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. Where do you purchase and/or trade your coupons? How do I know who is reputable and who isn’t?
  2. Is it OK to accept or give US postage stamps in trade for coupons?
  3. Why don’t all Publix’s get the same Coupon Books and set them out at the same time?
  4. When do you add coupons from the upcoming weekend’s papers to the Weekly Ads page?
  5. Why don’t Florida stores double coupons?
  6. Could you please explain your weekly totals?
  7. Is it ok to photocopy a Target Q printable to use as a competitor coupon?
  8. Do you think that one day couponing will have to stop – that stores will change their policies or manufacturers will put out less and less coupons?
  9. f I have 2 B1G1 free coupons for an item, can I use them both to get two items for free?
  10. if you want to get 15 of a single item do you go ahead and buy all 15 at the same time or go in a few trips?

And here are the answers!

  1. Marcia wants to know: Where do you purchase and/or trade your coupons? How do I know who is reputable and who isn’t?

    2. If I pay for coupons, I use the Coupon Clippers, Coupon Beat or buy from Ebay.  Over the years I have established some trading buddies and have met a few fabulous traders through my site.  There is always a bunch of trading going on over on the I Heart Publix forum.   
    Since most trades are low value there is really minimal risk.  I am happy to report that there have been very few issues since I have had made trading available here on the site.  I can count them on one hand and I think most have been resolved amicably!  Most couponers are honest folks and look to establish rapport with others as having a buddy on your side can be very beneficial!! 

  2. Rita wants to know: I am beginning to trade in the forum. Is it OK to accept or give US postage stamps in trade? Sometimes one party to the trade doesn’t have a tradeable coupon, and this still allows the trade to happen or one party doesn’t really need anything in trade but can be compensated this way.

    3. Sure!  I have traded stamps, Box Tops For Education, stickers and all kinds of things besides other coupons!  As long as both parties agree…go for it!

  3. Terri wants to know: Why don’t all Publix’s get the same Coupon Books and set them out at the same time?

    4. I wish I knew the answer to that one.  I was told that certain promotions can depend on the size of the store.  Often booklets can correspond with promotions & promotional displays.  If your store does not get the display then it may not get the booklets!  I am sure there are a variety of factors that might contribute to who gets the booklets but that is not in my realm of knowledge 😀

  4. Tiffany wants to know: In my area, sales run Wednesday – Tuesday. Usually I wait until Monday or Tuesday (after I’ve purchased a Sunday paper) to get my coupons together and shop the weekly sales. When do you add coupons from the upcoming weekend’s papers to the Weekly Ads page?

    5. I try to get them added on Thursday (at least that is what I shoot for).  I have a huge calendar that lists all my site maintenance and to do’s for the week.  Thursday is the day designated to this task. BUT–like anyone who creates a to do list…sometimes I fall behind.

  5. Hayley wants to know: Why don’t Florida stores double coupons? I live in Jacksonville, FL and even though I am doing really well with saving upwards of 85% off my grocery bill, doubling coupons would be icing on the cake! 🙂

    6. Double coupons is a store incentive and is used to get people in the store.  Here in Georgia there is quite a bit of competition between Publix and a couple of other stores.  Since all the stores here double coupons (one even triples) in order for Publix to compete, they have to offer the same incentive.  I have been told that in Florida Publix is really the only game in town…so there is no need to offer double coupons.

  6. Jeni wants to know: Could you please explain your weekly totals? I don’t understand the numbers below the headings.

    7. It is really nothing fancy…here is a breakdown:

    Product quantity price   coupon   coupon details
    lipton 2 1.33 2.66 1.35 1.31 $.75/2 TQ + $.60/1 MQ

    Product–what I bought (LIPTON TEA)
    Quantity – how many I bought (I purchased two)
    Price-price of product (Each box is on sale for $1.33)
    the next column is just the quantity times the price (2 x $1.33 = $2.66)
    Coupon-the total discount of all coupons used on that specific product ($1.35 worth of coupons were used)
    the next column is the price paid for the item (price of items after coupons is $1.31 or 65¢ per box)
    Coupon details-list of all the coupon used for that item (I used a $.75/2 Target coupon with a $.60/1 manufacturer’s coupon)
    So my weekly totals is just a big compilation of my spreadsheet/shopping list.  I then total my spending and compare it to the total savings.  My total savings includes coupons and any store sales or discounts.  I usually just use the store designated savings that is listed on my reciept(s).

  7. Elizabeth from the comments wants to know: Is it ok to photocopy a Target Q printable to use as a competitor coupon? Since the store isn’t getting reimbursed, and the coupon isn’t actually scanned, I’m not sure that it’s “illegal” – is it?

    8. Personally, I don’t think it is appropriate to copy any coupon. Print limits are created for a reason and to exceed that limit can be considered abuse.  This is my opinion…I am sure if you were to poll a group of 10 people you might get other responses. Like many things in the world of couponing you need to do what makes you comfortable.  I do know that if people abuse the system, stores will have no choice but to begin to rethink their decision to accept these printable competitor coupons! 

  8. Angela from the comments wants to know: I love couponing, and I started about a year ago, and since then have noticed more and more people do it. Do you think that one day couponing will have to stop – that stores will change their policies or manufacturers will put out less and less coupons?

    9. I think coupons will always exist in some form or fashion.  Coupons are basically a form of marketing.  Companies use them to get you to notice and try their product.  The actual number of coupons redeemed is tiny compared to the number of coupons released by the companies.  There are already new eCoupons that are being used in many stores.  Some stores even have coupons that only require you to show your cell phone. 
    Extreme couponers make up a very very tiny percentage of all couponers.  While the use of coupons has dramatically increased recently–those of us that are super couponers are still a small percentage of all shoppers.  I certainly hope that coupons will be around for a long time…I could not imagine going back to paying full price 😀

  9. dearestdiana@ wants to know: If I have 2 B1G1 free coupons for an item, can I use them both to get two items for free?

    10. Christy: Though each of these coupons will attach to only a single (the “Free”) item, most if not all stores will require that you actually put money out of pocket for one item in order to get the free item. You can, however, use another MQ (as long as it is a $x/1) to reduce the amount you pay for the first item.

  10. Jennifer wants to know: How do you know that an item has hit rock bottom price so that you can stock up? Also, if you want to get 15 of a single item do you go ahead and buy all 15 at the same time or go in a few trips?

    11. Honestly this will vary by individual.  This goes back to the discussion we have had before…stock up price will depend on what you deem the value of the product.  If you use a specific product daily you might be more likely to pay more than a person who uses the item less frequently.  For me cereal is not a necessity here at my house…so my stock up price is 25¢ or less!  A family who eats 4 boxes of cereal each week would probably pay $1 per box rather than have to pay $3.99 per box without a sale!! The best way to determine your stock up price is to track the cost over a specific period of time.  You will start to recognize the average sale price/price with coupon.
    How much to buy will again depend on the item. If I know I need a large quantity of an item, I will ask my store to order it for me so I can avoid clearing the shelf.  If it is something like a salad dressing where there are 15 different varieties….I might just grab them from the shelf as I can vary my product so that I don’t wipe out any one item!

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.