If you shop at Publix, one thing you love them for is their competitor coupon policy. It can be frustrating for folks shopping different stores in different areas that the coupons accepted vary depending on what’s in the area and sometimes even with managers.
I want the Publix list here on Southern Savers to be as helpful as possible, so we did a fun little poll to see what coupons you guys are able to use. First here are the numbers, then we’ll talk about how they’ll be used. There were a total of 8849 total responses so thanks for helping out!!
It might surprise you that the majority of Publix Shoppers are actually not in Florida, with Georgia coming in first by a pretty huge margin.
Now for what your stores are taking:
I wanted to get a general feel rather than store by store so that I could make some decisions as to what coupons to include or not include. In my area only traditional grocery store competitors have been accepted for almost two years so it’s hard to remember sometimes that some of you can use other things.
Target:
To be a competitor most Publix stores will say that you need to have a super Target nearby. Exactly half of you have a Super Target nearby, but yet over 63% of you said your stores accept Target as a competitor. I will continue to match them every week, so for those of you whose stores don’t accept these, please pass by them in the matchups.
Drug Stores:
Almost 30% of you are still having success with drugstore coupons (Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid). I have a really hard time with these stores being seen as competitors but if 1/3 of you can use them I will add them to the lists.
Other Stores:
We had lots of other stores reported but all the store combined it was still only 5% of you. They included Family Dollar, Dollar General, Save-a-Lot, Earth Fare and others.
In the end, remember that every store is allowed to decide who is a competitor to them. It is always best to call your local store and ask them what competitor coupons they accept before printing any (and wasting ink). Also please realize that competitor coupons are coming out of your stores pockets. It is not affecting Publix corporate but your local area. So use them nicely and ethically.
Most people have goals to save money and lose weight. One of the common myths is that products with coupons are all unhealthy. My hope for this list is to provide you with some tasty, frugal eats based on sales at the grocery store.
*These prices are based off of averages and are subject to change weekly
I am posting the Weight Watchers points below items, if you aren’t doing Weight Watchers then just know these are very healthy choices.
Steak & Salad
Boneless Beef New York strip steak, $3.99 each (at Bi-Lo)
A1 Steak Sauce 10 oz. 74¢ (at Publix)
(3 Points Plus for 3 oz. cooked steak and 1 tbsp. of steak sauce)
Fresh Express Salad Blend, 4.5-12 oz., at $1.44 (at Publix)
Florida Grape Tomatoes, 1 pint, $2 (at Publix)
Cucumbers 79¢ (at Harris Teeter)
Hidden Valley Light Ranch Dressing 16 oz., $1.39 (at Publix)
(2 Points Plus for 2 tbsp. of dressing)
Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic and Herbs – Recipe
Young Turkey Breast, $1.39 lb (at Publix) or Butterball Turkey Breast, $1.49 lb (at Harris Teeter)
(5 Points Plus)
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes – Recipe
Tasteful Selections Potatoes, 24-28 oz. bag, FREE (at Publix)
(2 Points Plus)
Chicken Enchiladas – Recipe
Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, $2.29 lb. (at Bi-Lo)
Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, 10 oz., 57¢ (at Bi-Lo)
Rotel Tomatoes 10 oz., 11¢ (at Kroger)
Breakstone’s Fat Free Sour Cream, 16 oz., 9¢ (at Harris Teeter)
(10 Points Plus)
Chicken Pot Pie – Recipe
Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, $2.29 lb. (at Bi-Lo)
Green Giant Boil in Bag Vegetables, 7-10 oz., FREE (at Bi-Lo)
(6 Points Plus)
There are so many new faces around here lately that I wanted to take some time and cover some of the features on Southern Savers you might have never noticed. I also get so many emails from folks that just don’t know where to get started or what it all means. So spend a few minutes with me taking a tour, and even my old timers might learn a new trick or two!
If you have been around Southern Savers for a while or attended a workshop, you know how I feel about supercenters: they can never compete with local grocery stores.However, I have noticed that many people still seem to think that shopping at supercenters is the way to go. A year ago we tested sales and showed you that grocery stores were hands down the way to go. In an attempt to prove that yet again, I did a little test this past week. I took all of the on-sale items at Publix and Bi-Lo and went into my local supercenter to look at how their prices matched up. As expected the didn’t match up at all!!
