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:
- I think you mentioned that you only get one newspaper delivered and all of your other coupons you get from a clipper service. Can you explain your process a little bit?
- Is there a list of great deal prices for basic products?
- Can I use both a Publix $5 off $25 and a CVS $10 off $50 if my total goes over 75 dollars?
- If a coupon reads $1 off X Item OR Y Item, do I have to buy 2 of the SAME item to use the coupon, or can I mix and match?
- How do you interpret the Publix Promise?
- Which of the ‘Black Friday’ ad-leaking websites is the most reliable, in your opinion?
- What are your thoughts on buying mass quantities of the good deals and reselling them at a yard sale for profit?
- Do you know of a website or blog that tells you which inserts can be recycled, meaning all coupons have expired?
- I have a manufacturer’s coupon for $1/2 and (2) competitor coupons for $1/1. Can I use all three of these coupons to get $3 off 2 items?
- Do you recommend buying or selling coupons on ebay?
And here are the answers!
- Joy from the comments wants to know: I think you mentioned that you only get one newspaper delivered and all of your other coupons you get from a clipper service. Can you explain your process a little bit? I’m thinking of trying this since I live in a smaller area and end up ordering lots of coupons anyway.
- Audrey from the comments wants to know: I am new to couponing and while I’m excited by the deals I have been getting I was wondering if they’re really that good. Is there a list of great deal prices for basic products?
- Aleida from the comments wants to know: I have a question when it comes to the X/XX coupons. Can I use both a Publix $5 off $25 and a CVS $10 off $50 if my total goes over 75 dollars? And if so, should the total be $75 before or after coupons?
- Brittany from the comments wants to know: If a coupon is $1/2 x or x, (ex: $1/2 Sorrento Ricotta or Block Mozzarella Cheeses, Any), do I have to buy 2 or the same item to get the $1 off or can I buy one of each item?
- Elizabeth from the comments wants to know: How do you interpret the Publix Promise? I ask this knowing that your answer is going to be, “It depends on your store”!! Really what I’m wondering is how you think this scenario should work out: I went to Publix specifically for refrigerated parmesean cheese. I saw that the sign in the fridge case said they were BOGO. That seemed a bit odd to me, because I thought they were BOGO the previous week, but there was no date on the sign, so I thought maybe it was an unadvertised sale and I grabbed 2. When I checked out, they rang up full price, so I told my cashier about the sign, and she gave me one free. I am definitely not one to argue, but I really thought I should’ve gotten both free. It seems to me that they offered me the falsely advertised price (which I think any grocery store would do) and that they weren’t really honoring the Publix Promise. What do you think?
- Amanda wants to know: With Christmas 63 days away, I’m already anticipating the Black Friday deals like any good deal hunter. : ) My question is this – Is there anything to all the “black friday websites” that supposedly leak the ads in advance? Is there one in particular that is the best? Or are they all bogus? How do those ads get leaked? They look legit, but…I’m cynical I guess.
- Susie wants to know: What are your thoughts on buying mass quantities of the good deals and reselling them at a yard sale for profit?
- Lisa wants to know: Do you know of a website or blog that tells you which inserts can be recycled, meaning all coupons have expired?
- Caroline wants to know: I have a manufacturers coupon for $1/2 and (2) competitor coupons for $1/1. Can I use all three of these coupons to get $3 off 2 items? I was under the impression that I should only use one of the competitor coupons with a deal like this, but my husbands thinks we can use all 3. I thought about trying it, but I don’t want to “cheat” if that is not kosher.
- Megansmom wants to know: Do you recommend buying or selling coupons on ebay? I was surprised how many coupons are for sale and that you can just clip your own coupons and sell them as a lot.
Christy: I’m going to leave this one to Michelle, since I only use clipper services during weeks I don’t get my papers at the drugstores (usually few & far between) or for super sale items that I’m going to buy large quantities of.
Michelle: I have found that forking out money for additional newspapers is not beneficial for me. If I needed an additional 4 newpapers that would be $6. I may only need 10-20 TOTAL coupons from the inserts in any given week (if even that many). I find it is more cost effective to pay a clipping service (or ebay seller). For that same $6, I can get more like 50 coupons that I have specifically chosen and that I will definitely use. Also, many times I might need more than just a few coupons, so the clipping services are a better option!!
I will also tell you that I love getting my coupons sent to me already clipped! You are paying for the coupons to be clipped and sent and some days that is such a nice treat…especially on those Sunday nights at 11pm and I am still making my list for the week 🙂
Michelle: We have touched on this before. Everyone will have a different price point for the items they purchase as it is based on need and rate of comsumption. I introduced the stockpile button for that exact reason. The items that are checked are a great price or a great price with a coupon. The weekly Super Deals that I post are also a great indicator of a good deal. Ultimately you have to determine what price you are willing to pay. I will rarely pay more than 25¢ – 50¢ for a box of cereal since that is not a necessity in my house. If you use 3-5 boxes of cereal each week, your price point may be as high as $1 per box. After all getting a box of cereal on sale for $1 is much better than paying full price.
