Saving on the high cost of food- The Grocery Game

As previously discussed in this topic, I have decided to sign up for the 4 week trial of the Grocery Game. It is $1 for four weeks.

The Grocery Game tracks the prices of items at your local supermarket when they hit a special or low price, it matches the item up with a coupon you received in your local paper to make the price even cheaper. The idea is to file all the coupons you receive and then only use them when the Grocery Game tells you it's time. You don't even need to clip the coupons at first. They say you can keep them in the inserts, so long as you write the date of the paper on the top of the insert. Then, when you see a coupon on the list, pull out the insert with that date and clip it.

For example, this week Jewel had Hillshire Deli meat on sale for 2 for $7.00. The Grocery Game paired it with a coupon printed in the January 27 Tribune, so the coupon database goes pretty far back.

The Grocery Game says that not all specials are published in the Jewel weekly flyer, but their database tracks the unpublished sales, therefore making sure you are getting the most bang for your buck.

So, how much did I save my first week? Seeing that my coupon file is not that large yet, we did not have many coupons to match up to the list. Even with very few coupons, we saved about $24.

However, I would have several of the items on the list WITHOUT the Grocery Game telling me to, as we needed them and they were on special. I might not have been savvy enough to match them up with all coupons though. So, I'm more comfortable with saying the Grocery Game saved us about $12 the first week.

If you are a brand loyalist, the game is probably not for you. To get the best deals on items, you have to be willing to buy what's on sale and for which you have a coupon. Also, there are a lot of packaged foods on the list that I would never consider buying.

Right now, the jury's out on if I think this is worth the fee ($10 per 8 weeks once the trial is over). More than likely, I will sign up for one eight week period after the trial, so I have three months to judge.

I plan on updating this thread with my weekly savings.

Kim

Thanks for the good work, Kim. I will be watching!

$12 is more than I've ever saved in coupons, so I'm itching to hear more about your experience. Yesterday I saved $5.10, and I think the most ever was $8.

I am an avid couponer. Message boards are where its at with couponing. The best deals appear to be the buy one get one free deals because you can use two coupons. For example if Yogurt is b1g1f and it is 80 cents each, and you have a 40 cents off coupons then you can get both for free.

For the most part if you pay attention you get cereal for next to nothing, often times things like granola bars and fruit roll ups for free. Drinks can be very cheap as well with coupons.

Before I got on the message boards I didn't know you could use two coupons on B1G1F specials. Also I think Jewel and Dominicks let you use expired coupons.

I tend to use most of the stuff for my stepdaughter and my husband for lunches.

Actually though I save the most money with coupons at the drug stores, CVS/Walgreens. I have been lazy lately but I know like this week you can get free Glade Plugins at Walgreens with coupons as well as free suave shampoo without even using coupons. (Not that I use it but hey I give it away for the fun of it!)

Anyway, coupon crazy lady off on a rant here.

Jewel and Dom both accept expired coupons. whenever you're ready to take couponing to a new level, do some research for coupon upc codes. I'm the person who drags two full carts to the register at Jewel or Dominicks and pays under 10.00 total. I won't map it out for you, as nobody did it for me, but suffice to say that the info is there if you are willing to search it out. Jewel is better for accepting coupons that do not match the product you are actually buying, but if everyone starts doing it, I'm sure they'll catch on.

Quick example I found of another thing I do:
Jewel has Butler Gum toothbrushes on sale for 1.00 per this week.
I have 1.00 off Butler Gum coupons dating back to 1999. If I want 50 butler gum toothbrushes, I'll get them for the tax. Jewel registers do put out a notification to the cashier if the price of the item is less than the coupon, I believe, so if the toothbrushes were on sale for 99c, there would be a flag, and the cashier would only be able to key in 99c off.

