All stores do not double coupons and some only double on certain days... Publix and Kroger both double up to .50. Meaning if you have a coupon for .50 they will double it and make the coupon worth a dollar!!! So the best way to utilize stores that double are to always wait for their deals!! Maximize that small coupon to make it a HUGE savings. Wait for a BOGO at publix or a Mega event at kroger... OR if you see a good clearance or sale price snag it then but don't just use it because you have it!!
Frugal Fun
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
How to shop at Publix
First off I want to let it be known that before I started couponing I HATED Publix...I always thought they were way to overpriced, which they are if you don't know how to shop there. Once you learn how to shop their deals you can walk into Publix with a cart full of groceries for little to nothing!!
BOGO deals
So the cool thing about Publix bogo deals is that really most of the time you are already getting a fairly good deal even without coupons..BUT if you do have coupons to throw into the mix..it makes this deal AWESOME!
B/c you ARE technically buying 2 products you can use 2 of the same coupons even though you are already getting one free anyway....to make this easier to understand i'll give an example....say classico pasta is BOGO this week at Publix for $3.49 and you have $1/1 coupon...you could use TWO of those coupons to make your total 1.49 for TWO jars of pasta sauce!!! Awesome deal right?
ALSO Publix DOUBLES coupons (The LaGrange area doubles up to .50) so say you have a coupon for .50..they will double that and make the coupon worth $1.00!! The only exception to this is if the coupon says DOES NOT DOUBLE.
Now I said in my earlier post about couponing that you can stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons .to double your savings so you can ALSO do this here although I haven't seen the opportunity to do so since I have been couponing (keep in mind its only been a month so I'm sure it HAS happend before) So let's just say we have an awesome scenario and are able to use all three of these tips!
Back to that same example Classico Pasta is BOGO $3.49 this week...you use (2) $1/1 manufacturer coupons and that knocks the price down to $1.49 but say you also have (2) Publix coupons for .25/1 well like I said Publix will double those coupons to .50 each and since you CAN use two of those this will knock your price down to .50 FOR TWO CANS OF PASTA....now I know that this example seems unreal but trust me this could happen.... .50 for two cans of pasta is not that far out of reach when couponing....
THIS TIP DOES NOT APPLY FOR THE LAGRANGE,GA AREA but b/c I do have fans that do not live here I will throw this out there...IF your store will accept competitor coupons (ex. Target) then you can also use That store's coupons! If you are interested in finding out how to do this, let me know and I will get you more info!!
PENNY ITEM
On the first day of the weekly sale which is every week either Wed. or Thurs. depending on your store (Wed. in LG) there is a coupon in the wed paper for a penny item...it does not list what the item will be but you have to spend $10 or more in the store in order to qualify for the penny item...once you do you will get whatever the item is for..you guessed it A PENNY...now the cool thing about this is that the $10 you have to spend is BEFORE coupons so you don't have to necessarily pay $10 out of pocket in order to get this deal!
Flyers
I can't ever remember the name of these flyers but one is yellow and one is green and publix puts them out with their weekly ads so make sure to grab these (a few of each if you can) when you walk in the store...there are some great store coupons in them that make for good deals!!
That is all I can think to say about Publix deals right now but I will be posting more as I think of them and be on the look out b/c I happen to be going to Publix this afternoon and I will do a deal break down for you guys so that maybe you all can get some of the great deals I am planning to get!!!!
BOGO deals
So the cool thing about Publix bogo deals is that really most of the time you are already getting a fairly good deal even without coupons..BUT if you do have coupons to throw into the mix..it makes this deal AWESOME!
B/c you ARE technically buying 2 products you can use 2 of the same coupons even though you are already getting one free anyway....to make this easier to understand i'll give an example....say classico pasta is BOGO this week at Publix for $3.49 and you have $1/1 coupon...you could use TWO of those coupons to make your total 1.49 for TWO jars of pasta sauce!!! Awesome deal right?
ALSO Publix DOUBLES coupons (The LaGrange area doubles up to .50) so say you have a coupon for .50..they will double that and make the coupon worth $1.00!! The only exception to this is if the coupon says DOES NOT DOUBLE.
