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When Steve Huckaby first began grocery shopping, he hated it. But still there were worse jobs.

“Doing the shopping is a whole lot more fun than cleaning the house,” says Huckaby who lives in Orange Co., CA.

Now, three years later, he loves itand actually looks forward to doing it. What changed? His outlook. Instead of thinking about grocery shopping as marketing, it’s become a game. The object: See how much money you can save each weekand if you save more than your friends you feel even better.

“He challenged me,” says Huckaby, remembering a conversation he had with a friend. “He showed me his receipts and how much he saved.”

That’s when the competition began. Huckaby believed he could save more. And he set out to prove it. For him, grocery shopping hasn’t been the same since.

Huckaby now wins the weekly competitionsaving more than his friends.

HIS SECRET TO SUCCESS

At this stage of his life, even Huckaby, 46, who shops for his wife and two children, ages 10 and 3, has a hard time believing he could get this excited about grocery shopping.

Somewhere along the way, he discovered The Grocery Game, a website that helps shoppers save money and time.

He can even tell you how much he’s saved. He keeps track using a spreadsheet. In six months, he says he’s shaved $3,357.79 or 66-percent off his grocery bill.

He spends less at the grocery store, but actually buys more.

“It never occurred to me that I could save this much money,” says Huckaby.

HOW IT WORKS

Grocery stores want you to shop week to week. It forces you to buy items that can often be high priced.

The secret so saving money is stockpiling. Buying items when the timing is right. Or should we say, when the prices are low.

Saving the most money at the grocery stores means knowing the trends, knowing when products go on sale, and knowing when to buy items in bulk. The Grocery Game website does the research for you, and puts it into “Teri’s List.” It lets shoppers know which store to visit, and when to go, without wasting time or gas.

“We track the sales cycles sales trends, advertised sales, unadvertised sales and all the coupons,” says Teri Gault, who founded The Grocery Game, based in Santa Clarita, CA. “Then we put the whole puzzle together each week.”

The service costs $1.25 a week.

Though statistically more women go grocery shopping then men, it’s the men who are better savers.

“(Men) seem to enjoy the ‘thrill of the hunt,’” says Gault. “That’s why it seems that the men are reporting the best savings, and they are more diligent about sticking to the game plan.”

Huckaby still challenges his buddies at work to be a part of The Grocery Game. He thinks often of the friend who started him down this road.

“He knows he created a monster!”

Glenn Lawrence is editor of Interactive DAD Magazine, http://www.InteractiveDadMagazine.com, FREE online magazine for fathers on family and finance–updated DAILY!

eSubscribe FREE at http://www.InteractiveDadMagazine.com/eSubscribe.htm

Tags: coupons, fatherhood, grocery shopping, husband, saving money, the grocery gamecoupons, fatherhood, grocery shopping, husband, saving money, the grocery game

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I love going to the grocery store and looking at my receipt to see how much I saved. The best I’ve personally done is 70% and I’ve only been able to do that once. I really try to save between 30% and 40% when I visit the grocery store, if possible.

In addition to the tips below I also shop at a grocery store that gives me gasoline discounts. Each time I spend $50 in groceries, the store gives me 3 cents per gallon off on my gasoline. My car usually will take 13 gallons. At 3 cents per gallon off, it’s another 39 cents I’m saving when I shop. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but if I fill my car 26 times per year (every other week), in a year I’ve saved $10.14. That ten dollars comes to me just for shopping at a store that has great prices to begin with.

Here are several of my tips for saving money at the grocery store:

1. Buy day old meat. If you freeze the meat it will hold for several months. Sometimes I can save 50% on the cost of the meat by buying day old meat. This applies to poultry also.

2. Buy bread at outlet stores if available. Again, I save 50% by buying the day old bread. I keep bread in my refrigerator, so it will last many days. If you don’t have an outlet store, compare the price of store bought bread with the price of day old bakery bread.

3. Watch the store sales. I try very hard to not run out of items so that I only buy items when on sale. For example, we make spaghetti at least once a month. I use Prego sauce as a base. I buy it when it’s on sale, knowing I’ll use it in the next month.

4. Use coupons. If I see a coupon for a product I use, I cut the coupon. If your store offers double coupons, shop on the days your coupons will be doubled. If you can buy an item on sale and use a coupon, you’ll save even more. Consider trying a different brand, if there is a coupon and it will cut your overall grocery bill.

5. Grocery stores tend to put the higher priced items at eye level. Check the top and bottom shelves to see if a different brand or different size might be a better price.

6. Compare brands. Don’t be afraid to try store brand products. One of the major manufacturers is making the store brand product. I actually save quite a bit of money on mayonnaise by buying the store brand. We bought a small jar of the store brand and liked it. Now it’s all we use.