It does tyake some organizational skills, but it's SOOO worth it. I can fill my car with stuff, and the people in line behind me are absolutely astonished after they see the totals. Yes, their patience gets tried, but most often, when it's all said and done, there are refrains of WOW!, and sometimes even clapping. I don't shop at jewel/dom often, but I would HATE to see them go. FREE STUFF!!!

seebee wrote:Jewel and Dom both accept expired coupons.

My Jewel in Schaumburg does not accept expired coupons. Also, a announcement on the Grocery Game website this week indicates to me that Jewel has now made it a corporate policy to not accept expired coupons. Some locations are still accepting them. Here is the announcement:

"Due to a change in Jewel's corporate policy, we will no longer be listing expired coupons. Individual store policies may vary so check with your local Jewel."

FYI, my sister up in the Mudelein/Vernon Hills area also reports that her Jewel recently started refusing her expired coupons.

Tomorrow is shopping day, so I should have another update then.

Kim

Kim3 wrote:My Jewel in Schaumburg does not accept expired coupons. Also, a announcement on the Grocery Game website this week indicates to me that Jewel has now made it a corporate policy to not accept expired coupons. Some locations are still accepting them. Here is the announcement:

"Due to a change in Jewel's corporate policy, we will no longer be listing expired coupons. Individual store policies may vary so check with your local Jewel."

FYI, my sister up in the Mudelein/Vernon Hills area also reports that her Jewel recently started refusing her expired coupons.

Tomorrow is shopping day, so I should have another update then.

Kim

I use the self-scan for expireds

I always thought the stores should offer a discount for using the self-checkouts. Like 2% off your bill or some kind of bonus points for bagging it yourself. If they did that, those self-checkouts would be humming 24/7.

Liz in Norwood Park wrote:I always thought the stores should offer a discount for using the self-checkouts. Like 2% off your bill or some kind of bonus points for bagging it yourself. If they did that, those self-checkouts would be humming 24/7.

There are hordes of clueless ppl using them tho. It takes a good two or three times to get used to how they work, it seems. EVERY time I use them, though, there is at least one person who has troubles performing the task that the machine clearly states for them to do. The store usually still has to pay someone to be "on call" for the self checkout lane.

You also can't buy liquor at one without assistance. It's annoying, especially if I'm in a hurry to get that eye-opener in the morning (JUST KIDDING! I always keep a bottle in the freezer for emergencies....heh.)

Liz in Norwood Park wrote:I always thought the stores should offer a discount for using the self-checkouts. Like 2% off your bill or some kind of bonus points for bagging it yourself. If they did that, those self-checkouts would be humming 24/7.

Yah, because my food is the same price with self check out I don't use self checkout. It's a business principle thing.

Speaking of CVS - There is a blog called "Money Saving Mom" - She goes through the CVS circular each week and shows what you can get for free after a week of investment through their Extra Care Bucks. It's pretty staggering.

She also has some $35-$40/week menus for her family that even include organic dairy.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

Here are my results from the second week of "playing" The Grocery Game (Henceforth, GG).

We did not save nearly as much this week. However, we found ourselves well stocked from last week, so we did not need to buy as many things.

This week's savings on our Jewel receipt was $19.80, but only about $3.50 of that was from following the Grocery Game. The rest of the savings was from buying items we needed that were on sale, preferred value, or budget buy.

The total amount we spent on groceries this week does amaze me, $58.91. The last time we spent that little on groceries was 7 years ago, when we were newly married and it was just the two of us. Now, there are three of us.

So, while the savings results as percentage were not that stellar this week, the overall lowering of the grocery bill was very satisfying.

A few comments/observations on "The Game" this week:
- There seems to be a dearth of good coupons in the paper for the last month. Many people on the GG web boards have mentioned this downturn in food coupons. So, this might be contributing to the lack of major savings.

- While GG does save me time, they don't know what manufacturer coupons I have from other sources, especially the ones that print out at the Jewel register or come on boxes/packages. So it still takes some savvy planning on my end to get the best deal when using those.

-GG has links to online coupons. One link does take you to Coupons.com, but the other takes you to coupons that are exclusive to the GG, as far as I can tell. So this is another benefit of membership.

