Regions' 'consolidating' Armuchee branch after this Friday:
-In late October, Regions Bank announced plans to shut numerous offices, including one in Armuchee and one in Calhoun. The closures happen this Friday, according to signs now up at the Armuchee location off Martha Berry Highway. Customers are being referred to the main office at 400 Turner McCall Blvd. The closing of the branch on U.S. 27 comes as two other banks, Wachovia this month and Heritage First Bank in early October, add Saturday banking. Greater Rome Bank and United Community Bank already offer Saturday service in the area. Also: Regions is to announce fourth-quarter results on Tuesday.
Keep an ear out for more changes in local radio:
-The word on the street (Broad, in particular) is that more changes are on the way in local radio. We're awaiting official word. In recent months, we've seen Cartersville's WYXZ 1270 AM leave the air (there are interesting, local purchase rumors floating about); Bryan Mullins has joined Matt D in the Morning at The Ridge 95.7 FM; veteran newsman Doug Walker left WRGA 1470 AM to join the Rome News; and WSRM's adoption of the Life 95.3 FM format.
Video marketing company now shooting in Rome:
-Aaron Blevins has opened PAVE Success in Rome, bringing a newer spin to local advertising efforts. The name stands for "personalized advertising video excellence" and it gives area businesses options to jump on the video craze sweeping computers and smart phones these days. Blevins, also a Realtor, posts this goal on the company Web site: "PAVE seeks to promote your business through the production of engaging video content." Why video and why now? Check some of the Web sites around town these days for businesses, health centers and the like. More and more, they're adding video 'infomercials" to their home pages. You can watch a sample video Blevins did for his family's business, C&S Trophies, by clicking Video. For more: pavesuccess.com
Clipping -- and now easy clicking -- of coupons, menu planing based on sales help writer slice $50 a week off grocery bill
By Natalie Simms
natsimms76@gmail.com
In today's shaky economy, we're all looking for ways to save money. While most of our monthly expenses are predetermined such as mortgage payment/rent, car payment, insurance, etc., the one area we do have control over is our grocery bill.
In 2008, my husband and I made the decision for me to quit my full-time job and stay at home to raise our two children. While this was something I longed to do, we both knew it wouldn't be easy to cut our annual income in half! And now, almost two years later, it has actually been a lot easier than expected!
I have gone from spending more than $100 a week on groceries for my family of four to under $50 per week. How, you ask? COUPONS…and not just those in the Sunday paper, either. Yes, those are important but there also is a wealth of printable coupons online and new digital eCoupons that are added to your grocery shopping card.
Many of you may be coupon clippers and say, "I don't save that much." And if you just used the paper coupons alone, you probably wouldn't save a huge amount of money. The key is to look at the weekly sales and buy what is on sale, and use your coupons for additional savings.
We plan our weekly menus based on what is on sale, buying only meat and side items that are on sale. Aside from that, we do need consumable goods like toilet paper, detergent, toothpaste and, in my case with a toddler, diapers. Yes, you can get all these things for under $50 a week. While your spending habits won't change this dramatically overnight, they will over time once you start stockpiling coupons.
To begin, you need to get a Sunday newspaper with coupons. The best paper with the most coupons is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. You can pick up a Sunday AJC for $2 at most convenience stores or grocery stores. Yes, you do spend a little bit of money but the savings far exceed the expense. Each Sunday paper has more than $100 in coupon savings.
There are some great Web sites online that give you a coupon preview. You can review the list of coupons and see if you need to pick up more than one paper. I often purchase two to three papers a week depending on the coupons. My favorite site is www.southernsavers.com. There is a coupon preview listed on the Friday before the Sunday inserts.
Along with the paper coupons, you need to get online to get the printable coupons. Just about all local retailers, including Kroger, Wal-Mart and all the drug stores, accept Internet coupons. Most printable coupons are restocked on the first day of each month; however, there are often new coupons listed throughout the month.
The best web sites to find coupons are www.coupons.com and www.couponmom.com. These sites will allow you to print up to two of each coupon per computer. However, most coupons have only a certain number available like 100,000 and after that number of prints nationwide, the coupon expires. So, if you see a coupon you can use, go ahead and print it twice so you have it.
Printing coupons does use up ink and paper. I typically spend about $20 a month on ink and paper for a total of $240 a year. But, I am saving over $200 a month on my grocery bill so it more than pays for itself with more than $2,000 in savings a year.
