Kroger offers cash back again this week

By Jill Kelley | Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 09:53 AM

This week, Feb. 8-14, there is another great promotion at Kroger, according to our expert deal/coupon spotter Andrea Deckard of Mommy Snacks.

“Buy 10 participating items, receive $3 off instantly at checkout,” Deckard said. “And remember, with these promotions you can mix and match to ensure you get exactly what you need!”

Kroger had a similar deal last month, offering $5 back when you bought 10 items.

This week’s deal nets you a little less, but still tops area grocery store deals.

Here are some of the best deals at area stores this week. The Kroger promotion goes through Sunday, but the others end Saturday.

For more from an individual store, click on the store name.

CVS

Great Gillette Body Wash Extra Care Bucks Deal

FREE Nabisco Crackers

Check out the scenarios in my post to purchase $33 in products for just $7 if you followed the deals from last week! Plus, you will also have $12 in ECB’s to use next time too!

Walgreens

$1.25 Money-Maker after Register Rewards on Dove Men+Care

Great Kotex RR deal this week too! Personal hygiene items are always so expensive, and this is a great deal!

$1 Theraflu after RR

Aldi

$.99 Cantaloupe

$.99 Apples 3 lb Bag

$.99 Pears

Meijer

FREE Johnsonville Sausage with printable coupon and catalina

$.88/pound Grapes

Continue reading "Kroger offers cash back again this week"...

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment More: Andrea's best deals, Savings

Free Grand Slams at Denny’s today

By Jill Kelley | Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 05:22 AM

As advertised during the Super Bowl and on this blog a couple weeks ago, Denny’s is bringing back its free Grand Slam day … and that day is today, Feb. 9.

From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, the restaurant is offering a free Grand Slam, which includes two eggs, two pieces of bacon, two sausage links and two pancakes.

The offer is one per customer.

And, according to the Dayton Denny’s employee I spoke with, “The deal includes the Junior Grand Slams for the little ones, too.”

The local Denny’s is participating in this promotion, and is located at 1136 S. Main St. in Dayton near Miami Valley Hospital. The phone number is (937) 228-2716.

Also of note is that Denny’s has brought back its free Grand Slam on your birthday promotion. You have to show ID to get that deal.

Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment More: Free stuff, Restaurant deals

Some tips on whether to fix or replace

By Jill Kelley | Monday, February 8, 2010, 02:37 PM

Last summer, I did a story offering guidelines as to whether it would be more financially advantageous to repair or replace an appliance.

On that same theme, the Go Frugal Blog recently offered its tips on whether to fix or abandon products and projects in general.

And, in our snug economic times, the reminders can help you save cash.

Here are a few of the site’s general but helpful suggestions:

The 50-percent Rule: Conventional wisdom holds it’s worth repairing a product if parts and labor cost 50 percent or less than the original price you paid. Also, figure in the actual replacement cost, particularly on such major items as cars, electronics, appliances and furniture.

Life Expectancy: ConsumerReports.com is one that offers a series of year-by-year timeline recommendations based on costs for replacement and repairs for a variety of products.

Plug It In: Before you call a repair person, clean out air filters, check plugs, replace worn-out belts and make sure it’s plugged in and electricity is flowing to that outlet.

See the Go Frugal site for the complete roundup.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment More: Helpful information, Savings

Miamisburg mom saves $3K with coupons

By Jill Kelley | Monday, February 8, 2010, 01:40 PM

If you don’t clip coupons because you don’t think it is worth your time, there is a local woman who might just change your mind.

Michelle Reed of Miamisburg saved more than $3,000 in coupons last year alone, and only spent about an hour a week clipping coupons.

“You know how Kroger has at the bottom of their receipts how much you saved overall? That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking strictly coupons,” she said.

Reed is a married mother of two boys, ages 13 and 18. She said she started couponing so she could afford to be a stay-at-home-mom.

“It’s my way of contributing to the family income,” she said.

