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!!
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!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.
Here are this week’s questions:

  1. I’m confused by the word “Rolling” in your coupon matchups. What does that mean?
  2. When you list a hangtag or a peelie in your matchups, does that mean that I should expect to find it when I go to my store?
  3. How do I find the “Deals from my Inbox” when it’s no longer on the front page?
  4. My Publix has decided that they won’t accept Walgreen’s coupons anymore – is this typical?
  5. What happens if I don’t hit the back button for a second print on a bricks coupon with a rolling expiration date?
  6. Can I stack a manufacturer’s coupon with a store coupon for a free item?
  7. My store has stopped accepting any competitor other than grocery stores. Is this a chain-wide change or is it just my store?
  8. Why do companies ask for my birth date when I’m signing up to get their coupon? Will any of them send me free stuff on my birthday?
  9. What’s ‘Black Friday’ like for couponers?
  10. Does it make sense to use really good coupons before they expire even if the item in question doesn’t go on sale?

And here are the answers!

  1. H2 wants to know: I’m confused by the word “Rolling” in your coupon matchups. What does that mean?

    2. It just means that the expiration date on the coupon will change based on when you actually print the coupon.   Many times printables will expire 30 – 90 days from print date.

  2. Stephanie wants to know: When you list a hangtag or a peelie in your matchups, does that mean that I should expect to find it when I go to my store?

    3. Michelle: I list all the coupons that have been reported for an item.  Coupons will vary from store to store and so there is no guarantee that you will find them.  BUT–I list all the coupons so you will know to be on the lookout and to check your binder!!  Often I purchase items with coupons attached and don’t use them immediately.  For example, my store had B2G1 peelies  on each package of the Martha White muffins.  I came into the store with printable coupons that I had planned on using on the pouches.  Since I can’t use both coupons, I left the peelies on the package . When I got home I pulled my peelies off the ones I purchased and stuck them in my binder to use later.  In a couple of months there may be a deal where I need to use those coupons…the matchup will remind me to use them!!
    Also, many of us trade coupons so knowing what coupons exist can help us track down a trade!!  I would not count on finding the peelies, hangtags and tearpads but I would be more likely to check packages if I knew they existed  🙂
    Christy: I’ve often added items to my list based on the fact that peelies or hangtags have been reported – and a number of times the coupons have been there and I’ve been able to score a great deal that I otherwise wouldn’t have had coupons for! So while you won’t find the peelies or hangtags every time, it definitely doesn’t hurt to look!

  3. Eve wants to know: How do I find the “Deals from my Inbox” when it’s no longer on the front page?

    4. Michelle: You can click on anyspecific category link  over in the sidebar–click “Deals” and all the posts will come up.  Also, under each post on the left-hand side you should be able to see the categories that each post belongs to (it’s right next to the comments counter). Any Deal from My Inbox post will be in the Deals category – click on that “Deals” and you’ll be able to see all the posts in that category!  I am in the middle of doing some site modifications to make navigation a bit easier.  I hope to have things completed soon so that you will be able to navigate to the deals and the site much easier!!  Lots of changes coming…but with all that is on my plate, sometimes things take me longer than I expect!  I am hoping to have some things done very soon!!
    Christy: I love being able to go back and check all the Deals posts as I get ready to go to the store (it’s way better than my old method of writing everything down on an envelope so I didn’t forget it, and then invariably losing the envelope before I shopped anyway!) – and now I can’t wait to see what changes Michelle has in store for us!! 🙂

  4. Jennifer wants to know: My Publix has decided that they won’t accept Walgreen’s coupons anymore – is this typical?

    5. Michelle: Yes, each store has the option to determine who they consider a competitor.  They can decide to stop accepting a specific competitor coupon if they deem they are not a true competitor.
    Christy: Like Michelle says above, your store can decide who to accept as a competitor at any time. This can sometimes work in your favor, too – recently the store closest to my home decided to finally start accepting Target coupons, which they had not accepted in the past. You might want to talk to your store manager next time you shop – you could at least ask about the change and find out what prompted it!

  5. Melanie wants to know: When printing bricks coupons with rolling expiration dates, we usually are able to press the back button for a second print. Sometimes, however, I only need one coupon at the time I’m printing and the other one will not get used before the expiration date. (A good example of this is the $5/5 Kraft coupon.) What happens if I don’t hit the back button for a second print? Assuming the coupon still is available, will I still have one print remaining (with a new expiration date) if I return to that site at a later date?

    6. Michelle: If you only print one coupon you should be able to go back at another time to print your second one with a new expiration date (as long as the coupon has not reached its print limit!)
    Christy: I’m always nervous that the coupon WILL reach its print limit so if the coupon is a really good one – like that $5/5 – I generally print both my coupons and save the second one for later. I wish that bricks coupons would include some sort of counter so we could tell how many more coupons were available!!

  6. Beth wants to know: This may sound nuts, but I’ve seen blogs or forum posts where people have worked up scenarios that involve using a manufacturer coupon (for an example, $.25/1) combined with a FREE store coupon. A more detailed example would be:FREE Bounty Paper Towel roll WYB 3 P&G products from the “Put Clean in Your Cart” booklet (Publix Q)
    – $.25 Bounty Paper towels (Manufacturer Q)However, I recently attempted to do this, and my Publix cashier would not allow it. So what’s the deal – can I stack on top of a free coupon or not?

