FrugalFloridian.com

Archive for the ‘General Information/News’ Category

Groupon has a HUGE money saver today (1/5/11). Get a 1 year SUNDAY ONLY subscription to the Orlando Sentinel, for just $10.00! Newstand price is $1.50 PER COPY.

Go HERE for more info.

Last year at this time I made a plan. Not to go into debt for  Christmas. I love how much more relaxed and stress free our holiday was because we weren’t concerned about paying bills in January. Here’s how we did it.

Surveys
Opinion Outpost –  $100 in Amazon money. Click HERE to sign up.

Click & Earn
My Points – $80 in department store gift cards. Email us for an invite.
Swagbucks - $100 in Amazon money. Click HERE to Sign Up.

Home Parties
Premier Jewelry – $400 in free jewelry. If you live in Orlando, email Linda at lindagshipp@yahoo.com to set up your home party.

Credit Card Offers
Chase Disney Rewards – $300 in Disney money just for signing up!

iPhone Apps:
There are a bunch of FREE “Sign-In/Check-In” types of apps for the iphone, but here are two that Mark uses every single day, and he has earned GameStop gift cards, Amazon cash, and more.

Shopkick: Very simple to use, check in at a store, and scan the bar codes shown. Can use this app all day, and the points add up fast. Can “check-in” to a store without having to actually be inside the store. Click HERE to download Shopkick via the iTunes AppStore. When registering from your iPhone, please use promo code reddeer21. Entering the promo code will add 100 “kickbucks” to your account.

Free Stuff
I saved all the free candles, body wash, socks and such to use a filler in gift baskets.

Next year my goal is to do even better! How did you do this Christmas? Mark & I hope that you had as close to as possible debt free Christmas. Did you find any year long money saving methods that worked better for you than others? What were they so we can all learn from each other.

I know, some of you are asking, “Mark, seriously, Alaska?” My reply is that because this is one of the states that I have wanted to visit for such a long time, that maybe, just maybe, you my faithful readers would be interested in traveling there also. The form to fill out is one page, and pretty much basic mailing info. So click on either the banner above, or HERE, and sign up.

Tonight, (12/1/10) is not only the First Night of Hannukah, but since Christmas is 24 days away, this is also the first night to use an Advent calendar.

In our family that means that after we lit the Menorah, and I told the annual story of Chanukah, we handed our kids their first Advent calendars and while they enjoyed their chocolate treats, Kathy showed them how we can use the calendars to countdown to Christmas.

BTW, yes, I know that I spelled the 8 Night Festival of Light two different ways, they are just a few of the ways that the holiday can be spelled. L’chaim.

Have you been to google.com today (12/1/10)? If you haven’t, their “google doodle” honors Rosa Parks and her refusal 55 years ago to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus to a white passenger.

Clicking on the above graphic will take you to the results page
for Rosa Parks, via google.com of course.

Kathy just let me know that Publix will have Nestlé Toll House Morsels on sale for $2.98 B1G1 starting this Thursday (December 2). Being that we LOVE to give cookies other hand made with love items to our neighbors during the holidays, we go through a ton of Nestlé Toll House Morsels.

The Coupons are:
$1.00/2 Glad Food Storage products, exp 3/31/11
$1.00/1 Nestlé Toll House Morsel, 10-12oz, exp 3/31/11

Publix has the morsels on sale for $2.98 (B1G1), which in reality really means that they are $1.49 per bag. Use the $1.00 off coupon in this booklet and they are just 48¢ PER BAG.

Here is how to enter for your chance to win TWO (2) of these coupon booklets.

There will be 7 winners to this contest.

1. Leave a comment, on this post only, any time between 10:00PM EST on 11/30/10 until 10:00PM on 12/01/10.

2. Winners will be decided on 12/1, and emailed by 12/2/10. If you do not reply by the 11:00PM on 12/2/10, you forfeit your coupons and I will contact another person randomly selected via random.org. Time is the essence here because you need the coupon during the week long sale at Publix. I plan to mail out the coupons on 12/3/10.

