Big News

January 5, 2010 

A few days ago I asked you guys what you would would like to see here at I Heart Publix.  You guys gave me some wonderful suggestions and I am in the process of implementing some of your great ideas.  One idea you guys had was to include a way to create a shopping list based on the weekly ad. 

While I love the idea of a list, I personally prefer a spreadsheet as it makes my whole shopping experience easier.  I like being able to see my list as well as the coupon calculations and ultimately what I will pay at the register.  So I created a spreadsheet that you all can use and print HERE on the site!! 

It is very simple to use–here are the steps: 

1. Use the quantity drop down to choose how many of an item you wish to purchase. If you are in an area with true BOGO–you will need to make sure to select BOGO quantities in sets of two to ensure your cost is accurate.

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2. Use the poduct dropdown to choose the specific item you want to add to your list. The price and cost will automatically be calculated!!!

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3. The spreadsheet will contain the prices from my ad in Metro Atlanta.  I know many of you in other areas may have slightly different prices. I have given you a way to adjust the price so that your spreadsheet will be accurate.  Simply type the additonal amount in the price adjustment box and your cost will adjust. NOTE: This is a completely optional step!  If no adjustments are entered the cost will be calulated based on the preset price.

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4. Insert your total coupon discount per item in the corresponding line.  If you are using five $1 coupons on Kellogg’s Cereal then you would enter 5 into the coupon amount for that item. The cost will automatically adjust to display your discount!  

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5. I have all the items listed in their specific category within the spreadsheet.  I have also included a section for you to add your own items! Just fill in the item, cost and coupon and it will be included in the calculations!!

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6.  You will be able to see your expected total (not including tax) at the bottom of the spreadsheet.  You can then hit print and take your list and shop!!
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It is super simple to use!!  I will admit that I just finished the spreadsheet so it may have a few bugs.  For example the submit button is useless–I just have not had a chance to remove it.  I would love some feedback.  PLEASE understand that I am not a computer pro…my background is psychology so I am somewhat limited in what I am able to do icon smile Big News  BUT–I would love to hear your comments, ideas and suggestions! I know it will be impossible to please everyone but I have given it my best effort and I hope you all find this to be a useful tool!  

Go HERE to give it a try!

(All posts may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.)

Comments

100 Responses to “Big News”
  1. Trudy says:

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! This is great- I appreciate all the time you’ve put into it!

  2. Emily says:

    love it!

  3. Mandy says:

    I think this is a GREAT idea. You have saved me so much time by doing this. I am so addicted to your site. Your doing a great job!!! Keep it up!!!

  4. Jennifer H says:

    I’d just like to say YOU ROCK!! :)

  5. Tammy says:

    WOW!!! You are awesome!!!!

  6. Amada says:

    This is the most awesome list maker ever! Thank you so much! This should definitely help me come in on budget!

  7. Ashley says:

    This is FANTASTIC thanks for all your work on this and for sharing. I can’t wait to try it out!

  8. Lara says:

    Loving this! I thought it would be a bit tedious but you broke out the different categories which is great. You Rock!!! Thanks for the superb time I know you put into this.

  9. Betsy says:

    Thank you thank you thank you!!!

  10. Shannon says:

    Can’t wait to use it! Thank you!

  11. Sherri says:

    Okay so one more reason to love this site! Wow, you are amazing!!! Two quick suggestions for next time you have “spare” time!! HA HA Saw it in the comments already but to delete cells with nothing in it would be awesome but even more important to me is to be able to add in the other items I need within that category. For example, I need toilet paper, none on sale, would like to add in the Household category, not at the bottom where I might forget it.

    THANK YOU!!!!

  12. Michelle D says:

    Oh my, that is awesome…thank you so much

  13. Christel says:

    Seriously, I don’t think you could make my life any easier! (Unless you want to babysit my kids while I go shopping!) :)

  14. Megan H says:

    This is wonderful! Thanks for your hard work.

  15. Kai says:

    WOW Michelle WOW !! This is incredible !!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU MICHELLE !!

  16. Mandy says:

    You are my new best friend. :0) THank you for all of your hard work!!!

  17. Melanie says:

    Oh my goodness you are THE BOMB. THIS RULES! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. Shauna M says:

    You are amazing!! I don’t think we are allowed to ask for anything else in 2010!

  19. Stephanie says:

    That must have taken you a while! Did you use excel? Thanks for all the work you put into this. Can’t wait to try it out this week!

  20. Laura says:

    Wow, another reason why I heart I Heart Publix! Besides all the great suggestions, I’d suggest formatting the cells which represent prices as currency in the form $x.xx. That way, if something is $1.50, it doesn’t display as 1.5, for instance.

  21. Katelyn says:

    A-MA-ZING! Wow! Incredible. I have no idea how you did that! Its great! I cannot wait to use it! Thank you thank you thank you!

  22. Scott Foster says:

    I am a laid off husband that has been trying to help the family save money. I heard about your site about 2 months ago and I visit it every week. This spreadsheet will save me me so much time and trouble. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to do this. You are an awesome lady. I hope there will be some kind of link on the home page so we can go right to it. Once again —- thanks so much. You read my mind.

  23. Stacy B says:

    Really AWESOME!!!!! Thanks so much…can’t wait to put this to work!

