Is MyGroceryDeals.com the Answer to Frustration with Other Coupon Services?

[etteluap70PC]

I want to know more... I just discovered you have to Pay for this service! Is it worth it?

 

[KristinS]

Yes, yes, yes TOTALLY worth it! You can sign up for a $1 trial for 4 weeks then decide if you want to continue, but I get four stores: Walgreens, Meijer, Kroger, and Rite Aid. I love it. It's so organized and makes it so simple for me to see what's a really good deal and what's just smoke and mirrors of the store saying something is a good deal.

If you don't have anyone to put down as the person who referred you, feel free to put my name down [email protected]!

 

[etteluap70PC]

I am a bit worried since I would have to travel a bit to utilize this. I currently only frequent the stores I would need to use 1-2 times a month.

 

[pamperedlinda]

What is this game? Do they send you coupons or just the store ads?

 

[chefann]

They don't send you anything. You need to have the coupons from the Sunday paper. And then the site has people who go through the flyers (and stores) and make a list each week of what you should buy that week. Things are categorized as "marked down" (black), "Great deal" (blue), and free (green). To get the most from the list, you're supposed to buy only the blue and green items. It's $10 for 8 weeks for the list for 1 store. Each store you add is an additional $5 for the 8 week period. So if you live in an area where they have multiple store coverage (in my area, they cover Meijer, Kroger, CVS and Walgreens), then you can get list for your favorite stores. It's ABSOLUTELY worth it! I've walked out of stores paying 20-30% of what the original bill was (or would have been based on full prices). That adds up! The catch is that you need to have a good sized pantry, since the system works on the idea of stocking up on staples when they're on sale so you don't have to buy them later at full price.Oh, yeah - if anyone wants to sign up, can you use my [email protected] email as the referral? (When you refer people, you get free weeks.)

 

[etteluap70PC]

What if you do not get a news paper with coupons?

 

[PCJenni]

I was just wondering about this sam thing this morning. There is a big article in the paper this morning about saving money at the grocery store and this website was mentioned. I will have to check it out now.

 

[chefmeg]

I just started using it 2 weeks ago and am having a little trouble setting started~you have to cut coupons every week and keep up with them and what is on your list~the problem comes, for me, that my 2 stores (Food Lion & Kroger) only have 1 day in common when I can shop & use the list~Tuesday...this isn't my normal grocery day! Since Food Lion sales run Sat-Tuesday and Kroger run Sat-Sat, and the list comes out on Sunday, it is a challenge to change the grocery day....

that said, I noticed last week when I shopped at both stores I saved over $30!!!! I am sure the more I use it, the better I will get at it! Any advice you "experts" have is appreciated!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I can't wait to start buying our local paper once again just for coupons... (did you sense the sarcasm, ladies?)

 

[PCJenni]

I just went on the website and the store that I normally use is not listed as one of the store. It is a warehouse type store called Winco and it does not have ads in the papers. I already save at least $100 a month by shopping there and that is without coupons. So I am not sure if it would even be worth the time and trouble to keep up with the coupons and go to a normal grocery store.

 

[chefann]

What if you do not get a news paper with coupons?

You can still use it, but the savings won't be as great. They do point out when things are in the flyer but not actually on a great sale, because they won't be blue on the list. And, yes, stores do that a lot.

Most major market newspapers offer a Sunday-only paper (with the coupons) delivered for $1 a week or so.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I just went on the website and the store that I normally use is not listed as one of the store. It is a warehouse type store called Winco and it does not have ads in the papers. I already save at least $100 a month by shopping there and that is without coupons. So I am not sure if it would even be worth the time and trouble to keep up with the coupons and go to a normal grocery store.

I noticed something similar as well... One of our major food chains in MN is not listed.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I get the Sunday paper (just one) and then have my church saving me their coupon inserts. I tell them to cut out the coupons that THEY want to use themselves, and then pass along the leftovers to me.

I was making myself nuts, though....I was trying to cut out and file EVERY COUPON by category. Now, I put the date on the coupon insert, clip all of the inserts from the same date with a large paper clip, and keep them in numerical order. The "list" tells you what DATE and what PARTICULAR INSERT each coupon is in.

The savings can REALLY ADD UP when you have multiples of coupons. There have been times where I was able to get FREE FROZEN veggies by combining a sale price, and a double coupon and other great deals.

I have been doing this for one year this month...and it certainly has been worth my $2 per week as well as my time "prepping" and getting my coupons together for each list. You still have to be smart. I ONLY buy the "list" items at my list store (which, normally, is WAY MORE EXPENSIVE) and then go somewhere cheaper for other "needs" that are not on the list for that week.

I have probably saved the most on personal and hygeine items. (Toothpaste and toothbrushes, deod, shampoo, razors, etc.) But I have quite a stockpile on items that we use a lot of in my food pantry as well.

If you have any specific questions, ask away! Those of us who have been doing this for a while can help you out! Plus...there is a bulletin board dedicated to those who use this service, and it was VERY helpful to me in the beginning. It's called http://www.TerisMessageBoard.com

 

[etteluap70PC]

Do any of you utilize printing coupons from the internet?

 

[KellyTheChef]

Do any of you utilize printing coupons from the internet?

I don't mess with that at all, unless my LIST tells me to do so. My List stores will all accept printed coupons, but a few other stores in my area WILL NOT, due to others making up fraudulant coupons. It's one of those YMMV things. (Your mileage may vary.)

 

[elizabethfox]

I tried it, and didn't like it.

For one we didn't get the paper, so I had to start buying the sunday paper each week. Then I buy a lot of organic and all natural stuff and a lot of the coupons and savings listed for the grocery game were not for these types of items. It was mostly processed foods that I do not buy. I did get some good deals during my free trial and the first month I paid to use the service, but not enough to warrant me purchasing papers every sunday and paying for the service.

