Meghan's Adventures in Couponing

Long time no blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:42:00 PDT

Hey everyone, sorry for just up and disappearing at the end of last year! School started, and along with work, just consumed my life. At this point I'm taking one summer class, so I have a little more time to be able to devote to couponing. I just had a pretty decent trip to Publix that I thought I'd share with you.

1 green refrigerated bag $2.49
2 Schick Hydro razors $6.99
--on sale
--2 $5/1 manuf. coupons
--2 $1/1 target coupons
2 Schick Hydro shave gel 2/$4
--2 $1/1 manuf. coupons
--2 $1/1 publix coupons
6 Yogurts $.60/ea
2 Baileys creamers
--2 $1/1 printable manuf. coupons
--2 $.55/1 publix coupons
2 wafer cookies $2.39/ea
12 Renuzit air fresheners 2/$1.69
--2 B3G3 free coupons
4 Sweet potatoes $2.45
5 Olay Total Effects body wash $5.99/ea
--5 $4/1 manuf. coupons
2 Skinny Cow ice creams $4.99/ea
--2 $1/1 publix coupons
2 Weight Watchers ice creams $5.29/ea
--1 $1/1 manuf. coupon

Grand Total (out of pocket): $54.96
Total Savings: $58.17 (51.5%)

I think I did pretty good, considering that I got some items that weren't on sale and/or didn't have coupons.

Oh, and there is a mail-in rebate for the Schick Hydro razor here

I'm going to Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:43:00 PDT

Hey everyone,
Sorry that I kind of disappeared, but I started school again and it's taken over my life. I'm actually having a blast and kicking butt! I just signed up to go to Spain and France in May 2011 through school. If you have a few dollars that you can contribute, I'd be extremely grateful--and even send you a postcard!

ChipIn was recommended by the tour company doing the trip. It links directly to my paypal and all information is completely secure.

Thanks, and hope you're getting some good coupons out there! :)

New coupon booklet at Publix

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:22:00 PST

Today at work I came across a new coupon booklet: Campbell's Nourish Your Family with Money-Saving Meal Ideas. It has coupons as well as recipes and ideas for some cheap meals.

All are manufacturer's coupons that expire on 12/31/09
$0.50/2 Campbell's Healthy Request Soups
$1/2 Campbell's Select Harvest soups
$1/2 V8 vegetable juice
$1/2 V8 V-Fusion juices
$1/2 Campbell's V8 soups
$1/2 Prego Italian sauces
$0.72/2 cartons Swanson cooking stocks
$1/2 cans Swanson Premium Chicken
$0.40/2 Campbell's condensed eating soups (excludes creams)
$0.40/2 Campbell's condensed kids soups
$0.40/2 Campbell's condensed French Onion, Golden Mushroom, & Consomme
$0.55/1 Pace Picante Sauce
$1/2 V8 Splash juice drink

There is also a form to get 200 bonus points for your school if you mail in 10 eligible product UPCs and the receipt.

Quick update

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:17:00 PST

Hello out there in couponing land! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post, and I apologize for that. For a while I didn't post because there wasn't too much going on for me with coupons, and then I just started procrastinating (something I'm too good at!). This is just a short update.

Since my last post, I've recieved my $10 Kellogg's rebate and my free t-shirt from the Good Egg Project (see my last post about that). The shirt is cute--it is grey with a big white egg on the front with a halo over it and it says 'The Good Egg Project.'

Also, I was able to get a pretty amazing deal at Kohl's. I had to get new pants for work, so I went on Retailmenot.com to see if there were any coupons before I went to the store. I found a Friends and Family 15% off that expired that night, so off I went to the store! Once I got to the store and was looking around I heard the announcement that if you open a Kohl's charge card you save an extra 10%, so I decided to do that. There only had one pair of the pants left in my size, so I went to customer service to get a raincheck. The very nice woman there told me that if I called to place a phone order from the store phone I would get free shipping. Normally when placing a phone order I wouldn't have been able to get the discounts (15% and then 10%), but since the store was going to do it they honored both discounts anyway, plus I got the free shipping.
4 pairs of pants (on sale for $26.99, regular $34.99)
-15%
-10%
FREE shipping!
Total savings: $57 (41%)
Out of pocket Total: $87.05

Good Egg Project

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:31:00 PDT

Hey everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I am out of town visiting family.

