Meijer Mealbox Coupons

Did you know that Meijer offers store coupons?

These coupons are called Meijer Mealbox Coupons. The awesome part about these coupons is that they can be used WITH a Manufacturer's Coupon on the SAME item!! This means great savings!! It also means that you can possibly get things for FREE or just pennies!!

One of the biggest questions I receive about Meijer Mealbox Coupons is about how to print them. If you are new to this, here are the steps to print these:

Go to the Meijer Mealbox site.

Click on "Specials" in the box at the right hand side of the page.

Scroll through the coupons listed, and click on "add to shopping list" for those that you want to print. As you add them, a little box will pop up and you will need to click "ok".

**To print, click on "Shopping List". A box will pop up, you will want to UNclick "Shopping List" (unless you wanted to use that feature). Click "Print".

A box should pop up on the left side of the screen. Click on "File". A drop down menu will appear, click on "print". Another print box will appear, click on "ok".

If you have trouble printing with these directions, then your computer may require you to print them as PDF. So at the ** in the directions above, you would click on "Print as PDF" instead of "Print.

Note: You can print & use as many of the Meijer Mealbox coupons as you'd like. There are no limitations. Also, when you use them at the checkout they will not show up with all of your other coupons...being these are store coupons, they will come off of your receipt right under the item.

My Take on Digital Coupons/eCoupons

I've had some people ask me recently if I still use the digital coupons (eCoupons) that I post on here. I put them on here because I know that there are some people who do not like to clip coupons...or maybe do not have the time. This is just an easy way for some people to save money on their grocery bill without much effort. This is why I continue to post them.

I personally still check them out to see if there are eCoupons available for things that I maybe do not have a paper coupon for and will load them to my card. I have, however, stopped using them together with paper manufacturer coupons because there was/is so much controversy. So much so, that it was starting to make me uncomfortable. I feel VERY strongly about honest couponing and being ethical in using my coupons. I had also read on other blogs that Kroger would be implementing a new program that did not allow the use of eCoupons when a paper coupon was also being used on the same item. Whether or not this has taken place yet, I'm not sure.

Before I EVER loaded any eCoupons on to my Kroger card, I had called Kroger to verify that they were okay to use on the SAME item that I was ALSO using a paper coupon for. Truth is, if I could not get my coupons doubled...I did not see the benefits of using the eCoupons. I was told "yes" at the time--that I could use a paper coupon AND an eCoupon on the same item. I asked about the ethics of it and several other questions to verify that it was okay. At the time I felt comfortable with it because I felt I had covered "my bases". I've since been told that it is NOT okay...I've read several articles saying that it is NOT ethical...I've tried to contact the websites that make the eCoupons available and have gotten either no response or confusing answers. I've been told that it is sometimes okay...based on the final cost of an item and how much of a savings percentage it is. Some cashiers at Kroger say it is okay...others do not agree. I've asked at Guest Services for a coupon policy and they have not been able to provide me with one...even after a call to corporate. It seems that those that work the Guest Services counter all have a different opinion on the use of digital/eCoupons.

Kroger has eCoupons available on their site and I have contacted them via the website to see if they are able to be used WITH paper coupons. I emailed them because I was not sure if these were considered to be store coupons or manufacturer's coupons. I was emailed back after a couple of weeks and told that the eCoupons from their site CAN be used WITH paper coupons AS LONG AS the amount of the coupons does not exceed the cost of the item. I emailed this person back and asked her if she had any information regarding the other digital/eCoupons that are available through sources like Cellfire or Shortcuts but have not heard back yet. I will let you know when (and if) I hear back!

I'm not sure why there are not some definite rules in place when it comes to these digital coupons...but I hope that some day soon there will be!! For now I choose not to use them from sources like Cellfire or Shortcuts because there are no for sure answers...BUT I have loaded some of the eCoupons from the Kroger site to my card. I need to print off the email that I received from their offices stating that it was okay so I have proof if it ever comes into question.

Do any of you use eCoupons? Have you had issues with them?

Fraudulent Coupons

I received this comment from a reader:

FYI-there is a fraudulent coupon out there for free Doritos. I guess it's printing out with the other coupons you actually choose (not sure which site though.) My grandma printed some and gave them to me but Meijer said they're fake.

