Tampa - $1 off Fresh Meat Coupon

#Tampa peeps - check your St Pete Times Newspaper carefully today, there is a Target coupon for $1 off Fresh Meat on the ad insert. These can be used at most Publix stores as a competitor coupon. Since its a store coupon it will stack nicely with the $1.00 off beef wyb Uncle Bens rice coupon. Remember, today is the last day that Uncle Bens Ready Rice is BOGO at Publix

 

Here's my scenario:

 

2 Uncle Ben's Ready Rice 8.5 to 8.8 oz pouch, BOGO $1.99-$1/2 Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Product 2/20/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/17/2011)
2 packages of Beef (have butcher package around $2 each for you)

$1/1 Fresh Beef WYB Uncle Ben's Product 2/13/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/10/2011)-$1/1 Fresh Meat – 3/2/2011 Target Coupon in St Pete Times Ad Insert (exp 3/5/2011)
 

Totals:

+1.99 Rice

+0.00 BOGO

+2.00 beef pkg

+2.00 beef pkg

-1.00 MQ rice

-2.00 MQ beef

-2.00 TQ meat

=$0.99 for two rice and 2 packs of meat

#Tampa - Coupons in Your Mail

Check your "junk mailer/ads" for 2 great coupons in the Tampa area - another $5 off $30 Winn Dixie which you can use at Publix, and stack with the $10 off $50 Publix coupon also found in the mail ad preview. If your order is $80 before coupons use both and get $15 off! What a great find!

Tampa Check Your Mail Today!

I just found a $5 off $30 coupon in the Winn Dixie flyer of the Red Plum Mailer - may only be in the Tampa area, but worth checking anyway. It's valid from 1/26/11 thru 02/08/11. Remember, Publix accepts Winn Dixie competitor coupons!

Top 20 Most Frugal Cities

Attention, shoppers: Atlanta residents are saving more money than you are. When it comes to whittling down that grocery bill and tackling rising food prices, Atlantans are doing it best by using coupons.

For the second year in a row, Atlanta takes the top spot on the ‘Most Frugal U.S. Cities’ list, according to the 2010 Savings Index1 released today by Coupons.com, the premiere Web destination for coupons and savings. On average, regular users of Coupons.com in Atlanta printed more than $1000.00 dollars in coupon savings from the site in 2010. That is almost twice as much as during 2009, when they printed $531 in savings.

Tampa cashed in with coupons and maintained its position as the city with the second most savings. On average, regular users of Coupons.com in Tampa printed $863.00 in savings. Following on the savings heels of Atlanta and Tampa are, in order, Cincinnati, Saint Louis and Minneapolis, according to the Index.

“Across the country Americans are incorporating couponing into their shopping routine to alleviate rising food costs and keep their grocery bill in check,” said Jeanette Pavini, Coupons.com household savings expert. “Especially in the South and Midwest, shoppers know how to keep their pennies in their pockets, racking up substantial savings throughout the year.”

The South is a mega-saver: more than one-third of the top 20 frugal cities are in the Southern region of the United States. In addition to Atlanta and Tampa, other Southland cities on the list include Charlotte (#6), Nashville (#7), Raleigh (#10), Oklahoma City (#13), Miami (#13) and Dallas (#14).

Once again, Ohio is the country’s most frugal state. The Buckeye state is represented three times on the ‘Most Frugal U.S. Cities’ list – Cincinnati (#3), Cleveland (#8) and Columbus (#19).

North Carolina is Ohio’s biggest challenger, climbing the penny-pinching ladder with two cities in the top 10: Charlotte and Raleigh.

For the first time it was raining green in the Pacific Northwest as Seattle (#18) joined the list. Seattle is the only city on the West Coast that made the cut.

In 2010, regular users of Coupons.com hailing from the top 20 most frugal cities printed or added more than $1023.00 in savings to their store loyalty cards, which is almost twice the amount from 2009 of $535.00. Nationwide, more than $1.2 billion in savings was printed or saved to loyalty cards from Coupons.com and the Coupons.com network during 2009.

1. Atlanta
2. Tampa, FL
3. Cincinnati
4. St. Louis
5. Minneapolis
6. Charlotte, NC
7. Nashville, TN
8. Cleveland
9. Pittsburgh
10. Raleigh, NC
11. Kansas City, MO
12. Washington, DC
13. Miami
14. Dallas
15. Oklahoma City
16. Boston
17. Denver
18. Seattle
19. Columbus, OH
20. Wichita, KS
via

$5 off $50 PQ

$5/$50 PQ in the BOGO flyer from RedPlum today

$5 off $30 Publix coupon

Today's USF Oracle has a $5 off $30 Publix coupon, valid thru 11/22/10. HERE is the online version, coupon is page 7.

