Grocery Apps 101

I thought feeding my husband was tough enough, but then I had two boys who apparently got their dad’s garbage disposal gene.  My love for couponing began when my husband and I were financially strapped and had our first son.  I decided I needed to switch from nursing to formula (for many personal reasons).  This added a huge expense to our budget along with the new expenses of daycare and diapers.  Fast forward to 2023 and we have a third hungry child and inflation is at an all-time high. The good news- saving money on groceries is easier than ever with a smartphone.  The hardest part:  taking 3 minutes after your shop to earn some money back!  Priorities!!

All you need:  your receipt and a smartphone.

In a nutshell, I save my receipt and as soon as possible, take pictures of the receipt using the following apps.

1.  Coinout  This app is great b/c you just snap a pic of your receipt and immediately get pennies back!  Even better…it’s not just for groceries!!!  Use this for gas, store, and restaurant receipts too!
2. Fetch Rewards Another quick scan and you earn points towards gift cards!  I use the gift cards to buy Christmas gifts or more groceries!  Use code B1CFG and get 500 points after your first receipt!
3. Ibotta Ok so this can get addicting. I find myself checking this app BEFORE I go to the store as I make up my list b/c then I can save even more money.  You scan your receipt and choose which offers you can use from items you bought. Ibotta is great because it also always has “any items” where you don’t have to buy a specific brand to get money back and even regularly offers cashback on produce!  While I use this for more gift cards for online shopping… my good friend has now embraced Ibotta and recently saved the money for her family’s spending vacation cash!!  They also do bonuses for even more cashback when you buy so many items in a given period.  You can use Ibotta for online shopping as well, to get cashback, as long as you go through the app! Use code uoenvnr and earn $5 when you submit your first receipt!
4. Checkout 51 Another app that allows you to upload your receipt after shopping and check the items you bought for cashback.  (I also like to match this up with my list…sometimes an item I need is on both Ibotta and Checkout 51 cha-ching!!). New to Checkout 51 is gas savings!
5. Coupons.com Check the items and when you buy one, the amount ends up in your PayPal account, or another method of your choice.

To make life a little easier, I put all of the apps in a “finance” menu on my smartphone so they are all there ready for me to start scanning after a shopping trip!  Start saving for your next vacation, Christmas fund, or grocery store trip right now!!  Happy scanning!