Osmosis Mom Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Could anyone please explain this and how they get the best deals? I just take a coupon and use it in the local grocery store, but apparently then I can do better than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pajama Mama Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Some stores have certain days when they double coupons. My store doubles them everyday. They usually can only double up to $1.00. So, any 50 cent coupon is worth a dollar. Anything over 50 cents is still only a dollar. I've never had a store triple any coupons. You need to ask your grocery store when they double their coupons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Do you have double coupon stores by you? A double coupon is when the store doubles the face value of the coupon. The manufacturer picks up the first .50, and the store picks up the second .50. What you need to do is watch your sales fliers like a hawk. Every 12 weeks a grocery store runs through its sales cycle, and you want to use your coupons as they hit the lowest price for the cycle. Then you want to buy enough of the item to get you to the next cycle when you can buy it at the lowest price again. www.thegrocerygame.com has a free 4 week trial. I usually save 50% of my bill, but I've been doing it for years and I'm totally stockpiled. I'm able to give all my unnecessary stuff away now, which is great because my best friend's husband just lost his job. forgot: I buy four papers a week to get the coupons. My stores also double coupons up to a dollar, meaning I get two dollars off a one dollar coupon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 My local Kroger will double coupons up to .50. So if they are having a 10/10 sale and I have .50 coupons then that item will be free. My local Marsh doubles coupons up to .50 as well but one time they did triple coupons so my .50 turned into 1.50 off. I got some really good deals that one time. The big thing is that you ned to have your coupons organized and you need to go over your sale papers with a pen and paper to write down what is on sale and then go through your coupons to see what you can get for next to nothing. Then decide if that is something you will use or not. If the item is free it might be worth buying even if all you do is pass it on to a friend in need or the local food pantry.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Another way to really make your coupons work for you is if you have a BOGO free offer at a store. At my grocery store, I can use a coupon for the BO and a coupon for the GO. If the coupon happens to worth $1 once it is doubled, I am almost getting some items for free. We took such a tremendous cut in salary due to the economy that couponing has the one of the major ways we have been able to cut our budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Could anyone please explain this and how they get the best deals? I just take a coupon and use it in the local grocery store, but apparently then I can do better than that? Stores here do not ever have double coupon days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I don't think stores around here have double coupon days nor in the last place I lived. I do get the paper and look at the ads and remember things like that in the midwest, California, and the southwest but never seen that here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Stores here do not ever have double coupon days. Not here, either, that I have seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato3 all-boy boys Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Here in my corner of New England, no stores double. Wait, Shaws used to...I don't know if they still do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaHadley Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 i'm not sure where you live, but I plan my shopping trips using www.southernsavers.com www.moneysavingmom.com is also a great site to help you save money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Also, you can order coupons that you use for about .05-.10 each coupon, so if it's something you would buy anyway, it can be worth it. There are several places. e-bay, http://www.lorihas3kids.com, http://www.thecouponclippers.com also as far as papers, not all inserts are created equally, the higher circulated the paper, the better the coupon inserts may be. You can also see what coupons will be coming out in the paper. http://www.taylortownpreview.com is a good site for that, as is the coupon clippers, click on tracker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I am SO glad you asked this question! I never understood the concept either. Maybe stores just don't do this in New England? At least not where I live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 For me it is not all about double coupons. Yes, it is nice that Publix will double up to 50 cents, but overall... I just concentrate on using my coupons when things are on sale. For instance, Publix may have Nabisco Crackers BOGO. I have 2 - $2 coupons. Publix will not double the $1 because it is over the 50 cents limit. I am still get two boxes for the price of one PLUS $2 off. The other thing I have been learning from reading blogs is to buy the smallest size of stuff using a coupon. I