The third type of coupons to collect is digital eCoupons. These are loaded onto your grocery shopping card. To my knowledge, the only local grocery store card accepting digital coupons is Kroger. There are three different sites available to load eCoupons onto your Kroger Plus card. The first is the Kroger web site, www.kroger.com. The other two are www.cellfire.com and www.shortcuts.com.
You simply sign up for an account and enter your Kroger Plus card number from the back of your card. The coupons are loaded onto your card and will come off at checkout when you purchase the particular product. No paper coupons are needed!
The way to maximize your savings is to use both a paper coupon (either from paper or Internet) and the eCoupon in a technique called coupon stacking. Let me give you some examples from this week's sales at Kroger:
-Nature Valley Granola Bars or Fiber Ones Bars are on sale for $2.19. There is a printable coupon for each for 40 cents off and an eCoupon for 40 cents off. Coupons are doubled at Kroger up to 50 cents in value, so the paper coupon is now worth 80 cents; combined with the 40-cent eCoupon, the total savings is $1.20. That brings the final cost to 99 cents.
-Brawny paper towels are on sale for $5.49. There is a paper coupon for $1 off along with a $2 eCoupon for a total of $3 off. That brings the final cost to $2.49 for six-pack of paper towels.
-Quilted Northern Toilet Paper also is on sale for $5.49 with a $1 off paper coupon and $2 off eCoupon for final total cost of $2.49 for 12-pack of toilet paper.
With coupon stacking, there are ways to get things under a dollar or even free. One thing you can get free this week at Kroger is Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks. They are on sale for 49 cents. There is a paper coupon for 75 cents off, so you would get the product for free with 26 cents in overage that would be applied to the remainder of your shopping bill. The store will not refund you any money, so you would need to make sure you purchase more than that one item.
The one thing you will have to give up in order to save money is brand loyalty. While I typically like Cottonelle or Charmin toilet paper, I will purchase Quilted Northern toilet paper because it is $2.49!
The other shopping mentality to overcome is that store brands are always cheaper than name brand products. As you see from the examples above, that is not always the case. Let me give you another example from last week:
-Cheerios were on sale at Kroger for $2.50 a box (14 ounces). I had a paper coupon for $1 off and eCoupon for 55 cents off so I got the box for 95 cents.
-The same size box in Wal-Mart's Great Value Brand was $2.12 (at last check).
-From my experience, in most instances, you can get name brand products cheaper than store brands.
I'm sure you''re asking, so how do I know what's on sale and if there is a coupon available. Again, my favorite web site is www.southernsavers.com for viewing the weekly sales.
The web site will list all the sales along with any coupon match-ups. Another great resource is www.hotcouponworld.com. That web site includes a coupon database, so you can look up a particular item and see if there is an available coupon.
There are so many money saving tips to share! If you would like to see more features on my money saving adventures, or have tips to share, please send us an e-mail and let us know. Click Natalie Simms
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the Martha Berry Highway merchants supporting AMS wrestling: Up and down the highway this weekend, motorists saw sign after sign wishing Armuchee Middle School wrestlers the best of luck at the state tournament. The Landmark and fast-food shops in the area were among those backing the team. That's a nice touch, especially in this day and age.
Peak to Coosa High's Decathlon success (eighth edition):
From left to right, the Coosa High team: (Back row): Coach Chris Babb, Patrick Blankenship, Robby Mixon, Jared Van Curen, Brian Wasdin, Coach Bill Daughtry. (Front row): Jackson Forrister, Emily Weeks, Beth Angel, Luke Weeks, Ashley Jones, Stephen Jones, Ariel Watson, Erica Franco.
For the eighth consecutive year, Coosa High School won Floyd County Schools' Academic Decathlon competition. CHS "held off a strong challenge from Pepperell High to win the school's eighth consecutive Floyd County Schools Academic Decathlon," according to the county schools' Web site. > Details
-We expect to hear the findings of an economic impact statement solicited by Berry College. Berry committed 30 acres valued at $1.5 million to the project.
AJC catches up with 'cooking queen' Mary Louise Lever: The Atlanta newspaper finds out what's cooking with Northwest Georgia's award-winning cook, Mary Louise Lever. The answer: She's among 99 people invited to the Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando in April. 
