NOTE: In September 2009, Lowes confirmed that it was discontinuing its participation in the Greenpoints program. Shoppers could use their Greenpoints in stores until Oct. 6. After that, they can use Greenpoints on Greenpoints.com for up to two years. 

I wanted to continue my posts about different store programs that can help you save, and today’s topic is the Greenpoints program at Lowe's Foods.

I am constantly astounded by the number of people who tell me they have never redeemed their Greenpoints and don't really know what to do with them. Or, they have no idea how many they have, and they have no idea they are worth anything.

There are a ton of people out there sitting on, like, 30,000 points with no idea that those points could be helping them save. If that’s you, read this post! You could get a lot of stuff for free by using the points you’ve already accumulated.

A lot of the things you might want to do using the Greenpoints program will involve the Greenpoints Web site, so I’m going to give it to you right up front: www.greenpoints.com.

To learn more about Greenpoints, click “Read more!”

[More:]

This program predates my tenure as a retail reporter, but it's my understanding that there was once a S&H Greenstamps program, where you got actual stamps to put in little booklets. You could then trade the booklets in for other items or prizes of your choosing.

The Greenpoints program is really just the updated, more electronic version. It was launched in March 2000. Here’s how it works:

1) You need to have a Lowe’s Foods card. If you don’t have one, sign up at customer service. It’s free.

2) Every time you make a purchase at Lowe’s, swipe your card, and you will receive 10 points for every $1 you spend. If you register online, you can also earn extra points by shopping with participating merchants. There's even a Greenpoints credit card if you want to earn more that way. The points are automatically added to your account when you make a purchase, and if you're in the store, your total will print at the bottom of your receipt.

3) Then, like the old Greenstamps program, you can trade the points for stuff. If you don’t know how many points you have, check the bottom of your receipt, or you can ask at customer service. You can also check your points balance online.

There are several ways to redeem points:

1) You can use your points in Lowe’s Foods stores for specific items. Each week, the sales flyer will note certain items that are free or available at a reduced price if you use a certain number of Greenpoints.

So, the flyer may advertise Coke 2-liters for $1.19, or $.19 when you use 1,000 Greenpoints or something like that. If you want to take advantage of that deal, there often will be a little tear pad on the shelf next to the product that has a bar code on it. All you have to do is take one of the sheets and give it to the cashier when you check out, and the computer will deduct the Greenpoints from your account and give you the lower price. If there’s no tear sheet, you can just tell your cashier you’d like to use your Greenpoints when you check out.

If you’re too lazy to scan the flyer, there are usually little papers in the racks at the stores with all of the Greenpoints deals listed for the week.

Occasionally, there’s also a promotion where Lowe’s will allow you to use 1,000 Greenpoints to knock $1 off your bill. Use 5,000 points and it’s $5. It’s one of the easiest ways to save money. There’s usually no limit, and it’s a great way to use all of those points you’ve accumulated! If you’re using coupons, you might be able to get groceries for free one week!

2) Like the Greenstamps program from before, there’s a merchandise catalog that allows you to trade in your points for non-grocery merchandise. You can get everything from home appliances to kitchen utensils to toys for your kids. There are even gift cards to restaurants including Applebee’s and Burger King, and AMC movie tickets.

In order to do this, the easiest thing is to go on the Greenpoints Web site and check out the catalog. You will need your Lowe’s card to register, but it’s very quick and painless. If you don’t want to do that, you can also request a printed catalog by writing to S&H Customer Care Center, P.O. BOX 4000, Fenton, MO 63099-0001.

Then you can order online or via snail mail for free items in exchange for your Greenpoints.

3) It is also totally legit for you to pool your Greenpoints with your family and friends. So if you want a big-ticket item (some are 100,000 points or more), you can get it faster this way. There are a couple of stipulations on this, though. Your account must have at least 3,000 points before you can transfer. Your account must be at least 30 days old, and you must have purchased from or signed up with a Greenpoints merchant. There's a link on the Web site that you can use to complete a transfer.

4) Finally, if you just don’t think you want your 30,000 Greenpoints, the Greenpoints Web site will allow you to donate them to a local charity or food bank that can definitely use them. I would say that if you aren’t going to use yours, it would be a truly charitable thing to give them away.

