Before the sales and coupons my total was $86.70.  After the sales and coupons I paid about $49, including tax.  This included regular items that we needed such as milk, eggs, bread, etc.  I didn’t buy any meat though.  I try to only buy meat when it is a really great price.  Then I stockpile while it’s cheap.  Why pay $4.99/lb for meat when you get pay $2.25/lb? 

The new sales flyers come out tonight and I’m looking for sales on meat, frozen items, and hypoallergenic laundry detergent.  Let me know if you find anything.  Thanks.

What deals have you found lately?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Now, I can start back up with The Grocery Game.

Some of you already know this, but last year my husband and I worked and lived at a ministry for a while.  Before moving there, we lived off our stockpile of groceries.  There was no sense in buying more groceries, when I had a pantry full of things I got at awesome deals.

Now that we’ve moved away from the ministry, it has been difficult to start over again.  I am not the kind of person that walks into the grocery store and only buys what I need for that week’s meals.  I was not raised that way and it’s simply not thrifty!  After all, why would I want to pay $4.99 for meat this week when I could have bought it last week for $1.99?

Shopping the sales with coupons is the best way to stockpile and to avoid paying full price for groceries.  When using The Grocery Game (TGG), I can easily save 50% or more on my grocery bill each week and have a pantry full of items.

So, here I am . . . All ready to start looking at TGG list each week and clipping coupons.  I’m ready to start saving again.

In case you’re wondering what the big deal is or how you can save 50% or more on your grocery bill, please check out these links:

How to Play The Grocery Game
10 Tips for Using Coupons
An Interview with Teri Gault, Founder of The Grocery Game
Time is Money and Money is Time

If you do decide to play The Grocery Game, please use me as your referral. knowhimwell at hotmail dot com. The introductory membership is $1 for the first month.

image: mine

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I’ve been talking about The Grocery Game for months.  And it seems obvious that I would because this has been the top avenue that I have found to save the most moolah on your grocery bill. I’ve talked the talk and I’ve walked the walk.  I’ve taught you all how to use it and I’ve showed you the savings. 

Imagine my surprise and delight when I was contacted by a Grocery Game rep and offered the opportunity to interview Teri Gault, CEO and founder of The Grocery Game.  Me?  Really?  

The interview took place last week and I’ll just tell you that from the bat, Teri was warm and friendly and interested in sharing our love of saving money.  Here’s a bit of how the interview went.  There was so much information.  I hope I can share it all and not mess up anything.  Enjoy!

First of all, I’d like to ask how The Grocery Game came into existence.

Well, I have always been a bargain hunter. We’re a kindred spirit.

When I was only 12 years old, I began shopping for my family because my mom was in ICU.  It was such an early age and we were broke with hospital bills.  It was my job to make the money stretch. 

Everything started with a jar of peanut butter.  I had bought a jar of peanut butter for my family and then the next week it went on sale.  We had limited money and I had already bought the peanut butter, but realized I could have saved money by buying it while it was on sale.  It was sort of an epiphany moment for me with stockpiling.

Then later when I got married, I was an actress and my husband was a stunt man.  I continued couponing.  In the late 90s the business took us to Canada.  I had only $35 per week to feed our family of four.  Those were rough years.  I used that time to develop saving strategies.
 
By November of 1999, I was spending four to six hours each week clipping coupons and searching sale ads, but I was saving about $100 per week.  Even then, I was rolling coins to buy groceries.  I wished that someone would let me know what they were buying instead of me spending all that time figuring it out on my own.  Then I had wondered what would happen if I put my grocery list on the internet each week and and if people would pay me for my time.  I had never had been on the internet, but I went to computer store, bought a computer and internet.  I didn’t even know what to do.  I got my sister on phone and she taught me how to do email.

Read more!

My sister did not like coupons.  She used super stores and she did not understand value of coupons.  I thought she would make a good guinea pig, so I sent her the first document via word.  I told her to look at it and try it without asking any questions. She immediately saved $150.
 
