Q & A with Addicted to Saving

Hey Everyone – So, as you know, I was away for a while during March and April.  During that time, I somehow managed to gather thousands of emails and sadly, I won’t be able to answer all of them because there are just too many.  I thought, however, that I would post a few of them and answer them publicly.  That way, if any of you have them same question, you can see the answer and we can all be on the same page!  The questions below are typed up in black font, my answers are in purple.  🙂

~~~~~~

Walgreens Question: I am having trouble at my Walgreens with coupons.  On the receipt the wording says “The total number of Manufacturer/Register rewards cannot exceed the number of items in the transaction.”  In other words I cannot use a coupon and my register rewards at the same time.   Can you clarify this for me?  I’m confused about how to do it.

Shopping at Walgreens can sometimes be tricky.  The key concept to remember while shopping at Walgreens is that you can only use one manufacturer coupon per item.  Walgreens considers a RR (Register Reward) to be a manufacturer’s coupon.  SO – when you have a RR and a coupon to use and when you are planning on purchasing only one item, instead of buying one item, also purchase a filler item.  A filler item is something cheap (I always try to find something that costs $0.25 or less).  Since you are then purchasing two items, you should be able to use the RR and manufacturer’s coupon on those two items.  Does that make sense?

Along that line, if you have a RR that you are rolling to a second transaction, make sure you are not using the RR on the same deal.  If you use an RR earned from a Nivea lotion deal and then go to use that RR on the Nivea lotion deal again, you will not earn more RRs.  Make sure you always use the RR on a different deal.

Publix Question:  I had a coupon that stated that it was a Manufacturer’s Coupon but had a Publix’s LU# on it.  I took the coupon to my Publix and talked with them about it and they told me that they didn’t know why it says Manufacturer on it because it is a store coupon and they would only accept it as a store coupon.  They said that it couldn’t be a manufacturer’s coupon because it didn’t have an address listed as to where to send the coupon. 

 My standard rule of thumb for Publix store coupons is that they have to have an LU# on it.  If a Publix coupon has a LU# on it, that means the cashier will have to manually type into the register the LU# in order for coupon amount to deduct.  That said, Publix will sometimes through us curveballs like the one you mentioned.  Since the coupon you used said “Manufacturer” and also had an LU#, I would have done the same thing as you – I would have asked customer service as to how they would use the coupon. 

Sometimes Publix will also give us coupons that state “Retailer Coupon” (this usually means store coupon) but then at the bottom there is a barcode and no LU#.. This is a “Gray area” for Publix.  So, what I always recommend is to ask customer service how they will handle this coupon because some stores will treat it as a store coupon while other stores will treat it as a manufacturer coupon.

Great question – the $20.00 that you have to spend is before using coupons!  🙂  Deals like this make me very happy – especially when I have coupons to use on the products.  Same thing goes for coupons like the $5.00 off of $30.00 CVS coupon I just received in my email inbox.  (This is an email specifically for my Extra Care card otherwise I would post it ;)).  The $5/$30 coupon is going to take $5.00 off of my total owed before I start using coupons!  So, I will have to purchase $30.00 worth of products and will then receive the $5 off from my coupon as well as the money off from whatever manufacturer coupons and/or ECBs I use!

 

 Coupon Insert Question: I would like to know if you would send me the coupons inserts found in newspapers please it would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry! I don’t mail out coupon inserts.  To find inserts, you best bet would be to buy the Sunday paper every week.  I post what inserts you will see in each Sunday’s paper on Thursdays and then I remind you on Saturdays.  And, if you have missed out on previous inserts, you can order them online at sites like Coupons & Things by Dede or The Coupon Clippers.

Publix Store Coupons Question:My question is regarding a coupon from 4/10 SS.  The coupon can be used at Publix & says Get a Free Huggies Baby Wipes Tub when you purchase 1 box of Huggies Diapers. The thing is I have another coupon for Publix that says Buy 1 package of Huggies Diapers & get 1 package of Huggies Wipes Free.  Can these be combined to get 1 of both items free with no other purchase?

Okay – if I understand your question correctly, it seems that you want to use two Publix store coupons.  Each coupon is for FREE Wipes wyb Diapers.  And you are asking if you can use both together on one diapers and one wipes?  If I understand the question, the answer is no.  You can only use one Publix store coupon per deal (or transaction depending on the wording in the coupon).  Now if you had the same coupon but it was a manufacturer coupon, you should be able to use the manufacturer coupon and the store coupon together.  But, you will only be able to use one store coupon. 

Winn Dixie Store Coupons: Where do you get your Winn Dixie store coupons that you use on your Photo Show and Tells?

I have a friend who gives me her coupons.  She receives them from numerous sources but the one source I know for sure is Winn Dixie Baby Club.  If you sign up, you may receive coupons in the mail.  Go HERE to sign up.  (You need a Rewards Card Number in order to sign up.)

Donating Food & Tax Deductions: I just wanted to ask you if you knew much about donating items that were purchased for free or nearly free in terms of claiming them as a tax deduction.

I have thought about this question before and I have been asked this question numerous times, but sadly, even though I have a degree in Business/Econ, I can not help you.  🙁  I would recommend you talk with your local accountant to see what he/she recommends.