Organizing it All

I've tried a few different methods. Here are my 2 favorite methods that seem to work best. Use what works for you - and what you can keep up with. Before I share the ideas, I have a few tips I've learned:

* Unless it's a high dollar coupon that will disappear quickly, only print what you need now - it'll save of you needing to clip and organize coupons. Sales start on Wednesdays - so be sure to print the coupons you want for that week on Wednesday, before coupons start to disappear. Inevitibly, if you do this method, a coupon or two won't be available when you want it. And you'll wish you would have printed it out a few weeks before. I don't worry about those... I see it as losing $1-2 a week on coupons I could have had... if I'd printed them 3 weeks ago. And spending $1-2 is WELL WORTH not having to organize 50 extra coupons a week if I were to print everything I think I'll use.

* DON'T clip your Sunday Insert coupons out!!! Only cut what you KNOW you will use, even if the item never goes on sale. Leave the rest in the insert, put the date on it, and file it in a folder. Then when blogs tell you theres a "$1/1 coupon in the 2/21 SS", pull out your Feb 21 folder, get the SS, find your Q, clip it, and replace the insert in the folder for storage. Saves a TON on organizing and clipping!!!



Idea #1: the binder
I got a zippered binder at Target... for $9.99. It has a mesh pocket on the front for the coupons I need for the next shopping trip. There are accordian files in the front that I use for coupon booklets, non-grocery store Qs (like Bed Bath & Beyond), and printable coupons I need to cut out. And then inside the zippered part, there are pockets for store loyalty cards, calculator, etc. Then I filled the inside with baseball card organizers (found at the front aisle, cashier side, of Target). I got little tabs and labeled them for 18 sections (Baby, Baking, Bread & Meat, Cereal, Dairy, Frozen, Household, Medical, Pantry, Pasta, Personal, Pets, Refrigerated, Sides, Snacks, Spices, Storage, Veggies)

PROS TO THE BINDER:
* You can SEE all your coupons
* If you drop it, coupons don't fall out
* It allows you to keep everything in one place (calculator, scissors, un-clipped Qs, coupon books, rainchecks, etc)
* You don't need to haul your purse in the store, too, you can put your phone & wallet in the binder

CONS TO THE BINDER:
* It's bulky
* It is time consuming to put coupons in - and many need to be folded first
* It's a more expensive option ($10 for binder, $5 for baseball car holders, $4 for tabs - $19)

Idea #2: the mini accordian file or photo box
I got one on those coupon organizer files - I needed a "chew-proof" one since I have a toddler who likes to stick everything in his mouth! So I got a plastic one for $3 at Office Max. But you can get heavy-duty paper ones for $1 at most dollar stores. Label 13 of the 14 compartments and put coupons in those sections. Leave the front section open to put your coupons for that day's trip in. That will save you from having to find all the coupons as you shop in the store.

PROS TO THE ACCORDIAN FILE:
* It's compact & easily fits in your purse
* It's inexpensive - $1-$3
* If all you organize are coupons that come in the mail, and not your newspaper or lots of printables, there's plenty of room

CONS TO THE ACCORDIAN FILE:
* If you drop it... your organization may go everywhere
* You can't see all your coupons, you have to pull out a section at a time and flip through them
* Space is limited
* Some larger coupons don't fit well
* Theres no where for your other couponing needs (scissors, etc)

Great Deals This Week

ANYWHERE:

Any Pace Product (Salsa, Picante, etc)
Get it FREE or almost Free
Sorry... the coupon is already no longer available. That one went FAST!


AT PUBLIX:

Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, 6 oz pkg
B1G1 for $3.19
Use THIS COUPON or THIS COUPON to get $1 off each
And get them for .59¢ each

Uncle Bens Long grain and Wild Rice or Brown and Wild Rice
B1G1 for $1.99 ea
Use THIS COUPON to get $1 off 2
And get them for .49¢ each

Contessa Meals, 22-24oz
B1G1 for $7.99
Use THIS COUPON or THIS COUPON to get $2 off a package
And get the meal for $1.99 each

Goodlife Dry Food for Cats 2.7-3lb bag
B1G1 sale (actual price not listed)
Use THIS COUPON for $2 off
And get a bag almost Free!

Glass Plus, 32oz Bottle
B1G1 for $2.49
Use THIS COUPON for $1 off
And get a bottle for .24¢

Lysol All Purpose Cleaner, 40oz bottle
B1G1 for $3.19
Use THIS COUPON for -.50¢ off, Publix will double it
And you get the clearner for .59¢ each

Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food, 4oz jar
B1G1 for $1.09
Use THIS COUPON to get $1 off 10 jars
AND use THIS FOOD LION COUPON to get $1 off 6 jars.
Remember - Publix lets you stack competitor & manufacturer coupons
And you'll get 10 jars for $3.45. Or .34¢ a jar.

OTHER GREAT COUPONS & DEALS...

* Use THIS FOOD LION COUPON to save $2 off $5 produce purchase

* Missed the 4¢ veggies for the last 2 weeks? IT'S STILL THERE!
Del Monte canned veggies are on sale for .79¢ still!
Use THIS COUPON to get .75¢ off the 50% less sodium varieties.
And get them for 4¢ each!

