You guys are great about sending in those questions! Just remember if we didn’t get to your question this week…we will do our best to cover it another week!! As always a huge thanks to my buddy Christy over at Haphazardly Hobbying who gives me so much help to get the questions answered. Hopefully you find the different points of view helpful!!
Remember–there is a new tab at the top of the site called “Q & A” where I will have organized the information from this feature so that it can serve as a quick reference!
Here are this week’s questions:
- If my coupon says “Manufacturer’s Coupon Redeemable at Publix Stores Only,” does that mean that it is the same as a store coupon with a LU#?
- How do I find out if there are any coupons for those few items I need every week that are NOT on sale?
- How much do you spend each week or month?
- Do you have any recommendations for a good coupon printer?
- Do you know of any good resources for organic food couponing (coupons, sales, websites, etc)?
- How does a B2G1 coupon work with a B2G1 sale?
- Where do you buy most of your produce? ?
- Can I use a competitor $X/$XX coupon anda CVS ECB or Walgreens RR to reduce the amount of my total?
- Have you heard of any changes in Publix coupon policy? ?
- Where do you find the best deals on printer cartridges or refills?
And here are the answers!
- Veronica wants to know: What’s the deal with the coupons that say “Manufacturer’s Coupon Redeemable at Publix Stores Only”? Is this the same as a store coupon, and if not, can I stack it with a store coupon?
- Lee wants to know: How do I find out if there are any coupons for those few items I need every week that are NOT on sale?
- Amy wants to know: I’ve just started couponing seriously and I’m starting to stockpile. I feel like we spend a LOT each month. How much do you spend each week or month?
- Jenn wants to know: I don’t have access to a printer right now; do you have any recommendations for a good coupon printer??
- Andrea wants to know: Do you know of any good resources for organic food couponing (coupons, sales, websites, etc)? I’d like to start buying more organic food but still want to keep my totals down!
- Veronica S and Lisa want to know: How does a B2G1 coupon work with a B2G1 sale?
- Jessie wants to know: Where do you buy most of your produce? I find that vegetables and fruits that are not on sale at Publix are more expensive than other grocery stores.
- Amy wants to know: Can I use a competitor $X/$XX coupon and a CVS ECB or Walgreens RR to reduce the amount of my total?
- Jen wants to know: Have you heard of any changes in Publix coupon policy? My store recently told me that I can only use one manufacturer’s coupon for a BOGO deal (I live in FL).
- Susan wants to know: Where do you find the best deals on printer cartridges or refills? I hate spending money for replacements and they get used up really fast printing all those IPs!
What you’re describing is a handled just like any regular manufacturer’s coupon. It can be stacked with any Publix coupon with a LU# OR a competitor’s store coupon.
Christy: Any of the coupon databases will help you here – you might try the ones at We Use Coupons or Hot Coupon World. You can search the particular brand you want and these databases will tell you what coupons exist for that item, what kind of coupon it is, and where you can find it.
Michelle: I often check them all…I go between A Full Cup and Hot Coupon World databases to search for coupons.
Christy: This amount is going to differ for everyone depending on the number of people in your family, your various shopping needs, etc. I buy for my husband and I and our 5 animals. When I first started couponing I tried to reduce what we were spending by ¼ (from $125/wk to $95), then ½ (down to about $60). After about ten months couponing, I’m down to about $40 a week for groceries, and I’m hoping to get it even lower in the coming months.
Michelle: I’ll be honest, I don’t focus on my weekly spending too much. My goal is to spend about $200o per year on groceries. I may be a little different that some of you starting out as I shop to maintain and build my inventory. I am at the point where each week I only need to buy perishables and the items that are a really good deal. Every once in a while I will mess up and run out of an item and have to pay a price that I would not consider the “best” price. For example…somehow I managed to run out of tampons??!! I went up to my pantry only to find that I had none in stock!! So this week I had to pay for a box when I could have been working the drugstores to get a supply for free or next to nothing!!
