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

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

I haven’t used The Grocery Game in about a month.  In December, there were a few sad weeks where there were no coupons in the paper.  It was ok though, because I was busy with preparing and shopping for Christmas.

Last week I spent a few hours going through all of my coupons.  They needed some weeding out and organizing.  I clipped all the coupons that the list recommended I use.  Then I also included some coupons I had that would be expiring soon.  I wanted to see if any of them would be worth the buy.

I headed out to Lowe’s Foods (with a 2-year-old).  We shopped around the store and first I bought things that we absolutely needed and things that were on my list as the best bargains.  At Lowe’s Foods you can get 20 coupons doubled per day, so long as the coupon is 99 cents or less.  After using my grocery game list I still had some room left to use other coupons.  I used whatever I could to equal my 20, plus I had some other coupons for $1.00 or more that would not get doubled.

I ended up spending about $75, but I saved $90! 

Take a look at all the stuff I got for the money.  Although there may be some unhealthy choices here, please remember this isn’t stuff I’ll use all in one week.  This is how I stockpile.  I buy things when they’re rock bottom prices, with the intent to use them in the next few months. 

Stay tuned because for this week’s Frugal Friday I plan to show my system.  I’ve got pictures of how I file my coupons for easy retrieval. 

If you would like to join The Grocery Game, please use my email address knowhimwell at hotmail dot com.  I can get free weeks if you use my address.    The first introductory month is only $1.

Click here for more articles on The Grocery Game.

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

I’ve decided that I need to get serious once again.  No more tossing coupons into an envelope or my wallet or losing them in a mess of clutter on the kitchen counter.  I got out my coupon pouch this month and began organizing my coupons.  Today I got a mailing of coupons from my mom and immediately filed each coupon and finished labeling my categories.  I’m so pleased! 

I have found that there is a store relatively close by that doubles coupons up to 99 cents!  This week I had a 55 cent coupon for pickles and I was able to save $1.10 on a jar of dill cubes that cost about $1.89.  I also saved 80 cents on the $1.50 crescent rolls I needed.  That made my cost 79 cents for the pickles and 70 cents for the crescent rolls.

On the way out of the store, the guy from the newspaper was selling subscriptions.  My lucky day.  I am now subscribed to the Sunday paper.  I am going to be the coupon queen once again.  I’m back to claim my crown.  lol  I may even become a member of The Grocery Game.

Here are a few tips:

1.  Make sure the cashier scans your store membership card.  Ugh.  It is so frustrating when they don’t.

2.  Check your receipt before you leave to make sure you got your items for the right price.  Or better yet, try to watch as they’re being rung up.

3.  Hand the cashier your coupons and watch her scan them.  Sometimes they get in a hurry and don’t scan them all.  Or sometimes the machine doesn’t pick them up right away and they don’t notice.

4.  Find a store that doubles coupons and know their coupons rules.

5.  Get a coupon pouch and organize it.  Keep it in the car or your purse so that you will always have it with you when you go to the grocery store. 

6.  Try to buy your items on sale and then use a coupon too.  (This is why I want to join The Grocery Game.)

7.  Many stores will let you combine store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons.  Use the $2 Target diaper coupon and the $2 Pampers coupon at the same time.

8.  In your coupon pouch, have a separate section for coupons that are getting ready to expire.  I have this at the front of my pouch so that I can rotate my coupons around and not forget to use them.  Try to use these coupons first.

9.  You can usually save the most money when a product is first released.  The item will usually be much cheaper than it’s normal price and the coupon values are higher.  The company wants you to try their product.

10.  Don’t get caught up in the thrill of saving money.  Make sure that you don’t over buy or don’t buy products that you know you won’t use.  Of course, you can always use those coupons to purchase products for a charitable organization or food pantry.

Do you have any coupon tips that you could share?

image is mine

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

26.  Shop close out stores.  Many times you can get the same name brands, just at close out prices.  I’m thinking “Big Lots!”. 

27.  Get magazines second-hand from friends and relatives.  I don’t have much time for leisure reading, but I do enjoy looking at magazines when I have the time.  My mom passes down her old Better Homes & Gardens magazines to me.

28.  Borrow books from the library or trade books with a friend. 

29.  Send pictures, notes, and letters through email rather than mailing them.  I love emailing pictures of the kids to relatives and friends.  Everyone gets an update about the kids and it doesn’t cost me anything.

30.  Save on stamps and pay your bills online.  This is free service through most credit unions and some banks and also saves time.

31.   Subscribe to The Grocery Game.  Terri’s list can help you coordinate coupons with the sales.  Many times you will come home with free or almost free products.  If you would like to join, please use my email address as your referral so that I can earn free weeks.  knowhimwell at hotmail dot com  Thanks!)

32.  Don’t smoke.  Smoking increases costs of health and life insurance.  Plus, we all know how expensive cigarettes are!

33.  Check your receipts.  I can’t tell you the amount of times I have been overcharged at the grocery store.  Better yet, watch the prices as they ring up your stuff so that you can avoid wasting time going to the customer service desk.

