My Profitable Publix Trip 09/12/13

My grocery shopping planning was busy this week. Earlier in the week I was fretting since I didn't have any of the Buitoni MQs as they weren't in the inserts our area gets, but a nice person on FB sent me a link to print the MQs on the Target Site. So I was pleasantly surprised that the store was stocked since it was so late in the day. As it turns out, I think Publix is expecting this item to be popular this week, so they have plenty in the back. So if the small display area in the store is empty, be sure to ask them to check the back. This was a nice moneymaker this week and paid for the salad fixings this week.

There is also a new coupon on the Safeway site that is for Fresh Express salad kits. The manufacturer coupon states for Safeway stores but this Publix is okay with this since its a valid MQ. Anyway, this makes for free lettuce. I also used a $10 off $50 Whole Foods coupon which I found in the local Temple Terrace News magazine, if you see it around. The USF store has started taking Whole Foods as a competitor since they built the store in Carrollwood which is kind of nearby.

If you look carefully in the picture, you'll see we got the wrong size Pillsbury products. I was sorting coupons and DH was in charge of getting 6 of the crescent rolls, but he picked up the $2 packages (8oz), rather than the one dollar packages (4 oz). We ended up exchanging them later for the correct size since this product to me is not even worth the dollar it would have been after the coupon - but for free or MM I'll use them for something.

We also picked up a $10 Gift Card to use up our remaining overage since we had all the produce we needed this trip. Hopefully, you already were aware the Seafood Publix coupon from last week was a misprint and is actually $2 off $2 like usual. The stores are aware of this and I have not had any issues using mine this week. You still have through Saturday to use them. The Shrimp skewers are a dollar a piece (5 pieces of shrimp) so that's not a bad way to go.

So in the end, it cost $1.73 for this shop, plus the $10 Gift Card, and we saved 98% ($96.64).

Frugal Home Maintenance - Clean Your A/C Coils

We came home from a motorcycle ride on last weekend, and the house felt warm. I checked the air conditioner thermostat and it was 84F! We usually set our thermostat to 79F which is a frugal setting in Florida. We have a lot of appliances, pumps and electronics sucking our electricity everyday, so we try to conserve where we can - which is the air conditioning. But one frugal thing we should have done a long time ago, is to maintain the evaporator coils in the inside A frame air conditioner unit. We never cleaned it after our big remodel last summer and it was a dust fest in here while we installed drywall, painted, sanded and installed carpet and tile throughout most of the house. Consequently, our poor A/C has been working very hard to pull clean air through those caked up coils.

I first noticed last week when we had the thermostat set at 79, and the temp inside was 81. And the unit just seemed to run all the time, but it was not very efficient. I suggested to my husband, we needed to change the filter. But it didn't happen. When we finally did change the filter, it wasn't really that dirty so I knew it was a bigger problem than a dirty filter. So, with the filter removed it was possible to peek into the unit and see the real problem - a layer of iced up frozen dust and grime.

If you have this problem, you can simply clean the evaporator coils yourself and save yourself a couple hundred dollars on an AC service call. If you clean your coils and still have a problem reaching temp, then it is possible you have depleted some freon (if icing coils reappear), and you'll need to call a service guy.

Anyway, it's not hard to clean the coils, we just looked up a couple youtube videos on how to clean AC coils. You probably will only need to clean the underside of the A frame coils where the air is pulled through. The top side of ours was clean. We ran to the home improvement store and purchased a water based cleaning spray that was a foaming cleanser, it stated self rinsing so no water flush would be necessary. It cost $5.48. We also purchased a roll of metal tape to seal up the AC cabinet seams for $7.48.

1. Turn off AC at thermostat. Gather your safety gear - eye protection, face mask and something to cover your hair from debris (a hat or hanky). You will also need a flashlight, stiff brush, cleansing spray, plastic sheeting and pans to collect debris, metal tape, and a household fan.
2. Line the area under your A frame unit with plastic, then place pans or wash tubs under to collect the melting ice, water and grime.
3. If iced up, melt ice using a hair dryer. Do not damage the evaporator fins by chipping away ice, just be patient and melt it.
4. Using a stiff plastic brush (I used an plastic old dish washing brush with a long handle), dip it in water and brush down the big grime and dust layer toward the drip tray.
5. When you can see the coils and they are kind of clear of debris, don your safety gear and spray the foaming cleanser all over the coils.on the underside of the A frame. Let it sit for five or more minutes until the foam has mostly dissipated. Then take your stiff brush and clean the remaining dirt from the coils. I also had to use a 2 ft long shish kabob poker to dislodge dirt from the top apex of the inside of the unit.
6. If you have an air compressor, it will make cleaning and drying the unit easy. We used compressed air to blow out all remaining dirt and used it to help dry the evaporator fins. You must dry your unit completely before starting up again, or you risk icing up.
7. Dry your AC evaporator coils with a household fan pointed in there to remove all moisture. We have a large window fan we pointed up there for an hour before we started up the unit.
8. Replace your cabinet panels and tape seams shut with metal AC tape. Replace the air filter.
9. Turn on your thermostat. Wait several hours for it to reach temp. Ours lowered the temp 1 degree in 30 minutes, but then next degree took an hour. 
10. After a couple hours of your AC unit running, check the coils by removing your air filter and peek up into the unit to make sure the coils are not iced up. If not, just be patient - its working.

