Has anybody here done The Grocery Game? A reader recently tipped me off to this service. From what I can gather, you sign up and for a fee they tell you about the best deals in your area. Combined with coupon use, many members save tons of money and get items for free.
I am interested in this, but I have a many reservations. On the discussion boards, there are pictures of pantries. (LOVE! I love to see pantry pictures. I'm weird like that.) Many of the items that are stockpiled are things that I do not often buy, such as Hamburger Helper, juice packs, soda, pudding, and other convenience foods. Even if I were able to get these items free, I don't think I would want very many of them, if any at all. We try to avoid processed foods, convenience foods, soda, etc.
However, they also seemed to be able to get a large amount of things like free toilet paper, laundry detergent, tissues, toothpaste, and other things that I do use and stockpile, and I would love to get them as inexpensively as many of their members claim to.
Another issue- most of them seem to have multiple newspaper subscriptions and such, to get the most coupons. I do not think I would want to do that, especially since many of the coupons I have are for things I would not get, even if they were free. (It is only a good deal if you will actually eat or use it- I do not want to use space on things I won't use.)
There is a trial time for a dollar for the whole month. After that, the fee is 10 dollars every eight weeks to track one store. Since I already combine coupons with sales, I am not sure if this is a good deal for me. But then, I only save 50-60 percent on my very good days. Many of their members are paying two dollars for one hundred dollars worth of groceries. I never do that well.
Do any of you use this service? Is it worth it? Do those of you who use the service cook from scratch or do you eat a lot of Hamburger Helper? (no judgments here- it's just not something my husband and I eat, so tons of savings on such foods would not be a good deal for us.) How do you get free Tide?
Other news: My e-baying is going quite well! I'm running out of things to sell, but I am pleased with the stuff that I did sell. I am also bidding for a sewing machine, which I have wanted for a long while. I do know how to do basic sewing, but rarely do it because it is tedious to do by hand. I know I would do many more repairs if I had a machine. It does not need to be fancy, but the price has to be low!
Unrelated note: My husband is generally supportive of our frugality. However, since I've become a full time homemaker and have so much more time to think of things and do things, he lives in fear that I will become too frugal. Just because I plan to build a guest room out of stockpiled greenbean cans...ha! Just kidding. For now...
Thursday, January 19, 2006
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3 frugal thoughts:
I have never really believed those women who say they get $100 worth of groceries that is stuff they would really normally buy for $2. Also, it seems like a LOT of work. Time is moeny, too, and getting a part-time job would seem to be a lot easier.
Also, here it is a lot harder to get free stuff since the store only doubles coupons up to 50 cents. In California, where they doubled up to $1, they would also add in the extra so a $1 coupon was worth $2, and a $1.50 coupon was worth $2.50. Here, a 50-cent coupon, 75-cent coupon, and $1 coupon are all worth $1. Dillons occasionally does 3-day periods where they double up to $1 coupons.
I really am a believer, a true convert, because I scoffed at couponers. Hey, I didn't buy all that junk!
But then I looked into it and did the trial. In the first four weeks I was able to stock up for cheap on baking soda, gravy, chicken broth, soup (DH loves that canned stuff - ick,) and free shampoo and conditioner. The secret is in the timing.
It's all in the timing. Normally a couponer gets the weekend paper, cuts what they want, and goes shopping that week. I file mine and hold them until their list tells me it's a good deal. This way I've got free Lipton side dishes, 19¢ rice a roni (DH eats that too) free pasta with 25¢ jars of Ragu, and my favorite, 5 packages of Hormel sandwich-sized pepperoni FREE. I held onto those Hormel coupons for almost two months to get that deal.
The thing to do to try it at no obligation, not even the dollar, is to take the survey and do the free Walgreens list. If you just set those inserts in a folder somewhere and not even clip everything, you can go back and find what coupon they had a few weeks back that suddenly makes something free or nearly so.
I buy extra papers because I'm hard core. Most people just ask a few neighbors or friends to save them for them. And here I get mid-week weekly papers that people just throw out that have coupons in them. Additional coupons at no cost.
If you read in the message board the thread on stockpiles that I started, you can see what's typical. Even if you just do it for toiletries you'll make out like a bandit.
CVS tip of the day: Go get the CVS red and white coupon sheets where they keep the ads in the store. Colgate Simply White toothpaste is $1.99 at CVS. The coupon on the sheet is $2 off. Free toothpaste instantly.
Sorry so long!
For everybody that is actually a user of that, you should try a site that is a lot like it. The site is called http://www.groceryguide.com/ I used to use the Grocery Game until I found this and the one difference between them is the Grocery Guide is free! It does not make much sense to be spending money to save money does it? Try this site out, I am sure you will like it a lot more.
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