to coupon, or not to coupon...

...that is the question.   I have not used coupons in several months.  Probably since May.  I didn't take the time to do cut coupons and plan my grocery trips around what was on sale in the summer.  Then in September we found out my youngest was allergic to most anything that comes in a package, so that eliminated a lot of what I bought with coupons.  I had decided that it wasn't worth the time to clip the coupons and watch the sales for our household items.  But now I'm second guessing myself.  I went back and read a few of my posts on how much money I was saving with coupons and saw that a lot of what I was buying was household stuff and not all packaged food. 


what is the grocery game?
grocery game update
a more productive day
february recap

How many of you use coupons simply for soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.?  Do you find that the time spent planning with the coupons and sales is worth the savings on your household items?

grocery game update

$447 worth of groceries!

...and I paid $210!

I've posted before about the Grocery Game and how much I love it!  This past week there were some great sales that I fully took advantage of.  Take a look!  Probably the one thing that will stand out most is how much processed food I bought.  Yes...there is a lot.  I stocked up on crackers, Fiber One bars and cookies for our vacation.  We're spending a week at a beach house and are taking almost all the food that we'll need.  At least half of what was purchased is for the beach.  Some of the snacks are for my kids for when they fly to see Grandma at the end of this week.  They're flying by themselves and I want them to have a few snacks for the airplane ride.   

And, I guess the post wouldn't be complete without a picture of how I'm able to save the money.  Coupons!  I always wait and get the Sunday paper on Sunday night or Monday when the store has combined 2 papers for a lesser price.  I'm able to get 2 papers for $3 instead of 1 paper for $2.  When the coupons are exceptionally good, I'll purchase 4 papers for $6.

$237 saved.

what is the grocery game?

I talk about the grocery game almost every week and I've always assumed that everyone knows what The Grocery Game is. But maybe not, so I'll explain.

Through The Grocery Game's website I have access to what’s called Teri's List. Teri's List is "a weekly publication of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket or drugstore matched with manufacturers' coupons and specials - advertised and unadvertised. Teri does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format".

This is what I do and how I save money on groceries and household items.

Each Sunday, I get the coupons out of the newspaper and put them in a file folder, and label it with that Sunday's date. I don't clip any of them and I put them all (Redplum, Smart Source, etc.) in the same folder.

Then, I go to Terri's List (on the website) and check prices for the grocery stores where I shop (Publix and Kroger). Publix's list comes out on Sunday and the prices are good from Sunday-Wednesday. My Kroger list comes out Monday morning and these prices are good from Monday-Saturday. (Depending on where you live, the dates could be different.)

So, then what? I glance through Teri’s List first focusing on GREEN line items. If something is listed in green, then it will be free based on the sale price and the coupons you have for that item. I almost always purchase the green items. Even if I don't need the items, I get them anyway and donate them to the Food Bank and food drives.

Next are the BLUE items. If something is listed in blue, that means it's going to be about a cheap as you'll find it in that particular store...it's hit a "rock bottom" price. I look through the blue items to see what we're always using and needing. These are my "stockpiling" items -- things like toothpaste, toilet paper, Kleenex, cleaning/laundry detergents, and our favorite foods (cereals, snack items, canned/frozen vegetables, pasta, sauces, etc.). I look for these items and check off what we need.

The last thing I do is look at the BLACK items. These are things that are on sale and are a good price, but things that unless you NEED immediately, that you shouldn't buy. Black lined items will be cheaper in the future and if you can wait to buy them, then you ought to wait.

After I've "checked" my items on the list, I print the list and it will show only the items that I've checked. Then, I start clipping the coupons. Teri's List shows where to find the coupons (what date they were published) and I look through my file box, find the folder with the correct date on it, search for the right coupons and clip them. Then I'm ready to go to the store and SAVE$$!

To be honest, this takes me about an hour each week to browse the list and cut my coupons. BUT, the savings are great and it's definitely worth my time. And, if you have a responsible child, it might be a great way for him or her to make a couple of dollars by searching for and clipping the coupons for you!

So how much money do I save by doing this? Here is what I’ve saved so far this year:

JANUARY
Out of pocket = $746
Saved = $391
Savings = 34%

FEBRUARY
Out of pocket = $426
Saved = $282
Savings = 40%

MARCH (thru 3/15)
Out of pocket = $264
Saved = $183
Savings = 41%


Now, there is a fee associated with using the website. You can try it for free for a week, and after that it turns into a paid subscription. I pay $15 every 8 weeks for a 2-store membership. It’s only $10 for a 1-store membership.

So...that in a nutshell, is The Grocery Game. It can sound confusing, but it really isn't. If you are already playing The Grocery Game, I’d love to hear from you and to know how much you save on average!

1/4 way thru March...

...and my cash is dwindling! This is Month Two of being on the Cash/Envelope system. February was great -- only 28 days and I was out of town for a week! This month...not quite so easy. It's March 8th and I've got $4 left in my entertainment account. About $42 went towards wine/beer for a get-together this past weekend, and $30 went towards a babysitter that I needed last night in order to attend a banquet.

I give myself a $300 cushion each month. $200 of it is already gone! I received a bill for $200 from our golf club that I wasn't expecting (annual range ball fee). I'm glad we have our cushion...that's what it is there for, but man...that only leaves $100 for unexpected things.

Groceries -- I have $264 left. To save $$ in this area, I'm going to forgo my Grocery Game this week. I will need a few things for this week's menu, but as far as stockpiling, I think I'll take the week off. I hate doing this...what if I miss a great deal? But, $264 needs to last 23 more days!!

I think by doing so well in February I loosened the reins a bit. I need to continue working our plan that I spent so much time making!

this week's grocery game

I'm finally getting my stockpile to the point where when I run out of something I have a replacement handy on the shelf. It's nice being able to go to the store and get things simply to stock-up and then add in a few needs along the way.

One thing I'm not going to need for a long time is LAUNDRY DETERGENT! I have stockpiled enough for about 9 months! I keep waiting on dishwashing detergent sales and coupons...that's something I'll be in need of soon.

This week I had to buy a few things for dinners, but most of our ingredients I already had in the pantry. Everything else I purchased is for stockpiling.

I made 2 grocery trips: one to Publix and one to Kroger. I spent $81.14 and SAVED $92.02! Woo Hoo!!! I love it when I save more than I spend. I think I MAY actually end the month under my $400 budget. Still have a few days to go, so I'm not ready to report the numbers yet.

Here's all that I got for $81.14:






Free or almost free items:
toothbrush - FREE
All laundry detergent - $0.49
Candles - each $0.17

this week's grocery game

Today and yesterday I did my coupon shopping. Because my youngest was at home, he got to witness first hand how much money coupons actually save. When we went to our 3rd store (to get the Rain Checks I mentioned yesterday), he said, let me guess, "We're coming here because you have coupons." Well I did get my rain checks and it was painless. The cashier at the Customer Service desk knew exactly which item I was asking for and wrote out the rain check for me without any problems. I have a month to redeem it.

So here's what I got for my 2 coupon trips...





And this is what I spent...

Out of pocket - $63.65
Saved - $65.02

Most of what I got is going to stockpiling. The fruit and some of the snacks are needed for this week. Everything else goes on the shelf for a while! The only other trip I'll need to make to the store is on Friday or Saturday morning for our Valentine's meal.