I had so much fun at Publix today. I actually threw together all of my coupons this morning and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t go into Publix knowing ahead of time what I was going to spend. (Usually, I have the math done ahead of time for my entire grocery list.) It was a bit of a gamble, but I knew that I had a lot of great deals in my cart so I was able to stock up on two bags of apples, plums, bananas, acorn squash and asparagus. Despite all of the produce I bought, I still ended up spending $0.09 before tax. With tax, I spent $4.15! I was thrilled and I have to say that my cashier was the best. She is one of my store’s customer service managers and she never flinches when she sees me coming with a huge wad of coupons.
Also – stay tuned for next week’s Photo Show and Tell which will be posted sometime Friday, October 8th.. I will be a bit under the weather next week so you will have a guest blogger for my Photo Show and Tell. I’m really excited about it and I can’t wait to see how they do on their shopping trip! 🙂
The items I purchased today coincide with this week’s Publix Weekly ad. To see this week’s ad & coupon matchups, go HERE.
If you are new to saving money at Publix, read my Intro to Publix post!
6 Barilla Piccollini on sale B1G1 $1.27 for two
Minus three $1/2 Barilla Piccolini 8/29/2010 SS Insert (exp 10/24/2010)
Total Due: $0.81 or $0.14 each
2 Lactaid Milk regularly priced at $2.19 each
Minus two $2.00/1 Lactaid Milk any Blinkie
Total Due: $0.38 or $0.19 each
1 bag Gala Apples, on sale $1.99
Total Due: $1.99
1 bag Red Delicious Apples, on sale $1.99
Total Due: $1.99
2 Bananas regularly priced at $0.69/lb
Total Due: $0.47
Black Plums on sale $1.49/lb
Total Due: $1.49
1 Acorn Squash on sale $0.99/lb
Total Due: $1.46
Asparagus on sale
Total Due: $2.02
6 Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables on sale 10/$10
Minus six $0.50/1 Green Giant Frozen Vegetables
Total Due: $3.00 or $0.50 each
6 Crystal Light on sale B1G1 $4.69 for two
Minus six $1.50/1 Crystal Light 12 oz Publix Store Coupons (print limit reached)
Minus six $1.00/1 Crystal Light man coupons
Total Due: FREE plus $0.93 overage
4 Planters Trail Mix regularly priced at $1.99 each
Minus four $1.00/1 Planters Trail Mix Manufacturer Coupon Tearpad
Minus four $0.75/1 Planters Trail Mix Publix Store Coupon (print limit reached)
Total Due: $0.96 or $0.24 each
2 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges regularly priced at $2.99 each
Minus one B1G1 Laughing Cow printable (print limit reached)
Minus one $1.00/1 Laughing Cow tearpad
Total Due: $1.99 or $0.99 each
4 Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese regularly priced at $2.13 each
Minus four $1.00/1 Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese Tearpad
Minus four $1.25/1 Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese Publix Store Coupons (print limit reached)
Total Due: FREE plus $0.48 overage
6 Sundown Vitamins regularly priced at $2.99 each
Minus three $6.00/2 Sundown Vitamins Publix Store Green Advantage Flyer
Minus two $3.00/2 Sundown Vitamins manufacturer printable
Minus two $1/1 Sundown Naturals Vitamin or Supplement 8/29/2010 SS Insert (exp 10/13/2010)
Total Due: FREE plus $8.06 overage
16 Glade Plugins **USED A RAINCHECK NOT ON SALE THIS WEEK** B1G1 $5.49 for two
Minus eight B1G1 Glade Plugins Scented Oil Twin Refill 9/26/2010 SS Insert (exp 11/6/2010)
Minus three $1.00/1 Glade Plugins manufacturer (from random magazines)
Minus eight $0.50/1 Glade PlugIns Refill PUBLIX coupon Publix Family Favorites Booklet (exp 10/10/2010)
Total Due: FREE plus $7.00 overage
Total Due: $4.15 (including tax), Total Spent: $149.10, Percentage Saved: 97.3%
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Also –Attention Bloggers –at the bottom of this post is a place for you to link up your deals! So, make sure you leave a link to your shopping trip successes this week. I am looking for your personal deals not a list of store sales/coupon matchups! And, make sure this is a direct link to your deals – I will remove links that go directly to your home page.
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
Which vitamins did you buy?