How she does it

Reed said she gets 90 percent of her coupons from the Sunday newspaper. She also uses KuntryKlippers.com out of Centerville, which allows you to buy coupons, and some other online sources.

Continue reading "Miamisburg mom saves $3K with coupons"...

Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment More: Consumer interest, Helpful information, Savings

Buy 60 tokens, get 40 free at Chuck E. Cheese

By Jill Kelley | Monday, February 8, 2010, 09:22 AM

DealNews highlighted a good deal for any parents heading to Chuck E. Cheese in this snowy weather.

The deal offers coupons for the restaurant/play land that include pizza, soda, and mounds of free tokens.

Those coupons expire March 3.

I also found some coupons on the Chuck E. Cheese site specific to the local restaurant in Miamisburg, by the Dayton Mall. Those coupons expire March 10.

Also, if your family frequents Chuck E. Cheese, you can sign up to get monthly coupons on the restaurant’s Web site.

Also, according to a blogger on CincySavers.com, Chuck also is offering valentines to print out that are each worth five free tokens each.

The local Chuck E. Cheese is at 30 Prestige Place, Miamisburg. For info, call (937) 439-2364.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment More: Free stuff, Restaurant deals, Savings

What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?

By Jill Kelley | Monday, February 8, 2010, 09:03 AM

USA Today has videos of Super Bowl commercials aired during Sunday’s game and is ranking them per viewer adoration.

The Betty White Snickers ad is tops as of 9 a.m. this morning, Feb. 8.

My favorites were the chickens screaming in the Denny’s commercial, the Doritos guy who buried himself in chips, the Google life story and the always amusing E-trade babies.

The CareerBuilder ad with everyone in underwear for casual Fridays also was funny, but it was strange that it was followed by another underpants ad from Dockers.

For its two cents, CNN talked about the fact that the much-hyped Tim Tebow pro-life ad managed to avoid controversy in its subtlety.

The news organization also lauded the ad from Anheuser-Busch, reportedly the top advertiser in the game with five minutes of ad time, that parodied “Lost.”

In other Super Bowl-related news, Wallet Pop noted today that the championship merchandise that would have been worn by the Colts and their fans is now headed to Haiti.

“Last year, Arizona Cardinals gear went to El Salvador, and before that, New England Patriots T-shirts emblazoned with “19-0” (whoops!) were sent to Nicaragua.”

The merchandise is reportedly worth $2 million.

Permalink | Comments (21) | Post your comment More: Of general interest

Is now a good time to refinance your home?

By Jill Kelley | Sunday, February 7, 2010, 07:19 AM

Charles and Nancy Henson of Centerville refinanced their home mortgage last year, and Charles Henson said it was not a difficult decision.

“The rates had dropped, and we wanted to do something a little more secure,” he said.

“Our previous rate was 5.625 (percent). When the rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped below 5 percent, I thought we should go for it. We ended up locking it in at 4.875 (percent).”

Low mortgage rates have made news in these recessionary times, spurring many to consider the cost benefits of refinancing their homes.

Refinancing is basically replacing one loan with another, but, depending on the new loan’s terms, it can save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.

If you are wondering whether this move could be a good deal for you and your family, here are some tips from a couple local experts to help guide your decision.

Factors to consider

Every refinance is unique, due to the many factors involved in each case: your loan, your credit, your home’s equity, the interest rate, the costs of the refinance, etc.

Here are some things to consider:

Interest rate. “If you can save half a point or more on your interest rate, that can be a good indicator to refinance,” said Kay Sandusky, senior vice president of the Citizens National Bank of Southwestern Ohio.

Sandusky said on Wednesday, Feb. 3, the rates at Citizens National were 4.625 percent for a 15-year loan and 5.25 percent for a 30-year fixed loan.

At Union Savings Bank, the rates were 4.5 for a 15-year loan and 5.25 for a 30-year loan.

The rates change daily.

Continue reading "Is now a good time to refinance your home?"...

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment More: Consumer interest, Helpful information, Savings, Sunday columns