The Grocery Game

Some of my friends have heard me talk about it and how I have saved a lot of money on my groceries by doing this. Here is a bit of back ground first. The Grocery Game is on online service that links up your coupons with sales run in your area. The idea is that sales run in 12 week cycles. There is the regular price, the sale price then what they call the rock bottom price. The Grocery Game then matches up coupons with the rock bottom price to get you the best deals. You then stock up for (ideally) 12 weeks then go on your merry way.

I know it sounds too good to be true. Usually when something sounds too good to be true it is. Here is my story. I have $800 a month for "house items". This includes, groceries, clothes for me and the kids ( boys ages 4 and 1), hair cuts, school and sports supplies, lunches out, playdates, birthday gifts, my clothes, my haircuts, craft supplies, shoes, coffee and other odds and end. Usually I barely managed to do just groceries on the $800 and half the time didn't even manage that. It wasn't that I was spendy. I clipped coupons, poured over sales fliers and did all that. I just wasn't doing that well at it. Now, I average about $450 to $500 a month at the store. That leaves me with $300 for clothes, hair cuts, shoes, crafts and the like. I wasn't able to do that before. EVER.

I went to Publix this morning after dropping the munchkin off at school and here is what I bought:

milk
2 engergy saving lightbulbs
2 instant Quaker oatmeal
Kosher Salt
2 Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Coctail
2 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner (the big box)
2 Publix Graham Crackers
2 Dole Romaine Blend salad
2 Pillsbury Grand Biscuit
Tropicana OJ
Imported baby swiss (from the deli)
bananas
Yukon potato
Goya coconut milk
Publix peanut butter
Billy Bee Honey
Onion
Carrots
apples
Publix napkins

Shelf price:97.44
Out of pocket: 57.63

You can look at this and say, well, you didn't buy paper towels, toiled paper, cereal, meat, soup, etc. That's right, I didn't. I didn't because I have 4 packages of paper towels in my garage that I paid less than $4 for. I have I also have toilet paper that I paid less than $4 a 24 pack for. I have about 6 boxes of cereal all obtained for less than $2.25, many soup cans all less than .50. I have a freezer full of meat from a Bloom sale a few weeks ago where they had chicken at $1.49 a pound and ground beef less than a dollar pound.I have a chuck roast obtained for just over $2 a pound and pork chops around $2 a pound. I will go to the grocery store probably Thursday for more milk and fruit then not again till the weekend.

Here is what I DON'T pay for: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and razors.

Here is my CVS receipt:

4 cases of coke
insulated lunch box
gilette fusion razor
2 stayfree pads
carefree pad
newspaper
mary englebreight magazine
covergirl foundation
covergirl powder

Shelf Price: 75.19
Out of pocket: 19.45

You can sign up for a month's worth for $1 at The Grocery Game. I am saving money like a fiend. There is a referral program. Be sure to give them my email (bethwietrzykowski@gmail.com) and if you sign anyone up do the same. You will get a month for free. As of now, I pay $20 every 2 months and it is worth every penny.