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:

  1. How do you determine when to use a free coupon?
  2. If I have a Publix store coupon that is $.50 or less, (and my store doubles), will it double?
  3. When is the best time/day of the week to shop at Publix when the shelves are usually fully stocked?
  4. Can I get a raincheck that allows me to use the Publix Advantage Buy coupons on items that are out of stock?
  5. : In your opinion, what is the best way to organize your coupons? I like not clipping them every week but then I forget what is in the inserts!
  6. Do you find that the “Rules” are constantly changing at your local Publix?
  7. Why is my store refusing to honor a coupon that the District Manager has said I can use?
  8. Do you have any good ideas on how to do meal planning that goes along with sales/good coupon deals?
  9. How many weeks are in a typical sales cycle?
  10. What are good stock up prices for paper goods?

And here are the answers!

  1. Shanna wants to know: How do you determine when to use a FREE coupon? Is there a strategy?
  2. Christy: I keep my free coupons in a see-through zipper pouch at the front of my binder to remind me that I have them. I wait until the last week the coupon is valid, hoping that the item will go BOGO so I can get two for free. If they haven’t gone on sale by that last week, I just use them as normal.
    Michelle: Since I live in the land of half price BOGO it is not as important for me to wait for a sale since I will just get one free whether they are on sale or not.  I do hold my free coupons as they can be great if you have a $x/$xx coupon!  Not that I generally have an abundance of these coupons but…  Say I had a $5 off $30 coupon–the more freebie coupons that will get me to closer to that $30 threshold means more of the $5 of free money can go towards something that I don’t have a coupon for.

  3. Leigh Ann wants to know: If I have a Publix store coupon that is $.50 or less, (and my store doubles), will it double?
  4. No-only manufacturer coupons 50¢ and under will double. Store and competitor store coupons will be redeemed at face value.

  5. Christy from the comments wants to know: When is the best time/day of the week to shop at Publix when the shelves are usually fully stocked?
  6. Christy: Remember my acronym from a couple weeks ago: IDOYS? Yup, that’s right, it depends on your store. In my area, I’ve found that Monday mornings are really good – if the shelves aren’t fully stocked, they’re being re-stocked, which is just as good! Plus, the stores are pretty quiet in the mornings, so you don’t have to worry as much about causing a huge line when you checkout with your stack of coupons :).
    Michelle:  I usually shop on Monday morning and rarely have had to deal with getting a raincheck!  We all know that the occasional super hot deal will be the exception.  Items that are free with coupons or a moneymaker will usually be gone the first day the deal is reported!

  7. Suzanne from the comments wants to know: I seem to miss out on all the freebies that involve an advantage flyer coupon with a manufacturer coupon. The shelves are always bare. Can I get a raincheck that allows me to use the Publix Advantage Buy coupons on items that are out of stock?
  8. Christy: This, too, depends on your store. I’ve definitely read about people who have been able to to essentially get coupon rainchecks – a note from their store that allows them to use an expired publix coupon once the item is back in stock. Definitely talk to your customer service desk about this – in my experience they are really helpful whenever you have an issue with an item that’s out of stock.
    Michelle: I agree with Christy–Talk to your store!  They are usually more than willing to work with you to make sure you are able to get what you need!!  I am patiently waiting for President Fat Free Feta to be restocked so that I can use some coupons that expired before I was able to grab the cheese!! 

