Confused with all my abbreviations? Check out this list!

AC - After Coupon
Actuals - The actual item as opposed to a coupon for it (an item from your stockpile)
AR - After Rebate
Blinkies - instore smartsource coupon dispensed near product, usually from red blinking box
BOGO or B1G1F - Buy one get one free
BOLO - Be On the Lookout
BTFE - Box Tops for Education
BTW - By the way
B&M - Brick & Mortar, as opposed to an online store
Catalina - coupon dispensed at register after purchase, usually has a red border
CLFE - Campbell's Labels for Education
C/O - cents off coupon
CRT - Cash register tape
DCRT - Dated cash register tape
DCRTC - Dated cash register tape with the price circled
DND - Do Not Double (the coupon is not supposed to be doubled)
Double coupon - coupon that a grocery store doubles in value
ECB - CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases
ESR - EasySaver Rebate (Walgreens Monthy Rebate)
FAR - Free After RebateFree Item Coupon - A coupon that allows you to get the product completely free
GDA - Good Deal Alert
GG - Grocery Game
HBA - The health and beauty aid section in the grocery store
HDA - Hot Deal Alert or Home Delivered Ad
HT - Hang tags for refunds or coupons hanging on a product
HTH - Hope this/that helps
IMO - In My Opinion
ISO - In Search Of
IDSO - In Desperate Search Of
IVC - Walgreen's Instant Value Coupon (Found in the monthy EasySaver Catalog)
IVDSO - In Very Desperate Search Of
IP - Internet Printable
KWIM - Know what I mean?
LMK - Let Me Know
MIR - Mail In Rebate
NED - No expiration date
OAS - a coupon that is good on one purchase, any size
OOP - Out of Pocket
OOS - Out of Stock
OSI - On a single item
OYNO - On your next order
P&G - Proctor & Gamble Sunday supplement coupons
Peelie - coupon that you peel off the package
POP - Proof of purchase
PP - purchase price
Q or Qualifier - The POP required for a refund offer that is physically taken from that package
RAOK - Random act of kindness
RC - Raincheck
SASE - Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
SD - Store Display
SF - Store form
SMP - Specially Marked Packages
SS - Smart Source or Sunday Supplement coupons
Stacking - Some stores allow the use of more than one coupon per item, IF the coupon itself does not restrict such usage.
Tear pad - A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
TIA - Thanks in advance
TMF - Try Me Free
Triple coupon - a coupon that a grocery store triples in value
V - Valassis Sunday supplement coupons Wine Tag - coupon, usually for $ off any meat, cheese or produce.
W/L - wishlist
WPN - Wine purchase necessary
WSL - while supplies last
WT - winetag
WYB - When You BuyY
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary= success of the attempt may vary at your store

Walgreens, What you should know

First good thing is Walgreens Easy Saver Catalog. It is packed with great coupons to use at Walgreens but they can also be used with a manufacturer coupon. It is also full of items that you can receive a rebate for. The booklet will tell you how to go about getting your rebate. Keep in mind that if you choose to get a Walgreens Gift card back instead of a check you will get an extra 10% added to the total. Also you will get the orignal amount back not the amount after coupons so you can really make money on these deals.

Now just like other stores you can use 2 coupons on an item that is B1G1 Free. You can also use coupons on clearance items. This makes for some really good deals.

Walgreens is notorious for being out of stock on items that are listed for sale in the flyer. Your best bet is to ask for rain check so that you can get the item later at the sale price after it is back in stock.

Unfortunately Walgreens doesn't accept competitor Rx coupons but if you find one for Walgreens transfering there for one month then back to say CVS or Target will get you yet another gift card.

Also unlike CVS no store cards are needed to get the deals. Which is good because right now CVS limits the amount of items youc an get by having a store card for "tracking" purposes.

A great new thing at Walgreens is called Register Rewards. These are similar to ECB's but you don't need a store card to get them. The best way to go about getting these RR is by doing basic math:

Example:
Buy
Boost $5.99
- $2.00 Blinkie Coupon
= 3.99 out of pocket spent
It turn it will print you a $5.99 RR (if that is what the deals states amounts will vary)
and you can in turn take that and buy another Boost and repeat the cycle many times. So you can essentially get 20 packs of Boost for only the original $3.99 you paid. I suggest limiting how many you do in one store on a any one day to avoid anyone interuppting your bargani high. :)

Free and/or Cheap items at Target *always*

Most of these items will be found in the travel sized section but free is better than cheap any day!