I always recommend that new couponers try to gradually reduce your spending. This allows you to build your stockpile while saving money! As your stockpile grows your spending decreases!!
I use an inexpensive HP Photosmart Printer like this one: HP Photosmart C4680 All-in-one Printer
There are actually several great coupon resources–here are my favorites: Mambo Sprouts, Organic Valley, Delicious Living, Whole Foods. Make a list of your favorite organic items–head over to those brand websites as you will often find coupons! There are also many blogs devoted to Organic deals–try Organic Deals & Coupons and The Thrifty Mama.
Christy: When you use a B2G1 coupon during a B2G1 sale , the deal essentially becomes a B1G2 – you pay for one item, the manufacturer pays for the second, and the store gives you the 3rd item free. If, like in the case of the Chobani yogurt coupon in the Yellow Advantage Buy flyer, the B2G1 coupon is a Publix coupon, you can even stack the coupon with manufacturer’s coupons (they would attach to the first and the second item).
Christy: I usually just use every coupon I can to reduce my overall total at Publix, so I kind of feel like that savings offsets any regular price purchase I need to make each week. Even though produce might be a bit more expensive at Publix when it’s not on sale, I’d rather not make separate trips to other stores each week.
Michelle: I agree with Christy–it just is not worth a trip to another store to save a few cents! Publix always has a group of items on sale each week in their produce department. I usually base my meals on those sale items. When peaches are 99¢ a pound I make my Peach Chicken…when they are over $2 a pound I don’t 🙂 I think Publix has great prices…this upcoming ad you can get FREE blueberries, corn for 15¢ and ear, limes for 20¢ and kiwi for a quarter–those are great prices!! When you find great deals like the corn –buy extra blanch it and freeze it for later! I also grow some of my produce (my tomatoes are looking great!!) and I will also stop at little farm stands near my house.
Christy: Like most things, this depends on your store. I know that there are some people who are able to stack these types of coupons, but you should always ask at your customer service desk before you attempt to use them.
Christy: As we talked about last week, Publix doesn’t have one specific coupon policy. If your store has had changes in management (either for the store or the district) or if they have recently retrained their staff on coupons, that may account for the differences you’ve noticed. If you call your district manager, you should be able to get him or her to answer the questions you have about changes at your store.
Christy: I have an old laser printer so I can only tell you how I get my toner more cheaply. I take advantage of the deals and the rewards programs at the office supply stores; because I’m on their mailing list, my office supply store (a national chain) often sends me coupons for $X/$XX that will offset the cost of my toner, and then I earn rewards on top of that.
Michelle: I go where the deals are 🙂 When Walgreens offers cheap refills I get them there. When I get my Office Depot Rewards Gift Card (for recycling old cartridges and other spending) I get them there–of course I wait for a good printable coupon to use too! If Target is offering a gift card when you buy ink–I go there! I try to watch for deals and snag them ahead of time so I don’t have to run out and pay full price when it is time to change the ink cartridge!!
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.
A laser printer will totally pay for itself. I had the same printer for 7 years with no maintenance costs (i.e. no ink, no toner, no repairs), and it was used to run a small business for one of those years! I just finally bought a new black and white laser printer this year, and my coupon printing savings paid for the printer in the first month. Worth the investment!
Think about how often you really need to print in color. You could save money by having a secondary color printer that you only use for photos or projects, so you don’t go through ink as often. Or if printing in color is as rarely needed for you as it is for me, a trip to Kinkos or your local office store can handle it without having to deal with setting up 2 printers on your home network.
I agree with Ruth. We’ve had our Black ink only laser printer for 5 years and I have only changed the toner once. And lucky me, when I went to buy the toner it was BOGO free! We have an HP LaserJet 1020.
For those using the Staples rewards program for recycling ink cartridges. The last two receipts I’ve gotten had a statement at the bottome saying the reward will be reduced from $3 to $2 beginning July 1.
