10 Ways To Maximize Your Grocery Savings (Forbes Review)

Ever wondered if saving on a small scale can make a meaningful difference? Are coupons and grocery apps really worth the time they take for the pennies you could save? That all depends on your spending habits.

With more and more people cooking at home and altering their shopping habits during the COVID-19 crisis, managing the weekly grocery budget has taken on a new importance. If your food budget is tight, now is an ideal time to reevaluate your grocery purchasing habits. According to the USDA, Americans spent 9.5% of their discretionary income on food in 2019. While only 4.9% was spent on food consumed at home in 2019, that percentage is likely to be much higher for 2020.

How Do Small-Scale Savings Add Up?

The Department of Agriculture estimates a family of four with elementary school-aged children spends $895 to $1,114 per month for a low- to moderate-cost food budget. If your spending falls significantly below the USDA estimates, your savings may already be maximized. For others, reductions in this category could make a big impact in monthly household budgets.

If you’re ready to give money-saving grocery apps and other in-store strategies a try, first consider the pros and cons:

Pros

• Paying less for items you already purchase
• Earning rewards for your regular spending
• Finding additional money to allocate to other expenses

Cons

• A time-consuming process
• Temptation to buy nonessentials
• Required release of personal information

Using Grocery Rebate Apps

Before you reach for your smartphone and head out the door (or online), take a moment to understand how grocery rebate apps actually work.

The Basics

In general, grocery rebate apps make money through affiliate partnerships. As opposed to traditional marketing, the return on investment with these apps is relatively high. The app is designed to incentivize customers to buy a product, and rebates are only paid out when purchases are verified.

Not every download you try will work for you. Some apps lack sufficient compensation for the brands you buy. Many may be way more trouble than they are worth for your shopping style. Start by trying out several options and continue with one or two that fit your lifestyle.

The primary benefit of grocery rebate apps is that they can be used in addition to store coupons. Since the rebate is processed after the transaction, digital and paper coupons can be applied in the store and you can claim the additional rebate once you’re home.

Information Privacy Disclosures

Read the privacy disclosures. These companies typically share aggregated data or personal information with third parties for marketing research. Ensure that you are comfortable with the information you are providing.

Some apps allow you to black out line items or encourage you to refrain from uploading receipts with personal purchases. In most cases, if you use a grocery store loyalty card, similar information is already being collected on your purchasing habits.

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Earning Rewards

After a shopping trip, you will scan your merchandise or receipt to earn points for sponsored items or brands. Depending on the app you use, this process may ask for additional information about your shopping experience. Some apps allow you to passively earn points at select stores by uploading a credit card.

4 Helpful Shopping Apps

Here are four shopping apps that can help you save money on your next grocery shopping trip—whether it’s online or in person.

Fetch

Fetch automatically credits your account when you buy specific brands. It is easy to use: You simply take a picture of your receipt. It offers fewer participating brands than the other apps on this list, so Fetch may not be worth your time if you’re not loyal to the brands they represent. The app requires very little time to upload the data, so if you end up committing to another option, Fetch might be worth doing in conjunction with that option.

Ibotta

With Ibotta, you’ll earn cash back for purchases made at most grocery retailers. You can add offers before you shop or scan an item in the store to determine its eligibility. Once you make your purchases, you submit a picture of your receipt and scan each item’s barcode to verify the purchase. Often you can earn from 50 cents to $2 back per item.

Keep an eye out for bonuses of $3, $5 or $10 when you redeem a select number of offers during a specific period. These bonuses can really add up, but be careful not to buy unnecessary items just to earn the incentives.

Ibotta also lets you earn cash back from other online retailers where you already shop. You can book travel, shop online or even pay through the app to earn cash back or a discount on the purchase.

National Consumer Panel

NCPMobile, or the National Consumer Panel, requires the most effort. It asks you to scan each item in your purchase and provide some additional info about the method of payment and store promotions. However, if you scan a purchase each week, you’ll earn increasingly more weekly points as time goes by. If you are loyal to this app, you can earn points on anything you buy including apparel, gas, doctor visits and much more.

You also will be asked to participate in a survey for the opportunity to earn points and be entered to win a sweepstakes.

Shopkick

Shopkick allows you to scan items in the store with no purchase necessary to earn points or kicks. Obviously, the goal is to get you to spend more time in the store, look for items you may not normally buy and potentially add those items to your cart. However, if you have time on your hands, this is an easy way to earn more “kicks.”

You also can check in where you shop to earn kicks just for being at the store. Another added benefit is that Shopkick allows you to earn passive points. When you shop at selected retailers and make your purchase with a linked credit card, you automatically earn kicks for each dollar you spend.

Read More: 5 Money-Saving Apps and Browser Extension for Online Shopping 

6 More Ways to Save on Groceries

Grocery Store Loyalty Cards

Download the loyalty app for your most frequently shopped stores. You can avoid clipping coupons and add the discounts directly to your loyalty card. Savings are then automatically applied at the time of purchase. Your app also may tailor your coupon offers to products you’ve previously purchased.

Many grocery chains indicate available coupons in the aisle in order to increase sales. You can download applicable savings while you shop. If your store offers combination savings such as buy five, save $5, the app can help you plan your purchase to maximize these sales. You also can earn fuel points for discounts at the pump if your grocery chain has a gas station affiliate.