One final note: if you still have some stamps in a drawer in your house, don’t throw them out! You can exchange them for points by first registering for a Greenpoints account and then sending your stamps and your new account information via insured mail to S&H Customer Care Center, P.O. BOX 4000
Fenton, MO 63099-0001.

Overall, I think the Greenpoints program is a nice way to save a little extra at the store. But you have to use your points! With all the ways to do so, I don’t think there’s any reason why you should let them languish unused at the bottom of your receipt.

Reader Beth asked a really good question, and I thought the answer might be something that would benefit others as well. Beth’s question was: I'm curious what strategies you use to keep your coupons organized, especially in knowing what you've got so that you can recognize the great deals when stuff goes on sale. I find that I clip the coupons, put them in my coupon file, but then the prospect of taking each ad and trying to match them up with coupons to maximize savings is daunting. Any tips?

Now I’m going to admit right up front that my system is seriously on the extreme end of the spectrum, and I don’t believe that everyone needs to have a system this complex. They key is finding one that makes sense to you and then being consistent about clipping and filing the coupons away. I have a friend who has one single envelope, and that system works fine for her. But I would say with one to two hours of effort a week (clipping, sorting and reviewing sales flyers), you can be a much smarter shopper.

My personal system is a big three-ring binder, the kind with the padded cover and a zipper around the outside. Inside the front flap, there’s a pocket where I keep all the store inserts for the week. And in the binder itself are some heavy-duty plastic dividers and a whole mess of those clear plastic baseball card holders.

If you have multiple copies of one coupon, they just all go in the same pocket. And, if you keep organized, you can keep your coupons for similar products together, which makes comparison shopping a breeze. This layout also avoids the shuffling through a coupon file that I think many people find frustrating. And the binder fits very conveniently in the child seat of a shopping cart.

My binder has 24 categories. Some women I know arrange their binder to match up with the order of the aisles in their favorite store. Some do it alphabetically. Mine has no real rhyme or reason except that it makes sense in my head. If you’d like to see a picture of a binder system, Faye Prosser, who is a wonderful frugal shopper and a couponing genius from Garner, has a photo of one on her Smart Spending Web site HERE. You can also order one from Faye if you’re not up to making one yourself.

I think this system is really the best because it allows you access to all your coupons in case you stumble across an unadvertised deal (happens all the time). You can just flip over to the right section of your binder and see if you have coupons to use.

But again, that’s for pretty advanced couponers and is not right for everyone. Most of us who use the binder system have graduated up to that level. If you have one of those little accordion file ones with six categories but want a little more room, I would recommend a returned check holder (you can buy at Staples or Wal-Mart or some other office store). They are very similar in design but are larger and have 12 pockets. You can even use envelopes within the 12 pockets to create more categories.

In general, I would say that you need a system that works well for you. Whether that’s an envelope or a big binder is up to you to decide. But the key is organization. With another nod to Faye, I’ll quote her favorite line. “If you watch two hours of TV a week, you can do this.” I really enjoy couponing in front of the TV because it makes me feel like I’m not wasting time. I also save time by not “purging” my binder of expired coupons every week. I usually do it about once a month. And, if you clip regularly, you will notice there are coupon cycles… Procter & Gamble issues coupons once a month in the P&G Brandsaver, for instance. It always comes on the first Sunday of the month.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic trick to lining up sales and coupons (except maybe reading my Wednesday Deals!). There's no substitute for being organized. How else will you know which coupons you have? But I will say that if you are willing to put in the time and effort regularly for let’s say a month, it will start to get a lot easier. Most die-hard couponers (myself included) are almost like walking rolodexes of coupons. We can tell you off the tops of our heads, “Oh, there was a coupon for that three weeks ago.” But it’s like any skill. You have to practice.

So, to summarize….
1) Work out a system that makes sense to you, binder or no binder.
2) Keep it current by putting in a few hours every week.
3) Practice lining up coupons and sales. I promise it will get easier as you go, and you will be well-rewarded for your time!

Updated: July 10, 2008 

The Extra Bucks program at CVS is a bonus program for frequent shoppers.

The Extra Bucks are basically coupons. Each “buck” is equivalent to $1. In order to participate, you will need an ExtraCare card, which you should have anyway in order to get sale prices at CVS. If you don’t have one, you can get one here.

