FL Offer - Free MP3 Player from Kane's Tonight Only

Saw this in the St Pete Times newspaper this morning, inside the front section. Kane's Furniture is giving away a free MP3 player from 6pm to midnight TODAY ONLY to 5,000 winners, no purchase necessary. If you have a FL Drivers License number that contains a one (1) or zero (0), you're eligible to win a free MP3 player. DH and I both have DL's that end in zero, so we're going to stop by this evening and pick up our MP3 players.
 
Luckily, we live right by a Kane's. There are not very many locations, so the chances of getting the player is probably pretty good, Plus its not mentioned in the website, just the full page ad in the newspaper. It has a picture of the free player and the brand is COBY. It looks like a flash drive, silver and black. No mention on the size, hope it holds more than 128 MB or something silly like that.
 
Good Luck

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

This is one belief in our household, if it ain't broke - don't fix it. It kind of goes along with "If you don't make a mess, you won't have to clean it up". Consequently, we have some old stuff around our house. Our outdoor TV is 1983 JCPenney color TV, with a remote that only has 5 buttons: on/off, up & down volume, and up down channel arrows. It still works fine and we just can't find a valid reason to get rid of it, and put a new TV outside in the heat and humidity of Florida.
 
We also have a 1986 Litton microwave, I think its 600 watts. Everything on it works as designed and until we have our kitchen remodel done, we'll continue to use it. Then we'll donate it to one of our job office breakroom since we can always use another microwave at work.
 
It seems like the newer appliances we've purchased just aren't as good a quality and workmanship as these old relics, and they break or become sufficient within a couple years.
 
Well, I'm thinking its time to get a new cell phone. Ours is a Samsung A925 we got free from the Sprint contest in the summer of 2006. We signed up for the Sprint SERO plan for 500 minutes, unlimited data, texting and picture mail, plus free nights at 7pm and free weekends. We love the plan and it meets our needs. Come to think of it we love the phone too, since its synced up with my laptop and Nokia 800m so I can surf while driving down the highway. The problem is I have phone envy when I see all that the new smart phones can do. The cameras are sharp, the weather radar is nice and they are fast. So now I want a new phone, but the SERO plan is a thing of the past and I'm afraid that Sprint will try to switch us to a different plan when we get a new phone. The pros on slickdeals SERO forum say its not a problem, but the thought lurks in the back of my mind that it could happen.
 
The other dilemna is what phone to get? I"m limited by what Sprint is compatible with, but there are lots of choices that are perfectly fine. I've heard LG's have short battery life, but we love our Samsung - never had a problem in 4 years, not even a battery. Plus we have all the plug ins and chargers for Samsung - is that a big enough reason to stick with Samsung? They do have the Instinct which I think I like. I'd of course love to get it free and we have a $150 sprint credit, for plans over $39 but we don't qualify as our SERO plan is only $35 with taxes and fees included.
 
So, any recommendations?

Sunday Coupons 2/5/10

This weekend there will be 4 coupon inserts in your Sunday papers, of course regional differences may occur. There should be a Smartsource (SS), Redplum (RP), General Mills (GM) and Proctor & Gamble (PG). It might be a good week to get some extra papers since there will be NO INSERTS on VALENTINES DAY next Sunday.

Great News at Publix

Last night we went on our weekly grocery trip, and spent $4.04 to save $123.96 for a really great shop. There was the usual stacking of Publix coupons (PQ) with manufacturer (MQ) coupons with the buy one get one (BOGO) deals. But the icing on the cake is that Publix has decided to accept Walgreens issued MQ's called Register Rewards (RR). These coupons are indeed manufacturer coupons that state that on top, they have an expiration date, they have a scanable UPC code that begins with 5 (like all MQ's), and a redeem at address where they can send it to redeem for the cost plus 8 cents. I would recommend you bring your RR to Publix and confirm with the store manager that they now accept RR for purchases and you will notice the difference in your grocery bill.
 
So far this year we have spent $140 on groceries and household supplies to get $1073 in products.

Disney Give a Day, Get a Day

Did you all sign up to volunteer to earn a free day at Disney? We did, and now we're scheduled to work a really fun event called the Tour de Cure, a bicycle ride starting at DeSoto State Park in St Pete, FL on March 7.
 
Come and ride with us for the first time ever in Ft. Desoto, Florida! The ride will begin and end at the historic and picturesque Ft. Desoto Park. Your ride will take you along the most breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico, along amazing natural and preserved forests, and through some of the most beautiful cities of the South! Want to ride for a day and vacation for the weekend? Ft. Desoto is known for stunning campgrounds! What else can you expect? An incredible night before party, and the biggest start & finish line you've ever seen!

Tour de Cure 2010 is catering to the entire community. Whether you're an extremely experienced rider up for an exhilarating challenge, or you're a family hitting the trail together at your own pace, we have a ride for you! Join us for our 100 mile Century Ride, Metric Century, 35 miles, 25 miles, 10 miles, or our 5 mile family fun ride. Ride it by yourself, bring a friend, or form a team…just be sure to ride!

When the ride is finished let the party begin! There will be live bands, awards, incredible vendors, massage therapy and a health and wellness zone! An amazing ride deserves an amazing lunch and it will be provided! 