was able to print 12 All Mighty Detergent coupons (3 laptops let me print 2 on each). Then I took them to Target and bought the trial size of each. The coupon was for $1 off any size. I got 12 bottles of trial size for free. Yes, they are small, but they still equal 24 loads of detergent free. Same with some Nabisco crackers coupons. They were a $1 off. I used them at Walmart for the little animal crackers boxes that are a 99 cents. I was able to print 12 of them on my 3 computers. Walmart actually paid me a penny each to take them. I have been using dealseekingmom.com . From there - she links you to many other helpful blogs. I am amazed at the deals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 I am SO glad you asked this question! I never understood the concept either. Maybe stores just don't do this in New England? At least not where I live. That's what I am thinking. At least trying to cover up my dumbness!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) My Kroger triples coupons up to 35 cents. So a 35 cent coupon is automatically $1.05 off. All coupons from 36 cents up to 50 cents are doubled. Anything over 50 cents is face value. What I have learned (from using Grocery Game someone mentioned in a previous post) is that you don't use a coupon on a regularly priced item. Most items go on sale about every 12 weeks and it hits it lowest price usually once or twice a year. Of course this is all *typical* and something just are never typical. Pairing a coupon with a sale is the goal. That way you can get name brand items for cheaper than the store brands. Much cheaper often. It took me about a year to figure out the sales trends in my store. For example I now know that every spring mustard goes on sale for $1. Around the same time French's always puts out coupons for $.50 off. That coupon is doubled and my mustard is free! I haven't bought mustard in years. :) Winter (usually Jan or Feb) is the best time to stock up on Kleenex b/c they are at the lowest price of the year and there are always coupons for kleenex. Breakfast items like cereal and granola bars are typically cheapest in August for back to school and you can get great deals on chips and sodas around Super Bowl and 4th of July and so on.... One of my favorite recent deals was getting 10 deodorants for $2. My store had them on sale for $1 each which only happens usually once a year. I had 3 coupons for .50 cents off for 2 which became $3 off at the register. Then there was a deal where if you bought 10 items from certain brands you got $5 off your grocery order at the checkout. If you just watch you can start getting deals like this all the time. 10 of this large size deodorant will last me well over a year. Now that's just my store. Every store will have general trends. Also my Kroger does double and triple coupons every day all the time. I know what items never go on sale and/or never have coupons too. I make a trip once a month to Wal-Mart to stock up on those items. So it's not just about double and triple coupons. It's about knowing your stores sales trends and pairing that coupon with sale. That's how you get the deep savings... Oh and I almost forgot...big time couponers are typically big on stocking up. Keep getting that mustard even though you have 6 bottles already. You won't buy mustard forever. Of course this is mostly true with non-perishables and/or things you can freeze. Btw, I did Grocery Game for a year but no longer need to. I can find most of the deals myself by taking a little more time in the store and save myself the cost of her list. I don't think I would learned how to do this as successfully if I hadn't started there though. Edited January 26, 2010 by Jennefer@SSA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Jennefer, Thanks so much for taking the time to s-p-e-l-l this out for me (I got some of it this time!!). I am considering trying the Grocery game, however, the cheaper stores in my area are not listed as options there. I just know for sure I won't be able to study the ads much more than do now (very little). We only get a couple of ads a week and I get my coupons from one Sunday paper.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I have never heard of a store that doubles coupons here in the Bay Area, nor do we have a Kroger or Aldi's. Even our Pak 'n' Saves are all gone. Those were essentially Safeways with much lower prices where you bagged your own groceries. We pay some of the highest prices for food in the nation. I think I have coupon & grocery store envy. :sad: Amber in SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Jennefer, Thanks so much for taking the time to s-p-e-l-l this out for me (I got some of it this time!!). I am considering trying the Grocery game, however, the cheaper stores in my area are not listed as options there. I just know for sure I won't be able to study the ads much more than do now (very little). We only get a couple of ads a week and I get my coupons from one Sunday paper.... You are very welcome. