Based on all the feedback from you guys –I think this little feature will not go anywhere anytime soon 🙂 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. I like that we are often able to give you a couple of points of view!!
Remember–there is a new tab at the top of the site called “Q & A” where I will do my best to organize the information from this feature so that it can serve as a quick reference!
Here are this week’s questions:
- Does Publix get reimbursed when you use a Walgreens Register Reward as payment?
- Why can I never find all the All You coupons you list in the matchups in my copy of that issue of All You?
- When is the best time/day of the week to shop at Publix when the shelves are usually fully stocked?
- What does DND 5 mean?
- Why do so many managers in the SAME store give you so many different answers for how to use coupons?
- Do you have any suggestions for how to save the most when you can’t really “stockpile”?
- Is it possible to be a master couponer who saves tons of money while still eating healthy food and not buying the junk?
- Do you have any streamlining tips for keeping up with and organizing inserts?
- Do you have any suggestions for keeping all the IPs organized?
- Any ideas on how to help friends and family get started on couponing?
And here are the answers!
- Angela wants to know: Does Publix get reimbursed when you use a Walgreens Register Rewards as payment? My store keys it in as a competitor coupon, not as a manufacturer’s coupon like it states on top of the RR.
- Ellen wants to know: Why can I never find all the All You coupons you list in the matchups in my copy of that issue of All You?
- Christy wants to know: When is the best time/day of the week to shop at Publix when the shelves are usually fully stocked?
- Jennifer wants to know: What does DND 5 mean?
- Kimberly wants to know: Why do so many managers in the SAME store give you so many different answers for using coupons?
- Candy wants to know: My goal is to get my grocery bill down to $75 a week for a family of 5 (I’m currently spending about $100/week). I don’t have a deep freeze to store meat and I don’t even have a pantry to store food to stockpile like I want. Do you have any suggestions for someone who can’t really stockpile?
- Valerie wants to know: Is it possible to be a master couponer who saves tons of money while still eating healthy food and not buying the junk? It seems like most of the coupons out there are mostly for the junk/processed foods.
- Loren wants to know: Keeping up with inserts takes a lot of space and organization – do you have any streamlining tips?
- Valerie wants to know: I have my system down pat when it comes to the coupons from the newspaper inserts and the full ads from Publix. But the printables are KILLING ME! I print everything when I see it, twice, and proceed to try to cut and file. There has to be a better way, right???
- Tamara wants to know: I tell so many friends and family members about couponing, and all they say is “that sounds like too much work”… any ideas about how to help them get started an easy way?
I am not sure about this one. I have asked three different stores and no one could tell me with any certainty either way!! If anyone has a definite answer I’d love to hear it…we will open this one up to the readers!!
Christy: I’m glad we’re addressing this here because I think it’s something that many people don’t know – or at least, it’s something that I didn’t know until I read the comments from last week’s “Ask I Heart Publix” call for questions! (So before I answer, I have to say a huge “thanks!” to Jo from the comments for the info!) The reason you might not have all the coupons in your All You is because the subscription version of the magazine is different than the version you can purchase at Walmart – the off-the-shelf version has more coupons! I was a little annoyed to find this out at first, but since I so rarely go to Walmart, it’s worth it to me to miss out on a few coupons and pay SO much less for my subscription.
Michelle: Yes there can be some variation in the home delivered and store bought version. This is actually my one little irritation with the magazine. I agree with Christy in that the couple of coupons that I might miss is in no way going to entice me to deal with the less than pleasant experience of a Walmart trip 🙂
Christy: This will depend on your store, of course – you might want to ask you managers when the shelves are generally restocked – but for the most part, I’ve found that early morning (7 – 9 am) or later in the evening (7 – 9 pm) during the week are the best times to find fully-stocked shelves (and, as a bonus, it’s much easier to get in and out quickly, too).
Michelle: It will vary based on the store’s delivery schedule. Most stores get multiple trucks each week so I find that they are constantly re-stocking! I typically shop on Monday mornings and they are always busy restocking in many departments.
