As you all know I live in New York. We have a number of major chains. They include A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaums, Shop Rite and Stop & Shop. Some smaller and specialty chains include Trader Joe, Whole Foods, Stu Leonards, Food Emporium, and DeCicco.

All of our major chains accept and double coupons with different limits. Some of them accept internet and competitors coupons as well. Most of these variations are highlighted on the store’s web site or weekly circulars. But I always verify this information before I shop.

For example, if the store is offering a BOGOF sale, I can only use 1 coupon since my stores consider that a single purchase. If the same item is on sale for 2/$6.00 I can use 2 coupons on this particular purchase.

After speaking with lots of good coupon shoppers here in Florida, I found the policies are different. On a BOGOF sale, shoppers here can use 2 coupons.

My point, check the options for your store carefully so you can maximize your savings fully.

Visit us at: Select Coupon Program

The store flyer is really a wealth of information, savings, and tips. I prefer the hard copy, but lately I have used the online versions as well. The flyer helps me determine my weekly purchases. So I use it before I ever enter the store.

First and most important is the organization of the flyer. It’s divided into the same categories as the supermarket so planning is made easier. Next special coupons and promotions are printed throughout.

The front page usually has all the best sales, sometimes called loss leaders. That means that items are sometimes sold at cost to attract shoppers. On the front page of the Tom Thumb flyer in Dallas, TX, a gallon of milk was selling for $1.49, baby carrots $1 for a pack, a head of lettuce $.77, and $.99 for Quaker granola bars. All fantastic deals.

The inside pages include frozen, beverage, snack, dairy, meat, deli, health and beauty aid specials among others. These are all legitimate sales. But as always some sales are better than others. Take the Quaker granola bars. The regular price is $2.99 each. Some sales are 2 for $4. At $.99 the savings is 66%. Now that’s a great sale and the time to buy.

So knowing the prices for the items you generally buy will help you decide the value of the sale and the reason to make a purchases.

Slash your grocery bill in half

Today I was featured in the New York Times. It is a great article by Stephanie Rosenbloom called “A Clip-and-Save Renaissance“.

I recently found I needed some printing paper, and new security software. I had some Staples coupons, so I scoured their weekly flyer to check for good deals. Here’s what I spotted.

Norton Anti-virus software was on sale for $39.99 with a $20 rebate and Hammermill Paper had a Buy One Get One Free on 2-10 ream boxes up to $38.99. I never did the Easy Rebate via the internet because I’m so used to the mail-in type. But I decided to take the plunge. I made my purchases and returned home with my product and cash register receipts.

I sat down at the computer and fulfilled the sign-in procedure. Next I followed the directions to submit my online rebates. About 2 minutes later I was done, and then received an email confirmation. I couldn’t believe how easy and fast the whole procedure was.

I hope this is the wave of the future. It eliminates so much time because my information was pre-filled, no envelope, no postage and even with my limited internet skills I was successful. I have already received a $20 Visa card for my Norton purchase.

I recently heard from Tom Carney, he does the family preparation for shopping. Here’s what Tom told me. He created a Spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel. He listed all the products his family uses. Next, he checks the stores flyers and decides on the best place to shop. He checks off the sale items that match his family’s favorites.

He found this system very time saving. He has the one master list, makes his choices by the sales and coupon offerings, and prints it off. Each week his purchases change to take advantage of all the great deals.

He never has to make another list. What a time saver, and what an easy way to prepare for your weekly shopping. He does adjust the list on occasion to allow for change in preferences. One last mention from Tom, he also goes to other stores, discount drug chains etc. to take advantage of their specials.

Everyone has jumped on the savings bandwagon. The Sunday newspaper today is chocked full of sales brochures, coupons and refund opportunities. Pet items, stationery, hardware shops have all found the benefit of offering coupons, rebates and loyalty programs. Here’s how it works.

I needed a few office supplies so I checked out the Staples flyer, also found online.
Not only were many of the products on sale, but there were rebates offering 100% of the cost or substantial discounts. I just got back a full refund on a new electric pencil sharpener on sale for only $10. I returned 3 used ink cartridges and got a $9 credit toward future purchases, and in a couple of weeks, when I need a new security program from Norton, I’ll look for the $20 rebate.

Next stop, Petco, where they were offering a $5 coupon on a $25 purchase. I picked up the Iams dog food, and with a purchase of 10 bags over the year, I’ll get one free.

It’s easy to rack up the savings. Think of your favorite stores, check the Sunday papers, and of course the internet. You’ll find a wealth of deals.

Over the years I have heard this request many times: Eliminate Coupons—Reduce Prices. It will never happen.

Manufacturers have an advertising budget that is used in many different ways. Television and radio commercials, newspaper advertisements and other promotions that include coupon distribution are all part of getting their product out there.

Television gives the product instant recognition as do radio and newspapers. But commercials are expensive, and that adds to the cost of the product. But, a coupon, although part of the advertising budget provides the shopper with a savings, the only money-saving form of media out there. Match that coupon to a store sale and you have a double savings.

For the manufacturer a coupon is a way to get you to try a product, and to keep you using that product. Savvy consumers take advantage of these discounts. After all you can’t take TV commercial to the supermarket and ask for a 20% discount. You can take coupons and get a 20-50% reduction each and every time you shop.

The idea might be to eliminate all forms of advertising; that would surely reduce prices. But with 50,000 to 75,000 products in the average market manufacturers use whatever tools available to get you to buy their product. It’s all part of our competitive system which is not likely to change.

You can watch the video here: Coupon Queen Visits Fresno - $174.29 for only $6.76

Early Monday morning, April 27, we headed over to one of the nicest supermarkets I’ve ever seen and were greeted by a charming manager, Rick Ripada. The store was perfectly arranged for my coupon shopping trip, and we soon met up with Shannon Handy the reporter KFSN. She accompanied us along the way, and we found lots of great bargains and tips.

One of the best was the number of Specially Marked Packages in the aisles. Many packages offered money-off, refunds, or extra product. Keep that in mind when shopping too. The supermarket can be a wealth of savings. Sue

One of the most common questions I hear is how to Find a Grocery that doubles coupon values. First of course there’s always word of mouth, one friend tells another. It’s not very scientific but it is effective. Next you can check the supermarket’s weekly flyer. Almost all flyers will indicate somewhere on the front page that they will double coupon values. The last place is the store itself.

Details of the doubling are also available at the store, generally the courtesy desk. For example, my local A&P will double any coupon with a value of $.50 or less, raising the coupon value to $1.00. My A&P also has no limits on the number of coupons you can use for doubling.

But doubling is an individual store creation. So the store can set any guidelines it chooses. Some stores limit the number of coupons that can be doubled to 5. Others may limit the day you can use doubles, such as Tuesday (generally a slow day). The best, check with all your local stores and shop at the ones that give you the best coupon deals.