Today's St Pete Times Coupons

Today, Wednesday 11/17/10, there are two good coupons you'll want to get from your St Pete Times newspaper. The Target flyer in the middle of the ads has a peelie for 2 FREE green giant vegetables wyb $25 of product (This is a TQ that expires 11/20/10).

There is also an ad for GFS Marketplace that has a store coupon for $5 off $50, valid 11/17-24.

New Coupons To Print

Coupons.com has some great new coupons this week! I've included several of them below

- Glade Automatic Spray Starter Kit - $4.00 off 1
- Huggies Little Snugglers - $2.00 off 1
- Danon Activia - $0.75 off 1
- Wisk Laundry Detergent - $1.00 off 1
- Pillsbury Savorings - $1.00 off 1
- Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo - $1.00 off 1
- Minute Rice - $0.50 off 1
- Huggies Pure & Natural - $2.50 off 1
- Pillsbury No Fuss Frosting - $1.00 off 1
- Aleve - $2.00 off One 80 count
- Monistat - $3.00 off 1
- Florastor Probiotic - $7.00 off 1

The Dark Side of Couponing

One of the hardest things about couponing is the scorn we endure in the stores. The people behind us in lines sighing loudly, the cashiers as they sift through our pile of coupons and try to remember if we bought that item, and of course the store managers that treat us like we are criminals. I work really hard at couponing - getting rss feeds from tons of coupon shopper blogs with matchups, gathering inserts, filing and clipping, making a shopping list and getting the matchups, and then the easiest part of all - the shop. Except the shop is not turning out to be very fun anymore. It used to be exhilarating walking the aisles - finding a new booklet, grabbing a peelie or blinkie, finding the shelves stocked with the items on our list, and a fresh snack as the lady makes a nice meal at the Apron Station. The climax of the trip was checking out and watching as the totals drop, and then just paying a couple dollars for a cart full of product.

 

But it seems like those days are far and few in between now. There is stress involved in grocery shopping. How stupid is that? My store used to have a wonderful coupon friendly group of store managers and assistant store managers, but then things changed. We've all seen it, the shuffling of coupons by the cashier as they set some aside. Reading the small print and deciding today after years of no problems, they are going to enforce the "one coupon per purchase per customer" on the PQ. I can deal with it and offer alternatives, like my DH with me is a customer too, so we can use 2, right? It usually ends up being less than pleasurable to shop. I know from the vibes on the internet and coupon forums that everyone is having more difficulty successfully shopping with coupons. Especially the people who are really good and consistently save above 80%. We are treated like criminals because we have mastered the coupon game, and the stores don't like it.

 

Last night was one of those nights at Publix. Here's my shopping list. Nothing too out of line, except maybe getting 10 egg beaters, but there were plenty on the shelf and my coupons expire on Sunday so I had to do it. But I broke one of my rules by not getting fillers so that my item count exceeded the coupon count. I've been slack in not worrying about manager overrides or "getting numbers" as they call it to complete my transaction with too many coupons.  But holy crap, I got the new young asst store manager male who thinks that couponers are thieves.

 

28-Oct	21		49.05	7.39	36.20	tax	5.46	23	-88.87%
Product	qty	price	subtl	-B1G1	-Q		total	Q#	Q details
mushrooms	1	1.50	1.50		1.00		0.50	1	$1/1 TQ print
iceburg lettuce	1	1.69	1.69		1.00		0.69	1	$1/1 TQ print
tomato	1	0.92	0.92				0.92
banana	2	0.35	0.70		0.70		0.00	1	$1/1 TQ print
Egg Beaters	10	1.67	16.70		7.50		9.20	10	$0.75/1 print
Gortons Tilapia BOGO	2	7.39	14.78	7.39	3.00		4.39	3	1/1MQ+1/2PQ
vivarin sominex	4	3.19	12.76		18.00		-5.24	6	$5/2PQ+ (2) $2/1MQ
$/$$ coupon		0.00	0.00		5.00		-5.00	1	$5/$25 competitor

 

