Have some couponing questions?  Or want to learn how to save more on local deals (eating out, entertainment etc.)?  Tonight’s Q&A session will cover local deals and everything else under the sun!  I’m always up for questions (and actually love it when Q&A sessions keep me hopping), so bring anything you have related to saving money.

To join in the Q&A session, head over and login.  You should then immediately see me on your screen and a live chat window where you can ask questions and chat with everyone else on the hangout.

If you miss the session, you can always watch it later from the Southern Savers youtube page.

(Note: We will not have a session next week).

Many times a deal is so great that half the city wakes up and buys it.  The store could never have enough stock for that, so most stores offer rain checks to customers that missed an item.  I know it’s not as fun to leave a store with a piece of paper and not the product you wanted, but if you pass up getting the rain check it’s going to be a long time till you see that particular item on sale (6 weeks following the sale cycle).

If you are in a grocery store, take note of the items you didn’t get and head straight to customer service before leaving.  Tell them what you wanted to get and that they were out of it.  They’ll write a rain check that allows you to get the same deal later.  You can even use coupons with it!   If the coupon expires before they restock you will need to find another coupon or ask the manager before using an expired coupon, except at Publix!  As long as the coupon was good the day the rain check was written you may continue to use it until the rain check expires. (Watch a short video on this.)

CVS is the only drugstore that has great rain checks (don’t really waste your time asking in other stores).  If CVS has a great deal on Huggies diapers this week and you get there to find that they are out of the size you needed, get a rain check.  CVS rain checks never expire and will print the reward that should have printed today when ever you redeem it!

A Few Tips:

• Remember that every store has a different policy on rain checks.  They will expire at different lengths, have different limits etc.  Understand your stores policy before redeeming them so you aren’t frustrated at checkout.
• To get a rain check the store doesn’t have to be out of every product. They just need to be out of the type you wanted to buy.  You want to grab Pop Tarts and there are 23 (or some other crazy number) different flavors.  Odds are one of the types you wanted will be out.  You are still able to get a rain check, and don’t have to make your kids suffer through some horrible type.  Your rain check won’t be written for the specific type so you could get others later.
• In 99% of stores rain checks do not have to be used in the actual store that issued them.  If you get a CVS rain check for soda (next week there’s a great 12 pk. deal) you could drive all the way to the beach and use your rain check at a CVS there rather than hauling soda cross country with you!