Next, I got 5 families to test the list.  I rolled coins to get business license. Within a few months had emails from all over the country.  In 2000, I started putting all of the money back into the business for franchises.  By 2003, I had attorneys in place and was a franchise owner.  I went from 2 states to 26 states in 2003.  We are now in all 50 states, including Puerto Rico, the UK, and France.  By end of year, we’ll be in Canada and Germany,  and possibly China. 
 
The first 2 years I still worked several jobs.  I was a grant writer, I taught private voice lessons, and I in a performance group, all while doing The Grocery Game.  I was working 80 hours a week and 7 days a week.

(Of course, we chatted throughout all of this information.  She is quite the entrepreneur.)
 
Could you tell me about how many members you have?

There are about 100,000 households using The Grocery Game.  Traffic to the site has tripled on the site this year, since we have coupons that can be printed on the site.  We have doubled our membership since the beginning of the year.  Just last month, there were 400,000 coupons printed on the site. 

What are your plans for adding additional stores?

We are constantly adding more stores.  Last month we added 9 more stores.  We can only go at a certain pace due to quality control and we have a full-time attorney.  In the near future we plan to add Giant, Hannoford, and Legmans to our list.  

We pick the number 1 store that is best for The Grocery Game. This is based upon sale cycles, coupons, and how low prices go.  We track the stores for a while.  We do have Wal-Mart on the list, but it doesn’t have the best savings, so it’s the last to be added.

I have found that the biggest savings come from combining store sales with double coupon offers.  Do you have any tips for those living in areas that don’t live near larger grocery store chains and don’t have stores that double coupons? 

The savings are still relevant.  In an area where they don’t double coupons, the coupons values are higher.  The savings are the same.  Usually the prices are lower and The Grocery Game savings still apply.  If you will stockpile sales and use a coupon when you can, you still save 70% even when the stores don’t double coupons.  It’s important to know when to stock up.  
 
I’ve heard that there is a 12 week cycle to TGG.  Could you tell more about that? 

There are categorical sale trends that we track.  The sales come about once every 12 weeks for 15 major categories.  You stockpile what you will need for about 12 weeks.  Then you will need to add your produce and milk.  With you produce, you only buy what’s on sale.  

I see what you mean about stockpiling.  Before I began seriously using coupons, I would stockpile just the sale items. 

You and I don’t like to pay full price for things, do we? 

I could have talked to Teri all day long.  She was very easy to talk to and I could tell that we both shared a passion for saving money. I hope you enjoyed this interview.  I was very impressed at how she started out with so little, but took something that she was good at and worked hard to develop it.  That should give us all hope.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Good afternoon everyone!  I just finished my interview with Teri from The Grocery Game.  She was very friendly and I’m so impressed at how she has built her company from scratch.  She answered a lot of our questions and I’m anxious to share this information with you. 

I’m busy packing and moving out of the area, but hopefully tonight I can get the information to you.  Stay tuned!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

If you’re a regular reader of Thrifty Mommy, then you’ll know that I’m a big fan of The Grocery Game.  It’s quite a thrill to go to the grocery store and save 60% or more on your grocery bill and also be able to purchase extra groceries for your stockpile or for others in need. In fact, my family is moving out of the area next week and I have quit buying groceries and I’m sharing our excess with others. We have been eating off our stockpile for a few months now!!  I’ve just been picking up a few necessities here and there. 

Ok, now for the whole point of what I just said . . .

This week I will be talking to Teri Gault, founder of The Grocery Game.  I have some questions that I would like to ask her, but I also would like to know . . .

What do you want to ask Teri?

Leave your questions in the comment section and I’ll see if I can get your questions answered this week.  Isn’t this exciting?  

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

As you can imagine, grocery store visits were taking a lot of time. I had my grocery list from the grocery game and my coupons, and I was trying to find the best deals while dealing with a 2-year-old. I decided I’d better find a quicker way to get out of the store.

Here’s what I did to save time:

First, I looked over The Grocery Game list for the week. I printed off only the items that I was interested in purchasing.

Next, I matched and clipped the coupons to the items I was going to buy at rock bottom prices and some other coupons I was interested in using.

I separated the coupons that I definitely wanted to use from the coupons that I might use. The coupons I might use depended on price per item and if I have reached my 20 double coupon limit at the store.

