If you’re grocery bill is starting to hurt your wallet, trust us, you are not alone! In this economy, we need to save money where we can, and saving on groceries is definitely at the top of our list. With that said, we want to share our 10 frugal grocery shopping tips so that you never pay full price for eggs and milk again. Remember, it’s all about shopping smarter, not harder!
Don’t wait until you are at the store to find out about sales. We personally use the FLIPP app. The app shows you all the deals for the week from your favorite stores! All you have to do Is select you favorite stores and boom, you now know where to get the cheapest meat or frozen foods for the week.
Loyalty doesn’t mean anything if you are not getting deals 24/7 from your local store. Out of all the frugal grocery shopping tips, we consider this the most overlooked one. Whether you shop at Vons, Ralphs, or Walmart, get their app for the best possible deals.
Now that you have all the apps downloaded, become a member for each one. Pretty much every app will give you some type of rewards/points for shopping at their store. Once you hit a certain amount of points, you’ll get a discount at checkout and/or free groceries! And, free stuff just tastes better.
Almost every grocery store app requires you to clip your coupon deals. Don’t be like us years ago when we thought that it just automatically gives you the deals. MAKE SURE to always clip that coup because that’s where you can get huge savings. 1-dollar Rockstars and 3-cent ramen? Yes please!
This is one of those tips that sound obvious, but with that said, do YOU write a grocery list every time you shop? If you don’t it’s time to start. Once the list is written, stick with it! Trust us when we tell you that this will reduce impulse buying. Your wallet (and possibly your waistline) will thank you.
Places like Vons give you rewards yes, but they also expire! Make sure to keep an eye on when they expire so that you are not losing out on getting a free 8pc chicken dinner or other goodies. Use your hard-earned rewards!
Avoid paying extra for name-brand items such as Nyquil or Excedrin when the store-brand items are equally effective but much cheaper. Here are some of the big ones that are always our go-to:
Ibotta is hands down the best discount app while shopping at the grocery store. On the app, simply find offers on what you plan to buy, submit your receipt and Ibotta will give you cash! When your total reaches $20, you can cash out. Simple as that.
We only recommend a dedicated grocery card if you get a great cash-back percentage. Personally, we use a Capital One Savor for the 3% cash back and there’s no annual fee. They also offer a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. We can’t stress this enough, only do this if you have credit card discipline and pay the amount in full every month.
Once you are finally home from your grocery shopping, use the Fetch app to scan your receipt. Once scanned, you accumulate points that can be used for gift cards to your favorite stores. Personally, we get a kick out of buying items that give “bonus points” but maybe we are just savings nerds.
Why do we do this? Well, this is your reminder to not shop hungry! Not only do we impulse buy more, but we also tend to get the bad (good) stuff like chips and candy. Save the health of your body and wallet by not shopping while ravenous.
We know seeing all the steps to saving money on groceries can be a lot, but we promise the effort is worth it. Here is the simple breakdown of our frugal grocery shopping tips before a trip:
One of the biggest bills that we all must pay (or we will die) is what we spend on food. Once you start having this shopping routine, not only will it become second nature, but you can also even start looking forward to going to the grocery store. Small steps can lead to big savings, so why not give it a shot? Save Sensei out!
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