Frugal Fritzie

Where Saving Money is Making Money!


Couponing for Community 2012: Make an Impact!

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Couponing for Community is an effort by couponers around the country to make a united impact. I know a lot of us find ways to give on a regular basis, but with this fun event, one week is set aside each year to ‘flex our couponing muscles’ for GOOD and show the impact we can have when we work together. You are invited to join this community by using your couponing skills to donate to local charities during the week of May 6-May 12. National Stamp out the Hunger Day is also on 5/12 this year, where you can simply leave your donations for the mailman to pick up that day! Head on over to Couponing for Community’s Facebook page to keep up with the details and track the progress of this upcoming event and get to know those that will be participating. And if you have any questions, you can contact Kaley at Cha Ching on a Shoestring who has created and organized this awesome event!

Harps Grand Opening in Joplin, My Deals and Experience

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So, as some of you may know, a  new grocery store Harps opened up this week in the Joplin area (25685 Fir Road, Joplin, MO, The Village at Airport Drive). We’ve always needed more grocery stores in this area, but since the tornado with the loss of so many businesses, we’ve needed more options now more than ever.  Needless to say, Harp’s Grand Opening created a lot of excitement in the area. I drove up to the store about an hour and a half after they had opened and the parking lot was completely full. And not just full, but cars were parked in the grass and anywhere else they could possibly park!

When I walked in the store, I immediately noticed how bright and open it appeared. I really liked the lay out of the store, everything was pretty easy to find and the store had a very welcoming feel to it. And when I couldn’t find something, there was plenty of staff around to help me find it. There’s nothing more frustrating than wandering around aimlessly looking for one item and then not being able to track down someone to ask for help finding it.

I also liked that they had sale items clearly tagged with a bright pink color, so it made the sales items easier to spot.

Anyway, I didn’t really go to the Grand Opening to shop much, but I did pick up a few things while I was there (naturally!). And I didn’t even have to wait in line to checkout, it was fast and painless which is always a plus.  Here’s what I picked up:

  • Tyson Whole Chicken – $0.69 lb., They were already sold out of these, but they had a man standing in the meat section handing out Rain Checks to anyone that wanted one which made it easy.
  • 5 Dt Mtn Dew (2 liter) – $0.88 ea., I don’t indulge my diet mtn. dew habit very often, but boy, is it fun while it lasts. 😉
  • Vidalia Onions (approx. 5 1/b lbs.) – $0.59 lb., $3.37 total, Used $0.50/1 coupon (doubled), I’m making a French Onion Soup today in my crock pot, yum! 🙂
  • 6 Van Camp’s Pork n Beans – $0.39 ea.
  • Mezzetta Pepperoncini Peppers (16 oz.) – $1.00
  • Hiland Sour Cream & French Onion Dip (16 oz.) – $0.98 ea., Used $0.50/2 Hiland Sour Cream or Dip, any 16-oz 1/22 SS insert (doubled)
  • Pads – $2.75
  • Final Cost $14.30

Headed to Harps? Don’t forget to check out my Weekly Deals Post with coupon matchups, the latest ad is good through 4/24.

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post, I was not paid in any way to write this. I do not work for Harps, nor do I know anybody that works at Harps. I wrote this post simply because I was excited to have a new grocery store in the Joplin area and wanted to share my experience with others! 

Free Recycling Event in Joplin: Drop off Tires, Electronics, etc. Friday and Saturday

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In observance of Earth Day, Joplin Residents can drop off the following items at The Joplin Recycling Center at 1310 W. A. St. for disposal on Friday and Saturday 4/20-4/21/12 from 9:00am to 3:00pm each day:

  • Tires (10 per household)
  • TV Sets and Monitors (10 per household)
  • Various Electronic, Computer, Stereo Equipment Items (Photocopiers, telephones cords and wires excluded)
  • Appliances (Refrigerators, Freezers, Air Conditioners, etc.)

And for a complete list of items regularly accepted at the Joplin Recycling Center, their normal hours of operation, who to contact and other resources, go HERE.

Operation Backyard Recovery: Free Trees in Joplin on Saturday 9am-Noon

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The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center program Operation Backyard Recovery kicks off this Saturday 4/21/12 and thousands of free trees will be distributed. The event runs from 9:00am to Noon at the following locations:
In Joplin

  • Cunningham Park
  • Parr Hill Park
  • 2608 S. Main

In Duquesne

  • City Hall

This initiative was started to help reconstruct Joplin. Along with the Free Native Tree Seedlings, Native Shrubs, Wildflower Seed and Birdhouses will also be distributed to those impacted by the tornado. See here for more details.

I live in South Joplin and when the tornado hit, it basically took away everything I was familiar with. It took away my neighborhood, it took away lives and it took away people’s homes along with the trees and plants, leaving scarred skeletons that used to be trees and barren land for miles around. So, to have events like this means more than words can ever express. Thank you Nature Center, the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri and all the people involved to bring this amazing recovery effort together.

Harps Deals 4/18-4/24 Preview (Joplin)

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Harps will be opening tomorrow in Joplin area at 10:00 am 4/18/12, so I will be adding this store to my weekly coupon matchups.

I contacted Harps and they said they should have the Joplin area store added to their website by tomorrow and they should also be set up to accept Digital Coupons later in the week as well, nice! Also, I contacted the Joplin store directly and they said they will be doubling coupons up to and including $0.50. Their phone number is 417-621-0363.

