THE GROCERY CHALLENGE

[dancinmama]

I received my $20 P&G Female Beauty Holiday rebate (Pantene/Herbal Essence/Secret/Olay). That was FAST!!

[jax]

Hi all - lurked on the msn boards but honestly hated the format. Loving this board.

My big goal this coming year is to cut WAY down on our grocery bill; we are just outrageous. You don't even want to know. Here are my challenges (it's myself, my SO, and my 16 yo daughter here):

- I eat really clean & healthy most of the time. Coupons for cookie dough and snickers and processed foods do me no good. I generally do most of the cooking, and have to prepare one meal for the fam, and one for me.

- My SO is very slim and very picky. He wants to eat what he's in a mood to eat, so off we go to the grocery store again.... He's also a meat & taters kind of guy; hates casseroles or leftovers.

- My 16 yo often doesn't want to eat what we want to eat, and hey, she's 16. She's picky too.

I am really going to have to work to find coupons & sales fliers for the food items we do eat. Toiletries & household goods should be easy.

Also going to try and make my own cleaning products. We do a lot of laundry, and environmentally safe laundry detergent and surface cleaner doesn't come cheap!

But I'm in. I'm ready to buckle down and be disciplined and careful. Already trying to meal plan for next week (meal planning is much needed around here) and looking for coupons and fliers!!

[constanz22]

I just called Target to see if their Christmas is 75% off yet...nope, still 50%. Bummer...I was gonna make a lunch run. Maybe tomorrow...

dancin~ Do you know when you sent your Olay rebate? I didn't get mine out until about a week, week and a half ago. Glad to hear it was quick because it seems many of theirs have not been in the past!

[saveinla]

Hi Jax,
Welcome. There were great deals last year around this time on 7th generation cleaning products at Target and I stocked up on those for close to free. They had manufacturer and target coupons which combined made for a great deal. I am hoping they will have some this year also.
If you have a Kroger chain of stores, check out centsable shopping dot com for her Fry's deals page. She has started including organic stuff also and we were able to stock up on Glen muir products for very less. Freesalsa is lately doing more organic shopping and may have a few tips for you.

[saveinla]

alpha, RA also has the single roll Scott TP on regular price for 1.29. There are VVQs for 1$ each (no size restriction) in case you need some to tide you over.

dancinmama, I got my Olay rebate also, which was really quick - not even a month since I mailed it. I recieved my Neuragen rebate and RA scr all this week, which makes me a happy camper.

Hound Alert - For people needing soup, RA has progresso soup on sale 1.50 each - there are 1$/2 VVQ and 1$/2 Safeway Qs and most varieties are producting a 1$ Up for each can.

[murphath]

bluesclues: Re the hambone: you can buy a package of the 14 or 19 bean soup mix to make that soup. It's very easy and delicious. I don't know how many you are trying to feed, but Iusually cut the recipe in half because it makes a lot! The recipe is on the back of the package. You can find it in the rice, dry bean aisle. You do have to soak the beans overnight but that's easy, too!

To the gal asking about grocery budget: I have definitely gotten our budget down. I usually spend between $250-350 month on food per month. This is down from @ $600 per month. Most days we have three in the house to feed but there are always their friends etc.. When everyone is home, it's five mouths to feed. I live in Norcal which is a high COLA. Dancinmama also lives in Norcal but there are even differences in the prices she gets in her Safeway from what I can wrangle in mine. For example, her SW marks meat down 50%, mine 30%. I asked the meat manager if they would consider marking it down to 50% like the store in dancin's town and his reply was: no, we don't have to. Folks are happy with the 30% discount." So there you go. We each do whatever we can to save money and this Board has been a Godsend to me. I may never get to the SuziQ level of saving, but I can always try!! Those gals are pros and, thankfully, willing to share thier deals here.

[breezy]

So jealous of everyones bargains.

How can I get the $20 P&G coupon?

I never thought to shop at places like CVS. I thought grocery stores had better prices.

When I have tried to coupon in the past, I found that I was buying items that I wouldn't ordinarily buy. I try to avoid cookies, chips, cereals, and frz entries. Plus, I shop for convenience - already roasted whole chicken ($6.99), ham & cheese from the deli (it tastes better), bags of lettuce (instead of a whole head).

Is there any hope for me?

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 11:11:50 GMT -5 constanz22 said:

I just called Target to see if their Christmas is 75% off yet...nope, still 50%. Bummer...I was gonna make a lunch run. Maybe tomorrow...

dancin~ Do you know when you sent your Olay rebate? I didn't get mine out until about a week, week and a half ago. Glad to hear it was quick because it seems many of theirs have not been in the past!

I sure do. I mailed it out on 12/7 and got it on 12/28. That's pretty good if you ask me. It's odd because you seem to have had the opposite experience with the P&G rebates; mine seem to always come pretty quickly.

