How to Play The Grocery Game
February 8, 2008 by Karen Weideman
Filed under The-Grocery-Game, coupons, frugal friday
As I promised earlier this week, for Frugal Friday I am giving you some tips for playing The Grocery Game.
When playing The Grocery Game (TGG), you do not clip the coupons until you need them. It is such a time saver. Each week, I take the inserts out of the paper, write the date on the front of each packet, and file a week’s worth into a section of my expandable file folder.
Another option is to use a notebook with plastic sleeves or folders and file the coupons that way.
You simply go to TGG and subscribe to the store of your choice. I chose Lowe’s Foods because they double coupons. Other stores that double coupons are Harris Teeter and Kroger. You can subscribe to more stores. The extra fee is only $5 every 8 weeks.
Each week, Teri’s list gives you a nice chart to help you shop. As you can see from the chart above, the list gives you which item is on sale, the regular price, the sale price, which coupon it is that you should use, the date, which section the coupon comes from (Smart Source, Valassis, Proctor & Gamble, etc.), the final price you’ll pay after your coupon, and the percentage you save. I love buying things that are 50% off or more!
Another good thing about the list is that it’s color coded. The things listed in blue are items to stock up on and the green items are free. To save on ink and paper, you click on the items that you want printed, or if you choose you can print out the entire list. (BTW, the list here is expired, so I think it’s ok if I put a clip from it.)
One thing I don’t like about the list is that the new list isn’t released until Sunday. As you know, most stores start their ads on Wednesdays so you only have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to use the list before the new sale starts.
Here’s my printed list with my coupons clipped to the top. I also take along a few extra coupons to the store each week. These are either things I need right away, coupons that I want to use before they expire, or just good deals that I’m trying to find.
Other tips:
1) Watch your cashier ring up your coupons! I hate to be a jerk, but I only give them about 3-4 coupons at a time. I give them the ones that will double first. The reason for this is because some cashiers don’t care and others get in such a hurry that if the coupon doesn’t scan, they keep on going. If I give them only 3-4 coupons, then I can watch and make sure they get doubled.
2) Know your store’s coupon rules. Lowe’s Foods will double 20 coupons that have a face value of .99 or less.
3) The first introductory month for TGG is only $1. After that, I think it’s $10 every 8 weeks for one store.
4) Getting referrals at The Grocery Game can earn you free weeks. For every 3 referrals, you can get 8 free weeks. Your referrals need to enter your email address for you to get credit. So, if you do decide to join, please use my email address knowhimwell at hotmail dot com. Thanks!
5) If you have a large family, then subscribe to two papers so that you can get more coupons. Or ask your neighbor if they need their coupons.
Now you can relish in the fact that you’re spending less, saving more, and getting more groceries for the same amount you were paying before.
Well, I hope this clears up some questions that you all have. Let me know if you have more questions. Now get to saving! 
LRN
I HEART THE GROCERY GAME!!! Isn’t it the best? I get a rush every week when I go to see what is on sale and see how much I save.
I tried TGG and thought that it was just a big waste of my money. I HATED that I had to pay for it when I could get the info elsewhere for free. I started using Hot Coupon World instead. It’s free and they provide better information for my stores.
Check it out. Even if you stick with TGG, HCW can be another resource to add to your list!
Thanks for posting this, I am still looking into The Grocery Game. I am not sure if I would help me too much because I do most of the shopping at the commissary. Thanks for breaking it down, I love the idea of not clipping the coupons until you need them, I am overrun by little coupons and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle!
Blessings
how many papers do you buy each week?
I’ve read numerous articles about TGG but my wife and I have never decided to actually try it out. Since she does most of the shopping, I will run this by her to see what she thinks. Seeing the amount you saved is certainly encouraging!
I just love how you’ve simplified the rules to The Grocery Game! I also second your complaint that the lists don’t come out until Sunday - my grocery store’s sales start on Friday and I get my coupon inserts on Saturday. I hate waiting!!