Good luck.

Take a few minutes on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 to go to the corner market, which around here usually means the 7-Eleven, CVS, or Wags, and look at today’s Orlando Sentinel.

If you are lucky enough to live within 5 miles or so of an Albertsons, there should be a $5.00/$50.00 coupon on the front page of their insert. This coupon is valid 12/3-5 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

If you are tired of driving to the corner market just to purchase the Orlando Sentinel, why not sign up for home delivery (at up to 65% OFF)?

Read this POST from the other day for all the details.

You might be asking yourself, “How did Mark find out about this coupon?”. Here is how I did it, I went to the customer service counter at the Albertsons near Windermere, and asked for the form to fill out so that I could receive the weekly newspaper insert. I filled out the form right there, and THEY FAXED it to Boise, ID. It takes 2-3 weeks or so to receive the first copy. USUALLY the insert will arrive in our physical mailbox on either Monday or Tuesday. Sometimes it is not there until Wednesday. Which ever insert is in the Orlando Sentinel, that is the insert that I receive.

I just wanted to take a moment to express how thankful I am for your support during my break.

Mark

If you have been following my personal FB page you already know that I have been groveling, begging, hinting really big time, etc how tires for my car would be a great upcoming birthday gift.

Well, yesterday one of the tires finally gave out as I was pulling into a parking spot. I can change my own tires, as will both of our children know how to do before they get behind the wheel, even with a learner’s permit. But I went to get out the lug wrench, and I remembered exactly where it was, at home, in the garage. Say hello to my AAA card.

The mechanic came out and chuckled because it seems I am not the only guy that forgets to put back his lug wrench after using it for some other unintended use.

Hunting for tires. All of the quotes I was getting over the phone were in the mid $200s FOR TWO TIRES! MOUNTED & Out the door. Then I called Wal-Mart. They were just under $100 LESS. The real fun began when I took the car in to Wal-Mart. The mechanic could not figure out how I was quoted the price I was quoted. He tried to replicate the $163.17 several different was. He finally told me that “Sir, the cheapest tire we have in your size is 97 bucks”. Good, please have your manager meet me in the shop.

All I have to say is Thank God that the employee I had talked to was nearby. The manager started to tell me that there was no way I was quoted the price I was quoted. The employee spoke up and said mentioned that the tires are $57 something, I forget the exact figure at this point. The dept manager was confused. The employee took her notes out of the trash and thank God she had written the proper size, because she typed in the wrong size when she was quoting me. 1 digit saved me over $70.00 had she typed the proper size. It took a few minutes of being POLITE yet firm, and listening to “We can’t honor this” to asking for the store manager. They got a person claiming to be the store manager on the phone, explained what had happened, and then hung up. They are deciding how to handle this. Most likely they called Bentonville. Well, the phone rang a few minutes later and all I heard was, are you sure, and OK. Next works were, “Do it, at the price she gave him”. For whatever reason the employee had written everything down, stems, road warranty, balancing, etc. The manager could not believe how all of a sudden she was very thorough. We left to go eat dinner.

My car was in the lot waiting for me when we got back. The cashier rang me up and it came to just under $233 I told her that the price was wrong and that it should be $163 something. She was VERY confused. Called the dept manager, NOT the same person as earlier. Great. Explained over again after being told everyone, employee and manager were on break. Would not call the store manager. After 15 minutes or so, the employee who gave me the phone quote came back from dinner. She mentioned her notes and they were still confused. Eventually the original dept manager returned from her break, and settled the entire ordeal. The employees were stunned as to what had took place.

No, I am not defending Wal-Mart, because God knows they has some surly customer service people, but in this one incident, Wal-Mart DID make good on their quote. I just thank God that the employee owned up to the error.

Time to go to the corner market, which around here usually means the 7-Eleven, CVS, or Wags, and look at today’s Orlando Sentinel.

