If you followed my posts about the wonders of the Grocery Game then you know that coupons can save you tons of money. I managed to lower my grocery bill by about 40-60% per month, which is about $200-$300 less than what I was spending before. Pretty amazing right?

Well, a huge part of my grocery store savings are coupons. I know some people don’t like clipping coupons or simply don’t get the Sunday newspaper, so I thought I’d offer you some grocery store coupon resources that  are Internet based. These are online sources that offer both printable grocery store coupons and eCoupons. eCoupons are coupons that are electronically loaded to your grocery store savings card (i.e. your Ralphs card, Vons card, etc.) so there is no coupon clipping necessary. Check it out!

Well, it’s the last week of my Grocery Game $1 first month trial.   It was another great week of savings for me, and honestly I have found myself looking forward to going to the grocery store. I actually enjoy the process now because it’s become so much easier than it was the first week and I know I’m saving money.  I LOVE watching the cashier scan all of the groceries and then watching my total bill amount dwindle down significantly as she scans my coupons. I love having my pantry, fridge, and shelves stocked full of food and household items.  It’s a great feeling.

It was my third week using The Grocery Game and I’m still very pleased with the way the shopping list I get each week and the money I’m saving.  In preparing for this blog post I realized that I’ve been reporting the amount of money I saved each week, but I haven’t been providing you all with the full data on my Grocery Game Trial. Because I have kids, I may spend more per week than some people, while others (who have more kids than my two) might spend more. So, it’s better to quantify the grocery savings by percentage of grocery bill and not just amount of money saved. It’s kind of like on The Biggest Loser when they report percentage of body fat lost in addition to the actual pounds lost when determining who the winner is each week.

Last week, I introduced you to a money saving, grocery coupon website called The Grocery Game. I told you all that I’d just joined the $1 first month trial and that I’d test the site’s money saving plan out and report my results here.  So, here I am… bursting at the seems to tell you all about it!

I’ve made a list of the pros and cons of  The Grocery Game based on my first impressions of using it the first week.  I’ve included my saving results and I’m going to share some other saving opportunities that you should check out. Here goes..

saving money on food

A couple of weeks ago, I made a post about easy ways to save money on groceries.  I thought I’d do a follow up post and offer more ways to save money on food.  We all have to eat, right?

1. Always make a list before you go to the grocery store. Do an inventory of your fridge and pantry and see exactly what you need. Plan your meals ahead of time and list the items needed to prepare them.  You can also prioritize your list based on what you really need and what you want, so you can gauge your budget better while shopping.

During times of economic crisis, like we are facing now, people naturally begin to look for ways to save money.  If you’re looking at your family budget, one of the places you may look to trim down is the grocery bill.  The great thing is, you don’t need to sacrifice quantity, nutrition, or taste to save money on the food you buy for you and your family.