Have you ever heard of The Grocery Game? I had heard mention of it, but didn't think it would be of benefit to me. Those on my bargain forums mentioned how they would never spend money when they get the same information through the forums. A few friends mentioned that they used the Grocery Game and loved it.
Well, call me curious.
I had to give it a try. I saw they had a free trial, so I decided to hop on board. I made sure to register under a friend so she'd get credit and potential free weeks. I started playing The Game.
What is it?
- The Grocery Game is a paid service to help you save money on groceries at various stores.
- A list is issued weekly with the items which are at their rock bottom prices plus the coupon match-ups for those items.
- There are many stores with a list - check your area to see what stores are listed for you. I can get Kroger, Rite Aid, Target, CVS, and Giant Eagle.
- The list helps you purchase items at their lowest price.
- By stocking up at the lowest price, you save hundreds per year.
- The hard work is done for you already.
The cost for a 1 store membership is $10 every 8 weeks. That works out to about $1.25 per week. A 2 store membership is $15 every 8 weeks, a 3 store membership is $20 every 8 weeks and so on.So, did I like it? What are the pros and cons?
Pros:
- The legwork is done for me
- Saves me precious time when hunting deals
- Does help to save money
- Is a remedy for "mommy brain"
- Has a nifty print feature so you can print just the items you intend to purchase
- Has a coupon printing links
- Must sign in to access list - not emailed to me (I actually forgot I had signed up for several weeks)
- Is an auto-renew service so you must cancel before the next renew date (more on that later)
- Prices are not 100% accurate for every area - my area tends to run $.10 - $.50 higher on just about all items on any list service, not just the Grocery Game.
- Costs money
- Works best if you have several weeks worth of coupon inserts saved already
I made one very deliberate shopping trip using my list. If I hadn't made a mistake (user error!) by not counting my mega sale items accurately, I would have saved close to 75% on that trip by buying just the things on the list (not other essentials). The list works.
I did have a problem. I was using the free trial. I increased my stores to just about all. If it were a paid subscription, it would be $25 per cycle. I marked the end date on my calendar. We lost power. We lost cable. We lost internet. I forgot. I didn't see my reminder and didn't cancel in time. I was charged the $25. When I finally remembered, I emailed Terri to try to get a refund. Refunds are not possible, however, she downgraded my service to just one store and extended my time through December to make up for my mistake. I appreciated her willingness to work with me.
I will keep using the Grocery Game - it's paid through December! I have a few months to find out exactly how much I can save using the game to see if I will pay for another cycle.
As a busy mom, I no longer have the time to scour blogs and forums for every great deal. The Grocery Game puts everything right at my fingertips.
If you would like to try the free 30-day trial, just click here. You will need to enter credit card information. I would greatly appreciate if you enter my email as your referral: penguinelk at yahoo.com (just format it like a normal email address).
Have you used the Grocery Game? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.
I am not an affiliate for the Grocery Game. The opinions in the review are entirely mine. I was not paid in any way to write this post.
