Are you taking advantage of your Fuel AdvantEdge?

If you aren't using the Fuel AdvantEdge Discount from Price Chopper you are just throwing money out the door.  I recently just started using the Fuel AdvantEdge Discount and I was surprised how easy it was to get $.30 off a gallon of gas.  I should have been using it a long time ago but I didn't want to take the time to learn how it worked.  When I heard a friend say she saved $.30 off a gallon of gas from using her Price Chopper card I finally wanted to learn more.

Here is how it works:

For every $50 you spend at Price Chopper, you'll earn $.10 off per gallon Fuel AdvantEdge Discount.

You discounts add up with every visit.  Every time you reach a $50 spending level at any participating Price Chopper using your AdvantEdge card, you earn $.10 off every gallon of gas on your next fill-up at participating Sunoco Stations.  There is no limit to the discounts you can earn!

Price Chopper tracks your savings.  There are no coupons to clip or receipts to save.  You can pay with cash or with any credit card accepted at the pump.  To redeem your discount, all you need is your AdvantEdge card. 

You don't need to spend $50 all at once.  Just look at the bottom of your receipt each time you shop for your current total, the discount you earned for your shopping trip, and the date before which any soon-to-expire discounts should be used.

Once you are ready to redeem, just use your AdvantEdge card at the pump and watch the prices roll back before your eyes!  Your savings are good for a single fill-up of up to 20 gallons at any participating Sunoco.

It is very easy to use.  If you are paying with cash, you have to take your AdvantEdge card into the store before you pump and they will enter the discount for you.

If you are a Price Chopper shopper make sure you use the Fuel AdvantEdge and save money on your next fuel purchase.  Weis Market also offers fuel discounts.  Don't let the discounts expire.  Use them before your loose them!

If you don't have a AdvantEdge card, you may want to think about getting one.

Katie

Got to love Half Off Deals!

Today I got 10 McDonald's Medium size Extra Value Meal certificates (a value of $50) for $25. Now that's a deal. I eat a McDonald's at least 3 times in a week. You can take advantage of the deal too while supplies last at HalfOffDeals.com. The certificates are only valid at the Endicott, Endwell, Vestal, JC, Owego and Apalachin McDonalds. Sign up for the deal alerts and be the first to find out about Half Off Deals in your area.  Click here to go to their website.

Stop wondering what your credit report looks like...

Get your FREE credit report now!  You are entitled to one FREE report per year from each of the main credit bureaus.  You can access all three - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by using annualcreditreport.com.  It took me less then 3 minutes to input my information, verify the information and print.  I am glad I got my report.  If there are items on there that shouldn't be, you can dispute them.  If you ever need to know what all your old addresses are, they list them on the credit report.

Click here to go to the website.

Turn your garbage into gift containers!

Save money on gift containers by recycling your household garbage.  If you love to bake and give your baked goods to family and friends as gifts, then you may want to recycle your garbage into a useful gift container.

Egg cartons are wonderful holders for truffles, snowballs or any small round candy or cookie.  You can use half of a carton or the whole carton.  Clean the carton and place a small cookie liner in the holes before you put the cookies in.  Wrap the carton with clear plastic wrap, a festive ribbon and tag and they will love it!

What about the plastic container your deli meat comes in?  They are great for candies or cookies of all shapes and sizes.  Clean it, fill it and wrap it with a festive ribbon and tag and you will have another great gift container.

Don't forget those plastic cookie containers you get Oreo's or Keebler cookies in.  They are great for holding delicate christmas cookies.  Place the container in a small gift basket bag with a ribbon and tag and they will be amazed by your creativity.

Do you have a holiday table cloth you won't use any more because there is a big stain on it.  Don't throw it out yet.  Cut the material that isn't stained into large squares and use the material to wrap a loaf of bread you just bake.  Wrap the bread in saran wrap first then in the material.  Finish it off with ribbon and a bow and you have a nice wrapped gift.  Perfect for hostess gifts!

Make the most out of your recycleables.  Stock up now for your holiday baking.

I hope you can use one of these tips to save money on gift giving containers.

Katie

Save 50% OFF!

Thrifty Shopper is holding its Customer Appreciation Sale this Saturday, October 15th.  Save 50% OFF Storewide at all locations.  Doors open at 9 am.

Take advantage of the savings!