Kim

A little cheap thing I do is find coupons at gas stations for drinks. Hey, 50 cents off snapple, doubled, free Snapple, NICE!

Also, some weeks the coupons in the paper have freebies like cat treats or last week there was a free adidas deodarant one. If you go to Dollar tree you can buy newspapers for $1.00 on Sunday so it is worth it if it is a good coupon week to get extras.

You can see what coupons are coming up by www.taylortownpreview.com

lol -
we got the cat treats a few weeks ago. We also newspapered up last fall when they had the free 3.5 lb cat food. New brand - forgot what the name is - something life? I have that adidas deodorant clipped, and ready to go too.

Was it Good Life? Thats what I buy for my dog, she likes it a lot.

BTW - I love Dollar Tree. There is a huge one at Mannheim & Oakton in Des Plaines. Check it out.

Liz in Norwood Park wrote:Was it Good Life? Thats what I buy for my dog, she likes it a lot.

Yes - that was it. We got quite a few bags of that stuff for free.

Kim 3 - how did this week go?

I am interested in signing up - it looks like they have a generous referral package. If you PM me with whatever name you used, I'll sign up

kafein wrote:Kim 3 - how did this week go?

Hi Kafein,

Sorry for the delay in posting our results.

This week was a stock up week for us, as we were very low on pantry items, snacks our tot loves and some staples we like to freeze, like meat.

Overall, our bill was just over $134 and the Jewel receipt says we saved just over $44 using coupons and the preferred card.

About $25 of the savings came from buying items off the Grocery Game list. However, as I pointed out in previous weeks, I would have bought about half the items without the lists advice. So, I'd split the difference and say the list saved us about $14.50 this week.

Now we are so stocked up on pantry items, snacks, and meat, that if we wanted to, we could get buy with only buying perishables like produce and dairy for the next four weeks.

I was a little shocked at the total amount spent this week, but we did get a lot more bang out of our grocery buck. I'm curious to see what happens in the later weeks once we are completely "stocked up" .

FYI, I've averaged our first three weeks of grocery spend since we started the game and it is $90.91 a week. Prior to the game, our weekly average was $100 a week. So the game is saving us money so far, but not the scads of dollars it likes to brag about.

I'll PM you the e-mail we used to sign up.

Thanks!
Kim

Kim, based on what you've posted, my sense is that you could be saving a lot more money simply by shopping at less costly stores than Jewel.

Have you tried Shop & Save? I really love those stores. Not only are their prices lower, but they stock much more interesting food than Jewel. Here is the one in Schaumburg:

Shop & Save Market
www.shopandsavemarket.com
830 W. Golf Road (west of Higgins)
Schaumburg
847/781-7000

LAZ wrote:Have you tried Shop & Save? I really love those stores. Not only are their prices lower, but they stock much more interesting food than Jewel. Here is the one in Schaumburg:

Shop & Save Market
www.shopandsavemarket.com
830 W. Golf Road (west of Higgins)
Schaumburg
847/781-7000

LAZ, have you ever tried the Shop & Save in Niles? I think after your post I am going to. I still go to Jewel once every month or so out of laziness but after the bill for my last trip even that has to stop.

LAZ wrote:Kim, based on what you've posted, my sense is that you could be saving a lot more money simply by shopping at less costly stores than Jewel.

Have you tried Shop & Save? I really love those stores. Not only are their prices lower, but they stock much more interesting food than Jewel. Here is the one in Schaumburg:

Shop & Save Market
www.shopandsavemarket.com
830 W. Golf Road (west of Higgins)
Schaumburg
847/781-7000

Thanks LAZ. We have friends who frequent it, but they say all the savings are in the produce, meat/deli areas and they find the dry and canned goods to be more expensive. Thus, they split their shopping between there and Jewel.

Personally, I used to split my shopping between Valli produce and Jewel. However, since Hubby took over shopping and takes the toddler with him, his goal is to get in, get out, and get home before a certain small person becomes a holy terror.

