My name is Amanda, and I am a recovering Crazy Coupon Lady. My overflowing 5-inch zippered coupon binder (with strap!) was so big and heavy the air bag sensor thought it was a person if I happened to put it on a seat. True story.
Since I became more of a hippie and less excited about using coupons to buy things I didn’t use, I’ve seen and tried several ways to save money at the grocery store. Lately, my routine has involved the use of 3 free apps. This takes less than 5 minutes after each trip and I have earned many gift cards!
3 Apps to Save Money at the Grocery Store
1. When I return from my shopping, I log on to Receipt Hog and upload a picture of the receipt. As you upload pictures consistently, you earn coins that can be traded in for PayPal cash or Amazon gift cards.
2. Next, I log on to the ibotta app, and I look through the rebates available for where I shop. There is usually at least one rebate I can use. They always have rebates on fresh produce! *Note: I intentionally do not look at the ibotta rebates before shopping, as I don’t want to buy something just to make money back.* Money is given in gift card form, or paid to a PayPal account. Sign up now and get an instant $10 when you redeem your first rebate!
3. Finally, if I shopped at Walmart, I head over to my Walmart app and scan the receipt code. The app searches the Internet to check for the best prices, and gives me back the difference if they find a better price. I have easily made over $20 just by this practice. The money is given in Walmart e-gift cards, which can be kept on your phone and scanned at the register.
Be on the lookout for stores with their own apps, as typically they have online coupons available. Target, for instance, has the Cartwheel app, and once you choose a coupon it is automatically added to your “cart” and all coupons are applied instantly with the scan of the bar code from your phone.
While none of these will get me the savings of extreme couponing, I’m making great choices for my family and I get to save money without the hassle of clipping coupons!
Originally published January 26, 2017