The Grocery Game - First Attempt

I finally got talked in to trying The Grocery Game. You can get a month's trial for free, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I've been very hesitant about trying TGG because you have to pay to get the information. There's so much out there that's free, and since the point is to save money, I didn't want to spend money.

So, I signed up late last week. First of all, the lists go up on Friday, with a final list on Sunday after the coupons for the week are released. This allows for a list that contains unadvertised specials, not just the flyer specials, which is what the free sites have. The list is color coded to indicate which items are free after coupon, good deals and decent deals. It also includes original price, sales price, how many to buy, coupon match and percentage off.

I headed down to the local Harris Teeter this morning, list in hand. How did I do? Well, my end savings weren't much more than usual. However, I bought an absolute ton of groceries for $108, and my weekly budget is $120. I've got so much stuff to put in the stockpile I've been dreading it all day. The $108 also includes items I don't normal buy at the store unless I can get them for a steal like Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, etc.

TGG took a lot of the thinking out of the process for me today, and I appreciate that. If I think about what I would have bought this week without the list, I would probably have spent the same amount and got less stuff. I wouldn't have known that I could get a bag of steamfresh veggies for free, or a strip of yeast for free.

Right now, my monthly budget for groceries is $480 for my family of four. I'm trying very hard to get it down to $400. I'll update and let you all know if TGG is the secret to getting it down for us.

I've gone Deceptively Delicious

Yep, I've done it. I'm two years late to the party. And I've been taken in by none other than Jessica Seinfeld. Yes, I have issues with how she and Jerry Seinfeld married. I don't advocate getting married then wanting a divorce by the time you go on your honeymoon, then quickly marrying someone else. But no one asked me........

I was at the library a week ago and saw her cookbook. Again. I'd tried The Sneaky Chef but really didn't like it at all. I browsed Deceptively Delicious (hereafter called DD), and I decided to give it a shot. If you aren't familiar with the concept, you make a bunch of fruit and veggie pures and sneak them into food where people can't tell that they are there. Since me and E Belle are about the only veggie eaters in the house, I've been looking for ways to up our veggie intake.

I got home and pureed the almost 100% brown bananas sitting on my cabinet. The next day, I made the DD French Toast. What a hit!! Little Man and E Belle couldn't get enough. And it was soooo easy.

So I roasted some sweet potatoes and steamed some carrots, then pureed them. Now, I hate carrots. I despise carrots. I sometimes call them the Food of the Devil. No joke. I hate them that much. But if I don't know I'm eating them, then I'll do it.

I have since made chili (pureed carrot), applesauce muffins (pureed carrot) and Greek dip (pureed chickpeas and artichokes). And you know what? They've all been a success. What I like about her recipes versus The Sneaky Chef is that her recipes are, well, normal. I'd try just about all of the recipes if I could. Nothing out of the ordinary. No crazy ingredients other than some of the veggies. The recipes just read as if they make good food.

The cookbook has its detractors, and I think some of the criticism comes from people who haven't read it. Even when you're sneaking in the veggies and fruits, you don't leave them off the plate on their own, either. It's just another way to get some good nutrients in our bodies. You still should be serving veggies on the side, but you don't have to worry so much if your kiddos aren't eating all of their green veggies when you've got some stashed inside. It's also only deceptive if you make it that way - I don't hide what's in there from my kids. And finally, some say cooking DD is a lot of work for a little benefit. When you're only putting 1/2 cup of a veggie into something that serves 8, that doesn't break down to a lot per serving. But it's something. It's more than they were getting. And sometimes the veggies can sub for something in the recipe for something not so healthy, like using sweet fruits to replace some sugars or using veggies to thicken instead of something like corn starch.

And how is this frugal? Well, I found a use for those bananas instead of trashing them! Also, I've spent so much money on veggies that never make it into our bodies. This way, there's less veggie waste. I'm at least using what I'm buying. You can also use frozen veggies instead of fresh without sacrificing on taste or cooking prep, and that's a savings.

Of course, we don't eat DD every night, but I'm definitely sold on the concept!