Using The Grocery Game Web site to Save Money on Your Grocery Store Bill

Gas prices are going up almost weekly. Wheat prices have gone up and are anticipated to increase even more by summer. Milk prices. Egg prices. Bread prices. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Everything is costing more lately. Recession? I can not answer that as I am not an economist. All I know is that my grocery bill has gone up and up. Or rather I should say that is would be if I had not taken steps a few months ago to learn how to keep it low. I can even remember what started it. A radio DJ mentioned The Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com).

That was the beginning of my new skill which has become a hobby that has kept more money in my pocket rather than helping it leave. Couponing. That is right, coupons. Those bits of paper with barcodes that you see and find and when you need them it seems you can not find them. Using Coupons really is a skill that has to be learned, though the learning curve is steep.

The first thing to keep in mind is that just because you do not need a coupon today does not mean you will not need it tomorrow. Save those coupons because if it is a product you use, then you will use it in the future. You do not necessarily need to cut all the coupons out, but save them. This is what will help with the "I know I saw a coupon for this and now I don't have it" problem. Save those coupons and do not throw them away till they expire.

Secondly, watch the prices at your local store. Learn what is the average non-sale price, what is a good sale price, and what is a great sale price. When something is at a great sale price, buy it using the coupons you have saved. This will help you save the most amount.

Thirdly, stock up. If you have three coupons for something, but know that you will only need one right now, go ahead and buy the other two. It might be a month or more till you use them, but when you need them you will have them and won't have to go buy them for full price. However, do not buy 10 of one item if you know that 5 will do you for the next several years. It will only sit around and in a moment of annoyance you will throw it out. That in the end only wastes money.

The Grocery Game does some of the hard work for you buy compiling a list of the best buys this week. The first month you can get a trial offer for only $1. This is a nice way to see if it is worth it for you to continue with. I would recommend saving several week's of inserts from your local paper before trying the trial version. That way you will have the coupons they list. The list gives you three different levels of sales, color coded to let you know how good they are. They also match up the coupons for you so you will know when they came out and which insert they are in. After the first month it is $10 every 2 months.

This list might not work for you if you are looking for completely organic or unprocessed foods, you may not see the same results. We tend to be a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables along with other grocery items and it has worked well for us.

Also, if you are a seasoned coupon user who already has a binder full of coupons and knows exactly when to use them, then the list is probably not one for you. However, if you are just starting out, this could be a great help. It also helps simplify the process so that you can become comfortable with it and saves you time.

I have been using their list for over a year and am so thankful for having found it. I can not imagine paying full price for groceries now. My bill regularly shows that I save at least half of what the total would have been. It has also shown me, in an easy way, how to best use coupons and match them with sales. Even with the price of a weekly newspaper I more than save that money back. Usually in one shopping trip I can make up for the cost of a month's worth of Sunday newspaper purchases. If you want to take it up a notch, think about buying more than one Sunday paper or asking around to see if anyone is willing to give you their inserts. Many people do not use them and will recycle or throw them away instead.