The Grocery Game - Unexpected Benefits

I posted last week about The Grocery Game. Since then, I've come to believe it's the smartest move ever!

The Investment
Cash
Each week, I spend $2.35 on a double edition of the Sunday Atlanta Journal Constitution. This gives me two sets of the week's coupons. The cost of the website is $20 every 8 weeks ($10 for the first store and $5 for each additional). So, for the service, I spend $2.50 or $.83 per store per week.
Total expense per week: $4.85

Time
I spend 30 minutes reviewing the list for each store on the Grocery Game website and checking the boxes of the items I'll be purchasing. I choose the option of hiding all of the items I'm not choosing, as well as all supplemental notes on the page, and print the pages.
Then, I get out the coupons and spend an hour organizing them. This includes:
-Labeling the current week's packet of coupons with the date they came out
-Clipping the coupons* for each grocery list I printed
-Putting the coupons and the list in the envelope**
Total Planning time: 1.5 hours

*I only clip the coupon when I need it. It's incredibly simple to keep up with and makes life easier, as all of the coupons on the Grocery Game are listed with the date and circular that the coupons came from. Instead, I write the date of the circular on the front and then use a large rubberband from the newspaper to hold the stack of circulars, then file them in date order when I'm finished clipping.
** I use one envelope for each store so I don't have to dig through the coupons as I shop. I know exactly what I have with me and exactly what I'm buying, so I only have to take the coupons out at the checkout line.

Shopping
The Publix and Kroger are across the street from one another. The CVS is on my way ho me. So, I stop at Publix first, drive across the street to Kroger, then hit CVS on the way home. I make one small circle and there is no running all over town.
Total Shopping Time: 1.5 hours, including driving.

Special note on the shopping time: I now shop with lists, so I don’t forget anything. I no longer have to stop at the store during the week, which saves me about an hour or so every week. This evens out the planning/clipping time completely.

The Benefits
Cash
Between the sales, the coupons, gas, and not stopping the store during the week to pick up random things and adding impulse buys, I save about $100 - $150 a week.

UPROMISE
SO many of the name brand items that I have coupons for are also UPromise items. These are things I would never buy the name brands of before it was exceptionally more affordable. (Rice A Roni for $.12 a box this week.) Not only do I get the food at insanely low prices, but I get a percentage of the original price applied to the children’s UPromise accounts.

School Donation
Another benefit of being able to buy name brand items at incredibly low prices are the Boxtops For Education labels. A good percentage of items I have coupons for have these labels. Our PTA program receives $.10 for every Boxtop redeemed. This is not a direct benefit to me, but it definitely helps out our children.

Other Donations
There are, often times, coupons and sale prices that combine to make the price of the items FREE. Except that, some of these free items, no matter how great, are not a good fit for our family. Diapers, Formula, and Cat Food are not items we will ever need. Wes is allergic to cats, and our baby days are far long gone. Rather than let these deals go to waste, I go ahead and get the free items and donate them to animal and people shelters. If one wanted to work the system, these donations are tax deductible at market value. I haven’t done this, but if it turns out that I make enough of these donations, I may just go for it.

I'm sure I'll post about this again, as I get ramped up. But, let me just say that my freezer and pantry are filling up. There is less money going out the door for food. My children are loving the variety of new things I'm stocking, and I'm saving enough money that I don't have to scrimp when it comes to rising food prices on fruit, milk, eggs, and meat.