The first time I heard the word BOGO, I thought it might be some kind of new dance. No kidding! It was actually some time before I found out what it meant. Since then, I scan the weekly sales flyers to see what’s BOGO for that week. And to make my savings really rack up, I try to have a coupon for those items as well.
Now, I don’t know about you, but until recently I’ve only used one coupon per BOGO purchase. Then one day I began thinking—could I use two coupons and really maximize my savings—one coupon for the item I was actually paying for and the other for the one I was getting for free? I wondered—how will the register compute this sale? Will it scan without incident or start flashing “DENIED!, DENIED!, DENIED!” for everyone to see? Will the cashier give me a disapproving, scolding glare while explaining that two coupons with a BOGO is not permitted? Will the coupon brigade come storming from the isles and toss me from the establishment? What will happen???
The day came when I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and risk public embarrassment. I put my order on the belt and watched as the cashier scanned each item. Then came the moment of truth. I handed her my stack of coupons and watched nervously as she scanned each one. Then, like music to my ears, I heard her say, “your total is $42.33, you saved $46.54. Paper or plastic?”
Talk about kicking it up a notch! I was dancin’ the BOGO out the door and to my car with a load of groceries for less than half the price! Another successful shopping experience!
Some time ago, I heard about a tool that could cut your seat belt and break your car window in an emergency situation, allowing you to quickly escape the vehicle. I thought it was a great idea—especially since I have a bridge phobia and Florida is surrounded on three sides by water and there are thousands of bodies of water in land! Not to mention the hundreds of miles of ditches that run alongside the roads in the more rural areas. Throughout the years, I’ve heard several stories of people drowning in their cars at the bottom of these ditches only because they couldn’t break loose from their seat belt and safely get out of their car in time! Those ditches can fill up pretty fast during the rainy season.
Just recently I found one of these tools. It’s called the BodyGuard 5-In-1 Tool. It’s a keychain equipped with five tools—seatbelt cutter, window breaker, flashlight, siren, and flasher. The seatbelt cutter has a blade that is secured by a plastic housing which glows in the dark. The housing is a snug fit, but still permits the blade to be easily accessible in an emergency situation.
The siren is okay—it’s not loud enough to break any windows (that’s what the window breaker is there for.) And you have to be careful not to place your hand over the speaker, otherwise, you’ll muffle the sound. To turn the siren off, you hold down the button for three seconds. The sound is probably loud enough to startle an attacker, but I wouldn’t count on anyone hearing it from the bottom of a ditch.
At the other end of the device is the flash light that also doubles as a flasher. Guess that could come in handy if you don’t have electric door locks or the battery in your remote is dead. Other uses might be reading a map in a dimly lit area or locating the toilet paper roll in a dark and dingy roadside restroom. Just remember, you can never have enough flashlights-especially in Florida where we are always losing power!
Lastly, there’s the piece on the end that is suppose to break your window so you can escape the ditch before the alligator finds you (kidding-alligators really don’t like human flesh—there are better things to munch on than us.) I’m curious to know how well it works, but I’m not about to test it—so for now, I’ll take their word for it and hope I never have that need! For those who really want to know, here’s a helpful tip I read—place and press it into the corner of the window (side window, not windshield) for best results. I also read that a hammer works just as well. Okay, hold up your hands—how many of you have a hammer in your car right now?
To wrap this up, why did I really buy this cute little gadget? I bought it for the car—seatbelt and window—and for times while I’m out walking or shopping. It’s getting to be a really scary world out there. I like the flasher and siren—I probably can’t hurt myself as badly as I could with mace. Seriously, depending on the situation, I think the siren and flasher might act as a good distraction or call to attention in the course of an attack or serious fall.
Before I end, I want to mention that when I purchased one for myself I also bought one for my mother. My father was so impressed with it, that the next week I bought him one too (can you guess what my sisters are getting for Christmas!) I also went to the army surplus store and bought us each a metal whistle which I attached to each keychain. I think the BodyGuard 5-In-1 and whistle combination provides a level of safety and security that is essential today. There are no guarantees, but while walking through a store parking lot with my BodyGuard in my hand, I do feel better prepared should an incident arise.
There is more to fear with “snakes”, than gators. Be safe everyone!
