Wow!!! I must gush for a moment...

[beckerbuns]

Today I shopped at Walgreens, and got $41.01 worth of food and other necessities for $19.23. Later, I went to Safeway, and got $118.89 worth of groceries for a mere $59.69.

And how did I do it?

A blogging friend turned me on to The Grocery Game (thegrocerygame.com). Basically the people there compile the info for the stores in your area. For my zip code they have Safeway, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. I am just starting my 4 week free trial, which is nice to see if I'm really going to use it.

Basically they peruse the Sunday ads and coupons and each week they come up with a list of recommendations for each store, showing the prices and which coupons you should use. The idea is that you clip coupons for stuff you usually buy, each week, out of the Sunday paper. You save them and use them when they tell you to use them. Also, they have stuff out of those Easy Saver type rebate books in their recommendations. That's how I got the jumbo size of Pert shampoo for free (after rebate) today at Walgreens. Keep in mind, though, that the savings I accomplished today were done with hardly any coupons, as I only ordered the Sunday paper today! At Walgreens, I used four of the coupons from their weekly flyer (which you can get in the store) and at Safeway, I used one manufacturer's coupon that I printed off of the internet. Imagine the damage I could do if I had a stockpile of coupons!

The idea is that you stock up on stuff when it is cheap, and store it for when you need it. This assumes you have some storage space. I happen to have a chest freezer that I've been working on cleaning out, so I have room for the frozen stuff, and I just cleaned out my pantry closet so I could store all of the $1 cake mixes and $1.50 pasta that I bought today. So basically you are buying stuff you're going to use anyway, but you buy it when it's on sale, so that when you need it you have it and don't have to buy it at full price. There is a cycle of sales, so eventually you end up with everything you need for your pantry and freezer.

Does that make sense?

Anyway, I'm really having fun with it so far and I highly recommend it. If you want to try it, again it's thegrocerygame.com and if you're feeling generous you could put me as the referrer -- beckerbuns@gmail.com -- as that will get me some free weeks down the line.

Oh and after they start charging, after the free four-week trial, it's something like $.60 per week per store. Not bad considering I just saved almost $80 today!

Hope all that makes sense... I know I tend to ramble...

Comments

[mortonfox.livejournal.com]

That's around the level of savings I've been getting combining doubled-coupons with sale items. However, I shop at Pathmark every week so I see when they cycle through their usual sale items and time my purchases accordingly. I also keep my coupons handy for triple-coupon week, seems to be twice a year around here.

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

I really wish that stores around here would double or triple coupons. Unforutnately, NONE of them do. :(

[scaryshari.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, why the hell DON'T any of the stores in our area allow coupon doubling? :( Didn't some of them allow it years ago? *sigh*

[beachlvr.livejournal.com]

I did that for a while. But I got frustrated when Safeway would run the "buy 10, get $xxx off instantly" and the GG list wouldn't reflect that sale. I'd end up doing the work myself to get the good deals. So now I just look at my ads, see what is a good price (and you can tell after a while), and then stock up. Oh, and I was paying for the Safeway list but a lot of times the same item would be MUCH cheaper at Target or Walgreens. Safeway's prices are so high that it's easy to save 50% off an item, but you could have bought it for less at Target's regular price.

But I did adopt the 12 week supply rule and I do stock up when prices are low. We never run out of toothpaste, shampoo,or toilet paper any more! Or pasta, sauce, salsa, mac and cheese.....

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Yeah, one thing I ran into this week was that there were several things I REALLY wanted and our Safeway just didn't have them. 16-packs of raisin snack packs (which Misty loves), a certain brand of fruit snacks, and Foster Farms grilled chicken breast strips. I scoured the store and none of these things were there.

I also noticed that there were a few things that I could get for less at Walgreens, and I did that instead.

We'll see how it goes for the four week trial. I am so lazy about checking ads that it might just be worth it to me to go with what they list rather than doing it myself. Guess I'll find out!