I wrote a list of the things I wanted to buy and put the list in order, according to how the store was arranged. I also put my coupons in order by my list.

Now when I walk through the grocery store my list is in order and I’m not fumbling through coupons.  These few extra minutes at home of putting things in order have saved me at least 30 minutes in the store.  This makes Cuddlebug and me much happier.

What do you think of this system? Do you have some tips for saving time at the grocery store?

Images by me. See more Works for Me Wednesday ideas.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Yes, my time is valuable . . . BUT it takes time to make and SAVE money.  Here’s a recent example . . .

My cabinets are so stuffed that I haven’t used The Grocery Game (TGG) in about a month.  I’ve just been picking up a few things here and there that were on sale or things we absolutely needed. 

Yesterday I decided it was time to sort through the coupons.  I know that when I haven’t done TGG in a while I will end up spending a good amount of time sorting coupons, clipping, and tossing out old stuff.  In between taking care of my son, I spent 3 hours doing those things.  Of course, it wasn’t a solid 3 hours, since I was caring for my son, but 3 hours is a long time to spend on coupons.  Then I also spent about 1 1/2 hours at the grocery store.  Again, it wouldn’t have taken so long if I wouldn’t have had a 2 year old with me.  lol

Now some people would think that I’m crazy.  They would never dream of spending a few hours on clipping coupons to save money.  I work at home and make a little bit of money each month.  These frugal tips that I share aren’t just for you.  They’re for me too.  I get to save money and have the joy of sharing tips with you.  These tips enable me to stay at home.

Do you want to know how much money I saved at the grocery store yesterday?????

Click below the “Read More” to find out.

I saved $93!  Yep.  I spent $59 (pre-tax) and saved $93.  Ninety-three dollars is more than I could make in a day of teaching.  If I were teaching, I probably wouldn’t have the time to clip those coupons and spend all that time finding the best deals.  And on Monday, I spent $14 at CVS, got about $50+ worth of stuff, and got back $14 in CVS bucks. 

This same scenario applies to itemizing my taxes.  I absolutely HATE itemizing my taxes each year.  I know it is going to take me hours to go through all of my bank statements and checkbook registries and to figure up all of the mileage for medical purposes.  I don’t know how many times I’ve been told to just claim the standard deduction.  But why should I if I can get back a lot more money? 

Yes, time is money, but money is time.  Right now, so long as I’m staying home with my children, time is what I have in order to save that money.

Click here for more Works for Me Wednesday ideas.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

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!  

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Most of you do not know this, but recently my husband lost his job.  No problem, right?  He’s a qualified guy that has experience in many areas.  He’s sort of a Jack-of-all-trades. 

The first week he was unemployed I cut back on our spending, but not dramatically.  Week two I really started cutting back.  No eating out unless it was really cheap.  No more grocery shopping, except for essentials.  No buying any extras. 

Imagine how anxious I was come week 4 when he still didn’t have a job.  A few things got us through this hard time.  Earlier in the year we had paid off a large sum of debt.  We had also taken Dave Ramsey’s financial peace classes at our church.  We were working on our baby steps to financial peace.  We had our emergency funds (and then a little more) in savings.  Having an emergency fund in place also allowed my husband to search for a job that he wanted, rather than taking an underpaid position at a place he didn’t want to work.

Another thing that got us through is that I stockpile things when they’re really cheap, mainly groceries.  When I go to people’s houses I honestly wonder where all their food is.  I don’t shop week to week. 

When you shop week to week and only buy what you absolutely need, you’re going to pay more for your groceries.  Stockpiling allows you to take advantage of rock bottom prices on items.  You buy as many as you’ll need for a few months (if it won’t expire).  Then over the next few months you won’t need to buy any more of that item.  Instead of paying $2.99 for something, you get it for $1.25. 

Some people tell me they can’t afford to shop the sales and stockpile.  How can you NOT afford to stockpile?  How can you afford to pay $4.99 for meat when you can get it on sale for $2.00?  I just don’t get it.

Ok, so if you really can’t see that you can afford to stockpile, here’s what I recommend:  Try to set aside an additional $20 for stockpiling on really good deals.  Most people can afford the extra $20.  If you still think you can’t, try giving up the McDonald’s drive-thru, the sodas you’d normally buy, and find a way to begin. 