So, it took a good portion of our weekend day; but we feel more empowered and of course will do this simple maintenance job more frequently in the future.

Power of Attorney & Health care Directive - Two Docs You Need Now!

 

Unexpected situations can happen to anyone and unfortunately if you're not prepared, the situation is going to be worse than it needs to be. Anyone can become a victim of an accident or suffer a debilitating injury, or health condition like a heart attack, stroke or brain injury. If this happens and you do not have a Power of Attorney agent assigned to you, your finances will come to a stand still. No one can move your money around to pay bills, or sell that boat or motorcycle you'll never ride again, or negotiate with your mortgage holder, or refinance your loans.

Likewise if you've been incapacitated due to a health condition or accident, and you've been rushed to the hospital and are hooked up on feeding tubes. colonoscopy bags, breathing tubes, IV drugs and sedatives - it would be nice if you had signed a health care directive to let your caretakers know and prove what your wishes are as far as health care. It would be important to know if you have a DNR (Do not resuscitate) order in the event you are being kept alive solely by machines.

Unfortunately, I know someone who has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital in ICU and has no will, no health care directive and no power of attorney. He was the sole income earner in his household with his wife and four children. They have no savings, tens of thousands due in credit card bills and when he quits getting paychecks shortly (no sick pay at his job which was largely commission with a modest base salary), they will not have a means to pay the large mortgage. The wife can't refinance the mortgage without his signature, can't sell the boat he bought last month, and can't sell the house. All because he is unable to sign and make these decisions now.

So, to avoid being in this dire situation, you need to have two documents signed and notarized in your possession. Simply search google Power of Attorney, and add your state like Florida. There are many free forms available for review and completion and downloading to your computer. Make a folder on your desktop that others can find. Print and sign the copies and make a real paper folder to put in the front of your filing system. You want others to be able to find your documents in you become incapacitated. Tell others what your wishes are and make sure your "power of attorney" agent has a signed copy in their possession. While you're at it, you need to search google health care directive Florida too, and do the same - complete and download the form, get it signed and notarized and give a signed copy to your health care agents.

Of course, there are other important documents you need completed too - like your last will and testament, a motor vehicle power of attorney form (so your vehicles can be sold) and a personal property inventory list.  But if you complete the Power of Attorney and Health care Directive now, you can help your caretakers act immediately to save your financial situation from ruin.

When Paying The Mortgage Is Impossible

This information from the consumer federal trade commission is helpful if you're having trouble paying your mortgage.

If you are having trouble making your payments, contact your loan servicer to discuss your options as early as you can. The longer you wait to call, the fewer options you will have.
Many loan servicers are expanding the options available to borrowers – it’s worth calling your servicer even if your request has been turned down before. Servicers are getting lots of calls: Be patient, and be persistent if you don’t reach your servicer on the first try.

• You may qualify for a loan modification under the Making Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) if:
• your home is your primary residence;
• you owe less than $729,750 on your first mortgage;
• you got your mortgage before January 1, 2009;
• your payment on your first mortgage (including principal, interest, taxes, insurance and homeowner’s association dues, if applicable) is more than 31 percent of your current gross income; and
• you can’t afford your mortgage payment because of a financial hardship, like a job loss or medical bills.

If you meet these qualifications, contact your servicer. You will need to provide documentation that may include:

• information about the monthly gross (before tax) income of your household, including recent pay stubs.
• your most recent income tax return.
• information about your savings and other assets.
• your monthly mortgage statement.
• information about any second mortgage or home equity line of credit on your home.
• account balances and minimum monthly payments due on your credit cards.
• account balances and monthly payments on your other debts, like student loans or car loans.
• a completed Hardship Affidavit describing the circumstances responsible for the decrease in your income or the increase in your expenses.