One of the ways I have learned to remember my two oldest granddaughter’s birthdays is to first remember my own. My birthday falls exactly in the middle of their birthdays. I was explaining this to Raeven today on the way to pick up a card and gift for the oldest one. I told her that if my birthday fell on Friday, then Kylie’s birthday would also fall on a Friday, but exactly a week before mine. And Ashley’s birthday would fall on a Friday too, exactly one week after my birthday. Every year, I explained, our birthdays are always on the same day, just a week apart. She was very quick to respond “a week and a few years!” I just wanted to pinch her two little cheeks, shake her head from side to side and tell her how cute she is!!!
After working all day, the thought of making dinner is exhausting! Every day, the first words out of Raeven’s mouth after picking her up from either camp or after-school-care is, “What’s for dinner?” Most times, we haven’t even made it to the car before she pops the question! Déjà vu? Sounds like married life to me-LOL!
Tonight was a little different. I was ready—hotdogs! That put a smile on her face—I never get that reaction with salmon and veggies. When the hot dogs were ready, I called her into the kitchen. Suddenly, right in front of me—or rather, right in front of George—her facial features began to morph into the disapproving look I have come to recognize. It was obvious—she was not happy! She likes her dogs boiled and I like mine grilled on the George Foreman (don’t know what I’d do without George!)
She pouted and her eyes welled up with tears a bit as she told me that she wanted them boiled. “Oh well,” I explained, “the cook gets to choose how they’re made. Eat them or you don’t eat anything. Kitchen is closed!” She chose the latter, so I went ahead and enjoyed mine as anticipated. When I finished eating, I mentioned with enthusiasm, how good they were. And just when I was about to put away the two she passed up earlier, I heard, “is it too late to change my mind?”
“Nope, it’s not too late,” I replied. With that, she was back in the kitchen preparing the buns with globs of ketchup.
Later, I asked her how her hot dogs tasted. “Good,” she answered.
“You liked them?” I prodded.
“Uh huh,” she answered.
Moral to this story: When Grandma cooks, you eat what Grandma cooks!—End of Story!
Yesterday I stopped at a grocery store which I don’t frequent too often. It’s not in my neck of the woods, but it is in the same plaza as one of my favorite thrift shops. So after my thrift store excursion, I walked over to the grocery store and quickly scanned the isles for their weekly sales. They had their usual BOGO in their meat department featuring pork loin chops. I thought the price per pound was terribly inflated, but considering it was a BOGO, the price of the two packages combined came close to what I would normally be willing to pay per pound. I usually don’t like meat department BOGOs because the two packages you choose have to be within pennies of each other to make it worthwhile. I don’t do math in my head very well and I don’t carry a calculator when I shop, so it’s difficult for me to figure out what I’m actually paying per pound if there’s more than a few cents spread in the equation. However, I do have a firm understanding that since the lower priced package is the one you get for free, the greater the difference between the two, renders more money to the house and less savings to you! I think the people at the corporate offices have it pretty much figured out that a lot of us are mathematically challenged and try to use that knowledge to their advantage.
Green and red seedless grapes were on sale in the produce department too! The display was very nicely arranged with two rows each of green, red, and black seedless grapes. I like black grapes best, so I picked up a package and put it in my cart. But something was bothering me—the sale signs made no mention of the black grapes, although they were displayed alongside the green and red ones. And there was no pricing for the black grapes anywhere to be found. Was I to assume that the black grapes were on sale also? I did at first, but then thought better and asked the girl, I saw arranging another display in the produce department, what the price was for the black grapes. After acknowledging that there was no visible price available and no mention of them on the sale signs (plural!), she offered to find the answer for me. She swiftly disappeared, but returned minutes later with some unfortunate news. The price of the black grapes was almost double that of the green and red ones—they weren’t on sale! With that information in hand, I put them back on the display and choose a bag of red grapes in their place! Hmmmmmm, makes you wonder…
Finally I checked out and on my way to the car, I get another feeling that something just isn’t quite right. Something seems to be wrong with the receipt. I quickly calculated (ball parked in my head) the total price of the items I purchased and realized I had been overcharged by almost five dollars! I walked back into the store and showed the receipt to the girl at the courtesy counter. She pointed to the two packages of meat on the receipt—it wasn’t BOGO as I had thought. I figured I must have read the sign wrong—the one in the meat case right next to the ten or more packages of pork loin chops. But still, I wasn’t willing to pay for overpriced meat—my mistake or not. So, I went back to my car, grabbed the bag of chops and bought it back to the girl at the courtesy counter for a refund. However, to our surprise, as she pulled them from the bag, the BOGO sticker was clearly visible on each package! Supposedly, it was the “meat department’s mistake.” Hmmmmmm, makes you wonder…
Remember where this all began? The thrift store—where I bought a great book for ninety-nine cents—clearly marked! Hmmmmmm, makes you wonder…
Pay day’s here and it’s time to go food shopping (one task I absolutely dread!) So, you’ve devoured the weekly sales ads, rummaged through the coupons you’ve cut from the magazines lying around the break room at work, and maybe even surfed the Internet for coupon sites. What! You didn’t clip that “$5 Off $50 Purchase” coupon just because you don’t shop at that store? Stop! Not another step towards the door until you grab your scissors and clip that coupon!
