THE GROCERY CHALLENGE

[murphath]

misspt: Thanks! Oh dear, what is DD1 getting into? She starts pt school 1/6/11! She's really excited.

[misspt]

The first semester is hard, but you learn so much it's very exciting. Good luck to her!!!

[weaselfer]

Dec 31, 2010 19:28:31 GMT -5 misspt said:

Dec 31, 2010 18:53:36 GMT -5 hopetoberich said:

Can i add i hope people aren't scared off by thinking its too much work. This is like having your own business, you put in what you want to get out of it. Can only manage i hour, then savings will be less but there will still be savings. If you open a home business making money from day 1 is unusual. There are start up costs etc. This is saving money from day 1. I like that about it.
This is just IMO.

Hopetoberich: Absolutely. I used to have tons of time to hound, and I was able to donate a lot and give away alot. Now, I have very limited time, so I focus on what I need, and very few of the extras that aren't money makers.

This is so true! Right now I am between semesters so I have time to shop (actually, I have the week off), but once classes start up again, I have no time so a lot of deals pass me by. During that time, though, I still keep collecting my coupons so when summer comes, I am ready to go. Now that I have a stockpile, I don't need to shop as much which is a real godsend when I have a busy week. That is what I love so much about this. You don't have to do this week after week but you will still save money, just the amounts will be different.

[debinwa]

Dec 31, 2010 2:46:10 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

debinwa: So glad to see that you made it over. Are you on the Grocery Hound list?

I guess the Extreme Couponing show is going to be on weekly. I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to learn something new!!

I'm not on the list; not sure how to do that.

I noticed that the show is scheduled to come back on a few times in the near future, but I wasn't sure if it was just reruns of the same show, or some new ones. I would love to see more new ones.

[debinwa]

Dec 31, 2010 9:36:31 GMT -5 misspt said:

Deb, I "exalted" you right back.

Aw, thanks! ;D

[debinwa]

Dec 31, 2010 18:17:01 GMT -5 @tsm3012 said:

For all Wii users, we got the Just Dance 2 game and it is so much fun and a great workout! My kids and I have been using it non stop. On the flip side I have to buy shades for my front room because I must look like a "wakadoo" to anyone looking in the windows.

Thanks for the info on Just Dance 2. I have been thinking about buying that one. We got the new Michael Jackson dance game this Christmas and it is HARD! Maybe wouldn't be if I was 50 pounds thinner and 20 years younger, of course! (And I agree about the shades!!)

[debinwa]

Dec 31, 2010 19:02:25 GMT -5 murphath said:

Here are my totals for 2010:
Value of good purchased at 3 drug store chains: $4,455.80
Out of pocket: $694.32
Now I subtract my rebates:
$362.99 rebates received (checks deposited to savings)
$273.35 Single Check Rebate checks (deposited to savings)
Actual OOP: $58.08 or 1.3% of the original . My totals include tax (8.35% on nonfood items). Some people don't include tax in their calculations but I figure, it's money going out of my wallet so I'll count it, too. So, seeing this in black and white is what keeps me doing this.

Re groceries (food): $3,509.55 for 2010 or $292.46 month average. I really wanted to get it down to $250-260 month so I've got some work to do there. Still, we usually have anywhere from 3-5 people eating here, if not more when the kids' friends stop by! And we eat a lot of fresh produce which is so expensive here: $1.99 lb for apples!!! Yikes!

Wow, you go girl! I am impressed!

I have been couponing heavily for almost two years, but I have never tracked my savings. I think I will begin saving my receipts this year so I can see where I end up. I'd be happy to do half what you did!

[dancinmama]

Dec 31, 2010 19:02:25 GMT -5 murphath said:

Here are my totals for 2010:
Value of good purchased at 3 drug store chains: $4,455.80
Out of pocket: $694.32
Now I subtract my rebates:
$362.99 rebates received (checks deposited to savings)
$273.35 Single Check Rebate checks (deposited to savings)
Actual OOP: $58.08 or 1.3% of the original . My totals include tax (8.35% on nonfood items). Some people don't include tax in their calculations but I figure, it's money going out of my wallet so I'll count it, too. So, seeing this in black and white is what keeps me doing this.