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Grocery Game is working well for my family. My goal is to use coupons on sales items. I get at least 1 free item per week. I use Grocery Game for shopping at Kroger and Publix. I buy everything else at Walmart. My local grocery stores do not triple coupons, but they do double up to .50 cents. Also, my grocery stores let me stack coupons. I can use 2 coupons on buy one get one free, since I'm technically getting 2 items. Very cool. Publix offers store coupons which will combine with manufacturer coupons. Put those on sale items and the savings are very substantial. I save 40% - 50% weekly so my grocery budget goes twice as far. Even my DH shops with me because he loves watching those savings lower our final costs. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Jennefer, Thanks so much for taking the time to s-p-e-l-l this out for me (I got some of it this time!!). I am considering trying the Grocery game, however, the cheaper stores in my area are not listed as options there. I just know for sure I won't be able to study the ads much more than do now (very little). We only get a couple of ads a week and I get my coupons from one Sunday paper.... Actually, it is the more expensive stores that will actually have the best sale deals. I stockpile at these stores from my GG list and then hit the more thrifty stores for the remaining things I need that aren't on sale. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I am finding amazing deals at my local salvage grocery store---things like Ghirardelli chocolate bars (4 oz bar) for 3/$1, even Dagoba bars for the same price. They sell cereal for $1 for a small box, and $2 for the very large box. They sell lots of goodies I would only find at a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods store for a fraction of their retail price. I do buy some dented cans, but check them very carefully. Mom has a food handler's certificate, so I know what is safe and what is not (as far as dented cans go). I cannot remember the website I found a state-by-state listing for these stores, but you can google "salvage grocery stores" and you should find the site. I have visited these types of stores in different states, and they do vary in quality and volume of what is sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Usually a store will tell you on the flier whether it doubles or triples. Usually Kroger & Meijer do. Around here they only double up until $0.50. Our stores have never tripled.:confused: The most awesome part is when the store has a fabulous sale, Kroger is supposed to this week ours doesn't start until Thurs so I'll find out for sure. But this week they're supposed to have a Mega 10 even where they take $5 off your order when you buy 10 participating items. Last time they did this they had Dole fruit on sale for $1, so I was able to take my $0.50 coupon and get the item for free, then because it was part of the Mega event I got paid $0.50 yet too! Which meant that was taken off my order for another item that wasn't completely free. I was able to buy 50 some items for less than $20!!! That gives you an incredible feeling!!! Come on over to my website, I hope I can help a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Actually, it is the more expensive stores that will actually have the best sale deals. I stockpile at these stores from my GG list and then hit the more thrifty stores for the remaining things I need that aren't on sale. Lisa :iagree: This is absolutely correct. These stores can afford the major sales b/c they overprice on so many other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I've been doing some serious coupon shopping the last 2 months. In a store that doubles coupons, I do find that their prices are higher to begin with. I am careful to buy what is on the best sale, then use my coupons. We have a great site here in the South that lays it all out for you, but I am sure there are others in your area. You also have to change your mind set to buy before you need it. For example, Ingles is tripling coupons this week only. Scotties tissues are on sale B1G1 free, making them $.64. I have a coupon for $.50 off 3. If I buy 3, it will make them $.14 each. Crescent rolls are $1. With a $.50 off 2 coupon, it will make them $.25 each. I made $13 off buying 3 bags of Tostitos and 3 jars of Salsa last week. I left a pharmacy with a bag of toothpaste, medicine, and feminine products for $2 out of my pocket, and will get $10 back in a rebate at the end of the month. It really works if you put some time into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I use www.couponmom.com - it's free and lists deals by state & store. Also there is a forum that people will post good deals they've found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 :iagree: This is absolutely correct. These stores can afford the major sales b/c they overprice on so many other things. I haven't found that to be true. We just moved to this area and was thrilled to discover that Dillons is a Kroger store. Kroger may be a little higher in some areas, but not what I buy apparently. There are several other stores to choose from here but honestly I save significantly more at Kroger even without any coupons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I rarely see coupons for anything that I buy on a regular basis. Maybe it's because I try to avoid processed food and make most stuff from scratch? Most of the coupons I see are for junk I rarely (if ever) buy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in Mo Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I am