My order rang up and my DH didn't split up the bananas to count as two items - but that wouldn't have helped anyway. I had 3 extra coupons requiring an override. First off he starts scrolling through the screen making sure I bought produce for the $1 off TQ for produce. He would only give me 0.70 off and said I didn't buy at least a $1 of produce. I asked what he was talking about, I had plenty of produce. I told him I had to guess on the weight since they don't have prices on bananas and tomatoes, my goof I guess - the tomatoes were only 0.92 instead of 1.00. I let it go. What really irked me was him trying to give me back my $5 PQ for the sominex and telling me they weren't going to pay me to shop. This store has always been cool about overage, but this guy is obviously not. DH started getting angry and told Eric the ASM, that he was insulted and this was not a pleasurable shopping trip. I told the ASM we were paying over $5 for the order, how could he say he was paying us? Anyway, this is our home store and we always try to fly low under the radar. We don't want to alienate the staff even though they are not the most friendly. We just wanted to get out of there by now. Then Eric starts trying to be nice and offers to get our names so the store manager can call us. Yeah right. He says this as he's printing a duplicate receipt and has all my Q's in hand on his way upstairs to the office. He was going to go try to figure out what happened. It was all legit, just like it always is. They just don't like it.

 

So, the dark side of couponing is that it is not for the weak at heart. You need to be confident and sure of your rights and responsibilities. Don't let ignorant staff tell you they can't let you use that coupon. A coupon is legal payment. It seems like the better at couponing you get, the more scrutiny you will have to endure. It does not get easier the better you are.

 

The important thing to remember for me anyway at Publix, is to pick the right cashier, make sure you have fillers to bring your item count greater than your coupon count (and if you don't - leave out the overage items that shop) to avoid having manager override required. I broke my rule and paid the price - an extremely ugly encounter at the store that just doesn't sit right with me. I don't feel like it would help to talk to the store manager or corporate either because they don't want the really good couponers around. I can't even say I spend thousands of dollars a year on groceries anymore because I don't, but I used to. I still get thousands of dollars of food and products, but they're not getting the cash.

 

So, I'm staying out of Publix for a while. I need to work through my stockpile anyway. And work through my anger and dismay at how a good thing makes me feel bad.

General Mills & Kraft Price Increases Soon

Better stock up on cereals now even if you don't need to quite yet, as these price increases may make the days of free or $0.25 cereal over.

 

 

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- General Mills Inc. (GIS) is raising prices on some cereals and baking products, the clearest signal yet that food makers will pass some price pressure from higher commodity costs on to retailers and consumers.

General Mills is instituting "low-single-digit" percentage price increases on select cereal brands and slightly higher increases on some baking products, such as flour and baking mixes, spokeswoman Kirstie Foster said.
Separately, Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT) is also starting to raise some prices, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, though the scope of Kraft's increases wasn't immediately clear. A Kraft spokesman declined comment Wednesday, but the company recently said it would selectively raise prices on some brands to offset commodity costs.
New price increases would come at a time of still-widespread caution among consumers, who are still jittery about the pace of the economic recovery. It could also put some retailers in a bind. Supermarket operators, who have expressed caution about consumer confidence, will have to decide whether to raise shelf prices or sacrifice profits.
General Mills will raise prices on select cereal brands starting Nov. 15, the spokeswoman said, affecting about a quarter of its cereal business in the U.S. Specific brands weren't disclosed, though the spokeswoman said it would be the first price increase on many of the cereal brands in more than three years. General Mills' brands include Cheerios and Lucky Charms cereals and Betty Crocker baking mixes. Price increases on the baking brands will go into effect Jan. 3.
Kroger Co. (KR) and Safeway Inc. (SWY) executives have said in recent weeks that they expect to be able to pass along such increases, although other supermarket chains such as Supervalu Inc. (SVU) are engaged in another round of price cuts in stores to keep shoppers coming in.
Supervalu on Tuesday said it was going to run another round of price cuts, a direct response to declining sales and market share. The new strategy comes as a major supplier in the past week told Supervalu that it will raise prices "across the board," Supervalu Chief Executive Craig Herkert told analysts Tuesday. A Supervalu spokesman declined comment on which supplier warned the company of higher prices. (This company owns Save-a-lot and CUB foods)

 

By Anjali Cordeiro and Paul Ziobro

DOW JONES NEWSWIRE

Sweetbay Coupon Seminars in FL

Thanks to KimBob from SD, here is information on upcoming events from Sweetbay (Publix Competitor in FL).
Sweetbay Supermarket is proud to bring back the original Coupon Queen for an eight-store tour from September 29 through October 8 to conduct free seminars showing shoppers "how to spot value at the grocery store."  Nationally recognized Susan Samtur, the Coupon Queen, will conduct a practical seminar on simple ways to spot value, stick to your shopping list and stay within your family budget.