Re groceries (food): $3,509.55 for 2010 or $292.46 month average. I really wanted to get it down to $250-260 month so I've got some work to do there. Still, we usually have anywhere from 3-5 people eating here, if not more when the kids' friends stop by! And we eat a lot of fresh produce which is so expensive here: $1.99 lb for apples!!! Yikes!

murphath: OMG, what a great testimony to what coupons can do for your budget - over $4,000 of products that your family can use for FREE!! ;D

[dancinmama]

Dec 31, 2010 20:25:41 GMT -5 debinwa said:

Dec 31, 2010 19:02:25 GMT -5 murphath said:

Here are my totals for 2010:
Value of good purchased at 3 drug store chains: $4,455.80
Out of pocket: $694.32
Now I subtract my rebates:
$362.99 rebates received (checks deposited to savings)
$273.35 Single Check Rebate checks (deposited to savings)
Actual OOP: $58.08 or 1.3% of the original . My totals include tax (8.35% on nonfood items). Some people don't include tax in their calculations but I figure, it's money going out of my wallet so I'll count it, too. So, seeing this in black and white is what keeps me doing this.

Re groceries (food): $3,509.55 for 2010 or $292.46 month average. I really wanted to get it down to $250-260 month so I've got some work to do there. Still, we usually have anywhere from 3-5 people eating here, if not more when the kids' friends stop by! And we eat a lot of fresh produce which is so expensive here: $1.99 lb for apples!!! Yikes!

Wow, you go girl! I am impressed!

I have been couponing heavily for almost two years, but I have never tracked my savings. I think I will begin saving my receipts this year so I can see where I end up. I'd be happy to do half what you did!

I never track my savings. I DO know (thanks to my CVS receipts) that I saved over $8500 dollars this year and I never had an OOP high enough to earn any of the quarterly EBs (oh, except for one quarter on one card cuz some guy at the register didn't have a card so I let him use mine. His total was $60.) My stockpiles and donations this year definitely reflect all the hounding I did at CVS.

I have no idea how much I saved at WAGs, but I didn't spend ANYTHING in OOP because all my OOP was on GCs!!

I DID keep all the copies of all the rebate forms that I sent in. I guess I should take a minute and add them up. Maybe I'll do that and report back.

[nickyleey]

Any newbies in the southeast? Rumor has it that Harris Teeter will do Super Doubles the week of Jan 5th thru the 11th. HT is usually a pretty pricey grocery store but their coupon events (super doubles/ triples) are great. See the Harris Teeter thread in the Hot Coupon World Forums for more details. They should update it with the ad preview in a few days.

Happy New Year! ;D

[dancinmama]

2010 REBATES: OVER $1000

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all who answered my hound alerts throughout the year. You ALL contributed and are a part of my success.

[dancinmama]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THOSE ON THE EAST COAST!!

[dancinmama]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE ON THE WEST COAST!!

[suziq38]

Happy New Year Everyone!

[marvholly]

Our gal suziq was VERY busy on the old board last night. She posted this addy in all the active threads in many forums.

YEAH Suziq

[redruby]

Newbie, I am. I have posted a couple of times in the past but lost track because there were so many post. I need help. Really. I have a family of 6 plus 2 dogs and 1 cat I am trying to budget groceries at $500 a month, that includes all household products and dog food but really struggle with that. Am I budgeting too little? I am a teacher and take my lunch to school. I get frustrated buying our local newspaper on Sundays becasue I pay $1.50 and then have a hard time finding $1.50 worth of coupons. I'm starting over. I don't know whether to use the coupon on the brand item or buy a cheaper brand. I shop at WM, Kroger, and CVS. With 4 kids and all these stores being 30 miles away I'm lucky to shop once a week. I would love to do a bi-monthly trip. Someone help me get started.

