Keep sending in those questions – we love to answer them! 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 big thanks to my buddy Christy over at Haphazardly Hobbying who gives me so much help to get the questions answered.
Remember–there is a tab at the top of the site called “Q & A” where I organize the questions and answers from this feature so that it can serve as a quick reference!
Here are this week’s questions:
- If a coupon says “limit one per household” is it a rule that needs to be followed? For example I have several $5 off of $25 coupons that say this but my Publix has been taking multiples in a transaction (one per every $25 spent). Is this ok?
- Do SS or RP inserts have the date of publication printed on them?
- Is it wrong for me to avoid a particular cashier because she suppresses the doubling on coupons that say ‘do not double’ in favor of one that doesn’t suppress it?
- When is it really beneficial to buy coupons?
- What is your average total amount spent when you do buy coupons? That’s the part I’m always wondering about – do you end up losing the value of the deal after you pay for shipping, etc??
- I have a friend who primarily buys organic when she shops at Publix and I was wondering: are there are ever good coupon deals for those products too?
- I’m a coupon newbie, help! How do I get coupon booklets and mailers?
- Do your grocery totals still surprise you or is super-savings just like second nature to you now?
- How do you resist the really good deals on items you don’t need?
- Do you have any suggestions for how to deal with a non-coupon-friendly store?
And here are the answers!
- Melanie from the comments wants to know: If a coupon says “limit one per household” is it a rule that needs to be followed? For example I have several $5 off of $25 coupons with aforementioned limit stated on them but my Publix has been taking multiples in a transaction (one per every $25 spent). Is this ok?
- Lynn from the comments wants to know: Do SS or RP inserts have the date of publication printed on them?
- Melissa from the comments wants to know: After all the talk of doubling coupons last week, I have another related question. Some cashiers at my store suppress coupon doubling and some don’t. Is it wrong for me to avoid a particular cashier because she suppresses the doubling on coupons that say ‘do not double’ in favor of one that doesn’t suppress it?
- Patty from the comments wants to know: When is it really beneficial to buy coupons?
- Carolyn from the comments wants to know: As a follow up to the last question, what is your average total amount spent when you do buy coupons? That’s the part I’m always wondering about – do you end up losing the value of the deal after you pay for shipping, etc?
- Christy wants to know: I have a friend who primarily buys organic when she shops at Publix and I was wondering : are there are ever good coupon deals for those products too? I know she would love to save the money.
- Karen wants to know: I am 3 weeks new to couponing and I love your site, I check it all day at work! The one question I have is, how do I get more coupons? I only get the Sunday paper sundays (a few copies) and I go online to various sites. But sometimes you talk about booklets and mailers – how do I get those?
- Olenka from the comments wants to know: Thinking back to when you started couponing, obviously you see a big difference in your grocery budget.. but do your totals still surprise you or is super-savings just like second nature to you now?
- Carolyn wants to know: How do you resist the really good deals on items you don’t need? I find this really hard!
- Georgia wants to know: I was informed today by my store manager that my store is limiting how many B1G1 deals you can get. The maximum is 3 deals (6 items). Now, if I want to do more than 3 deals, I’ll have to go to another store! Have you heard of any other stores doing this? I personally don’t think 3 deals is very generous. This particular store seems to not be very favorable to couponers, and I’m not the first to say this. I’ve actually seen comments on your site that have had coupon problems with this same store!! When I have a lot of coupons, and by that I mean 15 or 20 (not that many in my opinion), I go to another store about 10 minutes away because they don’t seem to get annoyed by couponers! What a shame I think it is that I feel like I have to drive to a store further away versus the store 3 minutes down the road! Do you have any suggestions for how to deal with this?
Michelle: You should always go by the wording on the coupon –unless your store says otherwise. If your store gives you the A-OK then you are set.
Christy: Michelle’s absolutely right. The coupons you are talking about are probably competitor coupons; since accepting competitor coupons is an incentive your store offers to get you to shop with them, store management can be as strict or as lenient as it chooses when honoring such coupons. However, I’ve seen a number of manufacturer’s coupons lately that have similar restrictions – “limit one coupon per customer” or “limit one coupon per customer per day,” etc – and your store will likely be stricter when honoring a manufacturer’s coupon versus a competitor coupon.
Michelle: Yes they do!! They are small but they are there!! Check the outer spine of the booklet and you should see lots of information including the date and insert information.
Christy: Just a note – if you separate pages like I do you probably won’t be able to find or read the date after you do so. This is why I mark the date & insert abbreviation on each page – a little more work before filing, yes, but this saves me tons of time when I’m looking for coupons!
