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- Take It From Someone Who Knows - Don’t Do The Following
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TBO.com wanted to pass along this press release from a local “food bank.” You might want to check it out to see if it is something that would suit your food purchase needs:
SHARE Florida Food Network is a non-profit food buying organization that offers high-quality, nutritious food at a reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system. SHARE is a program of Cornerstone Family Ministries and is headquartered in Tampa with eight satellite sites throughout the state. Anyone can be a member of SHARE, there are no membership fees or income requirements. Participants can pay with cash or EBT cards.
SHARE distributes food once a month on a Saturday and participants can purchase as much food as they like, with a minimum purchase of $6.00. People who purchase SHARE packages save up to 30-55% off the retail price of frozen meats and fresh produce. There is a network of 290 non-profit SHARE locations in Florida, and they are ALL run by volunteers. SHARE has been helping people save money on groceries since 1990 and has served the needs of many, including single parent families, the elderly, disabled individuals, and anyone else who wants to save money while building a stronger community.
For more information about SHARE, please contact (813) 248-3379. Our website, www.shareflorida.org, lists our menus, distribution calendars, and SHARE site locations directory. We would love to get the word out about how SHARE can help the Tampa area during these tough economic times.
A viewer wrote in to News Channel 8’s Stacie Schaible:
Courtney Hoening/South Tampa
A News Channel 8 viewer wrote in to Stacie Schaible:
I currently have Brighthouse service for my phone, cable and computer and was paying $175 a month for it when I kept getting mail from Verizon that said I could get the same for $114 a month. So I called Verizon and verified that the price was right and, with the extras I had, it came to about $125. So I called Brighthouse and told them I was thinking about changing to Verizon and they immediately patched me through to the “Retention” division where I was told that I could reduce my bill to $127 a month. When I asked how, she told me that they would just lower my bill. I had to do nothing. She said they had contingency plans so that , when Verizon offered a special they could match it to keep customers. Magic. Two phone calls and I have $50 more a month in my purse.
Candi
The grocery chain Sweetbay is hoping customers bring in their federal economic stimulus checks – and is offering some perks to customers who do.
Starting today, Sweetbay is offering a 10-percent bonus gift card when customers convert their checks into Sweetbay gift cards. For example, people who bring in a $600 government check will receive a $660 Sweetbay card. Families who bring in an $1,800 check receive a $1,980 card.
I was at the grocery store last night. Just needed a few things like milk and a few fresh produce items.
First I went to reach for the baby carrots like I always do. They sure are convenient, aren’t they? And the price doesn’t shock (at $1.69 for 16 ounces) UNLESS you happen to notice the “other” carrots…
A 16 ounce package of “regular” carrots (unpeeled, not in cute baby-size chunks) is only .89 cents. Literally, half as expensive.
Yes, you have to peel them and cut them, but isn’t that what you have kids for?
Someone once said “Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”
They’re right.
Did you know that for each degree of temperature you raise your thermostat you can lower your bill by 6 percent to 8 percent?
You can also lower your bill by turning off your water heater at the breaker if your home will be unoccupied for two or more days.
And, did you know that using your microwave or a countertop appliance to cook is much more energy-efficient than using a stove or oven?
As the weather heats up, electric bills soar. But these tips and more will help you keep costs down.
To learn what you can do, visit Progress Energy or TECO.
The price of a postage stamp will increase to 42 cents next month. Why pay 42 cents each time you mail checks to pay bills?
I haven’t paid a bill though the mail in more than two years. I pay Tampa Electric Co., Verizon, Visa, my auto insurance and other monthly payments through online banking. Mailing seven or eight bills each month, starting next month, will cost roughly $3 a month, or about $36 a year.
Take into consideration the gas and time saved by skipping a trip to the post office, too.
If you’d like to keep an extra $36 in your pocket, ask your local branch how you can start paying your bills online.
Many banks offer this convenient, user-friendly service. If yours doesn’t, perhaps it’s a good time to switch.
There I was in the grocery store, clutching my recipe for shrimp fra Diablo, my mouth watering at the thought of sautéed shrimp in a cream sauce over fettuccini. Shrimp is a rare treat in my household, but it was a special night.
We were celebrating because it was the first night in two weeks we had a clear schedule to cook a meal together and sit down at the dinner table, paying no mind to the clock. So, shrimp it would be.
I had compared prices before. Shrimp, a pound for two people, would cost only $1.50 more than a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts, one of our menu staples.
Then I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. An orange sticker indicating boneless skinless chicken breasts were being sold for half-off! I could get enough chicken to cook dinner plus have leftovers for $3.41. All of a sudden, I was warming up to the idea of chicken fra Diablo instead. No biggie. We’ll have shrimp another day, when chicken at bargain prices isn’t calling my name.
This brings up two valuable tips for saving money. First, sometimes waiting to purchase your meats the day before or on the day you plan to cook could bring you discounts you might not find on weekends, when many people buy groceries for the week. Fresh meat must sell by a certain date, so grocers will discount it deeply if that date draws too close.