    7. Michelle: This will totally depend on your store!!  Many stores will allow you to use both coupons since they are getting reimbursed for the manufacturer’s coupon.  Usually this will only be allowed at stores that allow overage.
    Christy: This is the thing I absolutely love about this weekly Q&A – every week I learn new things! I NEVER would have tried to use another coupon in this situation, but Michelle’s answer makes total sense – why WOULDN’T the store want to make the extra money from the manufacturer? Still, remember to ask at your customer service desk before you try this to get the official ‘OK’!

  7. Sandi wants to know: I was very surprised when I saw a sign at my Publix indicating the only competitor coupons they will accept from now on are Kroger, Food Lion and Ingles — no Target, Rite Aid, etc. Since I have not seen anything on your site about this, I am wondering – is this a change that just my store is making or are there other stores that are doing this too?

    8. Michelle: I don’t think there is anything new…I just think more stores are getting more specific due to coupon abuse.  My store has had a very specific policy for quite some time now.
    They do not allow x/xx coupons (except for their own)
    They only allow competitor coupons from stores within 5 miles.
    They also only accept competitor coupons that discount a specific item.
    I am able to get fabulous deals with this policy and it is still the best in town!!  It could be that your store re-evaluated their policy and determined that the Target/Rite Aid was not a true competitor.
    Christy: Every few months I see something on a message board somewhere about how so many stores are changing their policies and that there is some sort of company-wide crackdown on coupons that will be rolled out soon – but so far it seems like all the changes are to individual stores and most probably reflect changes in management.

  8. Cindy wants to know: Why do companies ask for my birth date when I’m signing up to get their coupon? Will any of them send me free stuff on my birthday?

    9. Michelle: Yes, often companies will send you things for your birthday but they may also ask to make sure you are a certain age.  There are often age requirement to “opt in” to a program and/or to accept advertisement.  Many times promotions and coupons we request are  agreements to receive advertisements and updates.  So they ask to make sure that you are old enough to agree to their terms.  There are the occasional places that will send something to wish you a Happy Birthday 🙂
    Christy: I think Michelle is 100% right, but I wish there were more companies that wanted to celebrate my birthday! 🙂 Commenters, tell us of any company program that you know of that gives out birthday goodies!

  9. Maggie wants to know: This year will be my first black Friday as a couponer and I’m wondering if it will seem different to me now that I find deals every day. Is it a huge shopping day filled with bargains for you or do you find better deals during the rest of the year? Do you do anything in particular on that day or to get ready for it?

    10. Michelle: You can definitely score some fabulous deals on Black Friday…I think even hard core couponers still get a rush from a fabulous find!!  I love Black Friday but I prefer to do my shopping online!!  I no longer see any point in dealing with the massive crowds.  I have found that the majority of the deals are just as good if not better and I get them from the convenience of my home!!  I think I scored better deals online last year than I have ever seen in the stores!
    I will be stuck to my computer most of the day–posting deals on I Heart Saving Money as well as grabbing deals.  It is a big day in the frugal blogging world and a great day to get some fabulous deals.  I know many people love the rush of getting out and shopping early with a big crowd…but if that is not your style, you might want to grab your laptop and shop while you lounge on the couch.  You will likely get better deals that those wasting gas by traveling to and from various stores. Plus you will not have a pair of $5 pajamas ripped from your hand by another crazy shopper (yes that actually happened to me a few years ago!!)
    Soon the ads will be leaked and previews will start to be posted.  I will keep you guys posted with any good finds 😀
    Christy: I was still a newbie on black Friday last year – but I’ve avoided the in-store sales for a while now. It’s just not worth the hassle to me! I’m looking forward to scoring some great deals from my couch this year! 🙂

  10. Melissa wants to know: I may be wrong, but I’m of the opinion that coupons will save you money whether an item is on sale or not, as long as it is an item you would normally buy. Many times I will find I have both a store (or competitor) coupon and a manufacturer coupon at the same time. I keep an eye on when these paired coupons expire and watch the I Heart Publix list (and others) for notice the item has gone on sale. When an item doesn’t go on sale before the coupons expire, I feel like it is a lost opportunity. I’ve decided that if I have a pair about to expire, I will go ahead and use them, making my own sale in the process. Even if the item wasn’t on sale, the coupons are worth the same amount of $ off for those items, except in the case of BOGOs. The percentage of savings increases when you buy an item on sale with a coupon, but the actual money saved does’t increase, again with the exception of BOGOs. Am I missing something, or is this a sound strategy?

    11. Michelle: Absolutely!! Couponing is all about timing.  We hold our coupons and use them when the item is at the lowest possible price. Sometimes things may not go on sale when we want them to, so coupons are definitely a way to make your own sale!!
    You guys know that we have to have Ovaltine at my house…so I will use it as an example.  Ovaltine coupons don’t come around too often.  When I find a coupon to reduce the cost of each can I use it so I can maintain our supply at a discount (with the coupon)rather than having to pay full price!!  Of course I might hold that coupon until the last day in hopes of a sale…but some discount is better than none at all!!
    Christy: In the last few months I’ve lost out on a couple GREAT coupons because I only pull coupons I need specifically for a sale, so I’ve started a special envelope in my binder for ‘must use’ coupons. I also will staple store & manufacturer coupons together (not over the barcode!!) so that they don’t get lost and so that I remember to use them together. Since I’ve done this, I’ve ‘made’ myself a couple great sales on items we use all the time – I think yours is a great strategy, Melissa!

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.