For more information, visit Making Home Affordable.
If you’re interested in refinancing to take advantage of lower mortgage rates, but are afraid you won’t qualify because your home value has decreased, you may want to ask if you qualify for the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) or the HOPE for Homeowners (H4H) program. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Avoiding Default and Foreclosure

If you have fallen behind on your payments, consider discussing the following foreclosure prevention options with your loan servicer:
Reinstatement: You pay the loan servicer the entire past-due amount, plus any late fees or penalties, by a date you both agree to. This option may be appropriate if your problem paying your mortgage is temporary.
Repayment plan: Your servicer gives you a fixed amount of time to repay the amount you are behind by adding a portion of what is past due to your regular payment. This option may be appropriate if you’ve missed a small number of payments.

Forbearance: Your mortgage payments are reduced or suspended for a period you and your servicer agree to. At the end of that time, you resume making your regular payments as well as a lump sum payment or additional partial payments for a number of months to bring the loan current. Forbearance may be an option if your income is reduced temporarily (for example, you are on disability leave from a job, and you expect to go back to your full time position shortly). Forbearance isn’t going to help you if you’re in a home you can’t afford.

Loan modification: You and your loan servicer agree to permanently change one or more of the terms of the mortgage contract to make your payments more manageable for you. Modifications may include reducing the interest rate, extending the term of the loan, or adding missed payments to the loan balance. A modification also may involve reducing the amount of money you owe on your primary residence by forgiving, or cancelling, a portion of the mortgage debt. Under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, the forgiven debt may be excluded from income when calculating the federal taxes you owe, but it still must be reported on your federal tax return. For more information, see www.irs.gov. A loan modification may be necessary if you are facing a long-term reduction in your income or increased payments on an ARM.
Before you ask for forbearance or a loan modification, be prepared to show that you are making a good-faith effort to pay your mortgage. For example, if you can show that you’ve reduced other expenses, your loan servicer may be more likely to negotiate with you.

Selling your home: Depending on the real estate market in your area, selling your home may provide the funds you need to pay off your current mortgage debt in full.

Bankruptcy: Personal bankruptcy generally is considered the debt management option of last resort because the results are long-lasting and far-reaching. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can make it difficult to get credit, buy another home, get life insurance, or sometimes, get a job. Still, it is a legal procedure that can offer a fresh start for people who can’t satisfy their debts.
If you and your loan servicer cannot agree on a repayment plan or other remedy, you may want to investigate filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you have a regular income, Chapter 13 may allow you to keep property, like a mortgaged house or car, that you might otherwise lose. In Chapter 13, the court approves a repayment plan that allows you to use your future income toward payment of your debts during a three-to-five-year period, rather than surrender the property. After you have made all the payments under the plan, you receive a discharge of certain debts.

To learn more about Chapter 13, visit the U.S. Trustee Program, the organization within the U.S. Department of Justice that oversees bankruptcy cases and trustees.

If you have a mortgage through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or Veterans Administration (VA), you may have other foreclosure alternatives.

Contacting Your Loan Servicer

Before you have any conversation with your loan servicer, prepare. Record your income and expenses, and calculate the equity in your home. To calculate the equity, estimate the market value less the balance of your first and any second mortgage or home equity loan.
Then, write down the answers to the following questions:

• What happened to make you miss your mortgage payment(s)? Do you have any documents to back up your explanation for falling behind? How have you tried to resolve the problem?
• Is your problem temporary, long-term, or permanent? What changes in your situation do you see in the short term, and in the long term? What other financial issues may be stopping you from getting back on track with your mortgage?
• What would you like to see happen? Do you want to keep the home? What type of payment arrangement would be feasible for you?

My Publix Trip - Gas Card Deal

 



I'm really struggling with couponing these days, it is so depressing to see the same items on sale as earlier this year, but the coupons just don't get the price to where it used to be. The cat and dog treats are just not going to happen for me this week, or possibly not any time soon. I also hate just getting one or two gas cards when the deal comes along, when I used to get at least a dozen each sale last year. Oh well, time will heal.

I did find both fillers vitamins and toothbrushes this time so I am able to hold off on getting cereal and Mrs. Pauls fish fillets for my next trip. And the rest of the salad fixins we'll need. I used a raincheck for the Purina One dog food since the flavor my dog has decided she loves was out last week when it was on sale. I have one more raincheck but its a big hit to the pocket book ($30) for dog food, plus the $40 for the gas card.

