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FREE Museum Ticket to participating museums
by TheresaShadrix
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Jul 10, 2011 | 1008 views |  0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink

Smithsonian Magazine is offering a FREE ticket to participating museums on Museum Day, September 24, 2011. Click here for more information.

Alabama museums include:

Thanks to DiscountQueens and SwagGrabber!

 

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I've got free Preparation H
by TheresaShadrix
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Jul 09, 2011 | 505 views |  0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink

If there is was ever a doubt that I'll do just about anything for a good deal, I think I have proof now. I should be somewhat bothered that I have been stalking CVS for Preparation H but, I'm not. Yes, I'm a troubled soul indeed.

In early June, CVS had a weekly deal and if you bought one Preparation H 10 count wipe at $3.99, you got a $4 Extra Care Buck (ECB). Plus, there was a $2 Off One printable coupon. The only problem was they were limited in stock and it seems everyone was in need of those wipes that week. So, I got a Raincheck.

Since that time, when I go into a CVS I look for the item. I started to worry about myself that I was getting depressed and wandering aimlessly around the store talking to myself about the restocking issues of Preperation H.

So, imagine my joy when tonight I went to CVS to scan my reward card at the Kiosk and I made my way around the store looking for an item and noticed there was one Preparation H 10 ct in stock. What made it even more unbelievable was that the box had a "Try Me" peelie on it. I'm seriously worried that I started smiling.

I didn't even work up an extra deal so my out of pocket would be less!

I bought 1 Preparation H (10 ct) at $3.99, using my Raincheck

used 1 $2 off one Preperation H wipes coupon.

Paid $1.99 plus tax = $2.35 out of pocket

Received $4 ECB

Submit for Try Me Free rebate for $1.99

It's a $3.65 money maker!

Now, I've got to figure out if this is the sort of thing you gift to a needy friend. :)

Got a couponing question? Email me at tshadrix@annistonstar.com. Friend Clip2Save at www.facebook.com/clip2save

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Free Finese
by TheresaShadrix
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Jul 09, 2011 | 575 views |  0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink

I made a quick run into Walgreen's to return an item and had to take a peak to see if there was anything good. I don't need shampoo, but I noticed the Finese shampoo has "Try Me" peelies (coupons that are on the product) on them.

And, Walgreens has the Finese shampoo at Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) this week.

So, I purchased 2 at $3.99 each. One was deducted from the BOGO sale.

I paid $3.99 plus tax = $4.35 out of pocket

Submit for rebate: $3.99

That's $.36 for 2 shampoo's.

So if you are headed out to Walgreens tonight, look for the Finese with the "Try Me" peelies! There were plenty at the Golden Springs Walgreens.

Note: Walgreens sales run Sat-Sun. So this will end tonight.

Got a couponing question? Email me at tshadrix@annistonstar.com. Friend Clip2Save: www.facebook.om/clip2save

 

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Avoid coupon burnout
by TheresaShadrix
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Jul 09, 2011 | 231 views |  0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink

A reader wants to know how to handle the pressure of couponing when getting started. She had a bad experience at a register, got confused and ended up leaving.

I say don't take on too much at once and don't try to do the "extreme couponing" method.

Start with just one or two transactions.  

Couponing is just one strategy in saving money. Be in it for the long haul or you will burn out.

Southernsavers.com is a great website that lists the match-ups for various stores and is a great resource. She often lists beginner transactions for couponers.