I just checked my email and received a response from the Good Egg Project from when I mailed them about not being able to print the coupon for a dozen free eggs here (The link still works, you can take the pledge, but the coupon is not unavailable).
Good afternoon,

Thank you for taking the pledge to Eat Good. Do Good Everyday. at GoodEggProject.org. We're sorry you were unable to receive a free coupon. However, due to the inconvenience you experienced, we'd like to offer you a FREE Good Egg Project t-shirt. Please respond to this email with your size and address where to ship the t-shirt. We'll be sure to keep you updated on any coupons we offer for the Good Egg Project moving forward.
Warm regards,

So the point of my post is that it never hurts to email companies about anything. Whether to praise, complain, or ask a question, you never know what their response will be. Sometimes its just a note, sometimes coupons, and sometimes a nice surprise like free stuff!

Slow (but good) week!

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:00:00 PDT

Hi everyone out there in the couponing world! It has been a very slow week for me with coupons, however I did make one trip. A few days ago I went to CVS to get water that's on sale for a great price, and this fantastic nail polish I spotted the last time I was there.

3 Zephyrhills water (24 pack)
1 Milani nail polish
1 Heath bar--I was hungry! lol
--(1) $3/$15 coupon (found here on page 31)
Total Savings: $10.50 (57%)
Out of Pocket Total: $13.90

I think this was a great trip considering I didn't really have coupons! And I noticed that on my receipt it says my Year to Date Savings is $135.23, and that's only since June! :)

This picture of the polish is from Manicure Mommas, it's called Whimsical, by Milani.

I also have some great news about CVS that I got from Shellie from Saving with Shellie. They are introducing the new Green Bag Tag. You can purchase this for $0.99, put it on your bag, and earn $1 every fourth use. So when you go to CVS they'll scan your CVS card, see that you have the reusable bag, and scan the Bag Tag to give you credit. I know this will be a great coupon-earner with me since I ALWAYS take my bags with me. To see more details go to Shellie's post here.

Shopping trip and a link

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:22:00 PDT

Earlier this week Stephanie, at Couponing 101, shared the anatomy of a coupon. This was a very interesting article, decoding the coupon as well as the barcode. What I took away as the most important was the information about the fine print:

Limit one coupon per purchase. Each qualifying item(s) is a purchase. If the coupon is for $1 off 2 boxes of cereal and you buy 2 boxes, that is 1 purchase. If you bought 2 more, that is another purchase and you can use another $1/2 coupon. This is on just about every coupon. It means you can not use 2 coupons on 1 product.

Limit one coupon per transaction. This means you can only use one of each coupon per transaction. Each transaction is concluded with a receipt.

Limit one coupon per day/visit. You can only use one of those coupons per store visit.

Limit one coupon per person/customer/household. You can only use one of these coupons.

I think this information is something all of us couponers should go to the stores armed with. If you understand how the coupon works, you might be able to explain it to a confused cashier. I've even thought of printing her post and keeping it in my coupon organizer to help clear up any difficulties that may arise. Definitely check out her post!

A few days ago I went to CVS, here is the breakdown.
3 Scott Toilet Tissue 12 packs (On sale $6.88 each, $5.11off/each)
2 boxes Kleenex Tissues (BOGO)
4 cans Progresso Chicken Soup (BOGO)
--(2)$0.50/1 Progresso coupon
--(1)$1/2 Progresso coupon
--$2.50 ECB I earned over the summer
--(1) $3/15 CVS coupon (found here on page 31)
--(1) $5/$25 CVS coupon (found here, here, or here--all different links that you can print from!)
Total Savings: $36.60 (67%)
Out of Pocket Total: $17.95

How I plan my shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:41:00 PDT

Just like organizing your coupons, planning your shopping can be done many different ways and is a highly personal thing, using whatever method works best for you. I thought I'd share my process with you, maybe it will help you figure out your own easy way!

The first thing I do is check out what coupons will be in the Sunday paper by going to The Sunday Coupon Preview and deciding whether or not I want to buy a paper. If there are enough coupons that I want, I buy two copies of the paper, that way if something is BOGO I can get better savings by using one coupon for each item. I know many people buy upwards of 20 papers, but that's just too much for me.