Sweetbay will feature The Coupon Queen at eight stores throughout Florida, all seminars taking place promptly at 10 a.m. The schedule is as follows:

9/29   Clearwater 1861 N. Highland Avenue	10/5    Ft. Myers 5690 Bayshore Road
9/30   New Port Richey 7431 State Road 54	10/6   Sarasota 4230 Bee Ridge Road
10/1   Clermont 1714 U.S. Hwy. 27	10/7  Bradenton 5802 14th Street W.
10/4   Naples 7550 Mission Hills Drive	10/8  Northdale, Tampa 15692 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.

 

To attend a seminar, those interested must register by calling (813) 251-4242 x224 or by e-mailing SweetbayCouponQueen@gmail.com - please note which Sweetbay location and number of people attending. All attendees will receive $5 off their grocery bill, a coupon organizer, coupon book and a copy of Refundle Bundle, the magazine by The Coupon Queen, while supplies last.

National Coupon Month

September is National Coupon Month. As Americans embrace frugality, both coupon distribution and use have increased significantly over the past year, further demonstrating this strong desire to spend wisely and save. Seeking coupons, savings and deals remains commonplace as National Coupon Month is recognized throughout September for the 13th consecutive year.

 

Coupon Facts

1. Coupon redemption in the first half of 2010 increased by 7.9%, outpacing results in the first half of 2009. Consumers saved nearly $2 billion with coupons during this time frame.¹
2. Coupon distribution in the first half of 2010 increased by 11.4%. Marketers offered 18 billion more consumer packaged goods coupons during this time period.¹
3. 93% of shoppers said they will remain cautious and keep spending at their current level, even if the economy improves.²
4. 92% of shoppers have changed their grocery shopping behavior in the last two years.² 
5. 97% of consumers want to know the cost of the item before buying.³
6. CPG marketers continue to allocate the largest share of coupons — 85% — in the free-standing insert (FSI).¹
7. In 2010, the Internet continues to grow at a much faster pace than all other distribution media, up 79% from a year ago, but it represents 1.2% of all coupon distribution.¹
8. 91% of shoppers would walk away from the "perfect sweater" if it wasn´t on sale. 73% would come back later during a sale with a store coupon; and 19% would go to the sale racks instead.⁴  
9. CPG distribution increased by 11% in 2009 (311 billion coupons distributed) — the largest single-year distribution quantity recorded.⁵
10. Consumers redeemed nearly 3.2 billion coupons — a 23% increase (second largest increase in coupon redemption ever recorded) in 2009.⁵
11. Consumers saved nearly $3.5 billion with coupons in 2009, an increase of $800 million or nearly 30% more than the prior year.⁵
12. 51% of consumers indicate they will consider each purchase more carefully over the next five years. (Nearly as many say that they will become more price-conscious when buying clothing/food and that keeping a balanced budget will remain in the forefront).⁶
13. 65% of shoppers use cents-off coupons received in the mail or from newspapers/magazines.⁷
14. In 2009, 88% of consumers said they used coupons when planning shopping lists; an increase of 10% from 2007.⁵
15. 73% (3 out of 4) of shoppers stock up on an item when they find a bargain.⁷
16. 42% of shoppers are more likely to buy private label in 2010.⁸
17. 77% of consumers use CPG coupons on a regular basis.⁹
18. One year ago, 66% of consumers (a record number) were focused on needs over wants; 60% in Jan. 2010 — an indicator that consumer spending — at least on impulses or non-necessities — is likely to remain tight during Q1 of 2010.⁶
19. The projected redemption value of U.S. online coupons delivered via the Internet, e-mail and mobile in 2010 is $12.7 billion¹⁰

¹NCH Marketing Services, Inc., Mid-Year 2010 Coupon Facts Report
²The 2010 American Pantry Study: The New Rules of the Shopping Game by Deloitte and Harrison Group
³ National Grocers Assoc. 2010 Consumer Panel Survey
⁴ Redplum.com Savings Style Survey, July 2010
⁵NCH: U.S. CPG 2009 Coupon Marketplace Facts
⁶BIGresearch's Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey, Jan. 2010
⁷National Grocers Assoc. 2010 Consumer Panel Survey
⁸Supermarket Guru® 2010 Top Food Trends
⁹NCH Coupon Facts Report, 2010
¹⁰Borell Associates, "What's On Sale? Coupon and Sales Circulars Move Online"

 

source

Tampa $10 off $50 Publix Coupon in Mail Today

If you're in #Tampa, check your Red Plum mailer, the junk mail ads for a coupon. Its been reported that there is a $10 off $50 Publix coupon on the BOGO ad. Coupon expires 9/14/10

#Publix Changes

My love affair with Publix is over, its moved onto the part of a relationship where there are some uncomfortable situations. My last three trips to Publix have sucked, and especially today. I walked away from the checkout and said forget it, I'm not shopping here.