Christy: This is going to be a personal judgement call. If it were me, I would ask for a ‘ruling’ on coupon doubling/suppression from my manager, then go from there. If a cashier errs in your favor – and it’s going to happen from time to time – then great, but if it’s happening constantly I’d probably tell my customer service staff to make sure that the cashier isn’t getting in trouble for it!
Michelle: This is definitely one that will vary by store. If I understand correctly, Publix offers double coupons as an incentive and are not reimbursed the “doubled” portion by the manufacturer. So the wording (about doubling) that the manufacturer prints on the coupon is really unimportant from a redemption standpoint. Be sure and ask your store their policy!
Michelle: I usually buy when I want to get multiples of an items. I only get one home delivered paper so I buy coupons when I need them! I just grabbed (20) $2/1 Smart Balance coupon for a little over $2. I will order 20 half gallons of milk and since they are on sale for $2.50 this week, I will pay around $13 for 10 gallons of milk!! It is rare to snag milk for that price!! Buying coupons will make that deal possible 😀
Christy: I’ll generally only buy when there is something I know I will literally buy a TON of. Usually I’ll get 4 or maybe 6 of an item, and I can usually scrounge up the coupons I need either from my inserts or by trading. However, when I saw there was going to be free Gain dish soap this week at Walgreens after coupons, I ordered a stack of them – I’ll never turn down a freebie on something like that which I know we’ll use up rather quickly.
Michelle: As you can tell by my last answer…I only buy if it is worth it! My $2.42 investment will save me $40!! That is my kind of deal! I would never buy coupons if I were not going to get a big benefit from the money spent–that defeats the purpose!!
Christy: I buy so rarely I couldn’t even tell you an average – just what I spent last time, which was $2.26. Not bad for 20 free Gain dish soaps…
Christy: There are a few sites out there for organic deals not necessarily specific to Publix: Organic Cents, Organic Grocery Deals, Organic Deals & Coupons, and I’m sure many more. Commenters, feel free to chime in!!
Michelle: The best coupons for folks who buy organic are going to be those that are not brand specific! So a coupon that says save $1 on eggs can be used to buy organic or any other type of egg. There are also printable coupon sites that focus on organic items: Mambo Sprouts, Whole Foods, Earth Fare. I always remind people that they can still save money by using coupons on household items so you can focus more of your budget on items that might not have a coupon.
The booklets that I list in my matchups may not be available in all stores- if you don’t spot them in your store then you may want to ask at your customer service desk. Mailers are pretty hit-or-miss: no one can really tell when there will be mailers or who will get them. You should sign up for Publix Baby Club HERE, Publix Grape HERE, Publix GreenWise HERE, and Family Style HERE so you’re at least on the main Publix mailing lists, just in case!
Christy: Certainly there’s been a change in what I think of as a “regular” total now – before I started couponing I was the one cringing at the screen, hoping for a total under $150. Now I almost always know exactly what my total will be, and it’s usually under $30 or $40 for the week. I still get that ‘coupon high’ when I have a great week, though!
Michelle: I still get a coupon high when I score a really good deal! I have developed habits (making a list, clipping coupons, creating a meal plan) those are definitely second nature. I make time for those things each week without even thinking much about it. I still love to look at the sneak peek every Monday to see what I can get super cheap each week 😀
Christy: Resisting the good deal can sometimes be difficult, but I’ve gotten pretty strict with myself on a number of levels. If the good deal is for an item that we wouldn’t normally buy – say, Pizza Rolls or another high-fat snack food (I’m trying to cut the calories I bring into the house as well as the ones I put in my body lately, since there seems to be a correlation between the two 🙂 ), or a brand of toilet paper I hate – I pretend like it doesn’t exist and keep on going. However, if the deal is less than 20 cents per item, free, or a moneymaker, I will buy as many as I have coupons for (usually, as I said above, no more than 4 or 6 per item) and donate it to the local food bank on my way home. It’s my little way of helping others with my couponing.
I have to say, though, that I’ve gotten WAY better about this – my first six months or so it was like a buying free for all around here! That had to stop or I would have run out of room (also my husband would have taken away my coupons 🙂 )!
Michelle: I learned the hard way that extra stuff takes up room and can be so wasteful!! When I was a new couponer I was constantly shopping!! I would often make several trips to the drugstores and grocery stores each time a deal was reported. I was wasting time and money and really not getting many things that I really NEEDED!! People often email me about my weekly totals each week and wonder why I don’t have more items listed –the simple answer is …I only buy what we will use and what I need.
