Love that FREE Stuff!

The ladies of the Loyd family (that includes Talberts and Kirbys, of course) are not the only ones who can sniff out a bargain. Discounted is good. On sale plus a coupon is better. Triple coupons is enough to make you salivate. But can you beat FREE?

I racked up today, receiving the following array of items FREE!

• Colgate Total Toothpaste (smallest size made)
• Pack of Zoom whitener (keep away from children and pets. . . hmm)
• Oral-B Floss Picks
• Two-tone Plak Smacker toothbrush (package also says Econo Ultra-- isn't that contradictory?)
• Handy reusable plastic bag (the motif of teeth and the words Brush, Floss, Smile might limit its usefulness a tad)

All I had to do for this awesome assortment of freebies was submit to a 45 minute tooth exam in a comfotable reclining chair with a pleasant, trained professional. Just $124.

Okay. So maybe that free variety pack wasn't so impressive. Check out the next item. It's a real eye-opener. As a piano volunteer at First Health's Moore Regional Hospital, I received a Happy Birthday $5 gift certificate for use at the hospital gift shop.

I knew from past years that about the only thing you can get there for less than that is candy. Nothing wrong with that. I would never spend five bucks of my own money this way, but when it's FREE, I consider it quite a treat.

Okay, I'm not in the same class as the ladies of the family, and I don't aspire to be. I'll take the free stuff when it comes along, and I'll be their biggest fans for each shopping cart conquest. On the whole, I subscribe to Ben Franklin's Poor Richard adage, A penny saved is a penny earned. And my own corollary to that bit of wisdom: A penny not spent is a penny saved.