[carolinagirl]

Welcome Redruby! I am a newbie of only two weeks myself. I will recommend on page 3 or 7 of this post is a handbook. Print it off and read it. sounds boring but it opened my eyes to see how it is done. Next follow this everyday. and the other recommended site. I like Hot coupon world. seems easier for me to link coupons with flyers. Yesterday I went on my first excursion and spent 9.60 (more than most these girls, but very good for me) I got two boxes of name brand cereal, Dawn dish detergent, body wash, 4 cans of soup, and some chocolate. I know each week I will get better b/c of the gals here. Just take a deep breath and do one transaction at a time. Hope that helps some. My DH has been unemployeed since July and we went from a 100K household to a 40K household.

You can do it!

[mommy2twoal]

Well here I am but with new screen name (robyn812). I have only lurked and not posted for the past few months. I am now back and to start 2011 need to get back on track.
I need to keep budget at $600 or less for 3 adults/2 kids and 1 kitty. I also have to help father-in-law from time to time and his two handicapped boys, so I really need to get back on the wagon.
Happy New Year everyone and lets start 2011 with saving lots of money.

[jdnstl]

Dec 31, 2010 19:21:27 GMT -5 misspt said:

WTG!!!!! Did I read correctly that DH has a job now?

misspt - yep, he does. it's only temp & it's shift work but it's something. and right now something is better than nothing. i found out tues. that he started monday. ds & i went out of town for christmas so i didn't know about it earlier. that's also why i was silent a few days - my gma doesn't have a computer or internet.

[jdnstl]

so are there inserts this weekend or not? anyone know?

[constanz22]

Jan 1, 2011 11:37:36 GMT -5 jdnstl said:

so are there inserts this weekend or not? anyone know?

Yes, the previews show 4.

[jdnstl]

Jan 1, 2011 11:43:22 GMT -5 constanz22 said:

Jan 1, 2011 11:37:36 GMT -5 jdnstl said:

so are there inserts this weekend or not? anyone know?

Yes, the previews show 4.

thanks. i saw on katy couponers that there are 5 inserts this weekend.

[dancinmama]

Jan 1, 2011 11:05:41 GMT -5 @mommy2twoal said:

Well here I am but with new screen name (robyn812). I have only lurked and not posted for the past few months. I am now back and to start 2011 need to get back on track.
I need to keep budget at $600 or less for 3 adults/2 kids and 1 kitty. I also have to help father-in-law from time to time and his two handicapped boys, so I really need to get back on the wagon.
Happy New Year everyone and lets start 2011 with saving lots of money.

mommy2twoal: WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME back to the Grocery Challenge from me - dancinmama!! We are so glad to have you back!! Can't wait to hear about your adventures with saving money on groceries in 2011!!

[jax]

I feel somewhat armed now.

Heading out to CVS today with a list, and getting my shopping card. I also think I found a few coupons online for things I need.

I'll probably buy most of what I need today, but I can now def see where keeping a notebook of prices for things I buy regularly will come in handy. I'll try to shop smart - my CVS, Safeway and Target, and begin looking at who's cheaper, when. Will also pick up a Sunday paper tomorrow and have a look at the coupons (although I rarely ever find any that I can use).

[dancinmama]

Jan 1, 2011 10:42:55 GMT -5 redruby said:

Newbie, I am. I have posted a couple of times in the past but lost track because there were so many post. I need help. Really. I have a family of 6 plus 2 dogs and 1 cat I am trying to budget groceries at $500 a month, that includes all household products and dog food but really struggle with that. Am I budgeting too little? I am a teacher and take my lunch to school. I get frustrated buying our local newspaper on Sundays becasue I pay $1.50 and then have a hard time finding $1.50 worth of coupons. I'm starting over. I don't know whether to use the coupon on the brand item or buy a cheaper brand. I shop at WM, Kroger, and CVS. With 4 kids and all these stores being 30 miles away I'm lucky to shop once a week. I would love to do a bi-monthly trip. Someone help me get started.

RedRuby: WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the Grocery Challenge from me dancinmama!! We will do anything that we can to help you learn to save money on your grocery bill.