Want more? THERE'S TONS MORE!
These deals are just the best of the best from Southern Savers, check out her blog for even more great deals at Publix. Don't forget Fiddledeedee, too! Each week she posts Publix deals with IPs & deals with non-printables.


AT BI-LO:

Betty Crocker Warm Delight Minis
On sale 2 for $4
Use THIS COUPON for -.55¢
Bi-Lo will double it! (remember they double up to .60¢)
Get 1 mini for .90¢

Beech-Nut Stage 1 Baby Food
On sale 10 for $4
Use THIS FOOD LION COUPON for $1 off 6 jars
Get 6 jars for $1.40 or .23¢ each
* Bi-Lo's official policy is that they DO take FLIPs... but you might have to remind your cashier of that....

Seapak Shrimp Poppers, 6 oz
On sale for $1 each
Use THIS COUPON for $1 off 2 (you have to register to get it)
And get a 2 boxes for $1 or .50¢ each

Cheerios Snack Mix
On sale 2/$4
Use THIS COUPON for -.60¢
Bi-Lo will double it!
And you'll get a bag of snack mix for .80¢

Pompeian Cooking Wines or Vinegars
On sale $1.79-$2.89
Use THIS COUPON for .50¢ off
Bi-Lo will double it
Get it for as low as .79¢

Lysol Cleaners (various)
On sale for $2 each
Use a coupon from THIS SITE to get $.50-$1 off
Bi-Lo will doube the $.50 coupons
Get a lysol product for $1

Southern Home Lasagna (57oz)
On sale for $6.99
Use the $1 off coupon in the back of the Bi-Lo circular found in stores
Get it for $5.99

Meal Deal... check out the Bi-Lo flyer for more details...
Buy 2 Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Meals (24 oz) for close to $15
Use the $2/1 coupon in last week's paper
Use the $1/1 coupon from Publix Advantage Flyer
Get 2 meals for close to $12
PLUS get all this FREE:
* 1 six pack of 12 oz Coke
* 1 10oz Pepperidge Farm frozen Garlic Bread
* 1 Pepperidge farm frozen cake
* 1 six count Bird's Eye Sweet Mini Corn on the Cob
Save $11.65 after coupons - not sure how great a deal it is, but it's creative :)

Want more deals from Bi-Lo?
Watch Southern Savers. She usually posts a Bi-Lo deals post each week. There's nothing up yet, as of this posting. But there will be before the week is over.

Couponing Tips...

1 - Keep it legal. Internet printables take up a full page to print one coupon. I agreed with many, that copying would just use less paper. But I've recently learned that you cannot copy printable coupons - even ones with unlimited prints online. Most websites keep track of how many prints are made and they have a limit of how many they can give out (which is why that Pace coupon disappeared so fast the other day!). Some sites have limitations per computer or per registrant - that doesn't mean you can't use another computer or get your husband to sign up, too, to get more prints! :) And if the coupon is on a PDF file online (like many FLIPs, that $1.50 Colgate one, Rite Aid's $5 off, etc), print it as often as you'd like!! But regardless of what others are doing online, copying printables counts as coupon fraud and it's unfair to the manufacturer.

2 - Read the coupon carefully. Does it specify that it is only for a certain size?? No? use it for a trial size or the smallest possible and save the most!

3 - Get free papers. I haven't done this yet... I just haven't gotten around to it. So you go do it instead - talk to the local gas station and store owners to ask what they do with unsold papers come Monday morning. Offer to take them off their hands. FREE coupons! :)

4 - Don't get too addicted. I'm guilty of this one, too. I got SOOO excited about the money I could save that I found myself buying things we'd never use... or didn't really need. I'd find something on sale and have a coupon that would bring the price down to $.50 or $1. And I quickly realized that even though I was saving money on the price of that item. I was actually spending more than I needed to! I'm getting pickier at what coupons I keep... I won't buy what I know we won't use, unless of course, the store will pay me to take it ;-) Then I can donate it.

5 - Make use of refunds & rebates. I don't personally do this... because I know I won't. But Walgreens has a great monthly flier that will tell you how much they'll refund you if you buy certain things. Like this week, buy $10 worth of conagra products and get $5 back through the mail. I think I might do it, only because Hunts is on sale for $.39... so I could get $10 worth for less than $5... and its something we'll use! :) Maybe one day I'll get that rebate superpower... but right now I just know I'll procrastinate, forget, and end up wasting money instead of saving.

6 - Watch manufacturer websites. Like a particular product? Check their webpage periodically for coupons/promotions & free samples. Usually the free samples come with a coupon, too.

7 - Watch for blinkies. When you see those little automatic coupon machines in the aisle at the grocery store, and it's for something you'll use, take a couple. Hold on to them, they probably don't expire for a while. Wait till that item goes on sale and save a bundle.

8 - Make some phone calls. I haven't done this, either... well, not recently... But if you love a product, call their customer service hotline to tell them. If you don't like something, tell them that too. They just may send you freebies & coupons. A few years ago, I did this with those little 3M strips... I'd hung a bunch after just painting a room and they all fell off. I called to nicely complain and got to talking with the lady, she sent me probably $50 worth of new ones for free, just because :)

9 - Get organized. I'm not here either... but maybe you can be this organized. When the weekly ads come out (usually Wednesdays), figure out what you want and go to http://www.couponclippers.com/ to "buy" coupons. They'll be in your mailbox by the end of the week for you to use on those sales. Back to the wording from #1... "selling" coupons is also fraud... but sites like this will say you're not selling/buying coupons, you're selling/buying the service of finding & clipping them. If you have a big family, I'm sure it would save a lot of money each week.