  24. Bee says:

    I cannot wait to use this tool!! Thank You

  25. Catherine Galloway says:

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS!!! This is awesome!! I can’t wait to use it to prepare my shopping trip – I have one suggestion that I think would put this over the top…. In addition to Notes/Coupons used) – if you had 2 more columns one stating MFG Q match-ups & one that said Publix/Comp Q match-ups – and they were drop downs so we could see all the Qs that match-up and select the MFG and/or Publix/Comp that we have found and are using. Don’t know how much extra work that will be, but it would be incredible for us end users!!
    Regardless, I LOVE this – THANK YOU THANK YOU AGAIN & AGAIN!!!

  26. Karen says:

    This is amazing!!! Thank you for all the work you put into this blog, it is greatly appreciated. I tell everyone I know to use your blog(s)!

  27. Crystal says:

    I am so excited to start using this. Now I can totally get EVERYTHING and then some, from here. So glad you implemented this and it’s even better than what i was trying to describe to you. SO very useful and well laid out. LOVE IT!!!!

  28. Michelle says:

    You are the best!!! Thanks for being such a blessing to all of us!

  29. Mary says:

    Michelle, this is well done. I hope you have some macros created to make it easy to reload specials each week :-) This will be a huge time saver and a much more elegant solution than my weekly cut & paste shopping list. Thank you

    One suggestion: for meats, deli, seafood were on buys by the lb, it would be helpful to have the Quantity drop down box list increments of 0.25lb (1/4 lb) or 0.5 lb (1/2 lb) instead of 1 lb increments.

    One small error: deli items are listed in the Bakery drop down list and bakery items are listed in the Deli drop down list.

  30. Michelle D says:

    Ok so after using it today, i can say again and again and again THAT I LOVE IT!!!
    I was so easy also at checkout, i knew exactly which coupon need to be given
    Paid $21 on $51 worth of groceries and except 2 all the items were BOGO…..PERFECT

    Thanks again

  31. scrappysam says:

    Thank you for your hard work. I love your site

  32. Cheryl S says:

    WOW this is awesome.. Thank you sooo so much for your hard work at making our lives so much easier…
    You are amazing…
    Cheryl

  33. Jennifer says:

    Why are you so good to us!!! I’m loving this!!! Thanks!!!

  34. Brynngersh says:

    Thanks for all the work you put into this. I tried it for the 1st time today and liked the ease in which I was able to put together my list. However, when I printed it out it was 4 pages! I think I like the Southern Savers approach better. Just check what you want as you go down the list and just those things print out. I do like the coupon calculations etc…… but NOT a 4 page shopping list. Thank you for making my life easier.

  35. Sandi Lee says:

    Wednesday seniors get a 5% discount. Is there anyway you could publish the new spreadsheet with the sneak peek so we could get our lists done on Tuesday. Thanks so much. Love the spreadsheet.

  36. prissy says:

    What does NaN Mean? Tried to add the capri suns to my list and NaN came up.

    Thx this is going to be awesome!

    P

  37. hsmom says:

    Your website is wonderful! I have shared it with others on FB and I teach 2 couponing classes and we use it. Iheartsavingmoney is my favorite. I love your spreadsheet, and I was wondering if there is a way to print only what we have entered? Thanks again for all you are doing!

  38. Heidi says:

    I love this but can’t find it anymore when I log onto your site. I only got to use it one time and miss it already. Can you direct me?

  39. Christine says:

    YOU ROCK!

  40. Gail says:

    I love it, but not all the BOGOs are included in the drop-down list :-(

  41. Melody says:

    Thank you!!! All of your hard work, makes going to the store so much easier.

  42. Tracy says:

    Michelle, Is there any way to save the spreadsheet to our computer? that way we can add to it.

  43. Rachel says:

    I wanted to tell you about a magazine I bought at Walmart yesterday. The book is called Weight Watchers. If any of people that look at this site it would be great to get this book if they were on a diet. It also had alot of coupons in it as well. If you need anymore info from me let me know…..just wanted to pass it along. Also I love your website.

  44. Karie says:

    I just wanted to say I am new at the coupon thing and I have found this to really help me to see if I am saving or not.
    I just had a few questions:
    1. Where is it showing where I am saving?
    2. In the household section it is stuck on Mardi Gra Napkins and if you try to remove it, it put NaN in the sections.
    3. In the Price adjustments- Is that where you put the price that is in quotations?
    4. And i wasn’t quite understanding the BOGO quantities- If I am just buying one to get on free do I need to put 1 or 2 items?

    Thank you and this was a great idea:)

    • Michelle says:

      Hey Karie
      I fixed the Mardi Gras issue…if you ever see a NaN–I have made a mistake in my formatting and will have to fix it and upload again–so email me if you see that again :-)
      there is not a “savings section” but it calculates your OOP (deducts all discounts liste pluys any you add)
      price adjustment is for people who want to modify the price based on their area…as not everyone will have the same price as my listing (ad from GA)
      for BOGO you need to list the amount you will actually buy–I have the price so it will be accurate for true bogo and for us who can buy one item and get the sale price. So if you are in true BOGO–you will need to do quantities of 2 :-)
      Hope that helps!

  45. Stephanie says:

    Love this!! Just tried it for the first time today :/ my only suggestion was answered earlier…to be able to print only what was entered. Thanks so much…You ROCK!!!

(All posts may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.)

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