First, the trick is not to get one set of coupons from the Sunday paper; the trick is to get several. That way when an item is free after sale, coupon, and/or store promotion, you can build a small stockpile of that item based on how many coupon inserts you got the week that that particular coupon came out. Then, you won't have to pay anything for that item hopefully for a few weeks or months.

Okay, you're a teacher - awesome!! And your classroom needs all sorts of things, right? Kleenex, hand wipes, office supplies, etc. Right? Ask if it against school policy for you to ask parents who do not use the coupons from their Sunday newspapers to drop them off in your classroom to help you offset the costs of many things that you have to supply. You will probably get more coupon inserts than you'll know what to do with and have plenty of coupons to purchase all of those products that you may need to provide for your classroom PLUS everything that your family might use too!! It would be a WIN/WIN for sure!

It's just an idea, and depending on the demographics of your classroom it MIGHT work.

[misspt]

Jan 1, 2011 10:42:55 GMT -5 redruby said:

Newbie, I am. I have posted a couple of times in the past but lost track because there were so many post. I need help. Really. I have a family of 6 plus 2 dogs and 1 cat I am trying to budget groceries at $500 a month, that includes all household products and dog food but really struggle with that. Am I budgeting too little? I am a teacher and take my lunch to school. I get frustrated buying our local newspaper on Sundays becasue I pay $1.50 and then have a hard time finding $1.50 worth of coupons. I'm starting over. I don't know whether to use the coupon on the brand item or buy a cheaper brand. I shop at WM, Kroger, and CVS. With 4 kids and all these stores being 30 miles away I'm lucky to shop once a week. I would love to do a bi-monthly trip. Someone help me get started.

red ruby: That budget is not too small. I would recommend skipping the local paper purchase (see if some teacher friends mind sharing their inserts w/ you if they aren't going to use them) and consider purchasing the coupons you need from couponclippers or mad coupons. I have to shop 30 minutes away for just about everything except riteaid and walgreens, so I feel your pain. (and I have 3 boys eating me out of house and home along with pets, too) Kroger will go a long way toward lowering your grocery bill, especiallly if you are not shy about stocking up. When they have a deal that's rock bottom, I'm not shy. About a month ago, Kroger did a mega deal with Sara Lee honey wheat and whole wheat breads at 1.49e. This has become a rock bottom price for me recently (bread is above $2 everywhere here), so I bought 10 loaves and refrigerated/froze what I would not use quickly (after being sure all bags were tightly closed). The same is true for coupon items. I have given up on my local papers for the most part, so I order coupons monthly from madcoupons, and I get 10 sets of inserts per week. My Kroger doubles up to .60 (as does another very small grocer) so when they have a sale on something that is the rock bottom price, I buy all 10 with my coupons. For instance, the small local grocer had green giant veggies on sale for 50 cents each, I had coupons for .50/2, so free canned veggies after doubled coupon, and I used all the coupons I had. If you have a reachable Target they are my "go-to" for pet food (for the most part) as I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. They put pedigree dog food on sale all the time with gift card offers and generally there is a printable or insert coupon that goes with the deal. I find my dogs eat less dog food, if I can stick to "upper end" foods like pedigree, etc. The cat food can sometimes be purchased at Walgreens, CVS, etc, especially recently there was a printable internet coupon that allowed some nearly free cat food.. Please ask questions, we love to help people save on their grocery bill.

[dancinmama]

Jan 1, 2011 12:12:56 GMT -5 @jax said:

I feel somewhat armed now.

Heading out to CVS today with a list, and getting my shopping card. I also think I found a few coupons online for things I need.

I'll probably buy most of what I need today, but I can now def see where keeping a notebook of prices for things I buy regularly will come in handy. I'll try to shop smart - my CVS, Safeway and Target, and begin looking at who's cheaper, when. Will also pick up a Sunday paper tomorrow and have a look at the coupons (although I rarely ever find any that I can use).

jax: A lot of the gals here shop at CVS, Safeway, and Target so there will be plenty of posts to help you out when there is a killer deal at any of them.