Second, being flexible about beef, chicken, fish or shrimp in your meal could be key, so taking time to compare prices before settling on your purchase could save you more than half of what you would have paid. If you cook dinner almost every night, finding half-off deals could add up to big savings and maybe leave you with some extra cash for dinner out Saturday night!
Ethanol producer Coskata has broken ground on a new plant in Pennsylvania and says it’ll be churning out $1-a-gallon fuel as soon as next year.
Check out the full story from CNet.
Looking back at my five most recent lunch outings, I tallied the receipts, which totaled a whopping $40.45. That is just one week’s worth of lunches. At that rate, I am spending more than $160 a month on lunch. Ouch! That’s almost $2,000 a year!
Brown-bagging it is a sure way to save some bucks. Let’s take a look at my grocery bill for one week’s worth of groceries to pack for lunch. I’ll include the list so that you know I am getting plenty to eat:
-one loaf of whole grain bread
-one package of deli turkey
-a jar of mayonnaise
-several pieces of fruit and a package of fresh strawberries
-ready-to-eat carrot sticks
-individual packets of yogurt and applesauce
Of course, what you pack in your lunch is up to you so the cost will vary, but the concept is clear. My bill at the supermarket came to $19.20. That sure beats spending more than $40 a week. Not to mention, some of that food will stretch longer than a week, such as that jar of mayonnaise.
Save additional money by recycling your grocery bags to cart your lunch to work. Stop by your local bank on the way home Friday, deposit that extra $20 into savings and then pat yourself on the back.
At year’s end, you’ll be close to $250 richer!
Ben and Jerry’s annual free scoop day is nearing.
On April 29th from noon - 8 p.m. get your choice of a free scoop of their delectable ice cream.
Check for a location near you.
Go to www.restaurant.com and enter your zip code to see what discount gift certificates are available in your area.
Most restaurants offer $10 certificates for $3, $25 certificates for $10, and so on.
Be sure to read the fine print, though. Most do not include alcohol, and some are valid only for lunch.
Corrie Benfield
Here are a few sites that could save you some money:
Paperbackswap.com lets members trade paperback and hardcover books for the cost of postage.
Then there are SwapaCD.com and SwapaDVD.com.
If you haven’t joined Freecycle.org, do it. You never know what you’ll find for free on there.
And, of course, there’s Craigslist.org, which lists more free firewood, children’s clothing and old TVs than a person could ever dream of.
Corrie Benfield
1/ Use 2 coupons to buy ‘BOGO” items. (Buy One Get One free) The stores will take both, as you are really buying two items.
2/ Every month, on the first Sunday of the month, go to Walgreens. Near the front door, check the rack for the “Receipt Savers Catalog.”
Near the middle of the small booklet, there is a list of things you can get free after rebate. Buy the items and send in the form. Now, to make this deal better, instead of getting a rebate check in the mail, check the box that says “Gift card”. Walgreens will add 10 % to the rebate in the form of a gift card. For future purchases, use the gift card and make sure you write down its number on the Receipt Savers form. This way, you use NO cash of your own to buy stuff you need. To make this deal even better, use coupons for the rebate items. I do this all the time and get PAID to shop at Walgreens.
3/ Every month at CVS, there are similar deals, but they are not as good. You earn “Extra Bucks” by showing your CVS card. These print at the register and are good for your next purchase. You must use them before they expire. Again, you can use Extra Bucks and coupons to make the deals better.
4/ Never buy a large soda when you eat inside a fast food restaurant. You can refill your small cup and drink to your heart’s content, at a lower price.
5/ Go to www.startsampling.com and sign up for an account. Every now and then, they have free samples that will be sent to your home.
6/ With the economy so sour, you can negotiate for almost everything: TV’s, Electronics, etc.
7/ Publix will take anybody’s coupons. I take Winn-Dixie coupons to Publix and they accept them. Also, watch your mail for Publix $5 off coupons. They come about once every other month.
8/ Get VOIP for long distance calling. (Vonage, Broadvoice, Voicewing) You must have a high-speed internet connection. To make this a better deal, sign up for a year in advance with Vonage and save 20%. My long distance costs are $25 a month including all taxes and fees.
9/ Don’t carry a balance on your credit card and never PAY to carry a credit card.To make this a better deal, charge all your gasoline purchases on the Discover Gas Card. They credit you 5 % on the first $100 each month. There are many cards that give you miles or cash.
10/ Never pay full price for clothes. They always go on sale. Just wait until the stuff you want is marked down. Why pay more?
11/ Always check for “coupon codes” before checking out on-line. There are many sites...like www.couponmountain.com.
Peter Bernard/News Channel 8
At the upcoming Home and Patio show Febreeze is going to be giving away lots and lots of scented oil warmers as part of the Febreze 30-day Freshness Challenge.
If you’re going to the show anyway, make sure to stop by their booth.
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