Christy: Georgia, that’s just too bad. I get so frustrated when I come across a store that isn’t couponer-friendly – I just don’t understand why the store doesn’t want the extra revenue that couponers bring in! If I were you, I’d call my district manager to clarify the policy and to let him or her know about your experiences in the store. Even if doing this doesn’t change the situation, at least you’ve done everything you can to try to fix it!
Michelle: There can be various reasons for their attitude. It might be that other couponers are not being courteous to other shoppers? We could probably come up with a million reasons why they have implemented these rules. Personally, I would just make the 10 minute drive than deal with inconsistency. Most of the stores within the same area are in competition (even within the same company) to get the best sales. So, you will be able to smile knowing that you are helping to increase sales at a friendly store 😀
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.
Another suggestion for Karen. I have been using the preprinted Publix shopping lists which my store keeps up front. I post it on my refrigerator where I can write what I need. I also check the blogs/deals daily. I update the list on a near daily basis, noting coupons and cost beside each item. I have learned to stick strictly to my list, and it has helped me to discipline myself. Since I’m living by a budget, I can figure up my total before going to the store and make the decision as to whether or not a deal is worth it. I have decided many times that a deal is either not worth it, or if I’m at budget I can choose to postpone buying an item which I recognize goes on sale frequently. The only exception I allow myself in the store is for unadverstised or clearance deals.
In response to Christy on #2- I file my inserts in page protectors. Instead of writing the date on each page, I just write it on the outside of the page protector with a wet erase marker!
I so agree with the answers to #9 about resisting the good deals. I used to run around gathering all of them. Like I was Miss Coupon Conquerer 2009 or something. I’m so over that! I just read that there is free Gain dish soap to be had at Walgreens this week. My eyes widened for a split second. I have a lot of those $1 coupons. I’m going to pass because I have about three years worth of dish soap in my pantry!
In response to # 10
My local Publix recently changed their competitor coupon policy and they specifically stated it was due to a couponer:( Always remember what you do reflects on others. One person cleaning out the shelf..which unfortunately sometimes is 20 items, or stacking coupons incorrectly and making a fuss over it at the register can make a store set limits and or policies. I would say probably 95% of us are great couponers. I personally set limits for myself and I have never received “the look”..or they hid it well hehe. We just have to remember that the 5% who aren’t thinking about the big picture and being…though I hate to say it…greedy can reflect on us. I always make sure to talk up my cashier and smile and be polite as I shop to my fellow buyers and the store employees. Also if I’m going to need a lot of something…which I consider more than 10 I go to 2 different stores. Nothing is as disappointing as looking for a product and having the store customer service tell you someone just bought a cart load and left none for you:(
Ok sorry so long hehe now Im off to Publix
Ya know how I resist those extra junk food deals? I tell myself: “ooooh, I can save an extra .25 (or however much it costs) by NOT buying that item!!!” If you don’t buy it, it’s like having another coupon 😉
in response to number 10. my store usually limits the number of deals you can get with a raincheck. You could always make two trips to the same store. if they are out the second time you can get a rain check.
In response to #10 – I think it’s good that the stores put quantity limits on their deals (and it does say “quantity rights reserved” on the ad!) I have gone to the store many times to get a good deal only to find out that someone before me took 15 or 20 of the item and left one – if I’m lucky. Seriously?? You NEED that many? You’re really going to go thru 20 jars of mayo (or whatever the item is) before the next time it’s on sale?? And how many people actually take the time to donate their excess? Obviously the store still makes money, and I can get a rain check, but that means another trip to the store, which is more time and money. I think if you’re frustrated that you can’t buy 15 – 20 of an item you may need to step back a second and think about your fellow couponers and the regular customers who only want one or two. I find that we couponers need to be very careful not to become greedy just because it’s such a great deal.
In response to #10, it may be that your store is trying to keep the shelves from being cleared out. Personally, I really wish my store would do this. My husband has some medical issues and I have to choose groceries very carefully. There are certain things that I need to buy a very specific brand of, whether it’s on sale or not. I always dread it when those brands go on sale as they seem to sell out within a few hours.
Wow! I just have to say Thank you SO much for letting me know where to find the dates on the sides of the inserts. I’ve been couponing for a while now, and LOVE finding new, super helpful tidbits like this 🙂 THANK YOU!
Michelle,
What website did u order the Smart Balance $2/1 coupons. I checked Coupon Clippers and they only had the $1/1?
Thanks!
off Ebay 🙂