DND is a code used on manufacturer’s coupons – it stands for Do Not Double. Coupons that begin with a number “5” WILL automatically double at the register (unless manually suppressed by the cashier). In contrast, coupons that begin with a “9” will not automatically double, and will require the cashier to manually double the coupon.
Christy: In my opinion, this is a problem that can be traced back to the training programs your store has in place (or doesn’t have in place, as the case may be). If you run into problems in your store, I’d suggest that you talk to you store manager, your district manager, or even corporate customer service after everytime you run into a problem. Publix’s focus on customer service is such that I’d almost guarantee you that you see changes in the store after no more than a couple phone calls.
Christy: I know that Michelle doesn’t have a deep freeze, so I’ll let her address that aspect of this question, and I’ll take the “no pantry” issue. My husband and I rent an 80-year-old house with a small kitchen and very little storage space, and I worried about how to manage to find space for a stockpile too. Eventually, I just kind of made my own space – we have a back hallway that I lined with shallow (around 9 inch) shelf units I got very inexpensively at a thrift store and I picked up baskets and bins at the local dollar store as a way to organize types of food on those shelves. I got some more inexpensive (but attractive) bins that would fit in the space between my kitchen cabinets and the ceiling – I keep my unopened cereals, crackers, and other dry goods I don’t need on a daily basis up there. I have to keep an eye on expiration dates for the stuff up there, of course, and I try to rotate things out fairly quickly since it’s not as handy as a regular pantry, but my savings on these items makes the extra effort worthwhile. Lastly, I make it a point to keep my kitchen cabinets neat and organized because I can fit SO much more in those cabinets when they’re clean!!
Michelle: I don’t have a deep freeze (YET) so I have learned to be very creative and also very picky with what I purchase. For me, keeping my freezer stocked with meat is a much higher priority that keeping it stocked with frozen waffles!! I save space by removing any packaging that I can and often repackaging items into portions sizes to help conserve space. I am lucky to have plenty of room for my “pantry” items. But again it is not necessary…I have seen some very creative ways to store items. I have seen people store things under their beds, in the garage, behind hanging clothes in the closet–you name it!! I think it is really a matter of creativity and organization. You may not want 20 cans of soup in your closet next to your shoes but hey, if that is where they fit why not!?!
Christy: I agree that many of the coupons out there are for heavily processed foods, but couponing can still REALLY reduce your totals for meat, eggs, milk, produce, etc. Watch for coupons on meat and produce (they ARE out there), and purchase or trade for as many as you can reasonably use before they expire. Look for mail in rebates for things you would already purchase or winetags that don’t require alcohol purchase or any other way to get money back on your purchases.If your store(s) allow overage, use overage deals to reduce your overall totals (and, if you don’t want the items that get you the overage, drop them off at a local food bank on your way home from the store). **Note: I know this is a bit of a controversial suggestion, but let me say clearly that I’m not encouraging everyone to go clear off the shelves and make it so that no one else can get an overage deal – but it’s perfectly acceptable to buy one or two overage items and take $1 or $2 off your total.** In the end, being a master couponer means that you have the tools to save money off whatever it is that you want to purchase – and even if you save a bit less than other coupons, you’re still saving much more than you would without coupons, right?
