Saving money at... Meijer

I thought it was time to break down the ways to save at each store I shop at- and I'll start with Meijer since that's one of the first stores where I started couponing. I will put the links in these posts to each store's website where the policy can be printed. It is helpful to understand each store's coupon policy and have a printed copy in your coupon binder so if any questions come up during checkout you can refer to their own policy.





Meijer coupon policy allows you to stack manufacturer's coupons with Meijer store coupons.
Go here to read the entire Meijer Coupon Policy:

Meijer coupon policy:

Meijer accepts two kinds of coupons; Meijer issued coupons and manufacturer coupons:

•To be accepted, coupons must be presented before or on the expiration date
•Only one manufacturer coupon and one Meijer coupon for the same item will be accepted (unless prohibited)
•Mealbox and mPerks coupons are considered Meijer coupons
•We accept all valid internet coupons. These coupons must be presented before or on the expiration date. See store for additional details
•We reserve the right to limit quantities
•If the value of the coupon is more than the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied, the value of the coupon will be applied up to the price of the item
•We do not apply the excess value of a coupon to the order total if the value of the coupon is over the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied
•Only coupons for products carried in our stores will be accepted
•All coupons should be given to the cashier while you're checking out and cannot be applied to a previous purchase

Meijer Coupon Policy Summary
- You can stack Meijer coupons (Mealbox OR MPerks) with a manufacturer coupon
- You can NOT get overage if your coupon exceeds the value of the item(s) you are buying- the coupon will be brought down to the purchase price
- Valid internet coupons are accepted

Meijer has a couple different ways you can get store coupons:

MPerks:

MPerks is a free Meijer coupon program that you can use if you have a text enabled cell phone. You sign up online using a valid cell phone number and your account will be confirmed via text. Once you confirm your account, you can login and "clip" digital coupons that can be used in the store. The coupons can only be used one time.

At the register, you will need to press the MPerks button on the credit card reader and enter your cell number in order for the coupon to be applied to your purchase. Since I've been using this program, approximately once a month I have received a special offer for $2 off a $2 purchase, or $5 off a $5 purchase, etc. Usually when there is a special offer like that you will get a text that tells you to "clip" those coupons. Coupons are usually refreshed on Mondays and at the beginning of the month, and once they're clipped are valid until the expiration date listed.

Tips to using Mperks:

- If you have multiple cell phones in your house, sign up each phone so each person can clip the coupons (your phone, your hubby's phone, etc.)- You can only use one MPerks account per transaction at the register but if you do different transactions you can use a different MPerks account on each one

- Print a list of your clipped coupons- I usually look at my clipped coupons, and go to the print list feature- then copy and paste into word, remove all the photos and shrink the font so I can print on one handy list to take with me. This also helps me keep better track of which coupons are expiring when...

Meijer Mealbox Coupons:

Meijer Mealbox is another great way to get Meijer store coupons. These are printable coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer coupons. To use the Meijer Mealbox, you go to www.meijermealbox.com and in the Mealbox widget on the right, click on the "specials" tab. From there, you can scroll through the different offers, and select "add to shopping list" for any offers of interest. There are usually a couple pages of coupons so make sure to look through all of them. Once you've "added to shopping list" all offers you would like to print, you click the "shopping list" tab. From there, you have the option to print Shopping List, Coupons and Sale Items, and Recipes. To print your coupons, you select only the "Coupons and Sale Items" box. You have the option to just print or print the coupons as a PDF. I recommend printing as a PDF. You can print the coupon from the Adobe Viewer and also save the coupon. Meijer occasionally will pull coupons from the Mealbox prior to the coupon's expiration. If that happens, you still have your saved PDF that you can print (as long as it's prior to the coupon's expiration)

With Meijer Mealbox coupons, you can use multiple prints in the same transaction (with the purchase of multiple items). That's definitely a perk compared to using MPerks.