Most stores will accept their competitor’s coupon. There have been plenty times I have used a competitor’s $5 or 40% off coupon in another store other than the one offering the discount. Retailers know that even if you’re just making a “quick stop” for a loaf of bread, chances are you’ll end up pushing a cart to your car! So, do you think they want to lose your business over five bucks? Absolutely not! That’s why they’ll gladly take the “other guy’s” coupon from your hands to their till.
This not only applies to grocery stores. I’ve used competitor coupons when shopping at arts and craft, home repair, home décor, and office supply stores. It’s been my experience, this is an accepted practice in retail, but if you’re unsure, ask! I do. Only once, I was told that the store had stopped accepting other stores’ coupons. However, in the next breath, the manager offered me their ten dollar coupon to use instead! Surprise! I didn’t see that one coming!
So next time, clip that coupon! Hold onto it until the expiration date passes. You never know when you may need to “run in” for a gallon of milk–dozen eggs, half gallon of ice cream, bag of cookies, box of cereal, roll of paper towels, can of coffee…
In my world, a car is not a status symbol. It is a financial drain that is someday going to end up in the junk yard either to be crushed into a cube or dissected for its parts. Its main purpose is transportation back and forth to work, the grocery store, and an occasional side trip. It is a money pit that consumes endless dollars for car payments, gas, insurance, maintenance, and repairs! If it were sweet and I could eat it, maybe I’d feel better about having one! But as it is, it’s just one of life’s necessary evils!
For reasons mentioned above, I hang onto my cars for as long as possible. I drove my Chevy Chevette for eleven years and two hundred and thirteen thousand miles before we parted! What a great car which often doubled as my “little truck!” What I couldn’t stuff in it, got carried on the roof. It wasn’t until the air conditioning went, that I finally decided it was time to look for her replacement. Her heart was still pumping, but the rest of her was tired and worn.
My current car is now nearing the end of the road too. I’ve maintained her as I did all those who came before her—regular oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations, etc. Recently, her rear view mirror fell off the windshield as I was backing out of my driveway. The piece that broke was mounted to the back of the mirror. It’s designed to slide into its “other half” which is mounted on the windshield. Together they unite to hold the mirror snugly in place.
I called the dealership thinking it was going to be a simple fix. After all, how much could a little piece of plastic cost? How about seventy-nine dollars plus tax! I was told that I couldn’t buy just the piece I needed, I would have to buy the entire assembly. No way! I wasn’t going to pay for more than what I needed! I called several auto part stores and explained my dilemma. Unfortunately, they all referred me back to the dealership. So, that little tiny piece of plastic, about one fourth the size of my pinky nail, sent me on a mission in a direction unknown to even me—the salvage yard’s graveyard!
When I got there, the gentleman at the counter told me that there were only two vehicles that matched the make and model I needed and they would be somewhere in the first three rows. They shouldn’t be too difficult to find, I thought. Wrong again! There were all makes and models of mangled vehicles! Some were missing doors, wheels, and radiators, while others were missing hoods, bumpers, and windshields. Worse, it had been raining for several days so the ground was muddy and slippery.
