Does the Grocery Game save you money

[Danestress]

On products you really use, assuming you don't eat a lot of packaged food?

 

When it talks about "coupons" are they talking about what is in your own area's Sunday paper? Do they tell you other places to get the coupons? I don't use coupons a lot anymore, and in fact I don't even take the Sunday Paper, but I would consider doing so if it's worth it.

[JudoMom]

I know a mom who has cut her grocery bill in half with the GG. I was impressed, and wondered if it would be worth it for me to sign up, but then she said she cut her bill from $1200 to $600 per month (my budget has never been even close to $1200/month). Then I heard her say that she had tons of Campbells soup and Toaster Strudels and other pre-packaged things, and they didn't have to buy store brand anymore but were able to buy brand name things.

 

I decided to keep doing what I'm doing. Watch the ads. Match coupons to sales on items and stock up when there is an item on sale that we use. Cook mostly from scratch.

[Veronica in VA]

It has helped me, but not with food. I signed up for lists for a couple of the local pharmacies. I am nowgetting most of our shampoos, toothpastes, deoderants, makeup free or near free. Since I have a teenage daughter - this is very helpful! I didn't find it too helpful for food though since we mostly shop Aldi for that.

 

Veronica

[Confuzzled]

I think it depends on how you are used to cooking and eating. I did it for about six months and spent more and gained weight. I ended up stocking up on and eating things I never would have bought otherwise just because of the great deals. The whole thing was rather addictive to me and I spent way too much money. I bought extra newspapers and ordered coupons online and "saved" tons of money. But overall my costs went up, not down. Of course, the problem was probably me and my lack of control, and not the fault of the Grocery Game. I had fun doing it and it seemed so cool to buy so much stuff for half or more off the regular price.

 

We still have shelves full of barbecue sauce, salad dressing, and canned soup, that is expiring before we can eat it all. I was also lurked on the GG boards daily and I noticed that many people were also addicted and donated much of what they bought.

 

Kris

[TraceyS/FL]

I just did the 4week trial - and of the stuff she had on there as blue/green in the stores in my area (Winn-Dixie, Publix, CVS & Wal Greens), there was ONE THING that i would have gone and bought.

 

I just didn't use anything that was on there/on sale.

 

So i cancelled it.... i know it takes 12 weeks for everything to cycle around - but seriously, if i don't use anything they have on sale for 4 weeks that tells me i'm more than likely to NOT the other weeks.

 

There might have been a couple of other things - but i buy those at Costco and it was cheaper at Costco after checking my Handyshopper price.

 

SOOOO, try the trial!

[OH_Homeschooler]

I'm so glad to see this thread. I have seen some people who praise the GG like it's the best thing ever and I've always wondered if it was really that worth it. I felt guilty or lazy for not giving it a try, but this confirms my suspicions. I know it does work for some people and good for them! But given my personality, I can see getting pretty obsessed and buying stuff I don't need.

[Jenny in Florida]

I haven't signed up, but I've looked at sample lists and watched the news video from a couple of months ago. My conclusion is that, for me, given the way I shop and the way we eat, the Grocery Game isn't worth it.

 

For example, on the sample list that is currently on the website only 5 of the 19 items are things I could use in my home (the produce and the oatmeal). No one here likes avocados, so that brings the total of possible purchases down to 4, and all four of those are on plain old, no coupon required sale.

 

Now, by "worth it," I'm talking about a combination of money and time/inconvenience. I'm not denying that I might realize some small savings with the service. As far as I can tell, a membership to the Grocery Game would cost me $65 per year (assuming I signed up for only the store at which I shop most often). So, again taking the sample list as an example, let's look at the oatmeal.

 

They figure savings based on the regular price of that particular brand of oatmeal. Since it regularly sells for $4.29, and you can get it for $2.50 on sale, that's a savings of $1.79 (42%). However, I regularly buy the store brand of oatmeal, which is $2.79 for the same size package. So, I could save only .20 (not quite 5%) by purchasing the name brand on sale.

 

(Edit: Ooops. I just realized that the 42% assumed you used some kind of additional coupon. Looking at the prices, I assume it's a two-for-one or something similar. That would throw off my calculations. But I think the underlying point is valid.)

 

Let's generalize that over a year: Since I spend an average of about $140 per week on groceries, 5% would be $7 per week. That's $364 per year. So, if we deduct the $65 annual membership, I would see an annual savings of $300-ish. That doesn't sound too bad, until I take into account that I might not see even that much unless I were willing to run around to different stores (using up gas and time). And, as I mentioned a couple of paragraphs above, none of the items I might be interested in buying actually required a coupon to get the sale price.

 

And, yes, I understand that the sample list is not complete and that the full list has many more items. However, from what I can tell it's just more of the same kinds of things.