There are several ways to earn Extra Bucks.
1) You get 2 percent back for all your total purchases (excludes alcohol, tobacco, lottery, gift cards, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards, prescriptions, and special order Home Health Care items, including footwear).
2) You get one Extra Buck for every two prescriptions you buy

For these two types of purchases, Bucks are awarded every three months. CVS will track how much you’ve spent for the three-month period and then give you the Extra Bucks at the end of the quarter.

You can also earn additional bucks every week with special promotions on specific products. If you check out your Sunday circular from CVS, you will usually find several items that have Extra Bucks savings noted next to them. Usually it’s something like “Earn 2 Extra Bucks.” Sometimes the ad even goes through the math to show you what the final cost will be after the Extra Bucks.

So, let’s say Head & Shoulders is on sale this week for $3.99. Then, there’s a note in the flieer saying that you can earn two Extra Bucks if you buy Head & Shoulders. Here’s what would happen:
1) You’d go to the store and buy Head & Shoulders for $3.99. You’d make sure the cashier scans your ExtraCare card when you do. (If you happened to have a manufacturer’s coupon as well, you could use that, too, for additional savings.)
2) You would earn two Extra Bucks for buying Head & Shoulders. Usually, the Bucks will be available 24 or 48 hours after the purchase. Once that time has elapsed, you can access your Extra Bucks online, print them out at home and use them on your next purchase. Or, the next time you buy something at CVS, the Extra Bucks print out at the bottom of your receipt.[An update on this policy, posted April 17, 2007: In April 2007, CVS eliminated this two-day waiting period. ExtraCare Bucks now print out immediately when you make the qualifying purchase, and the company is planning to install kiosks where you can print out your Bucks in stores.]
3) So, deducting the $2 in Extra Bucks, your final cost would be $1.99. It’s a great way to save, but it’s kind of like delayed gratification. If you can get in the habit of always buying the items that qualify for Extra Bucks, you can get in a cycle where you pretty much always have some to redeem.

I really like this program because once you’ve earned them, you can use Extra Bucks on anything. It’s like a dollar bill. You can also use several Extra Bucks coupons all at once, adding to your savings.

You should note that Extra Bucks do expire, so you need to pay attention to the expiration dates.

PLEASE NOTE: As of May 2009, Walgreens has discontinued the EasySaver rebate program. You can view my post about the termination of the program here.

I left this post because I didn't want to just delete it. But this program is no longer active.

The Walgreens EasySaver Program is one of my very favorite rebate programs because it is so easy and actually offers an incentive to use it.

Basically, each month, Walgreens puts out a special little catalog full of extra store coupons and rebates on certain items that are good for the whole month. You can get the EasySaver catalog in the store (in the rack where they keep the sales flyers). Or you can view the EasySaver catalog online here. At the very least, you should pick it up for the extra coupons.

If you look closely at the weekly Walgreens flyer that comes in the Sunday paper, you will notice some items have little white or yellow boxes below them that show additional savings with a store coupon or a rebate. If you've ever wondered how to get those additional savings, they are talking about the EasySaver rebate program.

For me, I like to get the catalog at the beginning of the month. Usually most of the rebate items go on sale at some point during the month, so if you are patient, you can save even more. Also, there are usually about four items that are free after rebate (or FAR for short).

Here are the basics:

1) Go to the store and get the EasySaver catalog at the beginning of the month.
2) Pay attention to sales each week and buy stuff that qualifies for the rebates.
3) Save your receipts!!!
4) At the end of the month, gather your receipts and the EasySaver catalog. In the center, you will find a single form (I love that part!), where you fill in your contact info and mark a grid showing which rebates you qualified for.
4) Mail it, and wait for the rebate.
5) Now, Walgreens will also allow you to enter your information from your receipts online and request your rebates through the Walgreens Web site. You must register first and can do so here. Note that if you do this, you can only request one check for each EasySaver monthly period.

Advanced tip No. 1:

If you wanted to save a little more, you can check the little box next to your contact info that gives Walgreens the OK to send you the rebate in the form of a Walgreens gift card. If you do that, Walgreens adds 10 percent of your total rebate onto the card as a reward for choosing the card option. So, let's say you qualify for $10 in rebates. You check the box, and you get a gift card back in the mail for $11. They do this because they want you to spend more money at their stores. But that's OK by me though, and here's why...

