Frugal Family: More for Less in Brandon

In good times and bad the thrill of the hunt for offers and savings and specials and deals can never be overrated. And when times are tough, budgets are tight, hours are scarce and incomes barely hold steady, the hunt for incentives takes on an even greater importance.

That’s where we come in.

We promise to do our part with five local deals we’ll post in the “Frugal Family” column every Wednesday at Brandon Patch. You’ll find, too, similar columns at are neighboring Patch publications should your travels take you across town, across Tampa Bay or even across the nation.

But right here, close to home, we’ll give you some news you can use to save both money and time, since we do the initial scouting for you.

Yet we'd love to hear from you, too.

If you run a business that has a steal of a deal, or you’ve spotted a good buy in town, let us know. Post your finds in the comment box below and together we can support each other — and our local businesses — in doing more with less.

As with all deals, check with area merchants to ensure all offers are current (we link to phone numbers and Web sites to make the job easier).

Let’s start saving:

• Deal: The $5 footlong sandwich deal is good all day, every day and features the Black Forest Ham, BLT, Spicy Italian, Meatball Marinara, Cold Cut Combo and Veggie Delite menu items. (Might vary by restaurant.) Starting April 1 is a featured $5 Footlong of the Month. The first featured menu item is “Double Bacon, Egg & Cheese on Footlong Flatbread.

BEBE (Westfield Brandon)

• Deal: The spring sale is underway with 420 off a purchase of at least $125 and $50 off a purchase of at least $250. Bebe is in the West Wing of the mall, near Dick’s Sporting Goods.
• Good: Through April 10.

(Westfield Brandon)

• Deal: Join Plus Unplugged for a members’ only event and get 30 percent off everything in the store (with some restrictions). Discounts apply to pre-tax amounts. Sign-ups will be taken at the store, which sits between the mall’s Center Court and Sears.
• Good: March 18

 (at Westfield Brandon)

• Deal: The "two for $20” offerings include one appetizer and two entrees for $20. New menu items include Bourbon Street Chicken & Shrimp and Cajun Shrimp Pasta. Applebees is at 829 Providence Road in Brandon and 1905 East State Road 60 in Valrico.

 (Westfield Brandon)

• Deal: Buy one game of bowling for $3 and get one game for free on Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. Bowl all you want on Tuesday from 9:30 p.m. to close for $10 a person. Bowl on Sunday for $2 a game from 9 a.m. to noon. Bowl on Monday for $1 a game from 9 a.m. to noon and $2 a game from 9 p.m. to close.

• Deal: More than $388 savings is represented in this week’s ad available in store and online. In time for St. Patrick’s Day, save up to 60 cents per pound on green cabbage and up to $1.50 per pound on crown corned beef. Save up to 40 cents on Irish soda bread.