A Taste of Double Coupons

Life has been crazy around here.  My kiddos cannot seem to get a break from all the sick bugs going around.     It has been one thing after another with these guys since before Christmas.  I am hoping we are nearing the end of this roller coaster.  I am exhausted and tired of cleaning up the messes and the laundry that seems to be going hand in hand with all these bugs...this last week took the cake and I am just plain sick and tired of everyone being sick and tired.  It was hard to get my grocery shopping done in between all the illness, but I managed to snatch up a couple of things.  I didn't want to miss out on the double coupons Jewel was doing...especially because that happens very rarely around these parts.

No one is my area doubles coupons on a regular basis.  Once and a while, stores will do promotions where they will allow you to double a certain amount of coupons up to a set dollar value.  KMart used to do this fairly often, but have reduced the frequency and upped the restrictions to the point where it just isn't worth it to me to take part in the nonsense...especially since I don't have any KMart's particularly close to me.

Last week, Jewel ran a promotion Sunday through Wednesday that allowed customers to double up to five coupons a day if you were able to get your hands on and clip the promotional "Twice the Value" coupons in their Sunday flier.  If you didn't get your hands on those little, golden tickets...double coupons weren't going to be in your shopping future and getting the flier wasn't a given.  Not all of the Chicago Tribune inserts had this flier.  I wish I knew the rhyme or reason behind it...but I don't.  I get two Sunday Tribunes delivered...one had the insert, one did not.  Luckily, the hubs stopped at the dollar store close to work and grabbed me three papers there that all had them.  Jewel had quite the uproar from its customers in regards to the coupons not being made available to all shoppers and decided to release a printable version of these q's on Tuesday...someone didn't think that promotion out.

Here is what I picked up on my four trips to the Jewel.  I did get better deals than I should have because the checkers didn't enter the coupons correctly.  I did try to tell them that they were giving me more than they should have (yes...I am an honest couponer...doing shady things gives everyone a bad name and it is fraud) but they just looked at me like I had a third eye and could care less about what I was saying.  You can only do so much.

1.29.12

• 5 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch $10.00.  Used 4 printables .60/1, 1 printable .50/1 and 5 Jewel Twice the Value q's $1/1 = $2.19 

They are only supposed to double up to the amount of the manufacturer q...but this was one of those cases where the checker did it wrong and didn't care when I told him he was giving me too much.  So ....I took home some really cheap Cinnamon Toast Crunch to two happy kiddos.

1.30.12

• 10 packages Vanity Fair Napkins $21.89.  Used 5 manufactured q's $1/2 and 5 Jewel Twice the Value q's $1/1 = $11.89.

Vanity Fair napkins are another one of my brand loyalties.  I love them because they are nice and thick and don't tear when my kiddos wipe their filthy little hands on them:)  When I can snatch them up for a dollar a package before tax, I am all over it!

1.31.12

• 2 Coffeemate Creamers $4.00.  Used 2 manufacturer q's .50/1 and 2 Jewel Twice the Value q's $1/1 = $1.00
• 3 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers $7.77.  Used 3 manufacturer q's $1/1 and 3 Jewel Twice the Value q's $1/1 = $2.77

This was another case of the checker ringing in the Twice the Value q's wrong...she gave me a dollar for my coffeemate q's instead of only the $0.50 I should have gotten.

2.1.12

• 5 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch $10.00.  Used 5 printables .50/1 and 5 Jewel Twice the Value q's .50/1 = $5.13

My total OOP for my little doubler extravaganza was $ 22.98.  Not bad for 10 boxes of cereal, 10 packages of napkins, 2 creamers and 3 Magic Erasers.  I was a happy camper:)