Please be aware that there is a "coupon" out there for free Doritos circulating around...I received one myself via email a week or so ago. I've not heard of it happening in the way mentioned above. So maybe it's circulating around in a couple of different ways?? The one I received was in a pdf file and had several of the "coupons" on one page.

If you question a coupon's validity, you can try checking this site. They have a list of fraudulent coupons that is continuously updated.

I usually question a coupon...
WHEN it is sent to me via email
WHEN a coupon is in pdf format
WHEN it seems too good to be true
WHEN I have no idea where it originated from
WHEN it cannot be linked to a legitimate source

If you receive a coupon that you believe to be fraudulent, throw it away immediately. Please do not use these coupons or forward them on to others.

If you unknowingly try to use one of these coupons (or maybe already have), please know that you're not doing anything wrong...it only becomes wrong when you KNOW that it is invalid and are trying to get away with something.

On a side note, I've noticed that the stores are starting to really look at internet printable coupons more closely and question them more than they did before. When this happens, please be kind to your cashier. They are only doing their job...and I'm sure they'd like to keep it!

For a related post about honesty in couponing, read here.

Honesty with Printable Coupons

Last week I did a post about Honesty with Printable Coupons. Tonight I was looking at different blogs and came across this post. Just want to emphasize that it's really not worth it. This can become a very serious problem.

Coupon Tip for the Week: Honesty with Printable Coupons

Recently, I have read several blog posts online where there are stores in various areas that are starting to refuse to accept internet printable coupons due to coupon fraud. This worries me a bit because I use LOTS of internet printables when I shop. I can’t even begin to imagine the changes that would come to my grocery budget if stores in our area no longer accepted internet printables.

I have mentioned this before on here and if you’ve taken one of my classes, I highly encourage honest couponing! This is VERY important! You’re not only hurting yourself by being dishonest but in the end you are hurting others as well.

Printing coupons from reliable internet sources is perfectly legal. You are usually able to print two of each coupon per computer. If you have multiple computers, you are able to print more. If you only have one computer, I would encourage you to check with your friends and exchange internet printables…your friend would print what you need, you print what your friend needs and trade. This is an easy way to get multiple coupons…you can do this with coupons from the Sunday paper as well!

The dishonest part of couponing comes in when someone photocopies a coupon. This is illegal! When you photocopy coupons, they will scan at the register. The unfortunate part is that you are robbing the store of their money--they will not get paid by the manufacturer for the coupon that was copied, therefore causing the store to lose money.

Most stores in our area accept internet printables but all it takes is a few people to make store management change their mind and ruin things for the rest of us. If you or someone you know is copying coupons, please know that it is very wrong. It not only affects you but all of the honest couponers as well.

Coupon Tip for the Week: Using the Coupon Preview to your Benefit

So last week I talked about how you can get an idea of what coupons will be in the Sunday paper by checking out Sunday Coupon Preview. I stated how this site isn't totally accurate for our area and that I would share with you how you could use this to your advantage...

When you check out Sunday Coupon Preview you are able to see what other coupons are out there. Our area may or may not receive the coupons on the list.

For example, a while back I saw that some areas were going to be receiving a $1.00/2 Kraft Cheese coupon. Unfortunately our area did not receive that coupon. BUT what I did was went on a few coupon clipping sites and checked to see if they had this coupon available. It was sold out on a couple of the sites and was not even able to find it on the one. So I went to ebay! I was able to buy 15 of these coupons for $1.99! I was able to use almost all of them! By using 12 of them, paired up with a good deal, I ended up with 18 packages of FREE Cheese! The $1.99 that I spent on these coupons was WELL SPENT!

Ebay and the clipping sites cannot charge you for the coupon itself, but they can charge you a fee for the service of clipping and also for shipping & handling. Some of the sites "sell" whole inserts &/or individually clipped coupons. I believe that most of the clipping sites have minimum dollar amount requirements before an order can be placed.

Clipping Sites:
The Coupon Master
The Coupon Clippers
Coupons & Things by Dede

When you are purchasing anything from ebay please make sure you are buying from a reputable seller!

Ordering coupons from ebay or a clipping service is not something that I do regularly but have on occasion when I find something that we use a lot of or I know I can get a good deal on. Like I mentioned in the post about buying multiple inserts, I make sure that purchasing coupons from these sites is worth my money!

Coupon Tip for the Week: Buy Multiple Papers

So that you can stockpile, it is very beneficial to buy multiple papers. By that, I mean buying more than one Sunday paper. This could mean several papers. Dependent upon the coupons, I have bought up to 6 papers.