finding amazing deals at my local salvage grocery store---things like Ghirardelli chocolate bars (4 oz bar) for 3/$1, even Dagoba bars for the same price. They sell cereal for $1 for a small box, and $2 for the very large box. They sell lots of goodies I would only find at a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods store for a fraction of their retail price. I do buy some dented cans, but check them very carefully. Mom has a food handler's certificate, so I know what is safe and what is not (as far as dented cans go). I cannot remember the website I found a state-by-state listing for these stores, but you can google "salvage grocery stores" and you should find the site. I have visited these types of stores in different states, and they do vary in quality and volume of what is sold. Ha! Me, too! I can't believe the amount of organic goodies at our salvage store. Mine also orders some items in bulk and repackages them, making them a good source for my regular purchases such as pastas and oatmeal and cheese. My mom is even a licensed food handler! lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 There are coupons for flour, fruit, meat, shampoo, toiletries, milk, eggs. Pretty much everything you buy. Yes, you have to search more for those, but they are out there. I was able to buy flour for a great price over the holidays. I also was able to get free eggs. The main way you can save money is on toiletries with the other coupons thrown in. CVS & Walgreens are AWESOME for those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I rarely see coupons for anything that I buy on a regular basis. Maybe it's because I try to avoid processed food and make most stuff from scratch? Most of the coupons I see are for junk I rarely (if ever) buy... Well, heck. I'll have that superior idea stuck in my head all day. I buy and cook junk. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 (edited) There are coupons for flour, fruit, meat, shampoo, toiletries, milk, eggs. Pretty much everything you buy. I recently got great deals by using coupons on top of sales for corn starch, baking powder, sugar, brown sugar, deli meat, cheese, and half and half for my coffee (a very important staple in my diet). :) Oops, I should add that I'm stocked up on toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo & conditioner, soap, toothpaste, and deodorant. I am trying not to buy more of those because I have such a stockpile. But sometimes I can't resist tp at .10 cents a roll, toothpaste at .25 cents, and deodorant at .20 cents if not free. Edited January 26, 2010 by Night Elf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 There are coupons for flour, fruit, meat, shampoo, toiletries, milk, eggs. Pretty much everything you buy. Yes, you have to search more for those, but they are out there. Where? I don't think I've ever seen a coupon for any of those except for shampoo & toiletries. Almost all of the ones I seem to see are junk food like potato chips, ice cream, soda, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I don't think couponing is as big in Canada as in some parts of the US. We don't have very good coupons here, nobody doubles coupons, and even when I bother to clip and take them, I usually find that the store brand version of the product is STILL cheaper, even with the coupon. And it seems that I rarely find the item on sale & have a coupon still valid.....things always seem to go on sale after the coupons have expired so I never get the really good deals some US shoppers find. :glare: What we do have is one chain which regularly offers gift cards back with large purchases. So on a $150 total purchase you get a $10 gift card & on $250 you get a $25 card back. I stock up on whatever is a good deal & whatever non-perishables are on sale & I figure the added 7-10% off in cards is as good as I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Where? I don't think I've ever seen a coupon for any of those except for shampoo & toiletries. Almost all of the ones I seem to see are junk food like potato chips, ice cream, soda, etc. ITA. The only 'staple' coupon I can remember was that once I had a coupon for Robin Hood flour, but didn't use it because the house brand was cheaper still. Eggs - never. Milk - never. Sugar - never. Rice, beans, lentils, oats - no. Veg & fruit - no, except that the same store that offers gift cards will occasionally do a box of fruit instead (like mandarins, or 3 pineapples etc) eta - clearly this couponing thing varies a lot region by region...