Basics of the Grocery Game

Since everyone is asking, I'll just post the basics here and you can post further qu's and I'll try to answer them. It's easier when you have someone explain as your looking at the website but hopefully this will help for now!!

1. Go to www.thegrocerygame.com

2. Click on "join the grocery game" and enter your zip code. You'll get a free 4 week trial (after that you pay $5 per store list you receive every 8 weeks)- pick as many stores as you would potentially go to (I had 5 stores during my 4 weeks so I could get a good grasp on who really has the best sales). You most likely will only go to two stores, maybe three at the most but you'll start to see where you save the maximum amount of money.

3. Put me as your reference so I can get a few free weeks!!!!! :-)

4. You have to get a Sunday paper where you save the following in a file: Redplum Coupon Book, Smartsaver Coupon Book, and PG & E (this one is only 1 time per month). Label them by date and tuck them away. You save these as a whole b/c sales go in 12 week cycles so you might not use a particular coupon until the fourth week b/c it is buy one get one free plus you have a coupon that saves you $2.00 so you're getting the cheapest possible deal by using the coupon during the sale instead of the coupon by itself. Also collect your local stores adds as they often have coupons in them and if you use Walgreens, they have an "Easy saver" book for rebates in the store so you have to pick that up at the beginning of the month.

5. After you sign up, go to the Member Sign In and to your home page. Go to print list and choose a store. At first you will want to print the header and footer so you understand all the codes for the coupons. Go through the whole list- Green are items you get free so stockpile as much as possible, blue are best possible deals so stockpile these, black are only if you need it for a recipe etc. You will find during your first four weeks that you don't have a lot of the coupons that you need b/c you haven't been collecting them so it takes a few weeks to really build up your coupon collection. Before you print your list, you can "gray out" items that you won't buy. If you don't want soda, just click on it which will gray it out and then it won't print on your final list. She does everything by the aisle so you will find printing in her order is the same as the natural progression of your specific grocery store.

6. The shopping days are Sunday- Tuesday and you will find she tells you when and where to buy for maximum savings. If you shop on Thursday, you'll end up spending a lot more and can't use your coupons at all and miss all of the great sales. I find myself menu planning on Sunday and shopping on Monday or Tuesday. Also, you have to shop every week. It's all about creating your own pantry when its on sale so your spending less when you actually need it.

This should start you out, post questions and I'll try to answer!!!

Randoms including my thoughts of the all famous "grocery game!!"

So I'm sure most of you have heard of the grocery game?? I've had several friends that have been doing it for a long time but I never bought into b/c I figured I couldn't really save that much the way we eat. BUT, when my best friend Susan was in town- who eats as fresh and organic as we do- and she was saving big bucks, I thought I'd give it a go! SO, my report from my first four weeks.... Normally- eeeek- we spend about $1000 on groceries a month including diapers and household items- BUT this month, I spent $700 and saved $302!! I was SHOCKED!!! I still bought all my usual organic products BUT I am finding she is great about helping you understand what you CAN get things for and when the best time to shop is. So, I'm "stockpiling" or creating my own grocery store when things are on sale- SUCH AS I bought 10, yes 10, boxes of cereal today, 10 toothbrushes last week, 8 packs of boneless/ skinless all natural chicken breast- so instead of buying b/c I need it for a recipe or b/c we are out, I got it at a ridiculous price!! So I've been buying bulk, still getting what I need for my normal cooking and such, and STILL saving 30%!! Plus I really haven't felt like I'm running to several stores or anything, I'm quite impressed! Give it a go! (We did buy an extra freezer though which I'm loving having esp as we enter into the family of five days, we needed the space!!)

AND, much more important than the grocery game...we had our major ultrasound this past Monday. All praise and glory goes to our Father as our little #3 looks perfect! The cyst on its brain has gone away and there is no sign of ureteral reflux (what Ben had surgery for)- we beat the statistics as 2/3 of siblings are said to have it. Praise the Lord!!! And we made sure to look away during the gender specific moments!!! BUT, from the ultrasound pics, it looks so much like Lo & Ben so I'm thinking boy now :-). It changes every week but that's the fun of it!!! 8 weeks and counting....still on partial bedrest....so REALLY counting....

And how can I leave this out...Bennett our little tornado (understatement of the year) got second degree burns on his hand Sunday night from the lawn mower. Exciting I know. This summer makes 1 trip to the ER for a head CT after falling on concrete, 1 chipped tooth, 1 severed frenum, 1 contact in digestive system, and 1 hand with second degree burns. He looks like he's ready to enter the boxing arena with his hand all wrapped up, it's actually really cute. WHAT a joyful little mess he is. He reminds us we are by no means perfect parents....we praise the Lord for His grace.

Seriously...

This is one of those Fridays that I'm thinking...WHAT in the WORLD???? Monday I had my 30 week apt and since I've been contracting for several weeks they did a fetal fibronectin test- which tests your fluids to determine preterm labor (within the next two weeks). Tuesday afternoon Bennett falls, chips his front tooth and severs his frenem- blood EVERYWHERE, nice. Wednesday afternoon I get a phone call from my nurse saying my firbronectin is positive and I'm on BEDREST...okay bedrest with 2 children under 4, seriously??? Thursday, Ben eats my contacts. Today has been somewhat normal, praise the Lord. Pray the bun stays in the oven and we get these contractions under control. Joy, joy, joy.

FUAGNUM!!!

FUAGNUM (Fired up and goin' nuts every minute) a favorite T Bar M word- and the only appropriate way to describe the whirl wind that just ended!!!! The Frazier fam has had five FULL weeks of nonstop FUAGNUM!! We went to Dallas for the week of the 4th with Daniel's family, then brought two of my nieces back to The Wdls with us for a week (I felt like I was prego with my FIFTH not third!!!), then went to Sea World for a week and ended with a trip to see the Gentry's new babe, then had our best friends from CA in for 10 days!!!! Every minute has been so fun- AND at this point in my pregnancy rest would have helped somewhere in there b/c I ended up with walking pneumonia!!!! Ugh, I'm on my last day of meds tomorrow so hopefully we've managed to kick this thing out the door!!! Sea World was a total blast with the boys, we all loved every minute. We stayed at the Radisson Hill Country Resort and Spa and highly recommend it! They played outdoor movies at night, had fire-pits with smores' kits, kiddy pool, and shuttled us to and from Sea World just a mile away! Here are some of my favorite pics from our fun five weeks!

Me and my boys at 6 1/2 months with #3!!


Logan feeding the dolphins...


Water Fun...


Daniel climbing with Backpack Ben!!!


Logan, Ben, Eli & new baby Calvin!


Daniel and "my friend Logan" with their matchy matchy strollers & shirts (the shirts were not planned....and we got the stroller first, ha!) Hilarious and scary how much we're all alike- that's why we love them like crazy!!!!!