How to Make Money At the Grocery

Grocery shopping is one thing I dread each week... It’s not because I don’t like picking out meals for the week or dealing with the lines, but the dang prices! Food has become so expensive (especially in Florida).  I’ve always been conscious about prices and never been one to need the name-brands, but now that I’m doing the majority of our grocery shopping I hunt for the store-brands and always hit up the clearance! 
Now, I’ve never been great with paper coupons.  Either I clip them and forget them or I try to print them before leaving and long-behold, out of ink.  Thankfully our technological universe seems to sympathize my short-comings.  I’d like to introduce you to a few friends of mine... that reimburse me for buying groceries! (Note: These are all smartphone apps that must be downloaded.  You will not be introduced to any of my actual friends.)

1) RECEIPT HOG-  This app does its job AFTER you shop.  Once you have your receipt, all you have to do is open your "Receipt Hog" app, snap a picture of the receipt, and wait! That’s it! The app will process your receipt and you'll receive coins based on how much you spent.  After you receive 1,000 "coins" you can cash that in for money through PayPal or even an Amazon gift card! 

Grocery receipts aren’t the only receipts that you can "snap" either.  If you go shopping for clothes or home decor, "snap" your receipt! Some receipts give you "spins" instead of coins.  With a "spin", you play a slot machine to try and win coins!  It’s a convenient and fun way to get money back doing the grocery shopping you do anyway!

2) WAL-MART SAVINGS CATCHER-  If you shop at Wal-Mart you NEED this App!  After downloading and singing up, you’ll go to the "Savings Catcher" section on your main screen.  Similar to Receipt Hog, you simply "snap" a picture of your receipt and submit it.  Then, Wal-Mart looks over your receipt, comparing it with other deals in other stores and if they catch a cheaper bargain somewhere else, they give you a store credit for the difference!  They do all the work for you! 

These next three are very similar but they have different deals.  I use all three, but based on my experience, I have earned the most using “Check 51.”  This doesn't mean you should only use one app, maximize your savings by using all three!

3) CHECK 51- On this App, after downloading, first look through the offers to see if what you bought matches up with any of the available offers. It is also helpful to glance the deals before you go shopping to see if certain brands will give you money back.  Once you have your receipt, "snap" a picture of it using the app.  After doing this a list of offers they have will appear again.  Go through the offers and check the box of all the items that are on your receipt.  After the receipt processes, you will get a credit for that amount of money.  You can’t cash out until you reach a balance of $20.  That may seem like a lot, but on this app you will get credit for weekly necessities like milk and eggs.  "Check" it out for yourself! (See what I did there?)

4) SNAP BY GROUPON-  As with "Check 51", first look through the offers to see if what you already bought matches up with any of the available offers for the week.  Once you have your receipt, take a picture of it through the app.  If you have a long receipt, it asks you to take pictures of it in sections so they can process it easier.  Upload the receipt and it will take you to a page full of the available offers. Go through and check each offer that can be validated with your receipt.  Submit it and it will process it usually within 24 hours.  Your account will be credited for the appropriate amount. 

5) IBOTTA- Ibotta is a bit different.  After downloading, look through the list of offers before you shop so you know how much money you may get back by purchasing particular brands.  Once done shopping, look again through the offers.  Each offer has to be unlocked.  Sometimes you have to learn a fact (simply read a fast they give you) or make you watch a video to unlock it.  They are all very simple to unlock, and once you’ve unlocked and selected all your items, it will ask you to verify your purchase. You will "snap" a picture of the barcode of each product to verify it as a valid offer.  Then you snap a picture of the receipt to verify you bought it.  You then submit it, they process it, and within 24 hours it gives you the appropriate amount.

Hope this helps makes grocery shopping a little less stressful knowing there is hope that you won’t break the bank getting cereal!  Comment with how you like or dislike the apps, and if you have any questions, go ahead and ask!