34.  Pay attention to the front page of a sales paper.  That is usually where they list their best deals to lure you in.

35.  Keep your coupons and coupon books in the car.  As I stated in the previous post,  Top 25 Ways I Save money, you should buy a coupon book . . . BUT if you don’t have it with you, what good is it going to do?  I usually keep my coupons and coupon books in the car. There have been a few instances where my family was out and about and I needed a coupon.  I was really upset when I remembered that the book got taken inside the house.  Errr!

36.  Shop at stores where everything is a dollar; stores such as The Dollar Tree, Everything’s a Dollar, Dollar Duz It, etc.  Sometimes you can find some really great deals in there.  I was at The Dollar Tree recently and found a 12 oz bottle of hand sanitizer for only $1.00!  I also found some name brand hair mousse, nice coloring books, and other good deals.  You just never know what you will find.

37.  Check your toilet for leaks.  Sometimes you can have a leak and not even know it.  In one particular house we lived in, our water bill kept going up every month.  Finally, when it was ridiculously high, I called the water department.  They told me to put a colored kool-aid packet or some food coloring drops in the tank of my toilet.  If the color ran down to the bowl with a few minutes, then I had a leak.  It only took a few seconds for my water to get into the bowl.  Problem solved, but with an outrageous water bill!

38.  Plan your meals at least 1-2 days in advance and put your meat in the refrigerator to thaw.  When you don’t have something in mind for dinner, then you will be more likely to get take out or go out to eat.  Also, if hubby suggests going out, you can tell him that you can’t because the meat will go bad. 

39.  Open blinds during the winter to use the light to warm and give light to your house.  I try to keep mine closed during the summer as much as possible.  The heat is horrible!

40.  Be on the look out for inexpensive entertainment options.  Take your family to the park, to a school or church fall festival, drive around looking at Christmas lights.  Take your wife or husband on a date to a coffee shop, $2 theater, the waterfront.  I’m sure there are cheap ways to find entertainment in your area.  You just have to look for them. 

41.  Don’t buy something just because it’s cheap.  I have done this in the past and regretted it later.  I found my house to be full of crap.  Just because something is 75% off doesn’t mean I need it!

42.  Raise your deductibles on your home owner’s insurance to $1000 or $2500.  You wouldn’t want to claim anything under that amount anyway or you run the risk of being dropped by your carrier.

43.  Treat clothing stains as soon as possible.  Avoid the aggravation of wasting time and money trying to get stains out.  Also, make sure the stain is out before putting it in the dryer.  What a horrible way to ruin an outfit.

44.  Buy crackers, snacks, yogurt, and other food items in containers or large bags, rather than in snack size packages.  I was appalled when I saw that snack size Ritz crackers averaged to be 50 cents a package.  I can buy a whole box for just a few dollars.  Buy the box and separate the snacks into containers or ziploc bags for easy use.

45.  Avoid buying extended warranties on inexpensive items such as car seats, cordless phones, and cameras.  More than likely, you will never use the warranty.  (You may want to consider buying a warranty on computer purchases though.  We always get our money’s worth on those.)

46.  Sign up for rewards programs whenever possible.  I signed up for the Food Lion Extra MVP card.  Periodically I receive checks from Food Lion good for future visits.  CVS also offers Reward Bucks.

47.  Use a Brita filter or other such type filter instead of buying bottled water.  We have been using a Brita filter for years now.  We actually have people come over and complement us on how good our water tastes.

48.  Don’t make impulse purchases.  Have a rule that you will wait at least 24 hours before buying.  Another good rule is to keep your credit cards at home.  Sometimes if you see something and don’t have the money to get it, you’ll simply use your credit card.  That instant gratification will get you!  Keeping your credit cards at home gives you time to think about the purchase and decide if you really need the item.  More than likely you don’t need it or you’ll realize it’s not worth driving back out to the store to get the item.  I think this tip would keep a lot of people out of debt. 

49.  Call your cable company. Find out exactly what is covered on your cable/satellite package.  See if you can’t cut out some channels.  Sometimes you can cut out $10-25 a month on this one.

50.  Watch movies at home.  Rent movies or subscribe to a service like Netflix. 

Well folks.  There you have it.  25 more ways that I save money.  This list certainly wasn’t as easy to compose as the first, but now you have a list of 50 ways.  I want to hear some feedback about how you all are doing on saving money.  Until next time . . .

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Teri’s List reveals the lowest sale prices at stores and tracks manufacturer’s coupons to tell you when to use each coupon so that you can get the best price.  It saves you a lot of time and money.

My friend Darlene does great with The Grocery Game.  Many times she pays very little or nothing for items.  She says that she is spending the same amount each month, but she is stocking up and has a lot more groceries to show for the money.  Thanks Darlene for the tip.

Right now you can get a 4 week trial of The Grocery Game for $1.00 and when you refer friends you can get free weeks of Teri’s list.  This seems like a sure way to cut your grocery spending and save on your budget.

If you would like to join The Grocery Game, please use my email address so that I can earn free weeks.  knowhimwell at hotmail dot com   Thanks!  

Post from: Thrifty Mommy