I’m all about saving money, whether it’s on a Disney vacation or in my day-to-day life. I love sharing my tips and tricks on how to save money. And with the advances in technology over the last few decades, saving money is easier than with apps to save money on groceries.
Our Phones
Over the last decade, smartphones have grown in popularity so much that they are now a basic life necessity for millions of people.
Smartphones are no longer used just for communication but have transformed the way people live their lives through the millions of applications (or apps) offered through app stores. Apps range in category from games, health trackers, appliance connectivity, directions, and maps, to cost saving apps. These cost saving apps are great for users of any demographic looking to cut costs on their day-to-day expenses, including groceries.
Saving money on groceries at Disney World is one thing. But what about saving money on groceries at home? As food costs continue to rise and salaries remain stagnant, these grocery savings apps are a great download for everyone.
The downside to the growth of apps is the number of offerings we are presented with. There are so many apps to choose from! It can be tough to sort through all of them, which is why I’ve done it for you!
Saving Money on Groceries 101
Before we get into apps that we can use to save money on groceries, I want to go through two main tips when you’re grocery shopping and don’t want to overspend.
- Don’t go hungry. Most people know this already but we all do it anyway. Don’t go to the supermarket when you’re hungry, fasting, detoxing, etc. You will end up buying things you don’t need. These items are most likely to go to waste.
- Don’t go at all. With these apps to save on groceries, you can save a trip to the grocery store and avoid temptation. We will discuss further.
Apps to Save Money on Groceries
1) Walmart Grocery Pick Up
Alongside the coupon and other saving, the Walmart Grocery Pick Up App has taken my grocery store savings to the next level. I’m not kidding… But let me tell you why.
Creating a list, and having someone pick it for your allows ultimate control. Control that you don’t have when you’re passing all the yummy foods, and deals. As well as all those foods that create recipe ideas in your head so you have to buy it.
When you’re buying groceries on the app, you get to sort by price. Something you can’t do too efficiently at the store. Want precooked bacon? Get yourself the best deal. This is service is also free.
I use Walmart grocery pick up almost exclusively. It saves me a ton of time and even more money. In fact, I had some free time during a long weekend and decided to go grocery shopping at a local market, I spent $70 on nothing. I can’t even tell you what I bought but I can tell you that I still had to do a grocery pick up that week.
I know that some of my readers won’t have a Walmart nearby, and if that’s you I can promise you that there is somewhere nearby that does grocery pickup/delivery.
Sign up for Walmart Grocery Pick up.
2) Walmart Savings Catcher
The Walmart Savings Catcher is one of my top grocery saving apps to use. If a local competitor offers a lower advertised price on an eligible item purchased at a Walmart store, Walmart will refund you the difference. These gift cards can be used both in-store and at Walmart.com. It’s pretty easy to use:
- First, use Walmart Pay to purchase your items at your participating Walmart store.
- Within 7 days, submit your eReceipt to the Savings Catcher.
- The Savings Catcher compares the prices of the eligible items you purchased at Walmart to the advertised prices found in the weekly ads of top retailers in your geographic area.
- If the Savings Catcher finds an advertised price that is lower than what you paid for the same exact item at Walmart, you will get back the difference within a week in the form of a Walmart e-gift card.
- You know what you can do with Walmart gift cards? Buy Disney gift cards of course!
Download the app:
3) Key Ring
Just about every store has a loyalty card that can be used to score store-specific deals. But all those loyalty cards can take up a lot of space in your wallet or on your key ring. And I don’t know about you but I am constantly forgetting which phone number I used to sign up with. That’s where Key Ring comes in. Key Ring stores all of your loyalty cards in one, easy to find place. When checking out, just pull up the Key Ring App and have the cashier scan the barcode. It’s that easy!
With this, you can always get the best deals at the store with little to no effort.
Download the app:
4) Ibotta
Ibotta is a great app for saving on groceries. Instead of clipping coupons, Ibotta offers you cash back rebates for performing certain tasks such as sharing a coupon code to Facebook or watching a sponsored video. When you’re ready to shop, just choose which rebate you would like to receive and shop as normal. Then, you’ll scan your receipt after your purchase and Ibotta will send you the rebate within a few days.
Download the app:
iTunes
5) Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is a rebate app, similar to Ibotta. You perform the same types of tasks, shop as normal, scan your receipt, and earn cash back. Checkout 51 adds up to 30 new rebate offers a week. The difference between the two apps is that through Checkout 51, if you find similar offers on both apps (Ibotta and Checkout 51) for the same product, you can claim both. Double the savings!
Download the app:
6) Grocery Pal
Grocery Pal is a coupon app that allows you to create grocery lists and compare prices. You can also review weekly ads from the local grocery store. The best feature on this app is that you can share your grocery lists. That means when your partner is shopping, he or she can pull up your list and find what they need on demand.
