[tj7933]

I live in Canada but we are near the US border (Washington State) and were wondering if the grocery game is worth the trip south.. Of course there will be gas expense, cost of getting a post office box in the US to get the coupons, and probably lunch (unless we pack one) and the fact we are limited to a $200 grocery trip.

I have tried about 3 other frugal websites to see what everyone thinks, and I cannot seem to find people who use this method in Washington State. I worry that the double/triple coupon value is not valid in this state.

In my province there are no double or triple coupon stores, and well, basically the coupons here SUCK!! I am open to finding ways to get good coupons so that I can make use of this savings in some way!!!

Thanks for your advice
TJ

[laney5454]

Interesting question - I am as far away as possible - in New Jersey but if you post what stores you would be able to go to, that may help us give you some feedback.

Good luck,
Laney

[mpayne]

I personally wouldn't pay for GG. You can find all you need and MUCH MORE right here at AFC - for free!

[xmaspickle]

I originally paid for the ggame as I moved to a new area and wasn't familiar with the stores, the prices, the policies, etc..so it helped me initially get a feel for how to navigate CVS ecb, double coupons and such..but honestly their policy to not let you tell the exact prices, the deals and such is so stupid that I ended up over here...they are trying to sell public information as their special secret formula or whatever...

but I can't speak for whether for you it's worth the hassle..you could probably have the Washington paper delivered to you..but probably would be delayed and expensive..I dont' know whether you'd have access to a u.s sunday paper at one of your local bookstores...I'm not sure why you'd need a post office box..I get our kroger flyer/coupon book in the mail..and my rite aid refund but not much else

and you'd have to know whether the gas vs grocery savings would make it worth the trip..is there any bulk stores near you..ones that sell by large lots or have sales flyers..

no coupons in Canada?? I thought it would be a worldwide thing..don't know why but just figured every manufacturer everywhere would try to get the products into your household to get hooked...because the same theory of buying low and stocking up should work anywhere..

[mpayne]

You could browse the boards here for the shops that you'll be going to and which coupons you need to match up - then trade with folks here or at CouponClippers.com. I barely even look at sales flyers since finding AFC. I tell ya what, these ladies (and gentlemen!) here really know their stuff.

!

[lattegirl]

I used GG when we first moved back to the States- I found a lot of the "deals" did not match up right and, no, we do not double coupons here (what is triple? ) Like mpayne said- you are probably better off right here with no extra oop to get the deals.

[jibbers]

So is the $200 grocery trip actual value or actual out of pocket. If you only go when there are super deals at $200 out of pocket you could really stock up.

I've never use the Grocery Game but it sounds like you would do better on here.

[Gossamerwings]

You could do afc and afc. AFC is better than GG but it is free. I use AFC to generate my list and AFC to fine tune it. Neither list has the deals and possible scenarios that AFC has to get the lowest OOP.

[tj7933]

Ok, so the stores in the US we are close to include:

Safeway
Cost Cutter Foods
Food Pavillion
Green Barn

Little Further but not much:

Albertsons
Associated Grocers
Costco - Have a Canadian Membership
Fred Meyer
Haagen Food and Drug


The $200 is the value of money SPENT.. We get a maximum of $50 per person (without being taxed) to bring back to Canada on any trip less than 48 hours. There are four of us, soon to be 5 in the family, so that would be the maximum. We would need to be extremely organized, and limited to one trip a month.

Getting the US coupons I think will be the biggest hassle. They do not ship to Canada, so that is where the PO Box rental would have to come in.

I tried to do this in Canada, but I cannot find any sites, that list the 'unadvertised' loss leaders. I guess here is depends on the store manager???

TJ

[loveabargain]

I am in the middle of my 4-week trial and WILL NOT continue once it ends. I find the same (better even) information here and on a few other sites. In fact i was suprised at how much GG misses at stores like walgreens/cvs. If you play around on AFC you will find the same and even better savings here. Also try out some other websites that offer the same information without charging. Just my personal opinion, i know others out there love GG.

[Trish]

At least on AFC which is free, friendly, comphrensive and more then just deals and coupons you won't have to speak in mush! Go get the mush @ Walgreens this week!!! LMAO

Sorry, I had to poke fun @ that silly rule they have on their boards.