If you are lucky enough to live within 5 miles or so of an Albertsons, there should be a $5.00/$50.00 coupon on the front page of their insert. This coupon is valid 11/5-7 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

If you are tired of driving to the corner market just to purchase the Orlando Sentinel, why not sign up for home delivery (at up to 65% OFF)?

Read this POST from the other day for all the details.

Kathy and I loaded up the kids this morning and after going to the Winter Garden Farmer’s Market for our weekly veggies. We then headed on over to the Lowe’s at the Winter Garden Village at Fowler’s Grove to pick up some supplies for our veggie garden.

We picked a great day to go to Lowe’s because it is annual test drive time again. Al you have to do is fill out a liability waiver, and show your Driver’s License and chose which vehicle you want to test drive. The kicker to the deal is this, A $15.00 LOWE’S GIFT CARD. Yes, I said that right, fill out a liability waiver, test drive a vehicle around the parking lot, and after that get your gift card. We did this last year and there was never a post test drive phone call. So no pressure. Since Kathy and I both did a test drive we got our pine bark mulch for FREE!

The test drives last until 4pm today, and then until 6PM on Sunday, October 31st. We will be buying top soil with the cards tomorrow. Limit one card per person per day.

Have fun taking your test day.

Groupon is offering one national deal across America:
$20 for $40 Worth of Natural Skin Care, Bath and Beauty Products at The Body Shop

Not only is the Emergen-c website a fun place to visit, there s a ton of useful info there. BTW, they have a form to fill out for a free sample. When I know that I am not getting my daily quota of vitamin C, usually because I did not have an orange or some other fresh fruit, I tear open a packet and stir it into a glass of water.

No, I am NOT being compensated for this on the spot review.

Go HERE to find out why I like this stuff so much, though I do prefer to get my vitamin C from a tree.

As many of you know by now, I have taken on the Director of Social Media position at Sommer Sports in Clermont, FL.

Next weekend we will be celebrating the 20th Annual Great Floridian Triathlon at Waterfront Park in Clermont, FL. There are several events taking place throughout the day on Saturday.

Ultra Distance: 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike, followed by a marathon (26.2 miles)
Long Course: 2K swim, 62K bike, then 15K run
Super Sprint: 200 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run

There are a couple of other events that include Aqua Bike (aqua velo) and relays for the two longer course events.

All of the triathletes that participate in this world famous event train ALL YEAR for what they hope will be they turn to be victorious.

Now imagine what it takes to produce this type of event. This is why I am calling out to all my FrugalFloridian.com readers that live in the Central Florida area, and if so inclined to travel (we have several volunteers flying in from out of state) to volunteer for this event.

We need help across the board, whether it is passing out race packets during registration, helping rack bikes during the race, to passing out water along the course or at the finish line, we need your help.

If you have any amount of time to spare, and BTW if you live in Lake County, FL, and have children in high school, their volunteer hours count towards their community service in order to graduate.

Go HERE for the form you need to fill out and send in.

To all that decide to volunteer, THANK YOU and PLEASE let me know that you have sent in the form.

If you live in Casselbery, Fernandina Beach or Green Cove Springs your local Winn-Dixie is having hosting a “Discover Winn-Dixie” day on Saturday, October 16th from either 11am – 3pm (Casselberry location only) OR 1pm – 5pm for the other two locations.

I quote from their flier, “Come and enjoy fresh fruit dipped in our chocolate fountain, face painting, a balloon artist, demonstrations throughout the store, music, raffles, and use your Customer Reward Card or sign up for one and get 5% off your entire grocery bill.*” The mice type then states, “* Offer valid during business hours on October 16th at this location only. 5% discount limit of $1,000 purchase per transaction.”

The addresses for the 3 locations are (click on link to view in google maps):
1750 Sunshadow Drive, Casselberry
947 Amelia Plaza, Fernandina Beach
3260 Highway 17, Green Cove Springs