Provident Mom

Those of you thrifty provident moms out there who use coupons know how it works. You clip the coupons on Sunday and file them away in your coupon file. Then on Wednesday when the store ads come out, you go get the sale items you have coupons for. You get dirt cheap stuff, like Betty Crocker cookie mixes for .25. And you rejoice at your successful conquests.

But I’ve discovered something lately that has been extra super great for my grocery bill: loyalty card coupons. Here’s how it works. The loyalty card helps stores keep track of what you buy. This makes their marketing a little easier, but it also gives you coupons. When you check out, coupons will be printed at the register based on your buying habits. If you buy yogurt, you’ll get yogurt coupons.

Well, one day I got some of these loyalty card coupons, and one of them said, “If you’d like to receive additional coupons in your mailbox, please see customer service.” I did want more coupons, so I went to customer service and she did something in her little computer and then smiled and thanked me.

About a month later, I got a whole bunch of coupons in the mail, and some of them were for fresh meat and produce, which you’ll never ever get out of the newspaper on Sunday. Some of them said things like, “$12 off your grocery purchase of $120 or more.” This is gold! This has taken my grocery shopping to a whole new level. I actually feel a little guilty using some of these coupons, but hey, they mailed them right to my house so they must want me to use them.

So check with your grocery store’s customer service desk and see if they have something like this for you. You’re going to the pros.