It may seem to be slightly biased to select only the on-sale items and compare but my particular local supercenter (and I suspect yours does as well) advertises “Always Low Prices”. In other words, their prices are always as low as they will get and they will not run a lower sale. Also, as you know, I only buy on-sale items (if you are new read up on the basics of following sales).
After taking all the listed prices, I calculated the effect of coupons on both the grocery stores and the supercenter, remembering to double where it applied. I did the math based on buying one of every item off the weekly Southern Savers list. If it was a store brand, then a store brand was chosen at the supercenter. The results were:
Publix On-Sale Items Plus Coupons: $200.19
Same Items with Coupons At SuperCenter: $267.74
Bi-Lo On-Sale Items Plus Coupons: $195.65
Same Items with Coupons At SuperCenter: $245.95
This again was pretending to only buy 1 of each item, and using Southern Savers we want to stock up for 6 weeks, which would only make the amount saved greater. To put these numbers in perspective, let’s say that you went to Publix and purchased only one of the on-sale items for a month (4 weeks) instead of the supercenter. You would save over $260 a month!
I hope this is convincing and shows you how much money you could be saving. I know that the supercenters are convenient and it can be easy to shop there. But if you really want to save money, the grocery stores are the way to go.
Let’s dispel one other myth with these numbers too:
“Aren’t Buy One Get One prices increased so you really aren’t saving??”
Looking just at the Publix B1G1 deals and comparing the cost after coupons to the cost at the Super Center it truly shows that the Big Box store can’t compete with a grocery sale price. “Buying” one of each B1G1 item the numbers are:
Publix B1G1 items with coupon $63.95
Same items with coupons at SuperCenter: $87.94
Bi-Lo B1G1 with coupon $117.34
Same items with coupons at SuperCenter: $163.91
Every week one of the largest questions on the Publix weekly ad is what stores accept what competitor coupons. Most of you have seen large changes over the last 3-4 months as to what your stores will accept (and others will have changes in the next few months). With all of these changes I’m curious how many stores are accepting certain coupons.
My goal is that the match ups be the most useful for you, so this is being used to help gauge what competitor coupons to have in the weekly ad list.
Thanks for taking a few seconds to help out.
When money gets tight it becomes really easy to focus on the immediate needs and put aside anything else. In reality though with some expenses paying a little bit now even when things are tight saves you a ton of money later. (Think of your dad at this point giving you a lecture on taking care of your things).
Your car is one of the most important, and expensive, things you own. I don’t know if it’s because we only sit in it a little bit each day or because it can’t talk to you… but our cars are also one the biggest areas that get neglected. It is also easy to let some of those small things go (you know, “It is only a few miles over my time for an oil change…what’s a few hundred miles?”). But, as most car owners can tell you, small things can become big things and a missed $30 oil change can later become $1000 down the drain. (I’m writing this while my van is flashing that it is 300 miles overdue every time I turn it on…)
Here are a few simple things can be done regularly and at a low cost to make sure that your car stays in great shape:
–Oil Change – This may be a no-brainer, but it is a good reminder. Get your oil and the oil-filter changed every 3,000-4,000 miles to keep your car in the best shape possible. Depending on where you drive, city or long distance, you will also need to change your oil more frequently.
–Tire Rotation – According to Pep Boys, you should rotate your tires every 3,000-4,000 miles if they are high-performance tires. If you have a jack, this is something you can do yourself pretty easily. Here is a list of ways to rotate your tires depending on the type of car you drive.
While you’re at it you can check your tire’s pressure levels. This should be in your owner’s manual and can easily be readjusted at any gas station with an Air Pump.
–Fluid Levels –It is never a bad idea to do a cursory check of your oil level, your brake fluid, radiator fluid, and your transmission fluid. If your brake or transmission fluid is running low, you probably need to get professional help. It might mean that there is a leak somewhere in your system. The appropriate fluid levels should all be in your handy-dandy owner’s manual.
Just a side note, never check your radiator fluid while the engine is hot (this might be bad news for your hands/face).