I did stock up on dishwashing liquid today at Walgreens. I got four of them (they were buy one get one free). And a lot of $1 cake and brownie mix at Safeway. I have a feeling it's the start of a hugely stocked pantry/cabinets/freezer/refrigerator. Not a bad thing! As long as I remember to use stuff.

I knew I had heard about the site before, but didn't try it at that time. Maybe it was in your LJ.

[beachlvr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have lots of brownie and cake mix, too. It's nice when I have to make a quick dessert for an event and I can just pull one out of the cupboard. It is good to stockpile, as long as you remember to use it!

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Oh, another thing -- about Safeway being expensive. I wish they had Lucky on the site. Because the prices there are so much more reasonable. But no such luck. We live closer to a Lucky, too.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Ask the site if they'd consider adding Lucky to their list. Also if Safeway is out of something on sale, ask them for a rain check. Then you can get it later on when it comes in.

Our public library started a coupon swap that meets once a week during the day (so I can't go alas) - but maybe you can interest one of the libraries you work in to do the same? Maybe you can give Ricky or Andrew a project to work with (clip, keep track of) the coupons and let them keep some savings as a reward?

[innae.livejournal.com]

I am so going to do this...I am all about the coupons, but I hate having to figure out if it is good to buy now or later, or check the sales...ug. Better to have someone else do the work...but I am off to sign up for the sunday paper now!! :-)

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

That is totally me... I am too lazy. It will be all I can do just to clip the coupons. I am happy to have someone else do the sale-ad-scouring for me!!!

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

Because I do most of my shopping at my keyboard Coupons are not often available to me. But watching and shopping with the sales for items that we can stock up on has REALLY helped our budget A lot.

Also they are getting more online coupons, and special online offers only which I watch for.

I've also noticed if your careful you can predict certain types of sales and buy for the year when they are at the cheapest.

Because I have a huge freezer I do that with Turkey's, Hams and Roasts.

Because online is often free delivery with buying certain things, I often see if the certain things can be treats for the kids. Money I'd spend on getting the food delivered anyways.

Now if only I could figure out Farmers Markets for fresh produce once a week.

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

I love the Safeway home delivery! Do they let you use coupons that you clip? I have wondered about that.

Isn't it nice to have a freezer? It has really proven to be a life saver for us.

I have heard you can use food stamps at the Farmer's Market now, but I wouldn't know since I haven't qualified for food stamps (which I find ironic considering I can't even afford to pay the rent). I think that is rather progressive, though -- encouraging people to buy fresh fruit and veggies!

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

I've heard that except when Butterfly was first born we haven't had food stamps so no experience there. WIC on the other hand... if you know when to ask for them during the year they'll give you a set of Farmers Market Coupons. I was also told that some point next year the juice is going to go down or away and they'll be giving fruit and vegetable coupons instead.

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah? That is cool about the Farmer's Market coupons. Probably not til next year at this point I bet.

We like the juice coupons, but fruits and veggies are good too. Probably healthier. We do go through a TON of apple juice.

We always end up with way too much peanut butter and way too many eggs. I need to find more recipes to use those. The cheese is borderline, but I am becoming more creative.

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

Start asking for the Farmers Market Coupons in March or April, they didn't show up till June this year, but the year before they showed up in April. I found out about the up coming switch when I asked why they didn't offer Farmers Market Coupons in the winter when people NEED to be encouraged to eat Fruits and Vegetables even more, as most winter type meals are low on such things.

If it was just Ladybug eating I'd have a stock pile of peanut butter but the other kids take care of it. You know what we have the stock pile of? Cereal....

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the boys don't eat much peanut butter and I eat it sparingly due to the fat content (and you can't buy the healthy kind with the vouchers!).

We manage to get through all of the cereal, as long as I stick to Kix and Corn Flakes. It took me some trial and error to figure that out!

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

Thats what I have in abundance since besides Oatmeal they are the only one's all my kids can eat.

I know you can't, I do one month peanut butter, one month dried beans.

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

I haven't been able to figure out how to use coupons that you clip for the Safeway home delivery. I should ask cause that would help us A LOT

I'm not sure I'd be willing to live without my freezer. At least not as long as I have children home. I really should use it better. As I could cut down the shopping expensive even more if I made enough for two meals and froze one. Keeping a list of course so it didn't go to waste.