Now I said in my earlier post about couponing that you can stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons .to double your savings so you can ALSO do this here although I haven't seen the opportunity to do so since I have been couponing (keep in mind its only been a month so I'm sure it HAS happend before) So let's just say we have an awesome scenario and are able to use all three of these tips!
Back to that same example Classico Pasta is BOGO $3.49 this week...you use (2) $1/1 manufacturer coupons and that knocks the price down to $1.49 but say you also have (2) Publix coupons for .25/1 well like I said Publix will double those coupons to .50 each and since you CAN use two of those this will knock your price down to .50 FOR TWO CANS OF PASTA....now I know that this example seems unreal but trust me this could happen.... .50 for two cans of pasta is not that far out of reach when couponing....
THIS TIP DOES NOT APPLY FOR THE LAGRANGE,GA AREA but b/c I do have fans that do not live here I will throw this out there...IF your store will accept competitor coupons (ex. Target) then you can also use That store's coupons! If you are interested in finding out how to do this, let me know and I will get you more info!!
PENNY ITEM
On the first day of the weekly sale which is every week either Wed. or Thurs. depending on your store (Wed. in LG) there is a coupon in the wed paper for a penny item...it does not list what the item will be but you have to spend $10 or more in the store in order to qualify for the penny item...once you do you will get whatever the item is for..you guessed it A PENNY...now the cool thing about this is that the $10 you have to spend is BEFORE coupons so you don't have to necessarily pay $10 out of pocket in order to get this deal!
Flyers
I can't ever remember the name of these flyers but one is yellow and one is green and publix puts them out with their weekly ads so make sure to grab these (a few of each if you can) when you walk in the store...there are some great store coupons in them that make for good deals!!
That is all I can think to say about Publix deals right now but I will be posting more as I think of them and be on the look out b/c I happen to be going to Publix this afternoon and I will do a deal break down for you guys so that maybe you all can get some of the great deals I am planning to get!!!!
Couponing Basics
I have a lot of my friends and family that have been telling me they want to coupon but just don't know where to start. I'll admit, couponing is very confusing at first but once you've got it, you've got it!! So I thought I would just go over a few of the basics to help you get started.
Where to get coupons:
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get a sunday paper, a least one, but multiples are best!
If you are in the LaGrange, GA area, which many of you are, monday afternoon's at 1:30 there is a lady that comes to our mall and sells the Atlanta Journal Constitution from her car for $1 a paper. This not only the best deal you will find for ANY paper, this is the best paper in our area to get. The LaGrange Daily news coupons are a joke and the Columbus Enquirer often lacks the high value coupons.
HAVE A PRINTER!!!
You can find some really good coupons on the internet. Many of them are the same coupons that you will find in the papers but some of them are coupons you cannot get anywhere else. I do not print every coupon that comes around. I only print high value coupons or coupons I KNOW I will use. Because you ARE using paper and ink and it adds up after a while of just printing every coupon you think you MAY use.
A couple of money saving tips for paper and ink:
Staples has a great reward program with ink! If you bring in your used ink cartridges to recycle they will give you $2 per cartridge! I use the cheapest ink and printer I could find which is the HP Inkjet and the ink it only $15 so I make back $2 per cartridge....no its not a HUGE savings but it does add up b/c I can turn around and use the money that I make from my used cartridges to buy their paper!!Staples ALWAYS has good deals on printer paper...Like once or twice a month they will have it on sale for $5.99 and then you can get a easy rebate of $5.00 making your paper only .99!!! So you see there is a way to be smart with printing coupons...you have to be careful or it becomes not worth the savings in order to print!!
Learn more about staples rewards here:
http://www.staplesrewardscenter.com/SORC/UserManagement/Benefits/benefits_base.aspx
Websites to find coupons:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.redplum.com/
Also if you are looking for a certain internet coupon always check out the company's facebook page and website. A lot of the time they will have different kinds of promotions and coupons listed!!!!
How to Organize your coupons:
There is no wrong way to organize your coupons BUT some kind of organization is completely necessary. I personally have a 2.5 inch 3 ring binder and I use baseball cards to store my coupons. I have them all in alphabetical order (so covergirl makeup is under the "c" tab) and then under each tab they are in order of expiration date so that I don't let any coupons just expire without warning!