The next thing I do is go through the fliers for Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Kmart (if I don't buy a paper I check the ads online) and make a list. (I go through most of the fliers, but these four are my main ones on Sundays for grocery shopping.) The list is divided by store and has the item and the price or sale deal (%off). I do this for each store, even if items are repeated. You can't really tell from this picture (sorry!), but it gives you a general idea of what one of my lists looks like. I did this one yesterday at work on my lunch break, which is why its on a paper towel.

Once I have my list to choose from, I narrow it down and make another list, still by store, and list the corresponding coupons for each item. This list looks something like this.

Once this actual shopping list is complete, I gather the coupons and either paper clip them to the list or put them in an envelope seperate from my coupon folder.

Having this detailed list really helps when I shop because I know exactly what I need and what coupons to use.

During the week, I do the same thing with the Publix flier (their sale week runs Thursday-Wednesday).

Also, if I have a list of things that I just have to get that aren't necessarily on sale, I make the list (like an 'average' shopping list you would see), and check the printable coupon database at A Full Cup. I sometimes do a Google search as well to see if anything turns up if I didn't have any luck at AFC.

I hope this has helped you. If you have any questions, don't hesitat to contact me! :)

today's shopping trip and a note

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:22:00 PDT

First off, I'd like to thank Sheri at Swag Grabber for making the Price Point Spreadsheet. I took this with me today to start filling out, and was shocked to find out that everything I priced was cheaper at Target than it was at Publix! This really opened my eyes!

Payless
First on my list of stops today was Payless Shoes. I needed to pick up a pair of shoes to wear to my nephew's Christening next week, so I googled and found this 15% off coupon to bring with me! Also, since I only bought one pair of shoes, the cashier told me that if I bring back my receipt and make another purchase I can still take advantage of the BOGO sale.
1 pair black fancy-ish sandals
--(1) 15% off coupon
Total Savings: $3.45 (15%)
Out of Pocket Total: $20.91

Publix
Peaches
Jif Peanut butter
Publix Peanut butter
AAA Energizer Batteries 8 pack
2 reusable bags
--'Buy theirs, try ours' promo: FREE Publix peanut butter
--(1) $0.55/1 Publix PB coupon
--(1) $2/2 reusable bags (Peelie from the batteries, made the bags FREE)
Total Savings: $6.16 (33%)
Out of Pocket Total: 12.40

Target
40 Fancy Feast Appetizers
5 Mott's Apple Juice
--(20) BOGO Fancy Feast Manuf. coupons
--(20) BOGO Fancy Feast Target coupons
--FREE $5 Target gift card with purchase of 5 Mott's items
Total Savings: $56.76 (83%)
Out of Pocket Total: 11.85

An old shopping trip to CVS

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:02:00 PDT

Yesterday while going through some papers I came across a receipt for CVS from July 10. I was still fairly new to couponing and am very pleased with my savings. :)

2 Olay Body Wash
4 Head & Shoulders Shampoo
2 Schick Intuition razor refills
--(2) BOGO Head & Shoulders coupons
--(2) $2/1 coupons (I forget which was for the Olay and which for the razors)
--(2) $3/1 coupons (the one for the razors was a peelie on the package)
Total Savings: 37.95 (60%)
Out of Pocket Total: $25.98

New month, new coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:39:00 PDT

The beginning of the month means all of the printable coupon sites are reloaded, and some new coupons are up. Here's a quick rundown for you, with many thanks to Michelle at I Heart Saving Money for the list of Upromise coupons.

Coupons.com
The best thing about Coupons.com right now is that there are a LOT of coupons for Hasboro games/toys with high values--$70 total. Here is a list of those, but remember that there are lots of great grocery coupons over there too!
$5/1 Mr Potato Head Silly Suitcase toy
$10/1 Playskool Dance Cam toy
$5/1 Playskool Tumble 'N Twirl Top toy
$2/1 Mr. Potato Head or Mrs. Potato Head toy
$10/1 Playskool Musical Sit 'N Spin toy
$3/1 Playskool Lullaby Gloworm toy
$5/1 Mr. Potato Head Spud Buds toy
$5/1 Playskool DinoRoars Hatchlings toy
$10/1 Playskool DinoRoars Stompers toy
$5/1 Playskool Swing 'N Score Baseball toy
$5/1 Playskool Activity Ball toy
$5/1 Playskool Step STart Walk 'N Ride toy
$5/1 Playskool Busy Ball Popper toy

Red Plum
One great coupon that I just spotted on Red Plum is $1/1 New England Coffee, which Publix has on BOGO this week! 20 other good coupons show up for me, remember to put in your zip code for more coupons!