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It's Hip to Help!
by TheresaShadrix
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Jul 08, 2011 | 462 views |  0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink
If you talk to Tina Horn of Alexandria this week, chances are she will be out of breath but full of energy. Horn, along with a committee of 14 local residents, have been busy planning “Day of Healing” as part of the Hip2Help tour. Four communities were chosen as part of the charity tour that includes community service projects and donated goods for local families who lost everything in the April 27th tornado. The tour begins in Griffin, Ga. on July 3 and 4, then Lake Martin, AL. on July 5 and 6, Memphis, TN. On July 7 and ends on July 8 and 9 in Calhoun County, AL. Horn said on Friday, July 8, the community service work will focus in Webster’s Chapel and two local families, the Thornton and Keener families, will benefit from the donations and volunteer work. On July 9, the “Day of Healing” will be a time for the survivors and the community to come together. Horn has been overwhelmed with the response even though she knew she had to do something to help. After all, she survived the tornado. “My daughter and I sat in my daughter’s basement and watched the tornado cross the street.” She said it was one of the most terrifying things she’s ever experienced. Seeing the devastation to Webster’s Chapel and Ohatchee left her speechless. But when Collin Morgan, owner of the popular coupon blog, Hip2Save, asked her readers for feedback on what to do to help tornado victims, Horn found all the right words to say. “I’m always a person to take a stand on things. So, I wrote an email to her,” she said. “Susan, Collin’s mother called me one day.” Tina said that she explained that focus was going to areas like Tuscaloosa and Birmingham and places like Webster’s Chapel and Ohatchee needed help. “The tornado didn’t stop in Birmingham,” she explained. Susan called her back and told her not only did they want to add Calhoun County as one of the Hip2Help stops, but they wanted Tina to head up the efforts locally. “They wanted to do a community service project and something like a pot luck. So I got to work!” Morgan said the Hip2Help project is reader-driven and the idea came from personal emails from those affected by the tornados and flooding. “The key moment for me happened when I viewed a picture depicting hundreds of homes completely underwater from the floods,” she said. “My heart literally ached for those people. As I sat in the comfort of my own home, I realized that I needed to do something to give back.” The local volunteers selected the families to sponsor and Hip2Save put out the word for items that were needed for the families. Along with local donations, Hip2Save has received items from national sponsors. “I have received over 200 boxes of donated items and coupons, including free product coupons,” Morgan said. Morgan credits Horn for the success for the efforts in Calhoun County. But Horn said it’s not about her. “It’s amazing how things have come together. This isn’t the work of Tina. It’s all God.” Do you have stockpile, non-expired coupons or items to donate? Contact Tina Horn at 256-620-7330 or 256-239-5206. Got a question? Email tshadrix@annistonstar.com. Friend Clip2Save at www.Facebook.com/clip2save Local Hip2Help Donation Drop-Off Drop-Off Location: Saks Baptist Church, c/o Tina Horn Hip2Help, 2945 US Hwy 431, Anniston, AL 36206. List of Needs for Donations: 100 reusable grocery bags; items for gift bags to storm survivors: lotion, antibacterial soap, body sprays, little tools, socks, combs, brushes, cleaning supplies, nail polish, nail clippers, nail files, razors, hand mirrors, & anything that someone, who has lost everything, might need. For families who are being sponsored, please see needs list above.
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Today's Events
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Wednesday, 19, 2013
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Pond Spring- The Gener... 3:50 PM
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Hip Hop Hope Vacation ... 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
$0 The Living by Faith Ministry will host Vac...
RMC opening critical care clinic in Piedmont
by Laura Gaddy
lbjohnson@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 172 views |  0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Regional Medical Center is expanding its reach into Piedmont, where the hospital plans to open a critical care clinic this summer. The hospital is partnering with the Piedmont Healthcare Authority to develop the clinic, being built adjacent to the Piedmont Nursing Home. The facility will become a key component of an emerging senior care campus there, but it will be open to everyone, said Benjamin Ingram, president of the authority. “It allows us to get some things done in Piedmont that normally we would have to go to Jacksonville, Anniston or Gadsden to have done,” Ingram said. The new facility will be staffed with a physician, at least one nurse practitioner, other nurses and office staff. It will offer a range of services, including treatment for general ailments such as colds and treatment for more urgent matters, said David McCormack, the chief executive of RMC. “It’s sort of like an emergency room, but not quite to that level,” McCormack said. The location of the facility is intended in part to help the Piedmont Healthcare Authority develop a more complete senior care center. RMC, meanwhile, is expanding its regional footprint in an effort to remain competitive as federal health care reform is fully implemented. “Now as health care is changing, we need to go out to the community,” McCormack said. “We have to cover the whole region.” RMC recently expanded to Jacksonville, where it bought the hospital there in December, as well as to Talladega, where it opened a clinic; it has plans to open facilities in Weaver and Roanoke. Piedmont Mayor Rick Freeman said the new facility will help the hospital and the authority meet their goals, as well as help residents of Piedmont and the communities that surround it. Ingram and Freeman said Piedmont has a shortage of physicians. Currently two physicians work in the city part time, and two others work full time. Of the two full-time doctors, one exclusively treats children and the other holds a second full-time job as the medical director at the nursing home, Ingram said. “We felt like we needed that,” Freeman said of the new center. “The impact is going to be very big for us.” Staff writer Laura Gaddy: 256-235-3544. On Twitter @LJohnson_Star.
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Ohatchee council wants to know what’s underground before accepting land from county
by Brian Anderson
banderson@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 121 views |  0 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend | print
