Nix9to5

SOLD OUT – General Mills Groupon!

// April 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // Couponing, Deals, Money Matters

This HOT Groupon sold out fast in Minneapolis, but it is still available in San Francisco. Luckily, anyone can get in on this deal. For $20, you get a sampler pack from General Mills, PLUS a coupon book. These “samples” seem to be full-size, so you can get a lot of grocery mileage out of it. Here’s what the sampler pack includes:

12.8 ounce Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
13 ounce Reese’s Puffs cereal
12 ounce Kix cereal
12.8 ounce Cascadian Farms Organic cereal
5.8 ounce Fiber One 90-Calorie Chewy Bars
5.8 ounce Hamburger Helper
11 ounce Green Giant Corn Niblets
9.5 ounce Old El Paso Tortilla Stuffers
5 ounce Fruit Roll-Ups
10.5 ounce Chex Mix Muddy Buddies snack mix
17.5 ounce Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
13.7 ounce Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken dinner kit

Here are the coupons that are included in the book:

$1 off 2 Nature Valley Granola Bars
$1 off 2 Chex Mix Snack Mix
$1 off 1 Bisquick
$1 off 2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownies or Bars
$1 off 3 Pillsbury Refrigerated Baked Goods
$1 off 2 Pillsbury Frozen Baked Goods (ex-Savorings)
$1 off 2 Suddenly Salad
$1 off 2 Old El Paso
$1 off 3 Hamburger Helper
$1 off 8 Yoplait Yogurt Cups
$1 off 2 GoGurt, Trix or Splitz Yogurt
$1 off 2 Cheerios
$1 off 2 Adult Cereals
$1 off 2 Kids Cereals
$1 off 1 Kix Cereal

$1 off coupons should get you some great deals at Homeland when they double!!!

~~Act fast to get your General Mills Groupon before it sells out!~~

Sorry, folks! Looks like San Fran is sold out too.

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.

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:

Sparkle 6pk paper towels (no coupons)

Purity milk (this is freakishly expensive milk her husband has to have–over $5/gallon!!)

Publix milk (no coupons)

3 bottles Marzetti’s Simply Dressed salad dressing

4 containers Voskos Greek yogurt

Nabisco Nutter Butters

Nabisco Cinnamon Grahams

2 pkgs Pillsbury Ready to Bake cookies

3 boxes Butterball Turkey Sausage

2 boxes Lipton Tea (24 Family-size tea bags)

1 huge box plain Cheerios

2 boxes Chex

1 box Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley

2 bags Tostitos Artisan Style Chips

1 box Little Debbie Marshmallow Supreme (no coupons–her hubby likes these in his lunch)

Her total? $17.33

Wow.

Amanda, if you get a chance, post a comment here saying which blogs you follow for Nashville-area coupon deals. I was thinking you said Southern Savers–are there others you use, too?

Big Shopping Trip

// February 28th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Couponing, Life in General, Money Matters, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

As most of you know, one of the most significant changes I made to allow me to become a WAHM was to become more frugal in our spending, trimming the grocery/household budget by clipping coupons and matching with sales. As I got further behind on work and on housework, however, I really started slipping with the couponing. I did still try to be more conscientious in my shopping–usually–and I tried to shop at Aldi as much as possible for low-priced groceries. However, none of the savings are as good as when I’m really into couponing. My “stash” of products was getting depleted (except for body wash, which we may never run out of), and I knew it was time to get back to thrifty shopping.

Luckily, I’ve done better with managing my time, getting caught up on my copywriting projects, and getting the house straightened up. That means that I have the time to get back to coupon-clipping and smart shopping. Yesterday I threw out expired coupons and clipped the ones for this week’s sales. Today, I hit four stores (CVS, Walgreens, Crest, and Homeland) and came back with a lot of groceries and household goods for not a lot of money.

