The $1 Thanksgiving meal challenge just got a lot harder. There were two recent store coupon updates that are going to make the $1 Thanksgiving meal challenge that much more difficult to complete. Both are bad news for those of us that use coupons to get food for free (or nearly free).
CVS BOGO Coupon Change: CVS used to have a coupon policy where when they had a buy one get one free (BOGO) deal, customers could use 2 coupons (one for each of the two products). This now appears to have changed and CVS is only allowing a single coupon to be used on BOGO deals. Since being able to use two coupons would often make items free, this is a huge change. Here is an example from the recent past — under the former policy you could get Mentos Gum for free because you could use two coupons, but using the new CVS BOGO coupon policy of only one coupon results in the gum costing $0.79 (or $0.40 each).
Safeway eCoupon Change: Safeway is implementing a new eCoupon program where you will be allowed to load manufacturer coupons directly onto your Safeway club card (and it will also give you individual pricing deals on some products that you buy frequently). While this would appear to be a plus (I hate clipping coupons as much as the next person), as part of this new program it appears that they will no longer allow the stacking of eCoupons with physical coupons, something that often created free product and money maker opportunities. Since this new eCouponing program is just beginning to be launched, there is still some questions about exactly how this will affect those that “super coupon” but it appears that it will be much more of a negative than a positive.
This will obviously throw a wrench into my goal of creating a Thanksgiving meal for 6 people for a dollar, but I am still going to give it a shot. I’m almost done planning my meal and then it will be time to try to begin securing the products I need to make it happen. Wish me luck…
ALL the stores in my area allow only one coupon for BOGO items since they deem the free item as just that, you’re getting the second item for free, you’re technically not buying it.
Can you clarify their position on using a BOGO coupon on an item on sale BOGO?
I can see the not allowing 2 coupons so that both items are “free” (they’re not, it’s just that the manufacturer paid, not the customer) but a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale is different – the store is paying for one item, the manufacturer is paying for the other.
@MaryJinAL
Yes, that is still OK because you are only using one coupon
@ME2
My opinion on not being able to use 2 coupons (for any store – and it is disappointing that most stores don’t allow it) is that it is a totally stupid rule because the store still gets reimbursed. BOGO is no different that 50% off each (it is just stated differently) and if they were marked at 50% off, you could use two coupons. Why they make such a big deal about it is beyond me…
Have you thought about trying Walgreens? I haven’t been there in a couple of weeks, but it looks like they have a few money makers in their current ad. For example, you could do the Alka-Seltzer Plus deal, and use the $2 profit to get four cans of chicken broth or three boxes of instant pudding.
You could use the instant pudding to make an easy chocolate cream pie. Walgreens almost always has premade graham cracker crusts for sale before Thanksgiving. Here’s a recipe that looks uncomplicated: http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocolatepies/r/blbb538.htm
You can use the broth to make homemade stuffing, the way our mothers did before Stovetop was invented. It’s fairly easy and you can use almost any form of white bread or biscuit that you’ve cut or torn into pieces. Here’s a typical recipe, but you can improvise with the spices a bit if needed: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1646,133189-250196,00.html
In an earlier comment, someone suggested that you buy a cooking bag to cook your turkey. Those bags work very well, but I don’t know if you can get them on your $1 budget. A cheaper alternative is to cook your turkey in a plain brown paper bag, like the kind you get with your groceries. I learned this trick about 30 years ago from an older relative and it makes the bird very moist and tender without a lot of bother. Make sure you put the bagged turkey on a rack inside of your roasting pan. The turkey will be very juicy, so you want the rack to allow the juice to drip to the bottom of the pan. I found a link that explains it in detail: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1639,144162-249194,00.html You can omit the paprika if you want, it’s a matter of taste. You can use any kind of cooking oil, I’ve even used butter that I melted and allowed to cool to room temperature.
Boo hiss…..on CVS…ssssssss