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 huge 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:
- Do ‘twinpacks’ count as one item when you use a BOGO coupon?
- I can never seem to find any tear pads at my Publix – do you have any suggestions?
- If a MIR requires that I spend $50, can I use coupons to reduce that total?
- Do you use all of the coupons you print each week, or do you trade?
- Can you stack a MQ on a manufacturer’s Buy 1 Get 1 coupon, or does the B1G1 attach to both items?
- Is there a way to have publix mail me advantage flyers and other coupon booklets?
- How do Publix rain checks work, and can coupons be applied towards a rain check?
- Will Publix accept its own expired coupons?
- How long should I generally keep my filed coupons before I toss them?
- How do you deal with ‘coupon burnout’?
And here are the answers!
- CarolinaGirl from the comments wants to know: Do ‘twinpacks’ count as one item when you use a BOGO coupon?
- Shannon wants to know: I can never seem to find any tear pads at my Publix – do you have any suggestions on how to find them? I see all the great coupon matchups and often there’s a tearpad coupon included but I can never get my hands on them!
- Darcy wants to know: My question is about the SummerTime Savings Guide MIR (spend $50 get $10 gift card). Can I use coupons to reduce the total I need to spend and still get the gift card?
- Melinda wants to know: You said the other week that you print 137 coupons in a single week – do you use all of those coupons or do you trade them?
- Stephanie wants to know: Can you stack a MQ with a manufacturer’s Buy 1 Get 1 coupon, or does the B1G1 attach to both items?
- Tracy wants to know: Is there a way to get Publix to mail me Advantage Buy Flyers and other coupon booklets? My store never seems to have booklets and runs out of advantage flyers quickly.
- Krystin wants to know: How do Publix rain checks work, and can I use coupons with them?
- Coba wants to know: Will Publix accept its own expired coupons?
- Mary wants to know: I have a file system that I use to organize my coupons. How long should I keep my filed coupons before I toss them?
- Erin wants to know: What you do when you get “Coupon Burnout”?
If the twinpack has a single UPC code – and it should – then it counts as a single item and you will be able to use the BOGO coupon on two twinpacks.
Christy: The best way to get tearpad coupons when you can’t actually find them in your store is to trade for them- it seems that there’s almost always someone on this site that has the coupon you need!! If you can’t find someone to trade with, though, you can always try ebay or maybe even a clipping site! Just be sure to order your coupons as soon as you know that you’re going to need it so that you’re sure to get them before the sale ends.
Michelle: About the only way I get tearpads is via trades with other couponers!! I almost never find coupons at my store so I try to keep a look out for tearpads that have been spotted or reported and try to grab them if it is for an item I know I will use!!
Check the fine print on the Mail In Rebate form – you can use coupons to reduce your total amount out of pocket for any rebate as long as it doesn’t explicitly state that you need to spend $50 AFTER coupons. Most rebates allow you to use coupons to reduce your totals, making for even better deals! I have only ever seen one or two rebates that state the purchase price is after coupons..after all it is very hard to determine which product the coupon was for–especially on Publix receipts!!
Christy: I don’t know if I print quite as many coupons as Michelle does, but I do print plenty every week, and I certainly don’t use them all. The way I see it, though, you never know what’s going to make for a great deal later on, so I’d rather print more than I need. I do trade whenever I can, and I’m also a member of a coupon train group. If all else fails, I always recycle whatever (printable) coupons I don’t use! For the record, too, I’m looking for a few military families that might be able to use my expired insert coupons – email me at haphazardlyhobbying at gmail dot com if you know of anyone who could use a new source of expireds!
Michelle: I may have a bit higher total than some people as I print coupons that I hope to use AND I often print coupons to test them before I report them here to you guys! It is getting easier to spot dead coupons but sometimes I print the ones I am not sure about. That way I can try to make sure that I am giving you guys accurate information. I also print a bunch of coupons if I think I might use them. For example–the goldfish coupons that were available over the last few weeks. Even though there was not a sale at that time I printed as many as I could in hopes of a sale…and voila they are on sale this week!! If I had waited I would be out of luck!
This is one of those grey areas where you will often get a different answer based on who you ask. I personally think that a buy1 get 1 coupon attaches only to the free item, so you can use a manufacturer’s or store coupon (or both!) on the qualifying item. I write deals here on the site based on that premise.
You know I have no idea!! I have heard that people have had some success requesting booklets but I honestly do not know the rate of success. I would definitely talk to your store about possibly keeping the booklets/flyers at the customer service desk so that there is less of an opportunity for them to be depleted as quickly. If anyone out there has has any success with requesting booklets/flyers please let us know!!