I also plan meals from a week to three weeks in advance, keeping in mind what I have and what is likely to be on sale. So that limits how often I need to shop, and makes sure we don't eat out as often.

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

I have some friends who have tried "once a month cooking" (aka OAMC) and I suppose if you stocked up on the ingredients when they were cheap, and had enough freezer space, it could be a good way to go. I think I would find it especially useful for those weeks when I am working a lot of hours, so I would just have to get something out to thaw in the morning and then pop it in the oven when I get home.

Perhaps on one of the weekends when Misty is with her dad, I could try some of it. Maybe not OAMC but maybe once-a-week cooking. :)

Here is a good link about OAMC:

http://www.frugalmom.net/once_a_month_cooking.htm

I can envision you getting the kids involved and making a weekend of it, doing up meals for a week or month! :)

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. I'll look at it, not likely to do once a month cooking but I do love new ideas and ways to make dinner prep easier.

For Thursdays I try very hard to do all the pre-work for dinner on Wednesdays. Like this week, while we got the Stir Fried Sweet Pork & grains done, I tossed everything for Thursdays in to the crock pot so all we had to do in the morning was take it out of the fridge and put it in the cooker. (note some people say you shouldn't store the food in the cooking base in the fridge, but another bowl and dump it in...) So when we got home Thursday I stirred the pot added a few spices and we had Chicken Vegetable on the table in 5 minutes. Tiger boy wanted noodles so he cooked some noodles but everyone was at the table and free to start eating.

[montanamary.livejournal.com]

Be sure to rotate through your stock - at least the food stuff. I've done similar before, bought cake mixes and whatnot on sale that I was sure I'd sure that I didn't. Ended up being past the expiration date and I had one box develop weevils.

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hear that. When I was pregnant with Misty, the Albertson's across the street from my work went out of business and I went crazy buying Jell-O and cake mixes and stuff that I figured would last a long time... Well last night when I was cleaning out my cabinets I found that the bugs (here, Indian meal moths) had gotten to a lot of that stuff. Big waste of money. I need to be more conscientious of it. Should be okay now that I've started over from scratch!

[marybeens.livejournal.com]

Going to give GG a try..... I put your email in for a referral. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's one thing our supermarket has, that my other CA friends are jealous of -- BABYSITTING! Yep, a nursery for kids age 3-10. Cool, huh? Who would have ever thought Pennsylvania is progressive?????

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Babysitting!!! I am so jealous. Our Ikea does have "Smaland", which is babysitting, for little kids. Misty is finally tall enough but she likes shopping at Ikea, so I haven't put her there yet. :) She doesn't even run off when we are shopping there, so there is no reason to. There will probably be a good reason to at some point!

[bellasmommy.livejournal.com]

They have that at my local grocery store too, and I'm in PA! Is it a GianT? Where do you live?

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

Your icon is mesmerizing!

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

I really wish we had a good Wal-Mart (we have one in all of San Jose, if you can believe it, and it's small and very dirty) here, or a Sam's Club at all (nearest one is over an hour away). We do have Costco, and I can find some good deals there if I am careful to know what is a good deal and what isn't.

[d4b.livejournal.com]

I was going to send this post to a friend, but it's locked. May I send a copy, or can you simply unlock? Thanks!

[beckerbuns.livejournal.com]

I'll unlock it right now. :)

[d4b.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

How cool! I've been doing the price-book thing for a few years now and sometimes I do better than usual. It helps to get a sense of what rock bottom is on common items. I also find that generic stuff at places like Food Maxx, Food 4 Less is cheaper than coupons. But this is a great idea--I'll see if it works for around here!

[scaryshari.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of the Grocery Game website, but I'm definitely going to take a look at it! :) Sounds cool! Also, I'm going to tell Lisa (neighbor Lisa, not Germany Lisa, LOL) about this as well. With two kids and a cat, she and Vince spend a lot on groceries, plus she only works part-time, so she always appreciates bargains!