Which Grocery Stores in St Louis Double Coupon?

TLC's Extreme Couponing has generated quite an interesting in couponing, and one of the most frequently asked questions is - which stores double coupons in my area.  Here is what we get in St Louis.

Dierbergs - Double coupon policy is published online.

• Double manufacturer coupons valued at $0.40 or less
• Limit  15 manufacturer's coupon per family
• Only 3 identical coupons per day will be doubled
• Coupons marked "not to be doubled" will be accepted at face value
• Amount refunded cannot exceed the price of the item

Schnucks - Double coupon policy is published in weekly ad.  If you are outside of the St Louis area, check what the double coupon policy is for your area HERE.

• Double manufacturer coupons valued at $0.40 or less
• Limit 15 manufacturer coupons doubled

Shop 'n Save

• Does not double coupons

Repost - Why Newspapers Picked Up at the Newstand May Be Short an Insert

I originally posted the following info back in January.  I've heard from several readers the newspapers they have purchased are short the Redplum inserts.  Time to pull this info up again.

There was quite the discussion in comments this weekend about the Redplum coupon insert not being in all of  Post-Dispatches on the newsstands. As upset as people are with the Post-Dispatch, it may not be the Post-Dispatches fault.

Carrie at Pocket you Dollars wrote an  article about coupon distribution - 4 Reasons Your Newspaper May Have Different Coupons Than Your Neighbor. 

Here is just one of the reasons coupon inserts vary by paper :

"Advertisers buy space within XXX number of copies of the newspaper. Their first priority is the home delivered paper, which means you are sure to get the most coupons and advertisements when you have the Sunday paper delivered to your door. After home-delivered papers receive their inserts, the advertiser might have budget left for YYY number of copies to be included in newsstand copies, but YYY number of copies may not be enough for every newsstand issue."

Make sure you read all of Carrie's article. She has lots of great info about the coupon and newspaper industry.

My advise is to look through every paper you buy and check which coupon inserts are them.  I know it's not always easy to do, but at least you know what your paying for.

Do You Read Comments?

I know a lot people are newly interested in couponing right now because of TLC's Extreme Couponing - and they are  trying to figure out the couponing world. When I first started reading deal/coupon blogs, I didn't even think about checking the comment section.  I missed a lot that would have made my learning curve much easier and quicker.

My advice to newbies is to not only read deal/coupon blogs, but read the comments too. You will find a wealth of information not on blogs themselves.

Comment sections are sometimes a little hard to find.  Comments on Coupon STL are at the bottom of the post.  The above graphic shows you where to look.

Here is some of the information you'll find in comments

• Questions asked and answered 
• Shoppers experiences - what worked for them, or not
• Additional deal info
• Sharing of shopping plans
• A community of people working together helping other couponers

Next time you reader a post,  check out the chatter in comments.  I think you'll find it helpful.

Readers Question: How Many Newspapers Should I Buy?

To stock up when a product is at it's bottom dollar price, you need more than one coupon. 

I've always lived by the (1) set of coupon inserts per person in your family philosophy, but recently, I read that you should acquire coupon inserts in multiples of two.  Then, you will have the right combination of coupons to take advantage of a Buy One Get One sale.

You don't always have to buy every paper yourself. Here is how I get my inserts each Sunday.  We have three in our family - my husband, teenage son, and myself.

1. Early Sunday Edition - I buy a paper on Saturday to write the Post-Dispatch Coupon Preview.  I also like to look at the Sunday ads early.
2. Paper Subscription - Reading the paper has always been part of my life - shower, brush teeth, read the paper. 
3. Neighbor - My neighbor doesn't coupon, so she give me her inserts.  I make sure I pass on a few  freebies her way.
4. Spend RR or ECBs -  I'm going to try and get in the habit of buying my fourth paper with my "earnings" form the drugstores.

If a weekend's inserts have really great food coupons - pizza and salty snacks are at the top of the list in my family.  Remember, I have that teenage son.  I will buy more papers, but six is my limit - no matter how good the coupons are.

I've been able to grow a nice stockpile, keep my family feed and cleaned, the dog feed, and the house cleaned, with a $50 weekly budget and 3-6 sets of coupon inserts a week.   As a bonus, I'm never tempted to clear shelves of something my family doesn't eat, because I don't have that many coupons. 

Your turn.  I would love to hear from readers how many inserts they are looking to acquire each weekend, where they get them, and how many in their families.  Or, any other tips about how you acquire inserts.

I Apologize If I Sent Anyone on a Wild Goose Chase

Photo by patries71 via PhotoRee

Earlier to day I posted twice about an England's Egg Deal at Schnucks with an printable coupon and an insert coupon.

