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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.

Todd Davis

Todd Davis is a photojournalist with News Channel 8’s investigative team. When he’s not tracking down a story, he’s hunting down a good deal.

Michael Egger

Michael Egger, News Channel 8 photojournalist and father of three, gets four Sunday papers delivered so he and his wife can double up coupons on BOGOs. The deals are out there, so let’s find them. He vows never to pay retail.

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.

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Pinellas library has free music downloads

Posted Jul 7, 2011 by Janine Dorsey

Updated Jul 7, 2011 at 11:14 AM

The Pinellas Library system is expanding its digital offerings to include free music downloads.

Freegal is a new free music download service from the Clearwater Public Library System with music from the Sony Music Catalog.

This service is available to all Pinellas County Library Cooperative card holders.

Card holders will need a password to use the service.

Freegal allows access to music in the Sony catalog, which may be downloaded to a home computer, laptop, or Internet-equipped MP3 device.

The music may also be moved from a personal computer into an external MP3 device.

Card holders may download up to three songs a week, starting on Mondays.

Once card holders download a song, it will be theirs to keep.

Pinellas County residents can click here to get started.

For more information, call (727) 562-4970.

If books are your thing, there are many eBook and audio book titles available to “check out” digitally from the Pinellas Library website.

These, too, are free.

Only six eBook or audio book titles can be checked out at a time, but unlike the Freegal music files, at the end of the lending period, the book will disappear from your personal digital device.

Lending periods vary by book.

Checked-out book titles cannot be renewed if they expire before you finish them, but they can be checked out again immediately if no one has reserved them.

The library site supports many different digital devices and readers.

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Countdown to Legoland opening

Posted Jul 7, 2011 by Courtney Cairns Pastor

Updated Jul 7, 2011 at 10:51 AM

My son got his first Lego set last weekend, an early birthday gift from his grandparents, and it’s now Legos all the time. He tries to drag them out as we’re getting ready in the morning, he asks the entire drive home from day care if he can play with them and he protests loudly when it’s dinner time and we make him leave the blocks behind to eat.

This thrills me.

I loved building with Legos when I was little, and I’m excited he has reached an age of toys that interest us both (teething rings and rattles are not so fun for parents to play with after the first 20 times). His dad and I do most of the construction – which is not unlike assembling Ikea furniture – while he does the playing and destruction. But that doesn’t bother me, either. I know he will grow into the toys and eventually move on to his own creations.

I’m watching the construction of Legoland Florida with excitement, too, after hearing for years from west-coast friends how much their kids enjoy the California park. At the site of the old Cypress Gardens in Polk County, the 150-acre theme park is designed for kids from 2 to 12 and will have child-friendly rides, Lego building areas and a factory tour.

I can’t wait to take him (and myself). I have my eye on the Duplo area, geared toward toddlers.

Today I got an e-mail teasing me that we have just 100 days left until the grand opening on Oct. 15. They just released new photos of some of the rides that are being completed. Take a look:

The Royal Joust takes kids on Lego horses through medieval scenes to other riders where there’s a simulated joust. It’s part of “Castle Hill,” which features knights, dragons and an enchanted castle.