I wish I had taken a picture for you, but I was too concerned about getting everything put away immediately (part of my strategy for keeping the house clean). Here’s the breakdown, though:

69 items (which also includes “bulk” items, like an 8-pack of paper towels, and two 6-packs of paper towels, and two 6-packs of toilet paper)
Total out of pocket: $134.91
Total back in Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks: $46.28
Like paying $88.63

My receipts show I saved $83.95 with combined sale prices and coupons, plus I got the $46 in RR and ECB, so theoretically, I paid $88.63 for $218.86 worth of products. Not too shabby.

Also, in a different transaction, Soap.com was offering $10 off to first time customers with the code 10bucksoff. I used the code to get 6 boxes of protein bars for Hot Husband. These run around $9/box at CVS, and he goes through them pretty quickly. With the lower price at Soap.com, plus the $10 savings, plus free shipping, I got them at $6.15/box.

Today, I’ve done a better job of saving money than making money, but I did get a new client today, so I have another project (and paycheck) coming my way.

Being a WAHM is hard work. It takes a lot of time and energy, and it requires more balance and organization than I thought possible. Luckily, after several months of being a WAHM, it seems like it might finally be coming together.

Happy Blogiversary to Simple Saving Savvy!

// February 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // Couponing, Deals, Money Matters

Amanda at Simple Saving Savvy is celebrating the second anniversary of her blog with a Giveaway Gala! Head over to check her out and see if you can win one of her fabulous giveaways. Good luck!

Happy “blogiversary,” Amanda!

Monday, Monday

// January 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Couponing, Life in General, Work at Home

This morning is the last day of a 3-day-weekend for the Hot Husband. I just love having him home, and since we seem to be the only area in the nation that is NOT getting snow days, this holiday weekend was much needed. Fortunately, the Bear has been complying with our request to let us sleep in until at LEAST 7:00. We’ve been doing a lot of work with the Bunny Clock, and it seems like it if finally taking root. Bear slept until after 7:15 this morning, without getting up once during the night. After a 3:00 a.m., hour-long “intensive training session” in which Bear had to learn that Mommy will NOT get up to sleep on his floor just because he happened to briefly wake up while rolling over, we’ve seen dramatic improvement in Bear’s staying in bed until the “bunny wakes up.”

This morning, the Bear came strolling into our room with these words: “Mommy wake up. Mommy put on her glasses and that rug and come in the living room.” The “rug” to which he referred is, apparently, my ugly green robe, which must be even uglier than I thought, if my little guy thinks it is a rug. Poor Hot Husband.

(Note to self: Do not wear the “rug” robe past noon or in the presence of HH. And for the love of Pete, buy a new robe.)

I’ve just completed a very busy, but productive weekend. One major project–on which I was woefully behind–has been completed. I have plenty of work on my plate, with many current projects, but I’m no longer behind. What a great feeling of relief!

I’ve also been busy couponing, which is actually fairly time consuming. However, I had forgotten just how effective–and how exciting (oh, that sounds so lame)–it can be. Yesterday, after a visit to the grocery store and two drug stores, I spent about $45 out of pocket, got $29 back in Register Rewards (Walgreens) and Extra Care Bucks (CVS)–basically, it was like getting a trunkful of groceries and household items for $16. Amazing.

Aaaand I just now spilled coffee down the front of my shirt. Awesome.

I’d better go change out of my pajamas and the “rug” and get myself dressed for a productive Monday.

More Coupon Shopping

// January 7th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Couponing, Money Matters

I got some really good deals today, but this picture also includes a few things I needed and for which I paid full price. It does NOT include the ham, smoked sausage, and steak I must have left in the cart when I left and which somehow never made it home (on the plus side, the sausage was only $1.85, the ham was $0.40, and the steak was $0.17–still, it’s pretty frustrating!!):

Retail over $200. I paid less than $80. Best deals? Wrapping paper for $0.25/roll and the Toy Story comforter (originally $30) for $6.77. Worst deal? Leaving my meat at Homeland.