OHATCHEE — The Ohatchee Town Council is holding up a land transfer with Calhoun County until it can determine the extent of possible contamination in the area. While the Calhoun County Commission has already approved handing over to the town seven acres of land along Alabama 77, Ohatchee Mayor Steve Baswell said at a council meeting Tuesday he needs to talk to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to make sure contamination from former underground storage tanks won’t cost the town money down the line. The town currently uses a building on the property as a maintenance storage facility and pays the commission $1 annually to rent the building. “Obviously I’d like to just own the property,” Baswell said. “But we got to make sure it’s not going to be more trouble than it's worth.” The property is close to another seven-acre parcel of land owned by the Ohatchee Volunteer Fire Department. Once the department completes a proposed storm shelter, it’ll give the land to the town, Baswell said. Also at the meeting Tuesday, Councilman J.M. “Butch” Mitchell suggested the council think about pushing for alcohol sales on Sundays for off-premises consumption. “If we look at what Anniston and Weaver have successfully done, maybe we should think about it, too,” Mitchell said. “I’m not talking about bars and hangouts, but people on the river who want to buy a six-pack. That’s money in our pocket.” Baswell said he was neither for nor against Sunday sales, but told council members if they were interested they would need to start thinking about pushing for legislation as early as possible. “It’s not just calling them up down there and saying we want to do it,” Baswell said. “It takes a lot of planning.” Staff Writer Brian Anderson: 256-235-3546. On Twitter @BAnderson_Star.
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J'ville planning commission finds Mountain Street rezoning proposal OK
by Katie Turpen
kturpen@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 133 views |  0 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The Jacksonville Planning Commission held a public hearing Tuesday night for the rezoning request for four rental properties located at 110, 114 and 116 Mountain St. NW and 419 Spring Ave. NW. Jane Self Burnham owns the four properties located near the intersection of Pelham Road and West Mountain Street. Her son Patrick Burnham, who served as her representative during the meeting, said one reason for the request is difficulty finding appropriate tenants. “These properties are important to our family,” Burnham said. “However, maintenance has declined over the past few years.” In addition to poor tenants, Burnham cited increased retail activity surrounding the rental properties near Alabama 21 as an additional need for rezoning. “Traffic on the street has increased,” Burnham said. “The Grub Mart and Burger King have changed the neighborhood situation.” Burnham said if the rental properties were to be rezoned for commercial use, his mother would ensure the properties reflect historic Jacksonville. “My mother is hoping the future of these properties will be appropriate and good for the entire community.” Burnham said. Burnham said he has made preliminary contact with a commercial developer from Atlanta who would be willing to come analyze the property value. He also mentioned that a credit union had expressed interest in the properties. Several residents attending the meeting were concerned about not knowing what type of business would be entering the neighborhood. Debbie Harper rents property on neighboring Spring Street and is concerned about a new business encroaching on her property. “I don’t want a business looking right into my home,” Harper said. “Not knowing what it’s going to do to my property value is a concern of mine.” Jacksonville resident Joe Donahue said he sees the business development as a positive move for the city. “I think having commercial property that’s owned by somebody in the county on this street is a good thing and will increase the city’s livelihood,” Donahue said. Following the public hearing, the commission determined the request was in compliance with the requirements of the city’s comprehensive land use plan and officially turned the item over to the Jacksonville City Council. The council will meet Monday at City Hall at 7 p.m. following a 6 p.m. work session. Burnham stressed that he and his mother will take the concerns of the surrounding landowners into consideration. “We are ready to move forward with this,” Burnham said. “We want the property to have the highest and best use.”
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Piedmont City Council spends $48K to improve electrical substations
by Laura Gaddy
lbjohnson@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 122 views |  0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend | print
PIEDMONT — The Piedmont City Council moved forward Tuesday with one plan to spend some money that would improve its power system, but put off a decision on another that would help raise revenue for the system. At the urging of Piedmont electrical operations superintendent Phillip Johnson, the council voted unanimously to spend $48,000 to improve two municipal power substations. The substations are a critical part of the city-operated power system and without improvements the city can’t supply power to all of its customers when the electrical demand peaks. Separately, the City Council postponed a decision to increase utility start-up fees, an increase recommended by electric superintendent Casey Ponder. Council members cited concerns that the move might be unfair to some residents. Under the proposal, renters would have to pay $400 for utility deposits, while homeowners would have to pay $300. City officials who support the policy say the move would help the city recoup revenue lost to renters who leave without paying their last month’s bill. Councilwoman Brenda Spears said she thought the decision would be a mistake. “It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen,” Spears said. “You cannot discriminate between the people who can afford a house and the people who rent.” After Spears spoke Mayor Rick Freeman recommended that the council table the matter. The meeting closed amid controversy after Spears said the city clerk and mayor withheld public records from her, but City Clerk Michelle Franklin and the mayor disagreed. Spears said she asked for “single page utility sheets” for the months of February, March, April and May, but did not receive them. City officials said the sheets contain the names of each person who failed to pay their utility bills for each of those months. “From this action, in my opinion, I am being harassed and intimidated by them,” Spears read from a prepared statement. Franklin said she did not provide the documents because the mayor did not authorize her to provide them. She disputed Spears’ remarks. “I didn’t deny you any public records,” Franklin said. Freeman said he has not yet provided the documents because he was concerned it was not lawful to release them because they include residents’ names. In other business the council: — Appointed Kesha Mitchell to the Piedmont City School Board. — Selected Mike Ledbetter to be the chief of the Piedmont Fire Department. — Discontinued an agreement for animal control services with the Calhoun County Animal Control Center. Staff writer Laura Gaddy: 256-235-3544. On Twitter @LJohnson_Star.
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George Smith: I just love watching Ozzie ...
Jun 19, 2013 | 250 views |  0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print