Smart Source
7 pages full of great deals to choose from!

UPromise

Upromise is where you can save money for college for your kids, yourself, or whoeveer you want. These coupons don't save you money off the purchase, but put that amount in your Upromise account. The coupons for the month of October are:
-$1/1 Gold Bond Ult Powder Buy any 1 Gold Bond Ultimate® Powder (excluding trial size),
-$1/1 Gold Bond Med Powder Buy any 1 Gold Bond® Medicated Powder (excluding 1 oz. trial size),
-$2/1 Gold Bond Ult Sooth Buy any 1 Gold Bond Ultimate® Soothing Lotion, sav
-$2/1 Gold Bond Anti-Itch Buy any 1 Gold Bond® Anti-Itch Lotion,
-$1/1 Chiquita Bites Buy any 1 Chiquita Bites Singles, located in the produce section
- $1/1 Gold Bond Lotion Buy any 1 Gold Bond® Lotion (excluding trial size),
-$1.50/1 Chiquita Bites Buy any 1 Chiquita Bites Multipack or Family Pack, located in the produce section,
-$.55/1 Fisher Fusion Snack Buy any one of 8 delicious Fisher Fusions Snack Mixes,
- $1/1 Krunchers! Chips Buy any Krunchers! Kettle Style Potato Chips 9.625oz,
-$.50/1 Snyder’s of Hanover Buy any Snyder’s of Hanover Sourdough Hard Pretzels 13.5oz,
-$.75/1 Lime Away Buy any 1 Lime Away,
-$1.50/1 Spray’n Wash B&W Buy any 1 Spray ‘n Wash Bright & White,
-$.75/1 Glass Plus Buy any 1 Glass Plus,
-$.50/1 Spray’n Wash Buy any 1 Spray ‘n Wash,
-$1/1 Elmer’s Krazy Glue Buy any 2 Instant Krazy Glue, Krazy Glue comes in convenient single use tubes — so you can always have Krazy Glue when you need it! For an instant bond that stays strong, nothing beats Krazy Glue!
-$1/1 Gold Bond Baby Powd Buy any 1 Gold Bond® Baby Powder
-$5/2 Infant Formula Buy 2 Similac Infant Formula,
-$1/1 Huggies Diapers Buy any 1 package of HUGGIES or HUGGIES Supreme Diapers,
-$1/1 Blue Bunny Sedona Buy any one (1) box of Blue Bunny® Sedona Frozen Yogurt Granola Sandwiches
- $.50/1 T. Marzetti Buy any 1 New York Brand Frozen Product,
-$1/1 Blue Bunny Aspen Buy any one (1) box of Blue Bunny® Aspen Frozen Yogurt Granola Bars,
-$.50/1 Wacky Mac Buy 1 Wacky Mac Multi-Shaped and Multi-Colored Pasta, sav
-$1/2 Weight Watchers Buy any two (2) Weight Watchers® Ice Cream Multi-Packs,
-$.50/1 Wacky Mac & Cheese Buy 1 Wacky Mac & Cheese Dinner, Look for Wacky Mac & Cheese Dinner in the Kosher aisle of your grocer.
-$1/1 Weight Watchers Buy any one (1) Weight Watchers® Frozen Novelty,
-$.75/1 No Yolks Buy 1 No Yolks Egg White Pasta,
-$.55/1 Sun Belt Buy any 1 package of Sun Belt Hearty Grain Cookies,
-$.75/1 Little Debbie Buy any 1 package of Little Debbie Double Chocolate Chip Muffins,
-$1.25/3 abot Buy 3 Cabot Cheese bars in your grocer’s dairy section,
-$.45/1 Little Debbie Buy 1 Little Debbie® 100 Calorie Cakes, save $0.45 for college. Nine varieties available (may not be available in all locations)
-$1/1 Krusteaz Buy any box of Krusteaz Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast featuring CoroWiseTM For A Healthy Start To Your Day,
-$1.50/1 Tully’s Coffee Buy any (1) Tully’s® variety in a 12-ct K-Cup® pack or 10-12 oz bag,
-$.50/1 King Arthur Flour Buy King Arthur Flour Unbleached Cake Flour,
-$1.50/1 Green Mountain Buy any (1) 12 K-Cup pack or (1) 10-12 oz bagged coffee, sav
-$2/1 BIC Soleil Buy any 4 blade Soleil System or Soleil Shimmer System handle or cartridge refill,
-$2/1 Gold Bond Pain Rel Buy any 1 Gold Bond® Pain Relieving Foot Cream,
-$1/2 or $2/3 BIC Comfort 3 Buy any BIC Comfort 3® Men’s or Women’s Pivot 4 pack, OR Buy any (2) BIC Comfort 3® Men’s or Women’s Pivot 4 packs,
-$1/1 Charmin Plus Lotion Buy 1 Charmin Plus Lotion,
-$.50/1 Bounty Napkins Buy 1 Bounty Napkins,
-$1/1 Charmin Fresh Mates Buy 1 Charmin Fresh Mates,
-$1/1 Bounty Paper Towels Buy any one (1) Bounty Paper Towels six (6) count or larger,
-$1/1 Charmin MegaRoll Buy any 1 Charmin MegaRoll,

