March 11, 2010

A newbie's first look at real couponing

Of all the different ways we've learned to save money, couponing has been low on the list. But of all the different irrational things that scare me, couponing has been high on the list... higher than the fear of Big Foot, stuck crossed-eyes, and breaking someone's back by stepping on a crack — combined.

Why? Because of all the work you hear it takes, the tricks involved, and the learning curve.

I'm more of a good-deal finder or luxury cutter type of a guy. I mean sure, if we're mailed some coupons, we'll thumb through them and keep those we might use. But I'm talking about actively and intentionally using coupons to pocket substantial savings — not just saving $5 off the purchase of two combo dinners at El Restauranto.

Maybe I should change my mindset. Maybe I need to think of couponing as a challenge and not a chore. Besides, according to this piece in the Wall Street Journal, couponing is the newest extreme sport.

[D]iscount devotees have formed vast online communities that collectively unearth and swap digital, mobile-phone and paper coupons. The cleverest shoppers combine dozens of coupons and go from store to store buying items in quantity, getting stuff free of charge.

The piece profiles savers like Erin Libranda of Katy, Texas, who saved more than $1,000 on a midnight shopping trip to two grocery stores. A ... THOUSAND ... DOLLARS!

Of all the different systems out there, the one that kept coming to my attention was The Grocery Game. I first learned about The Grocery Game from SMI friend and frugal guru Mary Hunt.

In a nutshell, you pay a bi-monthly fee to have access to sales lists at various stores. The lists tell you how to combine coupons (which you've either kept from your Sunday paper or clipped online) to buy items at huge discounts, sometimes getting them for free. The idea is to build a stockpile of goods. This can take some time (and space). But once the stockpile is built, you'll have on hand what you need and it takes fewer purchases (which again, will be on sale) in the future to maintain what you keep at home.

Sounds doable. Hey, it's even called a "game." I like games. So right now we're in our 4-week free trial period. I'll report back to update you on my savings.

And what kind of savings can I expect? I have a friend whose been doing The Grocery Game for more than six years. He said to me, "If I don't save 40-50% off my groceries, I feel like a failure."

Combine savings like that and The Grocery Game's supposed ease of use and, by comparison, Sasquatch just got a little scarier.