7. Shop with a list. Try not to impulse buy. Stick to your list. I try to only impulse buy if I find something on sale that was not in the circular and it’s an item we use.

8. Plan your shopping. We have one store in town that always sells eggs for a dollar a dozen. I seldom find them at the grocery store for that price. I make a plan to buy eggs while in the part of town where this store is. I plan ahead so I don’t run out of eggs prior to going to this one store.

9. Buy in bulk if the price is right. We use real butter in my home. I buy 6 pounds at a time. I put it in the freezer and it keeps for months. I get the best price buying butter in bulk this way.

10. Always check price per unit, or price per ounce. Larger does not always mean a better price. Laundry detergent is a great example. I’ve been able to buy 3 smaller containers for less than the cost of one larger container.

Once you begin seeing the savings, you’ll begin to look forward to shopping just to see how much you can save!

Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

Tag: saving moneysaving money

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Whenever I tell people I can buy a months worth of groceries for $300 (or $200 in a pinch) they ask HOW do you do THAT?? Well, it’s really not as hard as it sounds. The key is organization and planning. Here are a few tips for newbies to the world of frugal grocery shopping.

Stock up! Your first grocery trip on your road to saving is actually to spend a little more than you are used to. Items that are staples in your pantry should be purchased in large quantity if possible. These include items such as flour, sugar, pasta, dry beans, rice, oatmeal, canned goods, etc.

Plan your menus. Before you head off to the grocery store, make a list of the meals you plan to prepare. If you shop every two weeks make a list of two weeks worth of meals. Take a look at what you have on hand and what is on sale in the weekly circulars from the grocery stores before you plan your meals.

Use Coupons. If there is a particular item you always purchase look for coupons. If an item is on sale and you have a coupon then buy that item. Don’t use a coupon just because something is new or trendy, only use coupons if they will save you money.

Buy Store Brands. It’s true that all the ads on TV and in magazines make the name brand items look much more glamorous, but often times the store brands are just as good if not better. Actually, many store brands are manufactured by the same name brand companies we all know and recognize.

Shop on sale days. Our local grocer offers specials every Thursday. They range from a one day meat sale to a Pillsbury brand sale. No matter what the theme is for the week, the prices are always great!

Don’t buy convenience foods. It’s so easy to load up a grocery cart with frozen meals, instant boxed dinners, individual serving sized juices, pre-packaged lunches and junk food. However, not only do these items offer little nutritional value for your family, they are a huge waste of money. Which is why I almost always…

Cook from scratch! The more you can prepare meals from scratch, the more money you will save. Home cooked meals are also higher in nutrition and you know exactly what you are eating, unlike many pre-made meals. From scratch doesn’t have to mean a lot of time and clean up. A simple meal like baked or grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and rice can be prepared in under 30 minutes with minimal clean up.

Freeze Things. I always try to prepare a double batch any time I cook anything. It saves me time and effort for future meals and on days that things get really hectic I don’t have to worry about what is for dinner. I also freeze bread ends to make my own bread crumbs (which I store in the freezer), leftovers to use for future lunches, bananas for breads and muffins and anything else that might otherwise get thrown out and wasted.

Keep a Price Book. When you shop take a few moments to jot down what you buy and how much it costs. Make a master list of items and the prices (include prices from each store that you shop). When you take the time to do this you will know if it’s worth it to go to a different store to stock up on a sale item. It is also a great way to calculate how much you will spend before you get to the grocery store. I actually use a software called Home Cookin to keep my Price Book.

Only take what you plan to spend. If you use a debit card, take your draw from the ATM in the amount you plan to spend for groceries. Then leave your card AT HOME. That way you won’t be tempted to spend more than you have budgeted.

Eat Your Leftovers. Have beans leftover, make refried beans. Stale bread can be made into bread pudding. Chicken from last night’s dinner becomes chicken salad. Leftover pasta sauce can top a pizza. Don’t prepare a new meal until all the leftovers are gone.

Forget the junk food. My theory is if you don’t buy it then you can’t eat it. We RARELY buy sodas, chips, cookies, ice cream, pastries or any other junk food. I give my kids healthy snacks and we drink a lot of water. I do make them Kool Aid, lemonade and tea but they don’t miss the junk food because they are not used to having it.

By following these simple guidelines I have been able to keep our budget down and our nutrition level optimum. It’s really not that difficult once you give it a try!

Michele Young is a work-at-home wife and homeschooling mom of three. Read about her Grocery Saving Tips and Recipes at http://chefmichele.blogspot.com

Tags: food, frugal, grocery savings, ideas, money saving, recipes, shoppingfood, frugal, grocery savings, ideas, money saving, recipes, shopping

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