Mother of All Deals

Good News: Pumpkins Are On The Way at Cerbo's

Fall planting and seasonal decorating at reasonable prices

Decorating can be a chore if it requires a trip to the attic, unloading boxes, cleaning stored items and assembling them. Which is why I love decorating in fall, the harvest season. When autumn's chill makes its way into the area, I like to adorn my home and garden with garden-center items. Since October is just around the corner, I recently paid a visit to Cerbo’s in Parsippany for some inspiration. Cerbo’s Greenhouse and Garden Center  (440 Littleton Road/Route 202) is open at 8:30 a.m., an ideal time to shop. There was no one around and I had the place (and one of the owners) all to myself. I found Judy Cerbo Mahon, who shared tips for decorating for fall using locally grown items that are reasonably priced. Fall Planting I really haven…

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Mother of All Deals

The Big Coupon Book Has Real Value

The 2012 Parsippany Entertainment Book can mean serious savings.

I really felt old last year when I broke down and bought myself The Entertainment Book. My parents and grandparents sometimes exchanged them at Christmas when I was younger and hitherto, I’d never felt the appeal. However, when hanging out with other moms, it’s one of those items that often magically appears out of the Mary Poppins-esque tapestry bags of our comrades with kids. In fact, I found myself idly leafing through the book on calmer days when I was planning things to do with my kids. If you’re naive to the wonders of the book, it’s an annual coupon collection made available in early fall, with most coupons held valid for a full year. I thought for this week’s Patch, I would: 1. Discuss whether I got my money’s worth when I broke …

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Mother of All Deals

Streamlined Grocery Shopping With Built-In Savings

Eight miles from Parsippany is the promised land: a grocery store that only carries the essentials.

Do you ever feel like the grocery store is just too much--too many aisles, too many foods to pick from? You dread going, because you just want to get in, get out and be done with it. Sometimes you may prefer something smaller than the grocery store, but bigger than the local convenience shop.  Well, I found the answer! Aldi on Route 46 East in Rockaway. It’s a bit of a hike, more than eight miles each way from my house on the eastern side of Parsippany, but it is the perfect solution to finding a middle ground between too much and not enough selection. Aldi is my sweet escape from the feeling that I “must” collect coupons. I have coupons coming out of my ears. They come in the newspaper, the mail and magazines. But I have two young kids, I…

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Sharon Maroldi

1:23 pm on Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We just tried their Greek yogurt, which is great! Their pizzelle cookies were a hit at the Mom's Club meetup yesterday. I actually like their coffee very much. Their soda is just OK. The only thing I haven't been thrilled with so far are their frozen hamburgers-it may not be their fault. I think most pre-packaged burgers are kind of flat and tough.   more ›

House Hunt

97 Continental Rd. Available for $349K

A list of open houses offered in Parsippany this weekend

Do you love to entertain?  Inground pools, finished basements, gourmet kitchens and backyard patios are just a few of the highlights featured in several of the houses on the market this week. Check out these open houses and see if you can be the host and hostess with the "mostest." Listings courtesy of GSMLS.   Sunday 1 to 3  2 full baths  1 half bath

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Mother of All Deals

Shopping For Cell Phone Plans in the Parsippany Area

Check out Patch's comparison of current "family" plans in our area and save some cash

Is it about time for a cell phone upgrade from your current carrier? If so, it may be time to look at other plans, as well. Thanks to the number of carriers that offer service in the Parsippany area, there is competition and you'll see savings too. As phone numbers have become portable, you no longer have to change your existing digits if you do decide to switch. It’s difficult to compare cell phone plans, because it’s nearly impossible to compare “apples to apples." Each carrier offers different minutes, data plans, text plans and/or bundled charges. In order to make this study somewhat unified, I searched for a family plan for four people, with at least 700 shared minutes, with two smart phones, two non-smart phones and texting on all …

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Mom Next Door

Consider Consignment Shopping this Season

Parsippany mom and merchant has tips on saving money through consignment sales.