ADVIL = $.99
All LIQUID = $.99
AQUAFRESH EXTREME CLEAN = $.99
ARM & HAMMER TOOTHPASTE = $.99
AVEENO LOTION = $.99
AXE SPRAY = $1.29
BAND AID BANDAGES = $.99
CARESS BODY WASH = $.99
CHAPSTICK = $.99
CHARMIN TOILET SEAT COVERS = $.99
CHARMIN TOILET PAPER = $.99
CLEAN & CLEAR CLEANSERS = $.99
COLGATE TOOTHPASTE = $.99
CREST TOOTHPASTE = $.99
DEGREE DEODORANT = $.99
DOVE BAR SOAP = $.52
DOVE BODY WASH = $.99
DOVE CONDITIONER = $.99
DOVE DEODORANT = $.99
DOVE FACE CARE LOTION SENSITIVE = $.99
DOVE FACIAL PILLOWS = $.99
DOVE FACIAL WIPES = $.99
DOVE SHAMPOO = $.99
EDGE SHAVE GEL = $.97
HEAD & SHOULDERS SHAMPOO = $.99
HEFTY 2 GO GARBAGE BAGS = $.99
HEFTY "TRAVEL" ZIPLOC BAGS (2 1 Quart) = $.99
HERBAL ESSENCE CONDITIONER = $.99
HERBAL ESSENCE SHAMPOO = $.99
HUGGIES CLEAN TEAM WIPES (10 ct.) = $1.39
HUGGIES TRAVEL WIPES = $.99
INFUSIUM 23 LEAVE IN CONDITIONER = $.99
J & J BABY POWDER = $.99
PALOMLIVE DISH WIPES = $.99
PAMPERS TRAVEL WIPES = $1.27
PANTENE CONDITIONER = $.99
PANTENE SHAMPOO = $.99
PANTENE PRO-V HAIRSPRAY= $.99
PONDS MOISUTRE CLEANING CLOTHS = $.99
RIGHT GUARD EXTREME SPORT DEODORANT = $.99
SECRET DEODORANT = $.99
SKINTIMATE SHAVE GEL = $.99
ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB = $.99
ST. IVES LOTION = $.99
SUNSILK SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER = $.99
THERMASILK CONDITIONER = $.99
THERMASILK SHAMPOO = $.99
THERMASILK HAIR SPRAY = $.99
TIDE 2 GO = $.99
TYLENOL 8 CT. = $,99
VASELINE LOTION = $.79
ZANTAC = $.99

Target 101

Target is great as it will allow you to use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 target coupon for each item. Some cashiers will tell you that is not the case but I have included below a letter sent to me from corporate that states otherwise (you can either print mine or email them yourself and keep it handy when going to target!). Some targets have an area near the front so you can print bridal registries and they may allow you to print the coupons as well.

Target also has a policy that if you have a gift card that has $4.99 or under on it you can "cash it out" and get the cash for it.

Target's return policy does leave something to be desired but well it's doable as long as you keep all your receips. Customers are now limited to two return items without a receipt if the price of that item is not greater than $40. In August 2007 they will revise and it will state that the item can't be over $20. So for this reason please keep your receipts.

Also like CVS, Target will take competitor RX coupons. So you can bounce back and forth each month on your RX's and really make out.

So like I promised you this is the letter I got from Target regarding the coupon policy.

Dear Ms. Garcia
,
Thanks for writing to Target Guest Relations asking about our coupon policy, and I'm sorry for any frustration you had during your recent visit to the West Kendall Target store. Target empowers the store to limit the number of items a guest buys with coupons, and I apologize for any disappointment this caused. Coupons are a great way to save even more when shopping at Target, and we make it easy to use them at our stores. But because of the variety of coupons available to our guests, we do have some guidelines for how coupons can be redeemed at Target:
-We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued coupons and manufacturer-issued coupons.
-We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits it.
-We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item; in that case, we'll adjust the value of the coupon to equal the price of the item.
-We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier at the time of sale.
Have questions or want more information about using coupons at Target? Check with a Guest Services Team Leader at your local store. You can also give us a call at (800) 440-0680, or visit us on Target.com. Either way, we're here to help!

Thanks for shopping with us. We'll see you again soon at Target.
Sincerely,Brady
Target Guest Relations
http://www.target.com/

Must Knows about CVS

First I'd like to start off with giving you the phone number to customer service just in case you run into a problem. Don't be afraid to use it.1-800-SHOP-CVS

The next thing I would like to tell you is CVS will give you a $25 gift card with new and transferred prescriptions and they will also take competitor coupons for the gift cards. Now if you have to pick up multiple scripts do NOT do them in 1 transaction. Pick them up 1 at a time that way you can maximize the number of gift cards. Generally they say 1 per person so if you buy 1 script and then go back a little while later and get the next you'll get another gift card (as long as you have more rx coupons)

CVS takes many different forms of coupons so to name them they are manufacturer's coupons (including Internet printables), and their own CVS coupons. As of right now I have not run into any problems using internet printed coupons not even a limit on the amount they accept at once. Keep in mind that they can refuse coupons if there is a question on whether or not it is a fake, so don't try to many at once.

CVS managers and corporate don't seem to communicate to well and I have gotten conflicting information on whether or not you can use 2 coupons on a B1G1 deal or if you can use 1 CVS coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon the basic consensus is yes you can.

CVS also has a weird computer system in which if you bought 4 items but you have 4 manufacturer coupons and wanted to also use your ECB's (we'll get to that later) the computer will beep denying the last coupon. The way to avoid this is if you plan to purchase 4 items but you have 5 total coupons buy somethins small like candy to even out the number of items vs. coupons.

