Record levels of inflation are causing many consumers to scramble when it comes to budgeting these days. Cutting back is easier on certain items, but a little more challenging when it comes to essentials like groceries. So how do you make sure your money goes as far as it can at the grocery store? Savings Expert Lisa Thompson of Coupons.com has a few tips:
If you’re feeling the squeeze at the grocery store due to rising prices (thanks, inflation), here are five easy steps you can take now to help find some relief.
1. Develop new habits. If you don’t change how you shop, and you just settle for higher prices, you’re going to pay more for groceries. If that's not an option for you, it’s time to create some new habits. My first suggestion: Find free money in the form of cash back offers. The free Coupons.com app is full of cash back offers for popular brands, on everything from cleaning supplies to pet food to makeup to baby products. Did I mention they’re free? Get $4.00 cash back on Klondike bars (yum). Get $2.50 back on Huggies. Get $2.00 back on Lubriderm. Get $4 back on Claritin (hello, allergy season!). You can find over 100 cash back offers that’ll earn you cash back in the form of real money in your PayPal account, which you can transfer to your bank account whenever you need it—no minimum balance required.
The key is to use these offers regularly—to make earning cash back a HABIT. Check the Coupons.com app every few days for new offers to activate before you shop, you can easily earn $10+ cash back each week on brands you love and find great new products to try. This is absolutely the best way to fight inflation and create a little cash stash that you can then use for next month’s groceries or save for a splurge down the road.
2.) Make that list! Studies have shown that buyers who shop with a list tend to spend less.Having a list helps you create some boundaries. Pro tip: In the Coupons.com app, every cash back offer you select, or activate, will be adding to My List—that’s where you can see all your cash back offers at a glance so that you’re sure to redeem them before they expire. Even if you hate to make a shopping list, at least refer to your offers list—that’s where the money is honey! And every offer you check off that list means more cash in your pocket.
3.) Abandon old impulses to splurge. If you love retail therapy like me, this a hard one—we’ve had a tough few years, the economy has had its ups and downs, and now the world feels uneasy. For those of us who like to shop when we’re stressed, well, let’s just say we’ve had a lot of opportunity. However, rising prices make this a precarious way to deal with anxiety, which could throw us into debt and create even more stress.
One way to avoid temptation is to simply cut down on the amount of time you spend going into stores in the first place. I buy my groceries online and opt for free curbside pickup or delivery, and the best part: I can still use my cash back offers on those purchases. As long as you have an itemized receipt or you’re able to link your store loyalty card to your Coupons.com account, you can get cash back from your online purchases. They’re redeemable anywhere.
4.) Meal plan if you can. When you plan your meals in advance, you’re more likely to just buy the things you need. If planning’s not your thing, at least go shopping with a rough idea of what you’ll be cooking in the week ahead to give you a little direction. One thing that’s helped me is planning with another family who likes to shop where I do. I’m a diehard Costco fan, but I’m also a single woman cooking for one, so I like to share my food purchases at Costco with another family who eats many of the same things I do. We split the cost, and it also cuts down on waste. And (drum roll) . . . I can use my cash back offers at Costco!
Another meal planning tip: Pick a protein (fish, chicken, ground beef, etc.) and see how many dishes you can make with it—that gives you a starting point for your meal plan, and you can expand from there. Plus, don’t forget dessert (duh). You’ll find all kinds of great offers to help you save on the sweets in the Coupons.com app (see tip above about the Klondike bars).
5. Be open to trying new things. I totally get it if you’re brand loyal to certain products, like laundry detergent or your coffee creamer. But with pandemic-induced supply chain issues that continue to linger (and, of course, rising prices due to inflation), you may not always be able to find your favorites on the store shelves—or be able to afford them. Be adventurous! Maybe you’ll discover some new products you love that cost less in the process, and if you use the Coupons.com cash back offers to help expand your horizons, you’ll be earning cash while you’re out there trying new things and crushing high prices.
The Coupons.com mobile app is available for download in the App store and on Google Play.
* Link to hi-res images HERE
# # #
About Quotient
Quotient (NYSE: QUOT) is the leading digital media and promotions technology company for advertisers, retailers and consumers. Our omnichannel platform is powered by exclusive consumer spending data, location intelligence and purchase intent data to reach millions of shoppers daily and deliver measurable, incremental sales.
Quotient partners with leading advertisers and retailers, including Clorox, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Unilever, CVS, Dollar General and Peapod Digital Labs, a company of Ahold Delhaize USA. Quotient is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, and has offices across the US as well as in Bangalore, Paris, London and Tel Aviv. For more information visit www.quotient.com.
Quotient and the Coupons.com logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Quotient Technology Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment