How I Save Money On Groceries

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I don't know about you, but I have such a hard time spending money on groceries. They just seem to be getting more and more expensive! It's not easy to see your money disappear for something that only lasts a little while, so I thought I'd share with you how I save the most money possible on groceries for my little family!

Meal Planning

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I wrote a whole post on How I Meal Plan that you can find HERE. It is one of the biggest and best ways to save money on groceries. It allows me to only buy the exact ingredients I need for the week and nothing more. Yes, I buy some extras, but for the most part, by limiting myself to only what I need, I save myself those frequent trips back to the store, thus saving money!

Aldi

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Aldi is my favorite grocery store of all time! By sticking to private labels, minimalistic packaging, and a "bag  your own groceries" policy, Aldi is able to immensely cut down the prices of their items while still providing efficient customer service and quality products. There are very few things that I won't buy at Aldi. Their generic products are often made in the same factory as the brand name contender but with a different label slapped on it. Did you know they are the sister company to Trader Joe's? What's not to love?!


Store Apps

There's literally an app for everything these days, and I am not complaining! Many grocery stores are now jumping on the app train, including Target's Cartwheel and Walmart's Savings Catcher. Let me break these down for you:

Cartwheel
Fill your unique barcode with any of the deals you see and like. Scan the barcode at the register. Save! It's so so simple! If you're in a hurry and don't have time to browse the deals, just scan your items before checkout and it will tell you if there is a deal available for that item. The more you save, the more spots you earn to add to your barcode.

See my full post on How To Save TONS of Money at Target HERE.

Savings Catcher 
Walmart is generally one of those one-stop shops and while it's really my least favorite place to get groceries, their Savings Catcher app makes it a little easier to bear. Simply purchase what you want at Walmart and scan the QR code at the bottom of your receipt onto the app.
 It will cross match it with tons of other stores in your area to find comparable deals and if something you bought at Walmart is cheaper at say, Dollar Tree, they'll send you the difference in the form of a Walmart gift card! I have used this on several occasions when I've known an item was cheaper somewhere else, but didn't want to make a separate trip. It's a great way to earn money you didn't even know you were missing!

Paper Coupons

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Some people hate clipping coupons. I have never minded it. If something that takes me 10 seconds to cut out will save me $1.00 on something I already need, why not, right? I'm no extreme couponer, but I do take advantage of coupons when I have them. I usually find them in magazines, newspaper fillers like Red Plum, and attached to products I've already purchased.

Target sometimes pops them out with your receipt and you can use those in conjunction with Manufacturer's coupons (and your Cartwheel app + RedCard for maximum savings!).

You can also utilize websites like Coupons.com to select and print off coupons right from the couch! I use this frequently for savings on things like diapers, wipes, dog food and other household items and toiletries.

Store Ads

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You know all of those mailers in your weekly newspaper? Don't throw those away! Always flip through them to see what's on sale. Usually the first few pages of each mailer have the biggest deals and doorbusters, and it can save you lots just by taking the extra time to scan them. My local stores always post their current ads on their websites as well, so you can always check your favorite shops to see what's on sale before heading out.

Ibotta

So I only recently jumped on this little bandwagon and I am so glad that I did! This is a rebate app, but don't be intimidated! It's so easy to use and in about a month I earned $20 back on groceries I
already buy! Simply add the rebates you want to redeem, buy the products at the store, scan your item and your receipt into the app, and bingo! You've got a rebate waiting to be transferred to you via Paypal or a gift card of your choice! How easy is that?!

**Use this referral code to receive $10 just for signing up!:**

https://ibotta.com/r/qjpkqrg

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Sometimes it takes a little extra work, but it's so worth it to save big on groceries every month! I love finding deals and stacking savings whenever possible, even if it requires a few extra minutes of my time.

What do you do to save money on groceries? I hope these tips are helpful for you!

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