I grew up in a large family, and rather than hit the malls every fall for back-to-school clothes, my mom wisely toured local thrift and consignment shops instead. Following her lead, I do the same thing. It just doesn’t make sense to buy brand-new clothes and shoes for the kids when they are going to outgrow everything in the blink of an eye anyway. Plus, my son comes home with holes in his pants every single day—no joke! It doesn’t bother me as much if those pants only cost a few dollars in the first place. My daughter says she only wants to wear clothes that have animal prints or fur on them. Well, you can’t always find that at the Gap or the Children’s Place, so I hunt for them in local consignment shops. Shopping resale is also …

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Stacey Van Seggern

2:28 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hi! OOPS!! Forgot to mention that ... 9 AM to 4 PM. I'll be there selling a TON of stuff ... I was so busy the first 2 years of having twins that I never has the chance to consign any clothes! Hope to see you there ... and we still need to have that playdate!   more ›

Mother of All Deals

Partying for Less in Parsippany

Local stores offer values on propane refills, party goods and more.

This Saturday my daughter turned 3. To celebrate, we had a big family barbecue in our backyard here in Parsippany. Throwing a party for 40 people takes a fair bit of planning, especially since we like to decorate and make everything look fun for our guests and the birthday girl. This year, our party was designed around a luau theme. In preparing for the event, I found super buys while shopping in and around our hometown. For starters, there’s Synergy Gas, which is right next to Fuddrucker’s on Route 46 (3129 Route 46, 973-334-3800).  Synergy charges $20 to fill a standard propane tank (not an exchange, the staff refills your existing tank). There's more: You can get an extra $1 discount with this coupon. Still not enough? Fine. Synergy …

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Free Kid's Meal at Parsippany Chili's Monday

The deal is good only for Monday, Aug. 8.

If you're a parent looking to save a little change while feeding your wee ones today, here's news of a one-day deal: Chili's Restaurants, famous for chili, burgers, fajitas and the Pepper Pals Kids' Menu, will give you up to two free children's meals on Monday with the purchase of a regular entree. Click through to the coupon you'll need. The offer is good nationwide, and yes, the local Chili's is participating. You find the nearest Chili's at 1540 Route 46 in Parsippany.  

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Mother of All Deals

Cruising for Deals

Fall is fast approaching, which means great deals on fall cruise prices

Fall is a great time to snag deals on cruise vacations. As a mom, gone are the days of downing fruity margaritas in Cancun, while intermittently dozing off in a lounge chair. Now, I hobble onto the beach weighed down by a rhino (tube), a pile of buckets and shovels, an assortment of towels, lotions, beverages, snacks, diapers, changes of clothing and a magazine I won’t read. As we trudge along the beach, my toddler screams, “Want shoes OFF!” in a repetitive and mind-numbing manner. We hit the beach, enjoy the day, create new laundry and haul home enough sand in our suits to recreate the beach in our bathtub as soon as we get inside.  When I’ve had enough of this at Lake Parsippany or the Jersey Shore, I schedule a cruise vacation.  It’s …

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Shop, Size and Stash: Three Rules to Clothe Kids on a Budget

Third and final installment of Parsippany Patch's frugal advice for new moms

This the third a series of articles for new moms.  In Week 1, we discussed where to find deals on diapers. In Week 2, we discussed deals on food (breastpumps, bottles, formula and baby food). This final article of the series is all about clothing, because babies are born naked, but it's simply indecent to make them stay that way. When I was a kid, my mom always had new clothes stored away for us in the attic that were retrieved when the size and season were right.  Shopping the end of season sales saves substantial money, as a T-shirt in early June can cost $15, whereas in late July or August you can buy it for under $5. Savings of greater than 75 percent are not uncommon, if you follow my 3S rules: 1. Shop end-of-season sales 2. Size up …

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