Can Grocery Apps Save You Money?

If you are like me you are constantly trying to figure out ways to save money in your budget. It seems like I do well at making cuts on some household categories but not on others. For instance, one area I sometimes struggle with is my grocery budget.

Part of the reason for this is because I eat out a little more often than I should. However, restaurant eating is not wholly to be blamed. I also buy things that aren’t on sale, aren’t on my list, and are just too darned expensive.

Obviously, there are ways to remedy this dilemma. I could cook more frequently, shop sales more often, stick to my list and forgo items that are pricey.

But on top of all those cost-cutting measures, I also wonder if grocery apps can save you money.

Why Food is So Expensive

There are several factors that affect how much we pay for the food we eat. Among them are weather conditions, pests, and politics, as well as supply and demand.

You have no control of the weather, of course, but pests can be controlled to a certain extent. It could also be argued that political impacts, such as trade agreements, are something not within the average person’s scope to change.

Supply and demand do influence food prices too, of course. And on top of all of that, you must also consider the size of the family you are feeding. A larger family automatically equals a higher cost when it comes to your grocery bill.

Grocery Apps That Save You Money

As I mentioned above, there are other cost-cutting measures you could employ to help keep your monthly food allowance at its lowest. Nevertheless, you may not be doing everything you could do.

Grocery apps are one of the newest available means of saving money through the use of technology. These can be installed directly onto your phone allowing you to access them from any store. In addition, there are a variety of different types of apps you can choose from.

Coupon Apps

Apps such as Coupons.com can save you money by providing coupons you can print or use directly from your phone. They also have promotional codes for clothing, home, and travel retailers.

Rebate Apps

A couple of other grocery apps that can save you money are iBotta and Checkout51. After downloading these apps you can browse the available deals, fill out surveys, and watch videos.  If you decide to purchase one of the items listed on the app you can get a rebate.

Discount Apps

An app that allows you to take advantage of discounts and sales is SouthernSavers. This app has weekly promotional ads as well as coupons for items you can buy. You can also create lists for the products you like to purchase regularly.

Cashback Apps

Cashback apps such as Ebates will give you cash back for buying things you would have purchased anyway. There are well over a thousand different stores you can shop from to save you money on groceries.

Gift Card Apps

Some of the apps that save you money on groceries do so through gift cards. Some examples are ReceiptHog and CheckPoints. You get coins, or virtual money when you use these game apps. Then you turn the coins in and get actual gift cards you can use on future purchases.

I have personally used the Checkpoints app for a few years now. Over time I have made several grocery type purchases using gift cards I redeemed for both Amazon and Starbucks products.

Multi-Featured Apps

Although some of the other apps also have more than one feature, a couple that offers multiple ways to save are Walmart and Target. You can combine sales, store coupons, and outside discounts to save the most on your grocery purchases.

With Walmart’s app, you also have the ability to create a shopping list and even get your medications filled at the pharmacy.

Other Alternatives

These are not the only ways to save money on your monthly grocery bill. You could also combine your recipes with the sales adds to make the most of sales, coupons, and discounts.

Don’t buy brand name products because they are pricier than their generic or store brand counterparts. Ask for and use rain checks when store discount items are out of stock.  Inventory the items you already have on hand and combine them with items on sale at the stores you frequent.

As you can see there are lots of ways to save money on the groceries you buy regularly. However, grocery apps can save you money too, especially combined with all of the tactics you may already use.

Have you ever used a grocery app to save money?

Jeanne is a married mother of 2 grown children who works a full-time job, has two side hustles, and also helps out occasionally on the farm she and her husband own together. Her background is finance and medical office management, and she hopes to help others improve their finances and change their futures.