[bluecluessubtlety]

Dec 28, 2010 21:15:09 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

There is a "flavor" of Tone body wash that is being clearanced for $2.74. It is the same size as the ones that are giving EBs. In the past I THINK clearanced items have still given the EBs; can anyone verify?

Tahitian Vanilla & Orchid bottle $2.49

Also, Olay - Mandarin Scent or Exfoliating Ribbons in Blue are reported to be on clearance at select CVS stores, for $3.64. Even better....they do produce the $2 ECB

[bluecluessubtlety]

Dec 29, 2010 11:21:46 GMT -5 murphath said:

bluesclues: Re the hambone: you can buy a package of the 14 or 19 bean soup mix to make that soup. It's very easy and delicious. I don't know how many you are trying to feed, but Iusually cut the recipe in half because it makes a lot! The recipe is on the back of the package. You can find it in the rice, dry bean aisle. You do have to soak the beans overnight but that's easy, too!

Thanks.
I will also google Navy Bean Soup. They serve that at the cafeteria at work and it's one of the few soups I like.

[dancinmama]

jax: WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the Grocery Challenge from me - dancinmama!!

As far as groceries are concerned, if you cannot find coupons (either in the Sunday inserts or on line) the best you can do is to shop the sales cycles. Prices on most grocery items go in cycles. If you watch the ads and keep a price book you will see what I mean. The best thing to do is to buy the items that your family will eat when they are at rock bottom price Buy enough to last until the item expires or the next sales cycle, whichever is first.

You can also save a bundle on health, beauty, household, and even some grocery items at the major drug chains. Many times you can get the items free after sale, coupons, and rewards. You can use excess rewards to purchase any grocery items that you use that are carried in the store. I have used mine to buy crackers, soups, cereal, dairy, bread, sugar, coffee, coffee creamer, tea, PAM, bottled water, etc. There are a lot more grocery items in the drug chains that you use regularly than you might think.

[breezy]

What is $2 ECB?

I'm going to check out my CVS this year. It sounds like there are some pretty good deals there for bath & body stuff!

[Sam_2.0]

I am so sad Looking at the coupon previews, there does not seem to be an Electrasol/Finish coupon this year!!!!! I have used that one for the last three years at least to get a year's worth of detergent stocked up. I really hope one comes out soon.

[mandyms]

Sam, I just got a Red Plum yesterday, I believe there is one in there.

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 11:29:58 GMT -5 @breezy said:

So jealous of everyones bargains.

How can I get the $20 P&G coupon?

I never thought to shop at places like CVS. I thought grocery stores had better prices.

When I have tried to coupon in the past, I found that I was buying items that I wouldn't ordinarily buy. I try to avoid cookies, chips, cereals, and frz entries. Plus, I shop for convenience - already roasted whole chicken ($6.99), ham & cheese from the deli (it tastes better), bags of lettuce (instead of a whole head).

Is there any hope for me?

breezy: WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the Grocery Challenge from me - dancinmama!!

There are a couple of P&G offers going right now, but the products have to be purchased by 12/31.

One is to purchase $50 of Olay, Herbal Essence, Secret, Patene, or Cover Girl and send away receipts for a $20 rebate CHECK.

Another is to purchase $50 of ANY P&G products and send away the receipts for a coupon booklet that has $110 or $120 (can't remember) of P&G coupons in it.

I wouldn't worry too much about missing out though because deals these come along all the time.

Don't EVER by ANYTHING just because you have a coupon for it. No matter what the gals buy here, there is usually a REASON they are buying it.

At the drug chains, we all buy products that we probably will never use just because after the purchase we will have more rewards coupons in our hands than when we walked in. We do this so that when things DO go on sale that we need, we can use excess rewards coupons to purchase them and pay little or nothing OOP (out of pocket).

CVS, WAGs, and Rite Aid are great for "purchasing" everyday items that your family uses regularly for little or no money OOP. Think of several things that your family uses almost every day: health items (vitamins and any over-the-counter meds that you use regularly), hygiene items (shampoo, body wash, shaving needs, lip balm, feminine hygiene, Q-tips, lotion, toothpaste, rinse, toothbrushes, floss, etc), household items (laundry soap/fabric softener, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, household cleaners, etc.), paper products (TP, paper towels, baggies, storage containers, trash bags, aluminum foil, etc.). There are a lot of foods too - think basic staples and healthy snacks like nuts.

With a little patience, many of the items listed above can be "purchase" for little or nothing in OOP costs and sometimes you can even buy them and make a profit in rewards coupons in the process.

We all have things that we spend money on that someone else might not, but that's what makes what we do so wonderful. WHATEVER you might spend money on, doing what we do will give you more of it to use in other areas (to pay down debt or to save for retirement or a vacation or your next car) or to buy roasted chickens at $6.99 a pop (but that might not last too much longer if you hang around here long enough) ha ha ha.