Advanced tip No. 2
I have been basically recycling the same money on the same Walgreens card for more than a year now. How?

1) You do all of the above... buy the stuff, fill out the form, mail it in with your receipts, check the little box and get your gift card back in the mail.
2) THEN you use that gift card the following month to buy more stuff and qualify for more rebates.
3) When the end of the month comes, you mail in your form and receipts and again check the box, earning another 10 percent. So, if you now had $11, another 10 percent would be $12.10.
4) When your rebate is processed, you do it again. And again. And again. The end result is free stuff every month for doing a little paperwork.

A couple of caveats on this program:
1) Once you've completed the cycle once and have a gift card in your possession, you can simply enter your gift card number and e-mail address on the rebate form. Then, when your rebate is processed, you get an e-mail saying that the card you already have has been recharged, and off you go. No waiting for a new card in the mail.
2) You do need to pay attention to dates with this program. The EasySaver month rarely ends on the 30th or 31st. It's usually some odd date like the 27th. And you have only a week or so to mail in your form, so you really do need to stay organized and on top of things. If that's not you, it might be best to avoid this program.
3) But if you think you are organized enough and understood all my rambling, it can be a great program that can end up netting you a whole lot of free stuff every single month.

Updated Dec. 9, 2008

Most coupons that are issued in the Sunday paper will say "manufacturers coupon" on the top. Many will also say "do not double" or "do not triple." (In couponer slang, that's DND or DNT). This confuses a lot of people, but it is really not confusing.

Store policies vary, of course (see my previous Coupon Corner post for the rules for doubling at each store). But most manufacturer's coupons will double — as long as you are shopping at a store that doubles coupons and are within the store's limits for doubling (coupons worth up to 99 cents at Harris Teeter and Lowes; 50 cents at Kroger).

In 95 percent of the cases, they will double regardless of whether they say DND or DNT. The 5 percent of times that a coupon does not double is because of a little technicality with coupons. If you look at the bar codes on your coupons, the very first number on the very far left is either a tiny little 5 or a 9. Most of the coupons in the Sunday paper begin with a 5. The coupons that come from those little "blinkie" dispensers in grocery store aisles often begin with a 9. It is the ones that begin with a 9 that do not double in stores' register systems. As long as the bar code begins with a tiny little 5, it will double, regardless of what the coupon says. That's the majority of coupons, so in general, you shouldn't have to worry too much about it.

So, why then, do manufacturers go through the trouble of putting DND or DNT on a coupon?

There is actually a reason.

If you read the fine print on most coupons, you'll note that the manufacturer promises to pay the store back the face value of the coupon, plus usually 8 cents for handling. But with many stores offering double or triple coupons all the time, the manufacturer wants to be clear that it will only pay the face value. When a store chooses to double or triple coupons anyway, the store is basically taking a loss on the doubled part of the coupon.

So, for example, if you have a 50-cent coupon and the store doubles it to $1, the manufacturer will pay the store back 50 cents for the coupon, plus that 8 cents for handling. But the other 42 cents comes out of the store's pocket. Many stores choose to go ahead and double coupons anyway because it's a way to compete with other stores in the super-competitive grocery industry. And that is really good for shoppers!

Updated: July 10, 2008 

You’ll find that couponers use a lot of slang when they talk about coupons. You may need some of it to navigate my posts, even though I try very hard not to digress into coupon lingo. Here are some common phrases you may see.

Q: slang for “coupon.”

BOGO: short for buy one get one. A lot of stores offer BOGO sales each week, so this one comes up a lot. You may also see it B1G1. Also sometimes written BOGOF for buy one get one free.

WYB: Short for “when you buy.” Coupons or sales sometimes set terms that are like “Get a free roll of paper towels when you buy two.”

DND: short for "do not double"

EXP: short for "expires"

GC: short for gift certificate or gift card

CC: short for credit card

SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope (common for rebates)

NAZ: name, address and ZIP code

POP: short for proof of purchase (again common for rebates)

One more note: You’ll also sometimes see coupon values written like this: .50/1 or $1/2. Those designations give the amount you’ll save follow by a slash and then the quantity you have to buy. So, those two examples are save 50 cents on one and save $1 on two.

************

Still running into acronyms you don't know?

Download my three-page couponers glossary below.

