Luv2BFrugal - Blessed to be a Blessing!

Ready for the Big Move to WordPress!

2011-03-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm excited and a little apprehensive all at the same time. I've been working since late January on a fresh, updated look for my blog, as well as a change in hosting servers, and it's finally time for that to happen. I expect to continue tweaking the final site, which should go live this weekend, but in the meantime, this will be my last post on Blogger.

You may see some unusual things if you try to log in here between now and then, but you can still catch me on Twitter or on my Luv2BFrugal Facebook fan page. (If you're not already a "liker," I encourage you to stop by and click "like" so you can stay up-to-date during this down time.)

Once the old blog has completely migrated to the new blog, I'd love to hear your comments about the new design! Have ideas for things you'd like to see on Luv2BFrugal? I'd love to hear those, too!

See you on the other side!

Adorable Easter Hexbugs!

2011-03-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

If you've been following Luv2BFrugal for awhile, maybe you know how much our family loves Hexbugs, little robotic "bugs" that the kids play with (the only kind of bug I really like). This morning I learned that, just in time for Easter, Hexbug has released limited edition Easter Hexbugs, and they're unbelievably cute. Taylor, my 13-year-old, has fallen in love with the bunny ears that come with these new Hexbugs, and is already praying that I will be one of the bloggers selected to hold a Hexbug Easter Egg Hunt in April.

Hexbugs have proven so popular that they are now being released in different "swarms," including glow-in-the-dark specimens and specialty Hexbugs, like the aforementioned Easter edition. What fun to be able to hide the Hexbug Nano eggs in the grass!

Besides being available at Amazon.com, select Radio Shack stores are also reportedly carrying them. Expect to pay between $5 and $7 for these.

60% off E-Mealz today only at Moolala

2011-03-23T09:18:00.001-05:00

If you've ever wanted to try E-Mealz, but missed out on the last sale, here's the opportunity you've been waiting for!

Today only, on the group buying site Moolala, you can get 6 months of E-Mealz recipes/grocery lists, for just $12! Instead of paying $1.25 per week like usual, which is still a great deal, you'll be paying an unbelievable $ .46 per week for this service!

Here's a quick quote from an email E-Mealz sent me this morning:

"We continue to add to our pantry of menu plan options. Our New Points Plan has been met with wild enthusiasm, we receive bags of fan mail for our Gluten-Free Plan, and we continue to add plans for Couples."

To take advantage of this offer, you'll need to sign up for a free account with Moolala, which you can do here. There's a limit of one purchase of this deal per person, but you can give unlimited gifts. This offer is limited to new subscribers to E-Mealz. Offer available for purchase only on 3/23/11.

Biking on a Budget: Toys R Us Bike Trade-In

2011-03-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

'Tis the season for biking. At least, that's the case in Tennessee right now. We've been privileged to have several days in the low 70's, and it's been absolutely beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that the kids are dying to ride their bikes. The problem is, they've grown since the last bike season, so it's time to upgrade.

Here are some options you might consider when looking for bikes for the family:

Toys R Us Trade-In Program. This program is valid only through Saturday, March 26, but you can take in a bike to trade in toward a new one. Save $20 on any bike priced $99.98 or below; save $30 on a bike from $99.99-$149.98; or save $50 on a bike $150 or more. Trade in a helmet to receive 25% off a new helmet, too. All the details are here.

Wal-Mart. Believe it or not, Wal-Mart has a select few bicycles for as little as $49 each. We were able to get one for my 8-year-old and one for my 15-year-old for under $100 total. Nice! Don't feel bad for the middle child. Our Wal-Mart was out of stock on these bikes, so we're currently checking online to see which nearby Wal-Marts have another bike in their inventory. We've found one that's only 25 miles away! By the way, the online price is $69, but the in-store price is $49. That makes for one happy mama!

Goodwill. I know, it's true that there can be some less than desirable merchandise there, but sometimes there are some great finds at Goodwill. It certainly doesn't hurt to look.

Freecycle. This is a great site where people list things they are giving away. You have to join a group to see what's listed there, but there are over 8 million Freecyclers across the nation. They would rather give something away than throw it away. Who knows what you might find! Go here to read all the details.

