Please note that the links below to SavingStars, Ibotta, and Checkout 51 are affiliate links, meaning that I will receive a referral credit if you use them to sign up.
To continue in my series of getting the biggest bang for your buck at our local stores, today, I will talk about saving at Winn Dixie.
About 10 years ago, I was in a Winn Dixie and saw a package of 2 chicken breasts for 14 dollars. Remember, this was a long time ago. But, seriously?! Fourteen dollars for a SMALL package of chicken. I was FLOORED! I’ve always been a bit of a tightwad and the thought of paying that much money for just 2 pieces of chicken made me physically ill!
So, when I got married and started really buying groceries on a regular basis, I stayed as far away from “The Beef People” as I could! Like many others, I went to Wal-Mart because it was cheaper! WRONG!
When I started couponing, I noticed that lots of the blogs that I followed all shared deals from Winn Dixie. I thought that was so silly…until I tried it. Now, Winn Dixie is my main grocery store. When I am not swamped with life, work, kids, homework, etc , I go every week and take advantage of the Buy One Get One offers for that week. This keeps me stocked up on my staple items when they are at the best price, and I never have to buy those things at full SHELF price!
Do not pay full price at Winn Dixie!
Don’t do that! There are too many ways to avoid paying full price. The key is that you must have a Winn Dixie Rewards Card. This is required to drop that SHELF price to the SALE price. It is required for BOGO freebies to come off. It is required to use ANY store coupons. It also gives you Fuel Perks (savings off your gas for purchases made at Winn Dixie). If you are going to shop at ANY store that offers one of these cards, you NEED the card.
Buy One, Get One Free Deals
First of all, let’s talk about BOGO deals: Buy One (at shelf price), Get One Free. You just saved half! But, to sweeten that deal, you are allowed to use a coupon on EACH of the two items you just put in your cart. So, you can look at it one of two ways:
I saved half on both of these and NOW, I get to use a coupon, too!
~OR~
I was able to DOUBLE coupon on this item, and this other one was FREE!
Confused?? Let me give you a real life example:
Purex Detergent was on BOGO for $6.49. The price for the same bottle is about $4 at Wal-Mart. (See the crazy high shelf price? Now watch it plummet!)
There was a coupon available for $3 off a bottle of Purex. Remember, I can use one on each. So I paid $6.49 for 2 bottles and used (2) $3 coupons, which made the final price: $.49 or less than $.25 per bottle! Beat that, Wal-Mart!
Back then, Winn Dixie had no published coupon policy. They have since then posted a written policy on their website. It’s really not a very uncommon policy, and not many things changed. It doesn’t specify that you can use that 2nd coupon on BOGO deals, but it also doesn’t exclude it. Take if from someone who does it rather frequently; it is allowed. How, you ask? Because those two items are still in the queue of the register (computer) and will allow a coupon to attach to each.
Group Sales
Winn Dixie also does these group sales called Make a Meal, What a Deal, or Double Play: Buy This, Get That. These deals usually require you to buy one or more items (at shelf price), and then get one or several items free. Since the policy was put in place, the free items in these group sale deals are not allowed coupons. However, you can use coupons on the items that you are required to purchase. Here’s an example:
This example requires you to buy 3 boxes of cereal, and you will probably pay close to $5 per box. But, you will also get donuts, coffee, milk and juice FREE. So, that has to be taken into consideration. That’s almost $13 worth of normal products that may already be on your list. Plus, you could use coupons on the cereal and make the price a little better.
Other Ways to Maximize Savings at Winn Dixie
- E-coupons: These were just added a couple of years ago and are a great little tool. However, these deals are a one-hit wonder. When you activate the coupon, it is only on your card once. So, if you have a “save $.40 on French’s Mustard,” you will only save that one time and on one bottle. This is NOT a time to stock up!
- Sign up for the Baby Club! You will receive a mailer of coupons about once or month or so. These are store coupons, and therefore can be stacked with manufacturer’s coupons. Plus, they often include great savings on fresh meat or even produce in addition to diapers, wipes and other baby essentials. Don’t have a baby? I bet you know someone who does. Or, you can play “coupon fairy” and leave the coupons on the baby items for some frazzled mom to find and make her day!
- There are also seasonal booklets that are near the front of the store. It may be “back to school” or “pets” or “spring,” but these fliers offer tips and great store coupons for items that you may need in that season. Store coupons mean STACKABLE coupons!
- Finally, you can search for little yellow stickers on perishable items or clearance items. These are price reductions to move the products fast and can equal great savings. Just be careful….sometimes they are reduced because the expiration date is near.
SavingStar
In addition to all of these in-store options, Winn Dixie purchases are eligible for SavingStar. You load e-coupons that are connected to your SavingStar account, which is connected to your Winn Dixie card. You choose your coupons, buy those items at Winn Dixie, swipe your card, and you get that coupon value back into your SavingStar account a couple of days later. Since this is an “after the fact” deal that occurs in the background, you can use coupons at the register, too! If you haven’t signed up yet, do so today! Then, add your Winn Dixie card and start saving!
Ibotta and Checkout 51
Winn Dixie purchases are also eligible for Cash Back offers from Ibotta! This is a program which gives you cash back for completing offers on certain products. They have recently started adding restaurants, movie tickets and home improvement offers to this program! If you haven’t started this program yet, be sure to set up your account and start earning right away!
Most recently, I have discovered Checkout 51. It is similar to Ibotta, but because their offers are not store specific, you can use them anywhere – including Winn Dixie!
Occasionally, the planets will align, and there will be offers on several of these platforms for the same item. This could make the item free or even a moneymaker! In the event that there is overage, Winn Dixie’s policy states that it must be applied to other items in the transaction. So, you won’t get that money back, but you can use it toward the rest of your purchase.
I know that this is a LOT of information and a rather lengthy post, but that’s because Winn Dixie just keeps making it easier and easier to save money!
About Northshore Mama
Kari, born and raised on the Northshore, began Northshore Mama after her family experienced a couple of rough financial years. Kari shares the tips and tricks to maneuvering each store’s different marketing of their sales, as well as introducing her readers to various programs and websites where she earns free stuff every day. Northshore Mama’s mission is to bring you the coupon deals and show you how to match them up with each store’s weekly sales to get the most bang for your buck!