One way to get started is to go to page 3 of this thread where there is a link to the Grocery Challenger's Handbook. Read it and start asking tons of questions,

In any case, we are glad that you have decided to join us and we will do everything that we can to help you start saving money

[breezy]

Ok - I read the 7 pages, good info. It looks like I need to start with the Sunday paper for coupon inserts, read HotCouponWorld, My Frugal Adventure, and Centsable Shopping, sign up for cards at CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreen's, and keep a price book to see when the stores have sales.

[pudgybunny]

I am upset, I didn't get a coupon insert in my 12/26 paper. are some areas NOT getting them? How do I find out?

[breezy]

Thanks dancinmama. You laugh at my $6.99 chicken - when I try roasting at home, it gets so dried out - I wind up throwing it out! I am so NOT frugal, hence my $300 monthly grocery bill for 2. I'm not a very good cook in general - if I didn't have a teenage son, I think I'd live on soup, salad, & cereal.

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 11:42:37 GMT -5 @breezy said:

What is $2 ECB?

I'm going to check out my CVS this year. It sounds like there are some pretty good deals there for bath & body stuff!

breezy: ECBs or EBs (Extra Care Bucks) are the rewards coupons that you get at CVS when you buy specified products in the ads each week. A lot of times they will offer a product that is FREE after EB. I don't think there are any this week, but the Tone Body Wash is a small MM (money maker) after EB and coupon through Saturday.

$3.88 Tone Body Wash
- 1.00 Tone Body Wash IP (Internet Printable coupon)
2.88 OOP --> $3.00 EB

Here is an example of something that was on sale in the past.

$8.99 Blink Tears (eye drops)
- 4.00 Blink Tears coupon
4.99 OOP --> $8.99 EB for purchasing one Blink Tears

Sales tax does come into play, but is different for everyone so most of the couponing websites do not account for it when they list their deals.

Or recently at Walgreens

$3.00 Natrol Melatonin 100 count
- 3.00 Natrol IP good for $3 off ANY Natrol product
0.00 OOP --> $3.00 RR (register reward) for buying the Natrol

In the last example all I did was pay $.28 sales tax and I got a coupon for $3 off my next purchase at Walgreens. I did the deal (20) times so I spent $5.60 in sales tax for $60 worth of rewards coupons.

[weaselfer]

I am so excited that we are having so many "new" people start chiming in. (It looks like many of the "newbies" were lurkers who are finally speaking up.) I started lurking on this thread when it was only 10 pages on the MSN board. One thing that I saw was that everyone learned something new, even those who had been couponing forever. I learned to get my hands on more than one coupon set each week as that is what lets you stock up on good deals. I also learned to check using the coupon on the smallest size. This one took me awhile as everyone knows that the largest size is the cheapest per unit, correct? But if you can get something with a coupon for free, it beats cheap, right? I also learned about combining Target and Manufacturer's coupons (this has saved me sooo much money). Also, the toughest thing I had learned is that the club stores (for me Sam's) is not always cheaper than sale plus coupon elsewhere. Check your prices! I am quite sure that I will learn much, much more. I am still working on not buying something just because it is cheap. I am getting better though! Obviously, unspent money is saved money so only buy what you will use or donate. Stick around and you will learn so much and you will figure out what will work with your family.

[weaselfer]

breezy: Do you ever use the roasting bags for your chicken? They are a wonder! You can't dry out a chicken using those. Plus, if you have a crock pot, I found that it is easy to place the chicken carcass in the crock pot with water and spices to make a stock for broth. Both are ideas that I had gotten from someone and both are easy.

[alphayankee]

weaselfer - I totally agree about the club/warehouse stores. They were my main shopping venues prior to couponing. I kept up my memberships for about a year after I started using coupons, but found that I went there less and less until my memberships expired and I didn't even know it.

Warehouse stores are good for people who don't do extreme couponing like we do. They probably are the easiest way to save $ while putting in the least amount of effort. But once you learn about sales cycles and matching up coupons to sales, you get to a whole new level of savings. More effort, but more payoff.

[alphayankee]

I am upset, I didn't get a coupon insert in my 12/26 paper. are some areas NOT getting them? How do I find out?

pudgy - I think this insert was regional. If you missed out, you can still get inserts through the clipping services:

Mad Coupons - go to madcoupons dot net. She sells them in lots of 10 for $10.50, including shipping.

coupondede dot com - she is selling the P&G insert for $.65 each, but shipping is extra. If you get 10, this will actually cost more than mad coupons.

ebay - many sellers sell inserts in multiple of five or ten or more. But be careful and check the list of coupons included since many coupons and values vary by region.

Buy individual coupons - if you find that you only want a few coupons from the insert, you might be better off buying multiples through a clipping service. My favorites are coupondede dot com and thecouponclippers dot com.