Michelle: I think it really depends on what you consider a master couponer…there are coupons for most everything at some point. Like Christy said you can even use overage to reduce the cost of things that you want and reduce your overall spending. It drives me crazy when I hear people say that they don’t bother with coupons because there just are not coupons for the stuff they use. Really??!!…so I guess these people don’t buy flour, bread, sugar, yeast, spices, salad mixes, meat, fruit, deodorant, detergent, shampoo, razors, medicines, and the list goes on and on!! I always have to remind them that just because the hamburger helper coupon exists they don’t have to use it 😀 Even if you buy the most expensive organic, free range meat you can still save money by using a coupon to reduce the cost of your toilet paper!! The way I see it —coupons allow me to stretch my budget. I think using coupons is a very intelligent choice so no matter if you save 10% or 95% just by making the choice to use a coupon to stretch your budget a bit farther makes you a master couponer 😀
Christy: I don’t know if it will help, but the one thing I can tell you is that I just recently switched from cutting and clipping four sets of inserts every week to storing whole inserts and clipping when I need things, which is SO MUCH EASIER! (Because I’m OCD, I do create a little extra work for myself by stapling like pages together so I can cut all four of one coupon out at once rather than flipping through messy inserts.) Other than that, the only thing I can tell you is that much of coupon organization is trial and error – you’ll eventually find something that works really well for you. In the meantime, commenters – tell us what you do!
Michelle: I also file uncut inserts in a two drawer file cabinet by date. It is super easy to label a new hanging folder and drop those babies in and not have to worry about them until it is time to clip your coupon. I also maintain an accordion style case where I store loose coupons by category. I really don’t spend more than 30 minutes each week on coupon organization. If I see a pile develop I just quickly sort them and stick them in my binder.
Christy: If there’s a better way, maybe Michelle knows it, because that’s exactly how I do it. IPs are a pain to cut and file but so worth it when you save a little extra!
Michelle: These are the piles I was referring to in the previous question. I also print quite a few coupons. Once my pile is so big that it is driving me crazy –I will quickly cut and file them.
Christy: I’m sure that most of us can relate to this question – I know I’ve tried to talk friends and family members into just giving couponing a try, and that’s almost always the answer that I get, too! The one thing you might try is clipping a few coupons for them, or, if you’re in the same area, maybe even calling or emailing with info about a deal for that particular week that you know they’ll be able to use. However, you need to keep in mind that couponing isn’t for everyone, and if that person isn’t willing to put the work in, they’re not going to reap the benefits! 🙂
Michelle: I have a few tactics that have worked pretty good. First I tell them how much I spend each week for a family of four. I then show them my stockpile and explain that most of the things they see were free or only cost a few pennies. Then I show them a few receipts just so they can actually see that big ol’ thing with the tiny tiny total! If they still complain that they don’t want to put forth the hour or so it would take to save I go back to the receipt and show them the savings. I kid them and ask how much they make per hour and show them that I average over $50 per hour when you consider the time I spend and the amount I save!! It is really hard to argue that fact!!
Couponing is not a job where you are constantly having to learn a new skill 🙂 Seriously think about what you make per hour as a couponer…I am guessing that most of you make a pretty penny as a smart shopper!! Of course it may take a little more time for a beginner but once they get the hang of it they are set.
If you have the time you could offer to help them with their first trip…many times when a person sees that first really great savings and gets that shoppers high…you might have a little savings addict on your hands!!
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.
Cutting out the IPs is a hassle, but I find that using my paper cutter makes it a little easier and quicker for me. Off subject, but a cool way to keep those blades sharp on the cutter is to cut up aluminum foil with it.
Regarding Question #1- the answer is yes. I kept having problems trying to use the RR, since the cashier thinks it’s a store coupon. It is a Manufacturer coupon, with a bar code and instructions on it where the vendor needs to send to be reimbursed for it. I had my Publix Manager fax the RR to their CS center and they confirmed that they do in fact get reimbursed for RR.
I want to respond to the IP question. I don’t clip and file my IPs. I just store them all in the back pocket of my binder. It’s a little more of a pain to look through them all to find the one I want, but if I end up not using it, I can print more on the back of the paper!
In regard to IP coupons here is one suggestion: Create a binder with sections divided by whatever way makes sense for you and just hole punch the pages and put them in that way? Then you can clip an IP whenever you need it. Sorta like filing by insert with the newspaper coupons. If you really want to get all fancy and organized you can even have a piece of paper at the beginning of each section where you can quickly jot down what coupon you just added to the section. Then when you need a coupon you can check the list before you flip through the pages. And when you pull that coupon out of the section, just cross it off the list so you’ll know it’s gone. I LOVE anything organizational (although, my playroom right now suggests otherwise!) so hopefully this helps someone.