We have the paper delivered to our house (this is not a necessity). I will then look through that to see what coupons are in there. I look for coupons that are for things that we use frequently. I also check the value of those coupons to see if they are worth getting extra. Based on the coupons, I will then determine how many extra papers I will buy. I make sure that I'll be able to make the money back that I put into the extra papers.

The Dollar Tree sells our local Sunday paper for $1.00 every week. Most weeks you will need to get there fairly early in the day in order to get yours. When purchasing a paper, whether it be from the Dollar Tree or a gas station, be sure to check the paper to make sure the coupons are in there! There is nothing more frustrating than getting home and finding that they are not there! Another helpful tip is to know what should be in there (number of inserts). I've found that most of our Dollar Tree cashiers will actually check the paper for the coupons.

If you want an idea of what will be in the Sunday paper, you can check out Sunday Coupon Preview. This site has a 2010 Insert Schedule as well. Please note that things do change and the schedule is not always totally accurate...and the coupons that are listed are based on area. We may or may not get the coupons listed...and the values may also be different. This site isn't totally accurate for our area but I will tell you how you can use the site to your benefit next week!

Coupon Tip For the Week

Did you know that you can save even more money with the use of store coupons?

Meijer has store coupons here and they can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's coupon on the same item (also known as stacking)! This gives you extra savings!!

Here is an example:

Let's say that I am going to purchase two jars of Taco Bell Salsa con Queso.

Taco Bell Dinner Kits, Corn Shells, Mild Con Queso, Salsa, Bowls are on sale this week for $1.67 each.

I have two manufacturer coupons for $1.00/1 (from All You Magazine) for the Salsa Con Queso which would make each one $.67. This would be a decent deal.

BUT...by adding the $1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox coupon to the mix, I end up with 2 jars of Salsa con Queso at $.17 each!!


Taco Bell Dinner Kits, Corn Shells, Mild Con Queso, Salsa, Bowls $1.67
-$1.00/1 salsa All You, February
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
=as low as $.17 when you buy 2


Target also has store coupons that you can find on their website here that can be used in the same way. Target also has manufacturer's coupons on their site so you'll have to watch what you're printing.

Coupon Tip for the Week

If you can get something for really cheap...STOCK UP! This is one of the keys to saving money at the grocery store. When you do this, you will most likely never pay full price for that item again. You are also less likely to run out of things.

Don't just grab enough of that item to last you the next few weeks...think about what your family will use over the course of the next few months! Be sure to look at the expiration dates and only buy what you can use before it expires (unless you plan to donate!)!!

Here are a couple examples of things you might stock up on at Meijer this week:

Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links or Patties $2.00
-$.55/1 1/17 SS insert or here
USE WITH $1.00/1 Meijer Mealbox
=$.45!!
*You can put these in your freezer!!

Hellman's Mayo $2.49
-$.50/1 1/31 RP insert (use 2)
USE WITH $2.00/2 Meijer coupon from ad
=$.49!!

Coupon Tip For the Week

One of the things I highly recommend is going to the store prepared! If you read my blog earlier this week...you already know that I did not do this when I hit up Kroger. I am usually way more prepared than that.

Going to the store with a shopping list has several benefits! If you have a shopping list you are less likely to make unnecessary purchases. It will also save you lots of time.

I make my shopping list based on what I find in the ad and any other items that I might need. Next to those items I list: 1)sale price 2)coupons that I have 3) how many of that item I will be purchasing and 4)how much I will be spending for the item(s) after coupons.

When I checkout, I have a very good idea of what I will be spending in the end.

Coupon Tip For the Week

So many times people will use a coupon just because they have it.

I like to tell people...just because you have a coupon DOES NOT mean that you need to use it!

The key to getting the biggest benefit in using coupons, is to WAIT until the item goes on sale...THEN use your coupons and get the best deal!!

For example:
Let's say...
You have a $.50 off 1 coupon for Betty Crocker Frosting and your store will double the coupon amount.
It is regularly priced at $1.50.

$1.50 - $1.00 ($.50/1 doubled) = $.50

BUT, if you were to wait till it went on sale for $1.00??
$1.00 - $1.00 ($.50/1 doubled) = FREE!!!


You will save so much money if you plan your shopping around the sales and what you have coupons for!