Thank you for answering my question!
Just wanted to interject some info…
While that statement “Redeem Only at…” is a ploy to get you to walk in THEIR store to use the coupon, it should be noted that there are some grocery stores that will not accept a manufacturer coupon with another store’s logo on it (i.e. Kroger, Target). However, that is not the case with Publix. Since Publix uses their own coupon clearing house, they have more control over which coupons will/won’t get reimbursed. So, if it is a manufacturer coupon Publix will honor it regardless of who’s store logo or “redeem only” is printed on them. That also goes for stores that your particular publix does not consider competitors. Example: My publix does not accept Target coupons,but they will honor a manufacturer coupon with Target’s logo on it.
Regarding #5: You can also find some great coupons for organic food on the Earth Fare coupon page. Some are MQs and some are store Qs, so just be aware of that before you print multiple copies and find out you can’t use them (my Publix doesn’t accept Earth Fare Qs because we don’t have one around us).
I found this site very helpful when looking for a coupon: http://supercouponing.coupontom.com/
You can look up any item by name or by category (like “dog” for dogfood), and it will show you where to find current coupons. It includes both the inserts and IP’s, but not mags or store Q’s. Very helpful!
#9 Jen wants to know: Have you heard of any changes in Publix coupon policy? My store recently told me that I can only use one manufacturer’s coupon for a BOGO deal (I live in FL).
Christy: As we talked about last week, Publix doesn’t have one specific coupon policy. If your store has had changes in management (either for the store or the district) or if they have recently retrained their staff on coupons, that may account for the differences you’ve noticed. If you call your district manager, you should be able to get him or her to answer the questions you have about changes at your store.
I was told by the woman at the customer service desk at my Publix in South Florida that a new company-wide coupon policy is in place whereby the stores have a list of coupons they will not accept. One that was denied for me yesterday was a manufacturer’s coupon by Nabisco for BOGO Nabisco cookies with the purchase of a gallon of milk and any other milk. This was printed from the Nabisco Facebook site that they release at the beginning of each month and says MANUFACTURER’S COUPON at the top.
It’s not company-wide policy. I would suggest next time asking for the store manager, not the customer service employee, but the manager. A lot of coupon policy information gets lost in translation. For example, they could have a meeting and the manager says “we do not accept internet prints for free items,” but this gets interpreted (or someone not paying attention hears it as) as meaning anything free even if it’s BOGO or was sent in the mail.
I’d call and ask to speak to the person whose name is at the top of your receipt. If you bought the product anyway and the person was wrong, the manager will probably be happy to give you the value of the coupon when you come in next.\
BTW, I live in Southwest Florida and used the same exact coupon without a problem.
I live in S. FL. [treasure coast, but i also shop, sometimes in west palm, wellington, and lake worth/palm springs when visiting family] and i have been able to use such coupons with no problem just two days ago. in fact, my most-often-used publix i used a coupon for a free product and it was mailed to me and that was the one they questioned, not the IPs. well, my cashier rang the IPs after the one sent to me via mail, so maybe he thought they were all okay [i make sure all my Qs are legitimate.] but publix has no company-wide coupon policy that goes into detail. they simply say they accept manufacturers and leave it up to the individual stores to determine if they accept competitor store coupons and what they consider competitors. 🙂
Hi Dave, where in South Florida do you live? I live in Wellington and after reading what you wrote it makes me a bit nervous to fill my cart with items that go with the coupons I have and then head to the register only to be embarrassed and told that the coupons are not allowed. I know as it stands customers who have to wait behind me with my organized and neat coupons still get bothered by the wait but if now we have to be taking things off the bill because I thought the coupons were good well, that’s just going to make people behind me even more upset and a lot more humiliating for myself. What are your thoughts on this?