 

So, for me, what seems to work best is to shop carefully, watch sales, and know the typical prices for generics so that I can tell when a sale on a name brand will actually save me money.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Jenny in Florida

[PariSarah]

. . . foods.

 

The best deals are on convenience foods or new products, which I buy rarely. But I still get reliable deals on non-food products (toiletries, paper products) and staples (flour, sugar, pasta, crackers, cheese)--more than enough to justify the time and costs. It also lists the produce that's on sale, although you'd find that out if you just got the circular in advance. The biggest savings come when your store doubles coupons.

 

When I started using it, though, I was already doing coupons, combing through the sales circulars myself. So the primary benefit to me was the time savings--I didn't have to procure the sales circulars or keep a detailed list of typical prices or search to see whether there was a coupon for every product that looked promising. I could look at a list of the best deals and make my menu plans much more quickly.

 

Yes, the coupons are from the Sunday paper, although some are rebates from the store itself. You don't have to go searching anywhere else. I usually buy two copies of the paper, especially if the coupons that week are particularly useful.

 

ETA: to maximize the savings, you may have to change the way you buy and cook. I don't mean using more convenience foods. I mean, planning meals based on sales, and buying stuff (that stores well) before you need it--when it's on sale, rather than when you're out of it. That may take a little time to get used to.

Edited October 29, 2008 by PariSarah

[TraceyS/FL]

Sarah - would it be worth it to you if your store didn't double coupons? there isn't one that does here in my area.

 

I was mainly using it to check the meat/produce sales - because i don't get the paper. But i just need to get in the habit of checking the store ads online i guess.

[Cricket]

I did the trial but didn't save much. I could figure out what coupons to use by looking at the sales fliers. What saves me the most money is shopping at CVS and Walgreens. I get all of our vitamins, shampoos, soaps, lotion, toothpaste, etc., for free or next to nothing. Hot Coupon World is a free message board that can help you plan your shopping trips.

 

You get coupons from the Sunday paper (I usually buy four papers) or from anyone who gets the paper but doesn't use the coupons, buy them on eBay, some people dig through recycling bins, and some you can print online.

[PariSarah]

I was mainly using it to check the meat/produce sales - because i don't get the paper. But i just need to get in the habit of checking the store ads online i guess.

 

Yes, checking the store ads online would be your best bet, I think. The work that you're paying for is the work of keeping track of when it's most profitable to use your coupons. You'd still save money without double coupons, but it would put you about at the level of Costco prices, and it's a lot easier just to shop at Costco.

[neesek]

Couponmom.com is another site that does most of what the GG does, but it is free. It doesn't do the "rock bottom" price that GG does, but you can sort it by % Savings, and see what the best deals are. I have also found that the best deals are to be found in the HBA items by going to CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. It is time consuming, though. Most weeks I usually just pick the store with the best deals and go there.

 

I also second the recommendation for Hot Coupon World. It is extremely helpful.

[Tammyla]

We don't have any grocery stores that double coupons here and I don't use that many convenience foods. Sam's was a better investment for us. We buy so much there. (I did not, did not want to join Sam's and resisted for 4 years.)

 

I do use my store flyer's and coupons to make up my weekly grocery lists. Walgreen's, CVS and Osco have programs you can sign up for on-line or in the store to stretch your dollars.

[Nakia]

I tried it twice, but I ended up buying a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't have bought otherwise. It did not work for us.

[Jennifer in MI]

It has helped me, but not with food. I signed up for lists for a couple of the local pharmacies. I am nowgetting most of our shampoos, toothpastes, deoderants, makeup free or near free. Since I have a teenage daughter - this is very helpful! I didn't find it too helpful for food though since we mostly shop Aldi for that.

 

Veronica

 

I did the trial but didn't save much. I could figure out what coupons to use by looking at the sales fliers. What saves me the most money is shopping at CVS and Walgreens. I get all of our vitamins, shampoos, soaps, lotion, toothpaste, etc., for free or next to nothing. Hot Coupon World is a free message board that can help you plan your shopping trips.

 

You get coupons from the Sunday paper (I usually buy four papers) or from anyone who gets the paper but doesn't use the coupons, buy them on eBay, some people dig through recycling bins, and some you can print online.

 

I just started using the CVS Extra Care Bucks and working the system there. It has been wonderful! It only took me about an hour to figure it out. Last weekend I got over $50 worth of stuff for $18 PLUS I got $14 in ECB to use next time I shop there! So, the CVS thing was very worth it for me.

 

I tried the GG and it just didn't save me money.

[Closeacademy]

I haven't used the grocery game because I am too cheap. But, we've been doing the extra care bucks thing from CVS and combining coupons (newspaper and internet) with e-coupons on my Kroger card and sales to get some great deals.

 

I will get a post up on my blog about this along with some sites I visit to help me plan my CVS and Kroger visits. :001_smile: