Canned Food Deals to help Second Harvest

By now you've probably heard the terrible news that on Monday, the warehouse for Second Harvest Food Bank was flooded. They lost all their freezers and fridges, and they expect most of their food is contaminated. Hopefully insurance will help pay for most of the damage, but there are immediate needs in our area that don't stop because they're temporarily closed.

Think of it like this. They are a like grocery store that supplies food to many other agencies that in turn serve 158,000 people a month. Without the grocery store, those agencies have to rely on what they have on hand until the grocery store reopens (which hopefully will be Monday, March 7).

I'm pleased to see some groups are already stepping up the plate to help. Bearden High School donated enough money to provide 42,000 meals for the Food for Kids program and Frontier Airlines gave $2000. See video above.

As a coupon blogger, I don't have that much to give, but I know how every little bit helps. If you and your neighbor and your friend and your mother all donate something, we could have a huge impact. Donating online is a great way to go because with their ability to buy in bulk they can turn every dollar into 3 meals. But if you prefer to give actual food, here are some ideas to save you money:

The most requested items are peanut butter, diapers, and canned food with protein. Cereal is another good item to consider.

1. Kroger:

• Honey Nut Cheerios ($2.18, use $1/2 MC and $.55 esaver from Kroger, Cellfire, or Shortcuts=$1.13 each)
• Progresso soup ($1.25 each, use $1/4 MC and 2 $.50/2 esavers=$.75 each)
• 2 Butterfingers ($.50 each, use $1/2 printable=both FREE) Think of it as a nice treat for the volunteers!

2. Ingles

• Starkist tuna pouches 5oz ($.50, use $.50 coupon in All You=FREE)
• Hunts tomato products ($1, use $.45 printable, doubled =$.10 sauce or $.45/3 doubled =$.70 each) I think to double coupons, you must spend $10 to double three.
• Peter Pan 16oz peanut butter ($1.67)
• Laura Lynn canned fruit ($1)
• Healthy Choice soups ($1)

3. Earthfare:

• Muir Glen tomatoes 28oz: $2, use $.75 printable=$1.25 each (a good price since this is the large can).
• If you have 28oz of Hunts tomato sauce to donate from previous Kroger sales (I got mine free), you could exchange them for a free Earthfare jar of sauce ($2.99 value) through Take the Boot challenge. The cans will be donated to Second Harvest.

4. Walgreen's:

• Huggies diapers or pull-ups ($8.99, use $2MC, get $2RR=$4.99 each)

5. United Grocery Outlet (Thanks to Hannah from Frugally Farming Family for this list; they do not accept coupons)

• Generic diapers: $2.29 for various sizes and quantities per package.
• Name brand diapers starting at $5.59 for various sizes and quantities.
• The peanut butter is Fischer brand for $1.49 for 16 oz.
• Canned goods were anywhere from 4/$1 to 3/$1 or 2/$1. There are also some $.69 each.
• The cheapest cereal was 1.99 each; some name brands were more expensive.

6. Your own pantry

Chances are you've gotten even better deals and stockpiled several items they could use. Consider giving from here, but make sure nothing is beyond the expiration.

Since Second Harvest can't accept physical donations now, you could drop them off at the office where the husband of another coupon blogger, Knoxville on a Dime, works:

Rocky Top Realty

4313 Ball Camp Pike

Donation hours are 9-6 weekdays, by appt on weekends.

Contact David Gibson (865)566-1216 or Dolly Smith (865)755-2201

Thank you for your generosity!

Couponing for Charity

The holiday season should be a time we celebrate giving to each other--especially those less fortunate. Some of the local charities on my list include Second Harvest, KARM, Salvation Army, Angel Tree, and Ronald McDonald House. I don't want to use the poor economy as an excuse not to give, but this year I'm having to get a bit more creative to stretch my dollars.

This week I scanned the sales at three stores to find the best deals on canned and non-perishable food. Target has Del Monte vegetables for $.45 a can, Campbell's cooking soups for $.49, Swanson chicken broth for $.49, and Betty Crocker Au Gratin potatoes for $.79. After using manufacturer's coupons, my final costs were: $.28 / can for vegetables, $.15 / can for soup, and $.39 / box for potatoes. You can get a $1/6 Del Monte vegetables here, you can find links to lots of Campbell's coupons here and a variety of others here.

Walgreens this week has the best deal on Ocean Spray Cranberry Jelly ($.79 with in store coupon). They also have smaller containers of French's fried onions ($.99 with in store coupons) which are perfect for one casserole. Lastly small boxes of Cheezits, Keebler cookies and crackers are on sale for $.50 each. They're too small to use manufacturer's coupons as well but they're still a good 0deal and an ideal size for stuffing gift baskets.

I found some great deals on toys at Kroger and Target. Disney Princess gift sets (Belle and Sleeping Beauty) were half off ($5 each) and a full-size Belle doll was also $5 at Kroger. Target is a great source for board games right now. I got Connect 4, Pictureka!, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Clue, and Guesstures for $10 (normally $15-$25). Over 2 weeks, various games were on sale, I used a $5 Target coupon in their November toy catalogue (they should have some near the toys or you can print from here), and I used coupons found online from from $2 -$10 each.

My best deal was the Hasbro Giraffalaff Limbo game (normally $20). I'd never price matched an item before because I haven't had the guts but I figured this was the day. At the customer service desk, I showed the Toys R Us toy catalogue selling the toy for $14.99. I then used the $5 off Target coupon and the $4 online coupon. My total before tax: $5.99.

And to prove that once again you can Go Green and Save Green, I fulfilled one more item on my list: light bulbs. The Ronald McDonald House specifically requested 60W light bulbs, and because I like the gifts that keep on giving, I opted for the GE Energy Smart Instant-On Mini soft white compact flourescents. They cost $5 each, but with $2/2 Target coupons and 3 $1/1 manufacturer's coupons, I got 4 light bulbs for $13. They should last 4 years and save the house a total of $112 off their electric bills long-term. Ah, it feels good to give.

In the future, I'll be stock-piling items I've found for free through Walgreens register rewards: toothbrushes, dental floss, hand sanitizer, chapstick, gum, etc. And if all this is too overwhelming, I urge you to give in one of the simplest ways: at check-out. Most stores ask if you'd like to donate an additional buck or two to charity. It's quick and easy and with all these savings from coupons, you can spare some change!

Comment below your great finds for charity.