 

I know things are changing and Publix tells us that the couponing has gotten out of hand. They are losing money, especially on honoring competitor coupons. Today I saw this sign: Attention Customers, Effective Sat 8/28/10 we will no longer accept competitor coupons from Albertsons, U Save, Save A Lot, and Whole Foods.  We will only accept, Aldi, Target, GFS, Sweetbay and Winn Dixie.

 

So at least I was warned, so I didn't even bother with pulling out my SAL coupon. But as luck would have it, there were 2 Thermacare on the shelf. That should have been a red flag. Whenever Thermacare is in stock it means the store believes the $5 off PQ requires 2 products, not one Thermacare. Anyway, I said I didn't want it then, but DH said NO WE DON"T WANT ANY OF IT. He was pissed, and called the store manager over to say we wouldn't be purchasing from their store any longer.

 

Anyway, we needed some fruit for making fruit salad and went to another store close to our house. I asked the store manager if I could use the $5 off $25 Save A Lot coupon and he said yes. But if there were a lot of other coupons they like to have that coupon used at the end. My order was $34 and I told him I didn't think it would be over $25 at the end. The young male cashier suggested we just use that coupon first, and the manager said "sure, that works" and walked away. I paid $0.79 and the dude complimented me on my great shop.

 

Thats the way it used to be and what my expectations are, to have a pleasant trip.

Ball Park Franks $2 Coupon

Did you get your coupons (2 per PC) from "liking" Ball Park Franks on facebook? Did you know that you can go to another PC and print another set too? You can. Although, I personally don't eat hotdogs (I used to work at Smithfields Meat Plant and know whats in them, and how they're made) - this could be a great deal when they go BOGO at Publix.

Check Your Mail for Publix Q

In the Tampa Bay area, people have reported receiving a $10 off $50 Publix coupon in Red Plum mailer today. Its in the Publix BOGO ad, so check your mailbox. For coupon matchups to the upcoming ad, check out iheartpublix.com.

 

$10 off $20 Busch Gardens Tampa

What a great deal! If you're a passport member you probably received an offer in the mail this week that you might have overlooked. Its an offer for $10 off $20 to use towards purchase in your favorite restaurant, on merchandise in the park or any of the up-close or behind the scenes tours. It does NOT exclude alcohol, so you could get four beers ($5.49 ea) and only pay for two! This offer can't be combined with any other discount, and can't be used toward admission or games.

It is valid thru September 6, 2010.

 

To get your coupon, just go to one of the self serve kiosks outside the entrance and scan the bar code of the letter, click on Redeem Pre-purchased Internet Passport Vouchers and your coupon will print out.

 

Enjoy the Park!

$2 off Smart Balance Milk Coupon

Coupons.com has a coupon available for $2 off Smart Balance Milk. I just stocked up on this last week with my raincheck at Publix. It goes BOGO every so often. Its $3.59 for a 1/2 gallon so if you have it BOGO and use two of the $2 coupons, its a moneymaker!  You can print 2 times per PC. I used zip code 14075.

 

Marcal Small Steps $1

Well we waited a long time for this, and its finally going to happen. According to www.whosaysnothinginlifeisfree.com, the new Alberstons ad for 7/14-7/20, has a $5/$50 coupon, plus Marcal Small Steps paper products are on sale for $1.00.

 

This means its time to use the coupon we've all been saving: Marcal Small Steps FREE single roll towel, bath tissue or facial tissue, to $1 OR $1 off any Marcal Small Steps Towel, Bath Tissue, Napkins or Facial Tissue, coupon states "limit one coupon per person" - 06-13-10 SS - valid up to $1.00 (expires 07/25/10).

 

Yeah for free TP and paper towels!

Fisher Fusion Nut Snacks

These are one of my favorite snacks, and it is a bummer that Publix will no longer carry that product. According to Shopping Addict on slickdeals the spaces and product are no longer on the shelves. Gee, now what can I do with my remaining coupons? Does anyone know where to get a good deal on this with the $1/1 coupon?