Shopping trip to Target--FREE cat food!

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:16:00 PDT

Hey everyone, I'm super proud of my trip to Target today!

20 Fancy Feast Appetizers
--(10) Manuf. BOGO coupons
--(10) Target BOGO coupons
Total Savings: $25.80 (100%!)
Out of Pocket Total: $0.85 (tax)

I still have 30 of each of these coupons, which means 60 more cans of FREE cat food. I didn't want to do it all at once and have them freak out. so I'm doing it a little at a time. :)

Free rental codes for Blockbuster Express

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:05:00 PDT

There are two new codes being given out at my Publix for the Blockbuster Express kiosks.

PT99A (expires 10/15/09)
PTPX91X (expires 10/31/09)
GSNX9X8 (expires 11/15/09)

Just enter a code during the rental process and the movie will be free. If you don't return the movie by the next night, you will start to incur charges, so remember to take it back!

New Publix General Mills printable coupons

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:26:00 PDT

General Mills has some new Publix store coupons out that are available to print here. Briana, over at Bargain Briana, has paired each of these coupons up with the available manufacturer's coupons here so you can stack them and increase your savings! Be sure to check out that page to get the most for your money!

Today's buy

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:14:00 PDT

I had a coupon that expired tomorrow that I wanted to use today, so I got a BIG bag of cat food at Publix today before my shift started.

1 16lb bag of Friskies dry cat food
--(1) $3.00 off Publix coupon
--(1) $3.50 off manuf. coupon
Total Savings: $6.50 (53%)
Out of Pocket Total: $6.33

I also got more of those manuf. BOGO coupons for the Fancy Feast Appetizers that I mentioned a few days ago to pair up with the printable BOGO coupons from Target. My girls will have food for a year at the rate I'm stockpiling with these deals! :)

Today's shopping trip (Target and Publix)

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:38:00 PDT

Publix
4 plastic things to put under my potted plants
10 Marie Callender meals
6 Publix yogurts
2 16oz Cottage Cheese
--$1/2 cottage cheese coupons
--(10) $1.50/1 M.C. coupons
Total Savings: $16.00 (35%)
Out of Pocket Total: $30.26
~~Not that great of a trip today, but it was more of things that we needed than stocking up on things that were on sale.

Target
12 boxes Pop Tarts (12 count)
1 box Blueberry Pop Tart (8 count)
4 Fancy Feast Appetizers
--(6) $1/2 Pop Tarts Target coupon
--(1) $1/2 Pop Tarts coupon
--(1) FREE blueberry Pop Tarts coupon
--(2) $0.55/1 Pop Tarts coupon
--(2) BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizers Target coupon
--(2) BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizers coupon
Total Savings: $24.73 (61%)
Out of Pocket Total: $16.08
~~This trip was pretty good. I'm really excited that I was able to get the Fancy Feast Appetizers for my cats for FREE! We got a free sample of this in the mail a while back and the girls just LOVED it and devoured it! lol. At $1.29 for a 2oz package, this will be one of the rare occasions that I actually buy it for them. Thank goodness for coupons.

Remember, Pop Tarts are included in Kellogg's list of participating products for the $10 mail in rebate. I already sent in mine, and unfortunately I can't send in for another one. The application, in pdf format, is here at their site.

Updates at Nicole's Nickels

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:52:00 PDT

Nicole over at Nicole's Nickels made a few posts today that I wanted to share with you.