We'll give Shop and Save a try in the next few weeks!

Kim

grits wrote:LAZ, have you ever tried the Shop & Save in Niles?

I have been to all three stores. I usually wind up shopping in Des Plaines, though, since it's on the way to places I go. I think Niles is my favorite. It is smaller and more cramped than the other stores but it feels as if the mix of international items is even broader.

If you are shopping in Niles, you should also visit Sun View, Greenwood, Farmer's Best, Jerry's, H-Mart and Assi.

If you are wedded to national brand names, I don't know whether these stores are cheaper. I get many of my nonperishables at Costco, so produce, meat and deli are the main things I look for. The Shop & Save deli is not only cheaper than Jewel/Dominick's, but much better, since they make a lot of their own sausage and charcuterie (or whatever the word for that in Polish is ). I really like their house-prepared foods, too.

Another alternative for you, Kim, is Meijer in Rolling Meadows. I think they are less expensive on brand-name goods, although the quick in-and-out thing might be a problem, since the store is so huge. I usually shop there in the middle of the night, since they are open 24 hours.

LAZ wrote:

grits wrote:LAZ, have you ever tried the Shop & Save in Niles?

If you are shopping in Niles, you should also visit Sun View, Greenwood, Farmer's Best, Jerry's, H-Mart and Assi.

Thanks for all the Niles tips! I never heard of Greenwood and Farmer's Best (or more likely I just haven't been paying attention) so I'll try those next. I LOVE Jerry's, but it's such a nightmare in there. Does anybody have any hints about the best time to go?

Shopping results from week four:

Total savings on Jewel receipt: $37.98
Savings attributed to the Grocery Game list: $26.69

Most of the savings this week were from recommended sale/preferred card purchases. Not a lot of coupon options.

I'm still not sure I'm impressed with this game. I think after my 12 week go at the GG, maybe will try shopping at Shop and Save for for two months straight to compare.

Kim

If you go to the Shop and Save web site (given above), you can sign up on the front page to get a weekly sale flyer via email. Takes about 30 seconds and then you can plan in advance and do your own price checks.

Lth -

IF you are an avid clipper (or even an occasional one,) today is one of those days that should put a great big smile on yer mug:

Jewel -

10 for $10 General Mills products when bought in multiples of 10. All of those 75c off chex coupons should come in REAL handy. Also, I'm finding lots of coupons for nature valley granola bars, "curves" products, chex mix, cheerios snack mix, Caribou coffee bars, and more that are going to fill my pantry for pennies today. Some of this stuff will be free for me. Time to dig through those coupon stacks!

And week 5 is in!

Total savings at Jewel: $33.94
Total savings from GG: about $21.00

We got a set of Preferred Card coupons from Jewel last week that whacked $12 off our bill.

This week, my hubby noticed that one of the "deals" the GG recommended wasn't that hot. It was for a disposable paper product that was on budget buy and also had a coupon recently printed in the paper. The total cost of the item with the coupon and budget buy pricing was still MORE money than just choosing the Jewel house product. Yes, we would have saved about 65% off the "brand name" product, but when you're on a budget, I think the house product is agreeable

Kim

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of updates!

Week six was unremarkable on the total savings front, but we found that, again, we needed to buy less than usual. Our total bill was about $51 and we saved about $8 using the GG list.

Week seven was amazing. We brought $125 worth of food for $73.80. The GG saved us just over $50 and we used 18 coupons.

This was the biggest amount of savings we have ever gotten with the list and I'm intrigued to see if we can continue to keep our grocery bill under $80 for the next couple of weeks. The game is adamant that you have to keep with it for about 12 weeks before you start to see significant savings. Seeing that our typical bill prior to the game was about $100, I'm hoping that weeks 6 and 7 are the start of the big savings they so heavily hype.

Kim

Do the Meijer's around here do the double coupon deal? The one I used to go to in Michigan had that deal