************

Last updated: June 10, 2009

Each store has its own sale cycle, with almost all of them lasting a week. Knowing when they begin and end can be key to helping you maximize your savings. (I've even been known to go back one last time the day before a sale ends to stock up on an item that's a particularly good deal.)

-Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods and Food Lion put out their sale circulars in the Wednesday paper.

-Kroger puts its flier out on Sunday, though it often usually runs a smaller flier on Wednesday as well.

-The drug stores (Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid) all put their fliers in the Sunday paper.

-Target also runs its flier on Sundays. 

-Kerr Drug runs its flier on Sundays as well, though Kerr doesn’t run an insert every Sunday.

-Wal-Mart often, though not always, runs a circular on Sunday. 

Here are the rules for using coupons at our area stores. The rules vary by store, and it's important you structure your shopping to comply with the rules at that particular store. It seems complicated at first, but with a little practice, it will all be second-nature. 

-Food Lion takes manufacturer’s coupons but does not double them.

-Harris Teeter does double coupons, all the time. Up to 99 cents in value, up to 20 coupons in an order. Limit three of the same coupon.

-Kroger doubles manufacturer's coupons up to 50 cents. No limit on the number of identical coupons.

-Lowes Foods doubles all the time, up to 99 cents in value. Limit four of the same coupon.

-Wal-Mart takes coupons but doesn't double them. Wal-Mart's official coupon policy states that anyone who wants to use more than 40 coupons in a single order will require manager approval.

-The drug stores (Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS) all take coupons but don't double them.

-Warehouse clubs vary. Sam's and Costco do not take manufacturer's coupons.

BJ's does, and even allows you to use several coupons if you are buying a multi-pack. So, if you are buying a multi-pack of toothpaste with five tubes in it and had five Colgate coupons, you could use them. The important distinction here is that the individual units in the multi-pack have to come packaged individually, like the individual tubes you'd buy at a regular store. So the big huge boxes of diapers don't count for the multi-pack rule since it has different packaging specifically for BJs.

Warehouse clubs also put out their own coupons for members.

-Other stores operate on a case-by-case basis, so it's best to ask if you are unsure.

Updated: July 10, 2008 

Gene asked where I get my coupons, and the answer was long enough to merit its own post.

Of course, the first place to go is the Sunday paper. Most Sundays, there will be one or two inserts, and on the first Sunday of each month, there is also the P&G Brandsaver (from Procter & Gamble). There are never any coupons on holiday Sundays. The cheapest way to get additional copies of coupons is to ask around. Your friends may be willing to swap their extras with you (this is a great idea!) or you may find co-workers and friends who don't clip at all!

If you find several couponing friends, you can start a "coupon train," where you pass around an envelope with everyone's extras. When you get the envelope, you look for any coupons you want, remove any that have expired, add your extras to the pile, and pass it on to the next person.

After that, I do like several Web sites, but this has become a more tricky thing lately as coupon fraud has caused many retailers to stop taking Internet coupons entirely or scruitinize them much more carefully. I certainly understand Gene's hesitation to hand out personal info to register for these sites. I might recommend getting a free e-mail address from Yahoo or some other service and using it exclusively for this purpose. That way, even if you get spammed, it doesn't interfere with your other e-mail. Also, you should know that most of them will require you to download a small program to be able to print the barcodes on the coupons. You should have to do it just once, but if it makes you uncomfortable, it's probably best to skip Internet coupons.

Just a couple of the numerous sites I like: Smart Source, RedPlum, wow-coupons and The Courier Post.

And, if you really want extras but can't find them from friends or online, there are several Web sites where you can pay someone to send you some (my personal favorite being The Coupon Clippers). All of these sites are very clear: you are paying for the person's time and effort to clip the coupons and send them to you. Selling the coupons themselves is illegal. A fine line, I know, but an important distinction.

This is the best way to get several copies (more than say three or four) of a coupon, though I understand why some people object to "buying coupons." In general, the fees range from a few cents per coupon to $1 or more depending on how good a coupon it is. Most cost 5 or 10 cents, though. There are also people who sell coupons on eBay, though I find that these are often more pricey than the ones on the coupon-only sites. I won't lie. I have used these sites and they have helped me save a lot of money. But I always look for a way to get additional coupons for free from friends and co-workers before ordering. It's the frugal thing to do.