I searched for some time, praying all the while that I would be able to reach the car once I spotted it. Many of the cars were up to their door frames in water! Finally, I found one of the two and it still had its windshield with mirror in tact! I sat down in the seat and struggled to remove the mirror. But no matter how hard I tried to pry it loose, I was unsuccessful. Frustrated and empty handed, I walked all the way back to the office with hopes of finding someone to help me. I had come all this way—I was not going home empty handed!
Normally, the yard charged twenty-five dollars for any part they pulled for a customer. However, after explaining all that I had gone through trying to remove the mirror, the man sent one of his guys to fetch it for me—no charge! Five minutes later, the gentleman handed me the mirror and I handed him my ten bucks!
So, the next time you need a part for your car, don’t be held hostage to the dealership’s parts department—look up your local salvage yard. They’re not pretty, but they can save you a lot of money—money that can be spent on car payments, gas, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and car parts!
Saturday, March 13, 2010—the first good day of weather we’ve had in quite a while (months to be more precise!) Perfect for hitting the road in search of bargains—which also does double duty as my form of entertainment! It was early morning, so the streets were nearly empty, except for other treasure hunters in search of their own “pot of gold”. The two venues I enjoy most are church rummage and community yard sales. I used to love to go yard sale hopping, but in today’s economy with gas prices as high as they are, I’ve learned to take a more direct path. Plus, community sales give me the added benefit of burning calories as I walk from house to house.
My first stop was a church rummage sale about three miles from my home. I drive by the church every night on my way home from work and spotted the sign earlier in the week. Every night as I passed the sign, I knew the time was getting closer and I would be on a mission to secure the goods! And did I ever! I spent a whopping three dollars. I bet by now you’re wondering what I got with my three bucks, right? Well, first let me tell you that the deal was “everything you could fit in a bag for a buck.” A buck!!! WhoooHooo, was I excited! I walked away with one bag filled with candles of all sizes, shapes and fragrances, one bag strategically stuffed with frames, a couple of books, a beautiful black leather handbag, and a shirt for my granddaughter. And sitting on top of one of the bags, I managed to steady a huge, yellow rubber duck sporting his cute little rain hat! Finally, I snatched up two large, ugly pictures. And although they wouldn’t fit in a bag, they gratefully accepted my dollar.
I’m sure you’re now wondering “what is she going to do with a bagful of candles, frames, a rubber duck, and two ugly pictures???” Well, if you live in Florida then you know all about hurricanes and power outages. Candles can be quite expensive! There wasn’t a single candle in the bunch that I could have purchased at retail for what I paid for the entire bag! So, now I’m set for just about any occasion—a birthday and yes, there were several boxes of birthday candles too, a hurricane, and if I get really lucky—maybe even a romantic rendezvous!
Professionally matting and framing photos or artwork can be expensive. So when I see frames that can be given new life and made to match my décor or given as a gift, I buy them! I have taken many a gold metal frame, scuffed it up and spray painted it black to give it a more modern feel. Several years ago, I bought a mat cutter at a local art shop and learned how to cut my own mats. That purchase has paid for itself over and over again throughout the years. It’s amazing how matting can change the look of a photo or artwork. With a mat, you can make a bland or even ugly picture or piece of art look beautiful. And at the same time, you can take a wonderful piece of art and ruin it without the proper matting. Hence, the method behind my madness of purchasing all those frames, including the two with the “not so pretty” pictures. So when you come across a picture that you don’t find quite appealing, imagine what else could go in that frame!
I did stop at one yard sale since it was on my route towards home. Another treasure trove! I bought a few new—never used canvasses and several good quality paint brushes, two even larger frames with pictures I actually do like, and a terrific camera bag in pristine condition for a total of six dollars! The camera bag alone retails for $39.99 plus tax!
Are you wondering yet whatever became of the big, yellow rubber ducky? I gave it to a friend as a joke—big boys still love their toys! And after we smiled and shared a few laughs, my friend decided to send it north to be with its new owner—one lucky little boy who will spend lots of tub time watching it bob up and down in the water as they become best buds!
Just recently I found one of these tools. It’s called the BodyGuard 5-In-1 Tool. It’s a keychain equipped with five tools—seatbelt cutter, window breaker, flashlight, siren, and flasher. The seatbelt cutter has a blade that is secured by a plastic housing which glows in the dark. The housing is a snug fit, but still permits the blade to be easily accessible in an emergency situation.
