Thursday, May 29, 2008

Coupon Clipping Fool

OK, I've known about this thing for a long time but the bug finally bit me. Food prices have gone way up lately and Justin and I are playing a bit of a budget game ourselves (ie, I get to keep whatever I don't spend so suddenly I have all this motivation to save!). So I joined the Grocery Game today and I am so hooked already! To summarize, they do the ad-scouring for you and tell you what's a bargain at which store and where to use coupons on which items to get the most stuff for the least dough. It's tremendous. This week, because of the Memorial Day holiday, my two main grocery stores don't have a list to shop by, but I did get lists for Walgreens and Rite Aid and let me tell you how fun it was! I only had a few coupons, because the game works on a 12- week rotation. In other words, once I've clipped coupons for 12 weeks I'll really be able to take advantage of some deals. However, I saved 60% at both stores even with my meager coupon selection. That's right - I saved MORE than I spent. How fun is that? I even got some free stuff -- when the store has it marked down so low that the manufacturer's coupon makes it free. I think what I like most about this, surprisingly, is not the savings but the challenge. It makes grocery shopping fun. And that's saying a lot. So this is why it's midnight and I'm still up -- I've been clipping and organizing a bazillion coupons in my new binder. I really can't wait for the new coupons & sales to come out on Sunday now!

2 comments:

Allison xoxo said...

where do you get your coupons from? I tried the grocery game, but wasn't having much luck when I tried it because the stores they had at the time weren't stores I shopped at.

Stephanie said...

Allison - I couldn't find your email so I'll answer here, hopefully you will see. I get coupons from the Sunday paper as well as the weekly mailings from the big grocery stores (Safeway, Top Foods, Albertsons). There are also printable coupons on the Grocery Game website. The savings lists you get when you subscribe are for Safeway, Albertsons, Walgreens & Rite Aid. Hope that helps!