I spent $61 today, and saved $60, so it was about 50% savings.

How To Transfer Your Domain Name From Google Blogger (Enom) To GoDaddy

If you created your blog on Blogger and let them set up your domain, you probably have this same situation. Last month my domain name Frugalapolis.com was due for renewal from Bloggers' chosen registrant ENOM. Enom will only renew for one year at a time, and you have to pay through Google Wallet. There is no account you can access to change any settings for preferences, so it is what it is.
In order to pay my $10 domain registration renewal fee, Google first wanted my social security number and a copy of my Driver License or Passport. WTF. Not. They already had my credit card, but that wasn't good enough, apparently. So, I decided to extricate myself out of the Google sandbox a little bit.

Anyway, here is how to transfer your domain name to another registrar, I picked Godaddy.

• Once you have determined you have Enom as your registrar by either reading it in your past renewal or the email telling you a renewal is upcoming, you need to go to access.enom.com and enter your domain name. Leave the password field blank (because you don't know yours) and Click Login. Then the screen will refresh and give you the option to have your password emailed to you. It will be emailed to the account where the domain is registered.

• Once you receive your password in your email, you need to send an email request to unlock your account, and to get an authorization number to transfer to another registrar. Send the email to googleclients@enom.com and include your password as proof you own the account.
• Later that same day, Enom will email you with an authorization number after they have unlocked your account.
• Now get a Godaddy promo code to get a discount on your domain transfer, google search to find a code. My domain only cost $2.49 for a year with a code I found for Godaddy.
• Log into or create a Godaddy account, and under Products one of the choices is domain transfer. Enter your name, domain.com and pay the transfer fee and wait for them to send you an email. Make sure to use the same email account you had with Enom.
• In your email from Godaddy they will send you an ID and security code. You also have your authorization email from Enom. These are needed to take the next step. This probably will happen right away the same day.
• In your Godaddy account, click "Authorize Transfer" and enter your authorization code from Enom, your ID and security code from Godaddy. Click Launch. Now wait.
• Wait 7 days for the email that says your domain has been transfered. Your site will continue to be live. When you get the transfer confirmation, you will need to log into Godaddy again and change your DNS nameservers so that your domain is pointed to the blogger host. If you are not comfortable doing this sort of thing, just call Godaddy and their techical support staff will know how and talk you through the whole thing.
• The new nameservers can be found on google, but they are
• 216.239.32.21
• 216.239.34.21
• 216.239.36.21
• 216.239.38.21
• Wait up to another 48 hours for this change to take effect. Your site may be down or not found during this time. I know that is a scarry thing, but you'll live.

I was kind of a hassle to go through this, but I feel it was worth it to be able to control my domain name and renew for several years too. I'm certainly not experienced in domain stuff, so if I can do it, you can too.

 

 

My Publix Trip Saved 90%, Spent $3.30

I'm not really in the groove of grocery shopping and couponing after our trip out of town, but did a partial salad shop today. You'll notice I didn't get any BOGO Publix sale items since the coupons just aren't that great these days. I might buy some feta cheese later this weekend, but I really wanted the Purina One dog food in the large 31 lb bags and my closest store doesn't carry that size. So, I did get some free filler stuff to get my order up to $30 to use a Winn Dixie coupon. I paid $3.30 including tax on all those personal care items, so I saved $35.67 (90%).

 

The Most Un-Frugal Behavior: Procrastination

 

Waiting in a long line because you didn't anticipate the large crowd is one thing, but procrastinating purchases is another. If you are unaware that your stockpile is getting low on dog food, or toilet paper - it will cost you more money to get the products you need. If you are planning an overseas trip and need a special cell phone or plan to be able to use your phone in Europe; procrastinating will cost you inconvenience and possibly more money for your International minutes. If you need new glasses before that trip and don't plan your new eye exam and ordering inexpensive glasses online; you'll pay hundreds of dollars more for a pair of eye glasses at the local eye glass store.

All these are examples of how procrastinating can cost you money. It's a smart and frugal behavior to anticipate your needs for replacing or acquiring a product. This way you can watch for a sale, visit online sites and set up alerts for sales, and watch for coupons at vendors you may use.

As for your stockpile inventory at home, never take the last of an item from your shelves without putting that item on your next shopping list. I actually have a threshold level of some things like paper towels (like 10 left) where I'll add it to my grocery tracker app and start looking for deals. Remember, some sales cycles are 12 weeks long, and if an item was just on sale it might not be again for a few months.

