The good, the bland and the ugly: Savvy readers sacrificed their taste buds to find the best deal on frozen pizza.
Hey, times are tough. Somebody’s got to do it.
We rounded up 13 frozen pizzas you can find at stores in the Triad and asked folks to sample them at the News & Record office in downtown Greensboro. Brand names were kept secret.
They were all cheese pizzas, although some may have had more than one type of cheese, varying types of crusts, and some extra ingredients such as tomatoes.
The winner? It wasn’t the cheapest of the bunch. But the good news is it wasn’t the most expensive, either.
Freschetta, take a bow.
“Ample sauce and cheese,” one taste tester wrote. Other comments: “By far the best. Lots of cheese, crisp crust.”
Freschetta costs $6.79, which is cheaper than the most expensive brand we tested: California Pizza Kitchen, which is $7.19.
But keep an eye on deals at the grocery store because Freschetta, like many frozen pizzas including California Pizza Kitchen, is often on sale.
Get more details about the taste test at my blog, Bargain Blog.
***
One business is offering free dry cleaning for those looking for jobs.
A Cleaner World, which has stores throughout the Triad, will clean a suit or blazer and slacks, plus two dress shirts per week for male job seekers.
For women, the store will clean a suit and two shirts or blouses or two regular dresses per week.
Customers are asked to provide a statement from the Employment Security Commission showing they are jobless.
The offer is good until Aug. 31.
Find store locations at http://acleanerworld.com.
***
The company behind the popular book exchange Web site PaperBackSwap.com also has clubs that let you swap DVDs and CDs.
PaperBackSwap.com, SwapaDVD.com and SwapaCD.com allow members to exchange books, movies and music through the mail.
For every item you mail, you get another one mailed to you for free. You pay the postage to ship it but that’s it. Membership is also free.
***
Attention, moms out there: A blog that helps you find deals, swap tips and exchange advice has expanded to the Triad.
CharlotteSmartyPants.com has recently launched TriadSmartyPants.com.
Topics include which stores have the best prices on formula, managing life-threatening allergies in children and more.
***
Become Web savvy! Check out more deals and retail news at the Bargain Blog at news-record.com.
You can also subscribe to the Bargain Bytes e-newsletter at news-record.com/bargains.
The free newsletter will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.
Sign up for my Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/bargainblog.
Do you have retail news or shopping tips for Savvy Shopper? Contact Mike Fuchs at 373-3465 or michael.fuchs@news-record.com
Not all of the newspaper's content appears online.
*There is a fee for downloading some older articles.