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Where? I don't think I've ever seen a coupon for any of those except for shampoo & toiletries. Almost all of the ones I seem to see are junk food like potato chips, ice cream, soda, etc. You just have to watch for it, just like you have to watch for the above items. It's actually VERY RARE to find a soda coupon. Chips are one that I don't find much of either unless it's Pringles. We don't eat many so it's not a big deal, but every once in a while it's fun to get as a treat. Right now there are some deals because of SuperBowl and good deals for them, but that's not true all the time. It's like everything else. You have to watch for what you use. I admit, I now buy some things I never would have before, but that's only when it's free or a moneymaker. I don't buy many boxed foods unless this is true. In Canada, I don't know the deals there obviously, but I used to think that here in the states too, that it was cheaper to buy store brand. Are you waiting until the item goes on sale? That's how coupons save you money is to wait until there's a great sale for that coupon and then use it with the sale and you can get things for FREE or very, very cheap. Not all the stores around here double, but you can still get great deals if you watch the sales. HTH! Like I said I have NO experience in Canada, but check it out it might work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Where? I don't think I've ever seen a coupon for any of those except for shampoo & toiletries. Almost all of the ones I seem to see are junk food like potato chips, ice cream, soda, etc. Maybe it has to do with location. I live in a suburb north of Atlanta. In my area, we get coupons in the Sunday Atlanta-Journal Constitution. They are mixed in with all the advertisements from all kinds of businesses: the sale catalogs/flyers from Target, Walmart, Dicks Sporting Goods, Staples, Office Depot, JC Penney, and so on. I've heard that section of the paper referred to as the 'junk' of the paper. I like looking through some of them to see if there are any good sales of things we might need. Anyway, there are 3 major coupon providers, Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G (Proctor and Gamble). Each is a booklet with at least a dozen pages of coupons. I usually see at least 2 of those per week. And then I get another Red Plum in the mail on Tuesdays, though I have no idea why. I save all those coupons in a binder the way the GroceryGame suggests. So when it's time to shop, I have lots of coupons that I might need, rather than throwing out unused ones each week. I also get coupons from the Grocery Game website to print out, and Cell Fire and Shortcuts coupons that are online and download directly to my Kroger discount card. I especially love the coupons from Shortcuts and Cell Fire because they are automatically applied to an item even if I have a manufacturer coupon and/or store coupon for the same item. It's like having 2 to 3 coupons for one item. I'll admit I take at least 2 hours every sunday, when I get our paper, to match coupons to the sales and make out my grocery list, and then I'm shopping for 2 hours because I shop at the place where I can use the coupons, and then Walmart for the rest. But I save so much money, it makes the time and effort very worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I agree it completely it varies with your region. I've loved online coupons because we certainly don't get many fabulous coupons in the newspaper here. There are some, but not like online, I'd say I use more online than out of the paper. If you are near a large city it will help, but I'm not, so we don't get as many coupons in our paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 The grocery stores here don't accept online coupons, only the hard-copy ones that come in the local paper. :thumbdown: I typically scan through them before recycling the paper but I'm lucky if I find a single one for something I actually purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I have learned that coupons vary by seasons as well. The coupons for flour, sugar and yeast come out in Oct/Nov just in time for holiday baking. At the same time the stores are typically having their best sales on these same items. I am stocked up on flour, sugar (brown and white), yeast and corn starch for the year. I also stock up on oats for the year in the fall when there are great coupons I can pair with a sale. Like I mentioned in a previous post there are always coupons for mustard in spring (actually one was in my Sunday paper last week a little earlier than normal). I stock up then and don't buy mustard the rest of the year. There definitely are coupons that come out month after month but I just wanted to point this out b/c some of the posters say they *never* see coupons for these things. It may be a regional thing but it also may just be they aren't looking at the right time of year. :) Now beans, lentil and rice I have never ever seen a coupon. I also cook the majority of our food from scratch including bread. I don't make pasta though. I rarely purchase any prepackaged items, except Cheerios when I can get them for under $1 a box. Still I find that for me couponing is well worth my time and effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 It really depends on where you live. The same thing with the actual prices of the food. I was so surprised when I went shopping in rural Maine. The prices were so much lower than in suburban DC. I try to shop at commissaries but I live about 9 miles away from the closest one and we have heavy city traffic most times of the day. So I end up shopping at non commissaries and just about die from the price differences. The milk prices and fruit price differences aren't that great. But the meat prices make me apoplectic. I have taken to buying loads of meat on my trips to the commissary because I can't see paying so much. I only buy what is on sale if I do end up buyng meat at the regular stores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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