Money-Making Shopping Trip

// January 7th, 2011 // 5 Comments » // Couponing, Money Matters

It has been a while since I posted a picture of a shopping trip for you, but here’s a little gem from yesterday. I didn’t manage to run all the errands I intended, so here is what I picked up at Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart:

Here’s the breakdown:

Value before coupons (but after sale prices): $118.74
Out of pocket: $18.08
Total back in Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks: $30.00 (plus a coupon for another FREE 10-ct. or 12-ct. Breathe Right)

That means I saved over $100 upfront and earned $30 back. It’s like I got PAID nearly $12 to take these things home with me.

Figuring out this coupon business (or rather, knowing where to find the people who have figured it out) is what made the difference in allowing me to stay home. I get paid good money as a freelance copywriter, but in order for me to only work at it part time and to be able to spend quality time with the Bear, I had to figure out how to make up the difference between my new part-time income and my previous full-time, working-outside-the-home income. Smart couponing has definitely allowed that to happen.

Happy New Year!

// January 3rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Budget, Couponing, Life in General, Money Matters, Work at Home

This time last year, I was thinking of ways to begin getting serious about a budget. I knew that, if I were ever going to be able to stay home, I’d have to crunch the numbers to find out exactly what our expenses were, where we could cut back, and how much I’d have to bring in to make ends meet. Even though I didn’t think it was possible, I was able to figure out a plan and stick with it, eventually leading to success. In May, I turned in my resignation and became a work at home mom at the beginning of June.

The end of August brought some difficulties that continued to plague me through the rest of 2010. While I was getting more and more work, which was desperately needed, I lost focus and had a great deal of difficulty staying organized and sticking to a schedule. Every time I procrastinated a project or had to deal with another situation, it only got me further and further behind. Now, as we begin 2011, I’m doing so from under a pile of backed up projects.

However, I’m also doing so with a renewed focus and dedication. I see some changes I need to make in my organization and time management and have already begun making some of those changes.

As I got further behind on work, I also let my couponing slide. That may seem silly, but if you remember from my earliest posts, stacking coupons and sales was saving me about $400/month. That’s no small change. Yesterday, I cleaned out my expired coupons, filed my loose coupons, and hit my favorite coupon blogs to find the best match-ups. After hitting four stores, I came home with over $325 worth of groceries and products for just over $100. That little trip wasn’t even particularly successful in comparison with past trips, so I was reminded of how important frugality and conscientious spending are if I plan to continue to be a work at home mom next school year.

Another thing that I let slide and that lost its focus is the Nix9to5 blog. A site that was intended to be a chronicle of working at home became instead a mishmash of random deals and apologies for getting behind in posting. With 2011, I intend to bring the focus back to the site. I’ll continue to post some of my favorite deals, just because I think they truly have allowed me to stay home, but if you are looking for a coupon blog, there are many, many sites available that do so much more than I’d ever be able to. Simple Saving Savvy (Oklahoma City), Southern Savers (Nashville), Frugal Coupon Living, Hip 2 Save, and Passion for Savings are only a few of the sites I rely on for the best coupon match-ups.

I have a plan in place for more frequently updating Nix9to5 and for maintaining a consistent focus on the blog. Stick with me, won’t you? And if you haven’t already, “like” me on Facebook–even when the blog is slipping, I keep up with status updates and quick deals on the Nix9to5 Facebook page.

I hope 2011 holds great things for me as a work at home mom and for you in whatever endeavors you pursue.

CVS Bargain Trip

// December 7th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Couponing, Money Matters

I hate to admit it, but it has been a while since I’ve done a good coupon trip. Couponing does take time–although not as much time as you might think, with all the great coupon blogs like Simple Saving Savvy and Coupon Princess (for my local readers) and Southern Savers (for my Nashville peeps). As you can tell, time seems to be in short supply around here, so I’ve been lax in getting my coupons together. Last night, though, I decided to make a run to CVS for a shower mirror for Hot Husband. I decided to go ahead and get some coupons together–might as well make it worth the trip, right? Well, my results made me rue ever neglecting my coupons, so now I’m planning on doing a better job of carving out time to make a list and stack my coupons.

Here is what I bought (they didn’t have a shower mirror, after all):