WFMW--Grocery Game

This week I want to share a way to save an incredible amount of money on groceries, as well as toiletries and even school supplies. I first heard about The Grocery Game advertised in an email newsletter that I receive. It is sometimes called, "Teri's List." I clicked over to it and read about it briefly and saw that it combined coupons and sales (oh and it was for a fee). I was leery. I had tried to combine coupons and sales and even keep up with a price book. It was a lot of work and in the end, I thought I was better off at Walmart anway! Not to mention, that I wasn't too excited about paying a fee for this service.

A few weeks later, I was visiting with a friend. The topic of hobbies came up and she felt she didn't have any, but then later she asked me if I "grocery gamed." I looked at her funny and she decided it was a bit of a hobby of hers as well. After a moment of her talking, I realized she was talking about that list that I had looked up already. But as she talked, I "got it" more. So before you decide against this, listen a bit longer. Most stores have a sales cycle, generally a 12 week cycle. The inventor of the Grocery Game, Teri Gault, has tracked the sales cycles (and now has a team of folks all over tracking the local stores). They have a database that tells them when an item has hit a rock-bottom price. Sidenote: some items are on sale at one time but will have an even lower price later on--this is called a "phantom sale." When an item is at it's rock-bottom price, you as a shopper are to stock up, try to buy 12 weeks worth of that item, so that you will have all you need till it hits that rock-bottom price again. They also have a database of coupons that come in the Sunday paper, combine those coupons with those rock-bottom prices and you get AMAZING savings--sometimes you even get stuff for free!!! My friend said she kept up with her expenses and saved an AVERAGE of 65%. Wow!! She also said that she started spreading the wealth. Her church did not have a food pantry, so she started one with her surplus. She had gotten so many things beyond what she needed, she turned it into a mission to share with those who needed it. She showed me her stockpile and started telling me some of the prices she had paid for things, like a quarter for a tube of toothpaste that most people pay 2 or 3 dollars for. And things she had gotten for free, including pet food when she didn't have a pet--she just gave it away to a friend.

I left her house with my mind whirling. I wanted to try it, and I was going to keep up with the savings. She had also given me some pointers and ideas on how to "organize" the game. The price of the list is generally $10 for one store for 8 weeks (so it is $5 a month, just billed every two months), plus an additional $5 for each store after that. BUT....the first month is your trial month and is only $1 for as many store lists as you want!!!! I had decided to try this for 12 weeks, since that is the sales cycle. She had told me that it could be a little slow starting, so I didn't really expect to see great deals right away. I was going to give it the full 12 weeks. I don't know if I got lucky with where I was in the sales cycle for my family, but I saw amazing savings the first couple weeks!! I got some free soft soap, some air freshener (Neutra Air) for 9 cents each, toothpaste for 25 cents, free cat treats, and deodorant for 45 cents. That was just in the first couple of weeks. The list comes out once a week and is really organized. Black items are fairly good prices but not rock-bottom, so if you NEED something that is black, go ahead and get it. Blue items are rock-bottom, so stockpile these items. And Green are items that are free--how fun is that!! During my first 12 weeks, while I was stockpiling (and including the cost of extra Sunday papers and the cost of the list), I saved 60%. Now that I am no longer stockpiling (Grocery Gamers call this the "cherry picking" stage), I save EVEN MORE!!! Last week, I saved 77%. I am so sold on this Grocery Game, that I think it is so worth it to buy the list. Remember I was skeptical before I talked to my friend. I "shop" in my own home now. And I am set on some items for well over 12 weeks, just because I didn't want to pass up very low prices or free stuff. I am ready to start giving some of stockpile away, and my attitude has changed so much. My son left his toothpaste and toothbrush at camp last month...no big deal!! And one more thing, you are getting name brand stuff and good stuff for these low prices. I want to leave you with some tips and pictures of my stockpile. If you decide to give it a try, go to http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ and enter your zip code to see what stores are available in your area. Try the one month trial for only $1 and see what you think, keeping in mind that 12 weeks is really the better "trial." And they aren't paying me or anything to promote them, but if you feel generous and want to give me credit for the referral, put this email address in: 4englishpeas (at) sbcglobal (dot) net. For every 3 referrals, I get some free weeks of the list. BUT, I am not telling you about this for the free weeks!!! So, if you don't put that email in, no biggie! This just totally works for me!!! Here are my tips and my stockpile pics follow:

1. It might be good to get extra Sunday papers. Where I am, you can get double Sunday packs for 2 dollars (making the paper 1 dollar each). My friend said a good rule of thumb on the number of papers to get is one for each member of my family...so I get 2 double packs since there are 4 in my family. (Although there are MANY who believe you only need one paper a week to be successful.)
2. MAKE SURE there are coupons coming out that week before buying extra papers. There are a few weeks (usually holiday times, like Memorial Day) that have no coupons.
3. If you are getting multiple papers, try to come up with a way to organize that works for you--you have many options. The list includes the date the coupon comes out, so you could organize by dates. Then there is the cancelled check file that works for some. Or lots of folks file them in pocket pages (like for photos or baseball cards) in notebooks. If you cut them out, staple like coupons together so you they stay together.
4. Don't try to do all stores in your area (at least not forever), you will go nuts!! My friend recommended one grocery store and one drug store. You may choose by what is closest to you. Or check which stores double or triple coupons. In my area, Kroger will double up to 50 cents and triple up to 35 cents. And they often have a 10 for $10 sale on items (and you don't have to get 10). If I have a 50 cent coupon that is doubled, that item is FREE. And if I have a 30 cent coupon that is tripled, it is only a dime. Again, if you don't have a store that doubles or triples coupons, don't sweat it. You can still be successful at this game.
5. If you have a CVS and a Walgreens to choose from, good luck!! This is a hard choice. Many really love CVS because you get instant rebate coupons printed with your receipt that you can come back and use next store visit. Walgreens you have to mail in for the rebate. Still you can get good deals at either store!
6. Have fun with this, but if you are on a strapped budget, be careful. Make a general list of what you need, then check out what's on sale. So if you know you need meat (rather than specifically chicken) for a couple meals that week, go with the pork chops that are on sale. Or if you need snacks for your kids (rather than specifically yogurt), go with the cheese sticks that are sale. Hope this one makes sense!

And finally, I share with you my cabinets and shelves of my lovely stockpile. If you check out the website, there are message boards where you can get all kinds of tips and advice as well as see other folks stockpiles.

Above: this is my bathroom cabinet--you will see shampoo, body wash, deodorant, razors, air fresheners, shaving cream, etc. Above: More of that same bathroom cabinet. The basket has toothbrushes, dental floss, and make-up
Above: This is in the same bathroom, just a different cabinet, with medicine, cleaners, toothpaste galor, feminine products, etc.
Above: this is some of the food that is stockpiled (not in my regular pantry), lots of cereal, fruit cups, pop-tarts, gum (in the basket--all free), pudding, etc.

Hope you enjoyed this extra long post!! Have a great week and happy shopping!! I would love to hear if you try this!! For more fabulous tips, head on over to Rocks in my Dryer and read what works for others!!