10 - Be patient. I love seeing what is on sale on Wednesdays, and like to go out that day to save. But if I could learn to wait, I might get better coupons in Sunday's paper. Often sites like Coupon Madness will give you a list of exactly what to expect in Sunday's paper's inserts. Then I can be less patient :)

All About Ingles

This post is not by Ingles, Ingles has the right to change their policy at any time. If you know of something that needs updating on this list, please email us.
HERE is a link to the brand new coupon policy from Ingles.  Today is 7/21/11 - and Ingles may (as stated above) change their policy at anytime.  Please keep a recent coupon of this policy in your coupon binder or box, so that, should a question arise, you will have a copy of the policy with you.

Ingles accepts these coupons:
* Manufacturer coupons
* Internet Printable coupons
* Ingles coupons - do they exist???
Ingles does NOT accept competitor coupons.

Ingles doubles coupons up to $.50 & sometimes triples. They claim they've done it longer than any other grocery store. They even triple coupons sometimes - usually 4 times a year, but they give little to no notice that it is happening. And I've found that tripling coupons at Ingles still makes items cost more than doubling that same coupon at Publix!

Ingles has tons of restrictions on doubling/tripling coupons. Ok, the rules are crazy. I hope you can follow... they have lots of restrictions on doubling, too...
1 - They will only double up to 3 coupons for every $10 you spend. So... spend $11 and you can get 3 coupons doubled. Spend $24 and you get 6... $30 and you get 9... you get the picture.
2 - As usual, that $10 is before coupons - but not before sale prices. So if $1.25 veggies are on sale for $1, you would have to buy 10 to get $10... you couldn't just buy 8 and go by the pre-sale price. Make sense?
3 - No more than 2 identical items are eligible for doubling... so you could buy 3 boxes of Chex and use 3 identical coupons... and you spend $10 total so you meet the 3 coupon doubling rule. But you still can only have 2 of those coupons doubled. Because they are all identical. Make sense?
4 - They will not allow overage (you can't use a coupon that is worth more than the cost of the item). They won't even let you use the coupon. And they will not double a coupon if it will end up being worth more than the price of the item.
5 - whew... there's probably more strings attached to their coupon policy. But those are the ones I've heard of.

Ingles has a store card. It's called an Advantage card. Like Bi-Lo's Bonus card, you must swipe it in order to take advantage of all sales and get coupons doubled. Ask the cashier for one.

Ingles limits internet printable coupons. They will only accept up to 2 internet printables for the same item per visit, per day. And they do not accept any internet printable that is for a "Free" item. Only cents off coupons are acceptable.

Ingles has a gaurantee. If an item rings up for higher than the actual cost, it is free. But only one item per type. So if you buy 10 boxes of raisins and they ring up for $.50 too much, you get 1 free and the other 9 at the right price.

Ingles and "stacking". You can use a manufacturer coupon and an Ingles coupon for the same item. But again... anyone know where you get Ingles coupons??  The printables offered on their corporate website are SmartSource (manufacturer) coupons - so these cannot be stacked, as they are not "store" coupons.

Ingles offers rainchecks. If they're out of something that is on sale, ask for a raincheck! Then go back to get it when the shelves are restocked and keep the sale price. Use coupons and you're in great shape!

Ingles works with the Upromise program. Just register your Ingles card with your Upromise account!

Ingles has some great deals on meat & produce. Supposedly, every night, Ingles slashes the prices of their meats & produce that are about to go bad. So when they open at 8am, you can find some great deals with meat for $.99-$1.99. It's not bad meat, it just needs cooked or frozen right away.

Money Saving Deals You May Not Know About!

Recently I've learned about the following... maybe they're new to you, too and maybe they'll even help you save money!

Ruby Tuesdays
Sign up for their e-mail list and get a free entree coupon! Get a free hotmail or yahoo email account so the spam doesn't affect your regular email. But be sure to check the email for that link to the coupon! It may take a few days, but it will come.

4 Cent Veggies
Del Monte 50% less sodium veggies are still on sale for $.79 at Publix this week - through Tuesday. Click on the link above to get $.75 off coupon. Use it as many times as you want and stock up on veggies! I wanted to post the Trail Mix Crunch Cereal coupon, too, to get $.10 cereal this week... but the coupon is gone from their website already. sorry. I'll try to post those great deals that I find faster in the future :) But be sure to watch the southern savers & other blogs (listed on the ride sidebar) they catch 99% of the deals out there for me! I just stumble on one myself every now and again :)

Caregiver's Marketplace
I thought this is a cool program. If you are a caregiver, or if you buy products for someone who needs care, check this out! They give you cash back for certain products you buy that medicare & insurance don't cover - like depends, huggies, ensure, icyhot, citrucel, pull-ups, cottenelle, cortizone, etc, etc. To join, you just have to be someone who cares for someone else - or yourself, if you're disabled, ill or elderly. Check out the site and see if it will help you care for your loved one.