Cathy, my store is in Plantation. If I were you, I would take my coupons to the customer service desk before I filled up my cart and have them verify against their list that they will accept your coupons. That’s my plan for my next trip.
i suggest asking, specifically, for a copy of the list of non-acceptable coupons and keeping it on-hand whenever you shop. same with your stores individual coupon policy and being sure it outlines what stores are considered competitors. that way, you can be sure youre using your coupons the way your store accepts them and that youre not expecting to get a deal that you end up not being allowed to get when you go to check out. this advice has been offered numerous times by numerous people, and its great advice. i recommend it for every store you shop at and keeping it in you coupon binder [if you keep one] and bringing the whole thing with you when you shop. also, i check with customer service [or, better yet, a manager] at the start of every quarter to see if the policy has changed at all. oh, and i know we all love our certain cashiers that know our couponing habits, but sometimes its nice to go through a line with a new employee who was JUST trained since they tend to have the couponing policy fresh in their heads. plus, it can help them understand coupons better and your specific couponing habits…just make sure you have a lil extra time to do this, and maybe make it a small trip so theyre not overwhelmed and youre not frustrated. 🙂
Dave, wow, okay…..that’s a shame though, huh? I wonder if they are going to start denying the printed coupons.
I sent an email with my experience to the Contact Us link at the Publix website and have yet to hear back.
Just to add about different coupon policies: I live in North Fl and I had one Publix I refused to shop at b/c they were extremly picky about coupons, exactly like you both discribed. But low and behold one day I went to the store manager and found out customer service was handling everything WRONG! I really reccommend talking to your manager like Michelle and Chirsty said, this “bad” Publix is now my favorite!
This was on our local news Monday concerning coupons and Publix.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23973701/detail.html
Dave, I sent a letter to Publix Customer Service more than a month ago, I received a letter back from them stating that the District Manager from the area would give me a call and I have yet to hear from him…..not good *sigh* I had questions about the coupon policy locally. So I hope you have better luck 🙂
Candi, I hope they don’t stop taking printed coupons because that’s where a lot of the savings comes from!!
Hmm, that’s weird every time I have contacted Publix Corporate, I have always been contacted within a week. I’ve asked corporate several times about everything concerning coupons, and it always had the same answer “Coupon policy is set at the local level.” The last time I got this answer was less than a week ago.
My best advice is to ask the manager whose name is listed at the top of the receipt. Every time I’ve done this I’ve gotten the exact policy, and then when I have trouble with a cashier or customer service person I can say that so and so told me this was the case and they often check with him and find out I am right.
i, too, have contacted them, before. i heard back within 2 days, and the one time that it concerned my store, my store manager [not an assistant] called the next day to make sure everything was fine. 🙂 i love publix customer service! i would try, again, cathy. its not like publix to not respond since they have such stringent cust. srvc. policies.
Lauren, my problem was that all three of the Publix’s in my area handled coupons differently and all have the same District Manager. I was hoping for him to clarify for me his policy for his area but I haven’t heard from him. I now just go to the Publix that happens to be the furthest away but it a lot “happier” about taking coupons. 🙂
I’m not sure to the accuracy of the policy being set by the district manager because I’ve live in two different cities in Florida on two ends of the state and neither were set by the district manager, but were set by each individual store manager. I know they’ve said it was here on iheartpublix, but I have 12 Publix stores in a 10 mile radius and they all have a different policy. I like you shop at the one with the best policy.
So my hypothesis is there might be a district policy, but then each store manager can make case by case decisions.
Actually at my Publix on Monday my cashier had a question about one of my coupons and she asked one of the assistant managers and she said to him “I know Mike (the name of the store manager) said to accept all coupons, but what if the item costs less.” She ended up reading the price of the item wrong so I ended up at customer service where the customer service employee told me it’s because a lot of people had been bringing in BJ’s coupons and since those are meant for bigger items they adjust those coupons down. So just when I think I have my favorite Publix figured out I still learn something new, which if there is ever something contradictory said to me I always, always, ask for Mike.
