How to save money on your very next trip to the grocery store
What do you need to do if you want to save money on your very next trip to the grocery store? I’ve got some tips for you!
The first thing you need to look at is WHERE you are shopping. If you want to get the maximum amount of savings out of your next trip to the store, then you’re going to want to shop at a store that has BUY ONE GET ONE FREE offers. Publix is my favorite. Winn Dixie and Kroger also have BOGO sales. Other stores near you may also structure their sales this way. Walmart does not and for that reason, I’m just not a big fan of shopping at Walmart. (And also because they have the distraction of all the other merchandise to throw you off budget. Target is this way also; however, they do have more opportunities for deals than Walmart does.)
So pick the store near you that has BOGO sales and find their sales flyer for the week. You are going to have to make a LIST. Write down all the BOGO items that your family consumes or that you can use for a meal. If money is super tight, then just stick to the items you need right away and just get one BOGO item, or two if you can. Remember – a BOGO item rings up HALF PRICE when you just buy one. If your budget allows, get enough of the BOGO items to last you a month (most things will cycle back around on sale within a month. There are some exceptions and as you start to pay attention, you’ll learn how many of a BOGO you need to get to last you until it’s on sale again.)
After you’ve made your list of BOGOs, check the other sales in the ad and add to your list anything on sale that you need. And then add to your list anything you know you need that wasn’t in the sales flyer. Stick to food items when at all possible because personal care products, paper goods, etc, tend to be too high at grocery stores unless they’re BOGO.
Next, you’re going to want to make sure you have the APP for the store you’re shopping at. Go through the DIGITAL COUPONS in the app and clip the ones that match the items on your list. Make a note for any that you need to buy more than one of to use the coupon (for example a $2.00 off 2 coupon will only work if you purchase two of the items.) Digital coupons are limited to one use. They will only apply to your order one time. Using coupons on sale items is what we call stacking savings.
Here’s a rundown on using digital coupons through the Publix app.
Now, we’re going to check out the REBATE APPS for more savings. You can check out this post for a deep dive on coupon and rebate apps.
If you’re overwhelmed this first time then I suggest just ONE rebate app and that would be IBOTTA. That is definitely the one you need to start with. Download Ibotta and go through it just like you did the store app, matching offers to what’s on your list, checking quantity requirements, and “clipping” them in the app. Also, sometimes, Ibotta offers can be redeemed multiple times. So if a really good offer has a limit of 5, make sure to note on your list to get five of that item! It’s okay if you also have a coupon for the same item – in fact that’s the goal! If you have an item on your list that you have a $.50 coupon for and Ibotta is also offering $.50 cash back – then you will save a total of $1.00 on that item! Ibotta gives you CASH BACK after purchase. So these savings will not happen at the register.
Also look for FREE and BOGO offers in the Ibotta app Make sure you add those items to your list also.
A tip about FREE Ibotta offers – if an item is FREE after Ibotta, GET IT! Even if it’s something you won’t use (you can always find someone to give it to or donate it!) You will get the FULL purchase price of that item in cash back from Ibotta AND redeeming the free offer counts toward bonus goals. If you have a $5 bonus for purchasing 12 items, getting that free item will count towards the 12 items need to get an extra FREE $5.00! See more about Ibotta bonuses here.
Also, before you head to the store, go ahead and download Fetch Rewards. (Be sure to put in NJ0MU (that’s a zero in the middle) when it asks for a referral code. You’ll get 1500 extra points!) You do not have to check it before you shop if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Go ahead and shop and after you’re done, scan your receipt with the Fetch app. You’ll get easy points just for scanning your receipt and if you happened to purchase anything that has a special offer, Fetch will match it automatically.
And download Receipt Hog also. All you do is scan your receipt. That’s it. No offers to match, no need to check it before you shop. Just get in a habit of scanning all your receipts with Receipt Hog.
If you aren’t completely overwhelmed, here are some other apps to try before you head to the store:
- Checkout51 – works at any store – just check to be sure there aren’t any retailer restrictions on certain offers. Some can only be redeemed at select stores. This is a slower earning app but worthwhile to have and check before you shop. It’s a good one for Walmart shoppers because there are usually quite a few Walmart only offers.
- Shopkick – works with Target, Publix, and other retailers. Redeem offers to earn points you can then redeem for gift cards. This one requires a smartphone. Be sure to open the app in the store to see if you can get “Walk-in Kicks” – points just for being in the store! As well as extra points for scanning items in the store – even if you don’t buy them!
There you have it! Give it a try and come back and tell me how you did!
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