My first time playing The Grocery Game

[Busy B]

Hi everyone!

Well, I watched a segment about The Grocery Game on Food Network's Unwrapped. Then a couple of weeks later I read about it in the newspaper. So I finally thought, well I will give it a shot.

I had saved up about 3 weeks worth of coupons from the Sunday paper, then I printed "the list" and went shopping yesterday with DH.

I saved $58.63 and I got two things free! We were absolutely amazed. I ended up getting $111.80 worth of stuff and only paid 53.17 AND I hate using coupons, but they do make it easy for you.

You should definately try it out if you haven't already - and you are looking for a place to save $$ - we always try to stay within $50.00 a week for food and personal stuff, but it's usually very difficult but now we can stick with that budget and have more food than the 2 of us are used to. Needless to say, DH is very excited.

Just thought I would share!

Brandy

 

[NancyIL]

Congratulations! I need to do something like that, now that we get the Sunday newspaper with coupons.

 

[shirleyb]

I have periodically checked their website for over a year, but they're still not in my area!

 

[YorkieMommyKandis]

I have been doing in since November 05 and am totally addicted!! I am so happy for you that you checked it out.

 

[winjos]

I signed up almost 3 weeks ago and I too have saved money. I have always clipped coupons (since college), but never organized my lists the way they do at the grocery game.

When we lived in CA, I shopped at Ralphs because they had extra off coupons on Sundays. It was great! I'd get all my personal needs for less than $5 (shaving, deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc.) plus other decent food items.

Now that we have moved to NC, the stores here are very stingy with their low prices and coupon specials. They limit the number of double off coupons, limit the amount to be doubled, not carry the items in the Sunday coupons, etc.

Although I will continue to use the grocery game because it saves me time and money, I have a couple of gripes:

1) The dates of the lists are not the same as the beginning dates of our ads. For example, Harris Teeter changes their ads on Wednesdays and the Grocery Game does not change the list until Sundays. Then the Kroger's ads come out on Sunday and they don't change the list until Tuesday. Since I shop everything on one day (then I'm only gone one evening a week--no kids), I have to shop on Tuesdays only. I'd like a little more flexibility.

2) Some of the offers on the list are nowhere near the prices in my stores. I would say that the differences range from .05 to $1.00. We don't seem to have the closeout prices either. So, I'm not sure where those prices are. The majority are the same, but of course the ones I really want are not.

So, if you want to save time and money, I think GG is worth the expense.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I used to be so good as using coupons. Now, not so much.

I got on the website, but is anyone on this thread willing to clue me in on how this works?

I see that there is small membership fee, but I'm confused because I was able to access coupons without it.

What exactly do you get when you join?

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

What's the Grocery Game? Sounds like fun.

 

[KristinU]

BusyB - Welcome to the GG! I've been doing GG for over a year and I love it. It really has impacted our household budget! I have the DIS to thank for turning me on to it.

Am I There Yet - what you get when you join is a weekly "List" matching the sales and recent coupons. They color code the deals on the list for Free items, Stockpile-worthy items, and deal-if-you-need-it items (my term, I can't remember what they're really called). The list tells you what date and what insert the coupon is in, so I just file all of my Sunday inserts by date then clip the coupons as I need them.

Like winjos, some of my items are not dead-on since the person doing the list for my area doesn't shop at my exact store. What I do to ensure no surprises at the store is check my ad either in hard copy or on-line before I go and make note of my prices.

I'm really happy with the GG and I think the fee more than pays for itself. I was never a coupon cutter before either, it just never seemed worth it to me, and honestly I don't think I'd do it on my own w/o the GG - I'm just too disorganized to try to keep track of all of the coupons on my own.

 

[winjos]

Here's the website:

http://www.thegrocerygame.com

Let's say you look at the ads and develop a list and go shopping. Then another stores ad comes out and you realized that what you just purchased is on sale for a better price. Drats!!

The grocery game provides a list of all specials from the stores so that you can check them out prior to going shopping. The best part.... they put the price of the item and any coupons that have been running in the Sunday paper. So, you know before you go how much everything is going to be. Another plus, you can customize your list, print it up and away you go! The website also provides you with ideas, helpful hints, etc. about how to save money while shopping.

Try it for the trial period (I think it's a buck to join for the trial period) and then decide if it will work for you.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I use cutouthunger.org.. It macthes up the coupons with the current sales and its a free site.

 

[disneymom3]

I would love to do this but from what I am understanding from the website the only stores in my area that they cover are Walgreens and CVS. Since I am not doing my shopping there, that won't work for me. Too bad.

I have to get back to cutouthunger though as that does have stores in my area. I stopped buying the Sunday paper because I hate the articles etc in the one in our area. (When the "variety" section had a front page article on teenage....promiscuity is the best DIS appropriate word I can come up with, I cancelled my subscription.) Maybe I can throw the rest of it away and keep the ads and coupons! I hate going to the grocery store and when they ask me if I have any coupons I have to say No. I feel like hanging my head in shame!

