One golden rule of getting deals on groceries and household items is matching rock bottom sale prices with coupons (see all Golden Rules here). Pocket Your Dollars publishes shopping lists for a number of stores, local to the Minneapolis/St Paul area and national chains each week to help you do that.
This is a quick tutorial on how to read a basic list by way of an example:
The list says:
(Line1) Yoplait Yogurt $.50 each ($3 for 6)
(Line 2) Use $.40/6 from 2/8 GM or 3/22 SS inserts = $.37 each after doubled coupon
(Line 3) Use $1/8 here = $.25 each after doubled coupon
Translation:
(Line 1) Yoplait Yogurt is on sale for $.50 each this week (its advertised as 6 for $3.00)
(Line 2) To make this a better deal use the $.40 off of 6 yogurt cups’ coupon from the Sunday, Feb 8 General Mills insert or the Sunday, March 22 Smart Source insert. Your price after the value of the coupon is doubled by the store $.37 each. In this example the value of the coupon is doubled. The list will specify whether it is using the face value or a doubled value for the coupon. See section below for details on the SS, RP, GM, PG abbreviations in the lists
(Line 3) To make this a better deal use the $1.00 off 8 yogurt cups coupon at the following website (click here). Your price after the value of the coupon is doubled by the store $.25 each. Note: in this example the value of the coupon is doubled. The list will specify whether it is using the face value or a doubled value for the coupon.
Walgreens and CVS have customer loyalty programs that have their own terminology and rules. Read about Walgreens’ program here and CVS’s here.
What do RP, SS, PG, and GM means?
These abbreviations reference the publisher’s name of the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. Instead of clipping all the coupons, simply label the front of the flyer with the publisher’s initials, write the date and file away until the shopping list references a coupon you need. I will let you know which coupons you need to get the best deals each week.
The major publishers are:
- RP = Red Plum
- SS = Smart Source
- PG or P&G = Procter & Gamble
- GM = General Mills
On occasion a publisher will include two or more different inserts in one Sunday paper. When that happens the publisher’s name is followed by a number 1, 2, 3, etc. to represent the unique insert and I will let you know how to label your inserts.
What about other abbreviations?
- B1G1 = Buy one, get one free
- B2G1 = Buy two, get one free
- Doubled coupon = When a retailer allows the coupon to be worth twice as much off as stated on the coupon itself. For instance, a $1 off coupon becomes like a $2 off coupon.
- Stack with = Use this coupon and the previously mentioned coupon or deal together on the same item
If you still have questions about how to read the shopping lists, please leave a comment.
About Carrie Rocha
