Mashup Mom in 2017 -- and beyond
Please take a few minutes to read about changes to Mashup Mom, now and into the New Year -- I'd like to take a moment to explain why I'm making these changes, and what to expect. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for being a part of the Mashup Mom community! I truly do feel thankful, grateful, and blessed for all of you.
Mashup Mom turns 8 in January 2017
Call this a belated seven year itch...
It's been a crazy 8 years, and those of you who have stuck around since 2009 have been through some pretty significant changes in the art of couponing since then. While we still see the occasional great deal, these are fewer and further between -- and they're not, by and large, deals I'm picking up myself any longer.
The changes you'll see on Mashup Mom over this coming year largely reflect the changes in my own shopping patterns and interests. Where 5 years ago I might have trekked to three different Walgreens to clean up on a Register Rewards deal, now I'm more likely just to keep us stocked with toothpaste and toiletries by visiting CVS every 2-3 weeks to roll ECB. Where 5 years ago it was fun to play the grocery game between Jewel and Dominick's, now I'm more likely to hit ALDI and Pete's Market without coupons and call it a day. Where 5 years ago I'd stockpile with high value coupons and cyclical sales + promos, now I'm more likely to stock up on household basics with Amazon's subscribe & save and be grateful for deliveries to my door at decent prices.
When I'm more excited about $.59 avocados at ALDI than free toothpaste at CVS, I'm not necessarily the right person to keep telling you about free toothpaste. It's making less sense to keep talking about chasing after an ever shrinking number of deals, and moving to talking about how to shop and live frugally as an overall lifestyle is much more interesting to me. There's an opportunity cost to anything we do, and all that time spent chasing deals is time we no longer have available to spend with our families, with friends, on hobbies.
I hope you stick around on the journey towards reclaiming some of that time.
You've probably already noticed some changes lately
Sorry about that...
I apologize for starting the changeover and moving around menu items before writing up an explanation and announcement. I know that resulted in Who Moved my Cheese moments for some of you, and that wasn't my intention. Please be aware that you will be seeing more changes to the menus and sidebar as these evolve to reflect the shift in content on the site.
Hope you're enjoying the newer features
The weekly ALDI meal plan, Work-at-Home Saturday, and other newer features will continue into 2017. Older features, such as Frugal Homemade, will also be making a more regular comeback.
What you will see on Mashup Mom in the New Year
Moving forward, Mashup Mom will focus on frugal living rather than strictly couponing and deals
What does that mean? Here's what you'll see more of:
- Meal planning
- Frugal homemade how-tos
- Make it or buy it?
- Recipes
- Healthier eating on a budget
- Frugal living tips
- Fitting frugality into a busy lifestyle
- Chickens and bees and gardening and organizing
- Thrifting
- Book reviews
With a sprinkling of Amazon deals, because I enjoy them so, as well as a roundup of some of the day's best deals each morning. 😉 Overall: You'll see more longer posts, more reflection, and more "evergreen" tips and topics as opposed to one time deals.
Time to evolve or fade away
I was recently going through some old PowerPoint slides from talks I use to give to librarians... way back in a different lifetime... 🙂 I ran across this "Perfect is the enemy of the good" slide, and it pretty much sums up the last year of this site. I've been waiting to make changes until I could get everything "just right," but life doesn't work that way. The evolution of Mashup Mom in the New Year will be a process, and I don't expect it will look exactly the same by the end of 2017 as it will at the beginning. I look forward to making this journey with you!
What you won't see on Mashup Mom in the New Year
Matchups are going away
The biggest change here: This is the last day for matchups on Mashup Mom.
Where can I find matchups now?
- Find CVS matchups at Hip 2 Save.
- Find Jewel matchups on Jill Cataldo's site.
- Find Meijer matchups at The Shopper's Apprentice.
- Find Menards matchups at Jill Cataldo or The Shopper's Apprentice (see above).
- Find Target matchups at Totally Target.
- Find Walgreens matchups at Wild for Wags.
One shot deal posts are largely going away
One shot deals are by their nature ephemeral, and Mashup Mom will be focusing more on evergreen topics in the new year.
Where can I find deals now?
- You'll find a little roundup of some of the best deals in the Morning Mashup post every day.
- You'll find additional deals, including some of the one shot deals that used to appear here as separate posts, in the Hot Deals group on Facebook.
I understand that some of you are not Facebook fans, and I respect that. This is the easiest way, however, for me to continue providing some deal content (and for you to share deals and photos) as we move into the New Year, and to build on the nascent community in the group. I hope to see more of you over there to continue the community that's grown up around Mashup Mom.
Yes, this is a shift in direction
Time to face the strange ch-ch-changes...
