The Grocery Game, Part I

I've been saving this tip for awhile, because it's a good one, but it's not for everyone. It's a method of getting really good deals on grocery items, but it takes some time to learn and get good at it. It's called The Grocery Game.

I didn't really think it would work for me, because I need and want a lot of specialty items like gluten-free, sugar-free, protein powder, etc. What I have found, though, is that I can save enough on my regular groceries to more than pay for those extras that we like. It takes work, but for me it is definitely worth it. So, if you can invest the time, you will reap the benefits.

The Grocery Game is a service that you pay for -- 63 cents per store per week. The service matches the sales at your store with the coupons that we all get, to get the rock-bottom lowest prices. They are computerized, and know the sale patterns, so they have you hold the coupons until an item goes on sale -- usually over a 12-week period.

You choose the list for the store(s) you use, and then go through the list for that week, clicking off the items you DON'T want, and then print the list of the items you DO want. It will tell you which coupons to use, and what the end price will be. If it's printed in green on the list, it's free after coupons. If it's printed in blue, it's at the lowest price it probably will be -- meaning, stock up on that if it's something you can use. If it's in black, it's not at the lowest price and you should only buy it if you need it right now. Over time, you get such a stash of groceries, you need to buy less and less each week.

I'll talk more about this tomorrow, and maybe even after that, but in the meantime, save ALL your coupons. It takes you a few weeks to pile up the coupons if you haven't been saving them already. You need to get organized to make this work, and I will give you some tips toward that end.

You can check out the website at www.thegrocerygame.com, where you can get a 4-week trial for only $1. If you put in my e-mail as the referral, and then later decide to subscribe, I will get credit for it. But I'm not recommending this because I want the referral -- I'm recommending it because I do it every week and it really works! My e-mail is debsft at yahoo dot com (change the at to @, close the gaps, and change the dot to a "." I must be careful about printing my e-mail on a web page). I started out with 4 stores, but now I subscribe to 3 stores -- Kroger, Albertsons, and Walgreens. Most weeks I only end up going to Kroger and Walgreens, but sometimes there are some super sales on items I want at Albertsons, too.

I don't spend less on groceries, I just get a lot more. I'm able to use the money I save on nutritional supplements. You can make it work for you.