What are Catalinas?

I know this sounds dumb but when I first saw that there were Catalina deals at the stores I honestly thought that you received various dollar amount vouchers to put toward a Catalina Island vacation. I thought, 'Well, that is nice but it will take forever to accumulate enough vouchers to pay for a vacation', so I just paid them no attention. Hello! Was I ever wrong.

Catalina papers print out from little machines sitting next to the cash registers.
They are NOT receipts for items you have purchased.
The printed Catalina coupons (or preview offers) are usually based on what you purchase at that store.
The current Offers are also posted on the store shelves or in the weekly Ads for each store.
PYPers combine the offer with coupons for added savings, plus we watch for low prices to max out the deal.

For instance, at Albertson's this week General Mills is running a promo that if you purchase $25.00 worth of specific items then AFTER you have paid for you purchase the machine will print you a $10.00 off coupon for your next purchase. I will put a divider between these items, which I purchase first, and the rest of my groceries so that I can use the $10 coupon on the rest of my purchases. You may have three individual purchases in a row. If you would like more then you need to take your groceries to your car and get back in line for the next purchases. This is just for common curtiousy for those behind you.

Your $25.00 total is on the sale price not including your coupons. I have gotten some fabulous deals combining the sale price, my manufactures coupons, and the Catalina deals. This does take some prep time at home but it has been worth it. This week I will be stocking up on All detergent, Ragu, Skippy peanut butter, and General Mills cereals. I will do this in three purchases and then going back with my third $10 coupon to go toward some bread and meat that is on sale.

Leave a comment with any questions or success stories.