Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Teri Gault, CEO of TheGroceryGame.com, which is a shopping system of collecting coupons and matching them to grocery store sales. Born out of Teri's passion for saving money and sharing her tips with friends and family, The Grocery Game can save a family of four up to 67% on their annual grocery bill.

Since it's the dead of winter in most areas of the country and my farmer's market seems lightyears away, I've been making the most of my grocery stores. As we all know, one trip to the grocery store can be an expensive venture — you go in for milk and you leave $80 later with fifteen things you don't need.

Not only was it fun to shop with someone who enjoys the grocery store as much as I do, Teri provided me (and you!) with some great tips that will help you be a better — and more budget conscious– shopper.

Using Teri's system we brought our grocery bill from $176 to less than $81[disclosure: i took a few of our grocery finds home with me but we donated the majority to a local food bank]. While you don't necessarily wind up purchasing your favorite brands of every item, you will get to try new things and discover different options that you might never have tried.

Throw away your shopping list. This may be counter intuitive, but this is why – It’s not about making  a list of what you’ve run out of. It’s about what you should be investing in, when it’s a great deal.

Buy the limit. When you see an item that is "10 for 10 dollars" you certainly don't need to buy 10 to get the deal (in most stores). But if you see a “limit 4’ for example, it is a good indicator of the very best deals, which are often called “loss leaders.” I know you don’t need 4 jars of peanut butter right now, but you will eventually, so stock up.

Hit the web before you hit the store.  Browse your local store websites as well as The Grocery Game, where you can access sales and unadvertised sales to help you match the best coupons with the best sales. If you're not a coupon clipper, this is how you can take advantage of the best sales at various stores in your area.

Find hidden organic coupons. Read the words on coupons, don’t just go by the picture. If you're like me and you like to purchase organic products when possible, this is a super-helpful tip. A coupon might say in the fine print “good on any," but pictures a non-organic product. If the manufacturer has organics in their line, you can probably use this coupon to save on organics.

Lose weight on veggies/fruit. Most supermarkets spray vegetables with water to keep them fresh.  When they’re priced by the pound, make sure they are dry. And if not, shake off excess water – water adds weight and increases the price. 

How do you avoid racking up grocery bills bigger than your paycheck?