Katie

Gardening with Mr. C. - Save money with DIY Gardening

A reader responded to our survey (see archive 09/18 - 09/25 comments) asking how to eliminate mushrooms growing in her lawn . Since I have been fighting the same problem, I gleaned the following information from an informative website. I discovered that mushrooms and toadstools (poisonous mushrooms) are the visable and unsightly 'fruiting growths', (by which they multiply) of the microscopic fungi that are not visable but are performing the useful service of helping to break down organic matter. In lawns this is mainly dead grass, leaf litter, and dead tree roots. They thrive best in damp conditions, and we have had an abundance of rain this summer. They recommend that you remove them as they appear to prevent them from producing spores and spreading. They say they can't be dug out* but recommend dethatching and removing dead tree roots. To view the entire article, click here.

When I'm dealing with toadstools (poisonous mushrooms) or mushrooms (fungi) in my lawn, I'm not a "fun-guy" to be around. In fact, about forty years ago, one of my daughters ate one. We made it to the ER ok, indicating that it was not a really bad poisonous one, otherwise they said we would have been too late!

I have a confession - my other daughter is the person with the lawn mushroom problem. Thus, I know that her conditions there match those in the referenced website. The front lawn had a tree removed a few years ago, but the roots remain. The mushrooms grow in rows that appear to radiate from the location where the tree was. I have not explored below the surface to verify my suspicion (we just pick them off). The mushrooms in the back yard, are likely due to the wetness resulting from water run-off from the driveway and the shading by the wooden fence on the south property line.

I will experiment first on my own lawn, since I have the same problem and similar conditions. I have a particular low damp spot in my yard that is near a 5 year old tree stump.

                                                       Mushrooms and stump

The grass grows taller and greener there than the rest of the lawn. I do not use a grass catcher (I don't fertilize, so I allow the clippings to decay and feed the lawn). I rake off most of the loose grass but I had never de-thatched. Previously I didn't consider the problem to be serious. Usually I would pull up the few large ones before mowing, but a few times they got chopped and spread. Now I get many small ones. *The website I referenced above said that they can't be dug out, but I have attempted to remove them along with the sod where there were. So far none have come back in the those locations, but they do in new places in the same area. After that, I de-thatched by vigorously raking the lawn. I am also trying to keep the grass short, but the long stretch of rain has made that difficult. I cut out many of the dead roots (see below).

                                                         Removed tree roots

I chose to remove sod from my center garden path (and will be replaced with mulch over weed cloth so I won't have to mow it anymore) to fill in. For additional sod, I plan to dig some from a spot for a wildflower garden. I have various other places, but if I run out, I'll use dirt and grass seed.

                                                             Garden path

Eventually I plan to remove the stump and the rest of the roots (the mushrooms tell me where they are). I may follow up at a later time as to whether my efforts make it better, worse, or have no effect.

Does anyone else have a topic for the next tip? - Mr. C.

Get $2.00 OFF DiGiorno Pizza!

Take the DiGiorno Ditch Delivery Pledge and get a $2.00 OFF coupon for one (1) DiGiorno product.  Visit their website by clicking here.  Click on the Pledge box and make your pledge.  It is fast and easy and within seconds you will have your coupon (while supplies last).

Enjoy,

Katie

80% OFF Restaurant Gift Cards!

Restaurants.com is offering 80% off various restaurant gift cards in your area October 11-16.  Visit their website by clicking here.  Register then start saving.   I purchased a $10.00 Bobby's Place Gift Certificate for $1.00.  The terms of the gift card is that we purchase $20.00 which will be easy for us and it will only cost us a total of $11.00 (given we don't go over $20.00).  There are many restaurants listed.  If you are planning on visiting one of the restaurants in the future, you might as well save some money with Restaurants.com.

This is a legitimate site.  We have friends who use Restaurants.com gift cards all the time.

Enjoy,

Katie

Halloween fun at A.C. Moore!

A.C. Moore has a couple of fun events you won't want to miss. 

October 22nd from 1-4 pm
HALLOWEEN COSTUME EVENT

Demonstrations
-Duck Tape Costumes
-Make and Mold Candy Making
-Snazaroo Face Painting

Buy a T-Shirt and Decorate for FREE
-Buy a T-Shirt and decorate with Simply Blood

October 29nd from 1-3 pm
Halloween Costume Parade

FREE Make & Take
-Cookie Decorating

FREE Halloween Craft
-For every child in costume (while supplies last)

2 pm Kids Costume Parade
-Parade throughout store
-The most crafty costume will win a $25.00 Gift Card

Bring out the builder in your child.

Lowe's is offering new Build and Grow Clinics in October and November.  October 22nd is the Halloween Monster Truck and November 12th is the Science Lab.  The clinics are FREE to attend and a lot of fun for your children.  The first 50 kids to register and be present at the store at 10am will receive a kit, aprons and goggles.  Recommended ages for the project is Grades 1st - 5th .

 

Click here to register your child while space is still available.