My sister is such a great blog follower. She read about the Grocery Game this morning and joined right away. *sniff* Beautiful.
Talking to her this morning, I realized there were a few points that I left out:
*Before you join the Grocery Game, you may want to buy a couple weeks worth of papers. It is disappointing to join the GG, see all the great deals, and not be able to buy anything yet! Although, the GG is free the first month, so you're not wasting any money.
*There is no limit to the number of manufacturer's coupons that you can use at Kroger. If, however, you save more than $200 with coupons, the manager has to come over and reset the system. If this happens, pat yourself on the back!
*If you are going to the store with a lot of coupons and your GG list, go alone (or without children), and go in the morning. There are a lot of GGers out there, and they all are buying the same stuff as you will be this week.
*Be very, very prepared before you leave for the store. Have your list ready and have your coupons ready. It is overwhelming, at least at first, so the more you can prepare yourself, the less overwhelming it will be.
*Expect to spend around two hours at the store. Again, this is not a quick project. Cutting the coupons takes time, organizing them takes time, shopping takes time. Hopefully, in the end, you will find that it is worth it!
Showing posts with label Grocery Game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grocery Game. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Playing the Game
A few posts ago, I mentioned Jon's crazy savings at the grocery store. Jon and I received a few emails asking about our methods for saving money, which caused me delight, and Jon despair.
It's nothing to be ashamed of, honey. It is perfectly fine that you do the grocery shopping. No one doubts your manliness.
Moving on...
Yes, we have a method to our madness. Yes, it involves a lot of time and indeed, it does involve coupon clipping. Lots of it.
If you are looking for a shortcut, a time saver, a quick way to save a buck, this is so not going to the method for you. People have a variety of ways to save money at the grocery store, and this just happens to be the method that is working for us right now.
We do the Grocery Game.
First, we buy four Sunday newspapers a week.
Let me back up. When I say 'we', I am using that term very, very loosely. Actually, it means 'Jon'. He provides the brain. And the legwork.
Okay, four Sunday newspapers a week. Some buy ten, some get freebies from their neighbors, but everyone who does the Grocery Game needs the Sunday paper coupons. Lately they have been $1.25 a piece, but normally they are $1.75.
Now, if you've ever tried clipping coupons, you know how much of a hassle coupons can be. Sure, you have all of these pieces of paper for money off of items, but they are normally the expensive, brand names. If you use them, you are still paying about the same or still more than you would if you bought the store brand.
This is where the Grocery Game comes in. On this website, you can choose your location and the store that you wish to use (Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, Whole Foods). Each week, the Grocery Game (can I call it GG for short? Thank you.) looks at all the sales that your chosen store has for the next twelve weeks, and looks to see which sale items are at their rock-bottom lowest prices that they will be offered. If they are, it tells you to use the corresponding coupon this week, whether you need the item or not. (If the item is regular price or if it is just 'on sale', you do not use it until it is the 'rock bottom' price of the quarter.) No guess work for you as the GG figures it all out for you.
For example, this week, Chobani Greek Yogurt is on sale for $1.00. The GG told me that it is normally $1.19 and to use the coupon from December 13 for $1.00 off. Of course, that makes it free, so I would use all four (if not more) of my coupons. Cheerios is normally $4.59, but this week it is on sale for $2.69. GG tells me to use my $1.00 coupon this week (meaning this is the lowest that Cheerios will go this cycle) and that I will get another 30 cents off by buying ten sale items (no problem), which brings my Cheerios total to $1.39. GG also tells me that this is a 70% savings. One more example: Glade timer aerosol room deodorizers were normally around $17, but one week they were on sale for 8.50. We had coupons for $7 off, so we ended up buying them for under $2.00. I could go on and on, but basically the list tells you when to buy, and when to buy is when things are at their lowest prices of the 'cycle'.
Typically, stores run in 12-week cycles. Some weeks we will end up with a dozen tubes of Crest or Colgate, each for well under a dollar. Other weeks we have ended up with a dozen cleaning agents, running from 55 to 75 cents instead of $4. Nearly every week, Jon will come home with an armload of liquid fabric softener or liquid laundry detergent, and he rarely pays more than $1. The other week he got over $80 worth of cheese, chili, canned tomatoes, and soups, and paid $17.
