Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Surprising Deals At Food Lion

Food Lion is like 7-11 to me. I know it's there. It's convenient. There seems to be one in every small shopping strip. But most of the time I forget about it. Unlike big box stores like Wal-Mart, Target or even huge grocery stores like Kroger and Martin's, Food Lion seems to disappear into the strip mall landscape.

When I do remember to shop at Food Lion, I am usually surprised with nice little savings like a 2-cent bag of rice, or 50-cent bag of Mc Cain's potatoes, or $0.49-cent cans of pure pumpkin on clearance. Just like CVS, Food Lion has a Magic Coupon Machine that prints out store and manufacturer coupons. The store coupons are only good that day. The manufacturer coupons are usually the same ones from coupons.com and high value. Most often, it is from these coupons I get 75cents off rice. And store coupons can be combined with manufacturer's, and that's how I got $2 off the potatoes priced at $2.50.

Also, I signed-up for the Shopper's Email Companion and have received nice store coupons to print like $2 off $5 fresh produce, bakery or meat products. It's not often that coupons for these categories are available so it's great to take advantage of them when they are!

Monday, April 29, 2013

FREE Zyrtec at CVS!



This is only my second spring here in Virginia. Unlike last year, I've only had to take an Allegra once, and no Zyrtec at all for my allergies. But when I heard about the $6 Zyrtec coupon in the Smartsource coupon booklet this Sunday, I knew it was better to have it on hand in case the wind blows the wrong way and dumps pollen on me.

So off at CVS this Sunday, I picked up 5ct Zyrtec and Kit Kat which were both free after ECBs and coupon. Also, a 24 bug is going around our family and Pepto was needed. I used my 25% off CVS coupon to get $1.50 off the $7.42 regular price. It comes out 50 cents more than at Wal-Mart. But I had ECBs to use and only paid for tax. Then, I got the $2 ECB from the end of the Green Bag Tag program. So it was like I made $2 from that transaction.
It seems like every Thursday afternoon, not only does the CVS website put out a sneak peek of next week's ad, but they also email a percent off or dollars off coupon that is good through the weekend. In that case, I didn't really need to buy a lot. But I can just wait to go back on Saturday when my store does a back-to-back deals for both the current and upcoming ads.

Sam's Club Open House: Baking Stock-up


Went to Sam's Club for the Spring Open House late Saturday afternoon. I've never been too interested in a Sam's Club membership because Costco is here in our area too. If I am going to spend money on a membership, I would want it for Costco. They have amazing cakes, reminiscent of Publix. But for a no-surcharge weekend for non-member's at Sam's, a baking stock-up is a must.

Even though we got there 30 minutes before tasting ended, at least 7 tasting stations were still available. Salmon, steak, and porkchops were among the juicy treats. They even handed out a FREE hardback cookbook for everyone.

Hands down, baking supplies and spices are cheapest at Sam's Club. The containers are huge, especially the sack 25lbs bread flour. That was too much I thought until I saw the 50 lb bag of popcorn. Yeast, cornstarch, seasonings, baking powder and flour were top on my list.

Apparently, they are not keen on people finding out their clearance. I thought maybe they had some "in the back" but I couldn't figure out where the back was. Some readers have suggested looking at the actual prices to clue in on items sold at cost. If the item price ends in $0.01 then they are selling it for rock-bottom prices. So I kept my eyes peeled and found the Land O Lakes Asstd Hot Cocoa, 42 count for $3.41 with an expiration date of November 2014!

 
Not counting the money spent on the must-have $1.50 Nathan's Hot Dog combos, I spent $183 for groceries and two swimsuits. With our pool opening Memorial Day weekend and not finding great deals at Target, getting a shirt & skirt swimsuit for $29 was a steal for me, as well as the $13 one-piece swimsuit for my daughter.
 
 
If in 6 months, Sam's Club has another open house, we would surely be back, earlier too so we can enjoy the free samples. It was nice to buy lots of eggs, frozen veggies and a gigantic tub of Nutella and not have to wait for sales or coupons. But factoring in the cost of the membership card is just not worth it... unless we open up a Farmer's Market stand or go into the Food Cart business (which I hope we might someday!).
 


Uncomplicated Menu Plan: MPM Week of April 29

 Menu Plan this week has to be uncomplicated. After shopping at Sam's Club, we have plenty of frozen veggies, fish, and eggs. A couple of weeks ago, I also bagged up muffin, cornbread and waffle mixes and put them in the freezer.

Breakfast:
Krispy Kreme donuts
Oatmeal
Overnight Waffles
Tea and Crackers
Cereal
Muffins

Lunch:
Rice and Beans
Rice Porridge and Chopped Eggs
Fish Chowder and Cornbread
Chicken Stirfry

Egg Salad Sandwiches
BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Dinner:
Hawaiian Meatballs
Ham and Pasta Alfredo Bake
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Omelets
Pizza
Veggie Stirfry


Snacks:
Cupcakes
Strawberry Chocolates
Pmpkin Dip and Crackers
Carrot Sticks
Chips and Salsa

What meals do you have planned this week? Join orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday to share or get ideas!





Sunday, April 28, 2013

Enjoying Spring in the East Coast


After many years living in the Gulf Coast, where the two seasons are hot and hotter, we are enjoying the four seasons of Virginia. They are pretty short, each with its own fleeting beauty.

The lawn guys have only started cutting the grass again so we have enjoyed the yard covered in wild violets. Next spring, I would love to plant some of these purple beauties in pots.

Dogwood is the state flower and tree of Virginia. They have a nice structure to them. I love seeing these trees especially the pink ones everywhere.

We have crab apple trees that produced amazing blossoms. I was able to take some pictures before the inchworms attacked many of them.

Lastly, spring is really here and the birds are busy building their nests. I've seen sparrows, chickadees and this robin with a beak full of straw fluttering about.

How are you enjoying your spring season?





CVS: No More Green Bag Tags


So sad this Sunday morning at CVS, even though I got my free 5ct Zyrtec, I was met with this at the register:

Got $2 ECB that printed stating:
"We are sorry but our Green Bag Tag program has ended. Please accept these Extra Bucks Rewards for you past participation. Your tag is recyclable."

I think my green tag is going in a scrapbook instead of the recycle bin. It's truly an end of an era for CVS shoppers! Better go get those BOGO Krispy Kreme donuts to cheer myself up!

Thanks to Hip2Save and MoneySavingMom for deal alerts. I'm sure something as great or better than the Green Bag Tag will come along at CVS soon. After all, they are the best with the drugstore game!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Barred Owl in the City!


It turns out that owls are not restricted to barns in the country. Early evening, when it was still bright outside, we saw a barred owl perched on a tree branch outside. It looked straight at us through the window. We live within city limits, not all suburbia over here. But we do have a little creek and lots of 50-60 ft trees. And our yard is filled with birds, squirrels and stray cats. So, I can see why it's chosen to hang out in our neighborhood.

We heard it hooting that night. That was the first time any of us have seen and owl or heard it hooting out in the wild. It's amazing!


CVS Shopping Trip: Paid $0.45, Got $7 ECBs


This trip to CVS took only a few minutes. I had a $10 ECB expiring that day so I grabbed a few things that would give me ECBs back.
And after coupons and the ECBs back, this is the breakdown of my purchase:
$0.25 Crest toothpaste
$0.75 Palmolive dish detergent
$1 Orbit gum- 2
$0.50 Wet’n Wild eyeliner
$0.50 Revlon nail polish
$0.50 Revlon eye shadow

For this CVS trip:
Paid $0.45 pretax
Got back $7 ECBs
Saved $20.92

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