Publix

* I am going to be specifically talking about Publix because that is the grocery store I shop at, but you can apply some of these same concepts to Winn-Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, Kroger, Target, or any other store of your choice. 

So, how do you walk out of a grocery store saving 3x's what you actually spent? 

First of all, you can't expect to get everything you need in one trip. Nor can you expect to get everything you need at one place. Stockpiling is the key to saving money with coupons. Publix will not always have exactly what I'm looking for on sale, so I also keep my eye on CVS, Walgreens, and the commissary sales as well. When an item I use often goes on sale and I can find coupons to match, I buy enough to get me through at least 3 months. That will give me enough time to find it on sale again in the future so I can restock before I run out again. If you don't know how fast you go through certain things start by writing the date on the box when you open it and see how long it lasts. That should give you a good idea of how many you should buy at a time. 

I hear a lot of people say, "I can never find coupons for anything I want!" I never use to think coupons would benefit me because I buy a lot of meat and produce. Coupons are usually for processed foods and junk food, I used to think. For the most part this is true. Take a look at this list though at what you can use coupons for, and try and tell me this isn't applicable to you:

• Laundry detergent
• Dryer sheets
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Dental Floss
• Body Wash
• Razors, shaving cream, deodorant, after shave, lotion, face wash
• Hair products 
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Make up 
• Baby Products (diapers, wipes, shampoo, lotion, medicine)
• Cereal
• Granola Bars
• Oatmeal
• Coffee
• Toilet Paper
• Cleaning Products
• Bread
• Waffles
• Olive Oil
• Syrup
• Coffee Creamer
• Yogurt, eggs, milk, butter, sour cream, half and half, cottage cheese...
• Potato chips
• Deli Meat
• Cold medicine, vitamins, cough drops, Tylenol...

I can keep going but I think you are getting the idea. If you can save money on all these other things you use on a daily basis who cares if you can't find a coupon for produce?

Ok so start with looking through the weekly ads at the sales for items that you want then look for coupons to match. Refer to my previous post Where Do I Find Coupons? to get ideas for good places to find coupons. Focus on BOGO (Buy One Get One) sales in particular. Remember, train yourself to see BOGO sales as a 50% off sale and remember that you don't have to buy both items. You can either pay full price for one and get 2, or pay half off for one item. Even without coupons BOGO is a pretty good deal because if you just purchase the one item you're getting it at 50% off the normal sale price.


*Not all Publix stores allow you to buy one BOGO item at 50% off so make sure you check ahead of time. Thank you Christine for pointing that out. 


The main concept you need to get is this, find an item on sale and try to match it with one MFR coupon and one store coupon. Most places allow you to use one of each per item. Again check with your store of choice before you begin shopping because each place is different. If you work it just right you end up getting your item for next to nothing, FREE, or you can even make money off of a purchase.

Money Makers (MM) You also want to add a few money makers to your list. Never throw away coupons just because you don't have a use for the item the coupon is for. I won't be using denture glue any time soon, but if it happens to be on sale BOGO for $1.50 and I have 2 MFR coupons for $1.00 off each I can end up making $0.50! Ultimately Publix is paying me $0.50 to buy denture glue. How did I just do that?

Denture Glue $1.50 BOGO sale (or $0.75 each)

MFR coupons $1.00 x 2 = $2.00 

TIP: Your second BOGO item, the one you get for free, counts as a purchase so you are allowed to use a coupon towards that item as well.

$2.00 (in coupons) - $1.50 = $0.50 Money Maker

I don't need denture glue, but I earned $0.50 to go towards other purchases I am making. You find enough of these and you can end up funding your entire grocery trip or at least cutting a good chunk off your final bill. What do you do with all these MM you don't need? Donate them. There are a lot of good websites out there that do the hard work of finding money makers for you. I have links to some of my favorites websites for help with this under "My Favorite Blogs".

HOT TIP!!! My Publix doubles coupons up to $0.50! Before knowing this I probably would not have gotten excited about a coupon for $0.35 off. However, since Publix automatically does this at the register my wimpy $0.35 coupon becomes a $0.70 coupon and people, that's almost a dollar in savings! So make sure you find out if your grocery store doubles coupons too! Refer to previous post Coupon Policy for an idea of what to ask about your stores coupon policy.  

TIP: Every week Publix has a mystery item on sale for a penny with each $10.00 purchase. You can only take advantage of this on Sunday or Monday. This weeks penny item is Publix paper towels. So if you shop at Publix on 3/9 or 3/10 for every $10 you spend you can buy Publix paper towels for $0.01. Now how awesome is that?!?

Homework Assignment:

Sit down with a weekly ad and your coupons and see what you can get for free or as a money maker. Open up one of the blogs I recommended and see if you can follow the deals they found for the week. Take a practice run to the store getting just a few items. My first practice run I got 5 bottle of Purex laundry detergent for $2.00! There is nothing better than walking out with a bag full of groceries for next to nothing. :) So give it a try. 

It is so exciting when this whole coupon thing finally clicks and you discover a whole new way of shopping! Be sure to start small and take your time. Be patient with yourself because you are probably going to make mistakes and get flustered when you go to check out and realize that the sale is buy one get one 50% off instead of get one FREE. Or you don't see the fine print on your coupon that reads, "$1.00 off THREE items." Yes been there, done that. Don't get discouraged when your cashier is impatient and rude with you because SHE doesn't know how coupons work. Make sure you are good and familiar with the stores coupon policy before you try to work the system so that you are ready to argue with the cashier when she says you can't use that coupon. Don't be afraid to ask to see a copy of their policy if the cashier won't back down! 

TIP: Every store gets reimbursed by manufacturers for every coupon they get. They are still making money even when you are taking advantage of coupons. They should be more than willing to be patient with you and your coupons because the more coupons you use, the more products you "purchase", and the more money they make! Don't be scared to remind them of this fact if you need to. :)