A Little Grocery Shopping Q and A...

I had a couple of really good questions on the last post.  I thought, instead of answering them individually, I'd make a post for them!

This entire thing is possible because of iheartpublix.com...it is the BEST.  They break down the weekly ads for Publix and match up the coupons you can use with each sale to make for huge discounts (sometimes even free items!).

The best way to figure out what the heck you're doing with these coupons is to go to this site.  It answers a bunch of questions about Publix's coupon policies.  There's also a link at the top of this page that explains the abbreviations (for example BOGO is buy 1 get 1 free, RP is the Red Plum coupon book in the Sunday paper, etc.).

It's going to take you a few weeks to accumulate enough coupons to really make this effective...just stick with it, and it can be SUPER beneficial!  I started out slow - I would look for one or two things that I could find a coupon for online - those are the easiest to start with.  Also, for a few weeks, I printed every coupon I thought we would use, got every coupon book I saw at Publix (they're at the entrance at our store), and saved every coupon book out of the newspaper every Sunday (and put the date I got it on each one - that will help later).

A few questions I had on all of this:

-How do the coupons double...do you have to ask for that?

No!  Publix's policy is: any manufacturer coupon 50 cents or less doubles.  SO...it's a lot more beneficial to have a 50 cent coupon than to have a 55 cent coupon.  Most registers will automatically double those coupons (even if they have a "don't double" note at the top of the coupon), but just watch when then scan your coupon to make sure.

This brings up another point - learn the difference in manufacturer coupons and Publix coupons.  There's usually a note somewhere on the coupon that tells you which one it is.  At Publix, you can use 1 manufacturer coupon AND 1 Publix coupon on 1 item...not two of either one though.  That can make a BIG difference if you can plan it right!


-Where do you get your coupons from?

Three main places - the internet (sites like coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com, and manufacturer sites), actually at Publix (in those stands at the front of the store), and out of the newspaper/circulators they put in your mailbox.  Every coupon you can use is laid out at that website above.

The key to it all is buying stuff when you don't necessarily need it just then.  I know that sounds weird, but if it can be stored in a pantry or frozen, it will usually last until you can use it!  If you wait until you have to have something to buy it, chances are it won't be on sale.  Meats can be frozen, cheeses/milk can be frozen, even bread lasts a few weeks (for us) in the fridge.  Our freezer stays PACKED, but it works really well.  I've actually gotten our weekly grocery bill down to around $20...and we eat at home almost every night!  As long as you're willing to give up some of the control over what you fix each night, this is very do-able.  And personally, to save this much money, I'll eat pretty much whatever they want me to! :)

If anybody has any questions about this, you're welcome to email me at leslieflambert@gmail.com...I'm actually kind of a dork about all of this, so I'll be glad to answer anything you don't understand!  It's kind of fun to me to see how much I can save.  The way I figure it, if this is going to become a hobby, at least it's a hobby that SAVES me money!