Thrifty Thinking: Maximizing Your Shopping Budget

Chances are, you see your weekly trip to the grocery store as more of a pain than a pleasure. Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip stocking your fridge and shelves, but there are easy ways to save money every time you need to shop.

 

I’ve included three easy money-saving tips below from Allie Kranick, Marketing Manager from Ibotta that can help make every trip to the store an opportunity to earn big:

 

1.  Make a list and hunt for deals

Before you go to the store, make a list of everything you need to get. This will ensure you don’t forget anything, and also help you from buying unnecessary items. Once you’ve made your list, scope the Sunday paper for coupon inserts, and visit store and brand websites to check for coupons to print off and take with you.

 

2.  Maximize deals at the stores you shop at regularly

Sign up for store loyalty cards, email newsletters, and download store apps to maximize your savings at stores you frequent. Stores track your purchase history and will present personalized discounts related to what you buy most often. When you enter stores, grab their circulars to scope for any deals you may have missed, and check sales tags in-aisle for additional savings and opportunities to amp up loyalty points.

 

3.  Use mobile saving apps

There are lots of great shopping apps designed to help you earn money just for purchasing things you already buy at the store. Check out Ibotta (ibotta.com), which helps you earn real cash on a variety of products in grocery. Another great app is Target Cartwheel, which gives you additional discounts and coupons, at all Target stores. The best part? Both apps are free to download.

Integrating these three tips into your shopping routine isn’t hard, and extra cash in your wallet is bound to make the weekly trip a little less painful!