Got some other ideas? I'd love to hear'em!

FREE Apron from Red Gold for select states

2011-03-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

I signed up this morning to get a FREE apron from Red Gold tomatoes! Only people who live in the states of TX, TN, OK, MO, MN, or KS are eligible for this freebie. Allow up to 12 weeks to receive your apron.

While you're there, check out the FREE interactive menu planner on their site. You can search through recipes, add your own, and best of all, plan what's for dinner throughout the week.

Load New Cellfire Coupons Here!

2011-03-22T08:36:00.001-05:00

There's a whole new set of Cellfire coupons that are available starting today! In addition, Cellfire also has an app for the iPhone or iPad, if you're fortunate enough to have one of those devices, which you can find in the iTunes store with the name iCouponCenter. Check to make sure your store is one of those participating.

Here's a list of Cellfire eCoupons available today:

ZYRTEC® Allergy Save $2

Cortaid® Save $2
Save $2.00 on any Cortaid® Anti-itch product.

PB Toaster Strudel® Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any flavor/variety Pillsbury® Toaster Strudel® Pastries.

Green Giant boxed Save $.60
Save $0.60 when you buy THREE any variety Green Giant® Frozen Boxed Vegetables.

NV Granola Bars Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy ONE BOX any flavor/variety Nature Valley® Granola Bars (excludes Nature Valley® Granola Thins).

BC Fruit Snacks Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES any flavor/variety Betty Crocker® Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot®, Fruit Gushers® OR Fruit Roll-Ups® fruit flavored snacks.

Gardetto's Snack Mix Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy any flavor 8 OZ. OR LARGER Gardettos® Snack Mix.

Wheaties® cereal Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy ONE BOX Wheaties® or Wheaties Fuel® cereal.

Cheerios® Cereal Save $.55
Save $0.55 when you buy ONE BOX Original Cheerios® cereal (the one in the yellow box).

Cinn Toast Crunch Save $.55
Save $0.55 when you buy ONE BOX Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal.

MultiGrain Cheerios® Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy ONE BOX MultiGrain Cheerios® cereal.

GG Valley Fresh Stmrs Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any variety Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers® frozen vegetables.

Go here to start loading your savings!

The Many Reasons I Love Kroger + a phone deal

2011-03-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Kroger, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Awesome sales like Mega, Cartbuster, Daytona 500, and March to Savings
$ .10 off per gallon of gas when I've purchased $100 in groceries or filled a prescription
Coupons up to $ .50 re doubled every day
Free cookies from the bakery when we shop there
The ability to earn 4% back for our church when we pre-load grocery money on special Kroger fundraising gift cards
E-coupons I can pre-load on my Kroger Plus Card for additional savings
20 free minutes of FREE i-wireless minutes for my daughter's phone when I spend $100 in groceries, prescriptions, or gas (not hard to do these days!)

I cannot tell you how cool it is to double-dip at Kroger. When I spend $100 at Kroger, nearly every one of those items I mentioned above, takes effect...at the same time! I love it! Today I want to elaborate a little more on item #7 from above: FREE minutes!

I-wireless is the only mobile phone service that rewards you with free wireless minutes when you shop for groceries, prescriptions, or gift cards at the Kroger family of stores. When you shop, just use your Kroger Rewards card, and each time you spend $100 in-store, you’ll automatically earn a FREE MINUTES reward. There are never any contracts or activation fees with i-wireless either! Even better, you can link TWO Kroger cards to each phone account, which means when Grandma shops at Kroger, we earn minutes, too!

For us, this has been a great option. With two teenage daughters in the house, we're in full-blown phone mode, but our Verizon family plan is maxed out since Grandma and Grandpa are on there, too. so we've solved our problem by using an i-wireless, no-contract phone. What could be better than getting free minutes while we grocery shop? (It's also a healthy incentive for my daughter to help me organize my coupons!)

There's also a special going on right now at the i-wireless website. You can get this really text-friendly LG Rumor 2 phone for only $39.99. That's a savings of $90, but it's available only online on the i-wireless website. (Taylor is trying to convince her brother and sister to lend her some money so she can replace her current i-wireless phone, which doesn't have a keyboard.)