How to get the best deals couponing:
The BIGGEST tip I can give you about couponing is to know WHEN TO USE YOUR COUPON! For instance...I have a coupon that expires tomorrow for a free tub of cotonelle wipes. I will be using it today but I have had this coupon for well over a month. Why haven't I used it? Because I was waiting to see if I could get more for my buck. YES I know I am already getting a free tub, but what if it would have went on sell for buy one get one free? I could have used that coupon and gotten TWO TUBS FOR FREE!! This goes for any coupon. When you get a great coupon, don't go out and and just use it. Wait for a sale and get more bang for your buck!! This is why you need to know when your coupons expire. That way if your product never goes on sale and you still want to use the coupon, you CAN right before it expires!! Just like I am with my cottonelle wipes!!!
What is a stockpile and do I REALLY need one?
I'm sure that many of you have seen the show Extreme Couponing on TLC and saw their stockpiles. A stockpile is just a collection of the products you have gotten with couponing. So basically when you need something, instead of going to the store to get one you can go to your stockpile and pull one of whatever you need out! If you are wondering if you really NEED a stockpile to coupon, the answer is yes. To the extreme of the extreme couponers of TLC's show---NO, not unless you just want to. BUT in order to TRULY coupon, you do have to have some kind of stockpile otherwise you will not get the best deals and let me tell you why. This goes for everyone but especially is you are brand loyal. Say your favorite pasta goes on sale one week and you are gonna be able to get it for free or close to it! Well I don't know about you but I am gonna stock up with enough to last me until it goes on sale like that again. If I don't take advantage of this deal full heartedly and get as much as I need until the next big sale then I will have to come back and pay full price for it!! But if I have enough to last me then I can just use my stockpile of pasta until the sale circulates again, which by the way is 6 weeks. SO you would need about 6 weeks worth of pasta!
How to best utilize the internet to get the best deals
Well one of the BEST sites to use it http://www.southernsavers.com/ this site tells all of the best deals per store going on and it even lets you make a list for yourself that you can print. I do use this site and I am never disappointed. HOWEVER, this is a personal tip I HAVE learned for the LaGrange, GA area!EVERYWHERE I go if I ever talk to anyone about couponing their first question is, Do you use Southern Savers? So what does that tell me? That LaGrange, GA's couponers are mainly getting their deals from southernsavers.com. SO my best tip to you? Yes, use southernsavers b/c it really is a good site but don't just depend on that site. The lady that run's it is still human and she does still miss alot of deals!! So when everyone is looking at southern savers and going to get those deals that are listed, I am not only getting her deals listed but deals listed at other sites and deals I have matched on my own. Stores run out of stock quick but I have noticed that they mainly run out of the deals listed on southernsavers.com but not on the other sites that I view. I would give you links to the sites I view but honestly, I just view so many. There are tons of couponing blogs and facebook pages...you just have to LOOK!
Can I use 2 coupons for the same product?
Sort of...you can't use 2 manufacturer coupons on one product...BUT you CAN use a store coupon along with a manufacturer coupon..this is called stacking coupons and is an essential part of couponing!
Where to get coupons:
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get a sunday paper, a least one, but multiples are best!
If you are in the LaGrange, GA area, which many of you are, monday afternoon's at 1:30 there is a lady that comes to our mall and sells the Atlanta Journal Constitution from her car for $1 a paper. This not only the best deal you will find for ANY paper, this is the best paper in our area to get. The LaGrange Daily news coupons are a joke and the Columbus Enquirer often lacks the high value coupons.
HAVE A PRINTER!!!
You can find some really good coupons on the internet. Many of them are the same coupons that you will find in the papers but some of them are coupons you cannot get anywhere else. I do not print every coupon that comes around. I only print high value coupons or coupons I KNOW I will use. Because you ARE using paper and ink and it adds up after a while of just printing every coupon you think you MAY use.
