastic referral program.  With most deal sites, you get a credit to the site when someone you refer makes his or her first purchase.  With MooLaLa, though, you get paid commission on every purchase one of your referrals makes.  In fact, you even get paid commission on the purchases you make!  It gets better, though.  Not only do you make commission on your purchases and you referrals purchases, you get commission on THEIR referrals, too!

Here’s how MooLaLa describes their PayMatrix referral program:

The Moolala PayMatrix is an exciting rewards program where you can earn money by simply referring your friends to Moolala.

To start with, we’ll pay you 2% of the deal value on any purchase you make. Then, if you refer friends, we’ll pay you 2% of the deal value your friends buy. But it doesn’t stop there. You’ll also receive 2% on any deal your friends’ friends purchase, and your friends’ friends’ friends purchase, and your friends’ friends’ friends’ friends purchase. It’s a 2% 5-level rewards system. And these aren’t one-time referral fees. As long as people in your PayMatrix are buying deals, we’ll keep paying you – forever.

What a great way to earn something as you help your friends get great deals, too!

Interested in signing up for MooLaLa to take advantage of their fantastic deals and/or referral program?  Just sign up here.

Hot Couponing, Nashville-Style

// March 11th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Couponing, Life in General, Money Matters

I’ve not been rocking the deals here in OKC as well as I should have been, but at least my baby sister is picking up the slack in Nashville.  Here’s a picture she sent me of her most recent shopping trip:

Here’s what she bought at Publix:

Redbox Referrals – Free Credit When You Sign Up

// March 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // Deals, Life in General

Renting from Redbox is cheap and convenient.  DVD rentals are only $1, there are no membership fees, and you can find a Redbox just about everywhere, from grocery stores to Walgreens to McDonalds.   If you’ve never rented online from Redbox before, they’ll give you a free one-night online rental credit if you rent using my link, and I’ll get a free rental each time you rent via my Redbox link through March 17, 2011.

Already using Redbox?  That’s great!   I’ll still get a credit everytime you rent a video through this Redbox link.  Thanks!!

Don’t Forget the Thirty-One Gifts Giveaway!

// March 10th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Deals, Life in General, Opportunities

If you haven’t entered the Nix9to5 giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Thirty-One Gifts, there’s still time!  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm CST on Friday, March 11, 2011.  Visit the Thirty One Giveaway post to enter.