All the info is out there for free in many formats. I prefer (and am very biased) AFC!

[crunchy_mama]

I am doing a trial as well and I am very underwhelmed by the info= stick with the site here, I thought she would give price lists info as to what the lowest possible price was on something and when it was that price before- that is not on there at all and as a lot of pp mentioned it misses a lot of deals.

[triscut]

I agree- I currently subscribe to TGG and I'm very disappointed. There are many deals that are never mentioned on the list. The great deals that are listed- I already know about from AFC.

[youngnos]

I am part of the grocery game and have been for over a year. I used it to learn how to coupon. I am using it now to learn a new grocery store here. Once I truely have a feel for it I will probably cancel.

[isis0428]

I signed up the for grocery game and it was just a waste of money. They did not list the sales for my stores until Monday following the ads being published on Wednesday. Soooo, it only gave me Monday and Tuesday to shop. When I found this site I promptly cancelled my membership there. No sense in paying for something that is free.

Wahsington has Safeway and QFC (owned by Kroger). I would find the store that would be nearest to you and call and ask what their coupon policy is. That way you have an idea. I think they have Right Aid and Walgreen's for their drug stores. Again, I would check on the internet to find the stores closest. And then they also have Fred Meyer and Trader Joe's too. Ugh.. I miss Washington!!!

[kristieboyd]

Originally Posted by mpayne

I personally wouldn't pay for GG. You can find all you need and MUCH MORE right here at AFC - for free!

:goodpost2:

I was going to say the same thing!!

[kristieboyd]

I bet you could find someone here willing to sell & ship you inserts each week for less than you'd pay for a PO box. Lots of ladies get multiple inserts & sell them!

[Trish]

I've been around the sites of about 5 years now. (). I've subscribed to the two main paid sites out there and the GG @ one time. I can promise you with a 100% backed by a few years of doing this that all the info is out there. You do not have to pay a dime for anything. Sometimes it requires a little looking around and almost all of it you can find here on AFC but you do not have to pay for any deal or coupon info for any area of the country, any store, etc.

[beachdreamer]

I think AFC is much better. I currently use the GG for my grocery store but am not very happy. They use ads from a different state/city. So the sales don't match up AND my list comes out 2 days after the sale starts for me. Walgreens, Walmart and Target have great information right here. My local grocery store doesn't get much attention here though.

[tj7933]

OK, so if I do this alone, where on this site can I find someone to mail me inserts or coupons?

Also, if I send my hubby to do this alone in the evening (so limit is $50/week), would this still be a good idea?

I wish there was a way I could comparisson shop. I am pretty sure everything is cheaper and since the dollar is so close, that makes a huge difference.

May try this next month, need hubby buy in..

Let me know who/where to contact for coupons, etc.

Thanks everyone
TJ

[couponmom25]

I am sending you a pm I can help you out with coupons

[jessl]

I do the grocery game and I think it is worth it for me. Yes there is a lot of info on this site for the drug store deals but not much for the grocery stores in my area. I think it depends on what stores are available in the area you would be shopping and how easy it is to find deals at those stores.

[funnybottoms]

I've just started the grocery game also.... I have learned a lot and I think their lists are more organized and easier to read then trying to find everything on here... but I'm very frustrated with their message board rules which is why I came here... about half the questions I've tried to ask on there have been deleted by the admins... it's so annoying, even when I'm certain I haven't said anything I shouldn't they delete it... they are PARANOID!! I already finished my $1 trial and was just charged for the next 8 weeks last week... so in 7 weeks I will probably cancel since this place is free and I feel I've learned enough to do it without their lists.

[Kloster Island]

We've been doing Grocery Game since October, 2007. We have saved a ridiculous amount of money and have an obscene amount of food and HBA in our basement! LOVE IT!!!

[labjor]

Doing GG for the $1 trial period will get you started but frankly there's more information available on the .net that isn't hard to find and is free ... I think their biggest claim is knowing when prices are 'rock bottom' and when the sales cycle. Keeping a price book will give you that information that will be specific to your area, more reliable and FREE.