 

[pamperedbecky]

I've been wanting to try the grocery game and I think I may take a stab at it this week. I'm not an organized person, so I"m a little afraid of how well this will work for me. But then I saw Oprah last week with that lady who saved ALL KINDS of money. And I had a guest at a show right after that tell me about the grocery game at a show last Wed. I had heard of it before, but all this messiness with the economy and hearing about it again and again made me want to take a stab at it.

It's kind of exciting to start this to see how much I can save. I need to take a look at it when I have more time to sit down and do it.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I tried it, and didn't like it.

For one we didn't get the paper, so I had to start buying the sunday paper each week. Then I buy a lot of organic and all natural stuff and a lot of the coupons and savings listed for the grocery game were not for these types of items. It was mostly processed foods that I do not buy. I did get some good deals during my free trial and the first month I paid to use the service, but not enough to warrant me purchasing papers every sunday and paying for the service.

This was what I found a few years ago when I was doing coupons alot. They are great for convenience but not good for you.

 

[chefann]

I should mention (as a disclosure) that I'm not as strict with it as I should be. In order to get the most from your stockpile, you really need to shop from the list every week, even if you don't need those items yet. I don't do that. But it has made me more aware of unit prices on things, and recognizing that Costco isn't always the least expensive place to shop.If there's a major chain in your area that's not on the list, contact them and volunteer to be the list checker for that chain. Colleen's sister manages the list for Meijer stores (and I went one day to help Colleen check prices - it was kinda fun).

 

[KellyTheChef]

I should mention (as a disclosure) that I'm not as strict with it as I should be. In order to get the most from your stockpile, you really need to shop from the list every week, even if you don't need those items yet. I don't do that. But it has made me more aware of unit prices on things, and recognizing that Costco isn't always the least expensive place to shop.

If there's a major chain in your area that's not on the list, contact them and volunteer to be the list checker for that chain. Colleen's sister manages the list for Meijer stores (and I went one day to help Colleen check prices - it was kinda fun).

Ann...do they pay their list checkers? I am assuming you WORK for them if you do that.

 

[etteluap70PC]

Ann...do they pay their list checkers? I am assuming you WORK for them if you do that.

Wondering the same thing?

 

[KaryCam]

I did this a few years back and became very frustrated with it.

I did subscribe to the Sunday paper of the large city near me but the coupons that they said were in the paper were usually not.

After a few weeks of this I wrote them. What they told me was that they only pull very large city papers. I would have to buy papers from Tampa, Orlando, Miami, etc.

The small city I live in doesn't carry any of those papers so I dropped it.

I still do well with watching sales and cutting coupons though.

 

[KristinS]

A few more thoughts to add to my original reply:Utilizing GG lists, I save an average of 48% on my groceries. Many times, the amount saved is MORE THAN amount spent. I LOVE THAT!!! It's addicting.There are people who subscribe to GG that don't save their coupon inserts, and in GG's FAQ section they explain that it is possible to do this (the list shows current week's coupons in upper case so you know at quick glance), but that obviously savings aren't as great. I started out just filing whole inserts and cutting out what I needed, as GG tells you which insert coupons were found in. However I switched to cutting and filing all coupons until I need them because I was spending too much time in rifling through when I was in the store, looking for a coupon I knew I had but didn't know what date it was from.

 

[KristinS]

Oh - and for those of you whose main shopping stores aren't available... that's a possible income source for you if you're up for it! They're always looking for listmakers (The people who put the lists together - it's kind of an independent contractor sort of thing, I think) so yes, they do get paid to put the list together.

 

[KristinS]

I do get the big-city paper (in Michigan, most list makers use The Detroit News/FreePress) but it's actually cheaper to get that than to buy my local paper. And it's worth it - the bigger the circulation, the better the coupons.

 

[chefann]

I had noticed that, too. Occasionally the local paper for my suburb will deliver a Sunday edition to us, and while it has one or two of the coupon inserts, they aren't exactly the same as those included in the Detroit Free Press (which is still a local paper for me, since I'm 1 mile from the Detroit city limits). Personally, I cut and file my coupons by category each week. There are always a LOT of them that I don't use - whether those items end up on the list or not. Why tote around that extra paper? I'm never going to need diaper, baby food, pet food, or most cereal coupons, so why bother with them? And then I have them categorized in case I end up at Target for needed items (not on this week's list), so I don't have to flip through large bundles - I can go right to the toiletries pocket in my organizer.

 

[tabnat80]

Ann and Kelly-Do yall have a Walmart list on your Grocercy game? I did this a while back and Walmart wasn't listed and now I got on there to see what's new and it shows Walmart. I was just wondering if it was helpful. I hate to spend the $ on the additional list if it's not a good one. I just was curious which ones did yall subscribe to.

 

[chefann]

There isn't a Walmart list available in my area, or at least there wasn't last time I looked at the list of available stores here. Even if there was, I wouldn't get that list, so I wouldn't know whether it was good or not (I don't shop at Wally World because I don't agree with a lot of their business practices).

 

[chefann]

I just went in and entered a Zip Code for a neighboring suburb where there is a Wally World, and it's not on the list of available stores (although that suburb has a Rite Aid list and mine doesn't).

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I noticed something similar as well... One of our major food chains in MN is not listed.

They don't list ANY of the larger chains... Cub, Rainbow, Festival, Kowalski's, Lunds, Byerly's...to name a few-

Until they add Cub and Rainbow- I'm not going to utilize it- as it won't be worth the gas or time I'd have to put into it...