The LG Rumor 2 comes fully equipped with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera with a self-timer, a memory card slot and Bluetooth capabilities. The offer can be found here: https://www.iwirelesshome.com/phones.php.

In addition to the deep discount on the Rumor 2, i-wireless offers a variety of rate plans:
· $0/month = 20¢ Minutes and Texts with FREE incoming Text Messages
· $5/month = 10¢ Minutes and Texts with FREE incoming Text Messages (this is Taylor's current plan!)
· $25/month = 200 Minutes (Day or Night), Unlimited* Text Messaging and 200 MB of Data
· $40/month = 1,000 Minutes (Day or Night), Unlimited* Text Messaging and 500 MB of Data

I'm thinking the only way Kroger's free minute plan could get any better is if they gave me 20 free minutes for every $100 I save! I'd have way more minutes than I would know what to do with!

Update on Wal-Mart Coupon Policy

2011-03-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

Remember I told you how excited I was that Wal-Mart had updated their coupon policy to include acceptance of Walgreens Register Rewards?

Well, they've updated their coupon policy again. Now Register Rewards and catalinas are a no-no if they're not for a specific item. Here's the official verbiage:

We accept coupons...
◦Printed at our competitors' registers for dollar/cents off on a specific item

We DO NOT accept the following coupons:

•Checkout coupons
   ◦Dollars/cents off the entire basket purchase (that means Walgreens' Register Rewards)
     ◦Percentage off the entire basket purchase
•Print-at-home Internet coupons that require no purchase
•Competitors' coupons
     ◦Dollars/cents off at a specific retailer
     ◦Percentage off
     ◦Buy one, get one free (BOGO) coupons without a specified price
     ◦Double- or triple-value coupons

Although that's disappointing to me, I am pleased that they will continue to honor the coupon overage policy:
•If coupon value exceeds the price of the item, the excess may be given to the customer as cash or applied toward the basket purchase.

Consider printing out the Walmart coupon policy and carrying it with you when you do Walmart deals. If we can't keep up with their current coupon policy, the cashiers may have a hard time keeping up with it, too.

FREE Cup of Yoplait Yogurt

2011-03-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Did you know March is National Nutrition Month? Now that spring is almost here, it's a great time to start thinking about healthy snacking options, and yogurt is one of the items you can feel good about serving. Plus, when you "like" Yoplait on Facebook you can get a coupon for a free cup of yogurt! I've already gotten my coupon in the mail.

If you haven't been by the yogurt section of the grocery store lately, let me tell you that there are tons of different options, and you'll likely find something for every member of the family, with varieties like Yoplait Light, Original, Fiber One (my favorite! Only 50 calories!), Yoplait Kids, Yoplait Greek yogurt, and Yoplait Delight Parfaits. Each product offers different benefits, and loads of variety, to make eating well a no-brainer. Here are five great ways to ‘get your snack on’ with Yoplait this March!

Start spring off right with Yoplait Light’s Two Week Tune Up Plan – Consider replacing breakfast and lunch with a cup of your favorite flavor of Yoplait Light yogurt, a serving of whole grain and a piece of fruit, and you could lose 5 pounds in two weeks. Go to Yoplait.com or their Facebook page for full diet details.

Get more calcium with Yoplait Original style yogurt - Now with two times the calcium of the leading yogurt (50 percent of the Recommended Daily Value) in one convenient 6-ounce cup*, Yoplait Original style yogurt is committed to women’s health. Grab a free cup while supplies last during the Million Cup Giveaway on Yoplait on Facebook!

Try the newest flavor from Yoplait Fiber One – Yoplait Fiber One’s new Blueberry flavor yogurt is packed with filling fiber, calcium, vitamins A and D, real fruit and the great taste of blueberries. With only 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat, this deliciously creamy yogurt won’t break your calorie bank. (That's why it's my favorite - you get so much for so few calories!) Other flavors include strawberry and key lime pie.

Stress less over snack time with Yoplait Kids yogurt – You can feel good about what your children are eating at snack time because Yoplait Kids provides an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, and has 25% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt. With yummy flavors and favorite friends like Dora and Lightning McQueen on the packages, Yoplait Kids is a hit with kids. My kids especially like for me to freeze the "Go-Gurt" packs so they can double as popsicles.