I truly do hope that many of you stick around through these changes -- I'm excited about bringing you new content and features in the New Year, and I treasure the community you've helped build over at Mashup Mom. Thanks for listening, and now: Onward!
Do you know where I can find matchups now for Ultra? Thank you Rachel for the Ultra matchups in the past.
Sorry, I don't -- I don't think anyone else has ever done Ultra.
Still here and staying... But if you get rid of "Hot Deals..." facebook group, I'll be sunk. I owe my new fitibt charge HR to your post. So does my daughter, my mother, my father and my sister. Thank you.
You are funny.
Glad it's useful! I have no current plans to get rid of the Hot Deals group, and will continue posting some of the deals like the Fitbit one as I see them. 🙂
Pretty much how my shopping habits have changed as well. Still after a good deal but more just buying at a decent price with a coupon and calling it a day. The good old days are over. Still will follow your blog =D
Sounds good to me Rachel, count me in.
I'm thankful for all of the deals and laughs and recipes and tips you have provided here. I think you're smart and interesting and you've managed to keep everyone so civilized on this site. I look forward to the changes and hope you are even more successful as you move on to new adventures. I soooooo dislike facebook, but, I hope to hang around because I think it's going to be fun, so, I guess I will have to take another look at it and try to like it.
I found your website when I was at my lowest point, and it taught me many valuable skills and helped my family greatly. I will take them with me into adulthood no matter what my income level will be. Recently I have been feeling sad that I don't coupon as much as I did in 2011, but the deals have been going away and if you are calling it quits then I don't feel so bad about me doing it too.
Thank you and good luck in your new endeavors.
You have my full support with the changes. I agree with you that the deals ain't what they used to be. This is your blog. You do what you want with it. You'll lose some people, but I think you'll keep a lot, too, and gain new ones. We all have a right to do what we want with our lives...and blogs. If someone doesn't like the changes, they can go elsewhere. That's their right.
I have not been checking your site as much over the last 2 years as I have made a similar shift much sooner. As I read your plan for 2017 I thought, "Count me in!" Looking forward to reading your posts on a regular basis. Wishing you much success in the coming year!!
Quoting David Bowie is always a gold star idea. I'm totally on board as MUM turns to face the strange cha cha cha changes.
I value the concept of opportunity cost. I've been feeling the same way you expressed for quite some time; I haven't gotten a newspaper for the coupons in probably 8 months. In its heyday, couponing in Jewel-Land was arguably worth the time, since money saved (and much money unspent) is worth more than income earned, taxed by the IRS, then spent + taxed at point of sale.
But manufacturers and retailers have cha cha cha changed. The scales have tipped in the other direction and I'm glad to see MUM moving away from crappy Jewel deals that aren't worth the time, and moving towards frugal lifestyle choices that have a more lucrative opportunity cost for suburban families.
Thanks for keeping your finger on the pulse of good sense.
I'm sad to see this blog going in other directions. It was fun while it lasted. I always enjoyed reading Rachel's posts as well as comments from countless readers, and I tried to give back as much as I took, both by posting comments and by clicking thru affiliate and coupon links which helped keep this blog going.
I realize this blog takes it's toll on Rachel's time and energy. But I would be happy to see two features return, maybe changed a little so they wouldn't take up that much of Rachel's time:
1. Store deals. For Jewel, maybe title it JEWEL SALE WEEK OF 12/28/16 - 1/3/17, and just post a link to the weekly ad. Readers could then comment on sale items, finds, or follow up on someone else's comment. Same with Meijer, CVS, etc.
1. Reader deals. Maybe just title it READER DEALS 12/27/16.. Readers could then comment about other local deals they find (freebies or great deals, restaurant deals, other store deals, etc. Some deals might duplicate Facebook Hot Deals, but would be a service for those who don't use Facebook or are reluctant to sign up for MUM Hot Deals group on Facebook.
Wishing Rachel and all readers a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Ok, this is creepy.
I like this idea!
I totally agree. I don't do Facebook, and I don't understand why this would be creepy?
I like this idea, too.
I'm on board with Feelgood's suggestion. There is no place now left where you could post deals associated with a weekly ad like Ultra, Aldi, etc & see all the deals & matchups & things. Social media is not set up for blog type message boards. Too many creeps on Facebook. Instagram sucks. Twitter is worthless for doing this. For the local stores we have Jill's blog for Jewel. The rest, we are now kind of lost. I'm hoping for Mariano's to start using all of Kroger's deals so we have a lot of Kroger sites out there. The really good blogs out there focus on a singular national chain/store. So I'd recommend using those.
-Mark
Sounds like you should start your own blog, SSMark.
Yes Mark I agree with Lucky ! and we could all help you .I am near Tony's &Mariano's (: so when do we start??
links to ads would be most helpful