Christy: Rain checks essentially allow you to take advantage of the sale price on a particular item after the original dates of the sale because your store has run out of stock. Depending on your store, they may impose a deadline by which you need to use the raincheck – in my area, rain checks are only good for 10 days after they date my store writes them. You can most certainly use coupons with a raincheck; however, if the coupons you want to use will expire before you will use the raincheck, you should talk to your store about that as they’re writing the rain check. Some stores will actually make a note on your rain check that the cashier should honor your coupons for that item as well!
Michelle: Also be aware that most stores will limit the number of items you can get with a rain check.
Christy: This depends on the store – I’ve heard of some stores that accept expired Publix coupons, but none of the stores in my area will take them. However, my favorite store will occasionally take a coupon a day or two after expiration if I ask really nicely :). As usual, you should ask at your customer service desk before trying to use an expired store coupon at checkout.
Michelle: This will definitely vary by store…I have yet to find a store in my area that will accept them either!!
Christy: When I file my inserts – usually 4 or 6 of each insert each week – I do a little extra work and put all the like pages together. That way I can get rid of pages from the inserts once I’ve either used all those coupons or once they’ve expired (whichever comes first). However, I usually don’t start really purging pages from my inserts until they’re about six months old or so.
Michelle: I usually go through my coupons every 4 months and do a scan to see if there are any that are still valid. Every once in a while there will be one or two in the insert that is still valid. I usually just clip those few coupons and file them in my binder to clear out my filing cabinet. I think it will depend on how much storage your filing system has! I have a two drawer filing cabinet so I can easily go 4 or 5 months –which is great as cleaning out my coupons is not high on my list of favorite things to do. 🙂
Christy: I don’t know if I’ve been couponing long enough to actually hit ‘burnout’ stage, but I will share with you what’s happened to me over the last few weeks. I’ve been traveling for most of June and I haven’t been able to catch good deals, print coupons, even buy my weekly inserts (!) so it actually feels like I’ve been out of the couponing loop for quite a while and I’ve been a little overwhelmed trying to get back into it. I tried to make my shopping list on Sunday and I just couldn’t manage to get it all together because I felt so unorganized. But instead of getting down about it, I just decided that I’m going to take my time and get back into the groove – and if I spend a little more over the next few weeks, my savings over the last year has certainly made up for it! 🙂 I think that’s what we all need to remember in such situations – we save TONS of money every week, and if something goes wrong every once in a while and we end up spending a little more than we want to, it’s just not the end of the world.
Michelle: I have had weeks here and there where I have blown my budget and you know that is A-OK! The good thing about couponing is that there is always another deal to be found!! I used to stress out and feel like I had to go grab every deal that I heard about. All that did was wear me out and I think I spent more on gas than I saved getting the deal! I am sure many of you have noticed by my weekly totals that I don’t get even half of the deals I post!
Some weeks I have so much on my plate that something has to give–If running by Publix and grabbing a Rotisserie meal makes my day a little easier then that is what I will do! My budget is flexible for just that reason. I have long term goals set and I am always re-evaluating and making modifications–so my burnout is minimal! I also allow for splurges and mistakes in my budget so I don’t feel pressure to be perfect every week!! For me couponing has become a way of life so it is really just part of my weekly routine! My goal is to have no payments (except utilities) in five years! I want to have our house and all vehicles paid free and clear!! If I want to make that goal a reality then I need to stay on track. I plan for possible detours–for example…one of our AC units decided to stop working today–the day after we bought a new car! A couple of years ago I would be in a panic–but today I have my household maintenance account that I can pull from–no crisis!
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.
This is about the question about requesting booklets from the home office. I sent the nicest email to Publix home office asking the same question. (about mailing coupon booklets to me) They sent me a nice email back from the home office telling me that they do not do this. They said the store manager would call me. He did, super nice, and confirmed that they do not mail them out. He says you just have to check in the store and that not all stores will get every single flyer. So I hope this helps…
The yellow and green advantage buy fliers always come out in my sunday newspaper. Usually for a couple of weeks in a row. I thought this was normal for everyone.
Why do coupons never “beep” at Publix like they do at other stores?
because each publix has its own policy, but they all have the same program running on their registers. also, though it doesnt audibly “beep”, the cashier may get a message, but chooses [or may be trained based off that stores policy] to over-ride it. some publixs will accept expireds, they just over-ride the message, or manually take it off the total. also, some stores will only let you have as many coupons as items [much like walgreens], and they will get a message saying theres too many coupons per items…say, you had coupons for an item but forgot to get it and already checked out, so you went and got it and have 2 Qs for it, but you had enough items in your previous transaction that you did moments ago to make up for it, the cashier may get a message saying too many coupons per item, but since the cashier knows you had enough in the previous transaction, they can ask for the over-ride [they may have to ask a manager and the manager may need to see the time-stamped reciept.] but, no, publix systems have no audible beep, but they DO get messages sometimes, but may over-ride them [be it theyre trained to, requested to, or just choose to.] also, some discounts can be manually entered for things the cashier may KNOW will display the message, thus not displaying a message when entered. how this makes sense and provides your explanation.