End the day with a Delight Parfait from Yoplait – Now available in two new flavors, Chocolate Éclair and Cherry Cheesecake, you can enjoy a dessert that’s 100 percent guilt-free since they're only 100 calories.

Between getting some more exercise outside (I like to walk with my husband now that's finally warm!) and incorporating yogurt into my daily intake, I'm hoping to shed a few of those winter pounds. I'm also in the running for a prize pack from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark, which would come in handy with that "shed those pounds" goal. :)

Don't forget to go to Yoplait's Facebook page to claim your coupon for a free cup of yogurt. You can also find a coupon for $ .50 off Yoplait kids' yogurt, which we all know that Kroger will double to $1.00 off!

Today Only: FREE Tote and Lotion w/purchase at Bath & Body Works - EXPIRED

2011-03-19T09:54:00.002-05:00

Bath and Body Works is hosting an in-store Fragrance Event today only, March 19, from 1-5 pm. When you purchase any full-size Signature Collection item, you'll receive a FREE tote and full-size Country Chic Body Lotion, a value of $15.50. Limit of one per person while supplies last.

To make this deal even sweeter, you can use this printable coupon, in addition to the deal mentioned above, to get a FREE travel size item with your purchase!

Coupon Insert Preview for 3/20

2011-03-18T22:41:00.001-05:00

Ready to see what coupons are expected in this weekend's newspaper inserts? It's always great to know, because then you can decide just how many newspapers you need to purchases. Go here to see what coupons are anticipated this Sunday, realizing that different areas will often receive different values of coupons.

BOGO Diet Pepsi Coupon

2011-03-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

Diet Pepsi is reportedly coming out in new skinny cans. Maybe it's a subliminal message that when you buy it, you'll get skinny, too! Even the packaging is smaller. They come in four packs instead of the standard six pack size. I haven't seen these yet in stores (not that I've been looking), but it's safe to say that when new products come out, coupons will soon follow. Here's a printable coupon I received via email for you to buy one four-pack, and get another four-pack free!

FREE Full-size International Delights Creamer from Vocalpoint

2011-03-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

If you're a Vocalpoint member, you may be eligible to receive a full-size International Delights coffee creamer. Go here to put in your zip code to see if your area is participating. If so, you'll receive your coupon in 5-7 weeks.

Not a Vocalpoint member yet? It's free to sign up.

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom!

Coupon Ninja Day 6: The Principle of Stockpiling

2011-03-17T09:38:00.057-05:00

When I first started getting things super cheap or even free, especially doing the drugstore deals, my husband wasn't sure about the whole thing. I would come home with bags of perfectly good items, and lots of them. He would ask, "Just how much toothpaste do we really need?" He didn't understand the principle of stockpiling.

Stockpiling is simply buying things that you know you will use, when they're on sale, as opposed to waiting until you're out of something, at which time it probably won't be on sale. For example, Kroger had a sale on Suave deodorant for only $1 (the smaller size). The coupons I had were for $ .50 off. Since Kroger doubles up to $ .50, I could get the deodorant free! I had five coupons, so I came home with 5 free deodorants. As I explained to my husband, it's true that we may not need all those deodorants right now, but won't we need it eventually? They may not be on sale when we need it, so it's better to "stockpile" when it's free than pay full price when you're desperate.

Here are some considerations when stockpiling:

