Keep sending in those questions – we love to answer them! Just remember if we don’t get to your question this week…we will do our best to answer 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:

  1. Which magazines are best for finding coupons?
  2. Where do you find the coupon calendars you list in your matchups from time to time?
  3. Can I use more than one of the same Publix coupon in a single transaction?
  4. Do you have any tips or tricks to getting good pet food for decent prices?
  5. How strict is Publix about enforcing those store coupons that state “One Deal/Coupon Per Customer”?
  6. Do you adjust your “freezer habits” for the summer (hurricane season) months??
  7. How does your new coupon database work?
  8. Are items marked with a red and white shelf tag (that usually read “Save $1.00” or “Save $.99 on 2,” etc) part of a special sale, and if so, am I missing the source that lists them?
  9. How do coupon trains work, and how do I find them?
  10. When you have a few months’ supply of an item, what do you do if you see the same item at a great price/free?

And here are the answers!

  1. Stephanie from the comments wants to know: I’m fairly new to couponing, and I’ve noticed that coupons from magazines are sometimes mentioned in the matchups. Which magazines are best for finding coupons?
  2. Christy: Hands down, the best magazine for coupons is All You – although you should be aware that subscribers don’t get as many coupons as newstand buyers do. Other magazines that frequently have coupons are Good Housekeeping, Rachel Ray, Ladies Home Journal, and (in my area) Sunset.
    Michelle: I am not sure I even know how many magazines I currently subscribe to…I get a TON of magazines delivered to my home!  I always get them when they are super duper cheap!!  I am always posting great magazine deals on I Heart Saving Money and I am going to do my best to remember to post them over here too.  Here are some of my favorites that I found with a great deal:
    Good Housekeeping (2-year) at Amazon only $10 after Summer Savings discount–that is $5 per year!!
    Marie Claire (2-year) at Amazon only $7 after after Summer Savings discount–that is $3.50 per year!!
    Everyday with Rachael Ray at Best Deal Magazine –use the code PXSS711 through July 11, 2010 to get 15% off, making each subscription just $3.99
    Shape at Best Deal Magazine –use the code PXSS711 through July 11, 2010 to get 15% off, making each subscription just $3.99
    Woman’s Day at Best Deal Magazine –use the code PXSS711 through July 11, 2010 to get 15% off, making each subscription just $3.99

  3. Jennifer wants to know: Where do you find the coupon calendars you list in your matchups from time to time?
  4. These are usually only available in South Florida as they correlate with an event specific to that area!! These are hot coupons and so they are often available via trade and online at sites like Ebay.  I personally traded for my copies.  Once they are spotted they will go quickly! 

  5. Marla wants to know: Can I use more than one of the same Publix coupon in a single transaction? For example, if I have three Advantage flyers, can I cut the same coupon out of each one and use all three at once (if I’m buying three things) or do I have to do three separate transactions?
  6. Christy: You can usually use multiple Publix coupons in a single transaction as long as you only have one Publix coupon per item you’re purchasing, UNLESS the coupon specifically states “one per customer.” (In which case, see our answer to question #5.)

  7. Hannah wants to know: I have a small dog, and he is like my child so I really want to be able to buy him good dog food. But all the good dog foods (Pedigree, Purina, etc.) are really expensive! Do you have any tips or tricks to getting good pet food for decent prices?
  8. This one is all Christy since we don’t yet have the joy of a pet 🙂
    Christy: I know EXACTLY what you mean about the high cost of pet food, because my menagerie (2 medium-sized dogs, 3 cats) tries to eat me out of house & home most months! I try to feed my animals the best foods possible, too, and though I can’t get as cheaply as I want it (I’d really like it if it was free 🙂 ), I figure any savings is better than none. For the best deals, there are a few things you can do – and actually, this doesn’t JUST apply to pet items, I’d give the same advice for trying to save on any high-priced item!
    Watch carefully for coupons on the brands you like. Purina and Pedigree go on sale relatively frequently, but ideally you don’t want to have to buy food until it’s on sale AND you can stack a MQ and a Publix/competitor’s coupon with it. I usually try to search Ebay at least once every couple weeks for my brands, and if I find coupons that don’t expire for a few months, I’ll usually buy them even if the item isn’t on sale yet. If Publix or a competitor (that your store accepts, of course) comes out with a coupon for your brand, even better – stacking coupons always makes for a MUCH better deal.
    Keep a log of sale prices on your brands, and keep careful track of how long it takes your dog to finish a bag of food; that way when you stock up you can buy only as much as you can reasonably store/your dog can eat before the food’s expiration date.
    Finally, if your brand doesn’t go on sale before your coupons expire, figure out if it’s worth it to use your coupons without the sale – often you can still make a pretty good deal for yourself. Just last week I had a bunch of Publix $2.50/1 Tidy Cat coupons that were expiring and I was running low on litter, so I stacked my Publix Qs with some $2/1 MQs and ended up saving 50%. It’s not the BEST price I could have gotten, but I’d much rather get it at 50% off than run out and have to buy it at full price!

