The Grocery Game is an electronic list that tells you what to buy at your local store based on the advertised and unadvertised sales at that store and the corresponding coupons that have been issued, generally from your Sunday paper inserts (referenced by date issued) and internet coupons sites (linked on site). The list tells you which items area decent deal (if you need it, buy it), which items are historically at their best prices (stock up, even if you don't need it) and which items are free (duh... no explanation needed). The regular price for the list is $10 for 8 weeks. You can add other stores in your area for $5 for 8 weeks each (like CVS or Walgreens), if other lists exist for stores in your area. That is optional - I only do our local grocery store - Cub Foods right now.
Can you track sales yourself? Sure you can - I am sure you are a smart cookie, but why reinvent the wheel? Seriously - for just $1.25 a week I have someone watching my back and making sure I don't miss a good deal. How awesome is that? Plus, when I am really busy, I don't have to think much about saving money and the list does the hard work for me. Amen.
I have not kept rock solid records, but I am fairly certain that using this list each week has saved me at least $1.25 - either in cold, hard cash or in my time. This is particularly the case with the unadvertised sales because I am in and out of that store - no wandering for me. I am not very likely to run across the sale myself just zipping through.
You can try The Grocery Game for just $1 for four weeks (don't do it around the Christmas holidays, since these weeks don't usually have lists - there are four holidays each year - see the FAQ section for that information). If you decide to try The Grocery Game because of what you read here, please use my email as a referral - rejuvenate (at) mac (dot) com. If you refer others to the site once you join, you can earn 12 free weeks of the list for yourself (for every 3 referrals). Nothing stunning, but $15 is $15, right? Rest assured that I would not use the list or refer anyone to the site if I did not find it valuable.
Some tips for using The Grocery Game list:
- Use the gray out printing option to print your list - very cool way to get the list that only shows what items you want to purchase.
- Read Teri's tips (link on the left side bar).
- Work the store in the order that the list is put out. My lists runs through my store backwards. It was weird at first, but now I am used to it and it actually makes sense to do it that way.
- Don't take the kids for the first few weeks, if possible. You may have to go at night, but it will be worth it. It takes a while to get used to reading the list, finding the item, etc. Give yourself some time to get used to it and take your time. You will get the hang of it, I promise!
-Organize your coupons. Find a system that works for you - here is how I organize mine.
- Check the price on the shelf before you buy. All items on the list are not always on sale at my store. If my store does not have the item on sale, I pass on the deal. Sometimes the sale runs later - if I really need or want an item, I may check to see for a few weeks if it goes on sale, but generally I just don't worry about it. Easy come, easy go.
- At my store, I have noticed that sale items are sometimes on the end caps or in a end section near our dairy area. If the item is out of stock on the shelf, I check those places to try to find it.
- Track your savings. The list states the regular price - this makes it easy to track your savings. Be sure to add up what the regular prices are (plus anything you bought that was not on the list) and compare that to your total - you will be excited to see how much you saved! A lot of times for me, it is about 50% savings from coupons and 50% savings from buying things on sale. Of course, the best part is that most items I am buying are on sale AND have a coupon.
- Don't be hard on yourself. You will make mistakes and miss out on something or another. Just be glad you don't usually pay full price and move on.
Good luck, and let me know how you like it if you decide to give it a try!
4 comments:
Hi,
I joined the grocery game and I just cancelled becasue I discovered the couponmom site. She has the same info and it is free. Although the grocery game was organized by color, free-red, stockpile-green,buy on if you need it-black, you can easily figure this on couponmom. Most of us shop at more then one store and using her list can get price when you add stores at $5 each on top of the $10 you pay for the initial one. Frugality takes over when the bucks start adding up. However, it is organized and easy to follow. Respectfully, Ronni Walsh
I was wondering if the Grocery Game takes into account generic brands, for example when they consider something a good price is it a good price for that brand or a good price for that item regardless of the brand. I buy generic unless I can get the name brand cheaper so I always thought grocery game was not for me, but I may be wrong. Any thoughts?
Ronni - I found CouponMom after I started using the Grocery Game, but I found that the deals were not as clearly laid out and there are still unadvertised deals not on that list. That is just my 2 cents.
Thrifty and Chic Mom - You have a very valid point and I agree, it would be my one complaint about the list. It does not tell you if it is a good price for, say, spaghetti sauce, just that it is a good price for Classico Spaghetti Sauce (or whatever brand). You still have to think about whether you can get it cheaper other ways. I have found that the generic brands are generally still slightly more expensive (or a lot more expensive) than the brand names with the sale and a coupon. BUT, that is not always the case. I still check the generic and if it is cheaper I buy it if I need it or I keep it in mind for when I do need it.
Also, if you shop at CVS or some of those other places, things like shampoo, soap, etc, are rarely as good of a deal at Cub Foods, so I generally skip it.
I'd say that if you are curious, do the free trial. It will either work for you or not - to each her own!
Thanks for the info-- I never really understood what it was
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