also, an audible beep may not be included in the message system because of publix’s customer service policies. now, im not sure if that is the reason as to why or not, but it makes sense. the beep is embarassing to me, at least, so possibly to other customers, as well. publix may be aware of this and decided to not use an audible beep. like i said, im not sure if this is the actual reason, though. 🙂
The audible beep usually works when scanning a manufacturer’s coupon (or any coupon that has a bar code really). Publix coupons don’t make a beep because they’re typed in. Not really sure why it doesn’t beep after..but you’ll notice that when produce goes through the register, it doesn’t beep after either. They have numbers to type in as well 🙂
I wrote to Publix just like Mary, and was told the same thing…they do not mail coupon booklets (or Advantage Buy flyers) to anyone. My store manager suggested that I always check at the Customer Service desk for them, as they do not always put ALL the booklets out at one time, so if they are gone from the display, or the turnstyle, they may have a few more behind the counter. It’s pretty much a ‘potluck’ thing tho. In my case, the store where I always shop rarely ever has booklets. BUT…another store down the street always seems to have tons! So…I stop in there once a week and do nothing but scout out booklets and tearpads (I also check out their clearance shelves because they always seem to have different stuff than my fave store does).
This is just like my area. Actually my favorite store hasn’t even received the latest green advantage buy flyer that expires in just a few days, but went down the street and there it was and they had tons!
My husband and I also look after my father-in-laws house. We went in that Publix yesterday (which is in a very nice/ rich area) To my surprise many of the tearpads and blinkies and booklets were all there! I guess that’s because many of the people in that area don’t care to use coupons. Needless to say I’ll be checking in that store more often.
Christy, I’d be interested to hear an update about whether you found a good military family resource for expired coupons. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages, but I’m hesitant to just “adopt” one family, I sometimes take a break from clipping coupons, and don’t want to be flaky. Do you know if there are any central organizers that distribute to multiple families?
Hiya! Sonya was nice enough to hook me up with the Overseas Coupon Program. You can check it out HERE.
I just wrote to Publix corporate last week about coupon booklets and they told me that a third party actually prints and distributes so they have no control over sending them out. They try to make sure each store gets some but it’s likely some stores will get more than others. I don’t think this is true for every booklet because sometimes on the Publix website you can request to have a booklet sent, but I specifically asked about the Smart Savings one.
Michelle, I totally feel you on the air-conditioner. Ours broke 2 weeks ago and we had to replace the whole thing, but it wasn’t a giant panic because we had an emergency fund to pull from! Having an emergency fund and paying down our debts (we only have a mortgage to the house we just bought a few months ago and student loans left) have made the future so much less stressful. That’s actually the whole premise behind my blog.
FYI if you live in Jax Fl MANY stores in our area accept expired Publix coupons!
I live in the Atlanta area and was told by a cashier that they accept expired store coupons for 1 week. I had accidentally given an expired coupon and he told me this, though I haven’t tried it intentionally. 🙂
My Publix (Hoover, AL) is great about accepting their (Publix) expired coupons. I found this out by accident several months back when I had not noticed one of them had expired and the cashier looked at it and said something like, “we’ll still take this even though it’s expired.” I questioned her about it and she said that they will take them after expiration for a reasonable time period. Since then, I’ve used several expired Publix coupons up to about 2 weeks after the expiration date. You can get some great deals that way, because sometimes an item will go on sale immediately after a Publix coupon for that item has expired.
So don’t be afraid to ask them if they’ll still accept an expired Publix coupon, all they can do is say no. 🙂
I called my Publix today and they told me they will take Publix coupons a few days expired, but not manufacturer’s q’s. So I guess I learned something new today!
My store will also take expired Publix coupons a few days out, but never an expired manufacturer coupon. I actually have a couple from the Green Adv. flyer that expire 7/2 but will use them on the 4th…2 days out, so Iknow they’ll take them anyway.
on the same line as tonya, i had previously contacted publix about booklets and not only did i get an email, but i also recieved a call from my store. most booklets containing MQs are printed by a third party and, thus, publix has no control over who gets what booklet. the coupon sheets [like the most recent stock up and save sheet], that are ALL publix coupons are generally available at ALL publix stores. but, youre basically hoping for the luck of the draw as to WHEN they arrive at your store. the recent stock up and save didnt show up at my store until a week ago. i had 5 days to use them [one ad] and that ad didnt have many good match ups for them…at least, not for anything i need or even want! also, the corperate email stated that they can not send requested booklets to my home or other mailing address, even if it is a publix coupon sheet. the only thing i can get sent to my home is the advantage buy fliers and they wont send them via snail mail since i live in the incorperated part of the county, since the newspaper is widely available [and deliverable] to this part, and they are available via the newspaper the saturday that they start. [if i lived in unincorperated parts, they could snail mail them.] HTH!!!