Of course, for this to work when you have 3 coupons to a page like when you print from coupons.com or smartsource.com you can print like categories together. So if there are 3 dairy section coupons like cheese, yogurt, and sour cream, just click on those 3 then print and reprint. Stack them on top of each other when you put them in the binder so that you can just cut through both pages at once to cut that specific coupon.
Regarding storage issues: Take a look in your dresser drawers. I guarantee you there’s a lot of wasted space in them. I doubled up socks and underwear in one drawer, shorts and t-shirts in another, etc….and cleared out about 6 large dresser drawers throughout my house where I now store my stockpile of deodorants, shampoos, lotions, toothpastes, toothbrushes, body washes, medicines, and more. I don’t have a deep freeze; I don’t have a pantry; but I have a huge stockpile of everything (foods and non-foods) stored creatively throughout my house — and none of it shows! Everything is well hidden and my house remains most tidy-looking.
I work at Publix in FL and our cashiers are told not to take Walgreens coupons because they are not a grocery store. If a cashier does take a coupon from Walgreens, Target, or Albertson they go right in the trash and we do not get credit for them.
My local Publix accepts ALL traditional grocery competitors and that includes Albertson’s. Those Q’s get put into the coupon zippered bag just like all the others. What they do with them at the end of their shift, I don’t know… I know that they accept competitor Q’s as a way of keeping your business and that they do not get reimbursed for them.
There is no corporate coupon policy so the choice of competitor’s is up to individual store managers. I live in Florida also and my manager has said he will accept Walgreen’s, Target, CVS, heck he’s even allowed me to use Lowe’s and Toys R Us. It really just depends on the manager.
All competitor coupons will not be reimbursed (and for that matter Publix coupons are not reimbursed either). They are essentially a form of a sale, where a store uses them to get people in to buy those products (which they may or may not normally buy) as well as other products. Stores work a lot on psychological impulses (which is why you should never shop hungry, depressed, angry, etc.), hoping you’ll buy something just because you think it is a good deal or buy more things because you perceive you are not spending a lot of money.
However, I think the question at hand here is whether a manufacturer’s coupon that was printed at Walgreen’s and has Walgreen’s RR written on it, will be reimbursed by the manufacturer if redeemed at Publix, which is different than a true competitor coupon, which is a coupon that only works at a select store and won’t be reimbursed by a manufacturer.
Lauren, publx coupons are reimbursed to the store, in the same way bogo sale items are reimbursed to the store! 🙂 the manufacturer cuts a deal with the store and publix gets a percentage, generally based on sales, it is done by district. Publix’s CEO does not wander around the aisles choosing deals for the customer. ;). It is all just different forms of marketing. Please don’t think publix is losing mney on store qs and bogo sales, I assure you, they aren’t. There is definitely reimbursement. I think this is the Biggest misconception/ lack of information in couponing. The only straight loss publix incurrs is from competitor coupons, which the stores accept as an incentive for you to do All your shopping at Publix. So it is a win-win for them.
Yeah, I knew that already. That’s how sales work at all stores really. Some stores choose to work solely on sales, some like to add coupons to it also. I think I was trying to explain it in a simple way. They aren’t directly reimbursed, as in the coupon is mailed in and they get money, sales and store coupons are sort of a kick back so to speak.
I know they aren’t losing money because if they were they wouldn’t do it (which is why I never understand when those people come along and swear sites like this are going to put the store out of business…). I have quite a few of my friends who work/ have worked in various Publix positions, and there is a whole lot to know.
My favorite part about Publix is that it is an employee owned company (something few people know).