Tips to using Meijer Mealbox coupons:

- I already mentioned it but I think it's a good idea to save a PDF of the coupons. This can be very helpful if a coupon gets pulled or if it's a coupon you'll use every week until it expires.

- Watch the expiration dates- they're real random- some are good for much longer than others

- If you see something you might be buying in the next few weeks and the item isn't on sale and there is an Mealbox coupon, save it as a pdf and wait to print until you know there is a sale

Catalina Offers

In addition to using coupons at Meijer, Meijer also participates with Catalina offers. Before I got into couponing, I never paid too much attention to the little machines next to the receipt printer- I'd occasionally look at one and it would be something off my next purchase but I never knew how I got it. Catalina offers are select offers that if you buy certain items, usually multiple items, you can get Catalina offers for $$$ off your next purchase or sometimes a free product if you buy a particular item. Catalina offers are sometimes listed in the weekly ad, sometimes listed on a sign buy the items, and sometimes unadvertised offers.

To see Catalina offers (aka Custom Coupon offers):

Using the Meijer Mealbox widget, if you select "Specials" and then "Custom Coupons," you can see a list of valid Catalina offers at Meijer. The widget tells you what items you need to buy to get the offer, how many of the item you need to buy in one transaction and when the offer is good through. It's a very helpful list! You can also add these offers to your "shopping list" to print and bring to the store with you so you make sure you follow the particulars of the offer. The Meijer Mealbox widget only lists the first tier of the offers, so try to look in the store for additional signage or in the weeklya d to see if there are different tiers (such as buy 2 get $1, buy 3 get $2, etc.)- some offers are tiered, others are not.

Tips to Catalina offers:

- BEFORE checking out, make sure that you take a peek at the Catalina machine and look for the GREEN light that shows that the machine is in working order!! This way you know that as long as you bought the required products, you'll get your Catalina.

- Most of the time, Catalina's do NOT roll. What this means is that if you do a transaction that generates a particular Catalina, if you buy the same item again and try to use the Catalina on that transaction, the same Catalina will not print.

- Only ONE Catalina for each offer will print in one transaction. Example: right now there is a Catalina for $1 off your next order when you buy 2 Lawry's spice blends. If you buy 4 in one transaction, you will only get 1- $1 off your next transaction coupon. So, you might have to split your order up to maximize your savings.

- If you ever have a Catalina that you are expecting and it doesn't print, you can go to the service desk and they can write you a handwritten Catalina or they may give you cash for the amount you were suppose to receive. That's when having a printed copy of the offer from the Mealbox site or looking at the offer in the weekly ad comes in handy. If you bought the required items and customer service still doesn't resolve the situation (or if the line is too long and you have kids that are tired of being at Meijer) you can call the Catalina company directly at 1-888-8COUPON- you'll have to make sure you have your receipt so you can give them the info from it.

Other random Meijer offers:

You also want to pay attention to the Meijer ads to see what interesting Meijer offers there may be. A few weeks ago there was a Kelloggs offer that if you bought 4 Kelloggs cereals at $2.50 each, you would get $2 off instantly at the register. Pair that up with 2- $1 off 2 coupons and you'll get 4 boxes of cereal for $6. This past week, they had a Kelloggs offer for buy 4 Kelloggs cereal or snacks, get a free gallon of milk. At the high price of milk lately, if you bought 4 boxes of cereal for $10, used 2- $1 off 2 coupons and could have 4 boxes of cereal AND a gallon of milk which is selling for $2.99 on non-sale weeks for $8, it's a pretty good price!

I do get freebies at Meijer from stacking and using coupons, but I am selective about what foods we buy- I do buy as much organic produce and meat as possible and try to buy healthy foods for my family. I have drastically reduced my grocery bill since couponing- but I still pay for groceries-- my goal at Meijer is 50% savings, but I usually average "only" around 40% savings. My savings is much higher at the drugstores on non-food items.

WOW- this ended up being a LONG post! Please let me know if this is helpful or if you have any questions. I plan on doing this for others stores too- let me know if there are any particular stores you would like to know more about.