First, she wrote about K-mart's double coupon days. She is working on making a list of the participating locations, and will update this post as she gets more information. She has the rules of K-mart's double coupon days, as well as some tips. The double coupon days are September 27-October 3 at participating locations.

Secondly, she posted a list of the coupons.com coupons available to print right now. This is a full list! There are a bunch of new coupons available, so be sure to check out her list here.

Another way to organize your coupons

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:42:00 PDT

I just read Shellie's post on how she organizes her coupons. She uses the 'folder' method, and explains her entire process. You can read all about it here at Saving with Shellie. I always thought this method seemed too difficult, but with her step-by-step instructions, it isn't quite as daunting as I thought!

A few of the great resources she uses and mentioned are A Full Cup's printable coupon database, and the weekly coupon list at Sunday Coupon Preview.

You can see other methods on organizing your coupons in my previous post.

Today's shopping trip

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:33:00 PDT

I stopped at Publix today to pick up dinner, and while I was there I got some granola bars. Quaker granola bars are BOGO this week, plus I had three $1/2 coupons!

6 boxes granola bars
Total Savings: $11.97 (66%)
Total: $5.97

It was a great deal, coming out to less than $1/box :)

CVS coupon policy

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:02:00 PDT

I finally received an email back from CVS regarding their coupon policy. What follows is the email they sent, but I am putting the main points in bold. As always, if you have any questions or problems, contact the store's customer service department or speak with your local store's manager.

Thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy. We have received your e-mail requesting our coupon policy.

Our registers are set to allow one CVS coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item. However, the staff should be allowing customers to use ExtraBuck coupons in combination with other CVS coupons since these are coupons you have "earned." In the addition, similarly they should be allowing the use of "offer at the register" coupons which would be an open offer of $3.00 off of $15.00 or a certain dollar amount off of a specific item. Since our registers are programmed to only accept 2 coupons (1 CVS, 1 manufacturer) per item if the number of coupons exceed the items purchased a member of management will need to assist the cashier in processing the coupons. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you.

You can use coupon towards clearance items but the coupon will be adjusted if it is more than the price of the item.

CVS/pharmacy will accept coupons printed from the Internet obtained from an approved Web site sponsored by the manufacturer. They must have a legible barcode that will scan at the register. If the coupon does not scan at the register, the cashier should politely inform you that we are unable to accept your coupon. We do not allow manual overrides at the register for coupon printed from the Internet. CVS/pharmacy will not accept offers printed from unauthorized Internet postings or reproduction, copies, or facsimiles.

Please feel free to visit www.cvs.com and go to the "Save With In-store Coupons" box and click on "start printing now". To print coupons, check the box next to the Clip! icon, (or click "Select All Offers") and then click "Print Now". Please note that these coupons can be redeemed at CVS/pharmacy stores only and all manufacturer requirements must be met.

In the case where a particular item is on sale for “buy one get one free” (BOGO), you are only allowed to use one manufacturer’s coupon. For instance, if Revlon lipstick is on sale for BOGO, you can use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon and both items will essentially become free. Customer will be responsible for any taxes, if applicable.

Also, two manufacturer coupons can be used on a buy one get one free purchase as long as two items are scanned at the register. The system logic sees two items scanned and will allow two coupons. The Store Manager can limit quantities.

If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Again, thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy.

Sincerely,

CVS/pharmacy
Customer Relations Representative

Walgreens coupon policy

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:32:00 PDT

A few days ago when I contacted stores through their websites regarding coupon policies, I was expecting email responses. This was not so with Walgreens, who called and woke me up this morning! Because I was half asleep and couldn't really form questions, I'm going to share the policy that is already online at Hot Coupon World. This is a comprehensive FAQ regarding various things at Walgreens. Here are some of the highlights for coupons:

You can stack 1 manufacturer's coupon and 1 Walgreens coupon per item
You can use 1 coupon per item (or 2 if you're stacking manuf/store) when getting a BOGO deal
You can NOT use competitor's coupons
You CAN use internet printable coupons, but this may vary by store
Walgreens does not match prices of competitor stores
You will not get money back if the value of the coupon is greater than the price of the item, but it may take the overage off of your total if you are purchasing more items, this may vary by store
You must use your coupons during the sale, they will not reimburse you if you've forgotten to give them your coupons while making your purchase

Thanks to Hot Coupon World for making this information available. These, and many more coupon and purchase related questions are answered here.