The Joplin Globe had a 1 page ad in the paper today for Harps, I’m not sure if these are Grand Opening Specials or if these deals apply to other Harps locations, so if you have a Harps in your area besides Joplin, check your local ad, thanks! All deals in the ad are noted below, I should have a full matchup post up tomorrow.

MEAT/POULTRY

Tyson Grade A Fresh Whole Fryers – $0.69 lb. Limit 4

Farmland Boston Pork Butt Roast – $1.68 lb.

PRODUCE

Sweet “New Crop” Onions Vidalia Onions – $0.59 lb.
Buy 5 lbs., Use $0.50/1 coupon $0.50 off five pounds minimum of loose or bagged Vidalia Onions (doubles, limit 2 on doubling)
Final Cost $1.95 for 5 lbs.

Red Ripe California Strawberries (1 lb. container) – $1.00

BEVERAGE

Pepsi, Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper (2 liter) – $0.88 Limit 5
Use $0.55/1 Pepsi Diet 2-Liter, any 3/18 SS insert
Final Cost $0.33

FROZEN FOOD

Banquet Dinners (5-10.5 oz.) – $0.88

Blue Bell Ice Cream (Half Gallon) – $3.88
Use $1.00/1 coupon from Blue Bell’s site-The easiest way to access this I think is to first log in here then go back HERE to print the coupon
Final Cost $2.88

SNACKS/BAKING

Lay’s Chips, Family Size (13-22 oz.) – $2.99

CANNED/CONDIMENTS/PASTA

Hunt’s Squeeze Ketchup (24 oz.) – $0.88

Harps Grocery Store Opening in the Joplin area 4/18

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Good news! Harps will be opening in the Joplin area this week, on 4/18/12. Their address is 25685 Fir Road, Joplin, MO (The Village at Airport Drive). They haven’t added the Joplin location to their website yet, but I would think they’ll be doing that very soon. You can view their coupon policy here. I’m hoping I’ll have time to stop in Harps on Wednesday and check it out for myself to see what deals they might have.  It’s great another grocery store will be available to the Joplin area, as we definitely need all the options we can get. And hopefully even more options will be available within the next few years. I don’t know about you, but I would LOVE to see a Hyvee open up a store here and I look forward on hearing any news when and where Dillons will be rebuilding.  I have contacted them several times since the tornado, but no new updates as of yet, simply that they will be coming back at some point in the future.

“Meet Your Refreshed Target” in Joplin, MO

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So, I just wanted to mention that our Target here in Joplin has been updating its store the last couple of months to include Fresh Grocery products such as Fresh Produce, yay! And that is such great news, because we definitely need all the grocery shopping options we can get. And apparently Springfield has been undergoing the same transformation, so yay for Springfield too! 🙂 Our Joplin Target has had a big part of the grocery portion of the store blocked off so they could get it ready and the selection has been pretty sparse (and don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, totally expected when a store is undergoing a transformation as big as this), so I am VERY excited to see the finished results.

And a head’s up! I got my mail earlier today and I got a flyer from Target saying “Meet Your Refreshed Target, It’s Fresh, It’s Ready Sunday, March 25” and to get a preview of the store, to go to Target’s site and check it out. And here’s the fun part, the flyer had a peelie coupon attached for a FREE Loaf of Market Pantry Sandwich Bread. No purchase necessary, good 3/25-4/2/12, maximum value $2.99. So, Joplin residents, keep your eye out for this flyer in your mailbox for your free loaf of bread. 🙂

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Joplin, MO Airs Tonight 7:00pm Cst (Series Finale)

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Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Joplin, MO episode airs tonight 1/13/2012 from 7:00-9:00pm Central. Sadly, as it turns out, this will also be EMHE’s  Series Finale, so the Joplin episode ends up being the final episode. At least EMHE will be back for an occasional holiday episode, so that will be something to look forward too. While I am very sad to see such an excellent & inspirational program end, I am so proud that the Joplin episode gets to be the Final Episode. EMHE came to Joplin with an astounding commitment to build 7 Homes in 7 Days and they did it, thanks to their incredible sponsors &  to all the many volunteers who came from all over the world to help! I was blessed to be able to volunteer myself and am so grateful I got to participate in this amazing experience in helping build these homes for the families that lost so much in the May 2011 Tornado.

I also got to be there on the day of “The Big Reveal” which was so very exciting, it was especially awesome  seeing the looks on the families’ faces when they got to see their new homes for the first time. Unfortunately, my camera died that day, so I didn’t get too many pictures taken, but I was able to snap this fun one of Paul DiMeo (he was so nice to everyone, especially the kiddos).

Also, John & I happened across their bus the first day they came into Joplin and we followed them around while they drove around Joplin (instead of “Move that Bus” it became “Follow that Bus”). 😉 They eventually stopped at the Fema housing village that had been set-up for the tornado victims where they stopped & surprised one family with the news that they would be getting a new home.

I know it will be such an incredible episode tonight, so don’t miss it! It’s hard for me to describe in words what it means to us here in Joplin for everything that EMHE & many others have done. It provided a lot of hope that things could indeed get better. I cannot explain what it’s like to drive through a town everyday that is no longer there, so when new homes are built, when the damaged & scarred homes are repaired and when businesses come back, they are all very meaningful signs of hope for us. ♥