Some of you know I am huge fan of The Grocery Game. I heard about it last fall from a friend, and decided to give the 4-week $1 trial a shot.
The first few weeks were a bit confusing, but after I got the hang of things I decided to keep going. Before GG, I was not a coupon shopper, and truly thought I was getting the best prices at Super Target or Walmart Supercenter. Boy was I WRONG! That is exactly what Big-Box discount retailers want you to think, and their marketing is very effective at convincing you of just that.
If you have never heard of The Grocery Game, here is a quick explanation from their website:
The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you’re off to win The Grocery Game!
When you play, you’ll get a weekly list (called Teri’s List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers’ coupons and weekly specials — advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.
Why can’t I just do this on my own?
Coupon pros spend hours preparing to shop. They research ads and match their coupons to sales, only to discover twice as many un-advertised sales once they get to the store. More hours are spent standing in the aisles sifting through their files for coupons to match those sales.
Members of The Grocery Game eliminate those time-consuming hours and usually save even more than the coupon pros. For example, just because an item is on sale doesn’t mean its time to play your coupon. Our databases track the sales history on nearly every item in the supermarket, waiting to use a coupon on rock-bottom sales. Now, the best possible savings are quickly accessible to busy professionals, overworked moms, single adults or anyone who wants to cut their grocery bill by 50% or even more.
(*Note from Alyssa: I can personally testify that this is true for me).
I do realize that GG is not for everyone, but it certainly works for me! Let’s see if I can overcome some objections I have heard:
“I don’t have time to shop this way”.
Baloney! I have a part-time job, 3 kids, 4 pets, and a husband. You can make time if you truly want to save money. Watch one less TV show per week and replace it with couponing.
“I am not organized enough to be a coupon shopper”.
Me neither! Have you seen my house? But my coupons are organized, and that makes me smile. I feel like I have control over one small part of the organized chaos that is my home. It has actually motivated me to get other areas of my life in order as well.
“I don’t usually buy what is on the list”.
Do you buy toilet paper? Cheese? Yogurt? Soup? Cereal? I thought so. There are also usually many convenience snack items on the list. If you are super frugal and cook mostly from scratch, the list is probably not for you. But, if you are a busy mom like me, those items are a necessity.
“I don’t have room to stockpile”.
My house is not huge, but I have carefully found ways to store my bargains for future use. You probably have some clutter lying around you never use anyway, so get rid of it and stock up on things you WILL actually use!
“I feel guilty paying so little for so much”.
Get over it. Retailers and manufacturers would not give us coupons if they actually hurt their bottom line. Every store get reimbursed for every coupon accepted, plus a handling fee. Also, the vast majority of Americans don’t shop with coupons, so why not put them to good use? Millions of coupons get thrown away every week, what a shame.
“I prefer one-stop shopping.”
I understand this one all too well. The problem with one-stop shopping for me (usually at Target) was all the extra impulse buys that were adding up. Now, I stick to the list, get in and get out. My spending has dropped tremendously, and I am much less impulsive in a grocery store.
If you want to throw any other objections my way, I am all ears.
Here are some of my tips for using the GG:
- Don’t sign up for too many stores, or you will get overwhelmed. Two or three should be plenty to get you started.
- Print your lists on Saturday night, circle the coupons you need, and check each one off as you find it.
- Head to the store with nothing but your list and your coupon holder. Leave kids at home if possible. Stick only to the list for the most savings!
Still not convinced? Try it for 4-weeks, it’s only a dollar. You can cancel anytime, without hassle. Please email me for an invitation, or sign up directly using amylovesit@gmail.com as your referral source, if you don’t mind.
I would love everyone’s feedback! Have you tried the Grocery Game?
Awww by the time I got to the end of your post I was sold… then I went to the site and since I’m in Canada it doesn’t work for me š If you see anything come up for Canada, let me know! Thanks! š
I LOVE the Grocery Game. This week alone, I saved $170 from utilizing the lists. It really does teach you how to use your coupons. YTD (2008), our family of 5 has saved around $2000 using the list. I highly recommend signing up!
I like how you debunkified the myths to couponing too. They are true and actually the busier your life is, the more you need the list because it takes some of the time out of finding the coupons to match on your own – unless you’re like me and like to do the matching and see what you’ve missed that the list has caught – there are always a few each week!
This sounds interesting. I have been hearing alot of great things about the grocery game.
I may have to give it a try.
Robin@heartofwisdom.com
http://www.heartofwisdom.com/heartathome/
Well, I think you’ve convinced me to check it out. I honestly cannot tell you how much time I spend coupon matching each week, just to find some super unadvertised deal when I get there. It makes me crazy! The cost involved is most definately worth the time I using to do it myself.
I use the Coupon Mom website (http://couponmom.com/). It sounds similar to Grocery Game (matching all available coupons to published sales at a variety of grocery/drug stores), but it is free (you do have to register though).
I am on my way there now – you convinced me to give it a try. I am a couponer, but so often miss the good deals – it will be nice to have someone else doing the thinking for me (at least for this!!)! š
Okay, I think I’m sold. I’ll try it.
I’m all for the grocery game! I’m a HUGE fan and it’s saving us LOTS of money!
How is this different from the FREE sites that match up coupons w/sale prices in your area such as couponmom.com and ppgazette.com?
I have the same question as Lori… I was just on the site and it looks very similar to couponmom. How is it different?
The difference between CouponMom and TheGroceryGame is that CouponMom doesn’t cover one of the grocery stores (Meijer) where I shop whereas TheGroceryGame has all of the stores where I shop. The one they don’t cover is the closest store and has usually has the lowest prices, most of the time. In addition, TGG tells me if a deal really is a deal because she follows the sale trends. CouponMom only tells me if there is a coupon and what the discount is if it’s used. TGG has a added value versus CM and thus is a site I will pay for.
I tried it for a while but just didn’t have time to use it! Isn’t that sad? The forums are great for getting info on freebies and coupons. They also have great coupon trains. You don’t have to pay to use the forums.
Thanks for the post!
I love the grocery game! I wrote all my thoughts about it here: http://reallifereview.blogspot.com/2008/08/grocery-game-start-to-finish.html
I also agree about the added value over coupon mom. I don’t mind paying $1.25 a week to save $100s.
I’ve been using the GG for 2 years now. Love it! This really makes me want to do my own post about it to get more free referral weeks! LOL
As with all other things, we checked it out and have signed up for the trial period. I cannot see how this would not save us money with less work for us in research at minimum. Thanks again Alyssa
Hi, good news for “Beautiful Stranger”, The Grocery Game has savings list in Canada too! Plus Canadian Coupons. Check it out http://www.thegrocerygame.ca
I’ll have to check this site out. So far, my two favorites are http://www.restaurant.com and http://www.couponandcodes.com. Restaurant.com has wonderful deals and couponandcodes.com seems to find anything I search for. Anyhow, thanks again. – Tom http://www.acleaningbid.com