  9. Kailin wants to know: How strict is Publix about enforcing those store coupons that state “One Deal/Coupon Per Customer”? I know some of the Green Advantage Buy coupons say something like that, as do a lot of the cookingwithkraft.com coupons.
  10. Christy: Like most things to do with accepting coupons, this one is going to depend on your store. I’ve had no problem using multiple coupons that state “One Per Customer” at my store, but you probably want to ask at your Customer Service Desk to be sure. If your store will only accept one, then you’ll have to decide if the deal in question is worth multiple shopping trips – and with the price of gas in the south, I doubt it is!
    Michelle:  Definitely ask your store.  This wording can actually be your friend as this limits one person from wiping out an entire quantity in one trip!!  We all know that the super hot deals will go FAST!! 

  11. Angela wants to know: Do you adjust your “freezer habits” for the summer (hurricane season) months? I was without electricity for eight days straight in central Florida with Charley and the thought of a stockpile melting makes me fearful of freezing anything other than a two-day supply of ice cream between June and September!
  12. Christy: I live in North Central Florida, and I haven’t had to deal with a long-term power outage since I moved down here in 2006 (knock wood!), so I don’t really change my buying habits in the summer. You bring up a good point, though – I really don’t know what I’d do if I lost power to my deep freeze for more than about 6 hours, and frankly, I need a plan (and maybe a small generator)! I think I might start keeping an eye on Craigslist to see if I can find a good used generator for just that purpose. Until I find one, though, I’ve got to think about it like this – at least the contents of my deep freeze cost me 50-75% less than they did a year ago!
    Michelle: Living in Metro Atlanta this is not an issue I have had to think about.  I have to agree with Christy–if I had that as a possibility I would be working to save money to invest in a generator!  We were affected by the flood last year and luckily out power was restored in time to prevent any loss.  I remember thinking that a generator would have been a great thing to have on hand.  I imagine if you could score one at a great deal having one at a time of need would more than cover the expense!!
    I’d love for you guys to chime in on what you all do during hurricane season…I know I have a bunch of readers where this would apply!!

  13. Sarah from the comments wants to know: How does your new coupon database work?
  14. I HEART the new database!!! If you haven’t played with it yet, it’s HERE. You can access it at any time by clicking the Coupon Database tab at the top of the site.  This is how it works:

    Type the brand name of an item (i.e. Kraft) into the Description box and hit Search. The database will pull up all the valid coupons for Kraft items. If you want to find only the coupons for, say, Kraft Singles, then enter that into the Description box and hit Search again to narrow your results.
    If you don’t get any results at all after you hit Search, there are either no coupons to match what you’re looking for or you’ve spelled something wrong, so double check!
    You’ll see that to the far right there’s a link that says Suggest a Coupon. If you find or have a coupon for an item that’s not showing up on the database, you can actually help to add it by clicking on that link and entering the coupon details on the form that pops up! These suggestions go to the company that hosts the database – they review the information to make sure it’s correct, and then add the coupon to their lists.
    Similarly, if you click on a coupon link in the database and the coupon is no longer active, you can help to take it down by clicking on the link to the far right of the coupon details that says “Report.” When you do this, the company that hosts the database will check to make sure that the coupon is inactive and then remove it from their lists.
    As I’ve mentioned before the database saves me a TON of time behind the scenes but I hope it helps you to plan your shopping, too!