WEDNESDAY’S LIST . . . of beans ’n greens ’n other things:

***

DON’T TELL me I’ve nothing to do.

From the window of my barn I see Ozzie coming through the hedgerow from next door. I like Ozzie a lot, but I’m not sure he feels the same. Efforts to pet and feed over the years have been a flop at best.

What Ozzie likes to do is hunt. I mean really hunt.

You see, Ozzie is a brindle, bob-tailed, three-legged cat and he loves to feed on whatever he can find in the hedgerow across my back yard, including field mice and squirrels.

Ozzie is flat out deadly, too.

Since losing his right front leg to a tumor a couple of years back, he has taught himself a new way to hunt. He keeps stalking to a minimum. But with the patience of Job, he settles down and waits for a meal to come within striking distance.

When the meal does, it’s “Wham” and Ozzie heads for the dinner table.

He’s a wonder to watch ...

^^^

IT IS A typical day at the Smith Estate. I am out in my barn kicked back in what I call “Archie’s Recliner.” I am reading a book, listening to Merle Haggard on the stereo, and watching TV (how’s that for multi-tasking, huh?) The blonde is out and about.

The phone rings. It is from the blonde. She is at Sears in the Quintard Mall ...

“Sweetheart, I’m at Sears looking at vacuum cleaners. I can get a small one to go with a regular one. What do you think I should do?”

Recovering from the shock of her asking my permission for anything, I agree to the double dip and then make a mistake with “What’s going on, you asking my permission?”

From the other end, there is a happy laugh with:

“It’d be different if it were shoes and a dress.”

I managed a quiet goodbye (without choking), hung up, and went back to singing along with Merle. It seemed fitting he was in the middle of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Here And Drink” at the time.

^^^

JOE ESTEP deserves a standing ovation. Joe runs the Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame and, this past Saturday night, put together another classic.

Held at the “new” Oxford Civic Center, the 2013 induction played to a near packed house.

Outstanding Joe, outstanding.

^^^

FOR THOSE asking, the Peach Man’s tomatoes are a week away, but Ken Easterling will be at Regions in Oxford on Friday morning at 6 with another load of Chilton County peaches.

If no sell-out in Oxford he heads for the Anniston post office along about 8 . . . but don’t bet he gets there.

^^^

IF YOU’RE lining up at the Walmart deli at Lenlock, I hope you get lucky and a young lady by the name of Vanesa Durham waits on you. She did for me a few days back and while I’ve had an unpleasant moment or two there, Vanesa left me feeling pretty good.

Walmart could use more like her.

^^^

BIRTHDAYS: June 12 – Annette Vice; June 14 – Sage Snow; June 15 – Twins Brettnie and Dakota Smith; June 17 – Aiden Lloyd; 11; June 18 – Don Beabout.

And Jeff Jones, June 17. A member of a vanishing breed (The Great Generation), Jeff drove a “weasel” jeep ashore at Normandy, June 6, 1944.

^^^

QUOTABLE: “My doctor tells me I should start slowing it down - but there are more old drunks than there are old doctors so let's all have another round.”

                       --Willie Nelson

Thanks for visiting ...

-----

George Smith may be reached at 256-239-5286 or email: gsmith731@gmail.com.

 

 

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