I think she buys vitamins D & possibly A. They are usually the cheapest, about $2.99-ish.
You got it Teresa! I always try to buy Vit D BUT if Publix is out (they usually are b/c of all of the crazy couponers like me) I will try to find the next cheapest vitamin to insure that I receive overage. I won’t do the deal if I just get the vitamins for free b/c I would rather not pay the tax on them…
I actually have a question for you about tax. How does tax work with sales and coupons? I don’t understand how that works sometimes. I try to kind of keep track as I go through the store and always make sure to count for tax as I add my purchases going through the store but I always seem to end up paying less at the register than what I add up. When I check my receipt, the tax is always lower than what I add in or allow for.
Hi Lisa,
I always look forward to your show-and-tell pictures. I learn a lot by looking at your pictures and trying to do your deals. My hat is off to your ability to save. I wonder how you are able to do all these great deals at your publix. My publix here in Miami is always giving me and my husband a hard time especially with coupons. We only come in with one or two and they scrutinize them to make sure they have a reason not to accept them when we absolutely make sure that the coupons are for the items that we want to buy.
How do you explain the overage to a cashier? My publix would not accept coupons if they go beyond the price of the item; like with your sundown deals by combining man and store coupons; I wouldn’t be able to do that since they would go beyond the price of the vitamins.
Can you also please explain how a BOGO coupon works on items that are already BOGO? They also never get that one too.
Thank you for all the help. More power to you.
Hi Teresa! Thanks for the question – okay with overage – let me start by saying some stores do not allow it. So, my first thought is that you might want to try shopping at a different Publix (if there is another one close by) to see if they are more “coupon friendly”.
With regards to overage, if your store does not allow it, then they should adjust the value of the coupon down so that you receive the item for free without overage. For me, I know that my store allows overage – so I do not have to explain it to them. I did shop at a different Publix once and the cashier was not the nicest lady to start with. She didn’t want to give me overage which I didn’t argue at all. I just had to tell her to adjust the value of the coupon down so that I would get the item free.
For BOGO coupons with a sale the best way to explain it is this: In Florida, when we have a BOGO sale, we pay for the first item in full and then the second item is free and in a sense paid for by Publix, CVS, Target, etc etc. When we use a BOGO coupon along with the sale, the BOGO coupon “covers” the cost of the first item we have to pay for. This makes both items free. Does that make sense? Also – don’t forget that the store will then send the BOGO coupon to the manufacturer who will reimburse them for the cost of the item. So, you are not stealing from the store at all – sometimes cashiers need to be reminded of this.. Let me know if you have any further questions and I will expound as much as you need me to 🙂
Hi, I’m new to FL. and like Publix, too. I go to the Publix in Riverview on Bloomingdale Ave. I’m a stay-at-home mom of 2 little ones, and enjoy seeing your deals every week. I’m confused as to which websites to go to to print coupons, as well as the Sunday papers (and through the mail). My publix will not let me use a manufacturer coupon plus a peelie from the bag (Willy Wonka candy last week-I had a $1.50, and a peelie of $1 off, which would have allowed me to get the bag for $.50, but no such luck), doesn’t yours let you? The cashier said they’re both manufacturer coupons, so only one at a time. Grrrrrr! But I thought I read somwhere that you use double manufacturer coupons for your groceries?
Are you able to reveal the Publix you shop at? It seems to be better than mine, or I still need LOTS of tips on couponing!
Do you tutor individually for couponing?
Thanks for your time!
Hi Danielle – Welcome to FL 🙂 I think that once you get used to Publix, you will love shopping there. In them meantime, let me try to answer your questions:
– Your store was correct regarding peelies. As long as the peelie is a manufacturer coupon, then you should not use one peelie and another manufacturer coupon on one item. My store does not allow this either and never has. I consistently receive emails from people that they were allowed to do this at their local Publix. However, they shouldn’t because Publix will not be reimbursed on two manufacturer coupons on one item.
-I have never written that Publix allows doubling manufacturer coupons. HOWEVER, you can use one Publix store and one manufacturer coupon on one item. 🙂 So, you may have misunderstood this concept. This is a concept called stacking and basically it means you use one Publix store (has a LU#) and one manufacturer coupon on one item.
-Regarding websites that I print coupons, I post as many “high value” coupons that you might want to print out that I can. So, if you read my site every day, I will usually highlight a couple coupons that you might want to print out. The most common websites for printing coupons are Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and Redplum.com.
