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Community Corner

Zumba Family Fun and Earth-Friendly Savings

This week check out a fun family event at Roller Kingdom and some savings ideas I've assembled in honor of Earth Day. My friends and I have used these frugal shopping ideas to save money and recycle at the same time!

1. Join Jeanine Giglio Ruffing in the first ever Zumba class at Roller Kingdom in Hudson on Thursday, April 21 from 6 to 7 p.m. Great party atmosphere, plenty of room to move, and lots of high energy! Cost is $10/adult. Kids ages 5 through 14 can also Zumba; the charge is $5/child. If your children don't want to Zumba, there are plenty of activities for the kids to participate in while you are in class, so there’s no need for a babysitter. Kids can have a slice of pizza and soda for $2.50 and/or play the arcade games. Roller Kingdom will only be open to those participating in the Zumba Family Fun Night. Check out Zumba at Roller Kingdom on Facebook. Roller Kingdom is located at 5 Highland Park Avenue in Hudson.

2. Freecycle is an online community where people give unwanted items in their home a second chance and it's all free. There is a very active Marlborough, Hudson, and Sudbury Freecycle group that is 3000 members strong. Before you start “Freecylcling,” you need to sign up, get accepted into the group, and offer a few items to the other members. Once you've done that, you can then make posts for things that you are looking for. One person was able to set up a home gym by getting things on Freecycle. Having a baby? You can fill your nursery with beautiful once used items. Another person asked to borrow a roof rake and found out her neighbor had one. It is a friendly and giving group.

3. Great deals on clothing and household items can be found at the Salvation Army Family Store in Hudson. Each day there is one item ticket color with a discount. Wednesday is Family day: items ticketed with one of 4 color tickets are 50% off. Does your child need to put together a costume for a play or a school project? If your neighbors don’t have what you need, find it at the Salvation Army! The Salvation Army Family Store is located at 51 Main Street, Hudson.

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4. Children’s Orchard’s motto is “Find a treasure, save a fortune.” With gently worn items such as mall-name clothes, shoes, toys, stroller, swings and walkers, shoppers can save up to 80% of what they would pay retail. Items that come in are checked against CSPC recall list; if it’s on the list, they won’t sell it. Cleaning out your kid’s closet? Bring items to Children’s Orchard and if they buy it you can get cash or store credit. Visit Children’s Orchard’s Facebook page and submit an entry for their “Greenest Mom in America” contest. Show how you lead a green lifestyle and you could win a $500 gift card. Contest starts Friday, April 22, and continues until June 3. Visit Children’s Orchard at the Westborough Shopping Plaza, 18 Lyman St., Westborough.

5.  has great prices on pre-read books, and discounts on new books too. Does your child need multiple novels for school? Get gently used copies at a discount. There are locations in Marlborough 28 Boston Post Road East and in Northborough at 369 W. Main Street.

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As always, please refer to the merchants directly for terms and conditions for their operations.  If you see any deals, please let me know!

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