But see- that’s a problem because you guys are throwing away money!! Walgreens does issue store coupons, but a register reward states it is a manufacturer coupon and even has a mailing address for reimbursement right on it. I guess the jury is still out on this one, and each store will decide whether or not to accept them. But if your store won’t accept them as a competitor, I would surely point out the mailng address and the words *manufacturer coupon* at the top and ask if they will accept it as a mq, since that is what it technically is.
You’d be surprised where you can store things if you know where to look for it. I plan on devoting a whole entry on it in the near future on my blog. My old apartment had 5 cabinets in it and no pantry (and a washer in my kitchen), so I had to be really creative. Linen closets, coat closets, above shelves, adding shelves, garages, attics, under furniture, in furniture, as furniture, etc., etc.
I’m also actually posting about coupon organization tomorrow, too.
I don’t have a deep freeze and the way that I keep track of what is in my freezer is with one of those magnetic Dry Erase marker boards. I keep a running list on it that looks something like this:
Sirloin steak- 1
ground beef-1 1
Boca burgers-2-2-2-2
*Each number is representing a pkg (the 2 is because there are 2 burgers in a pkg) and then each individual number can be wiped off as it is used.
*I divide my larger packages of meat into usable portions as soon as they come home from the store.
As for a pantry, I don’t have a large, walk-in version, but I do have a slender 6 foot tall cabinet (from wal-mart) that is in my laundry room. I also have a row of 2 double cabinets across my washer & dryer. These hold my small appliances, laundry detergents, etc… and now one shelf is all of my Glade/Airwick kind of stuff. Across the top of those cabinets USED to be pretty white pottery… now it is lined up with cereal, crackers and snacks. I did take over 2 shelves in the garage, as well. One is for cleaning supplies and one is for cat supplies. As for health & beauty, I had my hubby add a new shelf in the bathroom under sink cabinets that goes all the way across. This allows me to line up our actual personal stockpile. As for the excess stockpile of that stuff, it is lined up in about every drawer in our bedroom and the bedside tables!!!! Hopefully soon, we can start a small pantry at our church and that excess will be moved!!
*Everyone can find room somewhere to stockpile, if they get organized and get creative.
Unsure if Publix gets reimbursed for Walgreen’s RRs. Surmise they must because Publix in Melbourne FL area accepts them. Store Mgr definitively stated “Yes, we’ll take those.” No probs here.
Like Michelle, I file my weekly inserts in hanging folders, but I use a plastic file box with a handle, so I can take my coupons with me anywhere I want to sit around the house. I have even brought it with me on driving trips when I will be out of town and might want to do some grocery or drugstore shopping! I also use a small accordion file for clipped coupons, peelies and blinkies.
For organizing my weekly coupons, I bought from Office Depot an accordion that have slots labeled 1 -31 and when I get the Sunday coupons I just date them on the cover…6/13, 6/6, etc and then place in that date slot(regardless of the month). Then when she says SS 6/13 then I just go the the 13th and pull out the coupon packet and find SS dated 6/13 then locate the coupon….I found this to be very easy. For blinkies, I have separate coupon holder (small) from Target that I sort the coupons that were sent or cut and I group them by blinkies, online, peelies, etc….when she says blinkie next to the item, I just go to that section and pull out the blinkie. This works great for me, maybe it will work great for others
In regards to topic #1: Yes, some register rewards are considered manufacturer’s coupons. If they say “manufacturer” on top and are for a particular product. If they are “five dollars off next purchase” then we do not get any money from walgreens.
And let me just say that the deals these companies cut with publix to give us a percentage off of our publix coupons only lasts for the dates the coupons are valid. Many a publix will take the coupons when they are expired, and I have customers who purposefully hold onto them even after they know they are expired, so they can use them with the next sale. Just know that we do not get credit from the companies for these expired coupons. We do this as a courtesy to our customers, but it comes out of our company’s pocket. Don’t be surprised when the price of groceries ends up going up as a result.
I find that the Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals at Publix really make it worth my dollar. Is there a certain time of month where Buy 1 Get 1 Free is hot?