Jill: I do love TGG. I don’t use the list every week though. I have a huge stockpile of food and if I used it every week, I’d have food every where.
Christy: Sorry it didn’t work for you. Thankfully, there are enough different methods out there now that we can all find something that suits us all. Thankfully, I’ve only paid for TGG once. I’ve managed to get enough referrals for this quarter so that I don’t have to pay. I’m working on next quarter’s referrals too.
Emily: I only buy 1 paper each week, since there are only 4 us in our household. My mom also sends me her extra coupons. They’re already cut out, so it’s a pain sometimes to match them up, but they are helpful. Just last week I used some of the coupons she sent me so that I could get my 3-packs of soap for .40.
Happy Housewife: Oh, how I miss shopping at the commissary!!!! I used to shop there when my husband was in the Marines. That was a long time ago. lol They have such great deals. Then you can find those coupons on the shelves and really save. My aunt tells me about some of the deals she gets at the commissary. I am jealous!
Derek: One thing that I really like about TGG is that the first month is only $1. That gives you some time to check out the different lists and decide if it works for you and which store you want to subscribe to.
Another tip: Make sure you’re subscribing to a good newspaper. I get our local paper and it doesn’t have all the coupons that a larger paper has.
Cara: Thanks. I hope this simplified explanation will make it easier. Sometimes starting something new seems overwhelming and people don’t want to tackle it. I think TGG is definitely worth trying. If you don’t like it, then you’ve only lost $1.
I love Grocery Game! As far as having to pay for it, well…for me the savings far, far, far outweigh the cost.
I keep my circulars intact just like you do–mine go in protective sleeves (left over from scrapbooking) in a binder.
I agree it’s a pain that the list doesn’t come out until Sunday, when sales start on Friday. However, I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and have a good enough stockpile that I don’t need to shop much unil Monday, anyway, in a given week. (I would avoid the grocery like the plague on Sunday…too crowded!)
I see that several of you joined this week. I printed off my list for this week. Now I need to work on clipping my coupons. Good luck!
I love the no clip coupon system-it saves me so much time!!! I found that the grocery game didn’t post all the deals and I hated to pay so for the info. This is why we started our blog where we match up sale items with coupons.
Oh My…I wish you weren’t spending money to save money! There are many, many resources out there for you to get this info free! For starters, we have 3 blogs (BeCentsAble, CentsAble Baby, and Naturally CentsAble) where we track weekly sales and deals nationally (for the chain stores) and in the midwest (for grocery or other local stores), Money Saving Mom does this too and I’m sure there are SO MANY others for your lcoal areas if you only look.
The coupon filing program is straight from The Coupon Mom and we have an e-book outlining the entire process available on our blog! Please don’t pay if you don’t have to, check out your other options!
Chrissy and Kristin: I appreciate the time that you have put into your site, but I just checked out becentsable and it would not work for me. Many of the stores you mentioned I have never heard of. I like TGG b/c everything is easy to read and follow, I’m saving tons of money, and I don’t have to pay b/c I have referrals.
I love TGG. I have been using it for several months and can’t be happier.
If you shop at Krogers and are having a difficult time meal planning, check out my website. I put together meal plans using the groceries I buy with TGG.
You should look into our site again…we’ve added about 15-20 stores from across the country!
I forwarded this to my husband since he has taken over the shopping;) I hope we can find stores that double coupons. I called and asked when we discussed this before and Brookshires said they randomly do it several times a year but they couldn’t tell me when.
I thought a read a year or so ago on the grocery game website, she had a list of what things go on sale when like cereal is always on sale such and such month, frozen food on sale this month. Now I can’t find that list does anyone know what I am talking about? I can’t join grocery game because there are no stores in my area.
Annette: Seems like I’ve seen what you’re talking about, but I don’t think it was at The Grocery Game. Here are some of Teri’s tips though.
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con__TerisTips.cfm