One idea that takes a while to get used to is that you no longer buy for that week. It doesn't matter if you don't need hot sauce this week, you are still going to buy 12 just because they are 19 cents. You buy it so that when you need it, you have it and do not have to buy it at full price. You buy twenty pounds of chicken breast, not because you will use it all this week, but because it is on sale and you will eventually use it. Ultimately you get to the place where you are not buying anything that is not around half off because you have stockpiled enough. Which brings up another point.
You must have adequate storage. You will very quickly run out of pantry space and if you don't have room to store things, you may not buy them in large quantities when they are 70 - 80% off and that, my friends, would just be sad.
The Grocery Game is free the first month, but after that, it $10 for three months. You can find it at thegrocerygame.com.
As to clipping and storing the coupons, Jon has found the easiest way is to align all the identical pages and cut out all four coupons at one time. Originally, he stored them in a binder in football/baseball card holder pages, but he moved on to large business card file boxes. They are plastic boxes with dividers. In order for this system to work, you must be able to find your coupons...so you must figure out what sort of organizational system you can use.
So, not my typical blog post, but there it is, in all of it's (un)glory! If you have questions, just let me know.
As I mentioned, many people have many methods for coupons, but this is what has been working for us. It is easier for us to do one method and one store as opposed to getting coupons from here and there and running to several stores. Jon doesn't have time for that and although I have the time, I don't want to use it in that way.
I'd rather figure out what to make with the twenty cans of refried beans that were 12 cents this week...
It's nothing to be ashamed of, honey. It is perfectly fine that you do the grocery shopping. No one doubts your manliness.
Moving on...
Yes, we have a method to our madness. Yes, it involves a lot of time and indeed, it does involve coupon clipping. Lots of it.
If you are looking for a shortcut, a time saver, a quick way to save a buck, this is so not going to the method for you. People have a variety of ways to save money at the grocery store, and this just happens to be the method that is working for us right now.
We do the Grocery Game.
First, we buy four Sunday newspapers a week.
Let me back up. When I say 'we', I am using that term very, very loosely. Actually, it means 'Jon'. He provides the brain. And the legwork.
Okay, four Sunday newspapers a week. Some buy ten, some get freebies from their neighbors, but everyone who does the Grocery Game needs the Sunday paper coupons. Lately they have been $1.25 a piece, but normally they are $1.75.
Now, if you've ever tried clipping coupons, you know how much of a hassle coupons can be. Sure, you have all of these pieces of paper for money off of items, but they are normally the expensive, brand names. If you use them, you are still paying about the same or still more than you would if you bought the store brand.
This is where the Grocery Game comes in. On this website, you can choose your location and the store that you wish to use (Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, Whole Foods). Each week, the Grocery Game (can I call it GG for short? Thank you.) looks at all the sales that your chosen store has for the next twelve weeks, and looks to see which sale items are at their rock-bottom lowest prices that they will be offered. If they are, it tells you to use the corresponding coupon this week, whether you need the item or not. (If the item is regular price or if it is just 'on sale', you do not use it until it is the 'rock bottom' price of the quarter.) No guess work for you as the GG figures it all out for you.
For example, this week, Chobani Greek Yogurt is on sale for $1.00. The GG told me that it is normally $1.19 and to use the coupon from December 13 for $1.00 off. Of course, that makes it free, so I would use all four (if not more) of my coupons. Cheerios is normally $4.59, but this week it is on sale for $2.69. GG tells me to use my $1.00 coupon this week (meaning this is the lowest that Cheerios will go this cycle) and that I will get another 30 cents off by buying ten sale items (no problem), which brings my Cheerios total to $1.39. GG also tells me that this is a 70% savings. One more example: Glade timer aerosol room deodorizers were normally around $17, but one week they were on sale for 8.50. We had coupons for $7 off, so we ended up buying them for under $2.00. I could go on and on, but basically the list tells you when to buy, and when to buy is when things are at their lowest prices of the 'cycle'.
Typically, stores run in 12-week cycles. Some weeks we will end up with a dozen tubes of Crest or Colgate, each for well under a dollar. Other weeks we have ended up with a dozen cleaning agents, running from 55 to 75 cents instead of $4. Nearly every week, Jon will come home with an armload of liquid fabric softener or liquid laundry detergent, and he rarely pays more than $1. The other week he got over $80 worth of cheese, chili, canned tomatoes, and soups, and paid $17.
