Ask I Heart Publix

I am so excited about the new feature and love that there was such a great response from you all!! Actually there was such a great response that I needed a little help!! My buddy Christy over at Haphazardly Hobbying was kind enough to give me some help to get ten of your questions answered. There was no way we could get to everyone –if we didn’t get to your question this week…don’t worry we will do our best to cover it another week!!

I am going to start a new tab at the top of the site where I will do my best to organize the information so that it can serve as a quick reference!

Here are this week’s questions:

1. How can I figure out what percentage I’ve saved?
2. Is there a limit to how many coupons I can use in a single transaction/trip at Publix?
3. How many coupons can I stack with a manufacturer’s BOGO coupon?
4. If I have a competitor’s coupon for $5 off a $50 purchase, does that come off before or after all my other coupons?
5. How do I count BOGO items when I’m making purchases for a rebate that requires the purchase of a certain dollar amount?
6. If my Publix doubles manufacturer’s coupons up to $.50, do they also double store coupons? What about competitor coupons?
7. I have manufacturer’s coupons that have another store’s logo on them, and my Publix doesn’t consider that store a competitor. Can I still use the coupon at my Publix?
8. I only buy one or two papers every week, and my Publix doesn’t usually have booklets, so I never really have enough coupons to trade. How can I get the good non-inserts or booklets?
9. What kinds of things can I freeze, and does an item’s shelf life (after defrosting) change once they’ve been frozen?
10. How can I find GREAT prices on always-expensive things like meat, paper towels, toilet paper, etc?

And here are the answers!

1. Keyonda wants to know: How do I figure out my percentage saved?

I am lazy so I use an online calculator like the one HERE.  But you can also do it manually:  First, add the total amount spent out of pocket with your amount saved – this is the total value of your purchase. Then, divide your amount saved by the total value, and multiply the answer by 100.

2. Missi wants to know: I’ve heard that you can’t use more coupons than items, and your coupon savings can’t be over $50 in one grocery order. Is this true? Is there a limit to how many coupons I can use in a single transaction at Publix?

Publix registers are programmed to require a manager override if you exceed $50 in coupons. Publix registers also require that the number of coupons and items purchased be equivalent.  If you have more coupons than items, a manger override will be required here too.  Many people prefer to do multiple transaction to avoid these issues. I typically shop with my boys and live 20+ minutes from my store…so that is just not an option for me!!  If you think you will need an override for either reason you might consider talking to a member of management ahead of time as they may be able to assist you during checkout to ensure that the checkout process is as quick as possible.

3. Beth wants to know: How many coupons can I stack with a manufacturer’s BOGO coupon?

This is another grey area of couponing.  Both sides will argue all day saying that their way is the correct way…so it will just be easier if I tell you both versions and then you can ask your store which version they prefer:

A) You can use one coupon per item purchased. If you are purchasing two items you can use a BOGO coupon and a $1/1 (or the like as long as it discounts the ONE item)  The BOGO coupon attaches to the first item and the other coupon reduces the cost of the 2nd or qualifying item.  Nothing on the BOGO coupon indicates that you must pay full price for the qualifying item!  The coupon used on the qualifying item must be only for that item only (you can’t use a BOGO and a $1/2 on two items!!)

B) A BOGO coupon attaches to both items so you can’t use an additional coupon on the qualifier for the free item.

Here on the site I post deals based on version A.  It is my opinion that you can use one coupon per item purchased.  Remember in both scenarios you can also attach store or competitor coupons to the manufacturer coupons.

4. Maja wants to know: If I have a competitor’s coupon for $X off a $XX purchase, does that come off before or after all my other coupons? In the past, I’ve given my cashier the $X/$XX first, then my other coupons, but recently I was told that the $X/$XX had to come off last.

I am going to let Christy handle this one as my store only accepts competitor coupons that reduce the cost of a SPECIFIC item.  I can not use competitor coupon where a minimum threshold must be met!!

Christy says: For this answer, let’s assume we’re talking about a $5/$50 coupon. I, too, was able to use such coupons – Publix or competitor – last year when my total BEFORE coupons was over $50. However, in the last few months, the Publix in my area have begun requiring that that coupon be saved until the end of the order, and they will only put it through if the total AFTER coupons is $50. In the end, it’s your particular Publix that decides this – so ask at your customer service desk before you check out so that you can plan accordingly.

5. Fei wants to know: How do I count BOGO items when I’m making purchases for a rebate that requires the purchase of a certain dollar amount ($50 in P&G products, for example)? Can I ‘count’ the 2nd BOGO item, even though I didn’t technically pay for it?

Michelle–I live where BOGO rings half price so that is not an issue as the receipt will just indicate each item as half of the original price.  So an item that is BOGO $3 will show as $1.50 per item purchased!!

Christy- In my experience, you absolutely can ‘count’ the 2nd BOGO item – as long as the item shows up on the receipt with an original price of $xx, it doesn’t matter if a store promotion reduces that amount for your final total.

6. Soccrbug wants to know: If my Publix doubles manufacturer’s coupons up to $.50, do they also double store coupons? What about competitor coupons?

Publix will only double manufacturer coupons. Store/competitor coupons will be redeemed at face value.

7. Stephanie wants to know: I have manufacturer’s coupons that have another store’s logo on them, and my Publix doesn’t consider that store a competitor. Can I still use the coupon at my Publix?

You should be able to use the coupon as long as the coupon clearly states that it is a manufacturer’s coupon (begins with a 5 or 9) and does not have any wording requiring redemption valid ONLY at a specific store. A logo is more of a suggestion not a requirement 🙂

8. Cathy wants to know: I only buy one or two papers every week, and my Publix doesn’t usually have booklets, so I never really have enough coupons to trade. How can I get the good non-inserts or booklets?

