This shopper LOVES when we can use coupons, save money, plus get even more coupons that, when used smartly, can add up to even greater savings! Those WONDERFUL $5 Catalinas are back this week at Foodland! (I'm just a little excited.... can you tell? lol)
So here is the scenario...
When you purchase $20 (after manufacturer coupon savings and pre-tax) you get a $5 Catalina coupon to be used on later transactions. Now... here is the good part... you can use these coupons on ANY merchandise of your choice! YEP!!!! Towne-N-Country, located in Chapmanville for those who live elsewhere, have a selection of meats in their coolers that have coupons on them.
Now don't get me wrong... these are usually the meats that have been there for a day or two. I have bought these several times from the store, and I find that if you use your brain and eyes, pick you out what looks good, take it home, and freeze it that day, you can save a TON of money. I have yet to buy meat from there that wasn't good or that went bad the day I took it home or the next, but personally, I think you should always keep your meats frozen until you use them. That way you don't "accidentally" leave them on the shelf in your fridge and they go bad because you decided that you were in the mood for something else and forgot about it..... (yep, very guilty of that one I am....)
They also have a 5 for $20 selection that can truly cut costs. I have bought ribs, pork chops, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and seasoned breasts and as long as I got the packages that were the heaviest, I come out way ahead. Take a calculator and compare the prices with the in-case meats. That is the smartest way to do it if you aren't so handy with numbers in your head. Compare your in-house per-pound rate with the rate of the package you are considering purchasing.
Now that you have your meats, you take them to check out (this can be in the same shopping trip or later by the way) and you use your nifty catalina to get even deeper discounts on your purchase! Free MEAT PEOPLE! You never get coupons on that!
This week, the catalina is on General Mills products. Some of these products include GM cereals, Betty Crocker Helpers, BC muffin, cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix, and frostings, Totino's pizza rolls and party pizzas, BC fruit snacks (Valentine's for the kids?!?), Fiber One bars, Chex Mix, Pillsbury Ready-Bake Cookies, and Crescent Rolls. Several of these items have valid coupons and are great little additions to your pantry as snacks, or for some as staples (my family love Chicken Helper!).
Here is smart shopping...
I buy the Helpers all the time anyway... so why not go ahead and buy them, with coupons of course, get them at one time and with other items, get my catalina? So... I use 5 of my $1/3 coupons, get 15 boxes of different chicken and hamburger helpers (enough to feed my crew about 8 times because we have to use 2 boxes each time. This should last me around a month.), spend the .67 cent on them each instead of the $1 sale price, get all for $10.05 pre-tax, and I am already half way to getting my catalina!
BUT.... here is the trick....
IF you decide to go ahead and stock up enough (especially if you have a large family to feed and like to have extra just in case someone needs a little help getting by) and get enough to spend over $40, break your purchases into 2 separate transactions. The cashiers don't bat an eye when I do, and frankly, they know me well enough to know what I am up to. They are mfg coupons anyway, so the store don't loose any money on anything. So don't feel like you are in anyway hurting your favorite store. You will get 2 catalina coupons for $5..... that is $10 worth of FREE MEAT! to cook with your helper...
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
FYI... they also run promotions in the store for a $5 catalina when you spend $50 pre-tax on your total purchase. This is not running right now, but thought I would let you know to keep an eye out for this great promotion.
Foodland weekly ad online link: http://milton.foodlandstores.com/weekly-ads/
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