Getting Started

New to this Qpon thing? Well, this is the place to start!

This post is intended to give you the basic and not-so-basic tips to saving a ton of money at the grocery store on all household items.

What Stores are Near Me?

 Google ‘grocery’ and make a list or the stores nearest you. The list may be bigger than you think!

Familiarize yourself with their Qpon policies by picking them up at the customer service desk. Policies vary by store, chain and area of the country. Some stores you may have thought do not take Qpons actually do! Did you know that BJs takes Qs?

• Double Qs:  Some stores will double the face value of the Qpon, meaning that your Qpon is worth twice the face value. The best kind of grocery stores double Qs up to $1.00 but these are getting harder to find. Most stores double Qs up to $.50 or $.60. Some grocers also have a limit as to how many of the same Qpon they will double.

• No Doubles: Your Qs will be accepted at face value only- example: Publix in Florida

• Triple Qs: This is rare and usually comes as a promotion at a certain store –example: Ingles. The store will triple the value of your Qpon up to a certain value. In this instance, a $.50 Q would be worth $1.50!

• Some grocers will allow you to ‘stack’ their store Qs (SQs) with your manufacturer Qs (MQs) for even greater savings! Some of them are: CVS, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, Eckerd, Toys-R-Us, Target, Publix and Kroger. These SQs can come from home mailers (sign up for the mailing lists!), store ads, flyers or a stores’ monthly magazine.

• If the store has a loyalty card, get one. Or two! This is often the only way that you will get the sale prices.

• Very few stores will take Qs that have already expired- again, ask for their policy.

• Certain stores will accept competitor’s Qs.

• Internet printable Qs are the new “thing.” Make sure your store will take them and that you read the fine print on the offer before use.  Sources include coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com, cellfire, and more.

Where do I get  Qs?

Your first source should be the newspaper. The Qs are usually inside the Comics section, or in the “guts” as we like to call it. There are three kinds of Q inserts to look for: the SmartSource (SS), the Redplum (RP), which was formerly known as Valassis (V), and the Procter & Gamble Brand Saver (PG). There are no inserts on major holidays, although P& G might sneak one in on you from time to time. The Annual Schedule can be found here.

The first key to saving big is to obtain multiple copies of the inserts—as many as you can. You want to do this as inexpensively as possible.

• You probably already get the AJC, so you have one set of inserts there. If you buy it at the store, make sure the Qpons are actually in there before you pay for the paper!

• Wal-Mart offers a “double paper” for $3.

• There are also freelance sellers at some shopping centers. These usually cost $1 each and this is the best deal in town!

• Then ask everyone you know. Some people don’t use Qpons, or if they do, they cut one or two and toss the rest. Get those!! Ask anyone you know.

• Ask a local store on Sunday night or Monday morning. Many paper companies require that only the front page of unsold papers be returned for credit, or if they need the whole paper, they don’t want the inserts. It never hurts to ask!

• Look at coffee shops or Breakfast restaurants on a Sunday morning… anywhere people sit and read a paper. They just might leave the inserts.

• The largest growing source of Qpons is the internet. Most sites allow you to print two copies of each Qpon. You will need to ask if your store accepts these due to the high rate of fraud (making copies).

Once you have your Qs, you need to organize them!

• Couponmom.com method: Some people keep the inserts intact and file them by date (SS 1/14, RP 1/14, P&G 1/14, etc.) This system saves a great deal of time initially, but getting ready for shopping is a chore. You have to cut the Qs that you need at shopping time.

• Others clip all of the Qs, and file them in various ways. The most popular is the “binder method”- a 3 ring binder that zips with baseball card sheets as storage.

Tips: Put your name and phone number on or in your binder. If I lost mine today it would be like losing about $1,000- literally. There are some with a small file pouch on the outside or inside… these are great. Expect to spend about $10 on a good binder. This method keeps all your qs in one place that they cannot fall out of and makes it easy to see every Q you have. This makes skimming for Expired Qs easy and also lets you compare Qs to see which is a better deal.

Example: you have an envelope with a ton of Qs and are looking for a Q on Pilsbury biscuits. You find it! It’s $.55 off and will work. WRONG!!! There was a $.50 off Q in there too that doubled to $1. You missed it because you couldn’t see it!!

I like this method too because if there is an unadvertised deal in the store (Publix is good at these!) you can skim easily to see if you can match ‘em up!

How do you go through all those Qs and Deals?

You don’t. Jump on www.qponqutie.com and browse the stores you shop most. There you will find a match up of what is on sale for the current week with the Qpons that are live, or, not expired. Hardcore Qponer? Pick the deals you like best at each store and go for it. Looking for something easier? Pick the store with the most deals on the items you need or use most. You may not get the best price on everything, but you are still saving money. Qpon previews (a list of all the Qs that will be in the paper) are also frequently posted on www.qponqutie.com! This is a great way to decide how many newspapers you are going to purchase ahead of time. Sale previews are often up ahead of time, allowing you time to plan your attack and go the first day of the sale.

Match Up Example: Aussie shampoo or conditioner is on sale at 2/$4.00= $2.00. You have a $1 off 1 Qpon, and Publix has a store Q for $.55 Off 1. $2.00- $1.00 (MQ) – $.55 (SQ)= $.45. That is a good deal for something that usually costs $3.34!

Campbell’s Cream of Chicken is on sale for 10/10.00. You have a $.50/1 Qpon. Your store doubles the Qpon, making the item FREE!

NOTE: If a store has something on sale: 10 for 10, you are not obligated to buy 10 to get the sale price… unless the ad says differently! Something that is 2/$5 is actually “each item is $2.50”.

Also, these 10 for 10 sales aren’t always the best deal. Sometimes the grocer even increases the price for this sale. EX: a can of Green Beans is on sale at 5/$5.00. But since you know the regular, everyday price of the item is only $.89, you know to skip this ’sale’!