  9. Michelle from the comments wants to know: In your opinion, what is the best way to organize your coupons? I like not clipping them every week but then I forget what is in the inserts!
  10. Christy: I wrote about my filing system HERE, but I neglected to mention something important: I go through my inserts weekly and clip expired  coupons to send to my military base. I find that it’s a quick, easy process (especially when like pages are stapled together!) and it has the benefit of ‘reminding’ me what coupons I have. That way I almost always have a good idea of what I do and don’t have coupons for.
    Michelle: We might have to open this one up and get reader comments since my answer will be atypical!  Due to the websites I am always looking at coupons, checking coupon databases and just living in the world of coupon overload…so I kinda know what is out there.  I do go through my inserts on Sunday and will take note of ones that I expect to use and will even clip and file them if I KNOW I want to use them!  When I am making my shopping list on Sunday night I will go through the database looking to see if there is anything new or just to make sure I am not missing a coupon that might save me more money. 
    I think filing whole inserts by date will always be easiest for me.  I just don’t think cutting and filing inserts will ever be worth my time!!  I go through my binder once per month and pull the expired coupons.  I find that this helps me know what I have and gives me a chance to check the dates to make sure that if there is a coupon I want to use I can do so before it expires!
    I’d love to hear what you guys do…how do you remember what is out there?

  11. Lesley from the comments wants to know: Do you find that the “Rules” are constantly changing at your local Publix? It seems like every other week I go in and the manager says that they don’t accept the same kind of deals they did a week ago. It is so very frustrating! I recently talked to my local store manager and he said they accept all the coupons I thought they did, but my problem is he’s not there all the time. What do you do? Do you argue your case in this circumstance or just hope for better luck next time??
  12. Christy: I do get that feeling from time to time, but when I feel that way I try to remember that there are so many reasons for me to LOVE Publix that there are bound to be moments when Publix frustrates me, too. In your case, I would try to argue my case, but if it becomes clear that I’m not going to get anywhere, I would nicely ask when the store manager is going to be in next, and bring my receipt and the coupons they wouldn’t accept back to talk to him/her. If you make a point of doing this once or twice I bet the correct information will trickle down a little faster. 🙂
    Michelle:  I honestly don’t have that issue.  My stores rules are pretty cut and dry. I think if I found that there was a bunch of inconsistency I would probably make a point to check  in at the customer service desk before I went shopping.  For me it would be easier to get confirmation about any possible issues BEFORE I got to the check out!  My boys are just about all the distraction I can handle so I always want to be prepared!!  I always try to pop over to say hello and check for new booklets so it would not be that much of a stretch for me. 
    You might want to talk to your manager and let him/her know about the inconsistency so that it might not be an issue in the future!!  If they are unaware of the issue you might be helping others who have had similar issues!!

  13. Chrissy wants to know: I have been using $10/$30 World Market coupons at Publix with no problem, but today it was refused. A few months ago I sent Publix corporate an email asking if our local store accepts competitor coupons such as WM and when the district manager called me he said absolutely. If the DM says it is ok why would the store refuse it?
  14. Christy: It’s possible that the district got a new DM, or it could just be that the store employees haven’t been trained on that particular issue. If I were you, I would call your distric manager again to discuss the situation, and I would ask specifically if you can have the store call HIM next time they refuse you. I bet you’ll get results! 🙂

  15. Heather wants to know: Do you have any good ideas on how to do meal planning that goes along with sales/good coupon deals?
  16. Christy: This is something that I struggle with a little. As I’ve mentioned before, my husband used to be a professional chef and he still does the majority of our cooking. He likes to go in the kitchen, look at what we have, and then figure out what he’s making that night. Three times out of four, this invariably ends in “Honey, would you run to the store real quick and grab me some _______? I NEED it.” Thank God I have a Publix right around the corner! For me, this is a small price to pay to have him cook delicious meals for me – but I’d still like to be able to plan a little bit better, at least for SOME nights. Commenters, I’d love to hear about how you menu plan!
    Michelle:  There are a ton of sites out there where you can plug in foods and they will give you recipes that match your criteria.  There are also companies that provide meal planning for a fee based on store sales.  Personally I would never pay for a meal planning service as I don’t mind doing a little digging!!  Try out the Betty Crocker Meal Finder or Good Housekeeping Recipe Finder–there are a ton of sites that you can use to search by ingredient or multiple ingredients.  I am always looking through magazines or eCookbooks looking for ideas.  I always make my menu based on what I have on hand and whatever might be a really good deal that week.  If I get stumped the meal finders are a great place to go for some options!!