I thought this would be a good one for both of us to answer for the most options 🙂

Michelle:  Just because you don’t have a bunch of coupons doesn’t mean you can’t trade!!  Many traders are willing to trade for things such as stamps, Box Tops For Education, Mail In Rebate forms, etc…  Don’t mark trading off your list just yet 🙂 You might also consider “buying” for your traders.  If I find that a person is wanting a large quantity of a specific coupon I can buy them from Ebay and have them shipped directly to them or add their request to my Coupon Clippers or Taylortown order and then we both get what we want!!

Christy: One option is to start purchasing more papers – I usually get mine at Walgreens or CVS every week and use Register Rewards or ECBs to ‘pay’ for them, so I’m not spending extra money for my inserts. Once you have more coupons, you will be able to trade for the coupons you want. You can also find a site that runs coupon trains (I use this Yahoo group) for more random trading.
Another option is to purchase the inserts on eBay (or a similar site) – you can usually find lots of 4 or 5 of a particular insert for only a few dollars (including shipping). You can also usually find Publix coupons and/or booklets on Ebay, but be warned that these usually get more expensive if there’s an upcoming sale that the coupons will work for.

9. Carrie and MaryEllen want to know: I didn’t know you could freeze milk! I know this is an area where I could really increase my savings – what other sorts of things can I freeze, and what is the shelf life of things that have been frozen and defrosted? What if I don’t have a very big freezer?

Michelle:  I freeze just about anything and everything and do it all in my refrigerator’s freezer in my kitchen!!  I have plans to get a deep freeze once the basement is finished but I have done just fine with what I have.  Don’t get me wrong I would LOVE some extra storage but I have managed just fine with only my kitchen freezer.  I currently have over 50 pounds of meat, 20+ bags of veggies, and lots of other stuff packed very tightly in my freezer.  I do have to get creative and repackage items and take things out of boxes but I make it happen!!

Every product will have different guidelines for freezing.  You can see the USDA recommendations HERE.  Labeling is the most critical point when freezing items–make sure you label the items so you will know what it is and when you froze it.  Also like your pantry stockpile you should make sure the oldest items are used first.  Organization will ensure you don’t find strawberries that are two years old hiding in the back of your freezer 🙂

Christy: If you want to realize the best savings, you need a deep freeze or at least a second fridge & freezer. My husband and I got a medium-sized deep freeze on Craigslist for $75, and it was in near-perfect condition and rated to cost only about $20 a year in extra electricity. I have saved the cost of that deep freeze and the electricity to run it at least 10 times over in the two years I’ve been using it.
As to what you can freeze – I freeze milk (soy and regular), juices that need to be refrigerated (like Tropicana), bread, fresh herbs (chopped & mixed with a little water in ice cube trays, these are perfect to pop into sauces, etc), tortillas, butter & margarine, shredded cheeses, dips like guacamole, and even cream cheese (I don’t plan on using this cream cheese to spread on bagels, but rather in recipes, it does have a little of a different texture when it defrosts). In my experience, shelf life changes very little for these items after they come out of the freezer.

10. Sunny and Carrie want to know: How can I find GREAT prices on always-expensive things like meat, paper towels, toilet paper, etc?

Christy: For paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels, I usually shop the weekly drugstore sales – if you can catch a sale, use a coupon, AND use Register Rewards or ECBs, you can usually get a much better deal there than at Publix.
For meat, I’d recommend you look into the club stores like Sam’s, Costco, BJs, etc. My husband and I pay $40 a year for a regular membership, and about 4 times a year we budget about $150 or so to really stock up on every kind of meat & fish imaginable – steaks, ground beef, roasts, whole chickens & pieces, pork chops, ribs, shrimp, scallops, and fish. Then we take it all home and break it up into portion sizes & freeze it. That way, we can just grab a dinner’s worth of meat in the morning and it’s defrosted by the time we’re ready to cook. It’s an investment of time & money, sure, but I think we really see a significant savings over buying things as they go on sale at Publix – and I think the quality of meat is actually a little better at the clubs, too.
You can also catch some super deals at the clubs every once in a while – for instance, we got a restaurant-sized plastic wrap at Sam’s almost TWO years ago for $12. We use it all the time, and it STILL hasn’t run out – not bad!

Michelle: I also get the majority of paper products by playing the drugstore games 🙂  (Visit my other site I Heart Saving Money for the drugstore deals)  I use “drugstore money” to cover the cost of things that I can’t get cheap or free at Publix!  My Publix allows overage so I will also use that overage to reduce the cost of more expensive items too.

I am not sure about the big discount clubs–I have looked into them on their free trial days and I found that I personally can do better with coupons. I know that I would never recoup my $40 membership fee in savings by using a wholesale club.   But I do agree that you need to use the stockpile principle as a way to keep you ahead of the game so you will not have to pay full price!  Stockpiling can be a game of chance but if you plan ahead and budget you can definitely score big time.   Just as an example…starting Thursday boneless skinless chicken will be $1.99 per pound–that is a great price!! I would guess that most of us use a fair amount of chicken so it makes more sense to buy a large quantity while it is at the lowest price so that you will have enough to hold you until the next sale!  If you have created a reasonable budget for your family you will actually save money by doing this.  I always designate a specific portion of my budget for stockpiling items that are at a great price.  If there is nothing I need to stockpile in a given week I can roll it to the next week and so on.  When I find a sale on an item that is my price point to stock up so I don’t have to buy it at full price!!

I hope our answers to these questions were helpful! Make sure you ‘tune in’ next week for even more Q&A with I Heart Publix. If you have a question you’d like to see answered, email me at contactiheartpublix@gmail.com.