Digital Radio Upgrade Saves Lansdale Police $30K

Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre told the public safety committee this month that Montgomery County will finance the radios at zero percent interest. Lansdale is expected to buy 40 radios at around $4,000 a piece.

Lansdale Police will be saving about $30,000 when it upgrades to new digital radios in 2014, thanks to a negotiation made between Motorola and Montgomery County. Lansdale Police are poised to buy 30 handheld radios and 10 mobile radios for its vehicles, for anywhere between $4,000 to $4,500 each.  Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre said the new estimated department cost of around $170,000 is about $30,000 cheaper than first estimated. He said that was made possible via a deal between provider Motorola and the county. At one time, Motorola was edging closer to $7,000 a unit, he said. "The good news in it is (the county) was able to negotiate a great price with Motorola where prices are frozen back in tme. It will be a little cheaper," …

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It's Not too Early to Think About Next Christmas

Take advantage of after-Christmas sales to save big for next year.

On Dec. 26, many retailers slashed the price of their Christmas goods, as well as many of the products they overstocked but didn't sell during the Christmas shopping rush. Their loss is your gain: You can save 50 to 75 percent, and in some cases even more, on gift wrap and decor for next Christmas, and consumer goods you can use now and all year long. Retailers slash prices on other goods this time of year, to encourage shoppers who received gift cards to get out and buy. So if you're not totally shopped out, here's a how-to guide on getting great post-Christmas deals: What to Buy Gift wrap - Wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, gift tags, boxes, tape, ribbon, bows. Since it never goes bad, you can buy for next year and beyond. Also …

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Free Shipping Day Coming Dec. 17

Procrastinators rejoice: You can still find great deals buying gifts online, with free guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery.

Didn't get everything on your list on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Not to worry, deals are still to be had. Free Shipping Day is coming, Dec. 17. On Free Shipping Day you'll find plenty pre-Christmas deals online, with free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Many stores who always offer free shipping will lower or eliminate the minimum purchase amounts required for free shipping. FreeShippingDay.com has a list of 1,173 merchants participating in Free Shipping Day this year, from Kohl's and Home Depot to Best Buy, Tiny Prints and Red Envelope. "Free Shipping Day makes procrastination possible," the website proclaims. You can try to plan ahead and put off making purchases from participating retailers until Free Shipping Day…

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Simple Ways to Slash Your Cable Bill

Cable: Can't live without it? Can't live with the bill?

Have you been watching your cable bill rise, while features and channel offerings are falling? Nothing is more frustrating than paying more for less. But you don't have to sit idly by while the cable company raises your rates. First, look over your bill. Do you know what you're paying for? Do you use all of the services you subscribe to? If not, cancel them. Premium channels come with a premium price. Can you live without them? Cutting out those expensive networks could save you a bundle. Do you watch all of the channels  your package includes? If not, you may be able to downgrade to a less-expensive cable plan. Next, call the cable company. Ask them how you can save on your cable bill. Talk about alternative packages, or a la carte …

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Buy Next Year's Halloween Costume on Nov. 1 and Save!

Save big by shopping after-season sales.

Find steals on everything, just by buying out-of-season. That $50 Halloween costume? Get it for $25 on Nov. 1. A $10 pack of detailed Valentines will be $2.50 on Feb. 15. And the $90 leather boots will be a mere $22 come spring. Spend less money just by waiting it out. After Holiday Sales The day after a big holiday, like Valentine's Day, Halloween or Christmas, stores mark down everything, sometimes as much as 75 percent off, to clear the shelves for the next holiday. After Valentine's Day, stock up on Valentine's cards and envelopes for next year. They're paper, the never go bad. Pick up a few bags of heart-shaped or pink-wrapped candy to snack on. After Halloween, of course, you'll find discounts on costumes and decorations at big box …

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House and Home - Save a Little, Save a Lot

On a tight budget? Wishing for the latest iPhone? Want to pad your savings account a little? It could be as simple as quitting your Starbucks habit.

Save a few bucks here and there on a regular basis, and it might not seem like much, but over the course of a month or a year, it’ll really add up. Cut back just $10 a week and you’ll find yourself more than $500 richer at the end of the year!   Save on gas Many grocery stores offer points that can be used towards gas savings. Just 10 cents off per gallon can save you a few bucks every time you fill up with your points. Never let those points expire without a fill-up!   Sign up for rewards. More and more gas stations are instituting bonus cards, good for savings on gas and in-store purchases. With the My Sheetz Card you’ll save 3 percent on every gallon of gas, plus lots of savings and rewards on purchases. Turkey Hill Rewards gives you …

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Outfit Your Child this Fall Without Spending His or Her College Fund

Experts say parents anticipate spending an average of $600 on back-to-school shopping this year. Here are some tips to shrink that figure.

I’m glad I’m not a kid. If I were a kid, I think I’d be pretty mad about all the back-to-school fuss being made. We just turned the page on July! Some schools have barely been out six weeks and already we’re talking about getting them ready to go back! But as a member of the media I must perpetuate this injustice in order to provide my readers with useful information in a timely manner. So, with my apologies to the under-18 crowd, here are my suggestions on saving money this back-to-school season. What’s on your child’s required supply list for this year? How much do you expect to spend on back-to-school shopping? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Frugal Family

Featured deals this week include a MOPS consignment sale, BOGO at Bounce U, and free children's meals at King of Prussia's Michael's Deli.

This week, Frugal Family scoured our local sources to come up with great deals on all kinds of ways to save! Remember to check with the merchant for additional conditions: www.michaelsdeli.com Deal: This King of Prussia location lets children eat free Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. Two children can eat free for any one adult. An adult must order from the entrée menu. Good through: Ongoing    www.bounceu.com/party-places-for-kids/pennsylvania/oaks/coupons Deal: Buy one open bounce pass, and get one free for any open bounce session. Good through: June 15   mopssale.com Deal: Get 50 percent off all remaining items from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 12 Good through: March 12   www.walmart.com/cp/home-storage-organization/90828?povid=…

Frugal Family

This week, you can find deals on home heating oil, sporting goods and musical instruments

We're all watching our family budgets these days. Whether shopping with coupons or looking for two-for-one deals, we're taking advantage of all sorts of offers and savings that help us stretch our dollars. This column will be dedicated to giving you five great local deals each week that will help your family’s bottom line, and since we do the scouting for you, you can save time as well as money. You are a big part of this column. Let us hear about the deals you've seen. Just add them to our comment box. Then come back each week and see what we've uncovered together. This week, Frugal Family scoured our local sources to come up with great deals from area vendors. If you know of some we missed, please comment below! Remember to check with …

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