Publix coupon policy

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:25:00 PDT

The email I just received in response to my request for the coupon policy wasn't very helpful in spelling everything out. Below is the relevant part of the email.

Because the stipulations by manufacturers can be different, it is difficult to have a policy that covers all situations. Our basic policy is to adhere to the stipulations printed on all coupons.

We do accept coupons printed from the Internet. Our goal is to accept coupons unless there is a legal compliance issue. If you have a question about a particular coupon, I would suggest checking with the Store Manager or Customer Service Manager at the store where you will be shopping.

I know the coupon policy for the store I work and shop at fairly well, and assume its similar, if not the same, at most other stores. Here are the highlights:

You can use one store coupon (Publix, Target, etc) AND one manufacturer's coupon per item purchased (this is called stacking)
You can use printable coupons from the internet (In our store the coupon can value up to $5, even for a free item
If an item is BOGO, you can still use one coupon for each item (or two if you're stacking store/manuf)
You will not get money back if the coupon value is greater than the price of the item, but the difference will be taken off your bill if you are purchasing more items
You can use competitor's coupons, based on the discretion of the store. Competitors are other local grocery chains, as well as Target, Walmart, and the like. My store (perhaps others as well) does not currently take drug store coupons (Walgreens, CVS, etc)

Also a tip from experience. If the value of your total coupons is more than $50, you might want to break up your purchases so that your coupons stay under the $50 mark. For each and every coupon over $50 (of coupon savings), a manager needs to put in an override code, and that can be time consuming.

If you have any specific questions, ask the manager at your local store and they will help you out.

Organizing your coupons

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:05:00 PDT

There are tons of ways to organize your coupons, and something different may work for each person. Working at Publix, I see many different organizational methods: coupons loose in the bottom of your purse; in a plain envelope; in a coupon organizer; in a poly file folder; in an index card box; and in rubbermaid storage boxes. I've also heard that some people keep the coupons in folders according to the date they came out, so when finding deals on websites they can easily find them that way. While doing a google search to find some images for this post I came across dozens of different ways to organize your coupons and sites where you can buy organizers.

These are pictures of my accordion style cardboard coupon organizer, which i got for $1 at a dollar store about four years ago. It isn't the best when it comes to categorizing, so I usually have to dig for coupons, but it serves its purpose.

(You can click the images to see the full size versions)

Similar to what I have are the poly file folders that you can find at Office depot, Staples, or the like, usually used for filing checks. These are moving up the price scale from the cheap cardboard organizer like I have. Depending on how many dividers the folder has, you can organize your coupons pretty well.

Next is the index card file box. This is fully customizable so that you can easily and efficiently access your coupons. I'm thinking of upgrading to this since I can make my own dividers/categories. The only negative I see to this is that its a bit larger that the poly folder and cardboard organizer and wouldn't fit in my purse as easily. Plus, in addition to paying for the box, you have to pay for the dividers and/or tabs to make your categories, unless you're crafty and want to make them yourself.

Last up is the large rubbermaid box. There is a woman that comes in my store with, literally, hundreds of coupons in her box. I'm not sure of her organizational methods, but if you're a serious couponer like she is, this might be the way to go so you don't lose any of your coupons. The size box I'm talking about is hard to get from the picture, but its around 16x11x6 inches.

So what method do you use to keep your coupons organized? Do you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share?

Tracking prices

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:09:00 PDT

When you see an item on sale in a store's weekly flier, you usually assume that you're getting a good deal, right? Well, that's not always the case. Sometimes stores just want you to think that so that you'll spend money. So what can you do to get around that? Track the cost of items that you buy often, and at the different stores that you shop at. Sheri at Swag Grabber recently posted a spreadsheet that she made that makes it easy for you to do this. Here is the post where she has the file as well as tips and instructions on how to do this. Even if you are like me and not quite so organized, you should have at least an idea of the price point for the items you buy often. You should also have a limit of how much you're willing to pay for an item, and using Sheri's tips and spreadsheet will help you to figure out what that limit is for you.

Target's coupon policy (updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Meghan) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:02:00 PDT

Stephanie at Couponing 101 just posted that Target now has their coupon policy online. In addition to my post yesterday, Target also says:
• Super Target coupons can be used in any Target store if the store carries the item
• We gladly accept valid internet coupons