A couple of money saving tips for paper and ink:
Staples has a great reward program with ink! If you bring in your used ink cartridges to recycle they will give you $2 per cartridge! I use the cheapest ink and printer I could find which is the HP Inkjet and the ink it only $15 so I make back $2 per cartridge....no its not a HUGE savings but it does add up b/c I can turn around and use the money that I make from my used cartridges to buy their paper!!Staples ALWAYS has good deals on printer paper...Like once or twice a month they will have it on sale for $5.99 and then you can get a easy rebate of $5.00 making your paper only .99!!! So you see there is a way to be smart with printing coupons...you have to be careful or it becomes not worth the savings in order to print!!
Learn more about staples rewards here:
http://www.staplesrewardscenter.com/SORC/UserManagement/Benefits/benefits_base.aspx
Websites to find coupons:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.redplum.com/
Also if you are looking for a certain internet coupon always check out the company's facebook page and website. A lot of the time they will have different kinds of promotions and coupons listed!!!!
How to Organize your coupons:
There is no wrong way to organize your coupons BUT some kind of organization is completely necessary. I personally have a 2.5 inch 3 ring binder and I use baseball cards to store my coupons. I have them all in alphabetical order (so covergirl makeup is under the "c" tab) and then under each tab they are in order of expiration date so that I don't let any coupons just expire without warning!
How to get the best deals couponing:
The BIGGEST tip I can give you about couponing is to know WHEN TO USE YOUR COUPON! For instance...I have a coupon that expires tomorrow for a free tub of cotonelle wipes. I will be using it today but I have had this coupon for well over a month. Why haven't I used it? Because I was waiting to see if I could get more for my buck. YES I know I am already getting a free tub, but what if it would have went on sell for buy one get one free? I could have used that coupon and gotten TWO TUBS FOR FREE!! This goes for any coupon. When you get a great coupon, don't go out and and just use it. Wait for a sale and get more bang for your buck!! This is why you need to know when your coupons expire. That way if your product never goes on sale and you still want to use the coupon, you CAN right before it expires!! Just like I am with my cottonelle wipes!!!
What is a stockpile and do I REALLY need one?
I'm sure that many of you have seen the show Extreme Couponing on TLC and saw their stockpiles. A stockpile is just a collection of the products you have gotten with couponing. So basically when you need something, instead of going to the store to get one you can go to your stockpile and pull one of whatever you need out! If you are wondering if you really NEED a stockpile to coupon, the answer is yes. To the extreme of the extreme couponers of TLC's show---NO, not unless you just want to. BUT in order to TRULY coupon, you do have to have some kind of stockpile otherwise you will not get the best deals and let me tell you why. This goes for everyone but especially is you are brand loyal. Say your favorite pasta goes on sale one week and you are gonna be able to get it for free or close to it! Well I don't know about you but I am gonna stock up with enough to last me until it goes on sale like that again. If I don't take advantage of this deal full heartedly and get as much as I need until the next big sale then I will have to come back and pay full price for it!! But if I have enough to last me then I can just use my stockpile of pasta until the sale circulates again, which by the way is 6 weeks. SO you would need about 6 weeks worth of pasta!
How to best utilize the internet to get the best deals
Well one of the BEST sites to use it http://www.southernsavers.com/ this site tells all of the best deals per store going on and it even lets you make a list for yourself that you can print. I do use this site and I am never disappointed. HOWEVER, this is a personal tip I HAVE learned for the LaGrange, GA area!EVERYWHERE I go if I ever talk to anyone about couponing their first question is, Do you use Southern Savers? So what does that tell me? That LaGrange, GA's couponers are mainly getting their deals from southernsavers.com. SO my best tip to you? Yes, use southernsavers b/c it really is a good site but don't just depend on that site. The lady that run's it is still human and she does still miss alot of deals!! So when everyone is looking at southern savers and going to get those deals that are listed, I am not only getting her deals listed but deals listed at other sites and deals I have matched on my own. Stores run out of stock quick but I have noticed that they mainly run out of the deals listed on southernsavers.com but not on the other sites that I view. I would give you links to the sites I view but honestly, I just view so many. There are tons of couponing blogs and facebook pages...you just have to LOOK!
Can I use 2 coupons for the same product?
Sort of...you can't use 2 manufacturer coupons on one product...BUT you CAN use a store coupon along with a manufacturer coupon..this is called stacking coupons and is an essential part of couponing!
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