Don't be a brand snob. If you really don't care which brand of toothpaste, deodorant, or soap you use, you will save a lot more. In fact, because I've tried new things, our family has found some new things that they really like, and they've also found things that they prefer I not buy anymore. So don't be afraid to try a different brand just because you've never bought it before. (By the way, if you DO care which brand you buy, you can still save on it, but generally your savings won't be as much.)
Have a place to put your extras. This was initially one of the things that bothered my husband. I ended up with so much overflow of body wash, shampoo, etc., that it didn't have a place to go! Since he can't stand clutter, I started using a big multi-drawer cart to keep my stash in, and it stays in my closet. Now, when he needs a new toothbrush, he asks me to get one out of my "stash." And he has learned to appreciate having extras on hand, especially when it's a lean paycheck week.
Get some extra, but don't hoard. It's best to practice the Golden Rule on this: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I've heard of people who buy things just to buy them. Unless it's something I or someone I know can use, or something I can donate to the church missions closet, I generally don't get the item, even if it's free. It also puts couponers in general in a bad light when someone is a "smash and grabber" and clears off the shelves. Do the deals, but play nice!
Stockpile food items, too. I can't emphasize this enough. We are blessed to have an extra refrigerator as well as a beautiful upright freezer in our garage. When I find things like perishable items that are super cheap, I snap them up and put them away for later on. For example, last fall Food Lion was having a buy one, get one free sale on Kraft cheese. I had several $5/5 coupons, and ended up getting each package of shredded cheese for about $ .39! I went several times to do this deal, and ended up with a huge stockpile of cheese that has just run out in the last couple of weeks. What a blessing! We also reorganized our laundry room during January's snow days to accommodate a small pantry. Again, when food items go on sale, we have a place to keep it until it's needed. This saves significantly on the grocery bill. The hardest part is keeping the kids out of it!
Stockpiling for birthdays and Christmas. If you're on the lookout throughout the year for items that could be used for gifts, you'll amass a stash of potential birthday and Christmas gift items, too. It's inevitable that one of the children will be invited to a birthday party that we weren't expecting, and it's so nice to go to the closet and see what I found on clearance months ago, that will work as a present. The hardest part for me is remembering where I put everything! I recommend having a central location where everything will be. One year, I had bought so much throughout the year that when I went to get everything down from the top of the closet at Christmas, it was way more than my children would need for gifts. So we found people who needed some of those items, and shared the wealth.

So there you have it. Stockpiling in a nutshell. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Coupon Ninja": Handling Coupon Rejection.

Product Review: Droid 2 by Verizon Wireless

2011-03-16T18:10:00.001-05:00

Be still my heart! For ten glorious days, I was thrilled to ~~play with~~ review a Motorola Droid 2 from Verizon Wireless. Every single member of the family tried this baby out. Some of the features included the following:

Android 2.2 technology
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (which is something sadly lacking on my current smartphone)
Full multi-touch 3.7 inch brilliant display - with colors way sharper and more vibrant than my normal phone
A massive slide-out keyboard
5 megapixel camera with zoom and many other features you would find on a standard camera, including the option of video recording
And plenty of other things which I didn't try, like the wireless hotspot capability (one of the perks of my current phone!), speech-to-text input, a virtual keyboard, and global capabilities...for that mission trip I haven't yet had the opportunity to take.

And then there are the apps. Oh. My. Goodness. There are thousands of apps for the Droid, many of which are free, which you know is my favorite price. There are so many apps that that's what Droid owners talk about when they get together. "Have you seen this cool app?" I say that because I have three Droid owners in my family, although I'm not one of them. My dad is excited about the Gesture app, which allows him to draw a letter of the alphabet with his finger, and all the contacts with that letter magically appear on his screen. It sure beats scrolling!

One of my husband's favorite apps is Ringdroid, (here's a YouTube video about it) which allows him to use any MP3 song as his ringtone. Not only that, but it lets him choose which portion of the song he wants, simply by dragging his finger across the screen. Amazing!

Zachary, my eight-year-old, was enamored of the brilliant graphics. His favorite app was "Need for Speed Shift," a racing game that kept him quite occupied in waiting rooms. My girls enjoyed the Fruit Pirate app, similar to the very popular (but not free) Fruit Ninja app, and I have to admit that it was not only a lot of fun but also highly addictive. My husband, a recent Blackberry convert who now owns the Droid Pro, learned a few things, too. :) And let's not forget the Key Ring app, which allows you to use the phone instead of all those loyalty cards that keep ending up in the bottom of my purse. How about the Price Scanner app that allows you to scan the bar code of an item, and it will show you the price of that item at local stores? That's a great help when you're at Wal-Mart, trying to use their price match guarantee!