Update on the coupon list. I spoke with the Customer Service mgr and he told me that the list is for internal use only and is sent to the stores from corporate. So that would make it a company-wide policy. He said the list is updated quite often and the best idea would be for couponers to bring their stack of coupons to the custmer service desk and have them all verified before shopping. This will avoid hassles and embarassment in line.
Cathy and Dave,
I’m in south florida too, west palm, and at my publix (starting 2 weeks ago) any free item coupons had to be verified by management, and they no longer accept internet printed coupons for free items…not a big issue because I know my coupons are good and i won’t use my free internet ones there anymore, but I go to the cashiers I know are knowledgeable and will go to get the manager approval, rather than just flat out denying my coupons, because they assume all free coupons are not accepted.
But my sister, who lives up in PGA, was told that free coupons for more than $5 had to be approved and everything else was fine, except Doritos and Pepsi coupons for free items. So it really depends on which Publix you go to.
But, if you are nervous about filling your cart with items and being denied your coupons, just ask management first. They are more than willing to answer any questions you have.
Danielle, thanks for the information, I will do just that! I have quite of few FREE item coupons sitting here waiting for a BOGO sale but they were mailed to me from the manufacturer. I will still go to the front desk prior to using them though 🙂 I heard about those Pepsi/Doritos coupons that were fraudulent, what a shame. That is what makes using coupons tough on us!
I get my refills on my black ink, which I use to print my coupons, at Office Max and I pay $10.70 after tax. I guess if you joined their rewards program (if they have one, I don’t know) you could get them for less than that. But, the cost of a new one is more than double that for me so I think this is a GREAT deal. I am in Jacksonville, Florida.
#2 Lee: I also use http://www.couponmom.com and use her coupon database. You choose your region or state and you can search for your regional coupons that way. That has helped me a lot when I know my region has issued a coupon, I just need to find it!
#3 Amy: I always give this WARNING to new couponers…
When you first start out couponing, you will find you spend either the same amount, or even more during your first 2 months. The reason is, you don’t have a stockpile yet, so you’ll need to buy the deals you can buy and stock up on those and also buy the necessities that you are not stockpiled on yet. Also, you don’t have a coupon stockpile yet, so you won’t be able to get ALL the deals posted. But PERSERVERE! Just start small and slow, and you’ll be able to see your spending decrease and your savings increase each month!
#7 Jessie: I must say that I DO shop another store each week for those items and I feel it is worth it. While shopping at Publix to get the deals saves LOTS of money, their non-sale items are too expensive for me. If I did buy all those items at Publix, I wouldn’t really be saving money in the end. So, I make a trip to Aldi across the street to get my milk, eggs, produce, etc. when not a good deal at Publix. Aldi is one of those stores that make you bag/box your own groceries and has off brand products. Other stores like that are Save-A-Lot, Food City, etc. Or you could go to Wal-Mart or Target if the prices are cheaper there. I got my eggs for $0.29/dozen and milk for $1.79 and produce is inexpensive and pretty fresh.
I wish those were prices for Milk and Eggs around me! Even at Wal-mart Milk is $3 and Eggs are $1.50 (and these are generally sale prices!) I’m jealous!
I totally agree with the others about a laser printer! I bought mine used from EBay with free shipping for $99 (HP Laserjet 2100) and I can buy my toner from EBay also for arounbd $23 and the toner cartridge will last for about 6 months! (I print a LOT of coupons- at least several hundred a week)
When I was using a color photo printer I was spending around $56 every four to five weeks on ink replacements!! That is a HUGE savings!!
Check out the HP 2100 on Ebay- there are some good deals out there and you will totally save a ton of money! I haven’t bought ink for my color printer since I got the new one, haven’t needed it at all, but I still use it for scanning. 🙂
On the produce question-I have Aldi only a half mile from my Publix. I swing through there and buy my produce and put it in a cooler then buy whatever else I need at Publix and this saves me alot of money. Our Aldi has very fresh produce because they sell alot of it but I have heard that this is not the case everywhere.