One idea that takes a while to get used to is that you no longer buy for that week. It doesn't matter if you don't need hot sauce this week, you are still going to buy 12 just because they are 19 cents. You buy it so that when you need it, you have it and do not have to buy it at full price. You buy twenty pounds of chicken breast, not because you will use it all this week, but because it is on sale and you will eventually use it. Ultimately you get to the place where you are not buying anything that is not around half off because you have stockpiled enough. Which brings up another point.
You must have adequate storage. You will very quickly run out of pantry space and if you don't have room to store things, you may not buy them in large quantities when they are 70 - 80% off and that, my friends, would just be sad.
The Grocery Game is free the first month, but after that, it $10 for three months. You can find it at thegrocerygame.com.
As to clipping and storing the coupons, Jon has found the easiest way is to align all the identical pages and cut out all four coupons at one time. Originally, he stored them in a binder in football/baseball card holder pages, but he moved on to large business card file boxes. They are plastic boxes with dividers. In order for this system to work, you must be able to find your coupons...so you must figure out what sort of organizational system you can use.
So, not my typical blog post, but there it is, in all of it's (un)glory! If you have questions, just let me know.
As I mentioned, many people have many methods for coupons, but this is what has been working for us. It is easier for us to do one method and one store as opposed to getting coupons from here and there and running to several stores. Jon doesn't have time for that and although I have the time, I don't want to use it in that way.
I'd rather figure out what to make with the twenty cans of refried beans that were 12 cents this week...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
So Much to Say...
This goofy man is part-genius. He does the grocery shopping now. He has for about the past six months, ever since he stated that we needed to start cutting (and using) coupons again. I refused, so he said that he would do it. Riiiight.
But he did it.
And he has done a remarkable job of saving money.
Last week's grocery bill originally came to $336. After coupons and sales, he paid $128. That's crazy savings!
The next day he went back to pick up the items that were out of stock on his original trip. That bill was originally $86, but he paid $17. That is almost an 80% savings. Crazy.
Jack and his buddy, Elias, got matching haircuts. Elias had them dress in the same clothes all day and even ended up buying the same shoes as Jack. Looks like Elias loves Jack about as much as Jack loves Elias. I like when there is a mutual admiration between friends. 
We now have two walls painted the new color. It's called Shark Tooth and it's a beautiful blue/gray. My yearly color change struck and I like it. I do not, however, enjoy posting pictures with debris on the floor. Can you overlook that and just enjoy my peaceful moment with my boys, with the cat strolling into our little reading nook...
Jack is now certain that he wants to be a police officer when he grows up. Some sort of combination of watching Monk and Psych. Maybe he'll be a psychic police officer. Notice his gun? In his pocket, which is always a safe place for a young boy's gun. He left it in the car when we arrived at the grocery store. He said that he didn't want to 'scare anyone in public. That's a crime, you know.' Thank you, Officer Jack.
The boys wear shorts all year long. Gable came outside today to shovel show...wearing shorts. We went tubing today at Perfect North. We had to enforce the 'no shorts' rule. Boys, boys, boys. From where do you get this trait, asked the mom who never wears a coat, gloves, or hat. Other bits of tids: (that sounded strangely dirty...)
-I overheard Jack ask Jon a few minutes ago, 'How does your water break?' And then I heard Jon lapse into an explanation of how a baby comes out and how the baby causes the water to break. Niiice.
-Feather/down duvets are dreamy. I am truly disappointed that there will be no sleeping in heaven, for I am certain heaven's beds would be supplied with feather/down duvets.
-My boys were walking around shoveling driveways today. They had already done three for free, and were looking to make a little money. A certain man, who shall remain nameless, but is in the biggest pizza name in Cincinnati...asked them to walk to his home and shovel his driveway for $15 per boy. A nice chunk of change, yes, but he had not shoveled his driveway since any of the snow began last week and he had a ginormous driveway. The boys walked to his home, almost a mile away, only to have he and his wife get into a shouting match because she had found someone with a snow blower to do it. She slammed the door on the boys and the man said, "Sorry, maybe next time.' The boys then walked home, again almost a mile. On their way, a man stopped and asked them to shovel his driveway, but they said they had to get home as they were almost out of time. (We had to leave.) So, they wasted all their time walking to this pizza man's home where they proceeded to find out they had no $45 coming their way. Seriously? I do not like children, especially children who are willing to work - hard - in the snow, to be taken advantage of, or to be lied to. Gable's comment was that he could have at least given them a free pizza. I vowed to never support their delicious Cincinnati pizza chain again. And then I caved a few hours later and bought it at Perfect North for dinner.
I'll start my boycott tomorrow...
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