Yeah, I couldn’t figure it out when I grabbed the bag ’cause I’d just put it out yesterday – – black cat recycling ninja.

It already seems like ages ago when you were last able to go to your favorite grocery store, weekly circular and coupons in hand, to stock up and save on just about anything you needed. Now, of course, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting scramble for necessities has turned everything about grocery shopping upside down – and it may be quite a while before you’re leisurely clipping coupons and browsing your grocery circular again.

Several grocery retailers are already making drastic changes to the way things once were. One of the most noteworthy – no more sales circulars at all.  Here’s the article in Coupons in the News – I don’t like the idea of online-only ads because there are still too many people without access to the internet and rely on places like libraries, which are obviously not available to them at present.

Well, someone did, ’cause shelves have been wiped of flour, corn starch and sugar – sugar I can understand, but flour? If you’ve ever thought about going the pioneer route, here’s a repost from bread baking days. It’s easy enough that I might make another batch of dough ’cause I’m not going anywhere and I keep extra flour in the freezer.  This would be a great family activity ’cause you don’t have to be super exact about measurements.
The day I turn on the heat means bread!  Made a fast batch of dough last night, completely ignoring the recipe and putting in tablespoons of table salt (not kosher).  Salty enough for a pack-a-day smoker!  So I dumped in more flour and water and a tablespoon of yeast and let it rise for about an hour before baking (which really isn’t long enough, but I have a life).

And you know what?  I don’t think you can really mess up baking bread!  While not as high as it should be, this is a respectable loaf of bread.  Here’s the link to a prior post.  The only thing I do differently now is bake in a covered cast iron pot so the bread steam bakes like a commercial oven.  Oh, and mixing the dough in a storage container so I don’t have to wash the stand mixer.

I’m using the recipe (ha!) from the original Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.  If you need gluten-free recipes, then buy The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking which has whole chapters devoted to that.  I’ve made English muffins, baguettes and more with this dough and never been disappointed.

What good are coupons for toilet paper when you can’t find any toilet paper to use them on?

The unprecedented demand for the otherwise mundane product in the current environment has already been much-documented and much-mocked. Now, whether it’s due to a commitment to public service, or a need to promote their business during troubled times, some business owners are capitalizing on the trend by offering special coupons and deals for those in need of one of life’s little necessities.  Here’s the latest Coupons in the News article, which points out that restaurants don’t have any dine-in customers, so these giveaways are from stock that isn’t being used anyway.

We’re supposed to get two inserts in this Sunday’s paper (3/22), one SmartSource and one RetailMeNot.  Not all papers will carry the same coupons or even have the same values.

SmartSource

Affresh Product $1/1 (5/10)
Air Wick Essential Mist Refill $2/1 (4/19)
Air Wick Product $2/1 (4/19)
Aleve or Aleve PM Product 40ct or larger $4/1 (3/29)
Arm & Hammer Spinbrush Battery-Powered Toothbrush or Refill $1/1 (4/18)
Bausch+Lomb PreserVision 100ct or larger $7/2 (5/31)
Bausch+Lomb PreserVision $3/1 (5/31)
Bertolli Pasta Sauce (DND) .75/1 (4/18)
Clairol Age Defy Hair Color or Specialty Blonding Collection Boxes $5/2 (4/4)
Clairol Nice ‘n Easy, Root Touch-Up Permanent Creme, or Natural Instincts Hair Color (exc. Natural Instincts Crema Keratina Hair Color) $5/2 (4/4)
Clairol Nice ‘n Easy, Root Touch-Up Permanent Creme, or Natural Instincts Hair Color (exc. Natural Instincts Crema Keratina Hair Color) $2/1 (4/4)
Clairol Temporary Root Touch-Up Concealing Powder or Root Touch-Up Color Blending Gel $2/1 (4/4)
CoverGirl EYE Product (exc. 1-kit shadows, accessories and ETS) $3/1 (4/18)
CoverGirl Face Product (exc. Cheekers, accessories and ETS) $3/1 (4/18)
CoverGirl Lip Product (exc. accessories and ETS) $2/1 (4/18)
Diamond of California Ready-to-Use Nut Pie Crusts 5oz+ $1/2 (4/30)
Dole Fruit Bowls Packages $1/2 (5/17)
Grown In Idaho Potatoes Bag $1/1 (5/16)
Kerasal Intensive Foot Repair $2/1 (9/30)
Kerasal Fungal Nail Renewal $5/1 (9/30)
Lucky Leaf Fruit Filling & Toppings $1/2 (4/30)
Nature Valley Granola Bars, Biscuits, Granola Cups, Layered Granola Bars, Soft-Baked Filled Squares, Protein Bars, Granola Snack Mix, Peanut or Almond Butter Granola Bites or Wafer Bars Boxes 5ct or larger .50/2 (5/16)
Resolve Spot + Stain Trigger or High Traffic Foam .50/1 (5/31)
Resolve Carpet Cleaner Machine Solution (exc. Resolve Ultra) $1/1 (5/31)
Resolve Pet Carpet Stain Trigger, Pet High Traffic Foam or Urine Destroyer Trigger .75/1 (5/31)
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Color Product $1/1 (4/30)
Steak ‘n Shake Various Restaurant Coupons Various (4/30)

RetailMeNot

Barilla Premium Sauce Jar 24oz or Pesto Varieties $1/1 (5/17)
Downy Gain or Dreft Products $4/3
Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatment or Styling Products (exc. 1oz, 2oz, 2.9oz or 3oz size) $3/2 (4/4)
Garnier Whole Blends Product $3/1 (4/4)
Sheba Perfect Portions Premium Cat Food – B5G5 up to $4.45 (5/17)

Safeway’s new weekly ad that starts today features a spring cleaning “stockup sale” on items that were once readily available, like paper towels, toilet paper and Clorox wipes. Publix’s new ad offers buy-one-get-one-free deals on canned soup and canned veggies – if you can find any. Target’s printed ad released Sunday featured a front-page deal on TVs for your NCAA basketball tournament “watch party” – which has since been subtly replaced online with a deal on TVs for your stay-at-home “movie night.”

Some retail ads are looking a little tone deaf lately, since they were printed before the coronavirus emergency changed our way of life, and our way of shopping. Going forward, if you’re a grocery store owner, how are you going to cheerily promote your sales and your pleasant shopping experience when your customers are more concerned with grabbing toilet paper and canned goods and staying away from the store as much as possible? Interesting read from Coupons in the News.