[pudgybunny]

alphayankee - thanks! is there anyway to look up if an insert is going to be regional or for everyone? I am in the wisconsin and someone on another board said they got it in Michigan.

[skubikky]

I received my $20 P&G Female Beauty Holiday rebate (Pantene/Herbal Essence/Secret/Olay). That was FAST!!

Just got mine yesterday. Definitely what I consider fast. Also got a small P&G coupon booklet the other day. Sent in my $50 worth of receipts to get the big P&G coupon booklet. Have you received that one yet?

Finally got to Gold level for the RA Wellness discount level.
But, they're building a new CVS in Brockport. This might allow me more opportunity to visit CVS as the others in Rochester are somewhat out of the way for me.

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 12:59:28 GMT -5 skubikky said:

I received my $20 P&G Female Beauty Holiday rebate (Pantene/Herbal Essence/Secret/Olay). That was FAST!!

Just got mine yesterday. Definitely what I consider fast. Also got a small P&G coupon booklet the other day. Sent in my $50 worth of receipts to get the big P&G coupon booklet. Have you received that one yet?

Finally got to Gold level for the RA Wellness discount level.
But, they're building a new CVS in Brockport. This might allow me more opportunity to visit CVS as the others in Rochester are somewhat out of the way for me.

skubikky: I received a smaller one too, but that is not the one that we sent for using receipts. I can't remember doing it, but I must have signed up for it through MFA or centsableshoppin. The best coupon that I saw in it was a $1/1 Dawn - like I need any more dish soap. LOL!!

[marvholly]

Breezy
Most of us here are pretty decent (and quick) cooks. Ask if you need some help w/anything/

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 12:56:01 GMT -5 pudgybunny said:

alphayankee - thanks! is there anyway to look up if an insert is going to be regional or for everyone? I am in the wisconsin and someone on another board said they got it in Michigan.

pudgybunny: USUALLY everyone gets the same inserts (except those regions that no longer carry the Smart Source or Red Plum at all). It is the actual coupons that are offered and the denominations that often vary from region to region.

I can get my hands on two "local" metro papers and the coupons are even different between the two of them.

The best thing to do is to find a coupon blogger that is specific to your region. Many times they will give a coupon preview by Wed or Thurs which should give you a fairly good idea of what you will get. HTH

[dancinmama]

weaselfer: WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the Grocery Challenge from me - dancinmama!!

Are you a major couponer or just testing the waters? If you are new to coupons or have been using them for years, you will find this thread super helpful.

We LOVE cooking tips too - any idea/tip that helps us save money is GREATLY appreciated.

[dancinmama]

Dec 29, 2010 12:09:04 GMT -5 @breezy said:

Ok - I read the 7 pages, good info. It looks like I need to start with the Sunday paper for coupon inserts, read HotCouponWorld, My Frugal Adventure, and Centsable Shopping, sign up for cards at CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreen's, and keep a price book to see when the stores have sales.

breezy: Ha ha ha, that's quite a list. Yes, the FIRST thing that you need to do is to get as many coupon inserts as you can. Do you have family, friends, neighbors or co-workers who do not use coupons and might be willing to give you the inserts that they just toss out? The reason? The more coupons you have, the more items you can stockpile when you find them on sale and free AFTER coupon!!

Another thing - get organized!! Plan how you will organize your coupons once you get them. Start cleaning out and organizing the storage space in your home. You will be surprised at how quickly you will fill it up once you get on board with what we do.

MFA (myfrugaladventure is regional - mostly CA). Centsableshoppin is out of Arizona. If you do not live in or close to those areas, they may not help you as much as another couponer blog from your specific region might.

Yes, start keeping a price book. It does not have to be extensive. Just note the sales price of items that you use regularly in the grocery store ads. They will go from regular price, to a sales price (often called a phantom sale because this is not as low as the price will go) and finally to a rock bottom price. Then the cycle will start all over again.

Depending on where you live, you will not need a card for WAGs. I do think they have some areas where they are testing a pilot program which requires a card; but other than those areas, you can just walk in and do the deals.

You will need a card(s) for Rite Aid and CVS. These stores limit the number of deals that you can do on certain items "per card" so many of us have two, three, or more cards per store for when the limit is ONE per card.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY - GO SLOW!! Many dive into couponing and start stockpiling at prices that are WAAAAAY too high. If you are patient, almost anything can be had for free or close to it. So start gathering your coupon inserts, but do not run out and stockpile 10 bottles of shampoo @ $1/bottle (for example) because you are used to paying more than $3/bottle. By the end of 2011 you will have more FREE shampoo than you'll know what to do with.

A lot of us donate to food pantries and women's shelters because we simply do not need all the product that we purchase. In 2010, my donations total over $2000. It's a win/win.