We didn't just play games on the phone. There's so much that it will do. I checked multiple email accounts, surfed the web, took pictures, uploaded them to Facebook, managed my Twitter account, moderated blog comments, searched with my KJV Bible app, marveled at the crystal clear phone calls, and checked out app after app. There's a Kindle app that will allow you to read Amazon Kindle books! How cool is that?! And the built-in GPS with voice-activated, turn-by-turn driving directions is included with Droid 2, whereas with my phone, that's something I would have to pay extra to access. And how about the Skype mobile app, which allows you to make video calls with your phone as opposed to being tethered to your computer to use it?

The cost of the Droid 2 if you're buying it without a contract is close to $600. Ouch! But with a contract, the price is still, um, quite pricey, especially with today's economy. So...can a frugal zealot like me really promote a $199 phone? I suppose it depends on how you look at it. For instance, my dad just bought this exact phone, the Droid 2. Yes, the initial investment was pricey, but he and Mom decided to forego their $70+ internet bill each month, and surf exclusively on the phone, which offers unlimited internet. So even though there's a $30 monthly data plan, it's still a savings of over $40 a month for them. Plus, Dad got in on Verizon's "Smartphones Talk Free" promo in January, which gives him a 24-month free phone line, which is a potential savings of $240.

Add to that the fact that he can read e-books on his phone (a savings of $139 instead of buying a Kindle), and he has already rigged up a mount for the phone on his motorcycle so he can use the turn-by-turn GPS feature (instead of buying a GPS at close to $100), and you can see that this one device will definitely save him more than it cost. He's also planning to Skype my brother in Texas, who has a first generation Droid. What fun! Not only that, but the teens at church are blown away that my dad, who is a grandpa many times over, is hip enough to have a Droid 2.

The bottom line is, the Droid 2 is an amazing piece of equipment. I felt incredibly productive since there was so much at my fingertips. But if you're undisciplined, I can see the possibility to be distracted with all the fun apps that are out there. Will I get a Droid? Well, I'm not eligible for another phone yet (I gave my credit to my daughter, whose flip phone had broken in half.) But when I am eligible, maybe...just maybe...I can get the Droid 2.

$10 Gift Card from Wal-Mart and All You

2011-03-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

Wal-Mart and All You magazine are teaming up to offer you a $10 Wal-Mart gift card when you purchase any two of the products listed here:

COTTONELLE® Ultra Toilet paper 12pk
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes® Family Size
Any Zicam® Cold Remedy product

You have to print this mail-in form. Products must be purchased between 3/11/11 and 4/15/11.
Receipt and completed form must be submitted to All You with a postmarked date of 4/30/11. Offer is valid while supplies last.

Here are a couple of ideas for making the most of this offer.

Use this $2/1 printable coupon for Zicam.
Mercedes suggests having Wal-Mart price-match the Cottonelle, which is on sale at Kmart for $6.99. Buy two, use two of these $ .50/1 printable coupon or two $1/1 coupons from 3/13 SS insert, and spend as little as $10.98 out of pocket. Submit for rebate. If you get the $10 gift card before supplies run out, that's like paying $ .98 for 24 rolls of toilet paper!

FREE Recipes Newsletter from Ready, Set, Eat

2011-03-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

ConAgra Foods sent me a preview binder of recipes featuring their new "Ready, Set, Eat" campaign, and it has some great ones in it. I imagine their newsletter will feature even more of the same!

Sign up for the ReadySetEat newsletter today. They're serving up quick and easy dinner recipes plus coupons and savings based on your local grocery stores.

To request your newsletter, go here to get started.

Photo Magnet from Kodak Gallery $1 shipped

2011-03-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

As you know, I love photo gifts of all kinds. They're the ultimate gift. Here's a freebie being offered by Kodak Gallery. The photo magnet is FREE when you sign up to receive Kodak newsletters (I recommend having an email address besides your primary one, just for signing up for things.) Cost of shipping is just $1. Offer available only when clicking on "join now" link above.

Food Lion Sales

2011-03-15T12:06:00.000-05:00

Remember the Food Lion Brand Deal I told you about last week? Not only is it still effective this week, but it's effective the whole month! And there's a new promo besides that: The MVP Big Deal, which runs suspiciously like a Mega Sale at Kroger, with one exception: the maximum savings per shopping trip is limited to $15, which is 30 participating items.

