Central Wisconsin Couponer Deals

I grew up believing my mother's adage: "Generic is better", and because it was so engrained in me throughout childhood, I've nearly always done my grocery shopping at Aldi's, thinking I was saving money by shopping in a store that sells nothing BUT generic brands, and always equated dollar stores with "generic".

SO not true!

I got a glance- quite by accident- at the Dollar General flyer in the paper Sunday. They listed French's mustard at $1. I had coupons for that! So I picked up three bottles, using all three of my coupons, and paid $.70 each.

I don't know anyone who goes through a large amount of mustard, but having three in my pantry meant that I could not have to buy anymore for at least a full year. And what a great deal I got. 

While I was in the store, I noticed nearly everything there was brand name; Hunts, Excedrine, Always, Reynold's, etc. Some prices were about the same as Wal- Mart or Kmart, but the vast majority were far cheaper. Combine that with your coupons, and you've got one helluva deal on your hands.

Check out the Dollar General website to glance through the flyer. You'll find mostly health & beauty/ canned goods and condiments, but those are tremendous savings you really won't find anywhere else!

As far as generic brands, you really do get what you pay for, most of the time. Generic bleach works JUST as perfectly as Clorox; generic baking soda just as good as Arm & Hammer, and generic chocolate chips just as chocolate- ly and tasty as Nestle.

But that's about it. Practically every other generic item manufactured on the planet stink.

On occasion I'll find Ziplock brand sandwich bags at the Dollar Tree (the only true dollar store, where everything costs only $1), and this is where I use my "peelie" coupons; those little orange peel- off stickers found on larger boxes of Ziplock I bought on sale at Copps. But they're only good for $.15 off- no good to me, even doubled at Copps, on an item that retails for over $3. So I use these little peelies at the Dollar Tree, where I'll find Ziplock 10- count boxes and only pay $.85.

Otherwise, I stay away from the Dollar Tree, as 99% of all other products there are junk.

But Family Dollar and Dollar General are a bit different. They are much like Big Lots, in that they often carry overstock or 'scratch & dent' items (for instance, canned goods that might be dented, or half the label has been ripped off; for whatever reason these aren't deemed fit for sale at most grocery/ dept stores) that are perfectly fresh, edible or otherwise usable without any problems. These stores are a bit like a warehouse; aisles are usually very narrow and items are often displayed in their shipping boxes.

Don't be afraid of shopping at these places; even Big Lots has LOTS of canned goods/ HBP (health & beauty products) with brand names, and often also carry discontinued items on clearance.

There are some drawbacks to shopping in these stores, however. You're likely to encounter a "seedier" class of customer here. There are often only one or two check- out registers, meaning you're not likely to quickly get in & out. Customer Service might not be as good, and employees might not be as knowledgeable. Plus, you're always likely to encounter bare shelves, as well, since some items aren't able to be restocked, as their stock own depends on overflow/ damaged goods from other stores. 

If you're willing to deal with some of the drawbacks, shopping here is definitely worth the hassles, as it can save you quite a bit of money!