Get Rid of Your Phone Bill with Magic Jack!
Jacob got this thing called a Magic Jack for us. We're doing the free 30 day trial. It's a little thingie that plugs into the USB jack on the computer and allows us to use the phone through our internet connection. It costs $20 a year and has unlimited free long distance. Compare that to $20 a month for a AT&T with no long distance service! So far we like it, but it has a few quirks. For instance, we have to leave the computer on to recieve calls. Which is ok for us, since only a few people have our home number and we mostly use to it make calls or get annoyed by telemarketers. We use our cell phone for everything else. It may or may not be right for your family, but I thought I'd pass on the idea - click the link above to get more information and try it for 30 days, yourself.

Stock Up & Save Big!

My pantry is stocked with all sorts of foods, cleaning products, baby stuff, etc. About 3 months worth. And I'd be willing to bet I didn't pay more than $100 for it all! How???

One of the first lessons I've learned in this coupon game is that just about every week something is DIRT CHEAP. Like free toothpaste, 4¢ canned veggies, 10¢ cereal, free frozen veggies, etc, etc, etc. I could go on and on about the deals!

When you see something that cheap, and you know your family will use it, BUY IT! Don't just buy it. Stock up on it! Be the crazy lady who checks out with a cart full of one item and a pile of coupons just as high! Just be sure the store you're shopping at allows you to use multiple identical coupons in one transaction AND that the coupon wording allows it, too. (Publix & Bi-Lo have no limits!) And don't be so greedy that you clear the shelves, save some for others! :)

Some coupon experts recommend that you stock up for 6-12 weeks at a time, depending on what your store's sale-cycle is. Well... I haven't a clue what my store's sale cycle is! And that's too much to keep track of. So when an item is dirt cheap, I buy either:

* how much my pantry/freezer will reasonably hold

* how much my family will consume before it expires

* how much I have coupons for

Whichever is less, that's what I get. Then I'm stocked up and don't need to buy it again till its free or dirt cheap. If I run out of that item before the coupons & sales match again, oh well. I'll buy it only if I really need it. Otherwise, there's so much in my pantry to choose from, I can go without that one item - its sure to be free or cheap again anytime soon.

Regardless on how much storage space you have, every week find that great deal or two and stock up on it. Stock-up what you have space for. I don't recommend storing things anywhere but in your kitchen & extra freezer. I know some people do, and that's their choice. But I'd rather live without 50 boxes of spaghetti under my couch :)

Almost all your pantry staples can be purchased for pennies, or even free. Slowly over the course of 2 months, you'll notice your pantry getting fully stocked. And then you never have to pay full price for those items again! About 75-80% of my groceries fall into that category!

Say good bye to Costco & Sams, kick out the store brands and say hello to brand names at prices that will have you laughing all the way to the bank! Have fun stocking up & saving!

All About Food Lion

As always, this post is not produced by Food Lion. Their policies have the right to change at any time. I will try to keep this updated, but if you know of a change to be made, email me! If you're not in Spartanburg, check with your local store for variations.

Food Lion accepts these coupons:
* Manufacturer coupons
* Internet Printable coupons
* Food Lion coupons
Food Lion does NOT accept any competitor coupons.

Food Lion does NOT double any coupons. But they do accept them at face value. If you do not live in the Spartanburg area, you may find your local Food Lion will double coupons. It is up to the store manager to make this decision for each store. We are not the lucky ones.

Food Lion allows you to stack coupons! That is, you can buy one item and use two coupons for it - one manufacturer and one Food Lion coupon. Remember to be sure of your coupon wording, and that none of the coupons you're stacking say "cannot be used in conjunction with other coupons."

Food Lion B1G1 items ring up 1/2 price! B1G1 (or BOGO) items ring up for half price - so you don't have to get 2 to take advantage of the offer. You can get 1 for half price. According to official Food Lion corporate policy, you can use 2 identical coupons for those 2 items.

Food Lion has their own internet printables! They're often refered to as FLIPs on other websites. That stands for "Food Lion Internet Printable". You are only able to use one Food Lion printable coupon per item per transaction. But these coupons are GREAT! And remember, Bi-Lo & Publix will take them too!!

Food Lion limits the number of FLIPs you can use. You are only able to use one FLIP per item per transaction. So you could buy a bottle of soda and a baby food jar and use the appropriate coupons. But you could NOT buy 2 sodas or 2 baby food jars and use 2 coupons for either of them. You'd have to do a second transaction. Supposedly this only applies for FLIPs, not other internet printables. Because, supposedly, you can use 2 identical coupons for B1G1 items.... so I'm confused, are you? Ask the store manager before you truck in with 20 veggie coupons. :)

Food Lion has other limits on coupons, too. They will not accept IPs for free items and will not accept coupons that have a value higher than the price of the product... it's called overage. FL doesn't allow overage. In fact, if your coupon is worth more than the cost of the item, FL won't let you use the coupon at all. They won't re-value it. Many other Food Lions have even stricker coupon policies, some won't allow IPs all together. So far ours does. Take advantage of it while it lasts.

Food Lion does not price match. I haven't found a store yet (except Walmart & Target) that does.

Food Lion weekly ads start on Wednesday! They run Wednesday - Tuesday, like many other grocery stores.