When you purchase either 10, 20, or 30 participating items, you'll receive a $5, $10, or $15 instant savings. For a complete list of what 100+ products are included in The Big Deal, you can download a complete list in PDF format right here. The other good news? The Big Deal is effective through March 22, 2011! (Before you get too excited, I understand that there are some Food Lion areas that are not participating, including Knoxville, TN; Greenville/Spartanburg, SC; Savannah, GA; and Baltimore, MD.)

Notice that there are more items on the official PDF list than are listed in the actual ad (another similarity Food Lion shares with Kroger!). For instance, Blue Bunny ice cream is listed as buy one, get one free on the official list, but that is not mentioned in the ad:

Blue Bunny ice cream is BOGO (or $2.99 each) Limit 2 free per transaction

Use $2/1 coupon (no longer available, but here's a $1/1 printable)
Get 50 cents off if you buy 10 items listed in the sale
Final Cost: as low as $ .49!

What's the main difference between The Big Deal and the Food Lion Private Brand Sale?
The MVP Big Deal sale is different from the Private Brand Super Sale. With the Private Brand Super Sale, you purchase Food Lion and Home 360 brand products and receive a Catalina coupon at checkout worth 25 cents per item. You have to buy at least 4 items to get the Catalina, and you can buy as many as 40 items in the same transaction. So if you buy four FL or H360 brand products, you will receive a coupon for $1; five products, $1.25; Six products, $1.50, etc.

With the MVP Big Deal Sale, if you purchase 10 Big Deal Sale items, you will receive $5 off your order instantly at the register. 20 items = $10 off; 30 items = $15 off. Remember that there's a limit of $15 instant savings in the same transaction.

There are also certain items you should be able to "double dip" with, meaning that you could take advantage of both promos at the same time, such as Food Lion peanut butter!

Here's a comment on how to roll those Catalinas:
"The great thing with the Private brand sale is you can split your order up into several parts and roll your Catalina from the private brand sale over to the rest of your items that are not Food Lion brand. I put all of my food lion brand items in the first order, paid for them, and then when they gave me my $10 off catalina for buying 40 items, I used it to buy the rest of my items. That way you can use the coupon right away instead of waiting till the next time you shop there, and it is seeing the savings pretty well instantly! Can't wait to try it out again with the Big Deal sale!"

Looking for a coupon match-up for The Big Deal? Here's a link to one from Food Lion Insider. You can also check Southern Savers for coupon matchups for this week. (She's even got next week's matchups ready to go, for the sale that starts tomorrow!)

I've Missed You!

2011-03-15T11:19:00.000-05:00

Boy, it's been a whirlwind of a week since about last Thursday! I finished typing my husband's 18-page research paper last Friday morning, about 1/2 an hour before we were to leave for a Ladies' Retreat in Gatlinburg. When you factor in church, school, a teen afterglow at our house on Sunday, and the time change, I feel like I'm really behind in pretty much everything...including blogging.

But I've missed getting on here every day to share some deals and how-tos, and sharing in your yeahs and hurrays. Looking forward to getting back in the groove...starting now!

Oh --I'm also working on tweaking a blog redesign, which should launch at the end of the month. If there are features you'd like to see here, drop me a line and I'll see if it's something that's possible to integrate! :)

Thanks for your patience!

New Kroger Instant Win Game

2011-03-13T08:24:00.001-05:00

Cartbuster is over, but today starts a whole new Mega Event at Kroger! You can go here to download a PDF list of what's on sale.

There are 22 days left to play in the Kroger March to Savings instant win game, with 30,000 prizes being offered. There's no skill involved in playing the game. Just follow the instructions on the screen to shoot a basketball. If the basketball goes into the net, you win! I played for the first time a few minutes ago and won a Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Creme. The prize comes in the form of an e-coupon to be loaded on your card. Coupon expires April 21.

Real Life Takes Precedence

2011-03-10T12:23:00.000-06:00

If you've noticed I haven't posted any deals lately, that's not because I haven't been at the computer. I feel like I've been on the computer 24/7 lately because my husband, a graduate student, has an 18-20 page paper that is due by midnight on Friday.

