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Free and Cheap

Janine Dorsey

Janine is a 20-year veteran journalist who puts her sleuthing skills to use unearthing deals and discounts for families in the Tampa Bay area. Raising her own two daughters has taught her that some of the best things in life are “free” but not necessarily “cheap.”

Gayle Guyardo

Gayle Guyardo co-anchors “News Channel 8 Today” weekday mornings with Rod Carter. She does a special segment, “Ways to save today,” each Monday between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Gayle is a third generation Tampa native and a graduate of Auburn University. She and her husband Mark raise four little girls - Katie, Lindsay, Ali and Ella.

Richard Mullins

The Tampa Tribune’s retail reporter, Richard Mullins writes about consumer trends and everything you buy at the mall, grocery stores and restaurants. He believes credit cards are the window to our souls. And yes, he gets paid to wander the mall for work.

Debbie Swartz

Debbie, a 20-year veteran journalist, can typically be found at the end of Target aisles looking at clearance items. She’s also been known to send one her young daughters through the checkout lane to redeem a coupon.

Most Recent Entries

Monthly Archives

Walmart, Target prices stable - and cheap

Posted Aug 19, 2011 by Dennis Joyce

Updated Aug 19, 2011 at 11:48 AM

The cheapest milk is $3.49 this week

For the second week in a row, Sweetbay recorded the biggest year-to-year increase in our Market Basket survey of 30 typical grocery items.

That doesn’t mean Sweetbay is the most expensive of the five supermarkets we survey. Winn-Dixie is.

Another continuing trend: The big national retailers, Walmart and Target, are not only the cheapest week after week but their prices are the most stable year-to-year.

Here’s the breakdown:

Increase from Aug. 19, 2010, to Aug. 18, 2011: Sweetbay $11.22, Winn-Dixie $10.46, Publix $8.84, Target $3.29 and Walmart $1.93.

Price this week for 30 typical grocery items: Walmart $64.28, Target $71.37, Sweetbay $80.41, Publix $85.32, and Winn-Dixie $86.30.

Click here to compare nearly two years of prices on the 30 grocery items at the five supermarkets.

Featured this week on our interactive graphic: Cheerios.

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Why you read the Free & Cheap blog

Posted Aug 19, 2011 by Dennis Joyce

Updated Aug 19, 2011 at 10:50 AM

An Associated Press story today about the rising costs of back-to-school clothes may worry some parents out there, but not readers of Free & Cheap.

We’ve been showing you how to save money at this time of year for weeks now.

Scan through some of our recent posts and you’ll see what we mean.

Designer duds, for example can be had for a fraction of the cost in Tampa. Click here to see our video report.

And click here to read the AP story.

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Pep Boys back to school savings

Posted Aug 18, 2011 by Todd Davis

Updated Aug 19, 2011 at 11:41 AM

For all you parents taking your kids to school or even if you’re driving yourself, Pep Boys is offering a nice little back to school coupon to use on your car.

Just print out their coupon and you’ll recieve a free brake inspection, free tire rotation, free tire pressure check, free battery check, and a free multi-point inspection.

The coupon expires September 11.

Pep Boys coupon

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MOSI offers discounts

Posted Aug 18, 2011 by Janine Dorsey

Updated Aug 19, 2011 at 11:42 AM

The Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa has some upcoming discount days to mark on your calendars.

Labor Day weekend: Sept. 3 – 5
Buy one get one free on general admission.
Free ticket must be of equal or lesser value. May not be combined with any other offers or discounts. Excludes special engagement exhibitions, films, events and ropes course.

Grandparent’s Day: Sept. 11
Free general admission for a grandparent with the purchase of a full-priced general admission ticket. May not be combined with other offers. Limit one offer per household. Grandparent and grandchild must be present at time of purchase. Must mention offer to receive discount. Excludes special engagements and SkyTrail® Ropes Course. Other restrictions may apply.

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration: Sept. 15 - Oct. 15
$10 off general admission. May not be combined with other offers. Limit four offers per household. Must mention offer to receive discount. Excludes special engagements and SkyTrail® Ropes Course. Other restrictions may apply.

Five Dollar Day: Sept. 24
In honor of National Museum Day, MOSI will be offering $5 admission. May not be combined with other offers. Excludes special engagements and SkyTrail® Ropes Course. Other restrictions may apply.

General admission is normally $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors age 60+ and $16.95 for children ages 2 - 12.

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Weekly webcast: More school savings

Posted Aug 18, 2011 by Carl Lisciandrello

Updated Aug 19, 2011 at 11:42 AM

We tell our kids not to wait until the last minute to do their chores. But when it comes to back-to-school shopping, some of us need to look into the mirror.

While many parents took advantage of the recent tax holiday weekend to stock up on clothes and school supplies, they may still have some leftover items to complete their shopping list.

This week, our Free and Cheap bloggers offer some useful ways to save on some of the more big-ticket items.

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