Did you know that Challenge Tuscany style butter might be free at Safeway right now? I saw it on a blog. I don't think it's in the ad, but the blog showed the shelf price at $1.99 and there is a $2/1 printable floating around out there.

One of my favorite tricks regarding shopping at Safeway is RAIN CHECKS!! Safeway is a tough nut to crack. Mine does not offer double coupons and the times when you can get something really cheap or free are not as plentiful as I would like. Since their rain checks are good for 90 days, I usually TRY to get one or two and sometimes even three if an item is on sale at a REALLY good price. And the item doesn't even have to be in the ad; it can just be a temporarily reduced shelf price.

I currently have a rain check for Imperial Margarine sticks for $.50/box. It is my favorite margarine for recipes that call for it. I picked up (4) boxes (the limit) at the time of the sale and got (2) rain checks before the sale ended with (4) on each one. My hope is that a coupon for $.25/1 or $.50/1 (unlikely, but a gal can dream) might come out before the rain check expires allowing me to stockpile a few more at a killer price.

Did you know that recently Safeway has offered some pretty decent coupon booklets right in the store? When you hear about them or see them, grab two or three at a time every time you go into the store. The last coupon booklet was awesome. With the coupons in it I was able to stockpile some grocery items FREE or really cheap (example: 48 oz. of Wesson Canola Oil for $1 / Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate for FREE!! / Progresso soup for $.50/can.) And they not only helped me, but I was able to send some coupons to a couple of the gals on this board that do not have a Safeway and therefore had no access to those awesome coupon booklets!!

[dancinmama]

NEWBIES: You are all off to a great start just by being here and deciding to give this "couponing thing" a try. GO SLOW (jax is a great example and I think breezy did a deal or two the other day that were good). Gather you coupon inserts (as many as you can each week) and BE PATIENT. Don't force a deal. Wait until the really good ones come to you through the information that you get on this thread and on some of the choice blogs (frugalsuz.blogspot.com is one of my favs for the major drug chains).

Keep asking a ton of questions if you need to.

ALSO - we all have different grocery chains available to us which means we are all doing different deals at them. IF you find a deal where something is FREE after coupon AND you know that a coupon for that item is floating around out there from current or past coupon inserts, come here and post a HOUND ALERT requesting extra coupons that we might have, but will not be using (either because we don't have the same deal or because our stockpiles are sufficient and we just don't need any more of the item at the time). PLEASE remember to post what the deal is and where so that people who CAN do it and would want to know about it can then decide whether or not they are willing to part with their extra Qs.

Some coupons are regional so not everyone gets them. Some people live in the LOCC (Land of Crappy Coupons) meaning that either they don't get a lot of the good ones or the denominations of the ones in their regions are substantially lower than the ones printed in other regions.

Whatever the reason, HOUND ALERTS have saved my puppy dog butt on SEVERAL occasions and I have been able to help others out with their coupon needs on several occasions too. Being able to exchange coupons through the Grocery Challenge has been a win/win for everyone!!

[murphath]

dancinmama:

Your rebate total is TOTALLY AWESOME, dudette! Who knew there were so many rebates out there! Does the total include SCR's as well? I always go to fruglasuz site to see what rebates are out there but what is the secret to your success. I obviously missed a few! Ha ha ha.

Welcome newbies: the reason I kept track this past year was because I wanted to know if the couponing was worth the effort--because I was working full time, it was an effort. I truly appreciate all the scenarios people post because, well, I copy them all the time! I'm getting better at creating my own but it's taken 1.5 years to get there. And, yes, sometimes I just stop doing this because it's exhausting. But then a super duper deal comes along and I'm back in the game. I've even learned to plan ahead for out of stock items so that I don;t waste a trip.

I wish you all luck and good hounding. Be sure to post what deals you score. It helps us all. And you can do this with only a few inserts. I usually get only two sets per week so the internet coupons and exchanging with other hounds is very helpful.

[missourimommy]

As far as the inserts this weekend, at least here in the St. Louis area, I got 5...2 Smart Source, 2 Red Plum and one GM. I'm heading off to Sams shortly to pick up some extras.