–Air Filters – This one is a little less important than the others, but it is important nonetheless and is also the easiest one to do yourself. Check out your owner’s manual to find out where your air filter is and take a look at it. Put simply, if it is looking really dirty, you should probably replace it.
Even if you do one little thing like pull out the oil stick and see that it is fine I promise you’ll instantly feel more proud of your self just for trying!
Win FREE Car Care
While we are on the topic of cars, how about money towards car care/stuff at Pepboys?? Pep Boys has given me (5) $50 gift cards to give to you! (You can find the closest Pep Boys store here.)
To Enter
Leave a comment answering:
If your car could talk, what would it have wanted for Christmas? Be creative!
I will pick 5 different winners to each get $50 to spend at their nearest Pepboys. Winners will be picked Friday 1/07.
I got a package in the mail today and it made me so excited I had to share. A few weeks ago I found out that I was picked to travel with Operation Christmas Child to help distribute Christmas Child boxes! When we started posting deals and “how to” posts last fall my hope and prayer was that a spot would open up. I’ve been giddy ever since finding out that it was really going to happen.
I leave January 31st to head to the poorest county in the Americas, with 80% of the country living under the poverty line and 54% living in abject (utterly hopeless) poverty. This will be my first ever trip to a third world country and I hope to share as many of the experiences that I can (hopefully technology will allow). I think I’m the most excited about getting to see these children as they open their shoe boxes and the pure joy that we’ve seen through past trips.
Where am I going?
I would love your thoughts and prayers for a safe trip. Haiti is not the most political or health stable country right now, so pray for all aspects of this trip to run smoothly and that the children receiving these boxes would see the love that went into packing them.
I can’t wait to share stories, pictures, videos and probably a few tears with you.
(Don’t worry over grocery deals, I’m already training folks to get us ready for this week!)
Last week I shared two options of how to organize coupons that required the least amount of time. Today I’m detailing two other options that get increasingly more organized but also more time consuming.
Organization is really something that is different for every person so these are just ideas. I’ve seen lots of variations off the 4 options that we have gone through so find something that works for you.
In general for a binder this is so easy to make yourself so I would encourage you to NOT pay a ton of money to buy something someone else already put together. (In case you didn’t get my underlying feelings I wouldn’t encourage you to go with this method in the first place but…)
All you need to get to make your own binder:
- Pack of 6-12 tab dividers – label with sections of your store “refrigerated, frozen, meat” etc.
- Baseball Card Protector Sheets (sold on eBay 50 for $6 — tip don’t search for coupon sleeves they charge more)
- Large 3 Ring Binder that zips up
You can add different sleeve pocket sheets like photo sized pockets or even full sheet protectors to make larger categories rather than having coupon by itself. Another thing to add might be a zipper pouch for scissors or to hold coupons you plan to use, I’d wait for back to school sales when these are a penny.
In the end a binder should cost maybe $15-$20 to put together depending on how nice you go with your 3 ring binder. The one I have in the video above cost about $15 from Staples.
In the end, find a system that allows you to be organized to your liking and using the least amount of your time. Remember your time is valuable so blend things together and get creative to find a workable system for you.
I know many of you love your binder, so share with us ways that you make a binder take less time or more doable for the average person.
Couponing can be very overwhelming and the number one reason for that is generally the way that you pick to organize your coupons. So we are going to spend a few days going over a few options to organize things more efficiently and cut down on your time spent clipping and saving.
Watch below to learn about how to organize by not cutting coupons! (This is what I do and spend maybe 30 minutes getting ready for a shopping trip).
This video is only part one and I know that many of you are die hard fanatics for more intense methods… don’t worry we are covering that in the next video coming Monday.
A few tips to make the file system work even better:
- Print the weekly insert variation list for your area and put that list in each pocket with that weeks inserts. Now you can quickly see if you really got that coupon.
- If you need something that is not on sale, use the coupon database to find any coupons. (The database will even work on your phone in a store!)
- You only need to keep inserts for about 12 weeks. If there are any good coupons still in that inserts cut that one coupon rather than holding onto an insert for years.
Do you organize your coupons using the file system?
Have any more tips that have made it work even better for you??