  15. Bridget wants to know: When walking around Publix I see a number of items that are on significant sale but don’t seem to be advertised. The savings are marked on small white tags with red borders underneath the product. Often the savings amount is substantial, especially if combined with coupon – e.g. ‘save $.50’ or ‘save $1.00’ -Most of these deals are not in the weekly ad nor the advantage buys/seasonal flyers. My question is – am I missing another source that lists all these specials? I would like to be able to plan before I hit the store.
  16. Christy: I’ve noticed these shelf tags in my store as well, and though I don’t know for sure, I got the impression that they were just a way for the store to tell shoppers that the permanent price for the item in question has been permanently reduced – similar to what Walmart calls “rollbacks,” etc. If my assumption is correct, then there is nothing available to Publix shoppers that lists their price changes. However, I may be wrong about the tags – if you know more, leave a comment & let us know!!
    Michelle: I think you are referring to the “Shop Here, Save Here” tags.  I was told that these are basically unadvertised advantage buy deals. I too would love the inside scoop from anyone in the know!!  I wish there was a way to get a big list of these deals–you guys are always so great about emailing deals you find to share with your fellow shoppers–I bet we do a pretty good job identifying the really hot deals 🙂

  17. Sarah wants to know: I’ve heard you talk about coupon trading trains or sites. How do those work, and where can I find them?
  18. Christy: Coupon trains are a way to trade coupons with people in various areas around the country, and they are usually organized on some sort of coupon-centric message board. Personally, I use THIS ONE, but a quick google search of “coupon train” will yield plenty of results – for example, the boards at Mommy Savers or Hot Coupon World look pretty active. Generally, a “train” will be made up of four or five “passengers” and one “conductor.” The conductor puts together an envelope of coupons and mails it off to the first passenger. That person receives the envelope, takes what they want/will use, replaces what they’ve taken or things that are getting close to their expiration dates with their own unwanted coupons, and sends it along to the second passenger. This continues on down the line until the last passenger sends the envelope back to the conductor. Trains are often organized around the type of coupon people are looking for [baby items, pet items, general grocery, household, high value (over $1), under $1 (for doubling), etc], so they are a great way to find coupons you might not otherwise get without spending more than the cost of a stamp.
    Michelle:  Be aware that to ride a train you need to have some pretty good coupons to trade.  I used to do a fair amount of trains until I had a couple of bad rides.  I got tired of people sending insert coupons and junk while I was sending out tearpads, hard to find coupons and making an effort to match wishlists!!  I find that trading for specific coupons is my best bet!  I get what I want as does the person I am trading with–there is no guesswork!  Please understand I am not trying to sway you to not participating in a train–they can be lots of fun!!  It is often a matter of luck 🙂

  19. Laura wants to know: Being very new to couponing, I find myself feeling the need to go get every deal I read about/find. I LOVE seeing the savings! When you have a few months’ supply of an item, what do you do if you see the same item at a great price/free? Do you buy more, even though you already have a good supply? When do you know to stop? My coupon crazed self says, “BUY, BUY, BUY!!!”
  20. Christy: We’ve all felt what you’re feeling at one point or another – and in fact, my husband would tell you that I give in to that feeling frequently, at least when it comes to cereal 🙂 (How can I NOT buy it when it’s $.25 a box, I ask you???). I keep telling myself I’m going to start seriously tracking how frequently we use our basic, core items like canned goods, pasta, even toothpaste and shampoo, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. (Commenters, if you have a good system, please share!) Instead, I always take a quick (mental) inventory before I make my list/go shopping – it’s a lot easier to ignore the super-cheap chicken broth on my list when I know we already have 10 boxes of it in the stockpile! If I feel like we have enough of an item to last us 2-3 months, that’s usually my threshold.
    I do have an exception to my basic “we have enough” rule. If something is literally free or a moneymaker, I will put it on my list no matter how much we have. I’ll ask my bagger to put those items in a separate bag, and I drop them at my local food bank or (depending on the item) or at the hospice donation center on my way home from the store. If Publix is making money from my coupons AND I can help out a local charity, I figure it’s a win/win and worth the extra few minutes on the way home.
    Michelle: Oh yes–I think we all have had times where we buy things just to get that deal exhilaration!!  I know when I first started couponing I honestly got just about every deal I read about.  I think I still have some toothbrushes and shaving cream from my “buy everything” days 🙂  I now only buy things that I plan on using or plan on donating.  There are the occasional odd items that I purchase in an effort to get another item free or to make a little money. I try to keep a mental inventory of things I have on hand.  Since I am constantly visiting my stockpile pantry I usually know what I have and what I can/need to add.  Every once in a while I end up running out of an item–but it is rare! 
    There are things that I will buy if I can get them for super cheap or free –no matter what I have on hand!!  Paper goods and cleaners are things I will ALWAYS happily add to my stockpile!!  I may already have 25 boxes of ziploc bags…but if I can get them for 20¢ I will buy them!!  If I have a year supply of fabric softener and I don’t have to go out of my way or spend very much money I will add more bottles to my stash!! 

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.