  17. Sharon wants to know: How many weeks are in a typical sales cycle? I bought several boxes of family sized decaf Lipton tea bags the last time they were BOGO (the end of Feb.) and since that time they have not gone on sale again. I figured buying 3 months worth would be more than enough! Do I need to stock up MORE than 3 months worth next time they are on sale? I notice that pasta sauce and salad dressing are on sale all the time, but tea is not. What’s the pattern?
  18. Christy: Generally, there are 12 weeks in a typical sales cycle – and you’re right, sometimes certain items will cycle MUCH more quickly depending on the type of product and the season. For example, I’ve been waiting for Sue Bee honey to go BOGO for about six months now, but since it’s not baking season, I think I’m out of luck! 🙂 You might need to improvise a bit – if you’re not brand-loyal, then I’d suggest trying out other brands, or buying regular sized tea bags versus the family size (if the deal is good enough, it’s worth it – 3 regular tea bags to 1 family size bag). Otherwise, next time they go on sale I’d buy 4 1/2 months worth, and see how you get by on that. The longer you watch the sale patterns on particular items, the more you can anticipate when things will go on sale again!
    Michelle: To be honest with you there are some things that just don’t seem to follow any pattern or cycle!  Christy is correct that the longer you watch the sales the more you will see what tends to repeat as well as those that tend to be less frequent!! 
    I had to go check out the Lipton tea dilemma as I thought they were BOGO more recent than February.  I found Lipton tea bags (varied sizes) were BOGO six times since the beginning of the year.  The good thing that I noticed is that four of the six times there was a corresponding coupon that made the BOGO even better!!   
    Lipton Tea BOGO 7/15 – 7/21 (coupon 6/27)
    Lipton Tea BOGO 6/24- 6/30
    Lipton Tea BOGO 6/3 – 6/9 (coupon 5/23)
    Lipton Tea BOGO 3/25 – 4/3
    Lipton Tea BOGO 2/25 – 3/3 ( coupon 1/31)
    Lipton Tea BOGO 2/11 – 2/17  (coupon 1/31)
    That is the true trick to couponing…while I love a sale–I prefer a sale with a coupon.   As time goes by you will start to notice the general cycles and also when to jump on those deals that don’t come around as often.   You also want to shop the seasonal sales…BBQ sauce will be at it’s lowest in the summer so make sure you stock up for the winter, soups will be the best price in the winter, turkey is cheapest around Thanksgiving, grab your canned pumpkin in the fall, etc…  I think for the most part following the 12 week rule will cover you pretty well for most things.    
     

  19. Rebecca (and many, MANY others!) want to know: What are good stock-up prices for paper goods like paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, paper plates, etc?
  20. Christy: Here are my stock-up prices. I should note that I generally find the best prices for paper goods at the drugstores rather than at Publix – the drugstores’ various incentive plans (Walgreens’ Register Rewards, CVS’ Extra Bucks, and Rite Aid’s +UP Rewards) usually make paper products MUCH cheaper.
    Paper Towels: >$4 per 12 pack
    Napkins: >$1
    Kleenex hand towels: >$.75
    Toilet Paper: >$4 a 12-pack (double rolls) or 24-pk
    Paper plates: >$.50/pkg
    Michelle:  I too grab most of my paper products from the drugstores.  The exception being napkins–I can usually score a great deal on those at Publix!! My price points are just slightly lower than Christy’s prices but still in the same ballpark. With the drugstore incentives you can often walk out without really paying anything out of pocket once you learn to “play the game”  There are usually enough moneymakers so that you can use your drugstore “cash” to cover your cost with minimal out of pocket!!  It takes a little practice and effort but it a great way to grab high priced items without breaking the budget!!

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.