Everyone wants to save on groceries but they don’t always have the time to clip coupons. I know that not everyone has the time to sit and sort through all of your coupons but you can still save on groceries without clipping coupons.
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I always search for what is on sale at the store every week and buy what is in season, that is a given. I was actually able to save an extra $500 on my groceries last year without clipping any coupons. All I needed was my smartphone.
There are three apps that I use to save on purchases that I make every time I go to the store. They are all easy to use and you don’t have to worry about forgetting your coupons when you get to the store. They are all free to sign up for and you do everything after you shop!
They all have the same idea: you upload a store receipt or link your store loyalty card and it will apply any savings that match your receipt.
The best part about them is that if there is a rebate for the same item on more than one app, you can use that same receipt on all three apps. If you have an actual coupon that you can use on your purchase at the store, you can use that too!
I have done this several times and I have actually made money off of buying an item!
Ibotta
Ibotta is my favorite money saving app out of all the ones I use. I actually saved $219 last year using this one app. When you sign up, you will get a $10 welcome bonus!
They have the best rebate offers, in my opinion. I love that they offer Any Brand rebates. They are usually 25 cents but you can use them on any brand you buy like: milk, ground beef, fresh produce, eggs, and more. Things you normally wouldn’t find coupons on.
New rebates are added every week so make sure you unlock the ones you want when you see them. You unlock a rebate by simply taking a multiple choice question or watching a super short video.
Ibotta offers many high value rebates on items like health and beauty, frozen items, clothing, spirits, and more.
When you have reached $20, you can cash out through Venmo or Paypal. You could also cash out for gift cards to a number of popular retailers.
My favorite Ibotta features:
- Teamwork: You can have people join your Ibotta Team, and when you reach a certain amount of rebates redeemed, the team will earn a cash bonus. The more friends on your team, the easier it is to earn your Teamwork bonuses, each and every month. If you sign up for Ibotta, you can join my team and we can earn bonuses faster together!
- Bonuses: Buy featured products, redeem items at specific retailers, or complete certain tasks, and you’ll unlock Bonuses and earn extra cash! There is an entire bonus section in the app that you can check.
- Rebates for Restaurants: I love the fact that they offer rebates for different restaurant chains and clothing stores that other apps just don’t offer.
Checkout 51
By using Checkout 51, I was able to save $62 last year. It is similar to Ibotta, in that you upload your receipt in order to get credit for the items you bought.
Unlike Ibotta, you don’t have to unlock any rebates. There are a certain amount of rebates available for each item so if you see one that you want, you need to upload your receipt as soon as possible.
When your account balance reaches $20, you can cash out and they will mail you a check.
My favorite Checkout 51 features:
- They always have a Pick your Offer where you can choose 1 of 5 fresh produce offers.
- Some of the rebates don’t have a limit of one so you can use the rebate on several items.
- New offers go live every Thursday so you know when to check the app for the new offers.
SavingStar
Last year I saved $262 by using SavingStar. I like the fact that you can link your store loyalty cards to the app so you don’t always have to submit your receipt, it will automatically add the savings to your account for you.
I have my store cards for Food Lion, CVS, and Rite Aid linked to my app.
You just go in and add the rebates that you want to your account by hitting the little plus sign under the offer, that’s it! There are new rebates added every Sunday.
I love that most of the offers also have the same amount that is available on a coupon so I can really double my savings. For example, last year they would usually have a $3/2 Dove shampoo offer the same time that there was a $3/2 coupon in the newspaper.
I used both on a purchase and got $6/2 Dove shampoos! It usually ended up making them free when I paired that with a sale. You don’t have to do all of that though, you can just use the SavingStar offer and still get a good deal!
My favorite SavingStar Features:
- Healthy Offer of the Week: They usually offer 20% off of a certain type of fresh produce each week.
- Freebie Friday: One Friday each month, they will offer a 100% cash back offer. It is usually for something like a candy bar or muffin mix.
- You only need $5 in your account to cash out. You can cash out to a bank account or PayPal account or donate to charity.
My Personal Tips for Using the Apps
These apps are so easy to use and can really save you a lot of money on things that you are going to be purchasing anyway. There are a few things you can do to make managing the apps easier on yourself. Here is what I do:
- Check the apps every week to see what is new. I always check SavingStar and Ibotta on Sunday and Checkout 51 on Thursdays and just make a mental note of what offers interest you.
- Check the offers again before you head out to the store to make sure they are still available. You don’t want to purchase something thinking you are going to get a rebate only to find that it is gone.
- Submit your rebates before you put away the groceries. I usually have Ibotta open while I am unpacking the groceries so that I can just scan the items as I am putting them away. This way I won’t forget about submitting my receipt, I do it right when I get home.
- Even if you don’t submit your receipt right away, do it by the end of the day. You have to submit your receipt while the rebates are still active so do it as soon as you can.
New App to Try this Year
I am currently trying the new money saving app, Paribus. I just downloaded it so I haven’t used it much but it seems like it could save the average online shopper a lot of money.
It’s free and quick to sign up. Its job is to find and get you money when your online purchases drop in price.
It works by identifying recent (past 90 days) purchases based on shipping and order confirmation emails found in your mailbox. Paribus then continuously monitors and compares price changes for these items in real time. Once an eligible claim is detected, Paribus engages with the retailer on your behalf and files a claim requesting a refund.
They do take a 25% fee from that refund but that is money you wouldn’t have anyway. You can actually get that percentage to drop when you recommend Paribus to your friends.
These are the easiest ways I save on groceries without clipping coupons. Just by submitting my receipts, I was able to save an extra $500 on my grocery bill.
That is money that can go into a vacation fund, savings account, or it can fuel your morning coffee run.
If you want to save even more on your grocery bill, check out:
5 Ways to Lower your Grocery Bill by 75%
The One Thing that made my Life Easier and my Family Healthier
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