 

[Cindy B]

I do this without subscribing to a website. (my own knowledge for FREE)

I save at least $20-30 per week and coupon only with things on sale.. sometimes I get the trifecta-- item on sale buy one get one with coupons!

I usually get free items every time grocery shopping.

I can't imagine paying for this service. I'm not even the most organized with coupons either. Just letting you know--and that you don't need a website to do this.

 

[Hedy]

I do this without subscribing to a website. (my own knowledge for FREE)

I save at least $20-30 per week and coupon only with things on sale.. sometimes I get the trifecta-- item on sale buy one get one with coupons!

I usually get free items every time grocery shopping.

I can't imagine paying for this service. I'm not even the most organized with coupons either. Just letting you know--and that you don't need a website to do this.

Agreed. I think I figured out that coupons and sales went together when shopping for make-up in high school. I cut out the coupons we use, then we hang onto them until it's on sale (often that week).
But hey, if it makes them happy.

 

[Cindy B]

Agreed. I think I figured out that coupons and sales went together when shopping for make-up in high school. I cut out the coupons we use, then we hang onto them until it's on sale (often that week).
But hey, if it makes them happy.

Has anyone else figured out the cyclical schedule of items on sale at the store?

My Wegmans is fairly new, but they seem to run on 6-8 week cycles (again, they just opened up in June, so its hard to tell if something was in a midcycle sale or not)

For example, the Wegmans yogurts were on sale for 3/$1 for approximately three weeks. After that three weeks, the eggs went on sale for 69 cents. Eggs have been on sale for about three weeks and I "think" the yogurt will go back on sale.

Produce is cyclical as well. For two weeks blueberries/strawberries were 2 for $3. Now they are 2 for $5, but green beans and corn on the cob is on sale... When green beans and corn goes off, blueberries/strawberries come one sale...

Health and beauty do the same things as well, for two weeks toothpaste and shampoo alternate.

Once you get the hang of the sale alternation, you can stockpile on the prices for a while until the sale comes around again. For example deoderant and shaving cream is $1.50 right now. I am using my coupons so the deoderant and shaving cream for this is only about 50-60 cents. I buy three of them to last until the next sale.

Today I got some deoderant for sixty cents and shampoo for fifty cents. That will last until next sale.

My local Acme/Albertsons worked on seven/eight week schedule.
I saved all the circulars for a two month period in a file folder with the date circled. I would then note what repeated after one month/six weeks/eight weeks. that way i could stockpile in a small way.

I never do a crazy stockpile. We have maybe three shampoos/three deoderants to last us until next sale. I see no need to get 5,632 deoderants just because I can get them for 40-60 cents or even free with my coupons. I saw the Wife Swap with the lady iwth all the paper products overflowing the house... just because it was on sale.. that drove me crazy!

 

[Cindy B]

I also get my coupons at the library for free! I spent about a 1/2 hour there today, looking and sorting to get my coupons.

The library is not as organized as I am , so it is a tad time consuming.. but I don't have to buy a paper, feel like I'm wasting the paper, have it take up space in my house and recycle can, etc...

Also remember the grocery game (I think If I have done the rough calculations right in my head) they use the "inflated" number to show the deal--justifying the price of the membership. The OP stated that she got about $114 or so groceries for $69 (or something like that). Of that $114, how much of that is supercard or instore sales? I don't like to include supercard/shoppers card in my sales prices because its not true couponing.

 

[tracys2cents]

I'm lucky, I'm in an area where some of the markets have double coupons. BUT, I notice that in cities where they don't have double coupons, the manufacturers print better coupons.

In other words, my paper might have a Sunday coupon for 50c off pickles, but my dad's paper back east has a coupon for $1.00 off pickles. I guess they know which areas double the coupons so they make the coupons smaller in those areas sometimes.

Of course the solution is that my dad mails me all the Sunday coupons! YAY!

 

[Busy B]

Congratulations! I need to do something like that, now that we get the Sunday newspaper with coupons.

Hi Nancy, yea you shouldn't definately give it a try!

B

 

[Busy B]

I have periodically checked their website for over a year, but they're still not in my area!

Aww, I hope you get one soon

 

[Busy B]

I never do a crazy stockpile. We have maybe three shampoos/three deoderants to last us until next sale. I see no need to get 5,632 deoderants just because I can get them for 40-60 cents or even free with my coupons. I saw the Wife Swap with the lady iwth all the paper products overflowing the house... just because it was on sale.. that drove me crazy!

Yes, that is a little insane!!

 

[Busy B]

I do this without subscribing to a website. (my own knowledge for FREE)

I save at least $20-30 per week and coupon only with things on sale.. sometimes I get the trifecta-- item on sale buy one get one with coupons!

I usually get free items every time grocery shopping.

I can't imagine paying for this service. I'm not even the most organized with coupons either. Just letting you know--and that you don't need a website to do this.

That makes sense, but how do you find out the unadvertised sales?