Now, I've got to check my stockpile...

10 Frugal Travel Tips

Deep Fried Cheese Curds

 

We just got back from our annual travel odessey Up North to visit our families and friends. We drove our rental car over 800 miles in ten days and maximized the trip. Between the family get togethers, concerts, State Fair, racing events and time with grandchildren and friends, it was a whirlwind tour. Of course we tried to do it in the most frugal way possible, so here a few tips I would like to share from our travel experience.

1. In the airport and airplane - we packed some granola bars, beef jerky, Diamond almonds and some candy for snacking on the plane and throughout the trip. We also brought along some Starbucks gift cards so we could enjoy a free coffee drink at the airport. Our home airport has free wi-fi so we could have internet while we waited for our plane.

2. Wi-fi - rather than be without Internet on our trip, I opted to pay Sprint a $1 a day to make my smartphone a wifi hotspot for the ten days of our trip. Our relatives who hosted us don't have internet so it was necessary. I also switched domain name registrars this month from Blogger to Godaddy and the switch happened to occur during our trip so I had to have internet to change nameservers. My site was down for a couple days, but I'm glad to say Google doesn't have control over my domain anymore.

3. Pack your favorite foods from your stockpile - Whenever we visit family we have to do our grocery shopping in different stores with different coupon policies. To avoid the frustration of having to pay full price for coffee or peanut butter, we pack it from our stockpile at home. I like to pack a few of the higher priced items that we know we want like coffee, peanut butter, beef jerky, and unique recipe ingredients.

4. Bring hostess gifts from your stockpile - I like to provide personal care items like razors, cleansing wipes, and cosmetics; gift cards, chocolates and candy as hostess gifts for our hosts where we stay. It's always nice to leave a thank you card too with some cash to show your appreciation.

5. Research your rental car discounts - Since we are state employees we can use the Avis rental car state code and get a great deal on rental cars. We paid $19 a day for a new 2014 Toyota Camry, plus taxes. If you don't have a corporate code from your employer, you can find these codes on Slickdeals.net by searching the forums for "rental car discounts".

6. Rent the cheapest car  - This has never failed us. We rent the subcompact car and when we get to the rental car counter, undoubtedly there are no subcompact cars available so they upgrade the car at no additional charge. Or if they give you a crappy car like a Kia, just say you can't safely see over the hood and want a different car. This works consistently at smaller airports like the ones Southwest Air flys to.

7. Pack Smart - This means pack light. If you can fit your clothes into a carry on bag, you can avoid airline baggage fees. Or you could just fly Southwest where up to 2 bags fly free. But it still makes sense to pack less and just do laundry once on your vacation. Bring your own detergent too. Plan your wardrobe colors to match so each item can be worn more than once. Borrow heavy sweaters and cold weather jackets from your host if the weather turns cold a couple times.

8. Use Local Coupons - Ask your friends and family to buy advance tickets to events if they are significantly cheaper, like the State Fair. Tell them to watch out for coupons for amusement parks and other activities you might be doing with them. Check the internet to find out the deals before hand and if you direct your friends to the deals they might even join you.

9. Bring or Borrow a Cooler - We always pack a small cooler for our trips Up North. It's nice to have water and soda available in your travels, plus if you have food that needs to refrigerated like party dip, beer or restaurant leftovers you can safely carry it around between events.  Use your hosts icemaker ice if you can, but don't be too cheap to buy a bag of ice if you need it. Stay hydrated.

10. Keep Couponing - Ask your hosts for their coupon inserts if you know they don't use them. If you're in a hotel on a Sunday morning, go through the free newspapers in the lobby to get inserts, or if you're stopping at Starbucks theres probably a newspaper there too with inserts.

It's important to remember that you are on vacation, and to take that splurge if you really want. These trips are to make memories and you don't want to have regrets that you were too frugal to spend some money for a wonderful experience.

My Publix Trip $1.06

This week at the grocery store the special is cheap Body Wash. I don't have a picture this time but this is what I got.

8 Dial body wash BOGO $3.95

(4) $2/2 body wash mq 8/4 rp + (1) $5 off $15 pq green adv flyer

2.84

4 Sundown vitamin A $3.29

(4) $1/1 mq 8/4 rp + (1) $5/2 pq green adv flyer

$-0.84 MM

4 Brawny paper towels BOGO $1.98

(4) $0.55/1 mq 8-11 rp

$1.56

2 Tena pads $5.19

(2) $5/1 mq insert

$0.38

$5/30 Winn Dixie store coupon

Total spent $1.06