Food Lion -- saved 42%

I went to Food Lion last week to take advantage of their deal on charcoal: buy Kingsford and get FREE Hidden Valley Ranch or KC Masterpiece. I also had some coupons to take even better advantage of the deal. I know some people don't like Food Lion because they don't double coupons or offer a lot of BOGO deals, but I've done really well shopping there regardless.

Trip summary: I did two transactions to maximize my number of FREEBIES. I also had some coupons that could not be used together in the same transaction. I was able to get 3 FREE Hidden Valley Ranch; 2 from the deal and 1 by coupon. Go to GatherRoundTheGrill to get FREE item coupons to use when buying KingsFord.

I bought 1 whole chicken, 3 bottles of Hidden Valley Ranch (FREE), 10lbs of Russet potatoes, 3 gallons of skim milk (almost $15!), 4 boxes of FL Mac&Cheese (FREE), 2 cans of Campbell's Chicken noodle (FREE), 1 box of ice cream pops, approx 4lbs of ground chuck, 2 small containers of Skinny Cow ice cream (25 cents total), 2 bags of KingsFord briquets, 2lbs of carrots, 2 18oz boxes of Cheerios, 1 Vlasic pickle spears, and 3lbs of pork ribs (just $1.30!).

Total before savings and coupons: $102.52
Total out of pocket: $57.98
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saved 42% --- I may have saved even more; when my Food Lion does markdowns, they only show the lowest price on the receipt, not the original, higher price. I was also glad I did this in Georgia; very little food tax helps with the savings.

Great new $1 produce coupon from Food Lion

Play the Shamrock game and you can print a $1 off a $3 green produce items coupon. Make sure you check that link next week because Food Lion states there will be a new coupon then.

*If your Publix considers Food Lion a competitor, you can use your coupon there!*

(Thanks, CouponersUnited!)

Food Lion ---- saved 40%

Food Lion is having a great deal on ground beef this week. I was very excited, so I made sure to go. See this post for info on the sale and a link to a meat coupon.

Trip summary:
I bought 1 gallon of milk ($5!), 9 lbs of ground beef, 10 lbs of chicken quarters, 1 quart chocolate milk, and 5 lbs of potatoes.

Total before savings and coupons: $37.72
Total out of pocket: $22.65
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saved 40% ---- I'm very happy with these savings. It is very hard to save on meat usually. So, even if I spend quite a bit on meat this month, I will see a savings in the future when the price goes back up.

Clearance at Food Lion

I stopped over at Food Lion this afternoon to get some meat. 73% Lean Ground Beef is only $1.37/lb this week! My stockup price is anything below $1.99/lb, so I was pretty excited. Plus, Food Lion has a coupon available for $1 off a $5 meat purchase if you subscribe to their email newsletter!

Now, while I was in there I noticed a lot of clearance stickers. They are orange and rectangular and fairly easy to spot. Sometimes they will cover the original barcode with the clearance sticker if you don't see one on the front of an item. Food Lion is marking down a lot of items right now. I found meat and milk on clearance, that doesn't happen often. The lactose free milk, which is usually very pricey, was only about $1.50 for a half gallon. I was even able to get 10 pounds of chicken for only $3.79.

When you go to your local Food Lion, there should be signs up talking about the markdowns. If you don't see any, please speak to a manager or employee. They may be able to help you snag a great deal!

**See this page on SouthernSavers to print the coupon if you are not a current Food Lion email subscriber**

Mail Call! Food Lion, Mariani, and Kotex

In the mail Friday, I got coupons from Food Lion. They are 3 store coupons for Dove's MEN+CARE items. I can use these with manufacturer coupons and save even more! Head over here to get a $1 manufacturer coupon from Dove.

I also got a FREE sample of dried plums (prunes) from Mariani. This sample is still available! Just go here and enter SUPERFRUIT where it asks for a promo code near the bottom of the page. Put in your info and wait for it to arrive.

I got another FREE sample pack from Kotex too. See how to get your own here. The last link is dead, try here instead (try all 3 if one is gone).

Food Lion Full Circle Sweepstakes --- $200 of Home360 items

Food Lion has a new sweepstakes to win $200 of their Home360 products. You can enter once per day. Please check the official rules, because not all states are eligible for this contest.

Food Lion ---- saved 43%

I stopped into Food Lion today for some produce and 7UP.  I got a text message from ShopText a couple of days ago telling me I could get a FREE 2 liter of 7UP or Canada Dry just by using my MVP card. I discussed signing up for this service here. I also got a $1 Tyson Any'tizers & 12" Digiorno Pizza and .40 Pringles coupons added to my card.

I took a $1 off a $5 produce Food Lion coupon to the store with me. Every week Food Lion emails me a link to exclusive store coupons. My Publix also accepts these coupons and I like to combine them with manufacturer coupons when possible. Sign up for the email list here.

Trip summary:
I bought 5lbs of potatoes, a head of lettuce, a mango and a 2 liter of 7UP.

Total before savings: $7.59
Total out of pocket: $4.30
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saved 43%

Trip to Food Lion & Save-A-Lot

Yesterday, I stopped by Save-A-Lot. I heard they had some nice deals on produce.  I haven't been to Save-A-Lot in years.  Their produce section was small, but everything was priced low and looked great. Bananas were .33/lb! I also got .75/lb onions. I'll definitely be stopping by again for produce. Unfortunately, I found the rest of the store to be sub-par. The meat section was disgusting.  A lot of stuff on the shelves was processed and expensive. I hope it's only the Save-A-Lot I went to that is like this.

I also stopped by Food Lion.  They have a great B1G1 sale this week on General Mills cereal.  I also had a raincheck I was hoping to use. I did two transactions.

Transaction 1:
I bought 6 boxes of Cheerios. In preparation for a sale like this, I bought .75 coupons off of ebay and printed out 2 $1 coupons from here.

Total before savings and coupons: $22.71
Total after savings and coupons: $6.72
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saved 72%! ----- I saved $11.34 by just using my MVP card (never leave home without it)

Transaction 2:
I bought 10lbs of russet potatoes, 5lb Boston butt pork roast, and 2 Smithfield Ham Shank portions (total of 19lbs). I had a raincheck for the ham shanks from last week's sale.

Total before savings: $29.47
Total after savings: $23.22
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saved 21% ----- doesn't look impressive but this doesn't include the savings I got from the raincheck.
I paid last week's price of $14.76 instead of this week's price $34.31 for an additional savings of $19.55.
Overall, I paid $23.22 instead of $42.09 ---- 45% off.

Mail Call! Olay Rebate & Food Lion Coupons

I sign up for lots of free stuff, like coupons and samples. I'm also diligent about applying for rebates.

Today I mailed out an Olay Rebate for buying two body lotions. I had two coupons to make the lotions free with purchase of a body wash from the P&G insert from 11/29 and I'm expecting to get $19.98 back from Olay. Do this deal today and tomorrow at Walgreens and get $5 Register Rewards for spending $25. The rebate form here can be used for two lotions. Found out about this from AThriftyMom, thanks!

Today I received 3 coupons from Food Lion for free items! I got coupons for free 11-12 oz bag Folgers Gourmet Selections, 10-12 oz bag Nestle Morsels, and 2 liter 7UP or Canada Dry. All I had to do was text message! *Please note you may be charged for texts depending on your cell provider plan. Also, I only had to send one text to get all 3 coupons.* Details found at CommonSenseWithMoney, thanks!