-I live north of you and shop at my local store in Pasco County, FL. That said, I know that I have many readers in the Riverview area so maybe some can chime in on the best stores to shop at. I don’t tutor individually but I do hold Addicted to Saving 101 classes from time to time. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions that you come up with (like you did here) and I will do my best to answer all of them!
Thank you, and sorry for thinking you used double manufacturer coupons. I guess I read your website too fast in b/w taking care of my two little boys. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule for me. Hope to master the coupon game soon! Happy shopping! 🙂
Hi, I found where your website says you can use 2 manufacturer coupons. Under your “intro to couponing,”second paragraph under Step 1 (B1G1 ex. on toothpaste). But if a coupons reads $.75/2 (Nature Valley Granola bars are B1G1 through this Wed.), would I use this on the Granola bar BOGO? Or just duplicate coupons that reads so much cents/dollars off of one item? Thanks!
Hi Danielle! You are correct – I did say you could use two coupons in the Intro to Couponing post. Just remember with the toothpaste example, I am telling you that you can use two tubes because you are buying two tubes 🙂 I am not saying you can use two manufacturer coupons on one item.. Regarding the $0.75/2, you can use one $0.75/2 on two Nature Valley bars. Since the $0.75 off two coupon covers two items (it is $0.75 off of two Granola Bars), you will only be able to use one coupon… Let me know if you have any questions. I realize this is really tricky..
What is a tear off
Meant tearpad
Hi Michelle – a tearpad is basically a pad of coupons that you usually find attached to shelves throughout the store. If you haven’t noticed them before, be on the lookout for them. You can usually score great deals if you hold on to the tearpad coupons and save them for a sale. 🙂
Thanks for the link-up. I really enjoying sharing my expriences and see those of others.
What Publix in Florida allow overage?
Hi Tiffany,
What area are you located? Several Publix’s in
Tallahassee allow overages.
I’m in Dunedin, Fl…Had the worst shopping experience tonight. Looking for a new store….Any Publix that are coupon friendly?
Hey Tiffany, which store in Dunedin (so I know which one NOT to go to)? I actually live in Palm Harbor and mainly stick with one on 19 and one on Alt 19 but it seems like there are quite a few couponers who frequent those stores as well because if I don’t shop on Friday (usually close to closing time) most of the deals are gone or close to gone by Saturday. The store at Caledesi has been good about giving me coupons or giving me a rain check for more than the standard four if I ask. I haven’t tried couponing at that one yet. The two I go to don’t necessarily “allow” overage but depending on the cashier, they haven’t not allowed it if you know what I mean. I’m just always told “You know I can’t go below zero right?” Depending on what happened, you may want to try that store again just try a different cashier. I have had really bad experiences with one or two cashiers so I now know to avoid them like the plague! Good luck.
Teresa-
I go to the Publix on Main & Keene. Never again! I always get stuck with the rudest cashiers. I swear they act like I am taking money out of their own pockets. But tonight this cashier went over board…I pulled out the coupons and he started shaking his head and talking under his breath. This is the third time he has had an attitude with me. Not sure why its so hard to just scan coupons?!?!? I proceeded to the customer service desk to complain to the manager, of course younger guy acted like he didn’t really care. Ugh…now I’m off to look up the corporate number. Phew…Sorry had to vent. I’ll have to check out the Publix in Palm Harbor 🙂
No, you are good. Trust me, I have had a few of those. I actually had a manager at Walgreens tell me directly how much he hated coupons, didn’t like having to take/deal with them and then refused to give me the RR that I should have received but didn’t. Needless to say I did call corporate on him. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few nasty cashiers at the stores I frequent but the good thing is they normally work days so I know not to shop during the day! 🙂 Hopefully one of the Palm Harbor stores will treat you better. I’ve had really great experiences with them overall.
Quick question, do you know if there are anymore of those whole fruit sorbet coupons that aren’t expired? As in are there any new ones in the coupons we have now? Thanks!
Hey Liza, I am alway impressed with how well you save at Publix. I have learned a lot from you and always refer friends and readers to learn how to use overage items to bring their overall totals down, by following your site. Thanks for all you do!
Holly
Centsable Stewardship
This is totally OT, but did you notice that the Glade and Crystal Light just has the same colors and all, jaja!