You might consider creating your own personal price book that details what you consider a good purchase price. I can give you some general guidelines with the check mark and super deals but ultimately you have to decide your price point 🙂
Christy: Yup, we have talked about this before for specific types of items (HERE and HERE). I think the best marker of a great price are the check marks in the weekly ad matchups, but Michelle is right, you’re going to have to make your own price list for some things. I’ve noticed that Michelle and I have different stock up prices for certain things, and that may be due to regional differences in price/coupons available or to the fact that she’s been couponing longer than I am – either way, you’ll find that after about 6 months you start saying “I wouldn’t pay more than $x for that” almost instinctively!
Michelle: Each store will have different rules on stacking x/xx coupons–so it is best to ask at your store. As for when to use the coupon, generally you can use the coupon once you meet the purchase threshold (before coupons). If I have purchased $75 of products, additional coupons that will be used are irrelevant!
Christy: I agree with Michelle on this one, but I’ll add that you should probably ask at your customer service desk each time you plan to stack $X/$XX coupons – my stores will usually let me, but it can sometimes depend on whether the managers that know me are there! Better to be sure ahead of time than disappointed and unprepared at the register!
Michelle: If the coupon states OR then you are safe mixing and matching as long as you purchase the correct quantity. If the coupon states x AND y –then you must purchase one of each item.
Michelle: Nope…this one is easy as it is stated on the Publix website:
Our Publix checkout promise guarantees that if during checkout, the scanned price of an item (excluding alcohol and tobacco products) exceeds the shelf price or advertised price, we will give the customer one of that item free. The remaining items will be charged at the lower price.
So you should have only received one free and the other should have been charged at the display price.
Christy: I had actually never heard of the Publix promise, so I think this is really good information to have. In the scenario you describe, I think you probably should have gotten the second item at half the BOGO price – or at least gotten a third item free! Depending on how long ago this was, you might want to take your receipt in and talk to a manager next time you shop – not necessarily to get money back or a free item, but to describe the situation and get his/her read on it so that you know for next time!
Michelle: Companies are getting smart and many will release the ads early. I am not sure if there is a better site than others since they all just have ad scans 🙂 Most of us deal bloggers will start posting the hot deals for Black Friday very soon. I will tell you that I usually find that I score much better deals on Cyber Monday!! In some ways they are bigger deals and there is the element of surprise as it is hard to leak an online deal 🙂
Christy: You know I think that those of us who follow deal sites year round probably make out as good or better than everyone who stands in line at 3 am on Black Friday! That said, I usually find that the best Black Friday deals (for me, anyway) are at the drugstores and those ads are usually leaked pretty early and are pretty accurate – and they very rarely have crazy lines! 🙂 As for real holiday gift deals, I stick to Cyber Monday and sleep in on Black Friday! 🙂
Michelle: I say to each their own. As long as there is not a law prohibiting it then a person can do whatever they want with the items once they are purchased 🙂
Christy: I actually had a yard sale with a fellow couponer buddy of mine not too long ago (hi Brittany! :P) where we sold some of our overage items (mostly from drugstores) at a small profit. For example, I think we each had a number of Sundown vitamins that we marked at 50¢ or $1 each, or body wash that we marked at $2 – that kind of thing. Neither one of us is a shelf-clearer – we just buy a few of each deal when we shop and then donate or trade if we end up with too much – but we figured we might as well try to get a little compensation for our time scouting deals in this one case. (For the record, we donated everything we didn’t sell immediately). Personally, I don’t see how anyone could actually make enough for the hassle to be worth it, but to each their own!
Michelle: Every once in a while Amy over at Who Said Nothing In Life is Free will send out an email letting me know she has posted a list of current inserts. Maybe we need to see if she will make that a monthly post 🙂 If anyone want to volunteer to send me a list I would be happy to put it on my monthly schedule. I am way overdue in cleaning out my file cabinet of inserts!
Christy: I second that motion – I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea how many weeks of full inserts I have to clean out :).
Michelle: Your husband is correct. You can use a store coupon per item purchased. So you can use (2) $1/1 coupon if you buy two products. Since Publix allows you to use a store coupon in addition to the manufacturer’s coupon then that $1/2 will make your savings $3 on 2 items 🙂
Christy: I would caution you, as usual, to check with your store about this for the final say. A few of the stores in my town will allow me to use multiple prints of the same competitor coupon, but others will only accept one – so it depends!
Christy: I know that people who do sell coupons on ebay always have to specify that you are bidding for their time and not for the coupons themselves, since it is illegal to actually sell coupons. I think this is perfectly legitimate because as we all know it takes a LOT of time to keep coupons in order! I’ve occasionally thought about listing bigger lots of coupons I have & know I won’t use on ebay but frankly I just haven’t had the time to actually do it so I end up trading or donating them away instead. I’d really be interested in hearing from anyone who does sell on ebay in the comments – what has your experience been?