Food Lion has a bonus card! It's called an MVP card. To take advantage of the sales, you need to swipe it! Ask any cashier to get you one.

Food Lion has some great deals & closeouts! They often have some good closeout prices, and their meat prices can be some of the best in town.

Food Lion participates in the Upromise program! No Upromise? Sign up! It's FREE SAVINGS for your kids' college! You can have one account for all your kids, and divide it amongst them evenly. Register your MVP card and get credit for certain items that you buy. Be sure to register your CVS, Bi-Lo, etc, cards, too! And get grandma & grandpa to register their cards on your account, too!

What am I missing?? Share what you know. Email me!

All About Bi-Lo

This information is based on the Bi-Lo is west spartanburg, through my experience and a conversation with the manager. Other Bi-Los may differ. This list is not produced by Bi-Lo, and the store has the right to change these policies at any time. I will try to keep this updated - Email me if you know of an update that is needed!

Bi-Lo officially accepts only these coupons:
* Manufacturer coupons
* Internet Printable coupons
* Bi-Lo coupons (in weekly ad and/or on My Bi-Lo + sign up for email to get monthly coupons)

But if you ask, they may accept:
* Food Lion coupons
* Ingles coupons
* Save-a-Lot coupons
* Publix coupons
** The manager at the Reidville Rd store told me you just need to go to customer service before you start shopping to get his OK to use those coupons and that "most likely" he will agree to their use. I know a few people, personally, who are very successful at using competitor Qs at Bi-Lo!

Bi-Lo gives you manufacturer coupons with your receipt! The coupons the cashier gives you with your receipt... that say "Bi-Lo" on them... look carefully. They're MANUFACTURER coupons. You do NOT have to use them at Bi-Lo. Any store will take them! Know that depending on where you take them, your cashier may need to be educated. Just point out the "manufacturer coupon" at the top, and they'll take it.

Bi-Lo doubles manufacturer coupons up to $.60! That means a $.60 manufactuer coupon is really worth $1.20! Bi-Lo does NOT double store or competitor coupons. This is a biggie, since many stores only go to $.50 and so many coupons seem to be for $.55! But be careful, they'll only double 10 identical coupons per transaction.

Bi-Lo does NOT allow overage! New in early 2010, Bi-Los registers have been programmed to NOT all overage. "Overage" is the idea that a coupon worth $2 is used on an item that costs $1.50, giving you $.50 overage to pay for other items. Bi-Lo will not give you the extra $.50 twoards other purchases. But they will re-value the coupon to the price of the item, still allowing you to get the item free.

Bi-Lo allows you to stack coupons! That is, you can buy one item and use two coupons for it - one manufacturer and one Bi-Lo. They do NOT accept a competitor coupon in place of a Bi-Lo coupon though. Remember to be sure of your coupon wording, and that none of the coupons you're stacking say "cannot be used in conjunction with other coupons."

Bi-Lo's sales start on Wednesdays! Bi-Lo weekly ads run Wednesday - Tuesday.

Bi-Lo has a senior program! If you're a senior, you can apply for a senior Bi-Lo card that will give you an automatic 5% off on Wednesdays

Bi-Lo has a bonus card! To take advantage of the sales, you need to swipe it! Ask any cashier to get you one.

Bi-Lo has a fuel perks program! If you still have an old Bi-Lo Bonus card, ask customer service to convert it to the new Fuel Perks bonus card. Then watch your savings at the pump rack up! For every $50 you spend at Bi-Lo (NOT in one trip... it rolls over!!), you get $.05 off at select gas stations. Occassionally Bi-Lo offers double fuel perks, where you each $.10 for every $50 spent. Your fuel perks keep growing until you go to the gas station - or 3 months has passed. Whichever comes first. And its good just for the first 20 gallons of gas you get. You need to swipe your credit card-sized Bonus card at the pump, or bring your key-chain-sized card in to let the cashier swipe it before the fuel perks are credited for your pumping session. Once you hit 20 gallons, the pump will shut off and your fuel perks will revert back to $.00. If you are shopping at Bi-Lo right now and not using your fuel perks, you could have tons of money in there! I met a woman the other day who had over $1 off a gallon in fuel perks and never knew it! That's over $20 in free gas!

Bi-Lo lets you can use mulitple identical coupons! Some stores limit the number of identical coupons you can use. Bi-Lo is not one of them. BUT they do have a limit on how many they will double. They will only double 10 identical ones per transaction. Regardless of their limit, be sure to watch the coupon wording - make sure it isn't limited 1 per person or 1 per transaction.

Bi-Lo has rainchecks! Bi-Lo offers Rainchecks when they are out of a sale item. What is a raincheck?? It's a paper that the manager writes out to you, allowing you to buy an item (whatever quantity you ask for) for the same sale price on another week when the shelves are restocked. They NEVER expire! So save them and use them when the store is restocked. If your coupon expires before the shelves are restocked, hold on to it. That coupon may come out again one day!

Bi-Lo pays you to go green! If you use cloth bags - your own or Bi-Lo's - Bi-Lo will credit you $.05 for each bag. Most cashiers fail to offer it to you, you have to ask for it.

