Grocery tips
I'm testing out the Grocery Game as part of my attempt to rein in my household budget and spend less on food. So far, so good. I paid $1 to join for 4 weeks and have gotten some good tips.
For instance, the chain grocery stores put out their weekly sale flyers in Tuesday's newspaper. The best grocery prices are generally Sunday to Tuesday and Vons has lowest *sale* prices, according to Teri, who runs the Grocery Game.
Here's how the Grocery Game works: you clip your own coupons (from the paper and online) and she does the math. Each list notes items that are free in green, items that are a great deal in blue, and items that you should hold off on in black. A sample list is above. The list assumes you have coupons.
As part of the trial I get access to Teri's lists for as many stores as I want - Vons/Pavillions, Ralphs, Stater Bros, Whole Foods, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens. After the 30-day trial ends it costs $10 for one list for 8 weeks and $5 for each additional list. If you sign up use my email as a reference, please.
The process is arduous to set up - there is a long list of directions and tips to maximize your savings - but I think once I get into the swing of things it won't be hard to maintain. First trip to the grocery store with the list will be this weekend and I have my fingers crossed. Come on, baby, work for me!
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About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
Please do follow up in your column on how you found this working out for you or not. I am a coupon user but do not feel I always get the best deal.
I have used this website for the 4 week period and really found it helpful but I could not justify paying $40.00 when I can get almost the same thing on www.couponmom.com for free.
I was very excited about this site when I first learned of it. And my first two trips using the system yielded a lot of results. But after that I found that I could not store the ridulous amount of pasta sauce and other dried goods that I was buying with my coupons. The core of the program is to buy things when they are on sale and then save them. You have to have a wearhouse to store all of these things. And so by the thrid or fourth week you are only saving a few cents. You still have to buy all your fresh items. I agree with the last post. The money spent on the site was not worth the money I saved by just doing it myself.
Just wondering what "Grocery Game" offers that you can't get from couponmom.com free of charge? I love your hints and even though I live in Iowa, I am able to use at least one of them almost every day. Thank you for sending it out!
I have been doing the grocery game for several years now and swear by it!!! I feed my family of 4 for less than $100/week with grocery game. When it is $100 it is usually b/c I am buying a lot of meat. I usually end up saving 60% on my bills. I would suggest going to both Vons and Ralphs each week. It works out even better for me. Keep with it because it really does work. I have also used coupon mom but find that it takes a lot longer for me to get through it so I feel that my time and ease is worth the little amount that I have to pay...especially when I am saving so much money.
Since when does Grocery Game cost $40.00? I pay $1.50 per week for 2 stores. The Grocery Game is wonderful. I stopped clipping coupons and now I just write the date on the front of the coupon packet and then clip the coupons as needed. It was too time consuming for me to clip every coupon I might use. After "playing" the Grocery Game for over two years I still can't believe the deals I get. Of course it's much better if you go to a store that doubles coupons. I pretty much get name brand toothpaste for free or $.50. Cleaning supplies (409, Windex, etc) for $1.00. It does take some extra time but I think the savings are worth the time spent.