So if I'm a little quieter than usual, please understand. :) I'll be back with you before long.

Load New Cellfire Coupons Here!

2011-03-08T07:55:00.001-06:00

Below are the Cellfire deals available for clipping 3/8 - 3/21 and expiring 4/4. Go here to start loading them on your Kroger card. Questions about how e-coupons work? Check out the e-coupon portion of the Coupon Ninja series.

Cortaid® Save $2
Save $2.00 on any Cortaid® Anti-itch product.

PB Toaster Strudel® Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any flavor/variety Pillsbury® Toaster Strudel® Pastries.

Green Giant boxed Save $.60
Save $0.60 when you buy THREE any variety Green Giant® Frozen Boxed Vegetables.

NV Granola Bars Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy ONE BOX any flavor/variety Nature Valley® Granola Bars (excludes Nature Valley® Granola Thins).

BC Fruit Snacks Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES any flavor/variety Betty Crocker® Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot®, Fruit Gushers® OR Fruit Roll-Ups® fruit flavored snacks.

Gardetto's Snack Mix Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy any flavor 8 OZ. OR LARGER Gardettos® Snack Mix.

Wheaties® cereal Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy ONE BOX Wheaties® or Wheaties Fuel® cereal.

Cheerios® Cereal Save $.55
Save $0.55 when you buy ONE BOX Original Cheerios® cereal (the one in the yellow box).

Cinn Toast Crunch Save $.55
Save $0.55 when you buy ONE BOX Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal.

MultiGrain Cheerios® Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy ONE BOX MultiGrain Cheerios® cereal.

GG Valley Fresh Stmrs Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any variety Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers® frozen vegetables.

These deals are valid at Kroger and Kroger subsidiaries, Shop 'n Save, Lowe's Foods, and Safeway subsidiaries (excluding Dominicks).

Go here to get started saving with Cellfire!

Using Walgreens/Kroger Catalinas at Wal-Mart!

2011-03-07T15:22:00.001-06:00

Oh happy day! Last week (while I was out of pocket in Pensacola, enjoying a much-needed Pastors' Conference with my hubby), Wal-Mart updated their official coupon policy, and I think you're going to like what it says. My favorite parts are in bold red print below:

Walmart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

•Manufacturers' coupons
•Print-at-home internet coupons
◦Must be legible, have "Manufacturer Coupon" printed on them, have a valid remit address for the manufacturer, valid expiration date, and have a scannable bar code.

•Competitors' coupons that feature a specific item for a specified price
◦for example, $2.99

•Soft drink container caps
•Checkout coupons
◦(also called "Catalinas") that are printed at our competitors' registers, have "Manufacturer Coupon" with specific requirements printed on them, a valid remit address for the manufacturer, valid expiration date, and a scannable bar code.

Walmart does not accept the following coupons:
•Print-at-home Internet coupons that require no purchase
•Competitors' coupons for dollars/cents or percentage off, buy one get one free, and double- or triple-value coupons

The following are guidelines and limitations:
•Only one coupon per item is permitted.
•Coupons must have an expiration date and be redeemed prior to expiration.
•Coupons may exceed the price of the item. Change may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase.
•Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise that we sell.
•Coupons must be presented at the time of purchase.
•We accept the following with Customer Service Supervisor/Management approval:
◦40 or more coupons
◦Any coupon over $20
◦$50 or more in coupons in one transaction

Since this policy is different from the previous one, please be patient with your cashier who may not know about the official changes. I recommend printing out a copy of the official Wal-Mart coupon policy and taking it with you to the store to kindly show the cashier if you should encounter a problem.

Here's a link to the official policy, as well as link to a downloadable version of the policy in PDF.

FREE Wisk Sample from CVS - EXPIRED

2011-03-07T14:48:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure how big this sample is or how long it will be offered, but I was happy to sign up to try a sample of Wisk laundry detergent with Stain Spectrum technology. Just go this section of the CVS website, then click on the red link in the middle of the page that says "Get Your Free Sample and Coupon." Fill out the form, and your sample should be mailed to you in the next 4-6 weeks.

Thanks, Freebies4Mom!