Download the app:
7) Coupon Sherpa
Coupon Sherpa collects coupons from all kinds of stores and restaurants and enables you to redeem in store. New coupons are added daily. No need to sign up for newsletters or worry about leaving coupons at home. They’re always with you!
Download the app:
8) Shopkick
Shopkick is one of the better-known apps for saving money. When you near a store, you automatically earn Kickbucks, which can be used to earn free rewards. Shopkick also allows you to search coupons through their app for extra savings!
Download the app:
9) Favado
The Favado app allows you to compare grocery prices across your local stores, finds the best sales and coupon combinations, and automatically alerts you when your items go on sale. Using Favado can help save you up to 70% on your favorite grocery items. It also allows users to create a shopping list based on current store sales.
Download the app:
10) mySupermarket
mySupermarket is like having a grocery store in your hand. The app compares prices on your items across 8 top retailers and sends you price alerts and savings suggestions based on your items. Through mySupermarket, you can compare and save up to 30% on your groceries. The best feature is that the mySupermarket app can fulfill your order with multiple retailers through one easy online payment.
Download the app:
11) SnipSnap
SnipSnap is great for fans of traditional coupons (also a really fun name to say). SnipSnap turns your physical coupons into digital ones. All you have to do is snap a photo of your coupon and the app converts it into a scannable barcode. No more stopping in each aisle to search your coupon holder. You can even share coupons with friends!
Download the app:
12) Coupons.com
You’ve probably heard of Coupons.com and there’s a good reason why. Both online and through the app store, Coupons.com provides a simple way to select all the coupons you want at the tap of a button and print them right at home. You can search by grocery store, brand or item to find the best deals.
Download the app:
13) Southern Savers
Southern Savers is an app started by a mom who was looking for ways for her family to save on food costs. Through her methods, she saved her family over $400 in food expenses every month. She created Southern Savers to help other people do the same. Southern Savers doesn’t just give you coupons to use and redeem but teaches you how you can stack savings through store promotions and multiple coupons.
Download the app:
14) Ebates
Ebates is great for all consumers. It allows users to earn cash back at the stores where you shop. You can earn as much as 25% cash back from over 1500 retailers. Best of all, new users get a free $10 gift card just for signing up!
Download the app:
15) Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is an app where you earn coins that can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. It’s a simple process. All you have to do is take a picture of your receipt to earn coins. Receipt Hog accepts receipts from many major retailers including Safeway, Costco, Kroger, and Walmart.
Download the app:
16) Target Cartwheel
Target Cartwheel shows you weekly discounts on items throughout the Target stores. You can save up to 50% on your favorite items. The Target specific app allows you to stack your savings plus use coupons from other sites like Coupons.com for even more savings.
Download the app:
17) SavingStar
SavingStar is one of the original coupon savings apps and is connected with all of the major grocery store chains. After linking your loyalty cards, deals are automatically redeemed at the register and appear on your receipt. There’s no scanning, clipping, printing, or entering information. It’s incredibly simple and flexible for anyone looking to save money.
Download the app:
The overall key to saving money on groceries is to compare prices and always be on the lookout for great deals. It may take a little extra time, but the savings potential is certainly worth it. There’s a reason extreme couponers are so successful.
Some other helpful tips for saving money on groceries include:
- Make a grocery list and stick to it.
- Get creative with the food you have on hand. There are some great websites out there that will give you recipes based on the ingredients in your kitchen right now! This website is a great place to start.
- Don’t buy more than you need. Sometimes, grocery stores will offer multiple item sales, like 10 for $10. You don’t always need to buy 10 items to get the discount. You can take advantage of that discount at whatever amount you’d like!
- Most importantly, don’t ever grocery shop when you’re hungry! Learn from my mistake on this one. I mention it again because it’s that important.
Have you tried any of these grocery savings apps? What’s your favorite? Let me know! I’d love to hear about it!
Sherry
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
I have used Checkout 51 and Ebates but not for a while. I definitely need to start using these apps more. Using Walmart pickup would save me a lot of money. I buy things I don't need when I shop in person so often.
Celebrate Woman Today
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
You just inspired me to try some of these apps. Most of the time, I do not get any savings from these apps, as they usually serve coupons for the products we do not eat or use in our household. But a couple of the apps on your list could be helpful. I just need to try them. Thank you!
keikilani
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
I haven't heard of several of these apps. With 8 in our family, I need all the money saving tricks and tips for our grocery budget!
Jennifer
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
I use the ibotta app and the Walmart savings catcher app. I’ve been able to save quite a bit of money doing that!
Ruth I
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
These are so helpful! I'd love to save more when buying groceries. Thank you for this list.