Bi-Lo participates in the Upromise program! No Upromise? Sign up! It's FREE SAVINGS for your kids' college! You can have one account for all your kids, and divide it amongst them evenly. Register your Bi-Lo card and get credit for certain items that you buy. Be sure to register your CVS, etc, cards, too! And get grandma & grandpa to register their cards on your account, too!

Bi-Lo does not price match. The manager told me that they do not price match other grocery stores. I really don't know of any grocery store that does, except Walmart and Target.

Bi-Lo has different incentives. Check out http://www.bi-lo.com/ for specifics. But often they'll have a milk program going, where if you collect a certain number of milk tokens (that print on the register receipt) you'll get a free gallon of milk. They do similiar things for Easter hams and Thanksgiving turkeys.

What am I missing?? Share what you know. I'll link to you and spread the wealth of couponing knowlege at Bi-Lo!

All About Publix

This is based on the Spartanburg & Duncan stores. They have the right to change their policy anytime. I will try to keep this up-to-date, but if you find something needs updating, please let me know by commenting on this post.

Publix accepts lots of coupons:
* Manufacturer coupons
* Internet Printable coupons
* Food Lion coupons
* Bi-Lo coupons
* Ingles coupons (anyone know where to get them?)
* Save-A-Lot coupons (Hillcrest store only)
* CVS & Walgreens (Duncan store only)
* Publix coupons

Publix doubles manufacturer coupons up to $.50! That means a $.50 manufactuer coupon is really worth $1! Publix does NOT double store or competitor Qs.

Where to find Publix store coupons:
* in booklets at customer service (you have to ask for them)
* in the literature rack in the front of the store (Green & Yellow Advantage Flyers are always there, sometimes other booklets & flyers, too)
* in displays located around the store (most often in the front of the store, or by customer service)
* in free quarterly magazines - subscribe for free: Grape, Family Style, Greenwise
* through the Baby Club - grandparents can sign up, too!
* at http://www.clickcallmail.com/
* occassionally they're also in coupon inserts in the Sunday paper

Publix allows you to stack coupons. That is, you can buy one item and use two coupons for it - one manufacturer and one Publix OR competitor coupon. Food Lion often has tons of printable coupons that match manufacturer coupons!
UPDATE: Thanks to The Halberts for mentioning that you need to be sure none of the coupons you're stacking say "cannot be used in conjunction with other coupons."

Publix's sales start on Wednesdays! Publix weekly ads run Wednesday - Tuesday.

Publix has TONS of B1G1 deals every week! You do NOT have to buy two to get the deal. One will ring up for half price. And you CAN use two coupons if you do buy two. For instance, today I bought Trail Mix Cereal. It's normally $4.19 a box but this week it's on sale for B1G1; the first one you get rings up for $2.10, the second rings up for $2.09. (To account for the odd-numbered price. Make sense?) I used 2 coupons for$2/1. So I got the first box for 10¢ and the second for 9¢!

Publix lets you get something for 1¢ every week! Every Wednesday Publix has a "Mystery Penny Item." You can get it as long as you spend $10 on groceries (BEFORE COUPONS!). Usually it's a Publix brand item... tortilla chips, beans, cola, sugar, etc. You need the coupon to get it at Duncan's store (find it in the A section of the newspaper), but you don't need the coupon at Spartanburg's east side store.

Publix lets you use mulitple identical coupons! Some stores limit the number of identical coupons you can use. Not Publix! Just watch the coupon wording - make sure it isn't limited 1 per person or 1 per transaction.

Publix takes competitor coupons for store brands, too! Publix not only accepts competitor coupons for brand names, but also for store brands! For instance, you can use a Food Lion coupon for Food Lion bread to buy the same style of Publix brand bread.

Publix has rainchecks! If Publix is out of a sale item, they'll let you subsitute a similar item for the same cost. But that may not help you if you were planning to use a coupon! So they'll give you a raincheck if you'd prefer. Just ask! What is a raincheck?? It's a paper that the manager writes out to you, allowing you to buy an item (whatever quantity you ask for) for the same sale price on another week when the shelves are restocked. They NEVER expire! So save them and use them when the store is restocked. If your coupon expires before they'll get to restock their shelves, ask the manager if they'll allow you to still use the coupon - and get him/her to make note of it on the raincheck. Typically, Duncan restocks their shelve Friday night and the Hillcrest store restocks on Thursday night.

Publix has a promise! If an item rings up for the wrong amount, you get it FREE! So watch your receipts! Don't be afraid to say something - even if its off by a penny. Its Publix policy and they are HAPPY to give it to you free! I've only ever had it happen once, I bought 5 rolls of tape that were on sale for $.69. I had 5 $1/1 Qs for the tape and they rang up not on sale. I got the 1st one free, the rest they corrected the price for. And I was still able to use all 5 Qs. So they paid me $2.24 to get them!

Publix has a Upromise program! Ask your cashier for a Upromise card. Take it home and register it with your Upromise account. No Upromise? Sign up! It's FREE SAVINGS for your kids' college! You can have one account for all your kids, and divide it amongst them evenly. Be sure to register your CVS, Bi-Lo, etc, cards, too! And get grandma & grandpa to register their cards on your account, too!

Publix offers FREE prescriptions! Regardless of your prescription plan (or lack of one), Publix offers eight different oral antibiotics for FREE! And now they're offering free diabetic medicines, as well! Head over HERE for the details. Keep this information in your wallet in case you or your child needs an antibiotic - ask your doctor if one of these will work instead of what he was planning to prescribe, since they're FREE!