I sincerely apologize if I sent you on a wild goose chase.  No one can find 1/2 dozen Eggland's Best Eggs at Schnucks. The price of the store brand 1/2 dozen eggs is $0.79, so  I would imagine, if anyone could find the Eggland's Best, they would be more expensive than what I posted.  Again, I apologize - gas is way too expensive to chase a deal that doesn't exist. 

Coupon STL has become a community of couponers with the best intentions of helping others.  I love it when readers leave deal info.  I need to be more careful when posting an unadvertised deal and let readers know if it's a possibility  or confirmed.  It's one thing to stop and check on a deal if your are out and about anyway, another to get in the car and make a special trip, only to find out the deal doesn't exist.

I will make it a policy to state if an unadvertised deal is confirmed or just a possibility.  When you leave deal info in comments,  it would be helpful for everyone to  know, if you can confirm the deal yourself, or heard about it elsewhere.

Produce Prices on the Rise

Last Sunday at Aldi, I was shocked by how expensive some of the produce was.  My first thought was - what's up with Aldi?  But, now I understand. 

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article about Freeze Hits Vegetables. Earlier this month, while we were dealing with the horrible winter weather in the Midwest, Mexico was hit with a major freeze.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other produce could be in short supply and of course that mean higher prices at the grocery store.

I can live without tomatoes this time of year.  I do every year - I've never liked fresh tomatoes, unless they were homegrown.  But, It won't be fun paying the higher prices for other produce.

There are a few strategies you can use to keep from being a slave to higher vegetable prices.

• Rework the menu plan - If tacos or fajitas are a weekly favorite in your house, replace them with enchiladas or burritos. 

• Purchase frozen veggies - Frozen veggies are close if not the same in  nutrients as fresh. Hopefully, their  prices won't increase, since they were packed long before the freeze.

• Use out of the stockpile - Menu plan out of the pantry and freezer.  This will leave more of your weekly grocery budget to spend on fresh veggies.

The good news - Spring is on it's way.  Hopefully the increase in vegetable prices will be short lived.

What strategies will you use to keep from blowing the budget?

Greater St Louis Frugal Living Examiner

Check out Greater St Louis Frugal Living Examiner. 

Megan Watson from Megans Moenysaving Madness and a Coupon STL reader, is now writing for the Examiner. Make sure you stop over and tell Megan congratulations on her new venture.

Megan's first article  is about brand loyalty - Reconsider you loyalties and you could save money.  How apropos, I've always thought the first "rule" of couponing is giving up brand loyalties.

I've saved a ton of money since I've started couponing, and quite a bit of the savings has come from tyring different brand.  In many cases, my purchases were for more expensive products than I would have normally bought.  I have gladly quit reaching for Suave product for cheap, if not free, John Frieda, Garnier Fructis ......

But, there is a down side to giving up brand loyalty.  I like those better brand.  I start getting nervous when the stockpile is running low.  I might have to reach for the old cheap brand again.

Were You at the Grocery Store on Sunday?

Schnucks in St Charles - Photo from KMOV.com

I had to laugh when I saw the KMOV's piece on Shoppers clear off area grocery store shelves on the news this morning.

A few years ago, before I started couponing, I would have been there.  Oh, it's great to have a stockpile and not have to put on combat gear to go to the store. 

I did go to Aldi, as is my normal Sunday routine, but I got there early before the frenzy started. It was busy, but not quite at this level, yet.

Do You Shop 'til You Drop?

photo from academylighting.com

After watching Extreme Couponing last month, I've thought quite a bit about couponing and keeping life in perspective.   It's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the next good deal.  I know I've had my moments.  But I try to keep them to a minimum.

I've seen new couponers come and go. They've spent twice the money they normally would, and have nothing in the house to put a meal together.  Even though their pantry, cabinets, basement, closets, and garage are stuffed to the gills. 

I can't imagine going back to my "former life" and paying full price everything. Here is what I do to keep myself from overdoing.

• Budget - I quit shopping when I reach my limit.
• Menu Plan - I menu plan out of my pantry with what I've already bought.  That leaves most of my budget for the next week's best deals.
• Needs - Perishables and things I have to buy come first in the budget.
• Keep an Eye on the Stockpile - When I menu plan, I look for what I'm getting low on.  These  are the items I start watching for the next great deal on.
• Take a Break - Depending on time, mood or other family activities, sometime I don't shop, much. 

Do you ever feel like your shopping 'til you drop?  What strategies do you use to keep from overdoing?

If you haven't seen TLC's  Extreme Couponing, it's on again -  January 15th and 16th.