Unlike some stores CVS computers will not give you overage. Meaning if an item is on sale for $.99 and you have a coupon for $1.50 off it will generally only give you the $.99 off but you are still getting it free. A tip I was told was to wait to scan your CVS card until you give all the coupons because then you would get the full coupon amount off. I haven't tried that yet but it might just work. CVS will also require manager approval for any coupon that is valued at $10 or over but don't worry they will come and approve and you will be on your way.

One of the biggest money savers at CVS is using coupons on clearance items. They have great clearance and you can really get a lot with just a few coupons. At times though if the items is removed from the computer they will manually enter in a the price under misc. if they do this your coupon may beep because they don't show you as having purchased the item. If this happens first tell the person that they must ring up the item and price adjust it to the correct price and then your coupon will take if they still won't do it of give you a hard time call the number I gave you at the beggining of this post. They will handle it.

So after all this talk about ECB's you want to know what they are. Well, they are coupons that print at the bottom of your receipt. SAVE THEM! They are basically free money to spend in CVS on what ever you want (some exclusions do apply). Here is the link to them on the CVS website. The best way to use ECB's is to roll them over from week to week. So if you earn $10 in ECB's this week when next week's ad comes out see what is giving ECB's back and try and use your ECB's on that to keep them "rolling over".

Before you get to the register be sure you have exactly what the ad calls for. If it says snapple good on single serve only and you get a gallon jug it will NOT print out the ECB's for you. Something else to look out for is when they expire. Since this is "free money" letting them expire is wasteful. You will also want to be sure that if there is a limit on the amount of ECB's on a product don't exceed it or you won't get the ECB's back. Meaning if it says limit 1 that is all you are able to buy that week is 1. (the bottom of your receipt will tell you limit reached once it is reached).

Some other things to keep in mind when dealing with CVS an ECB's. If it says spend $30 and get $10 ECB's back you do NOT have to do that in one purchase you can spread it out. You can use multiple ECB's to make a purchase but remember that each ECB is like a coupon so if you buy 6 items and have 7 coupons 1 will beep so be sure to have the same number of items as coupons.

More often than not CVS has printable coupons for $ off $$ (like $4 off $20 purchase) these are great. If you have $6 in ECB's and a $4 off $20 coupon you can purchase $20 in stuff give over the COUPON first and then the ECB's and you will have gotten $20 in free stuff. Like I said before it is best to keep getting items that give you ECB's to keep them "rolling over". Sometimes it is hard to reach $20 and even things out so you can use "filler" items. Fillers are cheap little items like candy, gum, or a nail file. They help push your $ amount or item number up to where it should be to get your coupon(s) to work.

If for some reason you have to return something that you bought with a coupon you should get the full purchase price back because they are being reimbursed for that coupon. They may argue this so it is best to not have to return anything.

That is all I can think of about CVS If I think of more I will add it.

The Basics of Winn-Dixie

First and foremost get a store card it is free and easy and will save you a bunch of money. You do have to have the store card to get the sale prices. Unlike Publix Winn Dixie doesn't really double coupons (well that I have found anyway)

Another thing you want to do is again find out the coupon policy like do they take competitor coupons.

Also like Pubix they have a baby club. You can save lots of money with this program as you can combine coupons and sales. You must be expecting or have a child 2 years or younger to qualify. You can apply online or in the store. So what is it you want to know well, use your store card each time you shop and for ever 200 points you get in baby items you'll get a $10 back off your next purchase.

I have also heard that if you fill the baby's prescriptions there you get a $10 gift card the first time and free RX flavoring (but not sure on that).

Now that is all about Winn Dixie.

The in's and out's of Publix

The first good thing about Publix is that you do not need a store loyalty card to get the deals. You can also find each weeks ad list here at the website just enter your zip and your ad will pop up.
Publix has double coupons in some areas but not all so you will have to be sure to ask if your store does. Publix may also take competitor coupons but that again is something you will have to ask. It is always best to get in writing from corporate in case anyone tries to deny it or give you a hard time about it.

Another good thing about Publix is that if somethins is on sale for B1G1 Free then you can use a coupon for each item. Example if Kraft Mayo is on sale B1G1 and you happen to have 2 $.55 off 1 coupon you can use them both so in reality it would be $1.10 off of the one. Also don't forget you can stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons to get even greater savings.

Publix has a few clubs and programs that are great to join and they of course are free.
Publix Family Style: http://publix.com/clubs/familystyle/Home.do
Publix Preschool Pals: http://publix.com/preschool/NonMemberHome.do
Publix UPromise: http://publix.com/clubs/upromise/Upromise.do
Publix Wine Guide: http://publix.com/clubs/wine/Home.do
Publix Baby Club: Enrollment Form found in Baby Aisle and front turnstyle. You will receive by mail Publix coupons for baby items and other grocery items. You can now also sign up online: https://www.publix.com/clubs/baby/Subscribe.do
Publix Apron's Simple Meals Recipes: http://publix.com/meals/ Be sure to check the turnstyles by the doors when you walk in for promotional coupons and booklets. A weekly sales flyer is available there.
Some stores also have clearance items when you walk in so don't forget to stop there and check it out.

So there you have the basics of Publix.