Publix can be expensive... Before couponing, I never really shopped at Publix because I thought they are more expensive than Bi-Lo or walmart for most items. BUT with coupons, their weekly sales and B1G1 deals, they have the best prices in town!! And I have come to realize that most of their non-sale prices really aren't that much more than other stores - often they're cheaper!

Every week I get free items and often have overage on some, as well. Just be sure to stick with your list and try not to buy anything that is not on sale or that you don't have a coupon for. You'll find you'll save 60-99% EVERY TIME you go to Publix! Plus, you'll get the best service ever!! I love the people who work at Publix!!

Coupon Stacking

Coupon stacking is the term for using more than one coupon on an individual item purchased. Most stores allow it! It involves using a manufacturer coupon along with a store or competitor coupon for the same item.

For example, let's just say Nature's Own bread has a $.75 manufacturer coupons. Publix has a Nature's Own bread coupon for $.55 in their advantage buy flyer. You could use both coupons for one loaf of bread. Get the bread when it's on sale, and the deal is all the sweeter!

Here are the Spartanburg stores that I know accept stacking and their individual store policies regarding it. Please note that the stores have the right to change their policies any time. If you find that this list needs updating, please let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me!

TARGET allows you to use one manufacturer's coupon and one Target store coupon for one item purchased. Target coupons are often on your register tape, in mailings and online. You can also print them HERE.

PUBLIX lets you stack 2 coupons - a manufacturer's coupon and either a Publix OR a competitor coupon. Watch for Publix coupons in the two flyers at the front of the store - one is green, one is yellow. Ask the customer service center for any recent coupon booklets, too. You can also get them mailed to you when you join the Baby Club or have a free FamilyStyle Magazine subscription. You can use Bi-Lo or Food Lion Qs in place of a Publix coupon when stacking. The Duncan store will also allow you to use Walgreens or CVS Qs. And the Hillcrest store will allow you to use Save-A-Lot Qs. But you cannot use a Publix AND a competitor's coupon for the same item. One coupon must be a manufacturer's. And Publix does not double store or competitor coupons.

BI-LO also has no problem with you stacking coupons. As long as one is a manufacturer coupon and one is a Bi-Lo coupon - best found at the Bi-Lo website, sign into My Bi-Lo.

FOOD LION lets you stack a Food Lion coupon and a manufacturer coupon. You can find Food Lion coupons on their website or links to the PDF versions at the Southern Savers blog.

INGLES also lets you stack coupons, if you have an Ingles coupon & a manufacturer coupon. I am not sure where you get Ingles coupons since I'm not familiar with shopping there. Anyone know?

WALGREENS also allows you to stack one manufacturer's coupon and one Walgreens coupon on one item. Get Walgreens coupons in the weekly sales ad - at the front of the store, or on the Walgreens website. They also have a monthly coupon booklet that you can find by the weekly ad. And they sell a "Diabetes & You" magazine or a Children's Activity book for $.99 - store coupons are in the back of it. The great thing with Walgreens Qs is that you don't need multiple copies - one coupon will scan as many times as you have products. AND if you want to keep the coupon (especially if it came in a book you paid for!), just ask the cashier. They'll let you keep the store coupon.

CVS lets you stack THREE coupons - woo hoo! One manufacturer's coupon, and one CVS coupon. Then you can stack a third $/$$ coupon on top of that. Often CVS offers $3 off $10 purchase or $5 off $30 purchase, etc. You can find $/$$ Qs on their website and sometimes in their weekly flyer, as well. They often print at the red machines in the front of the store, too. Just swipe your card and you may get lucky! Be sure you always give the cashier your $/$$ coupons FIRST before your other coupons take your total due down below the $$.

RITE AID lets you stack THREE coupons, too! One manufacturer's coupon, one store coupon and the $/$$ coupons you can almost always find online! Usually they are for $5/$25 purchase (before coupons!). Google "$5/$25 Rite Aid coupon" to find a current one to print! Or check out Redplum - they often have a link to it, too. Where do you get Rite Aid store Qs? They have a Video Value program, sometimes referred to as the Ad Perk program. You can watch a 30 second commercial for a product and be rewarded with a high-dollar store coupon that you can stack with an MFR.

Coupon Wording Explained

When I was new to coupons, the fine print wording confused me like crazy... so in case you're confused and worry about getting embarassed at the cash register, here's some explanations:

"Manufacturer Coupon" vs. "Store Coupon" = usually found at the top center of the coupon, it will say what type of coupon it is. A manufacturer coupon can be used anywhere coupons are accepted - even if it has a Bi-Lo or Target logo! A store coupon can only be used at the specific store listed, unless you use it somewhere that takes competitor Qs - i.e. Publix in Spartanburg will take Food Lion Qs.

"Limit one coupon per purchase" or "per product specified"=
You can use mulitple copies of that coupon in one transaction, you just need to have the same number of items as you have coupons. For instance, if you have 10 cans of veggies, you can use 10 of the same coupon, but not 11.