Michelle: I am not sure about all the rules on ebay as far as selling so I really can’t comment on that…but I buy coupons from ebay quite often! I have told you guys before that I use the money I earn from survey sites to cover the cost of my coupons. I choose to have them deposit my money in my Paypal account then when I find coupons I need on ebay–that money covers the cost. That way I don’t have to pull any money from my account to cover my coupons!! I have never had a bad experience. I usually look at the ad on Monday and place any orders I need and often will have the coupon by the time the sale starts on Thursday 🙂
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.
I know that Walgreens and CVS both now make their ads available early, but how do you get hold of all the other ones early to plan ahead?
My method of maintaining coupon flyers is to keep a “rolling” 2 months. I write the dates of the insert on a file folder tab IN PENCIL and each week I pull the oldest set out, clip out any coupoons that havent’ expired (lst night I think there were only 5?) and place them in my binders with the printables etc. I have gotten. Then I erase and write the new date on the folder and file in front. There’s very little maintenance this way and it has worked well for me.
I file by insert, so what I do is, on the outside of the folder I write the date of the coupon that expires last in the insert. When that date rolls around I just toss the whole insert out. Now, if there is a coupon or two for something that expires many many months later than all the other coupons, I do one of two things: 1. if it’s a coupon I would use, I just cut it out and file it with my other loose coupons (i.e. printables, blinkies, etc.) 2. If I’d never use it, I don’t even write that date down on the folder. I just use the date of the last coupon to expire that I know I’d use. Hope this helps someone.
I always wondered about that. We always wondered if we could sell the Vitamins at a yard sale. I didn’t know if there was any risk of someone possibly buying them, having a reaction either by overdosing or reaction with a different drug and then us being liable. But then again I dont see publix carding people or asking people what other meds they take.
I just posted about which inserts you can toss the other day. I’ve got posts going back to March inserts! If you need to clear out your coupon binder, check it out.
http://carolinahousewife.blogspot.com/2010/10/throw-out-expired-coupons-june-july.html
Hey Heidi
Do you want to volunteer to provide us a list each month with a link back?? Maybe each month on the 1st or 15th???
Heidi,
I just went to toss my inserts and decided to check on of them… I found over 20 unexpired coupons. I checked several other dates and found the same thing. Maybe regional differences? Please caution your readers not to toss the inserts without checking the dates.
Esther,
Hmm, must be a regional thing. I guess I could have also used the ones you found, so they weren’t left in my inserts. I hope I didn’t lead anyone astray.
And Michelle, I’d be happy to let you know the next time I go through my binder, but it probably won’t be again until the end of December. I find if I do it once a month, there are too many exceptions! Maybe every 2 months???
I use Coupon Mom’s database to tell me which inserts I can toss – I just scroll allllll the way to the bottom and see first, which date is the earliest that still has any coupons. Then I work my way up – sometimes an insert will still have a few that are valid, but they’re for things I’d never use, so those get tossed too.
Love this Q&A feature – thank you as always!
No need to travel…you can use the database here for the same feature. I still think a good list would be a bit easier 🙂
I usually use couponmom’s list too, but I just tried your database. Select coupon type of ‘insert’ and search for all non-expired. Then click on the ‘Source Date’ column header to sort by source date [you may have to click twice to get it to sort the correct way] and you’ll be able to see which dates are no longer showing up (toss those) or those weeks with just a few left – clip the ones you want and toss the rest.
http://www.black-friday.net/
This is the site I use every year for Black Friday. My sister and I used to leave the house about an hour before stores open. But, the last 2 years most the really good deals could be found online. So we just stayed up ’til 12am and bought what we wanted online instead. Much less hassle. But, I have to admit it’s not nearly as fun. 🙂
Oops.. not the right site.
http://www.facebook.com/blackfridayinfo
This is the one we usually use. They have giveaways all up until Black Friday. They are giving away Ipod shuffles in the next couple hours….
I use couponmom.com cpn database to find the expired inserts. It’s setup by inserts so I search by the published tab and it lists the remaining unexpired cpns in each insert. so if the insert is not listed then all cpns in it is old. Confusing huh sorry trying to explain. HTH
Selling a few things at a yard sale is one things, but there are people who make a living out of selling the free/mm. There is a fleamarket near me that has a “half-off retail stand.” The first time I saw it I was in shock. Since I have been couponing for about a year I easily recognized it as the free, money maker, or really cheap stuff. They were selling it at half off the retail price, meaning they were making a pretty penny on it. It also explains why whenever there is a money maker or freebie, store shelves (and the warehouse) are emptied here for weeks on end.
So I plead to the people out there, don’t do that. That’s just not cool. Don’t let the main reason you buy something be that you are going to make a huge profit on it.
Although, I have to say, if I saw vitamins or anything like that at a yard sale, I would never purchase it. You just don’t know what other people do.