My Publix Plan This Week 2/4/10

Well I thought I'd share my Publix spreadsheet before I shop, and then you can see how close the final shop is. I'm planning on asking the store manager of my Tampa Publix if they will accept Walgreens RR. I have a bunch from getting some Bayer Contour meters this week. I would much rather redeem at Publix rather than buy overpriced stuff from Wags. I plan to kindly offer:
  • That the RR are actually manufacturer coupons as stated at the top
  • They do have an address to redeem for full value plus the eight cents on the front of coupon
  • They have an expiration date
  • It says "redeemable at wags", it does not say "only redeem at wags"
  • The UPC code starts with a 5 as all manufacturer coupons do
  • It will scan on Publix cash registers like a normal manufacturer coupons so they do not need to enter it as a competitor coupon and "eat it" (not redeem from manufacturer).
Hopefully, they will give me all the right answers, like yes you can use it here.
 
I'm also going to start using my Upromise account to start saving for my granddaughter's college funds. I started the account in 2005 but haven't kept it up or activated coupons or anything. I'm going to ask for a Upromise card from the cashier and start using it now. For more information, go visit www.upromise.com
 
Anyway here's the plan, hope it's readable this week, I wrapped the fonts and took out the $$ to narrow it down. I hope to spend about $2.13 for over $111 worth of product. Check back tomorrow for a report. If you want to try any of these deals and don't understand the coupon details, you can check the complete Publix ad at www.iheartpublix.com blog. Notice I'm using 47 coupons for 47 items.
 
4-Feb 47   111.45 32.88 76.44 2.13 47 -98.09%
Product qty price subtotal -BOGO -Q TOTAL Q# Q details
SOBE water 6 1.00 6.00   4.50 1.50 6 bogo+ $1/1 TQ print
lettuce 1 1.89 1.89     1.89    
cucumber 1 0.75 0.75     0.75    
romaine 1 1.89 1.89     1.89    
banana 1 0.60 0.60     0.60    
peanuts 1 3.29 3.29     3.29    
Marzetti dip BOGO 2 3.69 7.38 3.69 4.69 -1.00 2 free+$1/1 all you dec & feb
Brkstn sour cream 2 0.99 1.98   1.00 0.98 1 .55/1 1-24ss or $1/2 print
Zhills water 2.5 gal 1 2.99 2.99   1.00 1.99 1 $1/1 blinkie
24pk Publx water 1 4.99 4.99   4.99 0.00 1 free PQ peelie
spcl K BOGO 6 3.99 23.94 11.97 14.97 -3.00 6 bogo+ $1/1 granola
Velvta BOGO 2 3.85 7.70 3.85 2.00 1.85 2 $1/1 print
McCormick mix BOGO 4 1.15 4.60 2.30 1.10 1.20 2 .55/2 Party playbk
Knox Gelatin 1 1.39 1.39   4.00 -2.61 1 $4/1 MQ 1-17RP
milk gallon 1 3.19 3.19   3.19 0.00 1 free w/$100 print
pup perroni BOGO 6 3.69 22.14 11.07 11.00 0.07 11 $1/1 PQ+$1/1 MQ 12-13RP
hefty foil pans 3 1.50 4.50   1.50 3.00 3 0.50/1 MQ party playbk
kraft cream cheese 1 1.25 1.25   1.00 0.25 1 $1/1 pub grape mag
kraft shrd cheese 4 2.00 8.00   4.00 4.00 4 $1/2 PQ 1-3 + $1/2 print
chapstick 2 pk 2 1.49 2.98   2.50 0.48 3 $1/1 PQ+ $1/2 12-13
register rewards     0.00   10.00 -10.00 1 walgreens
$5 off $50     0.00   5.00 -5.00 1 mailer
      0.00     0.00    

Fairs and Festivals

There's a ton of touristy events going on these days in the Tampa area, starting with the today's opening of the Florida State Fair for 12 days. Then shortly after the annual MOSI Renaissance Fest is on weekends from Feb 13 thru March 28. In between these two events is the Plant City Strawberry Festival from March 4 to 14th.
 
All these events have moderate admission fees that can be eliminated or decreased with some forethought. One way to get in free is to work or volunteer at the event. The strawberry festival has lots of opportunities working at a booth cutting strawberries or preparing desserts for the local churches or schools selling stuff at the festival. Just put in a few hours of work, and then the rest of the day is open for your pleasure. Another way to get free admission, is to give blood at the bloodmobiles provided by Florida Blood Services. Personally, this is what we're going to do - give blood for tickets.
 
You can even choose to give blood one day and then come back a different day or weekend and redeem your ticket then, that way you're not weak or tired or thirsty right after. The Ren Fest is a great event with low security so you can bring in beverages and snacks to help make it a frugal day. They even let you exit and go to your car and come back in with more goodies. We like to bring a cooler and leave it in the car to visit a couple times for refreshments.
 
You can also get discounted tickets for the Strawberry Festival at Sweetbay supermarkets.

Tampa Mail: $5 off $50 Publix

Did you look at your Red Plum junk mail on Tuesday? There is a $5 off $50 coupon for Publix on the front of the Publix BOGO insert. Go dig thru your recycled mail.

My Recruit

One of the biggest supporters of my fanatic couponing and frugal efforts is my DH. I'm proud to say he's even willing to venture out on his own for a deal if he's seen it happen before. Like the Bayer Contour meter deal at Wags, we each got one yesterday, and then he was tickled to be able to buy gum, altoids and other treats with his $10 RR. So this morning I sent him off to work with another Bayer coupon and he's going to stop at one Wagreens on the way home, and I'm going to check another one. Being we live in the #2 Frugal City in America (Tampa) it seems like all the stores are depleted of deals on the first day. So hopefully, one of us will score or both. How about you, do you recruit?
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