"Limit one coupon per transaction" =
You can only use that coupon once per transaction. But that doesn't stop you from using it twice... you could check out all your items in 2 or more transactions. Granted the cashier might get annoyed if you do like 20 transactions... but they're more use to people doing multiple transactions than you might think, especially at places like CVS, and Target.

"Limit one coupon per customer" or "per household" =
You can use that coupon once. That's it.

Internet Printable Coupons

All the stores in our area accept IPs. The only known exception is Walmart is starting to not accept printable coupons that have a "Fawcett Drive" address - they claim they aren't getting reimbursed for them.

All printable coupons print for free. And bloggers will tell you exactly where to find the coupon you need to match a sale item.

Many printable coupons require you to register before you can print it. When you register, be sure NOT to give out your regular email address. You WILL get spammed. LOTS of it. So set up a "dumby" email address from a free site like yahoo, gmail or hotmail. And use the same user name & password at every coupon site you print from, so when you end up back on that site in a few weeks - or months - you'll know what your user id & password are and not have to re-register.

Most sites will let you print the coupon two times - just hit the back button on your web browser until you get back to the print page (usually 3 times). You can print those coupons twice from each computer you have access to. Occassionally a coupon will have a high print limit, and if it's a legit pdf coupon, you can print it unlimitedly. If it's a pdf, be sure its from the manufacturer's website and is not fraud.

Food Lion has IPs, too. They're called FLIPs and can be found HERE, hosted by Southern Savers. Both the Duncan & Spartanburg Publix stores accept these as competitor coupons!

Target also has their own IPs. Some print out as Target Q's. But many print out as Manufacturer Qs, which means you can use them anywhere! You can find them HERE.

What are some internet printable sites?? Here's a list of some:
Coupons.com
CoolSavings.com
SmartSource (SS)
RedPlum (RP)
Boodle
CouponBug
Organic and Natural Coupon Sites
CouponLoop
CouponSurfer
MommySavesBig
Special Offers.com
Coupons Inc
BoxTops4Education
Eat Better America
Pillsbury
Betty Crocker
Walgreens SS

Want to look for a coupon for something you need now that isn't on sale?? You can either google "free Pantene printable coupon" or you can look through one of these sites:
Slick Deals
Clip & Ship
Retail Me Not
Most of those coupons are listed in alphabetical order - you can save time by holding down Ctrl + F and typing in a keyword. It will search the page for you.

And then there's the site HotCouponWorld (HCW). You must be a registered user to use this feature and registration is FREE. This is more of a forum or bulletin board for coupon users. They'll tell you where to find some harder to find coupons and it is fully searchable.

Publix New Policies

For those of you who already know the rules of the coupon game at Publix, they've changed. I knew it was too good to be true for too long...

Publix - as a chain - accepts competitor coupons. But the individual store managers get to decide who is a competitor.

As of this week, the Publix in Duncan no longer considers drugstores or Walmart/Target as a competitor. They still took my Target coupons and my $5 off Rite Aid one, but said today would be the last day they'll do that. So if you're planning to go to Publix this weekend - go today!

The eastside Publix may still accept all those coupons, but I'm not sure. If someone goes - let me know! If no one does, I'll try next Friday and see.

You may want to go to the eastside anyways, since I bought the Duncan store out of Del Monte 50% less salt corn & almost bought them out of the green beans, too. You can't beat .04¢ a can!!! I got 25 - a full $1 worth, woo hoo! If you do go and you can't find any cans, don't be afraid to ask for a raincheck. They never expire and when the shelves are restocked you can go get your .04¢ cans, too! Just don't let the coupon expire :)

So today... I got $97 worth of groceries for $29.46! A 70% savings! The savings will dwindle a little in the future.... but we can still use Food Lion, Bi-Lo & internet printable coupons!

My monthly budget challenge for March is $100 on groceries/personal & household items for the month. So far, I'm at just $40.96! And we're halfway through the month almost!

Where Do You Get Coupons?

* The Sunday Paper! Before you buy it, flip through the center to make sure they're there! I've learned, the hard way, that some not-so-honest people steal the inserts! Grab a paper from the bottom of the stack, that will help ensure you get your money worth! Usually Smart Source and Red Plum have inserts. Once a month P&G has an insert. Sometimes others, too. To get a list of what inserts will be in each week's paper, click HERE! Forget to buy one (or more) on Sunday?? That's OK! Ingles has a Sunday Paper machine that sells the Sunday paper all week... or until they run out. Usually they have some throughout the whole week!

* Internet Printable Coupons! Often the manufacturer's website has a promotion going, or they can be found at sites meant just for printable coupons. Some of the most popular sites for printing coupons include: Coupons.com; CoolSavings.com (click on "printable coupons" then give it a moment to load); SmartSource & Redplum!

* Keep Peelie’s, Tearpads & Blinkies from grocery store aisles & inside packages you buy. Often the expiration date is over a year out - so don't use it that day. Save it until the item is on sale.

* Home Mailers Get on mailing lists - Walmart, Diaper companies, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Box Tops for Eduation, etc. For a list of what is currently available, click on "coupons", then "coupon mailings" on the navigation bar above.

* Magazines All You Magazine found at Walmart has dozens of coupons every month. Flip through it before you buy and see if you'll use the coupons.

* Request them from Manufacturers Head over to the post HERE to see a list of link for manufacturers who are well known for responding favorably to email requests for coupons.