Since we only bought necessities for over a month, I did not do The Grocery Game.  It was painful, let me tell you.  lol  To know I could be getting so many bargains and I wasn’t buying them . . . Ugh! 

I haven’t checked the exact figures yet, but I would estimate that in 4-5 weeks I only spent about $120 or less on groceries for our family of four.  And best of all, our pantry and freezer is still full.  There’s hardly a dent in it.  Isn’t that incredible?  It’s like the story of 5 loaves and 2 fish.  lol

I’m thankful to say that my husband has been employed for over a week now.  I went to the grocery store tonight.  I’m back playing The Grocery Game.  I’m sure you’re wondering how I did tonight.  Aren’t you?  Well, here it is . . . I got $104 of groceries for less than $40!  I saved 63% on my groceries.

If you would like to know more about The Grocery Game, click here.  If you’re interested in signing up, I ask that you please use my email address so that I can get free weeks for my referrals.  My email address is knowhimwell at hotmail dot com.  Please no spam.

Do you stockpile groceries?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Ok, I’ve told you about how I started subscribing to the Sunday newspaper so that I can join The Grocery Game.  Now that I have 4 weeks of coupons, I signed up for the 1 month trial. 

The one month trial membership is only $1.  During that first month you can choose as many stores as you would like for only $1.  This is great for me because I wasn’t really sure which stores I wanted to subscribe to each month.  I need to figure out which ones will have the best deals and suite my family best.

Right now I am subscribed to Food Lion, CVS, Lowe’s Foods, Harris Teeter, and Bi-Lo.  I checked out all of the lists this week and decided to go to CVS, Food Lion, and Lowe’s Foods.  I think I have already determined that Food Lion will not be a store that I subscribe to.  The reason for this is because I can do pretty well at Food Lion on my own.  I watch the buy 1 get 1 free specials and then if I have coupons I use those too.  Lowe’s Foods seems to be a good match for me because they double coupons.  Harris Teeter also doubles coupons.  I wasn’t too impressed with the CVS list for this week.  Maybe it’s too early to tell.

One of the things I like about Terry’s Grocery Game is the easy to read chart format.  Each row tells you what’s on sale, how much the regular price is, how much the sale price is, the amount off for the coupon you need to use, which week of the paper it came from, what coupon flyer it came from, how many items you should buy, the percentage off the item is, and if it is an item at rock bottom price that you should stock up on.

I suppose you’re wondering how I did this week.

At Lowe’s Foods my pre-tax total was $49.35.  With coupons and weekly specials, I saved $48.02.  I didn’t think that was bad considering I bought a bag of Starbucks coffee and a Mega pack of Luvs diapers. 

The diapers were a good deal too.  They were regularly $12.99 and Lowe’s had them on sale for $8.99, and then I had a $1 coupon.

I even managed to get some things for free.  I had several 50 cent coupons for Kraft handi-snacks pudding.  The pudding was on sale this week for $1.00 a pack.  My coupon was doubled to give me $1 off.  So I got three packs of pudding for free.

I also went to Food Lion.  I think I spent and saved about the same amount there.  I normally don’t spend that much at the grocery store each week, but right now I am stocking up.  They say the first month or so you’ll be stocking up on items that are at rock bottom prices while you’re buying your normal groceries.  As you get a collection of things, there will be less things that you need at regular price.  Soon, you’ll be spending less on your grocery bill, you’ll be bringing home a lot more food, and your pantries will be full.

I have always believed in stocking up on things when they are at the lowest prices.  Now I have someone to give me a list to help me know what those things are. 

If you would like to join The Grocery Game, I would suggest that you begin collecting the Sunday paper coupons first.  Don’t cut out the coupons yet.  I use a portable expandable file folder to keep my coupons separated by the weeks.  This way, when the list tells me which week I need the coupon from, I can go to that specific week and clip it without hassle. 

If you do decide to join The Grocery Game, could you please use me as a referral?  Getting referrals allows you to earn free weeks.  Thanks.  knowhimwell at hotmail dot com (Please no spam.)

Hope you enjoy the savings!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy