Register Review: February 21, 2012 Edition

When I started delving into saving more than $2-$5 from coupons at the grocery store, I learned from both the explanation and examples.

Having explained how to get the deep savings, this Register Review feature seeks to show how to see these results week after week.

The first Register Review showcased a Bi-Lo transaction. For this second Register Review, I chose a Publix shopping trip from February 21, 2012.

Last week, I shared how Not All Locations Operate in the Same League. That post stemmed from this shopping trip. After leaving the store that would not honor the coupons that expired during the sales’ week, I went to my favorite Publix location to buy these 9 items for $2.03.

Rain Check

During a previous week’s sale, Mueller’s pasta was on a buy one, get one free sale. Since my Publix sold all their spaghetti noodles during that week, I requested a rain check for 8 boxes. I then kept my coupons in my Publix envelope until the store restocked.

NOTE: Publix rain checks in my area expire one month after issuance. Of course, if the store is still out of the product, the customer service representative will extend the date on the rain check. Check to see if your store’s rain checks expire.

For this transaction, I purchased 8 boxes of Mueller’s spaghetti noodles. Using this rain check, the first 4 boxes cost $0.72 each and the last 4 boxes cost $0.71 each.

Manufacturer Coupons

Coupons for $1 off 2 boxes of Mueller’s pasta were in a Sunday newspaper insert. Having acquired extra inserts, I had 4 coupons to use for this visit. With my Publix store’s coupon policy, I was able to use these coupons on the last day of the sales’ week paired with the rain check.

Besides the Mueller’s coupons, I also used a $.50 off coupon from a Sunday newspaper insert for the Wish Bone dressing. With Publix doubling manufacture coupons up to $.50, I received $1 off the bottle of salad dressing.

Buy One, Get One Free

The Wish Bone dressing was on a buy one, get one free sale that week. I only had one manufacturer coupon and did not need extra bottles of salad dressing, so I bought one bottle at a 50% savings.

My Publix does not require the customer to buy both items to get the buy one, get one free discount. When an item is buy one, get one free, then each bottle is half off the listed price.

The Wish Bone dressing scanned for $1.31, which was $1.30 worth of savings or 50% off.

Combining these Strategies

When I checked out, I followed these steps:

1. Allowed cashier to scan both of my loyalty cards

• UPromise – Scholarship program
• Publix Partners – Donates proceeds to our school based on the amount spent on my purchases. (Every bit helps!)

2. Gave the cashier the rain check for the Mueller’s pasta, which he used immediately

3. Watched the cashier scan the 9 items

8 Mueller’s pasta

1 Wish Bone dressing

Subtotal: $7.03

4. Redeemed Manufacturer Coupons

Used four $1 off Mueller’s coupons, which deducted $4

Used one $.50 off Wish Bone dressing coupon, which doubled and took off $1

Total: $2.03

By shopping at the most coupon-friendly Publix and combining a rain check, manufacturer coupons, and buy one, get one free sales, I spent $2.03 for $14.05 of merchandise, which was an 85.5% savings.

Though my family will not survive on 8 boxes of pasta alone, I stocked up on a great sale. After comparing prices, I usually get our staples from Aldi spending about $40 every 2 or 3 weeks to replenish our stock.

This feature will continue as I remember to take pictures of my savings before putting them all away. 🙂 If you are seeing great discounts at 20% or more off the retail price, then consider writing a guest post for Using Time Wisely. I would be honored to publish your savings. Keep practicing because you, too, can see these deep discounts. Happy savings!

Question: What stores in your area double coupons?